Madrugada

[Ayessa Kroan]

Kiffu, 'The Spaceport', 08:00 AM Local Time
Interacting with [member="Rook Lokar"] ~ Trouble
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It was getting increasingly hard to resist bursting out into laughter throughout this battle of words. Was he serious? Oh, dear, he was. If only he knew what he'd bumped into. If only he knew who he was talking down to. She settled for a harsh exhale out her lips instead of chuckles, licking them briefly before leaning forward to match him, motion for motion, her gaze nearly shrewd now. Close enough to be considered treading the line of personal space invasion, far away enough to still take a casual drink of her juice. Things had shifted, just slightly, that's for sure. The surprisingly intricate snake marking across Ayessa's face twisted a little with her new expression, a grin, one to put a Hutt to shame. The glass made a 'clink' as she set it down a little harder on the table between them.

"You're right; it can't be hard, seeing as that's all I've seen you do. Alright. You've got me, for now."

Was this all a bad idea? Maybe. Was it the right one? It sure felt like it.

 

[Rook Lokar]

Bit harsh.

​You couldn't really blame Rook. It was his Corellian genes that made him this way, or so the Galaxy might excuse it. Known for being brash and arrogant, impulsive and stubborn. In all fairness, if he truly did know who Ayessa was it was likely he'd never of approached her in the beginning. Jedi had a knack for getting into more trouble than Rook could care to take part in. Heard they were the reason the Galactic Alliance went down, the reason the Sith hadn't simply taken over the Galaxy. Sure, it'd be under a stricter rule but he could just reside on the outer-rim, no? Even then, with maybe a little time he might be able to break through any blockade some Sith or Imperial threw up. He'd only ever been warned about Bounty Hunters so far, not the kind of people he was interested in tangoing with.

A smirk creased across his lips as he stared directly at Ayessa, listening to her reply. Was that teasing, was it serious, or an awkward mixture of both? Hardly mattered. Lokar appeared lost for a moment, simply staring before suddenly snapping back into reality. He shifted further back into his seat, sitting normally as he further added, "It's free living, you'll get a cut of all the payment, and with any luck we can find a few droids." The smirk never really seemed to fade away.

[member="Ayessa Kroan"]

 

[Ayessa Kroan]

Kiffu, 'The Spaceport', 08:00 AM Local Time
Interacting with [member="Rook Lokar"] ~ Trouble
——————————————————————

Oh, he didn't know the half of it when it came to her trouble.

Resisting the urge to make a sour face upon the mention of 'droids', the Kiffar matched his expression and energy before leaning back to break off their supposed moment of near-intimacy. A lazy finger pushed Ayessa's empty glass to the side of their table, the small movement managing to capture the outward appearance she was going for -- A mix of boredom and 'I-could-turn-this-down-and-be-just-fine.'

Smoke and mirrors. She did need credits. At least things had stayed the same in that regard.

Glancing over to the patrons, whose energy still teetered near the small of her mind, she focused back on him after a moment of the looking, "A few things I'd like to know before this starts, then." Raising her hand, and a finger, she began to count them off "One; what exactly is being 'shipped'? Two; How many credits are you suggesting? And, of course, three; I'd like to see your ship."

 

[Rook Lokar]

Rook was nowhere near as complicated as the woman who sat before him. Sure, he had his troubles but there was something else about Ayessa. She'd seen something, someone, more burdens than one should bare. It wasn't as if he really knew that, though. He was just another run-of-the-mill Smuggler with a cargo to deliver, and a pay check to cash in only to blow it all away on repairs, upgrades or something less than savoury. If one got the meaning behind it...

His elbow propped up his right arm on the table, seemingly ready to mimic the hand expression that Ayessa made only a moment prior. All of Rook's fingers touched his thumb, or at least tried to, listing it off from left to right as the palm of his hand faced his direction. "One;" His pinky flipped upwards, "I don't know. Two;" Then his ring finger that happened to be devoid of a ring, "I don't know. Three;" His middle finger joined the party, "Okay." The remainder of the drink he had soon found itself being downed in it's entirety, followed by the pushing off of the table and walking outside, but not before nodding Ayessa along to join him.

​In time, the two had certainly entered the spaceport, even if the ships weren't allowed to leave due to the storm. Inside landing pad 13-A was nothing more than a relatively well kept YT-1500. Rook's pride and joy, the only thing he ever really owned.

