Private Loose Screws

[Jasper Kai'el]

Loose Screws
Coruscant, Jedi Temple Hangar
Tags: Ara Sheridan ​

Jasper was perched atop his new vessel, a YT-7990 B he named the Lonestar 1. He had only recently named it. It hadn't been long since he had stolen it from a band of smugglers back on Corellia. But, new things never stayed new for long, and Jasper was already having to service his vessel. One dog fight and spicy landing later, and the ship was having some issues. A few of the maneuvering jets had suffered some damage, as had three of the ship's fusion coils. Now, he was digging about the inside of his vessel repairing internal wiring as he waited for new parts to arrive.

The wait was longer than he had anticipated. Apparently, ships that had come back from a recent battle had taken the priority of the Temple's backlog of parts. Jasper had already preformed an hour's worth of repairs on the Lonestar 1, creating a decent pile of fried components next to him as he went. Finally, however, the sound of footsteps approaching his vessel were faintly caught in his ears. He was irritated that it had taken so long, but better late than never. To that extent, Jasper was relieved.

"Alright, that took long enough," Jasper muttered to himself before raising his voice. "If that's the fusion coils I requested, could ya leave them by one of the legs? I'll grab 'em in a sec."

As he spoke, he continued to work, not turning back to see who had walked up. It's not like much would come of it anyways, right?

 

[Ara Sheridan]

Ara was at a total loss. With nothing to do, and her lessons only starting much later in the day, the Zabrak hung around the hangar bay in search of something to do. Her pod was still at her mother's place, that delivery was going to take another month to organize and clear for delivery, all of the ships she had to check up on were perfectly serviced and even washed to look brand new. To make matters worse, the routine she had fallen into for the last few weeks conditioned her into focusing on all of her important work first. It was exhausting and left her dead tired at the end of the day, but it was satisfying to know that, at least with her community service, she was doing good and excelling in her duties.

But it left her thoroughly lost in this situation.

As she gazed around, however, she noticed a ship in a landing pad that wasn't on anyone's schedule. A Corellian freighter with panels removed and fried parts laying around it. That in itself was enough to warrant an investigation, though it gave her a direction at least in her aimless wading through boredom. Tying the top portion of her jumpsuit around her waist, the Zabrak adjusted her dirty, old t-shirt and walked over to the freighter.

A voice from inside called out to her, mentioning something about fusion coils that had Ara's brows furrowing in confusion. How the hell did this guy manage to screw up a Corellian freighter this badly? However, the voice itself caught her curiosity. It sounded familiar. More course. Mature. But definitely familiar.

"Dunno about no delivery, but if you need coils, I got an atomizer lying around somewhere that's got some spare coils still in there." Ara spoke up as she made her way up the boarding ramp and leaned with one hand against the hydraulic lifting arm. She tried to look inside of it to see who it was, though she wasn't going to board some random guy's freighter.

Anyone who managed to mess up a Corellian freighter was not to be trusted.

Jasper Kai'el

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple Hangar
Tags: Ara Sheridan ​

"Dunno about no delivery, but if you need coils, I got an atomizer lying around somewhere that's got some spare coils still in there."

No fusion coils still. Strangely, the voice sounded familiar, but Jasper couldn't quite figure out where he had heard it.

"I appreciate the offer, but I don't mind waiting," Jasper answered. "I'm not in any rush to get back out there and be shot at."

He had only stepped away from the wheel for a moment to use the refresher and wound up in a dogfight. He won, of course, but they had plenty of time to do damage to the ship. Fortunately, Jasper was pretty much done with his repairs, spare the coils. The padawan gathered up his gear and made his way off the top of his vessel to see who it was he had spoken to. To his dismay, he knew who it was: Ara Sheridan.

"Oh," he frowned. "It's you."

