Private Law Of the Dawn Born

[Tansu Treicolt]

CORUSCANT | MARKETPLACE
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In their haste to get out of dodge, the girls had only collected the essentials for their travels. Toiletries and flowery things were discounted as luxuries. But now, after weeks of being around boys, and all their boy stuff, and all their boy smells, Tansu and Talin were getting desperate for body washes that weren't promising five solutions in a single bottle.

Once she'd picked up toiletries, she took a turn to the seedier parts of the market. She felt more and more confident each day, especially when she was alone. And shopping was something she was good at. The markets on Concord Dawn never charged fairly, and Tansu had a way of getting things in her hands without bleeding out her entire wallet for it. She expected the bargaining methods she used back home to translate well in the markets of Coruscant, too.

"…c'mon on now, fifty credits for this? You and I both know it's worth thirty-five at most."

Her voice, seasoned with the lilting cadences of her homeworld, stood out above the market's cacophonous, indiscernible babble. Light eyes were steady on the bulbous gaze of the merchant. They were locked in a blasterless standoff.

The Toydarian made a sound that sounded like an amused laugh. He hovered closer, the sound of his rapidly beating wings provided a constant background buzz. When he got closer, Tansu wrinkled her nose. His hovering was no doubt an intimidation tactic, forcing her to look up, but he smelled like a silage bin at high noon, and the breeze his wings generated spread the stench in all directions.

"You'rrrre not from arrround here, arre you?" It had taken already five minutes of an exchange for him to detect this fact. Or at least, it was the first time he outright recognized her drawling accent. "Herrre on Coruscant, the prrices climb as high as the skyscrapers. Fifty credits is a barrrgain for such a rrare oil. Nothin' else will make your hydraulics slippery. Puts the hydra in hydraulics, that stuff does."

Tansu frowned. Dax's landing gear was still messed up from his drifting stunt on Jedha. Which, Tansu had to admit, had been not only cool but necessary.

The part in her hands would at least help with the horrible sound of metal on metal every time the gear tried to open. A bandaid solution until they could afford to replace the entire system in full. But it was all she could afford, and she wanted to help the guy out after he'd done so much for her and her sister.

"Look, I can 'ppreciate the hustle and bustle of your city life as good as any. I walk away now, and I save you from havin' to do this conversation all over again with at least four other customers I reckon.

I've been fixing up speeders since I was a kid. This lubricant isn't as rare as you're making it out to be. Take the thirty-five, and I'll take it off your hands right now."

The Toydarian grunted, and Tansu swore it sounded like reluctant admiration. He was caving!

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Talsin Lota
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[Talsin Lota]

Tansu Treicolt

Coruscant was both similar as well as contrasting to Empress Teta.

Similar in that it was a large city-planet, but dissimilar in that it felt... off. The atmosphere was cold and frigid. While it was a silly idea, because Coruscant was just as ancient if not more than Teta... it felt younger. Like there was less history here or the history simply mattered less. Perhaps it was the latter that made it feel so strange to Talsin.

Back on Teta you couldn't turn a corner without coming face to face with the history of the nobility and royalty.

He was crouched down next to the girl haggling with the alien. It was... sad, really. Clearly Tansu had no idea what she was doing. This wasn't some Tatooine chop-shop where you could haggle your way into a gem.

"You know, I wouldn't bother with that lubrication." Tal said authoritatively. "It's not even worth thirty-five credits. See here? The seal has been refixed, it will be all spoiled inside." His lord father had always said that it fell to the betters in the world to educate those with lesser means. He had always found that too be a bit... arrogant.

But some lessons stick by you even subconsciously.

"You should get some of the premium mold from the other shop over there. Trust me, that one is gonna ruin whatever toy you are playing with."

 

[Tansu Treicolt]

​

Both the girl and the Troydarian fixed a glared at the interloper.

"If you wouldn't bother with it, then don't."

The Troydarian seemed to agree. At the very least, he'd been enjoying the haggle with the hat-wearing offworlder.