​"This is it." He mentioned, a smirk on his face, both arms outstretched as he took the time to turn to face her directly whilst back-pedalling in it's direction. Almost as if he believed it was the most beautiful thing in the Galaxy and everyone else was sure to hold that opinion. He didn't really know if they did, he didn't really care either.

[member="Ayessa Kroan"]

 

[Ayessa Kroan]

Kiffu, 'The Spaceport', 08:00 AM Local Time
Interacting with [member="Rook Lokar"] ~ Trouble
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She kept pace well enough, letting him lead in this place that was supposed to be familiar. Well, a lot of things were supposed to be, but just weren't. Those were the circumstances she found herself in. Her movement paused in the mouth of the hanger to allow him his introduction, eyes looking past the smuggler she was now entangled with to the vessel behind him.

I have absolutely no idea what that is how or how it works.

Another shrewd reminder of how out of touch she was. How extremely out of touch. It was a beautiful ship, though, even Ayessa had to admit that with her minimal knowledge of modern tech -- Corellian by the looks of it? And if he was Corellian, well, then that explained quite a lot, quite a lot indeed. Her arms crossed before she could think of the motion and she wryly called out, "Looks nice." That was true enough, "Am I going to have to share much space with you?" Both a question of legitimate curiosity and of hidden concern. If she was, she'd have to be extra careful to obscure certain objects. The hilt at her belt, for one, could never leave her side from now on. Not like it would have by choice anyhow.

 

[Rook Lokar]

The Smuggler turned on his heel mid-stride, know facing the starship he'd flown in on. At the press of a button the ramp began to hiss, blowing off steam and lowering with a metallic creak and groan. I seemed no matter what he did, he failed to keep that sound away. While tia appeared new, it certainly was. It'd been handed down from one way or another, and Rook was now the latest individual to come into it's possession. How exactly? It came with his freedom, just an added bonus that he'd of been fine with not having. Living the life of a slave made you more grateful than most.

Rook planted just one foot up onto the ramp, pivoting his head in the direction of Ayessa before dropping his gaze to the floor for perhaps a second or two. More thought, one would suppose. It soon rejoined her eyes, stating, "I mean, you don't have to, but I'm open to the idea." Fully aware of the eyeball he was bound to create, he continued up the ramp. Soon finding himself within the interior. It was clean and bright, a respectable ship if there ever was one.

[member="Ayessa Kroan"]

 

[Ayessa Kroan]

Kiffu, 'The Spaceport', 08:00 AM Local Time
Interacting with [member="Rook Lokar"] ~ Trouble
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A scoff rose in her throat at his comeback, her own eyes wandering upwards in a half-hearted eye-roll as expected. Did people actually say those things outside of holovids? Just so, apparently. All these types were the same, which was what made the fact she was still here so interesting. Her mind drifted to thoughts of what would be worth bringing as she followed Rook to the ramp, setting worn boots on it to ascend into the hold with a pace that suggested she was in no hurry. Admittedly, the relative cleanliness of it all was surprising, and it showed a bit on her face. She hadn't been expecting a dump, per se, but... But yeah, she had been.

"It's very... Respectable." Her words were chosen carefully, head tilted up to inspect a few interesting segments of the interior. Keeping her hands close together, she shifted weight and her head turned to look at the opposite side, "Where did you steal it from? Corellia?"

 

[Rook Lokar]

Maybe the mentality was, 'if it works, it works', or 'don't fix what isn't broken'. The lines he used were was cliche as they could be, but he's now got a stranger from a planet he barely understands standing on his ship, almost ready to leave with him at the prospect of some sketchy employment. So, yeah, if it works, it works.

​"I won her, actually." His head rolled to look Ayessa in the eyes, his hands resting upon his hip in a proud manner. That's what he was for the most part. Simply proud. "Swoop Racing." He mentioned, taking a step or so forwards and pressing on a singular button that began to lower the ramp. "They zigged, I zagged." His arms folded over his own chest, leaning against the interior hull with one foot propped up against the wall too.

