Private Personal IFF

[Mathieu Brion]

It suddenly became might awkward as Mathieu seemed to have hit a nerve. While he thought that his willingness to fight the Sith would have won the Mandalorian over after hearing about their shared dislike of them, it seemed to have had the effect of instead triggering an angry rant about how bad the Sith were. While he agreed, it was obvious that Zephyr was more passionate about it - quite understandable, seeing as how he was much more directly affected by it.

Exchanging war stories with the Mandalorian was a decidedly good idea, or at least so he thought. His lips soon curled into a happy smile upon hearing that they might hire him. It was hard to tell if he was being serious or not, but at least he seemed to appreciate the story - something which Zephyr's facial expressions also revealed. Tha Mandalorian's story was interesting in its own right and while it didn't contain any Sith, it did include attacking Imperials and a rather comical segment about what sounded like aggressive flesh eating plants. Letting out a hearty laugh, Mathieu leaned back and put a hand on his stomach. "Sounds like some dangerous plants. Your ally must have been insane though - who knows what kind of acids those things contains! Got any souvenirs from it?" he said, clearly taken by the story.

"Morellia" he said without any hesitation "We're at the edge of the galaxy, not much to look at, not much excitement." he said, giving his new companion a clue as to why he was no longer there. "What about you? Mandalore?" he asked, albeit carefully, not wishing to upset the Mandalorian again.

It would not be long before another belly-rub as the large Mercenary felt a creeping sense of hunger. Getting up from his seat, he proclaimed "Time for some real food, eh?" he said, concluding that the sandwiches just weren't enough, also making it abundantly clear that he ate quite a lot - something which was natural in order to maintain shape and form. "What do you like? I've got some porg, a nice bantha stake, some fish I picked up during my off hours" he said and listed a few more ingredients. When the Mandalorian had made his preference clear, Mathieu would give him a thumbs up "Alright, sit tight" he said before leaving to go prepare their dinner.

Zephyr Kumaara

 

[Zephyr Krayt]

"Yeah. I'd never seen anything like it and-" He paused to chuckle before continuing "He is. Without warning he practically threw himself into the plant." He retold, thinking of the fond memory before it turned sour after remembering what his relationship with Kragr had become like since then, though he didn't display such feelings in his expression. "Not anything physical but I'll never forget the smell of the plant goop that took days to wash off after it exploded onto us." He replied.

The conversation almost allowed for them to forget the situation they were in but despite the Morellian's outward friendliness and the Mandalorian's reciprocation, Zephyr was still waiting for an opportunity to strike his captor to allow for an escape. It wasn't anything personal as Mathieu seemed to be an unusually friendly person but the Mandalorian wasn't keen on having his allies pay for his safe return, nor the humiliation that would come with it so he hoped to escape before it came to that.

"Morellia?" He repeated, seeming surprised. Zephyr knew little about Morellians and their planet as it was rare to come across one "That's... interesting." He told Mathieu."Hapes." He clarified, using his parents' home planet in place of his own as the desolate world of Rhen Var where he was actually from would raise far more suspicions and he wasn't about to admit his true past to a practical stranger.

"Bantha steak sounds nice." He replied non-nonchalantly while putting his feet back up on the sofa, indicating his relaxed state. While he had initially mocked Mathieu for his superior treatment of him, Zephyr didn't seem to mind it now and had no issues letting the mercenary cater for him. Once Mathieu was gone, Zephyr took the opportunity to inspect the chain for any weaknesses and fiddled with where it was attached to his ankle to try and escape but if Mathieu were to return then he would behave normally, as though he hadn't done anything.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Laughing along and letting out the occasional chuckle, the large Mercenary enjoyed the company of his captive. He was glad that their initial cold war was over and that they could now behave cordially towards each other. While they did have fundamentally different interests, it seemed like they could still get along - but choice was there? Mathieu had no reason to not treat Zephyr nicely and Zephyr stood the risk of falling into a rather awkward position if he decided to make their relations unfriendly.

Shrugging lightly with a smile, Mathieu confirmed that he did indeed come from Morellia with a nod. Leaning his head to the side as Zephyr revealed his place of birth, he thought for a moment "Either really sunny or with a endless forests" he said, trying to determine which one it was before looking to the Mandalorian for a reveal.