She'd chosen this shop because it looked second-hand. Easy to swindle. With the exodus of the beurocrats and their retinue, business was down and prices were up all over. Glaring at the boy, she tapped the cap of the bottle. It did indeed seem like the seal was broken.

Before Tansu could say anything, the merchant let out a wheezing laugh.

"You insult me?" He was looking at the boy now and jabbed a claw in his patron's direction "That was her who opened it."

Shoulders shrugged. "I don't know how long you've been itchin' at the sidelines to swoop in her and mansplain lubricants, but I checked the contents a few minutes ago."

"Fifty credits." The Troydarian asserted again, not willing to lose a sale and not willing to drop their price.

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Talsin Lota
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[Talsin Lota]

He snorted there.

"It's not mansplaining when someone clearly doesn't know what they are doing." Talsin said with a roll of his eyes. "You can see from here that that lubrication will give out after a few days of hard use. It won't last any serious amount of time."

Tal had been planning on moving on rather quickly. But instead she raised his hackles with being just plain dumb about this. Why do people not just accept when they are wrong and say thank you? It was just a waste of time for everyone involved. But that was the way country folk usually were. So prideful even when they were clearly in the wrong. It was a wonder to him that they ever managed to get out of the farmland and into space to begin with.

"It isn't even worth ten credits. But sure, have at it, kiddo." And he put a credit chit there that was worth a hundred credits. "I will pay for her expired lubrication and I want to buy this reverb chiplet. Don't even try and sell it to me for more than fifty credits, unlike farm girl over here I wasn't born yesterday."

Tansu Treicolt

 

[Tansu Treicolt]

​

Concerned he might lose not one but two sales, the Troydarian looked between the two almost anxiously.

"Please, please, Let's not be hasty —" he started, but was cut off.

"Nobody asked you!" Temper flashed across Tansu's face. Her mouth twisted and her brows pinched down. Even under the shaded brim of her hat, her disapproval was easily seen. The nerve of this guy!

"Oh, great," she said dramatically "Well if I've got your permission" it sounded like per-mish-shun "I'll be sure to have at it." She sniffed and clutched the oil protectively.

Then he somehow found more audacity, after referring to her as a child, and decided he would pay for her mistake. If he thought this was some sort of big, impressive move, he was very wrong.

"Farm girl?? Why I outta.." His accent sounded snooty, and his attitude cemented it. She huffed and glared between the credit chip and her who produced it. If he wasn't so pompous and arrogant, she might have wanted to look at him longer just because her eyes liked it. But instead, she saw red. Her glower settled on the stranger.

"You used tuh credits solving your problems?" Snort. "Figures." Her eyes narrowed. "You look the type."

In her heart, she knew she was forgoing her manners. She should have said thank you at the very least. Her mama would be so disappointed. But instead, she bah'd dismissively and turned on her heel, waving a hand behind her at the shopkeeper. She hoped the Troydarian kept the full hundred.

"Congratulations on the sale."

"This is not a haggling shop." Licking his lips eagerly, the Troydarian hovered and moved left to right as though he were pacing. "It's fixed price. She's a tourist.You don't sound it. Fifty for the oil, sixty five for the reverb." The extra fifteen was just because this kid offended him by thinking he was a swindler.

Which he was, of course, but it wasn't a nice thing to be called so openly.

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Talsin Lota
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[Talsin Lota]

Tansu Treicolt

"Well, when you have credits, you ought to use them." Lazily shot back over his shoulder to Tansu. As if she wasn't even worth the effort to turn around and look her in the eye. Of course, the real reason was that it was easier to not be MAD and embarassed. Why had he said all those things? His parents had taught him better. Be polite, be diplomatic at all times. But the moment he saw her, his brain just shut down completely and it was like he had gone through a fugue state. Which ended with him looking at the hundred credit chit, being alone with the swindler, and without even being able to say sorry.

Then again.

Why would he have to say sorry! He had tried to give the annoying little brat some advice, even offered to PAY to smooth things out and she just-

"Wait, what?" He had been about to grab his reverb and stomp off, but the Troydorian said something that didn't compute. "Say that again?"