 

[Ara Sheridan]

That at least explained the state of the ship. Though she was still convinced that it was pilot error. "Suit yourself, dude! You need any help with something in the meantime?" She offered as she looked around the hull of the ship. A voice from above suddenly caught her attention. Ara looked up and blinked as realization dawned on her. On one hand, she had pathetic situational awareness. On the other, she knew who the guy was.

"Jasper, right?" She spoke up as she looked at the guy. He looked a lot more grizzled since they last met... at the Gala. She knew she was forgetting a name somewhere on her list. "Don't worry, my reaction's the same when I see myself too." She joked with a smirk as she leaned against the lifting arm. "How the hell did you manage to mess up a Corellian freighter this badly? You tick off an Imperial Star Destroyer or something?" She asked casually.

Taking a step back, Ara jumped up and clambered onto the roof of the freighter. "You need any help up here?" She offered more directly as she looked around.

Jasper Kai'el

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple Hangar
Tags: Ara Sheridan ​

It was hard for Jasper to immediately come up with an answer, especially after what Ara had done to him at the Gala. How could she be so casual about all of this, especially after what had happened that night...

"How the hell did you manage to mess up a Corellian freighter this badly? You tick off an Imperial Star Destroyer or something?"

"It isn't as bad as it looks," Jasper remarked, "Pretty typical as far as turbolaser damage goes. I got ambushed by a couple raiders, must have been three or so I think. I can guarantee that I did more damage to them then they did to me." Jasper scratched at the bridge of his nose and managed a grin. "Which I'd say is pretty good for someone without a co-pilot."

Ara made her way up onto the top of the vessel, asking if there was anything she could do to help, which was... more thoughtful than he had been expecting.

"Aside from those coils, most of the repairs are done," he informed her, following her up. "I... probably could've missed something though," Jasper admitted. "I haven't slept in a while... So... what've you been up to?"

Why had he even asked her that? Jasper didn't want to make small talk, not after everything at the Gala, but his brain seemed to be on autopilot. He really needed to sleep.

 

[Ara Sheridan]

Ara couldn't help but nod with an impressed look as he explained the situation. "Without a co-pilot? Hell, that ain't bad at all." She admitted as she looked back at him. She couldn't argue with that. Starfighters were one thing. But a big freighter? Dude had some skill... or the raiders were garbage. Probably a bit of both.

He went on to explain the extent of the repairs... then dropped a fully loaded question rather casually. Ara blinked then looked down again as she started to inspect the ship. "Oh, you know... the usual stuff. Get arrested for bashing my ex's new girlfriend's head in, get loaded onto a prison shuttle, only to get shot down over Panatha. And because that's simply way to chill of a time, I went and got my ass handed to me on a silver platter by a psychotic Sith lady and ran into an imperial stormtrooper legion led by none other than Aron Gowrie and his Wildcats. Luckily he liked me and Master Zhea, so he helped to patch me up and let us go." She explained casually, though the smile on her face was strained as she spared a glance back at him.

The smile disappeared as she looked away again. "Listen, Jasper. I know I karked up badly. I royally screwed you over at the Gala. I'm... I'm sorry about that." She admitted with a lower voice as she looked around to make sure they were alone. "You need anything from me, I'll gladly help you out anytime. I'll make it up to you." She gave a light punch at his chest as a faint smile form.

Her gaze shifted back to his ship again as her eyes narrowed. "By the way, did you check the energy cyclers? Last thing you want is those failing in the middle of a hyperspace jump." She asked as she knely down and pulled a flashlight from her belt to peer into one of the opened panel spaces. "Also got some spare pumps and condensation lines if you need. My pod ain't gettin' here until next month at least." She offered as she stuck her head inside to get a better look.

Jasper Kai'el

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple Hangar
Tags: Ara Sheridan ​

When Ara mentioned being shot down over Panatha, he thought back to his own battle on the planet. The Elysium Empire had called upon aid to fight the Maw, and a Sith he had fought there had tried to drain his friend Silas Westgard of all the Force he had. He couldn't exactly say that his experience was that bad, however. Silas had gotten the worst of it. Jasper was surprised by what Ara said after that...

