Meetin' up

[Jem Reglia]

TAGS - [member="Dorin Arkx"]

​

LOCATION - Coruscant Underworld | Level 3014 | Unnamed Bar | Playing​

Oh, illegal bars. It's so hard to not love them when you're literally living under the more civilized part of Coruscant. The drinks are usually better and way stronger than the ones you'd get on the surface, but the service can be really varying depending on who you are and what you are there for. Some love the atmosphere they have, but it's very easy to hate it too.

Jem was the kind of a person to love it, though. The bars were so mysterious, intriguing, just perfect for a girl like her. So once again, Jem, the bald girl wearing a brown mechanics jacket stepped into the bar. She was on a break from working on her small ship and wanted to drink something. The shiny purple lights made her blind for a second as she looked around. Dancers, drunk people. Things looked the same as they always did. The bar wasn't full for sure, but it was still quite crowded. Nobody even seemed notice that she came in. That was a bonus. So Jem started making her way to the bar counter, dodging people coming towards her.

It didn't take too long until Jem had already ordered a drink. Nothing too strong, but just something to refresh herself with. So she turned around and leaned back towards the counter, looking around again. She looked at the dancers, the drunk people... she just appreciated the atmosphere of the bar in general. She didn't expect anyone to come and talk to her, so she took a deep breath before closing her eyes and listening to the music while waiting for her drink.

 

[Kyyrk]

Dorin couldn't lie. He missed places like this. The lights were always a bit...gaudy, but he had his veil to help with that. Dorin was sure a few heads turned as he stepped into the bar. Most of the regulars paid him no mind. Or at least, he assumed they were regulars. They'd been here when he took the job. He couldn't fault the ones who did turn to look. Wasn't every day someone with armor like his walked into their bar.

Dorin stepped up to the bar, and took a seat, staring down the bartender. "It's done." His veil turned slightly towards a bottle behind the bartender, and he nodded once. A signal of what he would like to drink. Dorin reached back, and pulled the sword from his back, sheath and all, and leaned it against the bar next to him. "Deposit the credits in my account. And remember what I told you, or there'll be more trouble."

Dorin reached down to his utility belt, and pulled out a rag, which he began rubbing along the black chitinous armor covering his right arm. The more he cleaned, the more apparent it became that it was supposed to be silver, not black. "And I'll need a ship. Someone not afraid to cross some borders."

[member="Jem Reglia"]

 

[Jem Reglia]

Hm. Something made the bar awfully quiet for a moment. Nobody said a word, but the music was still going on. Although she didn't really care, Jem had to open her right eye just to check what it was that made the bar so amazed, just out of curiosity. She saw a man. A man in a black armor. Surprised, Jem had to open both of her eyes to look at this man. You don't see people wearing gear like his too often. Slowly, the bar started to turn in to what it was before the man stepped in. People started to speak again and it was like nothing had ever happened. It wasn't like that to Jem, though. She still looked at the man as he made her way toward the bar.

Finally, when the man sat down next to her, Jem got her eyes off him. Still leaning against the counter, she tried to focus on the dancers again. It was rude to stare at people and Jem didn't want to be on the "to kill" list the man might've had.

When the man spoke, Jem couldn't help but listen to him. It's done, eh? Jem was quite sure this man was a bounty hunter or something similar. That explained why he was wearing such an armor for sure.

When the man mentioned a ship, Jem could feel a warm wave of excitement go through her. She had a ship for sure and she wasn't scared of crossing borders at all. She knew this was her chance to shine. So Jem cleared her throat before speaking with a tiny bit of excitement in her voice.

"A ship, eh?"

Finally getting her drink, Jem took a small step towards the man to hear what he would say, before continuing.

"What if I said I have one?"

[member="Dorin Arkx"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Dorin glanced at the woman beside him. Short hair. Shorter than his, which was saying something. Dorin had originally thought she was male, but in this kind of environment that might have been the idea. He paused, looking down at the rag that was now stained with...some kind of black goo. The viscous texture suggested it was probably blood of some kind. He crumpled it up, and put it in a side pocket on the small satchel he wore. He turned his attention back to the woman, sickly pale skin of his mouth and chin (The only visible part of his face) appearing to be even more so under the colored lights in the bar.

He watched her for a minute, then said, "I have to go to First Order space. I'm not paying extra and I'm happy to find someone else if that's too daunting for you."