[member="Ayessa Kroan"]

 

[Ayessa Kroan]

Kiffu, 'The Spaceport', 08:00 AM Local Time
Interacting with [member="Rook Lokar"] ~ Trouble
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"Won her. Must be a good flier, then." Ayessa certainly wasn't. That's probably why her battalion had been ground-focused. Had. Past tense. That still felt sore. Best to move her mind to the future, and her voice kicked up again to compensate, "Then again, I guess I'll find out once the storm passes, won't I." A dry exhale left her chest and she scratched at the back of one of her ears, still going with this whole talking business, "I, ah, have a few things to get from outside of the spaceport, from a small settlement." Maybe if she said the word 'settlement' enough times it would become true, "Then you can give me the grand tour."

A part of her-- The part of her that was probably the staunch Jedi Knight still --was still heavily advising against this. But he was interesting to be around, at least for now, and made her laugh.

If it works, it works, for damn sure.

 

[Rook Lokar]

Almost comical. Rook seemed to of jumped the gun, again. Of course she had things to grab, idiot. Nobody carried everything they owned on their backs, not even himself. It was all stored on this ship, regardless of the lack of things he seemed to own. No momentos, no extravagant artefacts. Just a series of clothes, a blaster, the cargo he carried, and items to fix the ship when the time came. Which was hopefully never, but they both knew that Rook staying unscathed was nothing short of a pipe-dream.

"Something like that." Rook replied in regards to being a 'great pilot'. He wasn't exactly fantastic, he was just better than the other slaves. Which, realistically, wasn't hard. They were all malnourished imbeciles anyways. "Ah, right." He further added, almost slapping his own forehead before slapping on the button that lowered the ramp once again.

"Here." He began, walking off into another room only to heard rummaging through something for a few moments, then returning to the open room, lobbing a communicator in her direction. "Let me know when you're back." As 'nice' as he'd seemed so far, he wasn't nice enough to wander off to a settlement and gather her old belongings with her. Didn't want to seem desperate either, no.

[member="Ayessa Kroan"]

 

[Ayessa Kroan]

Kiffu, 'The Spaceport', 08:00 AM Local Time
Interacting with [member="Rook Lokar"] ~ Trouble
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It suited her just fine that he wouldn't go with her. Definitely made explanations less awkward. It took a surprising amount of willpower on her end, however, to not just pluck the communicator mid-air with the Force and be on her way as she had so many times before. Instead she let her reflexes take that one for the team, deftly catching it and inspecting it. At least these seemed similar. Ayessa looked past it to Rook, offered a half-tilt of her head as a nod, a mildly hushed, "Great, see you in a bit, then." And she hurried off his surprisingly clean ship back into the stormy morning of the spaceport.

This was not at all how she had planned things going. Sure, she was keen to get on her feet, but-- No buts now, now it was time to gather her worldly possessions and leave. She'd be back. Nobody went to where she was going anyways. They avoided it, for good reason, the place wasn't meant to be disturbed.

The trekk always went faster getting there than coming back. Chances were she'd be gone for an hour, at least. There were a few databanks to scrub and download information from, information that made her feel a little better, and a couple small trinkets to collect from the abandoned ruins around her. Below in the valley she could see the spaceport, and the solitude felt a little less heavy. There was someone waiting for her, now.

Then again, that someone was someone who didn't claim to care much beyond the fact she could stand and breathe, which was enough to check his list. Figures. Up ahead the storm kept broiling, a little less intense than it had been before; that meant conditions were improving, at least. Another form of yellow lightning and she let out a long breath.

I'll be back.

 

[Rook Lokar]

I wonder if she's coming back.

Rook wouldn't exactly put it past Ayessa to leave with he wind and never return. The suspicion of it crossed his mind not only once, but twice. He was better off alone for the most part, since that personality of his never got in the way of himself. It was best suited for those nights Vin took him places he'd never even heard of, and somewhat wished it stayed that way. Had he finally met someone worth knowing, worth keeping around? Maybe, let's hope that was the truth. Smuggler and the Jedi, what a winning combo.

In the hour or more he spent on the ship he'd wandered back and forth, left and right, inspecting the contents of his own ship in the meantime. Even managed to sneak in a conversation with Vinon, letting him know that he was bound to return as soon as the storm cleared up. Recalling, however, Rook failed to mention he was hiring his own crew. Let's hope that Vin hadn't gone ahead and done so already. That'd be... awkward.