"Listen, Jasper. I know I karked up badly. I royally screwed you over at the Gala. I'm... I'm sorry about that." She admitted with a lower voice as she looked around to make sure they were alone. "You need anything from me, I'll gladly help you out anytime. I'll make it up to you."

"Look, I..." he began, but trailed off. He was struggling to think of how to respond. "I don't want you to feel like you owe me anything. Dragging in 'debts' just feels like... I dunno, kinda like manipulation, I guess. It's enough that you apologized."

Jasper really didn't want to hold onto anything. If Ara was genuinely trying to move on from her mistakes, then holding her to something like that just felt disingenuous. That and Jasper never liked drama. He'd rather circumvent it all if he could, but that wasn't always possible.

"By the way, did you check the energy cyclers? Last thing you want is those failing in the middle of a hyperspace jump." She asked as she knely down and pulled a flashlight from her belt to peer into one of the opened panel spaces. "Also got some spare pumps and condensation lines if you need. My pod ain't gettin' here until next month at least."

"The energy cyclers," Jasper echoed, palming his forehead in embarrassment. "I knew I was forgetting something. Smart. I'm pretty sure I got the rest though. The pumps and condensation lines were undamaged, as far as I could see..."

It had been a long week. He had been doing all kinds of running around in the underworld, and to make matters stranger he now had a little brother to keep an eye out for. Jasper couldn't seem to find a break amidst all of it. He was exhausted.

"And here I thought things couldn't get more hectic then when I first came back," he sighed, managing a tired laugh. "I can't seem to do anywhere without getting shot at. The sparring event was a while ago now... I kinda wanna go back to that. Well, without the identity crisis anyways."

Jasper hung his head, his shoulders drooping. He didn't have much energy in him. He just hadn't had the time to sleep properly.

 

[Ara Sheridan]

A soft smile formed as he accepted her apology and brushed off her offer to help him out. "I ain't feelin' like it, Jasper, I know it. It definitely ain't manipulation, it's just making up for it." She quipped with a shrug. She knelt down and continued to check his ship's components with her flashlight, moving from space to space around the surface of the roof.

Her comments seemed to remind him of what he missed, though as he continued to speak, the Zabrak blinked as she looked up at him. "Identity crisis?" A smirk formed as she sat up. "Just how bad was that kiss?" She joked as she knelt down again. She spared a glance as his shoulders slouched and his head drooped. He looked more exhausted than she was. "Hey, dude, you look flat. Catch a seat, I'll check the cyclers." She stood up and hopped off the ship, navigating its interior towards the engine compartment in the back.

After a bit of rummaging and colourful swearing, the Zabrak emerged with a worn cycler in hand. "Number two cycler's burnt out. I got a spare somewhere, gimme a minute!" She walked off with the piece and quickly returned with a fresh one. A few minutes later, she was back out and wiping her hands off against her jumpsuit. "Alright, what's this about an identity crisis?" She asked as she joined him.

Jasper Kai'el

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple Hangar
Tags: Ara Sheridan ​

She seemed insistent on making her mistakes up to him. Jasper was to tired to protest. If she felt that it was necessary, he didn't want to be the one to stop her from making peace with all that. He wasn't prepared for what the subject shifted to after that, however...

"Identity crisis?" A smirk formed as she sat up. "Just how bad was that kiss?"

"Th-that wasn't- I, er..." he began, becoming red in the face.

Jasper was still very embarrassed about the whole ordeal. Romantic thoughts hadn't even crossed his mind prior to the Gala, and to go from that to being made out with out of the blue was jarring. He paused to recollect hos thoughts before continuing.

"I-I was already having problems," Jasper admitted. "The two sorta just... happened at the same time."

