First Reply Knowledge is to be Shared, not Stolen

[Brooke Waters]

Another day, another world.

Brooke was realizing that the galaxy was an ever changing tapestry, and she was here to observe it. She was connecting her worlds, and her peoples. And at the same time, learning the history. There were groups, like the Varanin family, Ashin and all, that were out there, maybe stronger than some of the Jedi. Her friends in the Starchaser family were strong, but they were hard to pin down. And it was something that she took to heart.

Her own ship was something of an anomaly. But the Witch had been tracking ancient Witch Kingdom worlds. She had at one time been a bounty hunter, but with the growth in galactic powers, she was reconsidering her position. The fact of the matter, she needed a crew. The galaxy was wide and vast but getting smaller all the time.

But today, that wasn’t what she was here for. Finding herself in the systems of the Jal Shey with some credits, and a goal. Dressed in robes made of firax skins, she grinned as she stepped into the city. Her goal?

A new weapon.

And see who was here.

Stepping into the space port's main cantina, she found herself listening. A rogue Force user? Elemental powers? She kept her ears perked up, because what was being described was definitely someone that was using the Force in a way she did, but... seeming to commit raids on this planet. And why?

People came for gear and imbuement, but beyond the Jal Shey adepts themselves, the world didn't seem to hold any rare elements...

Drain Knowledge.

Now that one got her full attention.

 

[Juniper Le Fey]

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Juniper raised the glass of whiskey to her mauve-painted lips, the heat of the bottom-shelf liquor burning her nose as she took a sip. "You're an ass for this," she said to the bartender, one eye twitching as a shiver ran down her spine. It truly was rank, something she wouldn't wish on her enemies. Still, it was what was getting her drunk tonight, and after losing out on her last contract, it was the only thing she could afford.

Juniper had only been on the planet a short while. She had been on the hunt for a fugitive, she'd been close, too, but he was scooped up by local authorities in the final moments, costing her a sizable chunk of credits. She shook it off as bad luck, something she didn't run into often, and went on about her day. Her fortune would turn around soon. It always did. She just had to wait for the right moment.

She finished the shot by rolling it back completely, deciding to get it over with. It was no easier going down than she made it look, but she drank it all the same. Slamming the glass back onto the bar, she rolled her eyes and pushed the stool away. Rising to her full height in her heeled boots, she towered over most in the room. Juniper turned sharply, heading toward the bathroom of the backwater cantina, likely the last place anyone would willingly choose to piss.

The look on Juniper's face as she turned and nearly collided with Brooke Waters was one she almost wished she could see herself, equal parts surprise and affirmation that her fortune had never truly turned its back on her. "Well I'll be damned, if it isn't you."

 

[Brooke Waters]

Dressed as a fancy traveler, Brooke’s robes were a bit enchanted to give an almost sequin appearance, and she completed the look with a blue scarf, definitely overselling the ‘I’m a nautical based character’ trope, but it was her vibe. She needed to have something better for her own skills, and while she was able to summon tools from magick, there were times where she just wanted to have something that wasn’t her lightsaber. Frankly, Brooke didn’t want to use that as often as she did.

Standing as classy as she could, Brooke had helped herself to a glass of white wine, hunting a seat, and was using that to be able to listen to the chatter that was on-going. It took her a second before she recognized the other witch… Well, spellcaster? Brooke would hate to tell someone they were one thing when it wasn’t true. Coren always corrected her when she called him just a Jedi.

What she didn’t expect was to be collided with Juniper. Her blue eyes took in the shock and almost-joy in Juniper’s face.

“Its me. But the real question is, whats got you out here?” Brooke had only just heard what was going on, but she wasn’t a bounty hunter any longer. She was here for the materials she could purchase.

Juniper Le Fey

 

[Juniper Le Fey]

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Juniper watched with a smile as Brooke recognized her and greeted her in kind. There were few people who forgot Juniper Le Fey, and fewer still she considered worth remembering. Brooke Waters was one of them. Her cold hunter's eyes softened just a touch as Brooke finished. Juniper didn't have many friends, but Brooke was more than an acquaintance, she was a thread tied to her past.

"What, a girl can't take a vacation?" she asked playfully, punctuating it with a wink.
Shifting her weight in her heels, Juniper settled, throwing her hands up in mock disbelief as she continued, though the look in her eye gave her away entirely.

