Private Moonlit song

[Tae'l Vizsla]

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Katyusha Jarko

Tae'l stared at her, just barely allowing Yuna to grasp her weapon and gripping tighter in confusion. There was another brief spike in her energy for only a moment. Not quite fear, not quite anger, just something instinctual. Like a soldier who had seen too much, and done worse.

"If at any point you doubt that, I won't stop you from pulling that trigger, okay?"

"Okay..." She said, releasing a breath she didn't know was being held.

"Just make sure it doesn't come to that"

"Now...lets get the hell out of here."

Tae'l turned away one last time, pointing her gun at the rock where they had once sat, and fired three shots...
The first left a convincing mark, leaving little grains of glass and black carbon that formed a ring around the flaming hole.

The second was fired wildly into the air up ahead, The entire camp able to see the fiery glow as it zipped across the canyon.

And finally...

✱SNAP✱

She flipped the switch and fired a disruptor beam into the dirt a few yards away with a thunderous crack that resounded all around them, experienced hands able to do all of this before the others could even pinpoint the source of the shooting.

More Mandalorians came shortly after this, quickly finding cover behind nearby rocks or dips in the dusty ground. Some were shouting to one another, while others remained silent as the grave. Most were just watching, waiting as they scanned the horizon with a multitude of optics and shaped visors. None of them seemed to pay the pair any mind, save for one.

"The hell are you shooting at?!"

A man demanded, marching into the open with a rifle cradled in his arms and purpose in his step. Seeing that these two weren't hiding like the others gave him some assurance, but that wouldn't stop him from barking like any other commander.

Tae'l was still pointing her gun in the direction she'd last fired, hand outstretched between Yuna and the imaginary danger in the shadows like a sister defending her siblings.

"We saw a scout trooper! he fired, we fired, So I disintegrated him"

He gave them both a quick lookover, and then checked the darkness ahead with his night-scope. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, though he could see the marks left by at least two shots and that was enough for him.

"Shit... There may be more out there. Okay people! we're leaving before they reinforce. Pack it up, pack it up!"

His orders sent the rebel Mandalorians into a rushed withdrawal, everyone grabbing their extra gear or helping others bring it to their ships. Tae'l just looked up at Yuna, waiting wordlessly for approval.

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[Katyusha Jarko]

Moonlight Song​

"It won't. I just wanted to let you know where that stands, don't need you stressed out of your lekku, okay?" She followed up with, before stepping back, and freezing as Tally did her little routine. Her blaster was drawn by now, though she looked curiously to Tally, and the other Mandalorians, her helmet swiftly clamping back on over her head. The little protective stance that the Twi'lek had going on however, she found rather precious.

She had to give the girl credit though, this little act was alot better than what she had planned, that was for sure. Regardless, she listened as the band of rebels made their calls, packing themselves up, moving out to some other little hole in this miserable planet for the evening.

Meanwhile, the two of them would be getting the hell out of here. Yuna already had ideas on where they could go to next, they just needed to make sure the coast was clear. She had to scrub her transponders after all. Yuna gave a slow nod of approval, her arm gently patting at Tally's shoulder. "Good show Violet, now, gotta see if you can keep up with me on the way back to my ship." With that, Yuna began to back pedal, jogging backwards without looking back, the Force giving her all the information she needed to know where the cliff ended. When it did, she fell back first, lining up to be diving headfirst towards the bottom of the canyon, before using the Force to push herself away from the wall, her jetpack sputtering to life as she went off into a corkscrew into the night, the faint glow of her pack making it quite clear as to where she was off to.

She ditched her ship in a turbo laser crater a few clicks from here, wouldn't take more than a few minutes of rock skipping to reach it now.
Tae'l Vizsla

 

[Tae'l Vizsla]

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Katyusha Jarko

It was a good show, wasn't it? She thought to herself. Much as she hated it, Tae'l had become quite good at lying when she needed to. Anything to escape whatever the omnipotent force had planned for her. Destiny was a cruel mistress after all, and she planned circumvent the suffering had forced upon her.