"Bantha steak it is" he replied, smiling brightly as he left the room. Mathieu was not trying to be stealthy or particularly quiet. It would not be a hard task for the Mandalorian to hear him work away with their food in a distant room. The Morellian was not all too worried about Zephyr doing anything, seeing as the chain was of a high quality and anything that could break it would probably have to make a loud noise too. Once he was finally done, he returned to the main living area with one tray in each hand.

A wonderful smell soon filled the room and when Mathieu handed Zephyr his tray, he would see a juicy steak, pan fried vegetables and a cup with french fries along with a clique of garlic flavoured butter next to the meat. "I think succeeded with this one" he said, looking down at his own plate with a satisfied grin. Sitting down a bit further away on the sofa than his usual position in the middle, making sure that he was well outside the Mandalorian's reach, Mathieu handed him cutlery appropriate for eating a steak "Couldn't let you use the plastic ones for this bad boy" he sad, flashing a friendly smile before leaning back to his own end of the sofa. With that, he begun eating, letting out a long and satisfied "Mmmmmmmm" upon taking the first bite.

Zephyr Kumaara

 

[Zephyr Krayt]

The conversation, which was conducted as though it were between two friends, allowed for an escape of the situation and despite Zephyr's outward friendliness towards the Morellian, he had not forgotten about the situation they were in and was still annoyed with his captor despite some of the redeeming qualities he displayed such as being an enemy of the Sith and offering potential aid to Mandalore and her people, though such a suggestion was negated by the fact he was extorting those same people.

"Kind of. We have seven moons and a lot of nebulae so we don't really have a 'night' like other planets." He confirmed, using air quotations around the word night. Despite having never been to the planet, he knew enough about it to pass off that he lived there.

It was clear that no amount of fiddling with the chain would help his cause so he relented and hoped that when Mathieu went to sleep then he could get look for something to aid in his escape - that was if Mathieu didn't put the lights on too dimly. He wasn't afraid of the retribution he might receive from the Morellian if he was caught trying to escape but rather that he might miss his opportunity to escape if he was caught.

Zephyr looked down at the tray with a surprised expression and then at Mathieu. "You could say that." He replied. It truly was peculiar how well he was being treated by his captor but he wasn't about to complain so he took the cutlery from Mathieu and tucked into his meal. For a moment, he wondered if there was a way he could use the weapon handed to him to his advantage but quickly decided any attempt would prove futile. After finishing, he slid the cutlery and the tray back over to Mathieu and thanked him.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

Success! Mathieu loved the meal and his Mandalorian mate seemed to be rather pleased with it too. Giving him a nod and a smile, the Mercenary soon took the tray with the cutlery back and pointed at the chains "With that thing, at least you won't have to do any chores" he said, keeping a jestfull tone before leaving his captive alone.

The following two hours would be more lonely for Zephyr. First, the sound of dishes being done could be heard, following that came the sound of an arduous workout followed by a shower and finally, a microwave.

When Mathieu eventually returned to the living area where Zephyr was, a seemingly permanent smile was fixed to his lips - in large part thanks to the workout. But that was not the only thing he brought. A large bowel of popcorn sat in his left palm which he brought to the table before fiddling a bit with his datapad "I was thinking that, maybe a movie would be in order. There are a few Manaan productions I've been longing to see." he said with a fair bit of enthusiasm in his voice.

Sitting down in his old position by the middle of the sofa, he would look to Zephyr - if the Mercenary wasn't also on the sofa, he would pat on it whilst calling for the man "Come here". Regardless of whether he needed to be summoned or not, Mathieu continued "Wanna watch it together? Here, I'll let you pick which one" If they did indeed watch the movie together, he would from time to time stretch over his arm to Zephyr and offer him some popcorn

Zephyr Kumaara

 

[Zephyr Krayt]

Zephyr had begun to feel more tolerant towards Mathieu, though he still would have punched the man in the face if he had the chance, however having him point out the chain brought to mind why he was here and irritated the Mandalorian all over again though he didn't do anything other than give the mercenary an unimpressed look.

The Mandalorian remained where he was for a while after Mathieu left until it became apparent he had no intention of returning soon so Zephyr got up and looked around the room for anything that might aid him in his escape but it seemed Mathieu had already thought of this as everything but the sofa and the centre console was out of his reach so he retreated to the sofa, defeated, and lay on his back with his hands folded across his abdomen as he had nothing else to do.