From the look of her, he didn't expect it to be. But, places like this, she wasn't the only one listening in. And he'd rather not give anyone else any ideas, be they to try and offer him a flight for more than it was worth, or think him some kind of target to be mugged outside. He raised a brow under his veil at the girl, and added, "And I'd prefer my presence not be announced."

[member="Jem Reglia"]

 

[Jem Reglia]

Jem kept her eyes on the man for a moment before taking a sip of her drink, grinning. The armor he was wearing was something Jem had never seen before so she made sure to try and see every little detail of it. The man was quiet for a moment and clearly wasn't sure if he should actually answer at all. Jem took a look at the dancers again as the man put something in his pockets, before turning her head back to him as he answered. Apparently, he had to "go to First Order space". Hm. Getting caught there would be at least ten times more risky than usual. Jem felt shivers going down her spine, but she managed to hide the fact that she was even slightly scared fairly well.

"Daunting? No... no no no. It ain't that at all"

Jem drank a bit again and listened as the man continued. She nodded a bit and looked around to see if anyone was listening to them. A bar wasn't the best place to discuss things like this for sure. After a moment she looked at the man again, still grinning just a bit to him.

"Should we talk about this somewhere else, eh?"


[member="Dorin Arkx"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Dorin stood, coming to his full height of just beyond six feet. His armor, now being displayed fully, was an odd sight. His breastplate was woven from the same Chitin design as the right arm. Scarves and capes were draped around him obscuring most of the other detail. What little shone through was...almost beautiful. It was fitted to his form in a way that most armors couldn't. Whoever forged this suit knew what he was doing. And the armor itself was likely worth a lot. He turned, and bent slightly to collect his sword. His scarf moved slightly to reveal a helmet clipped to the back of his belt. Right next to a lightsaber.

Dorin turned back to Jem, and snapped the sheath back onto his armor, gesturing for the door. "I trust you know of a better place, miss?" Dorin admired the girl for her determination. She wanted the job. He could see the small signs of fear wash over her at the mention of First Order space, but if he hadn't been looking for her reaction, he surely would have missed it. He took one final look around the room, noticing a few faces turned his way. After his last trip to Coruscant, he was always keeping tabs on those around him. Never knew when one of them might try to finish what had been started those many weeks ago...

[member="Jem Reglia"]

 

[Jem Reglia]

Jem watched as the man got up. He was tall for sure. Not extremely tall, but way taller than Jem for sure. If he wasn't friendly he could've easily been quite intimidating. Jem drank the last bits of her drink before turning around and giving the now empty glass back to the bartender, thanking him. At least Jem was refreshed, but the thing she cared about more right now was the fact that she could get a job from the armored man. So she turned to look at him again, checking her pockets to make sure they still had nothing in them.

Something grabbed Jem's attention though. The man was carrying something that looked like a lightsaber on his belt. At least Jem thought it was that. She had never seen a lightsaber in her life and definitely not right in front of her face. She just wanted to take it and look at it. Perhaps she could even disassemble it? Shaking her head a bit with her eyes closed, Jem made sure to not satisfy her curiousness. Taking the lightsaber was probably the best idea she had ever had, so she kept her hands and eyes away from it, looking at the man again instead.

"Yeah, I know a place for sure"

Jem thought for a moment before standing up, nodding a bit and continuing, still looking at the man.

"It might not be better, but... at least it's way safer"

So she started making her way to the door, gesturing for the large armored man to follow her.

[member="Dorin Arkx"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Dorin followed the girl out into the streets. As he walked, he closed his eyes, and pulled his Veil off, tucking it away in a hidden pouch somewhere. His helmet soon snapped shut over his head, and he opened his eyes again. As he stepped into the street, he took a second to survey the area. Rooftops, alleyways, parked speeders... Dorin clearly looked as if he expected something. And yet, he walked with a confidence that one did not often see in these parts. Almost as if he was daring someone to attack him.

"I'm not sure anything in this part of the galaxy would pass for safe, per se." He leveled his gaze on the back of Jem's head. "But, then again, I've always been of the mind that the safest place in the galaxy is beside my sword." His voice did not carry a hostile tone, but the message was likely clear enough. Not that he expected the girl to try and rob him, but he still found that the road of confidence was often the safest down in parts like this.

Dorin rolled his neck, then his shoulders, casting his gaze about them again. He wasn't sure where this girl was taking him, but he found himself praying it really was quiet. He was in no mood to start a fight. Or end one, for that matter...