She shook her head- and the thought away- as Yuna began walking towards the cliff.
It wasn't until they were right near the edge that she realized what was happening, and took off in a full sprint after her.

"You'd better be wearing a jetpack...!"

Tae'l was quick to find the rapidly moving operative, Able to see both the distant glow and her surroundings seeing as Twi'lek were a partially nocturnal species.

So, she went into a straight dive as her thrusters engaged, rapidly plummeting towards the ground until she shifted all her weight to correct the course, shooting her upward at an angle as if she were a rocketeer's missile. This would see her approaching Yuna's location rapidly with a boost of Ionic energy, putting her within line of sight soon enough.

<Not bad,> She stifled a chuckle, opening a private frequency between the two

<For an Imp>

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[Katyusha Jarko]

Moonlight Song​

She felt the small flicker of worry from Tally, and mused to herself as she went into her fall. Though she had planned on keeping that little nugget of information to herself, with the Twi'lek catching up and chatting over her comm, that restraint was gone. "Did you get worried about me just now? Really?" She cackled, cutting her jetpack off, and giving a start of a flail as the momentum and gravity seemed to seize her, sending her into the start of a tumble, before she reignited her pack, catching herself. The spectacle lasted less that a few seconds, but behind her helmet, Yuna grinned. "Oh, so, I'm an Imp now? Thought you were above name calling, Violet."

There was something about that title that just didn't sit right with her, but that'd be an issue for another time.

She began a more controlled descent now, easing towards the crater, as the faint glint of her ship would begin to poke out from the cave. One that Yuna dropped in from a few feet ahead, landing onto the worn and cracked rock, as her...well less than impressive ship loomed before the pair. "I'll have to rearrange some things, I was only flying with one for a while so, need to make room in the other bunk. Doubt you'd be looking forward to sharing a bedroom with me after all." She said flatly, turning back and expecting the Twi'lek to have already landed behind her. The design was certainly unwieldy. "Cute as you might be, I seem to remember hearing that a certain Twi'lek snores." She teased, reaching down to grab for her datapad, and sending in the codes to unlock her ship.

It'd be nice to get back to tormenting the woman for the time being, no telling how long their little venture might take them.
Tae'l Vizsla

 

[Tae'l Vizsla]

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Katyusha Jarko

Tae'l merely crossed her arms as Yuna went into an uncontrolled fall. Admittedly there was always a chance that the equipment had failed, but she certainly doubted that a military-type like her wouldn't keep their own gear in tip top shape.

And of course, she was right.

"Oh, so, I'm an Imp now? Thought you were above name calling, Violet."

<You know less than I thought> She chuckled mischievously, recalling the list of names she had made up for New Imperial and Sith troops alike when she served on the frontlines.

The ship came into view shortly after, giving the Twi'lek a pause at the design and state of the thing. It made her miss the Fang-fighter already... Nevertheless, she would slow her descent and hover down to the rugged vessel while Yuna explained the interior's condition.

Just as she turned around to face her, Tae'l dropped to the ground with a clatter of steel and heavy boots.

"Cute as you might be, I seem to remember hearing that a certain Twi'lek snores."

"Do I...?"

She muttered, coming to a stop just behind Yuna.

Maybe I should mute my helm when I sleep...

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[Katyusha Jarko]

Moonlight Song​

As she finished inputting the codes, the boarding ramp of the ship hissed forward, the door open up to allow the pair inside, though Yuna didn't miss her chance to jab at the woman. "Maybe, could just a rumor, who knows." She teased, motioning for Tally to follow, though she cringed as she stepped onto the ship, showing that while the interior had been maintained, there were several bits of armor, weaponry, ammo, and clothing strewn about the ship. While she would never admit it, the last few years had sent Yuna into a depressive spiral, and as a result, a great deal of her ship had been left...well, become messy. She tried to ignore it, cringing under her helmet at how badly this would have made her look. "Like I said, I don't normally have visitors. I'll get this straightened out once we get into lightspeed." She elaborated, the corridors of the ship providing enough space for the pair to talk shoulder to shoulder, though Yuna had decided to make a go towards her cockpit, one of the few rooms on the ship that was spared the dismay of her depressive disorganization.