At the sound of Mathieu returning, Zephyr's head rolled to the side to watch his companion join him on the sofa with... popcorn? The Mandalorian sat up and gazed upon the mercenary with a puzzled look until his plan was confirmed. After being left with nothing but the entertainment of his own thoughts for a couple of hours he was glad to have something else to occupy himself with.

"It's not like I've got anywhere else to be." He replied with a hint of bitterness, though he accepted popcorn from Mathieu when he was offered and picked a movie he was interested in, an action-packed one, assuming Mathieu would be into the same kind of film though not that he cared if he wasn't. The Morellian had relenquished control of the movie so that was on him.

Towards the end of the movie, Zephyr had his arm resting on the back of the sofa, propping up his head as he had grown tired but once the movie had finished, he turned to Mathieu to ask a question that had only recently dawned on him. "How long is it going to take to get there?" He asked before following up with. "And where are we going?" He spoke a lot more softly than previously, in a semi-sleepy state.

 

[Mathieu Brion]

The captive seemed a little bitter but at least he had a good taste in movies as he decided that action was the way to go for the night. The next few hours would be filled with excitement for the large Morellian as the movie kept sending the main hero into new dangerous situations that required plenty of fire power to get out of. It was just his kind of movie. It was almost a little disheartening to see how the Mandalorian was getting more and more sleepy but he wouldn't try to stop what was about to happen from happening.

Instead, he paused the movie when it was between two scenes and spoke with a low voice "Wait a moment" Mathieu then proceeded to quietly move out of the room and dimmed the lights to half strength before continuing his journey. Soon, he returned with a white, newly washed and fluffy blanket and gently covered his mate with it before returning to his seat next to him by the edge of the sheet. For a moment, he regretted not bringing something for himself - but then, that would just mean more work when he was going back again. Playing the movie, again, Mathieu soon forgot about it and kept watching with excitement.

Once the movie was over, he looked over to Zephyr who was way more sleepy than before. Producing a soft smile, he said "Oh, don't you worry about that now" before leaning over to Zephyr and wrapped his arm over the captive's both shoulders and pulled him in for a one-armed hug "We''ll talk about it tomorrow. Now sleep" he said, giving the guy a gentle squeeze before leaving and turning the lights off. Unless the Mandalorian protested in some way, the captor would then make his way to the ships cockpit before eventually going to bed.

If Zephyr went to sleep, he would not see Mathieu next time he woke up.

Zephyr Kumaara

 

[Zephyr Krayt]

Zephyr's gaze followed Mathieu as he left the room and dimmed the lights to a more comfortable level, though any lower and the Mandalorian would lose all sight which would inhibit any attempt to escape in the night. Still, he wasn't concerned about that at present. "Thanks." He mumbled when Mathieu placed the blanket over him. For the first time, he supposed the situation could've ended up worse than it was and he should've been grateful for being alive since Mathieu certainly would've had the power to kill the Mandalorian if he'd had the power to capture him.

The pair hadn't been at odds for a few hours now and it seemed like it would continue that way as Mathieu pulled Zephyr in for a hug which the Mandalorian begrudgingly accepted, not bothered enough to dispute it. Though the mercenary didn't answer the questions, he wasn't about to dispute those now either as he imagined there would be plenty of time for that the following day, as Mathieu had claimed. "Ok." He replied before lying down after Mathieu moved and drifting off to sleep.


The sky glistened with an iridescent quality that seemed surreal and upon it were painted soft clouds that lapped against one another in the gentle breeze, but the peaceful scenery did not pave way for the chaos that was below as blaster fire was exchanged between two Mandalorians and a group of Imperials which lit the forest with a brilliant display of light. The battle would soon take a turn as a plant opposite them would flop open and wrap its mouth around a nearby Imperial.

Meanwhile, behind the Mandalorians a plant had its sight set on the pair as it reached out with vines and grabbed both by the leg. While Kragr had managed to free himself, Zephyr was struggling to cut through the thick vine. "Kragr! A little help?" He shouted to his companion with a rising sense of urgency. But it would seem his ally had no intention of helping as the pair made eye contact before Kragr turned and left. "Kragr?!" Zephyr called out but to no avail.

The plant had grabbed onto both arms by now with its green tendrils and began snaking their way around his abdomen to get a firm grip before bringing the Mandalorian up to its gaping mouth...