"Sixty. Five. For the reverb." The shopkeep repeated with a serious tone. Talsin tilted his head at the flying alien... and then... smiled. So fucking innocent and pleasant that anyone worth their salt would know the exact danger the Troydorian was in.

"Oh. Sixty-five! I see. Of course." He was about to go into his pocket to fish out another 15, but then he stopped himself. "Then again... I really do worry a bit about the quality of your products, dear chap. I just wouldn't want anyone else to be having these discussions right in front of your shop." He put his hand on the hundred credit chit before the shopkeep could pick it up. "So why don't I go and fetch the guard? I will leave the reverb here, of course. And I will be right back with a few cops. Make sure that everything here is-"

The shopkeep seemed to stiffen all up immediately.

"No, no, heavens me. Oh, it is the reverb... I apologize, my eyes aren't really getting any younger, you know-"

"So..."

"A round even 100 sounds good, sounds delightful."

"And you will throw in a few of those capacitators? Just to make me feel better after this entire affaire..."

A vein would have exploded in the shopkeep's head but he forced a grin on his face regardless. "Of course. Of course... that makes sense, please. Go ahead." And only then did Talsin let go of the credit chit. Picking up the reverb and a few capacitors. "Thanks, mate. Clearly you are a stand-up guy, I wil let everyone know they should be shopping here with you." Tal didn't listen to the mumbling coming out of the shopkeep as he wandered off to a few new stalls.

Everything was perfect and pleasant...

Until he crouched down again to look at a new engine part...

 

[Tansu Treicolt]

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"If yOU haVe creDITS you shOUld uSe them." Mockery's voice was several octaves higher than the original delivery. "If you want to use them why not pay full price to a vendor who's feeling the brunt of a chunk of his customer base going off planet? I mean the nerve of that—!!"

She'd left in a hurry, gone to look at another shop, and found herself so wound up and flustered that she'd turned right back around and ready to leave.

Her monologue recap of the past few minutes was stopped short when she tripped. Her walk had been so charged, so hasty, that the obstacle was big enough to take her out.

She thudded down on her elbows. "Oof!" A breaking sound cracked out from her bag.

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Talsin Lota
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[Talsin Lota]

Tansu Treicolt

And he had not been expecting a person to collide into him like that, he had been pretty unsteady crouched down like that, so he fell face first. Sucking dirt so to speak as he coughed. Groaning what the actual fuck.

Wondering what he had deserved to have a day like this?

Tal rubbed at his face and blood came off of his nose. That made him gasp a little. Blood in itself had never bothered him. But... the last time he had seen blood... he didn't want to think about it. So, obviously, Talsien thought about it. The memory of his sisters screaming, blood on knives and him saving them. Yes, Tal had saved them. But in the end he had set himself apart from them too with that singular act.

Suddenly Talsien wasn't just the big brother and beloved son. No, he was legacy now. Someone who could increase the stature of their family's name even more... by joining the Jedi Order and learning as much as possible to restore their family's fortune whenever the Galactic Alliance would decide it was ready to liberate Empress Teta once more.

"Ow..." He muttered softly as he got up to his knees, looking around. "You okay there? Sorry, I didn't-"

 

[Tansu Treicolt]

​

Tansu was torn between checking the source of the noise from her bag, and checking on the person. Goodheartedness won out, and she twisted in the tangle of legs and back and arms. Her hands were all scraped up, she'd at least had the wherewithall to catch herself, and she was coated in whatever was on the market floor. With a huff, she drew her knees into herself and pushed up to table top.

"I'm okay, are you alright? I was all in my head and not watch—" she turned to see who she was talking to. Every ounce of apology she'd been prepared to deliver drained away entirely.

Though she felt a little twang of guilt that she'd made him bleed.

"Sheesh you're a daisy." Was how she addressed the bloodied nose. By calling him delicate.

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Talsin Lota
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[Talsin Lota]

Tansu Treicolt

And he glanced up and immediately recognized her.

You He hissed as he held his nose. "You did this on purpose didn't you! I should have known you are a violent brute on top of being an ignorant country hick." Groaning in pain as he got his feet under him and raised himself up.