"Lost a job." Her tone was matter-of-fact, no guilt, no sugar coating, she was mortal, it happened. "Locals got to him first." She shrugged. "So I figured I'd grab a few drinks before I left the planet tomorrow." Her gaze drifted around the cantina, catching the attention of the usual shady types now watching the group of women taking up more space than they probably should according to them.

"You lot seem like more fun than these dusty old walls." Juniper gestured loosely toward the room. "So what are we getting into?"

 

[Brooke Waters]

It wasn’t every day you ran into another spell caster. Everyone was all about their laser swords. And sure, yeah, Brooke had hers, built it herself, then sunshard-ed the crystal getting the nice indigo it had now. The hilt even became a bit more decorated than it used to be. Zeffonian ore, that iridescent blue metal now covered with a living stone of coral around it. The weapon was more ceremonial now than anything else. Fine by her, and she could, and did use it in a pinch.

But it was why she was here, looking for something a bit more… of her station

As Juniper joked with her, Brooke welcomed it with a warm grin. “But this world? You could just call, I’ve got friends everywhere, can get you a nice resort on some beach, you can waste the day away with a fruity cocktail and some sun.” That worked for Brooke, she wasn’t certain it worked for everyone.

“And lost a job? Around here?” She looked at Juniper a bit curious. Brooke moonlighted as a bounty hunter for a few years when she was still finding herself. “Where are you bound for?”

But that was when Juniper also grabbed the room’s attention. And the man behind the bar, young, good looking, mostly human, who was wiping down the bar looked at the two of them.

“Got a Forcer, not one of the Jal Shey, apparently taking a few and running out to the woods, uses a discblade.” He didn’t seem like he knew what a discblade was by the way he pronounced it. “Seems to be kidnapping folks.”

Brooke had an inkling of what the man was talking about. She’d been around the galaxy a spell, but wanted to see what Juniper thought.

Juniper Le Fey

 

[Juniper Le Fey]

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Juniper's mischievous grin lingered as Brooke spoke, she was amused at the idea. Beaches, warmth, a nice fruity cocktail instead of the swill here, it was all gorgeous on paper. "Mmm, yeah," she eagerly hummed, totally unconvinced, "And miss the wonder of a place like this?!" She darted her gaze across the cantina to the different 'features', including the grime and the tension, "Hard pass." She waved down the bartender as she finished, ordering another round. She wouldn't let the scenery dampen the mood, she might not have jogan fruit to make a beach cocktail, but she had a glass of hot whiskey to make history.

At the mention of the job, she offered a nonchalant shrug, "Wrong place, wrong second." She looked back toward Brooke, "Story of that poor guy's life- not mine." Her grin started back, as though she almost felt bad, but not quite. "Was thinking of heading off-world." She added, "To see if anything better gets my attention." As she finished, the bartender had returned with Juniper's drink, and the piece of information he offered with it. Interesting.

The sorceress didn't turn her attention to him directly at first, instead she brought the whiskey glass to her lips and took a pull of the fire liquid as she processed the information. Her eyes narrowed, Force user, not Jal Shey, taking people, woods, discblade. She was racking her brain to see if anything connected. Her head tipped just a fraction as she finally turned back toward the bar for a moment then back to Brooke, "Kidnapping?"

Her eyes went back to the crowded cantina now, her gaze picking apart the others with more precision this time. "Woods, huh?" Juniper said aloud, mostly to herself. She then shifted her attention back toward Brooke Waters . "Sounds like your trip just got a lot more interesting." She donned that cool tone she wore so well, slipping right back into character, "Question is- is this 'not our problem' or should I cancel my plans to leave tomorrow?" She asked as she finished the whiskey glass and sat it back on the table. Always great to fight a kidnapper with a little bit of a buzz.

 

[Brooke Waters]

This world wasn’t what Brooke would call a tourist destination but she still smiled as Juniper made a point to call out that she didn’t want to miss this one. Had to be a joke, but well, maybe other people had their own goals. And likes.Though she really doubted someone would put themselves here willingly. Brooke looked at the bartender and nodded for a glass, of whatever they picked really. The blonde stuck out like a sore thumb here. Especially when she pulled down her hood showing her blonde hair, and general cleanliness.

“Ah, so you’re just out hunting the jobs now? Bounty hunting? Guild? Or just on your own?” Brooke really didn’t want to interfere, and Juniper could answer or not, but it wasn’t going to shape Brooke’s opinion of the other woman. If she was needing help Brooke had a few spells to incapacitate that she had no problem sharing. She may be more light aligned but… well, she wasn’t perfect, and did have a history to her own self.