Zephyr awoke with a jolt and in his sudden movement and half-asleep state he accidentally yanked on the chain which allowed some degree of movement before it fell back to the floor again. It took him a few more seconds of being awake before he could start coming to terms with the dream. While the plant had spooked him, the most disturbing element by far was his ally's unwillingness to help him when he was in need. He knew he didn't have the best relationship with Kragr since the last time they had met but he had hoped he would've reclaimed some of his honour by now, though it was still a fear that he would never be accepted by his fellow Mandalorians.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

This was one of his favourite passtimes. Working out was great when he wanted to clear his mind and just feel good for a while, both during and after it. Not to mention the sense of fulfillment it brought. When nearing the end of his workout, however, a foreign sound could be heard. A sudden but violent rattle of the chain.

Mathieu saw no reason for why the Mandalorian would suddenly yank it since he hadn't done so before and figured that he might have some kind of medical condition involving spasms or bad dream which caused it. Still, he could never be too careful and with that, he loosened the weights and removed them from the bar. They fell down with a thud against the mat he had installed. Mathieu, armed with the long metal staff would then jog towards the common area, emerging through the dark corridor to see Zephyr sit in the sofa, appearing as if he had just seen a ghost. Dropping the bar, he rushed forth to his captive. It looked like a bad dream - seeing as how the red-headed man was covered in sweat and sat up in his 'bed' all startled.

Naturally, he might be a bit smelly and sweaty - but taking a shower before consoling the guy was unreasonable. And consoling the man was the most obvious choice to the large Morellian. He had no intentions of keeping his prisoner in a state of mental torture. With that, Mathieu rushed forth to his mate and sat down on the sofa right next to him to his left. Wrapping his right arm around the Mandalorian's side, he pulled the guy in close, seemingly not uncomfortable with the beskar chest piece brushing up against him. With his left arm, Mathieu gently put his hand on Zephyr's head an applied some light pressure to have it lean down on his chest. "There, there" he said, keeping a warm voice and a soft tone.

"It was just a nightmare. Not the real thing, you know. You're safe here." The large Mercenary patted his friend's side with his hand as he repeated "You're safe. Don't you worry." Claiming that his captive was safe might have been a rather stupid long term move, because either it would cause the Mandalorian to not trust him for lying, or it would help him realise that Mathieu really had no intentions to harm him which might give him cause to act more boldly. But that would be a problem for another time, right now, the priority was to up Zephyr's mood. For a moment, Mathieu even considered releasing the chain but ultimately decided that it was too risky, seeing as he still had plenty of weapons laying around in the open.

Zephyr Kumaara

 

[Zephyr Krayt]

Zephyr pulled the blanket aside and then pushed himself into a sitting position, breathing heavily, having gotten himself worked up enough to not want to go right back to sleep which wasn't helped by the fact he was surrounded by complete darkness. Though he wasn't afraid of the dark, waking up in it after such a dream was somewhat jarring but the chain reminded him where he was.

At the sound of footsteps, his head turned towards the doorway but before he knew it he felt someone at his side pulling him closer. Still somewhat spooked, he tried to pull away at first but soon realised it was Mathieu and he wasn't trying to hurt the Mandalorian. "Oh, it's you." He relented and allowed the man to embrace him and place his head on the other's chest despite finding the whole experience peculiar.

"Yeah." He agreed quietly as his mind returned to the nightmare and how his ally had abandoned him because of the exposure of his connection to Imperials. While Kragr had helped to defend him against the plant when it actually happened, Zephyr was unsure if he could rely on his ally again now that the trust had been broken which made him wonder where that left him with Isabeau, the person whose opinion he cared for most, and what would happen if Kragr divulged the information to other Mandalorians.

After his moment of absence, he looked up at where he assumed Mathieu's face would be but couldn't see him and could only feel being held by invisible hands and soothed by disembodied words. The only thing informing him of the presence of a person was the unmistakable smell of body odour from the man, though he didn't doubt the same could be said about himself.

Although he wouldn't want to admit it, Mathieu had helped to ground him in reality, though the worries of being rejected by his comrades were still present. "You're a giant softie." He told Mathieu as an observation, though it seemed to verge on the side of a backhanded compliment. "Get off." He gently tried to push Mathieu away, not wanting to ruin any reputation he had left.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

A smile spread across his lips. A giant softie? "You'd be soft too if it weren't for all that armour" he joked, bringing his right hand down a decimetre or two to knock on the Mandalorian's beskar. Upon being asked to get off, the large Morellian complied without question. He scooted over to the other side of the corner sofa and leaned back, resting his legs up on the dejarik table in the middle.