"How dare you assault me? I paid for your worthless lubrication, I tried to offer you advice and you make me bleed? What a fucking disgrace."

 

[Tansu Treicolt]

​

"Oh yeah, on purpose." She rolled her eyes all the way to nex week and tsch'd against the roof of her mouth. "If I did this on purpose, your nose would be pouring, fella." As she spoke, she swiftly rotated to get out of table top and back to her knees tucked under her. For a handful of seconds, he had the higher ground. He rose before she did and that surely wouldn't do. She did not like looking up at him while she was still grounded.

"Assault you?" She laughed outright this time and straightened enough to stand up, dusting herself off. She wanted so badly to check on the contents of her bag, but he was being such a jerk that she had to stand her ground and keep her glare trained on him. "If I assaulted you intentionally, trust me, you wouldn't be coherent enough to talk about it."

But he wasn't done. Her jaw dropped, and just as hastily snapped shut.

"Nobody asked you to do either of those things." Her arms crossed defiantly across her chest and she lifted her nose in the air. "You just assumed your way through that whole exchange and lived up to the age old homminem." She was of course referring to the cautionary phrase of 'to assume was to make an ass of you and me'. But she doubted his intellect enough to grasp it.

He seemed too put together, too posh, to understand common idioms. And that made her seethe even more. He'd insulted her roots twice.

"Make you bleed? Listen cowboy, it was an accident, but man, do I wish it wasn't."

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Talsin Lota
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[Talsin Lota]

Tansu Treicolt

He waved his hand... as if the mere gesture could wave her away.

"I doubt you could do anything without making it a sneaky sucker punch first." Tal said at her while looking down at her and stemming the blood with his sleeve. It made his voice sound funny, less posh and more nasal-y. Like a little child that had been beaten up. Except... he was holding himself high, had no tears in his eyes and wasn't whining. In fact, he seemed entirely in control of himself. Which might actually be even more annoying to Tansu.

How do you make fun of someone who seemed so perfectly poised even after having his face rammed into the pavement?

"Ungrateful and violent, but I shouldn't have expected anything more from the likes of you." He spit on the floor and more blood came from it. It might have looked like he was spitting at her feet, but that was a mere coincidence.

"Just stay out of my way. Brat."

And he turned his back to her because she wasn't worth his attention anymore as he went back to checking out the engine part.

 

[Tansu Treicolt]

​

Nobody had called her this many names since she'd left the homestead. And all of those were in good faith, sibling comraderie. She was gobsmacked. And, more than gobsmacked, she was angry. Positively vibrating with irritation.

"You wanna bet?" Her fists clenched and unclenched and reclenched at her sides. He wasn't just insulting her, he was insulting a broader stroke. Country folk. That's the part that really got to her. She had her mama's looks, and her pa's mean streak. And this guy was setting the latter ablaze.

He spat up a glob, and Tansu made a sharp, shocked gasp. It was sudden, high pitched and brief. Very inarticulate and very hostile.

"Violent? Don't flatter yourself. You're not even worth the energy of intention."

There was so much she wanted to say, to rage at him, to put him in his place, but he turned before could and that made her even more furious. How dare he turn his back on her ,after insulting her?! She wanted to tear his shoulder back, force him on the ground and pummel him within half an inch of consciousness.

"Ugh!" She turned hotly on her heel and stormed away.

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Talsin Lota
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[Talsin Lota]

"Are you still talking? Because I am hearing this high-pitched annoying zoom in my ear!" Over his shoulder as she stormed away. Part of him felt bad. None of what he was doing was worthy of him. He should know better and if his mother was here, she would have grabbed him by the ear and torn it off to teach him a lesson in grace. But Tansu had this way of dragging the blood from his nails and then some and it made his worth habits come out.

He was already stressed out, upset, the reoccurring nightmare of blood in the night haunting him and making him sleep even less.

It shouldn't matter. He should be better than this. Not that it mattered, she was already gone and frankly Tal wasn't sure if he would be able to apologize even if he would find her again. Her voice just made him annoyed all over again.

"I don't even know her name and I hate her." Tal muttered to himself as he went on to the next stall.

Tansu Treicolt