"I'm going to get us set for take off, so...I guess do what you want to get comfortable." She spoke, taking the route into the cockpit, unsure if Tally would follow, or seek solitude. Though secretly, she hoped Tally would want to speak with her further.
Tae'l Vizsla

 

[Tae'l Vizsla]

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Katyusha Jarko

The inside of the ship was far from what she had expected. If anything, it made her reconsider previous judgement of Yuna's equipment. After all, if the ship was so poorly maintained, perhaps so too was the jetpack? She'd be wary of it next time.

"Like I said, I don't normally have visitors. I'll get this straightened out once we get into lightspeed."

"Hm," She would nod absentmindedly "I've slept in worse"

Tae'l spent some time looking around, even returning a few bits and pieces of armor to nearby shelves, eying each one curiously, wondering if any might be Mandalorian. To her dismay however, it quickly became apparent that was too much to handle alone on such short notice. So instead, she approached Yuna a few moments later.

"Where exactly are you headed?"

She inquired while ducking into the cockpit, pleased to see that this place was cleaner than the rest.

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[Katyusha Jarko]

Moonlight Song​

Yuna tried to ignore the mess, as well as the building of anxiety given the messy state of her ship. She focused instead towards the planet of interest, Weik being the name of it. As she situated herself into her chair, plotting her calculations in annoyance. She never cared for the manual calculations, but she sure as hell didn't trust the computer to do the number crunching for her either.

Then before she knew it, Tally arrived in her cockpit, and began inquiring as to where they were going to be going. To which she gave a small grunt. "Weik, it's at the edge of Wild Space, remote. Be a nice place to set up for the time being, and it's got something aligned in the Force with it, so Jedi and Sith won't want to hang about." She finished the calculations, plugging it in, and warming up the sublight drive on the ship. "Figured we can take time to get on the same page. If you want to do that, that is." She offered, not sure what extent the woman wanted to open up.

Once she got that process started, Yuna removed her helmet, placing it on her lap, as the ship began to coast itself out of its' cover. She turned over to Tally, motioning for her to speak if she so wished.

Tae'l Vizsla

 

[Tae'l Vizsla]

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Katyusha Jarko

"Weik?" The muttered, taking a seat in the co-pilot's chair and familiarizing herself with the familiar yet long since forgotten role.

"The songs of eons past tell of a spirit that steals the power from technology on that world"

"Mother-" She paused to correct herself

"Aloy told me the story. She was stranded there, once. Best be careful..."

Saying those words caused the Twi'leki clone to turn away abruptly as Yuna removed her helm. Tae'l's remained put however, leaving the reflection of gleaming chrome to stare back into the cold void of space as she crossed her arms in thought.

This whole encounter had brought back so many memories. Some good, though most were things she tried to forget.

"I didn't want to leave you in the dark, you know. It was just... the only way"

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[Katyusha Jarko]

Moonlight Song​

"We'll be careful, worst comes to worst, I got some of that Sith Spirit away in the back, works on wraiths, ghosts, and guilty consciences." She jested, not sure what to think of what Tally was speaking of, but as a precaution she began to pull up info of the planet from the holonet.

Had she missed something?

Could have been some Clan story that came from that one time someone left their batteries on and ended up stranded. She didn't really know what to think of that. Well, at worst, her abilities in the Force might be coming into play. Spirit or no, she wasn't about to let some weird force spirit to derail her plans. They needed to recoup, and plan out what came next.

Not to mention, she didn't want to try and get a towing service out at the end of the galaxy.

She glanced to Tally as they were left to the darkness of space now, turning her chair and giving the woman the full attention of her one eye.

"My only issue I had, was I felt like I failed you. Thinking you died...well, I didn't take it lightly." She mutters, glancing out to the viewport, leaning back into her chair. "Was my own fault, I got too invested. Went a long time without caring about people." She admitted, tilting her head to the side, her hand slowly reached up, flipping back her eye patch, revealing the cybernetic eye underneath. The skin around the eyelid was scared, marred by injuries from decades prior. She looked back to Tally now, with both eyes shown. "When I was a little girl, I was taken by the Sith. This eye, got that from when our transport exploded mid-air. Lost my parents that day. Was one of the last times I can recall caring about...people." She shrugs, flipping the eye-patch back down.