Ara seemed to notice hid exhaustion, insisting on checking his cyclers for him. As she finished up, replacing cycler two with a spare she had on her, she asked him about the whole 'identity crisis' deal. That was something he was actually okay speaking about now. Jasper had gone on a whole journey to find out where he had come from and make peace, so this wasn't something he was nervous speaking on anymore.

"That's a... long story," he told her. "I'm a clone of this other Jedi, some dude named Jastile. I sorta found out when I was getting back into the order, so everything in that time was... weird. Y'know, sort of the whole 'I don't know what's me and what's him' deal. I got reckless after Ilum especially. I felt like I had to prove that I was me. Crashed a ship, lost an arm, got beat to a bloody pulp by a gang of smugglers... but then I ran into Iris Arani . She told me very bluntly that I had a problem, so I set off to meet the dude who made me and make peace with it all. I'd like to think I did."

 

[Ara Sheridan]

Ara couldn't help but snicker as the dude became flustered. However, her smile faded and her features softened for a moment as she listened to him tell his story. Funnily enough, she could empathize with him in a way. "A clone, huh? Hot damn." She muttered as she looked away with pursed lips for a moment. "Well, if it makes you feel better, it looks like it all helped. I mean... you're way more solid than a few months ago. So I think that trip maybe did you some good." She commented with a smile as she gave him a light punch to the shoulder.

She looked back to the systems around them on the roof for a moment. "I get where you're comin' from, though. Had something like that the other day. I was reading up on Iridonia's history... got a little bit existential when I thought back on where I came from." She admitted. However, one aspect stood out to her from his story.

"Wait... rewind... you crashed your ship and lost an arm... because you wanted to stand out?" Ara's eyebrows raised with a worried smile as she looked at him. "I'm pretty sure there's some better ways to get that done, dude." She snickered as she sat back and shifted a little closer to him as she looked over the hangar area. "How'd that meeting go, by the way? With the dude who made you?" She asked as she looked at him.

Jasper Kai'el

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple Hangar
Tags: Ara Sheridan ​

"Well, if it makes you feel better, it looks like it all helped. I mean... you're way more solid than a few months ago. So I think that trip maybe did you some good."

That was relieving to hear. At least his trip hadn't been in vain. It was interesting to hear that Ara had a moment similar to that as well with her own origins. Jasper was already coming to learn that his backstory wasn't the most chaotic out there. Not being alone in that was certainly relieving. Before long, however, Ara was back to teasing him about going about proving his individuality the wrong way.

"I know there was a better way to do that," Jasper insisted, becoming flush with embarrassment. "I just... didn't think it through is all."

His composure returned when the Zabrak asked how his encounter with his creator went.

"It was... interesting," he began to explain. "Found him hiding out on Dantooine waitin' to kick it. He pretty much told me he was a pretty crappy person, told me what I wanted to know, and insisted I make my peace with it all and move on. The dude gave an apology, but he didn't want me to accept it. So, I left, and I guess he let himself passed away afterwards." Jasper was somber for a moment, but quickly returned to his typical sell, albeit still very tired. "Not that the dude hasn't stopped making my life difficult. Turns out I wasn't the only clone he made, so I sorta became an older brother too. I'll have to introduce you to him sometime. I want to get him interacting with people around the temple so he doesn't end up a complete social mess like I was..."

 

[Ara Sheridan]

Ara couldn't help but chuckle as his face went red all over again at her comment. He went on to recount the journey and Ara could feel the mixture of emotions coming off him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze as he went silent for a moment... only to drop a bombshell on the conversation. "Wait, hold up... a little bro? Dude, that's awesome!" She spoke up. "You ever wanna get him to learn how to drive a podracer, feel free to send him my way." She joked with a smile.