As the bartender presented the story, Brooke was definitely interested to see Juniper’s reaction.

“Sounds it. Discblade tells me Zeison Sha, or something… similar. Kidnapping isn’t their way though.” Brooke has been around the galaxy a bit.

“I mean you can leave, but I came here in search of some weapons, maybe this will save me some credits. And I never balk at helping someone.” She drained the drink. “Could be a challenge?” A cute, flirty smile, trying to egg Juniper on.

Juniper Le Fey

 

[Juniper Le Fey]

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"Whatever comes my way currently. Been running with the Crimson Dawn in Mandalorian space. The Nightsisters there have been very welcoming." Juniper smiled as she said it. It was nice learning about her heritage through actual practice rather than books for once. "Finally learning about my-" She caught herself, looking first back toward Brooke, then to the other women flanking her. "-our heritage." Magenta sparks tickled along her fingers as she spoke. The magick she possessed was still volatile; that hadn't changed, even with the discipline the sisters had taught her.

"Zeison Sha." She repeated quietly to herself as the other woman finished. The name fired off something in her mind, but she couldn't quite chase it down. Their weapons sounded interesting, Juniper had never used a discblade, but it sounded badass, honestly. She raised her eyes to meet Brooke's again, weighing the options laid out before her. On one hand, it would be beneficial to get a head start on another job that actually promised to pay, but on the other, Juniper was fascinated by Brooke Waters . She enjoyed being around the other witch, and thought she was the most relatable Sister she had met so far.

"Yeah, feth it, let's go see what's going on." She gave Brooke a little wink as she said it. "Do you remember Misch?" Her posture shifted as she mentioned the little punk. "He's still an ass, but he can help us track down whatever's doing this." She couldn't help but smile a bit when she thought about him- damn it, she was tipsy. "We just have to bring him something to eat, because he's going to be mad I woke him up from his nap." Juniper glanced around the room, looking for anything she could use as a treat for the Noctau.

 

[Brooke Waters]

Crimson Dawn was interesting. Brooke had stepped up to work with the Black Sun when they made their pitch to take over some territory of the galaxy. Idly, of course. “Its good to have the Nightsisters and other witches in the protection of the Mandalorians. Hopefully its helping both of the groups.” The Blue Corals that remained on Dathomir always were there to help as healers and support Clans. It was always interesting to see the difference between the clans on Dathomir, but then how they operate when they’re off-world. The Nightsisters were different than her own clan, sometimes looking on the way they used Magick, and differing from how the Force was so black and white.

“It helps to have the Elders to teach. I know my Clan Mother had a lot of instruction for me when I found the clan.” Changing from Jedi approach to the Witches. And the Witch path was better. Feeding into the Kattada Enclave, it was almost possible to make a light side adept with the shared learning.

“They’ve got their skills, thats for sure, but do depend on that blade a lot. Like Jedi.” She could feel the cylinder of her own lightsaber under her outer robe, in the one she built as a teen. She preferred to work with the spells she had. And honestly? Was hoping that Juniper would take up the chance to do this little hunt with her.

“MIsch, yeah! He’s around?” The blonde's hand reached to one of the small pendants on her necklace, in the shape of a serpent. “Would he want something off the menu or something we can find out in the wilds? The Zeison Sha have a terrible tendency to be hidden out in the wilds. Don’t think they expected two daughters of Dathomir, though.” Her blue eyes wide until she gave a wink.

Juniper Le Fey

 

[Juniper Le Fey]

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Juniper listened with a smile as Brooke spoke on the Mandalorians and the Dathomiri. It was refreshing, Brooke looked at things from a much bigger perspective than Juniper, who leaned more toward "faster is better." Though she was right, the Mandalorians and the Witches had indeed helped each other out, and both had converged on the Crimson Dawn, allowing the tight-knit group of criminals to operate within their space- for a price, of course.

"Yeah..." she started. "It's different, in a good way." She blinked, recalling the way Vytal Noctura had opened their home to Juniper, teaching her the ways of her people and being incredibly patient with her, while still holding her to incredibly high standards. "Still getting used to people actually giving a feth, ya know?" She looked back toward Brooke. "I'm used to learning things the hard way." A bit of playfulness poking through the tough persona.

Juniper chuckled a bit at the mention of the Zeison Sha's reliance on their weapons. "Good," she said lowly, just for their ears, "makes them predictable, like Jedi too." Now, she wonered if they had the same easily refuted moral code that bound them to an endless quest of both subjugation and liberation, but that was neither here nor there at the moment. "Will be fun to get a new toy for Misch," she said in reference to their discblades.