It was by accident, but when putting his feet on top of the table, it turned on. A light shimmered to life and soon, pieces appeared on it, all ready for a game. The faint lightblue light was partially blocked by the Mercenary's legs which laid on the table, but it was more than enough to throw some light on him and the immediate surrounding area. "So?" he asked, looking to Zephyr with a curious eye "What was the dream about?" he asked

In the background, the sound of the hyperdrive could be heard in a low hum. They had been travelling across the galaxy at night and would arrive at their destination before long. The thought of having to part ways with the captive who he now viewed as something of a friend brought down the Morellian's mood way more than he had expected. "I know your kind care about honour and stuff. How will your people view this? You know, getting captured and ransomed."

Zephyr Kumaara

 

[Zephyr Krayt]

"That's not what I meant." Zephyr replied seriously to the joke, clearly not in the mood to jest. His companion had a soft-heart which made him seem weak. Had the roles been reversed, the Mandalorian knew he would not treat a captive with such hospitality.

The Hapan was grateful for some seemingly accidental light as he didn't want to ask for it and admit his weakness if his captor didn't already know of it. Though he had grown out of his fear of darkness, it was still unnerving to be unable to see. Part of him wanted to snap at the Morellian for asking such an intrusive question but then he realised it might be the only time he could speak about the matter with a non-Mandalorian and someone who would likely not want to kill him on the spot so hesitantly, he replied, but was still uneasy and careful with his words.

"I dreamt of a battle I had been in and my friend left me to die because I have broken his trust... Well... He lost his trust in me. It's complicated." He replied, pausing a moment to think before continuing. "He thinks I betrayed him, betrayed the Mandalorians but I haven't. I was just born to enemies of the Mandalorians before they took me in." He concluded, omitting the part where he had agreed to betray the Mandalorians as it was pretty damning despite being vital to the story.

After the last question, Zephyr looked ashamed and gave a half-hearted shrug before answering. He didn't particularly want to think about his reputation after all that he had done but it would certainly take a hit. "Not very favourably. It looks pathetic." He replied, averting his gaze momentarily. "I'm going to have to do a lot to make up for it." He told Mathieu. The Mandalorian supposed he couldn't be too angry with the mercenary. After all, if he had won the initial battle then Mathieu would be dead.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

"That's a tough one. To have your friend bail on you like that." he said, producing a soft smile "You haven't seemed so bad until this point. Why would he think you betrayed him? You couldn't control who you were born to." he said, rather clearly taking the side of his new friend. If he had been closer and not just told to get off of him, Mathieu would definitely have given the Mandalorian a hug or at least a pat on the back. "But nobody will betray you here. You needn't fear" he said - maybe the comment was a bit unnecessary, considering the fact that he wouldn't need to betray Zephyr since he had already told him of what he would do. But then, it might reassure the man that he wouldn't be sold to the Sith at least.

But then came the revelation which the Mercenary had feared. Zephyr would indeed be put in a pretty tough spot if he went through with the ransom-taking. While the large Morellian was eager to cash in a tidy sum of credits for himself, he didn't like the prospect of having it cause too much trouble for his captive. He often enjoyed donating to charities or friends in need - perhaps this was one of those cases. Still, he hoped that the Mandalorian would brush it away or something and simply said "Hey, maybe you could say that you faced down a whole squadron or something" it was only then that he realised that he might have poured a little bit of salt in the wound, seeing as he had faced down an entire squadron in order to get to keep Zephyr.

Zephyr Kumaara

 

[Zephyr Krayt]

The territory he had began to tread on was dangerous as he couldn't fully trust Mathieu. His assurances of not wanting to hurt the Mandalorian were not enough as any excessive information shared could result in it being used against him for Mathieu's financial gain but at a much larger personal cost to Zephyr so he opted to keep the most dangerous information to himself which would mean trying to deflect Mathieu's probing on the matter. "I don't know." He shrugged nonchalantly, despite the fact he did know. "Maybe he's just being too cautious." He made an excuse.