"I get it, though. The whole 'who are you' thing. Was thinkin' about it the other day with my Iridonia research. Like... yeah, my dad was a Zabrak. Dead giveaway." She joked as she gestured to the horns along her forehead. "But... I didn't know him. Schutta didn't want me to begin with. So with that in mind... is it necessary to think that I'm really Zabrak? Like... Iridonian? 'Cause I'm basically the same as them... except I wasn't born there and I ain't raised like 'em. But I ain't human neither." She glanced up at him for a moment with a far more gentle look in her eyes.

"Eventually got to the conclusion that it's not worth the headache to get hung up on where you came from. What matters is what you do and who you are now. I mean... look at you. You ain't really the original, but you ain't just a straight copy. You got your own life and stuff that's made you, you. Same as me. And your little bro also gonna have his own life and stuff that's gonna make him different from you. Only thing that's gonna be the same is the looks... but even that can change. Couple fights and tats, maybe a different haircut, and you'll be lookin' like a different person." A smile formed as she studied him for a moment. "You can definitely do with a different haircut, though, you look like a mop." She snickered as she leaned back a little. A rather ironic comment to make, given her own new hairstyle.

The siren went off in the hangar, causing every mechanic and worker to drop their stuff and scramble off for lunch. Ara looked around for a moment then back to him. "You wanna go grab some lunch? Iris showed me this super good burger joint just around the block." She asked him as she turned a bit towards him.

Jasper Kai'el

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple Hangar
Tags: Ara Sheridan ​

"You ever wanna get him to learn how to drive a podracer, feel free to send him my way." She joked with a smile.

"I have a feeling he might actually like that," Jasper responded with a chuckle.

It was interesting to hear Ara talk about her own struggles, the duality of being pulled between her Zabrak and Human heritage, not feeling that she really fit in to either. But, she ultimately decided it didn't matter. Jasper understood that completely. He too had wound up coming to a similar conclusion. The mention of his recent appearance did manage to rise a laugh out of him.

"I could say the same about your hair," he remarked with a grin. "And believe it or not, the tattoo isn't new..." Jasper paused, exhaling. This was a conversation he needed to have, even if he hadn't realized it. "Thanks. It... means a lot to me to hear that from you."

Soon, a siren went off, signaling for the hangar staff to go on break.

"You wanna go grab some lunch? Iris showed me this super good burger joint just around the block."

"You know what? Sure. Why not."

 

[Ara Sheridan]

Ara let out a warm laugh at his retort as she looked at him. This was nice. Whatever tensions there were beforehand, she felt like it was fixed. Simply having a good conversation with him was something she needed in this time. Her warm smile remained as he thanked her, which piqued her curiosity. It seemed that they were both in the same boat. They needed a good laugh.

"What? Me telling you to get a haircut?" she joked, though she quickly softened as she gave him a gentle shake. "Anytime, Jas." she muttered with more sincerity. To her rather surprising delight, he agreed on getting a meal. Ara was on her feet in an instant, holding a hand out to help him out. Once they were off the freighter, Ara led him to the burger truck just a short walk away from the temple.

"This stall is karkin' awesome. That smell? It's almost exactly like how it smelled when I was flipping burgers in Underworld. Tastes almost exactly the same too." She explained happily as she ordered them both a cheese burger with fries. As the man began to prepare their burgers, Ara stepped aside and looked back at Jasper. "Where'd you get that tat anyway? Looks real good." She commented as she nodded to his sleeve. "Also, when we get back, I'll help you put your ship back together again. You sure you wanna wait for those fusion coils?" She asked him as she leaned against the side of the speeder truck.

Jasper Kai'el

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Coruscant
Tags: Ara Sheridan ​

It wasn't long before they had head off to the food truck that Ara had suggested. She mentioned the burgers being similar to that of an old workplace in the underworld.

"I'm no cook," Jasper began, "But I don't doubt that it's good. Underworld food is always better."

Jasper, of course, was very biased. He spent a lot of time in the underworld exploring in his youth. You could go to any old chain, but in Jasper's mind, nothing beat the thrill of finding a killer meal in a shady joint that claimed to be 'family-run.' Sometimes, that was better than being assured safety.