"I...liked being your bodyguard. Watching over you."
Tae'l Vizsla

 

[Tae'l Vizsla]

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Katyusha Jarko

Went a long time without caring about people."

"Yeah... me too" Tae'l regarded her wearily, only turning partially to examine the woman's scars, though she listened intently.

"I...liked being your bodyguard. Watching over you."

Then she turned away again, putting one foot up on the dashboard, while the other seemed to move slightly, bouncing anxiously up and down. In truth, she couldn't quite decide how to feel about any of this yet. Save for the fact that she was glad to see an old face that could seemingly be trusted. Ironic, given the unique circumstances of their reunion.

"Funny... the only sign that she ever cared was sending you in her stead" She sighed

"Worse still, the moment I decided to try my luck without you... I was captured"

Tae'l continued to stare outward, deep in myriad thought as she compiled a long list with so much to do still. The living waters, her persuasion of Jade, reconnecting with her brothers and sisters who still walked The Way even now. And above all else, figuring out her place in that great wide galaxy. All without guidance for so very long. Without a true purpose. It made the colors of the living force around her boil and wax and conflicting emotions battled.

Yet, there was at least one thing she couldn't bring herself to resent in that moment.

"You know you're the second or third person I've met that's hidden scars from me" She stifled a chuckle and shook her head. Then, she turned towards Yuna and carefully reached for their eyepatch, if allowed.

"You shouldn't hide them... Scars are like our songs and runes; Every scar is a sign of victory, etched in defiance of the tyrannical stars to proclaim: "I was here. I survived".

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[Katyusha Jarko]

Moonlight Song​

Yuna would have broken contact if she knew Tally as studying her scars, the real insecurity having been where she earned them, rather than how deformed they made her look. She almost made a comment as Tally put her feet up on the dash, but declined against it. It didn't bother her, besides, this thing was scuffed enough as is.


She trusted Tally, oddly enough. There was a vulnerability there that Yuna, against herself, could not close up. She wanted to just bare herself to the Twi'lek, even if it went against her own interests. It truthfully bothered her, just how large this weakness of hers went. Knowing Tally had gone off, rather snuck off, without her protector...and the results, Yuna bit back a witty reply. "I never intended to be a political piece for your mothers Dejarik game. I just wanted to be close with you."

Tally's chuckle made her glance back, giving a curious glance, that stiffened as the woman's hand reached towards her eyepatch. Yuna drew in a breath, forming her reply. "This wasn't from a victory, it's shame. There's no song to sing, no celebration to be had...it's a mark that I was claimed as a child, and that my future was stolen from me."

For a moment, she considers stopping Tally's hand, but allows her eyepatch to be touched. "Most people don't know I can see through this thing...I consider it an advantage...that and I think it does wonders for my looks, no?" She asks, giving a small cheeky grin, though there is unease in her eyes.

"Last person who tried to do this got stabbed...but...they weren't you."
Tae'l Vizsla

 

[Tae'l Vizsla]

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Katyusha Jarko

"Last person who stabbed me is dead... but you're not like them either" She shrugged, shifting from side to side as she gave those scars one last lookover.

In the end, she carefully placed the patch back in place. Though, she playfully pat the side of the woman's head to lighten the mood before sitting back in her seat.

"Like I said, Yuna... You survived. And at time when your body was susceptible. People think victory is all about death... death of the enemy, death in sacrifice, whatever... I'm too young to remember the purge, but... we learned from it that surviving is victory enough"

"I mean, look at us" She crossed one leg over the other, tilting her head to one side while she studied Yuna's reaction.