While he had had some successes with bounties in the past and enough successes with mercenary work to have not been killed, the Mandalorian had never been in a situation like the one he was in now which undermined everything he and the Mandalorians stood for. Mathieu's compliments had helped ease the blow a little but the worst would be to come when he would have to face his comrades. Zephyr shot a look towards Mathieu at his comment but didn't say anything before looking away. If the humiliation wasn't bad enough, he could get unlucky with not-so-generous Mandalorians who want their credits returned so the whole endeavour would leave Zephyr considerably out of pocket.

"Well it's not like I've got anything else to do but work. I'll just have to take on something bigger." He said, almost talking to himself. The Mandalorian was avoiding the few friends he had and the only other person he knew well enough was a Jedi Knight who he wasn't about to hang out with any time soon. "Can you at least give me the rest of my armour back?" He asked with a hint of irritation.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

If the Mandalorian didn't want to explore the topic with him, he wouldn't push more. And judging by his vagueness and rather bad reasoning for why someone would basically betray him in a dream, it seemed like he didn't want to continue after all.

The topic seemed to change a little as the Mandalorian started to plan for the future. It was good that he did but Mathieu seemed to see his new mate with a somewhat dampened mood as he said it. Almost as if he was going to take on a big challenge and didn't look forward to it. Considering what he had said earlier, it wasn't very surprising to the large Morellian. He needed to make up for the loss in honour or whatever other arbitrary currency the Mandalorians used. A kind smile spread across the Mercenary's lips as Zephyr asked about if he could have the rest of his armour back. Getting up to his feet, now no longer blocking the Dejarik table's full light with his legs, Mathieu walked past the other and roughened up his hair a bit "You worry too much" he said before leaving for the cockpit.

Mathieu would be away for a fair amount of time but it would not take too long before it would be noticeable that they had dropped out of hyperspace. Soon after, the ship started rumbling as it entered the atmosphere of a planet. Then came the landing gear and finally, the ship set down on the ground with a few clearly defined vibrations. After the engines had turned off, Mathieu passed by the living area in which Zephyr was housed "This isn't a pit-stop. We've arrived." he said before continuing further into the ship.

The next time he emerged, he would be wearing his full heavy armour and carrying all the combat gear he normally carried. By his shoulder, a blaster mark could be seen, it was from Zephyr's hit during their battle and the Mercenary had not yet had the time to clean it away. Mathieu then jogged over to the cockpit and returned as soon as he had retrieved the Mandalorian's helmet "Would you mind if I kept this?" he asked with a playful smile.

Zephyr Kumaara

 

[Zephyr Krayt]

Zephyr frowned a little and tried to swat Mathieu's hand away when he moved to roughen up the other's hair. He was opposed to the Morellian feeling as though he could do what he wanted and disliked the level of familiarity they seemed to have reached. There was no option but to endure Mathieu and it made no sense making the situation worse for himself by being rebellious, as he had soon learned, but he was not the mercenary's friend.

Not getting a straight answer to his question was irritating enough but Mathieu treating him with such familiarity while not answering was even more irritating. Was capturing people the only way the Morellian could make friends?

It soon became apparent, from the familiar rattles and clanks of the ship, that they were in the process of landing which was later confirmed by his companion so Zephyr got to his feet, expecting to be released from the chain soon. He resented Mathieu for the humiliation he was going to force him to endure and hoped any news of the event wouldn't travel far, especially not back to those who knew him.

The Morellian's question didn't come as too much of a surprise as he had wanted the helmet on the battlefield which might have even appeased the mercenary but now it was too late and the Mandalorian had no reason to appease his former opponent as he had nothing left to lose. "Uhh... Yes." He replied, though he was unsure what effect it would have. Quickly, however, an idea came to mind. "You could keep the jetpack instead?" He offered. Although he would rather lose neither, if he was going to lose anything then he would rather it be the easier-to-replace jetpack.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

"Nevermind" he said, seemingly saddened by Zephyr's refusal to part with his helmet. He wasn't even rude about it and went so far as to offer Mathieu his jetpack instead. The mercenary was not very interested in a jetpack and was brushing the offer away with his first answer. It was not as if the captive made the offer out of the goodness of his heart, it was probably rather because he was in a rather disadvantageous position.