"Where'd you get that tat anyway? Looks real good."

"Had it since I was made or whatever clones are," Jasper shrugged. "I think it's a signature? I didn't ask. There were other things on my mind. Can't ask about it now." Ara brought up the fusion coils again. She did have spares, but Jasper didn't just want to have the order he made go nowhere. "I already ordered some. Might as well take advantage of the order getting tax write-offs, right? So... what's your plan after your community service is done?"

 

[Ara Sheridan]

Ara nodded at his explanation of his tattoo, though she couldn't help but slash a grin. "Damn, and here I thought I was gonna get some dope tat artist to get some ink done. Guess I'm gonna have to get myself into a cloning facility." She teased. But her smile was quick to fade when he asked about her own plans.

The Zabrak looked away for a moment in thought. "I... don't know. I haven't thought that far. I... don't really wanna think that far. It feels like, when I make plans for after it all, I'm just puttin' off what I gotta get done now." She admitted as she glanced back at him. "Like... I ain't a good person. I made serious mistakes. I'm a garbage Jedi... that's stuff that's gotta get fixed now, not later." Her cheeks became a light shade of red as another thought popped into her mind, a smile adorning her lips.

"I've, uh... also been thinkin' of giving dating another shot. Just 'cause my first relationship was a disaster, don't mean they'll all be." She continued with a more hushed tone. "Hopefully without givin' 'em an existential crisis when I kiss someone." She joked as she pushed off the wall and quickly took their lunch when the stall owner held it out to them. Finding a seat by a table, Ara set their meals down and immediately helped herself to some fries. "But now that you mention it... maybe going some places or setting some kind of goal might be worth it. Whaddya think?" She asked him for his input. Maybe he could drop a few ideas for her.

Jasper Kai'el

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Coruscant
Tags: Ara Sheridan ​

"I... don't know. I haven't thought that far. I... don't really wanna think that far. It feels like, when I make plans for after it all, I'm just puttin' off what I gotta get done now." She admitted as she glanced back at him. "Like... I ain't a good person. I made serious mistakes. I'm a garbage Jedi... that's stuff that's gotta get fixed now, not later."

"Garbage is a bit extreme," Jasper remarked with a frown. "I can think of worse..."

Sure, assault was definitely not good, but Ara didn't know the person she had attacked, and the alcohol probably hadn't helped her case. It was a moment where emotions beat out rationality. To say he wasn't guilty of the same thing would be hypocritical, even if he hadn't gone to the same extreme.

"Besides, you're working to fix it all. You can't be garbage forever, right?"

Her next statement caught him off guard. Ara's cheeks became faintly red, and she smiled in a way that was noticeably different from her regular grin. She mentioned wanting to start dating again, hoping that a next relationship would fair better.

"M-more power to you there," Jasper began, becoming flustered. "I-I don't know if I muster up the courage to even ask... I-I guess after all that 'introspection,' I'm still a complete loser."

Jasper tried to laugh it off, but a part of him was disappointed. Affection was something that hadn't really crossed his mind before the Gala, ironically being an idea Ara had unintentionally put in his mind. Now he was too afraid to attempt it, worried he'd either mess something up like he seemed to always do, or wind up dying and causing more grief. Thankfully, as they got their food and went to sit, Ara changed the subject.

"But now that you mention it... maybe going some places or setting some kind of goal might be worth it. Whaddya think?"

"I'm sure you could make something work," he shrugged. "Just... make sure you have a couple friends to bring along. Trying to handle my problems alone was the worst decision I ever made. I hope that means something coming from the dude with social anxiety."

 

[Ara Sheridan]

A gentle smile adorned the Zabrak's lips as she took a bite from her burger. Normally she wouldn't want anyone to see when they were getting to her, either good or bad. But after everything that happened, she came to realize the liberating peace of not keeping her walls up. To let the good moments in whenever they presented themselves. This was one of those moments. To hear his words of encouragement had her spirits lifting quite a bit. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She admitted softly before taking another bite.