"Clearly we've both come a long way. We both have our marks but that's to be expected when the entire galaxy wants us dead, right? I don't know the whole story, nor you mine, but I know enough to see that you've been through shit that would kill most. But you didn't lay down and take it. You're a survivor.

might as well take some pride in that"

Then she crossed her arms, staring back at the stars again while she thought of all the scars she'd picked up along her journey. If Yuna could relate to that or even just a fraction of it, than she was nothing to scoff at.

"I don't remember if I took the creed proper when we last met, if you ever saw my face before I hid it away... But I'm more machine than woman under all this armor. The skin is synthetic, so is most of the muscle beneath it. Lungs, teeth, some bones, all fake... Then there's this"

She held out her hand, removing a leather glove.

The skin was black from the fingertip down, fading into a pale lavender once it reached past the knuckles. The inky black was smooth, shiny almost, though the pattern became jagged in shape where the colors began to mix. If she were human it would've looked as if poison or lightning had spready from her fingertips, but no. Twi'leki skin just burnt differently from a human's.

"This is how my first of many encounters with the Sith ended. One name in a long list of betrayals, but I became stronger for it. Most of my Cybernetics came from that fight... if you can even call it a fight...



I used to think like you, back then. About a lot of things. It's taken me a long time to see, but one day I realized that I've always been ashamed of things that aren't even my fault."

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[Katyusha Jarko]

Moonlight Song​

Yuna's smile faded at being told she was like the last person who tried to stab Tally. Though her eyes narrowed playfully at being pat on the side of the head.

Then Tally went back to her darker theme of discussion, Yuna's playful expression dissolved. "Maybe I've told you this before...but survival can only get you so far, eventually, you want to start living, or not enough of you survived." Her hands came together folded neatly in her lap. "But yes, I'm a survivor...of far more horrific things than I ever care to admit. Things that I've never told a living soul before. I've seen your face before, when we were with your mother....I still remember how it looked." She kept her gaze on Tally, not a hint of the playful attitude she held prior.

She listened as Tally continued on, showing her hand, the disfigured nature of the skin gave her pause, but she merely studied the damaged skin, sadness crossing her face. She removed her own gauntlet, she skin an oddly pale complexion, from the numerous skin grafts she'd have given herself, as she would attempt to hold Tally's hand if allowed. "The Sith do that...take away bit of you, try to remake you into something else...it's part of how they think they win, you know? They...destroy things, remake them in a twisted visage and call it strength. Before I was Yuna Westwind...I was Katyusha Jarko..." She flinched, uttering her name like that, even though mentally she reflected on it, actually sharing it felt...off.

"Deep down, I suppose I still am...still Katyusha. But that little girl died in war...any shame died with her."

If allowed to take Tally's hand, she would give a soft squeeze. "It's part of growing up...you were an eager little warrior a few years ago, but...you've changed, evolved, became something new...don't be ashamed of what you've learned, or what you've become. Just know what it is you want to do differently...and do it. That's all we can do." She said softly, holding the hand for another moment, before letting it go.

She hadn't a clue if her words were any help at all.
Tae'l Vizsla

 

[Tae'l Vizsla]

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Katyusha Jarko

Tae'l glanced up at her curiously as their hands met, causing her to go stiff for a just a moment, unsure what to do.

Thankfully Yuna kept talking, which kept her mind off the awkwardness she felt at her own inaction. Or perhaps simply her own ignorance of social cues, which had driven her mad on more than one occasion.

It's part of growing up...you were an eager little warrior a few years ago, but...you've changed, evolved, became something new...don't be ashamed of what you've learned, or what you've become. Just know what it is you want to do differently...and do it. That's all we can do.

"Hmh" She stifled a chuckle "That's what I'm saying though"

In truth it was quite frustrating to see that she had wasted so many words to explain something that Yuna had in only a few. It actually did very little to illustrate the point, as the inability to understand real people still stung deeply as ever.

"Well... I guess you can be whoever, now. Whether that's Katyusha or Yuna. I'll call you what you like"

"I sure as shit wouldn't want to be "CC-117" ever again" Tae'l muttered, gaze and thoughts beginning to wander.