It was now that he lounged across a seat, his back against the place in which you sit and his eyes staring at the ceiling. A spherical fruit from before remain in his grasp, finding itself lobbed into the air only to be brought back down by gravity into his hand; the process was repeated over, and over, and over, and over again. He lost count, but it wasn't as if he was really counting at this point.

[member="Ayessa Kroan"]

 

[Ayessa Kroan]

Kiffu, 'The Spaceport', 09:00 AM Local Time
Interacting with [member="Rook Lokar"] ~ Trouble
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She'd taken the time away to change. Idly adjusting the black jacket across her shouldes for the fifth time, she was surprised mildly that they still fit, considering how long it'd been since she'd worn them. Thank the Force for Clone foresight to include them in her carbonite tomb. The communicator sat next to a small, old datapad on an empty crate she was using as a table at the moment. Maybe later it'd be reverted back to storage. The last time she'd worn these duds, though, it had been...

...It was hard to recall. Probably something undercover, to be sure. And probably on Coruscant. Ayessa winced at the memory of her second homeworld, blocking the images from her mind, no, too much right now. She then glanced down to the neatly folded 'rags' she had been wearing up until then, and tucked them neatly next to her Jedi robes in an old closet. Leaving them behind felt like a cardinal sin, but it was much easier this way, she felt she could confidently explain away a stray lightsaber, but these were the hallmark of Jedi. Hopefully they wouldn't get too dusty here.

Scooping up the datapad and communicator she stored one in a thrown-together cloth bag, and quickly gave the small device Rook had tossed her a proper once-over. It seemed set to a channel already, which was obviously to him, so she keyed it experimentally, and just uttered, "You recieving me?" Before stepping out of the sandswept tent back into the Kiffuan morn.

 

[Rook Lokar]

Rook wasn't one for sentimental value, it was a thing he didn't really understand. Robes? They were just rags. If you don't need them, bin them. Right? Maybe things were a little more complicated then that, but in his experience it was those kind of things that just weighed you down, either physically or mentally. There wasn't much difference in the end. He shed a skin when he escaped the life of slavery, and it's exactly why he didn't indulge Ayessa in the specifics of that Swoop Race. They were a dime-a-dozen in the Outer Rim, and most people wouldn't bother questioning it. Suppose he lucked out even more with Ayessa not being from here in any way, shape, or form.

​The sound of the communicator making itself known through a high-pitched, electronic ring, had startled Rook. His body jolted in surprise, failing to catch the fruit that narrowly avoided his skull and struck the floor. Rolling off to... somewhere he couldn't reach. His eyes darted to the fruit, and then to the communicator. Suppose the fruit could wait, right? Yeah, it was only fruit that he stole anyways. It wasn't as if it was earned.

He snatched at it, pressing down on a button and bringing it to his mouth. "That I am." He replied, a hint of humour in his voice. He never could take most things seriously, even the most mundane of actions. "You back yet? Rook followed up with a question.

[member="Ayessa Kroan"]

 

[Ayessa Kroan]

Kiffu, 'The Spaceport', 09:00 AM Local Time
Interacting with [member="Rook Lokar"] ~ Trouble
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"On the move now. Faster back than there, fortunately. Storm looks to be clearing up; keep an eye out for the Kiffu Guardians, they dictate whether ships can leave. Black uniforms, gold star emblems." Something in her voice was different, Ayessa dully registering that she'd just employed her 'commander' voice for the first time in a while. That left an awkward feeling in the pit of her stomach, and it had to be rectified quickly lest it settle, "Have any crazy encounters whilst I was gone?" There it was, it was back to the normal slightly-smarmy tone.

She kept the communicator raised whilst walking so she'd hear his reply. Well, she wasn't so much walking as she was jumping, hopping from one precarious cliff edge to another to scale down the relief back to the desert floor. It was all too easy, the Force guiding her motions downwards before she at last set booted feet in the sand, her trekk onwards really beginning. Least she had digital company, right?

 

[Rook Lokar]

"Erh." Rook began, elongating the sound he made throughout the time it took him to register the question. "I was, uh, caught off-guard by some fruit." The things he did, or had happen to him always sounded worse when he said them aloud. Not because they were particularly damaging in any way, only that they were simply stupid. "Other than that? No." Always best to give a concrete response, of course.