Upon the mention of going out, Jasper became flustered all over again. Sje couldn't help but chuckle at his expense. "I wouldn't call you a loser, really. Hell, you can talk without sounding like you're gonna have a breakdown any moment." Her choice of words were questionable to say the least, but it came from a place of sincerity. "Ya know... I'm probably the last person you should take advice from..." She began with a guilty laugh. "But you miss a hundred percent of the shots you don't take. You see someone you like, it's a coin toss. But you won't ever know if you don't shoot your shot. You'll get rejected but it ain't the end of the world, that's just how it goes. It went south for me, but... you might get lucky, ya know?" She offered softly as she looked down at her meal.

She helped herself to some fries as she listened to his suggestions, nodding in agreement. He was right, there wasn't any reason to try and do something alone...

"Oh yeah, I ain't makin' that mistake again. Although..." She thought for a moment. "Maybe a gig. Even if it's only once, just to get a chance to play in a band for a crowd." She thought aloud. "Besides, Iris got me that super awesome guitar, gotta put it to good use." She admitted as she finished off her meal.

Jasper Kai'el

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Coruscant
Tags: Ara Sheridan ​

"I wouldn't call you a loser, really. Hell, you can talk without sounding like you're gonna have a breakdown any moment." Her choice of words were questionable to say the least, but it came from a place of sincerity. "Ya know... I'm probably the last person you should take advice from..." She began with a guilty laugh. "But you miss a hundred percent of the shots you don't take. You see someone you like, it's a coin toss. But you won't ever know if you don't shoot your shot. You'll get rejected but it ain't the end of the world, that's just how it goes. It went south for me, but... you might get lucky, ya know?"

"I guess you're right," Jasper sighed. "I... still struggle with social situations. Growing up alone definitely didn't do me any favors there... But I've been improving, right?" the question was more for himself, which he quickly answered. "Yeah. I have. I guess if I just keep at it, I'll get there eventually... Thanks. F-for not thinking I'm a loser, I mean."

As they ate, Ara mentioned wanting to play in a band on a stage at least once, having received a guitar from Iris. Jasper found the idea rather novel. There certainly was something about music that his brain seemed to latch on to, but it was an interest that he never got the chance to follow. Still, he held a high level of respect for the art. It could certainly be a great way for Ara to express herself in a way that was healthy.

"You should," he encouraged. "Just to say you did it if nothing else. Who knows, it could be cathartic..."

They were just about done there. Jasper hadn't realized that he had needed any of the conversations he had today. It was unusual, given the way that the two had first met, that an interaction like this would occur. Change sure was strange.

"Thanks again," Jasper began, scratching the bridge of his nose. "I didn't know I had so much on my chest..." He paused, cracking a smile. "I guess that makes us on good terms then."

 

[Ara Sheridan]

Ara nodded lightly as he spoke. "Nah dude, you're cool. Just bummed we met on less stellar footing." She admitted, though a laugh escaped as she glanced at him again. "But hey, at least I gave ya something to remember me by." She quipped with a wink.

She was rather glad that he figured a gig was a good idea. She didn't understand what he meant, the word 'cathartic' wasn't something she was familiar with. But she guessed that it was good. Regardless, he was right. Even if she only did it once, to say that she performed on stage was something to be proud of and cherish.

When they reached the hangar, Jasper thanked her for the talk. She blinked as she stopped to face him, unsure of how to react to it. "I hope so, yeah." She teased, though a more sincere smile took hold. "But for real. You wanna hang out some more sometime, I'm wide open. And hey, I'm here if something's bugging." She reassured him, glancing at his freighter for a moment.

"Come on, let's go slap that baby back together." She gave him a tap on the shoulder as she turned and walked to his ship.

Jasper Kai'el