[member="Jem Reglia"]

 

[Jem Reglia]

Stepping outside, Jem looked around and took a deep breath before looking over her shoulder to make sure the man was still following her. She didn't think anyone in the bar would have the courage to mug him or anything, but it was always the best to make sure. Soon enough, the man walked through the door as well. Jem made sure to not stare at him for too long until she started walking again as well. Nothing bad had actually ever happened to her when she visited bars and such, but for some reason, she still felt way safer now when the large man was behind her.

Jem listened to the man as he spoke. She nodded a bit in agreement. In a part of the galaxy like this, no place was actually safe.

"You have a point there, big guy"

When the man mentioned his sword, Jem noticed that she didn't have her pistol on her. She checked her holster just to make sure. Yep. Empty. She left it to the workshop when she left. She decided to use that as an excuse to herself. An excuse for why she felt safe with the man behind her. Just to... make her feel better of herself. For some reason.

By using shortcuts it didn't take too long until Jem saw his father's workshop in front of her. It didn't look like the safest place ever for sure. To be honest, it was more like a drug store when you looked at it from the outside. The few windows it had were broken and the sign on its roof was barely shining.

Leading the man to the back door, Jem opened it and stepped in, holding the door open so the man could come in as well.

"Hey pop! I have a friend with me!"

[member="Dorin Arkx"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Dorin stepped into the shop, which he assumed was as dimly lit as the sign out front, but he wouldn't know. His visor automatically adjusted, and the interior of the shop appeared well-lit to him. He looked around, realizing that it was a workshop moreso than a shop shop. "Odd that you would call someone who's name you do not know a friend."

Dorin gazed around the shop for a moment longer as he stepped across the threshold. He turned back to Jem, gaze lingering on the empty holster he'd seen her check a moment prior. Rather important item to be forgetting if one asked him. But then again, his own pistol holster laid empty as well. But, He couldn't fault the girl. He'd loaned the pistol to someone else almost a week prior and only just now realized he'd not gotten it back. Ah well. He wasn't attached to it anyways. He placed his right hand over his heart, and offered a short bow to Jem. "That is easily remedied, however. I am Dorin, of the House of Arkx, and the last of my Blood. Hunter by trade, and Arcanist by birth."

He straightened back up, and looked down at Jem, reaching up to remove his helmet. He squinted slightly as he clipped the helmet to the back of his belt, then determined that the light was sufficient for him to see unaided. And so he opened them, allowing the pure black orbs to roam around the room. Though, much like a Chiss, a keen observer could tell the minute details, and thus where he was looking...

[member="Jem Reglia"]

 

[Jem Reglia]

Closing the door as soon as the man stepped in, Jem noticed that his father never replied to her. Eh. He wasn't home apparently, but that was actually just a good thing in Jem's opinion, especially now when she had a guest with her. Mainly because his father was quite... overprotective. So Jem turned around and made her way to the worktable that was in a corner of the dimly lit room. A storage room of sorts to be exact. It was quite small and only had a bed in one corner and the worktable on the other. On the dirty floor, there were many blueprints. Some of them were made to balls other weren't. On the table, there were some small mechanic devices. They all looked unfinished and that was what they were too.

Jem listened to the man as he spoke, shrugging a bit when he mentioned calling him a friend. True. She didn't know his name, but at least he was acting friendly. That made him a friend to Jem in a way.
Turning around and sitting on to the desk, Jem made sure to immediately place the blaster on the desk into the holster on her belt. She felt way safer now. At least she thought she did.

Jem was quite blown away by the way the man introduced himself. She wasn't sure what the man was at all now.

"O-kay...? Dorin. Got it"

It took a moment before Jem could answer, mainly because she noticed the man had fully black eyes and she couldn't help but look at them for a few seconds.

"The name's Jem, probably not the last of my blood and an engineer by birth"

[member="Dorin Arkx"]

Spoiler

OOC NOTE: I kinda forgot to mention what the room looked like in my last reply. Sorry for that

 

[Kyyrk]

Dorin chuckled quietly. Children like Jem had always entertained him. Such...wide eyed wonder when they saw someone like him. "Very well, Jem. Well met. I have not held the company of many engineers in my time." He looked the girl up and down for a moment, as if trying to decide on something. "So. You're a pilot. And you have a ship. And you can get me to First Order space undetected. Might I ask what manner of ship?"