"I'm... trying to be something new. But it's hard. This is the only life I've ever known. I tried being a "civilian" for awhile but it just didn't feel right. One of my captors he was this... Sith Lord. Believe or not, he was kind to me... after our battle, I mean. He was the one who convinced me use my capture as a new start, actually"

She picked at her flightsuit, concerned with how Yuna- or Katyusha- might take the news. Though it wasn't like either of them held some moral high ground anymore. They were both living double lives up until this point, and now they were both running from that one too.

"He uh... he was hospitable, gave me a place to stay while figuring out what to do. Didn't take long for him to just let me go... So I... I stayed, for a time. Lived like some spoiled princess for a bit. But then I got bored and the Sith started fighting each other, so I left. Started bounty hunting again.

But it felt... wrong"

She took a glance at her, then back to the stars. Saying such things made her stomach churn, even though she'd given almost none of the details. Not about how long she stayed, or how she still heard Adeline's voice some nights.

"Taking Sith money, I mean. It felt like I had betrayed Mandalore. Especially letting them see my face... Smug bastard took my helmet in that battle.

That's why I started haunting this side of the stars again... By creed I'm... No longer a Mandalorian..."

Tae'l swallowed, voice suddenly becoming choked and shallow.

"I uhm... I must bathe in the living waters, so that I can be redeemed in the eyes of the manda"

"In the eyes of... myself"

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[Katyusha Jarko]

Moonlight Song​

"I liked calling you Tally, but...well, you tell me what you like to call me. I..I like Katyasha, but...well, if it's just the two of us maybe." She shrugs, still keeping that hand, her thumb tracing over the top of it.

Her face twitched at hearing Tally mention her status with a Sith Lord, how he had taken care of her, taken her in...it tugged at several cords within Yuna's own person, namely her own past with the Sith. Her training. The Force. "...long as you were taken care of...doesn't matter long as they sheltered you."

She swallowed, glancing up to find Tally looking to her and away. There was shame in her voice, and it became quite clear as to why shortly after. "If you ask me....I never took a creed, I was never Mandalorian. Everything I knew, I learned from a survivor of Clan Westwind. To some, I'm not even worth of this armor."

She muttered, reaching out with her free hand, wincing slightly, as she pulled her helmet from it's place in her lap, and into her own palm.

"I never said why the Sith wanted me...but....that's why...took us to be trained, for war...the Force...probably not much better than them. Honestly...but I don't touch it when I can avoid it."

She let a moment pass, feeling a sense of guilt, as well as disgust for her own admission. "If it means that much to you, we can find it...and you can cleanse yourself. I'll have to remain a heretic I'm afraid...there's no cure for the Force."

She hung her head, awaiting the full impact of her words to be known.
Tae'l Vizsla

 

[Tae'l Vizsla]

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Katyusha Jarko

"Katyusha...?" She muttered "It's... a good name"

"If you ask me....I never took a creed, I was never Mandalorian. Everything I knew, I learned from a survivor of Clan Westwind. To some, I'm not even worth of this armor."

Still, she picked up on Katyusha's uneasy disposition towards her time with the Sith. Even through the attempt at comforting words, or at least change in subject.

But it went further than that.

"I never said why the Sith wanted me...but....that's why...took us to be trained, for war...the Force...probably not much better than them. Honestly...but I don't touch it when I can avoid it."

Tae'l watched the gesture with curiosity, noting it's familiarity, though the reason eluded her until the discarded helm came to Katyusha by will alone.

"So you're... a Jedi or something?"

She... laughed. Stifled and dry as it may have been, the Mandalorian was clearly amused by something.

"Oh Kat... what were those people teaching you?"

She squeezed her hand gently, leaning forward to speak more intimately. And softly.

"My uncle was Force-born, He still wore the armor. I have a sister somewhere, she trained at the silver temple on Kashyyk. The Enclave has 'Mando'karla': Seers who guide other force-born on the path... I was..."

"I was sweet on a girl from their the temple on Coruscant. once upon a time, anyway"

Tae'l slowly pulled away, only now realizing she had forgotten all about Iris Arani. Or tried to, at least. It seemed strange to the Mandalorian that the first person to ever show her kindness out there was also the one who taught her so much about letting go. But in the end, it was the right decision. A Mandalorian and a fulltime Jedi were simply... incompatible. They had their similarities, but only enough to make brief alliances.