"He's here somewhere, probably napping on the ship." She nodded her head back toward the general direction of whatever ship she had commandeered this time. "He'd love something from the bar!" Juniper then turned her attention toward the menu above, scribbled and smudged, making it hard to read. Most of it seemed to be outside Misch's flavor profile, something Juniper never thought she'd have to consider in her years of larceny and bounty hunting.

Finally, she settled on something that had it all- meat, bones, and a lot of spice. She looked down toward the bartender now, his attention fully on Juniper by this point. This was likely the most exciting thing to happen here in a while, six witches and the Zeison Sha? He was practically drooling at a chance to live in their orbit.

"Give me an order of the fried nuna wings, extra spicy." Misch loved spice.

"This'll wake him up." She said as they left the cantina, a bag full of greasy fried wings in tow. Juniper motioned for them to go toward her ship. "He'll snag something in the woods to keep him fed. This is just a peace offering." She paused for a second. "Oh yeah, he's coming with us. He's a great scout, and I promise he's not as big of a jerk as I tell people he is." Usually, she thought to herself.

As they approached the ship, the landing platform opened with a groan, and the old ship settled fully onto the ground. Juniper put her fingers to her lips and let out a very sharp whistle that would draw anyone's attention, but she was looking for one very specific creature. She could have reached out through the Force, tapping into his natural ability to communicate, but she wanted to surprise him with his favorite things: spicy food, gorgeous company, and hunting.

The Noctua eventually made its way to the landing ramp, stretching his front paws before doing the same with his back legs, his tail flicking in relief. His large, avian eyes widened at the sight before him, a trill overtaking him. Misch leapt into the air, spreading his wings and flapping them rapidly, stretching them like he had his legs. He soared in the sky for a few moments before landing on the ground, leaping around like a kitten with a ball of yarn.

"He's excited to see you again." She said as she handed the bag to Brooke Waters . "Why don't you do the honors?" Misch trilled again as he sat down, his tail wrapping around his feet, his giant eyes looking up at her, practically begging.

Juniper sighed. She had trained him better than this.

 

[Brooke Waters]

The fact that Brooke had more years behind her always helped for her to look beyond the way the galaxy moved. The Force was strong with her and the way the galaxy spun, she has seen more than most would suspect from her, based on appearances alone. One of her unique skills, after all. Much like the sea, there were ebbs and flows in the galaxy, and sometimes, patience was going to win out.

But she detested how much that sounded like a Jedi mantra.

Some of the Witches, Brooke felt, became too self serious. The Jedi and Sith were the ones that were practical Orders, and the Witches were more hedge skills, passed through families or learning groups. Focusing on what was truly important to each Clan themselves. Nightsisters… they went all over the place.

“Hard won lessons are the ones that stick, after all.” The blonde winked a blue eye. “Smaller Force organizations tend to be a little more unpredictable. Not necessarily wild, but more secretive.” She’d seen a Zeison Sha or two in passing. And those murder-frisbees were… a thing.

Looking at the menu, Brooke smirked. “Meat on top of meat makes sense.” Her hand still on her pendant. Beasts for her were pacts made with spirits, not living, and thankfully, not needing to be fed. Besides, with what she calls upon? That would be a meal and a half.

But having someone who could hunt, and seek, was smart. The blonde approached Misch with the treat from the bar, stepping forward and waving a hand, the Force lifting some of the wings up towards Misch. “Ready to stretch those wings for us, Misch?”

Juniper Le Fey

 

[Juniper Le Fey]

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Juniper tried to hide a smile as Misch scarfed down the wings, his chewing punctuated by what sounded like a mixture of a purr and a trill, vibrating his whole body. He really liked the sauce, Juniper could tell by the way he was licking the bones before moving onto the next wing. If they were smaller, he likely would have eaten them whole, bones and all. Juniper couldn't help but widely smile while watching him eat, he was a lot of work but he was just so cute.

"He's great at getting around without getting noticed." She turned to Brooke Waters and playfully winked. "People never look up." It was true, people always looked around them and on the ground, but hardly ever keeping an eye out in the sky.

"We can head out whenever, I just need to go grab a couple Hexfangs from my utility locker." The locker was located at the top of the ramp so it would take seconds at most to be ready to go. Juniper was excited to get out of the rut she was in after not finishing the job, it was time to do something else, time to follow where the galaxy was leading her.