With that, he walked past Zephyr and towards the exit where the cardboard box laid. The large Morellian dumped the helmet in with the other purple gear before lowering the ramp. They were in a forest clearing a few kilometres away from the nearest town. It was an area brimming with life - the birds chirped happily from the treetops and a few critters could be seen running about in the forest. A smile grew on his lips, for seeing the area made him rather happy. The Mercenary let out a sigh before picking up the box and walking down the ramp. Once he was about ten metres away from the ship, he put the box down, centrally in the clearing and left a few credits in it. For good measure, he also activated his EMP-emitter, temporarily disabling all the Mandalorian's electronic equipment.

Returning to the ship, Mathieu then equipped his heavy armour but remained unarmed. He had no interest in fighting who he considered to be his friend and simply took it on for safety reasons. Soon, he appeared in the living area again "Time to go" he said before letting out a nonchalant "Give me your leg" he commanded with a soft voice whilst sending Zephyr a friendly smile. He was not about to put himself in a vulnerable position where he could be kicked in the head, so once he could grab the limb, he brought it way higher than what would have been comfortable whilst unlocking the chain around his ankle. Helping the man get his balance back without falling, Mathieu then wrapped a heavy arm around the Mandalorian's shoulders "Sorry about that. one can never be too safe, you know" he said before starting to walk towards the ramp.

While he sent Zephyr down, Mathieu stayed up on the ship with a satisfied smirk "This is where we say goodbye" he said, hoping that it wouldn't sound threatening and that the fact that he was unarmed helped reinforce the sentiment.

Zephyr Kumaara

 

[Zephyr Krayt]

The Mandalorian was surprised at the mercenary suddenly dropping the matter, especially as he had the power to ignore the Mandalorian and take the helmet anyway, but he seemed to respect his captive's wishes despite seeming disappointed and Zephyr wasn't about to push the matter as he didn't want to lose the helmet or the jetpack.

With Mathieu gone, there was nothing left to do as he had given up any hope of escape so he sat with his chin resting on his hand, waiting for the Morellian to return. He reflected on their peculiar relationship which had started with a fight to the death and ended with what almost seemed like... a friendship? Zephyr didn't consider Mathieu a friend as the line between friend and captor had not been blurred for him.

Zephyr complied and lifted his leg towards Mathieu, expecting to be released, but tried to shift to a more comfortable position when his leg was brought uncomfortably high. "Watch it." He warned. Once released, he accepted Mathieu's help to get to his feet and accompanied him to the ship exit and once off the ship he turned back to face the mercenary who didn't join him and then back at the box ahead of him and a wave of confusion washed over him. "You're letting me go?" He asked, confusion evident in his expression and tone.

Mathieu Brion

 

[Mathieu Brion]

"Yeah" He was bidding a rather large sum of money farewell but it felt like the right thing to do. Mathieu had never been very good with money and he had got a good idea of how much being taken captive to be ransomed could hurt Zephyr. They had talked quite a bit during their time together and the Mandalorian seemed like a nice guy - in fact, the Mercenary would be happy to go out with drinks for him sometime. In a way, he felt like they were too much like friends to ever be able to follow through on his original plans.

Mathieu pointed toward the cardboard box "I threw in a few credits to help you get off-world in the box. There's a town a few kilometres that-away. I think you could use a walk after all this time sitting about." he said, pointing in the direction of the nearby town. "But if we meet again, you owe me so many drinks" he said, with a smirk. Mathieu would hold the ramp open a bit longer to listen whatever the guy had to say before closing it and quickly preparing for departure before the EMP wore off and the Mandalorian's equipment would come back alive. Beside the credits and the gear, the cardboard box now also contained a sandwich and his holo-contact details.

Zephyr Kumaara

 

[Zephyr Krayt]

A sense of relief washed over the Mandalorian as he realised he wouldn't have to face his comrades in his current state but then his attention immediately turned to the man who had granted him freedom at no cost. He remained still for a moment, looking at Mathieu and wondering what his companion thought of him to have backtracked on his original plans. In those last few moments, his own opinion had changed on the mercenary who had began as an enemy then became an annoyance and now was standing before him as something of an acquaintance albeit by peculiar circumstances.

Zephyr approached Mathieu and offered a handshake to his former captor to offer a truce and although there were lingering hard feelings due to a loss of pay from his mercenary work, Mathieu's actions had gained him respect and the Mandalorian wished him no harm. "You're a good guy. Don't let it kill you." He gave Mathieu some parting words before turning and walking towards the cardboard box. As he was told, there were credits in the box along with his armour, which he soon replaced, contact details and... he smiled to himself - a sandwich.

/End Thread