Dorin glanced at the various projects littered around the room. She certainly was a tinkerer in her spare time. Unless this was all the work of her father. He couldn't say he blamed her. It reminded him of his own workshop while he was constructing his armor. Parts strewn about, food sitting forgotten, staying up till all hours slaving away at his project. Oh well. Soon, he'd have the funds to do it again...

[member="Jem Reglia"]

 

[Jem Reglia]

Jem just couldn't keep her eyes off the man in front of her. He certainly wasn't human... At least not fully one. Jem didn't know what his black eyes were looking at, but she hoped that they weren't looking into hers when she occasionally glanced at them. She decided to distract herself so she took one of the small pocket knives she had built from the desk and looked at it instead, opening it and closing it while listening to the man speaking. She just had to look at him again when he mentioned that she was one of the first engineers she had 'held company to'

"I guess it's an honor to be the first one then"

Jem looked at all the blueprints on the floor. She had never realized how many of them there were. Almost the whole floor was covered with them. Huh. She decided to clean it up at some point.

Jem's thoughts were interrupted when the man asked what kind of a ship the one that Jem had was. This made her quickly look up at him again.

"Yeah, I do and I can"

Well. She could for sure, but undetected? Hm. Jem could feel a cold wave of fear run through her when the man mentioned the First Order. She hid her feelings quite well this time though. It most likely wasn't possible to go under their radar undetected, but... Jem wanted to believe that there was a small possibility. Even just a small one.

"You probably want to see it? Eh?"

[member="Dorin Arkx"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Dorin grinned, black eyes focusing on the girl's face for a moment. "I did say not many. The first...was a very dear friend of mine. Orix. Taught me a great many things... But, it does us no good to speak of the dead." The smile faded from his face as she asked if he wanted to see the ship. His thoughts were distant for a moment. He looked away, sighing quietly. "Yes, I very much would like to see this ship of yours. If you are to be putting yourself in harm's way I would like to be sure that you will be alive at the end of it to spend your reward."

Dorin looked back at her. Any other time, a trip to First Order space would have been...just another day for him. And yet...now he didn't know if they really were hunting him or not. But there was only one way to find out. He smiled softly at Jem as she fidgeted with her knife. "You've never seen anything quite like me before, have you child?"

[member="Jem Reglia"]

 

[Jem Reglia]

Ah. Damn. Apparently, Jem wasn't the first engineer the man had met and the actual first one was... dead. Shivers ran down Jem's spine again. She knew what losing a loved one felt like. She knew it too well. Although she didn't remember her mother well she still remembered the day she died. Faintly. Jem closed her eyes for a moment and cleared her mind, looking at the man again instead when she opened them again. She couldn't help but smile a bit when the man said she had probably never seen anyone like him.

"How did ya' guess?"

When the armored man answered to her question, Jem got down from the worktable almost immediately, still spinning the crude knife around in her hand. She gestured for Dorin to come with her as she opened a door that was next to the worktable and stepped into the room behind it.

The garage was the largest room in the whole workshop. It didn't have a roof and it was quite dirty as well. On the floor and on the huge worktable in one corner of the room, there were countless wires and tools. There was a pile of blueprints in one corner too. The ship was in the middle of the room, and it took most of the space too.

"Aight then big guy. Here it is. An HWK-290. I've done some... modifications that we'll probably need to it"

Jem put the pocket knife away and looked at Dorin, hoping he wasn't completely disappointed.

[member="Dorin Arkx"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Dorin watched Jem quietly as she closed her eyes. His mention of Master Orix had ushered in memories of her own. A loved one, he imagined. While he did not fault her for her reaction, it did give him pause. She was too young for something like this. If the idea of losing people affected her to such a degree... She was new to this kind of thing. And even though she returned to her chipper self, ushering him in to see her ship, Dorin remained doubtful if he should involve her in this endeavor. There were other pilots. People who were prepared to deal with the consequences of failure...

Dorin walked around the ship, hands clasped at the small of his back as he inspected the ship. "People usually don't spend as much time staring as you do. Particularly at my eyes." The ship wasn't bad. In fact, he might have enjoyed flying it himself. But, the matter at hand called for some degree of subtlety. He looked back at Jem. "You are traveling to First Order space with a passenger who wishes to remain private. In a ship like this...how would you do that?"

His posture...his tone...Dorin already had an answer in mind. This was a test. The ship could work, but...it did see use as a cargo ship. That could cause issues, particularly if the First Order wanted to take a look inside. And yet, Dorin knew as well as anyone that a Ship was little more than one half of a single entity, the other half being the pilot. Luckily, should Jem's answer be unsatisfactory, he had...another idea...