​The Smuggler sat upright, pivoting his two feet so they collided with the ground before beginning to stand. His boots shuffled against the metallic interior, and then made a move for the ramp. His eyes glued upward, staring towards the rather dangerous lightning storm, commenting, "Storm looks to have softened up. You're the local, how long 'till we're out of here?" It was a safe bet, in his mind, that Ayessa knew more about these storms than he did.

[member="Ayessa Kroan"]

 

[Ayessa Kroan]

Kiffu, 'The Spaceport', 09:00 AM Local Time
Interacting with [member="Rook Lokar"] ~ Trouble
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Oh how she wished she could sass back with something about how she hadn't been here since she was three, but that would start to give away too many clues. But, she had witnessed a few spectacles since her return, her eyes narrowed up at the sky as she walked in an appraising manner, "30 minutes or less, I'd say. It was an early-morning storm." Ayessa channelled the desire to be smartmouthed into her second statement then, and it did elicit a genuine grin on her face, "The fruit must not have liked being stolen by a scoundrel."

Her pace quickened, then, and she sped right past the same Rodian from earlier, who didn't even spare her a glance. All Kiffar look the same if you're looking at them neck-down, plus she was dressed much better than she had been before. A bit of supposed luck and she squeaked by without being called a thief by association, scurrying over to the docking bay like a particularly Force sensitive mouse.

"Lower the ramp, will you?"

 

[Rook Lokar]

​A grin stretched across his face and an extra huff of air escaped his nose at one of her statements. It was easy to decipher which one. In the process of re-boarding his own ship, he'd replied through the communicator, "Must've. It grew arms and legs, then started yelling at me." Another dumb comment in the ever-growing pursuit of humour. Stealing was second nature to Rook, really. You learned how to live by hand and mouth when growing up on the streets. Taking what you can, when you can, was nothing but a basic fundamental of one's existence.

His hand had just recently pressed onto the button that raised the ramp, not willing to keep it out in the open for any old Joe to take residence aboard. Couldn't trust like that, surely. But it was at that point he had heard what she had to say, rolling his eyes and and sighing with the microphone muted. His right fist slapped on it once more, causing it lower. All this movement in such a short span of time surely couldn't of been good for it.

"Done."

Hell, he barely knew his own ship.

[member="Ayessa Kroan"]

 

[Ayessa Kroan]

Kiffu, 'The Spaceport', 09:00 AM Local Time
Interacting with [member="Rook Lokar"] ~ Trouble
——————————————————————

"Thanks."

Her response was quick and she slid the communicator into the bag with her other possessions, rattling around with fruit and datapads that told old, old stories. It wasn't exactly hard to figure out where he was, sticking out like a sore thumb to her now in the Force. It was like something inside had already documented and flagged his exact signature, and she locked onto it like a missile. Ugh. Maybe the war references needed to stop.

"So how far is it to Nar Shaddaa?" Ayessa asked aloud now, letting curiosity take over, knowing she was close enough for him to hear. Another quick pass-over of the ship interior and she neutrally noted that nothing had really changed, which was good, because that meant it was still clean. She set her bag of belongings down on a nearby surface, the metal clinking. Her lightsaber was shoved in a particularly long pocket on her pants specifically designed to conceal such a weapon, and its weight was a comforting feeling as she waited for a reply.

 

[Rook Lokar]

The ramp had begun to close in the time she ascended it, coming to a perfect close the second she stepped aboard. All the while, Rook's eyes remained glued to her figure, watching and inspecting as he was now more capable of catching a better glimpse of it now she wasn't dressed in rags. Call him what you will, but he liked what he saw.

As Ayessa had come aboard, he turned his entire body to the face the interior of the ship. The Smuggler began walking in the direction of the cockpit, assuming Ayessa was to walk alongside him. "Uhh." He his head cocked to the side, actually unsure to be entirely honest. As a result, it was best a vague answer that still conveyed some sense of understanding was made, "Not too long." Rook's tone was breathed some air of confidence in his words, almost as if he truly did believe them. Not the case, apparently.

In the moment he arrived in the cockpit itself, he dropped himself into the seat. His hands ran over several switches, buttons, levers and the like. The YT-1500 without a name hummed to life and it may seem as if he was ready to leave. "Just getting her started for when this-" His finger pointing to the sky whilst his eyes remained glued on the dash ahead of him, "-storm blows over."

[member="Ayessa Kroan"]