In the end it was an important lesson, and one she shouldn't have forgotten so easily. But it seemed that Iris' memory served to teach a second lesson today:

Katyusha wasn't like any Jedi she had spoken to. And their connection went beyond a simple act of kindness.

"Hm... I guess moral of the story is: Most of us aren't like your "Sons of Mandalore" or whatever they called themselves. We have our own reasons to distrust practitioners, but I doubt you adhere to any Creed. Jedi or Sith."

"Though the Armor would certainly raise a few brows in most sects" She admitted, still grappling with her own opinions on the matter.

"Pretty sure I've killed a few people for wearing our Sacred Beskar, actually. But like I said before, you're not quite the same"

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[Katyusha Jarko]

Moonlight Song​

She a bit surprised at Tally's reaction, her cheeks coloring at being called Kat. She..liked it, though she found it childish. In an endearing way, but childish still. The hand squeeze assured her things were okay, or that they would be. Kat, would give the response, knowing all too well what her purpose was to be. "They wanted assassins, children who used the Force in subtle ways...body augmentation, enhanced senses, reaction speed...I'm quite skilled in those aspects, when I use it. I usually let myself get hurt on purpose so...people wouldn't suspect it, but when you had that blaster at my head...well, when I put it there? I...could have dodged it before you pulled that trigger, if I wanted to."

She managed to look back too Tally now, smiling softly, leaning in to continue their talk. "I've never been sweet on anyone...well...I hit on this Natutolan during a fishing trip...but that's it. Then you, but, anyways." She trailed off, wanting to sprint as far away as possible from that conversation point. "I don't need a creed to fight for, just a cause. Give me that, and I'll wear your colors. Long as I believe in it. Ideas are as fragile as the people who carry them, I need something more-no-want something more than that."

She leaned forward, taking in a long breath before she exhaled it. "I'd hope I'm not like other Mandalorians-" She shivered as she said that, the words sounding wrong to her. "If you want to kill me, I'm going to ask for a two hour notice. Would like to get one nap in before I have to wrestle with someone, just a personal preference." She smiled, wider and more genuine now.
Tae'l Vizsla

 

[Tae'l Vizsla]

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Katyusha Jarko

'Not like other Mandalorians' ? The thought stuck like a boot on Mimban. Though she managed a chuckle at Kat's following antics, these prior words gave her pause.

They implied that, for better or worse, Kat was a Mandalorian in her own way. Tae'l had always thought of her as Mando'ad before now, the evening's revelations having caught her by surprise and lent to the emotional response. It shouldn't have been such a strange thing to think of her as one now, but the implication that Kat may consider herself a Mandalorian still was certainly interesting.

Then another thought came.

"Kat...?"

She took her hand again, trying to figure out exactly what she was trying to say.

"I know this will take time... but... what if you didn't have to care what the others think of your armor? if you had a legitimate claim to it?"

"Once I have been redeemed, We could... There is a ritual. I... I could make you a Mandalorian"

She said shakily, looking up at Kat to study her reaction.

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[Katyusha Jarko]

Moonlight Song​

She felt tempted for a moment to run her hands over Tally's mind, read into her senses, wanting to better read the ripples in her emotional status. But she didn't. She resisted that temptation to understand at a touch, and stowed it deep down. She wouldn't use her curse against Tally, not like this, not here. Not until she felt it would be okay.

The utterance of her name caught her attention, her gaze locking onto Tally, her tilting to the side. "Yea?"

She didn't expect what the woman said next, her eyes blinking, taking in the words, and smoothing out the meaning in her mind. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, not because she truly desired to be Mandalorian....but that Tally herself wanted to bestow that upon her. She found it cute. Infectiously so, so much that she giggled."I would love...to be made a Mandalorian by you."

She squeezes Tally's hand a bit more firmly. "We'll make sure you go and get yourself all nice and cleaned up. I'll make it a promise even."
Tae'l Vizsla