[member="Jem Reglia"]

 

[Jem Reglia]

Hm. Jem looked at the man for a moment as he started inspecting the ship with his hands behind his back. The way he was acting foreshadowed the worst. Maybe he thought the ship was too... small? Bulky? Just obviously not meant for a job like this? Well, to be honest, if Jem was honest to herself she knew the ship wasn't the best one to... smuggle people with. She looked at the ship now too, but quickly looked at the man and followed him as he walked around the ship. She still had hope in her. The hope of getting the job and.... not dying while completing it.

Jem flinched a little bit as Dorin mentioned the way she stared at him. Well. Apparently, he had noticed it. It was a good thing in a way, but a bad one too for sure. Almost blushing, Jem had to look somewhere else as she replied, quietly.

"Really? That's... odd considering the armor you wear and the way you look overall"

Jem kept her eyes off the man, but when he turned around Jem was forced to look at him again. The question he made. It was like a test. Ugh. Jem glanced at her ship before looking at Dorin again, crossing her arms and shrugging a bit.

"I don't know big guy. Probably by hiding you inside there somewhere and flying... unsuspiciously"

Looking at armored the man, Jem realized that hiding him wasn't the easiest job ever. She had to have some actual cargo with her too. Hm. Maybe... just maybe this wasn't the best idea after all.

[member="Dorin Arkx"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Dorin chuckled at the girl's response. Both of them, actually. He turned to look at her. "The parts of the galaxy I venture to...this armor would appear mundane by comparison." His eyes...twinkled a bit as he smiled at Jem. "You haven't done stuff like this before have you? You wouldn't need to hide me. 'Nothing to hide, nothing to fear?' Sound familiar?" He looked back to the ship, reaching up to scratch his jawline with his left hand. "There's nothing more suspicious than a person trying to act natural when they are anything but."

He turned back to Jem, and said, "Might work, though. I'll see what I can find about cargo contract heading that way. My final destination is Dosuun. But I'm not going to ask you to go all that way. Once I'm past the border, I can manage my own way to the capital. Five thousand now, another ten if you get us both there alive. If I decide to call it off, we call it off." Dorin studied the girl for a moment, before stepping towards her and offering her his hand. "Have we a deal, miss Jem?"

[member="Jem Reglia"]

 

[Jem Reglia]

The bad part of lying was getting caught. It always happened at some point, even when Jem lied to herself. It always felt like a knife went through her guts when she realized it. Ugh. It was a terrible feeling for sure. Nope. She had never done this before. She just had to admit it to herself before taking a deep breath and almost telling Dorin the truth before he looked at the ship again.

Yeah. Acting 'unsuspiciously' sounded worse now when Jem thought about it. The whole plan she had come up with sounded bad. Ugh. She wasn't sure at all if this was a good idea after all, but when the man in front of her offered his hand to her, Jem had to shake it after thinking for a moment. She had a chance to get a job. It wasn't like she had first imagined it to be, but... A job nonetheless. Looking at the man and smirking a bit, she tried to look like she was ready for whatever came next, though she was just going to fly the man to a rock in space and come back.

"I think we do, Sir Dorin"

[member="Dorin Arkx"]

 

[Kyyrk]

Dorin nodded once at the girl as they shook hands. "Then prepare your ship. We leave within the hour." He turned, and moved towards the door, pulling his helmet down over his head. "I need to look in to something. I'll be back." Dorin left the shop and stepped back out onto the streets. He pulled up his datapad, and checked his messages. One. Sender: Unknown.

He looked up, and scanned the street around him before stepping into an alleyway. He pulled the message up. There was a voice log along with it. He hit play as he looked it over. A soft, feminine voice began to speak. "You ask a lot of a girl, ya know. Wasn't able to find much, mostly shipping documents. But, you'll be happy to hear this. Nearly half of them referenced Tatooine. Now, problem is...None of them give exact locations. So...Unless your little venture to Dosuun gives us something to go on, you're gonna be in for a bit of a haul."

Dorin looked at the shipping manifests as the voice log played. Supplies. Weapons.. More Supplies. Passenger. No name, probably irrelevant. Then he found the most interesting piece. Something about a ship. A prototype. Dorin shut down his datapad and tucked it away, turning to continue on down the alley. He'd have to revisit that later...

[member="Jem Reglia"]