Private Rose-Tinted Glasses

[Tenn Kalos]

"You'd know better than me," Tenn shrugged, "What's Ukatis like? You mentioned farms," He could only presume there was a bit more to it than that. Then again, it's not like Coruscant had a particularly diverse ecosystem of its own.

Despite some of the looks they got, any interactions with others were little more than that. There was a collective conscious decision to mind one's own business on level 3000. Unless you were looking for trouble, which was admittedly not rare in and of itself down here. He chuckled a bit when Cora reaffirmed their need for discretion, "Believe me, I'm not interested in telling anyone anything," Her reasoning for being a Jedi, though, caught Tenn off guard, and after a few moments of thought he responded frankly, "So… you're just here because your dad wanted your family to look better?"

"...Do you actually want to be a Jedi?"

He let the question linger, and seemed to drop to a lower speed as he pulled out some kind of tracking fob, the red light on it blinking at a steady pace.

Corazona von Ascania​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

When Tenn probed a bit further, Cora grinned. She could talk about Ukatis forever given that it quite literally had been her only world, but would try to be mindful and temper herself. "Ascania territory is largely farmland, though we've been having some trouble keeping lands fertile...fortunately, we have trade to sustain us when there are poor harvests. Much of Ukatis is industrialized, so even some of the unusable farm land is being used for factories." Her tone had shifted to be a hair melancholic, but Cora injected a measure of brightness back into her voice.

"To the west of our lands are mountains—they are...simply beautiful. I'll never tire of watching the sun set over them. The capital is a bustling hub of industry, and home to a galactic class choclatier. I was permitted to tour their factory once, it was quite the experience!"

A dreamy grin had crept onto her face while speaking, now wiped away by Tenn's inquiry. While she was pleased that he would keep their off-the-books mission off the books, she hadn't expected him to question her reasoning for becoming a Jedi.

"I-that's not-!" In more crude terms than she would have put it, yes. Cora was pleased to take up the mantle of Jedi if it assisted her family, yet Tenn's frankness made it sound so bad.

"Of course! Who wouldn't want to be a Jedi?" Perhaps she was just a touch too zealous there. "Jedi are heroes. And it's not just for my father. It is my duty to serve Ukatis, and if becoming a Jedi will help ease my home under Alliance protection, why wouldn't I want to do it for that reason alone?"

Tenn Kalos

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn had listened to her speak with a subdued smile. It was obvious from her response that Cora had a lot to say about her home, and that she enjoyed sharing it when offered the chance. It's not like there was much more for him to do anyway, besides listen and drive, "Sounds really nice. I've… never really been somewhere like that," Her enthusiasm, though offset by a momentary shift in her tone, was a nice distraction from the surroundings. Still, it was the end of her story that had stuck out to him the most. And his follow-up question very much stuck out to her.

"Where I come from, we always saw Jedi as just a bunch of robe-wearing cultists with too much influence," He shrugged, then smirked a moment, "Obviously I know that's not entirely true now… But not everyone sees 'em that way," The boy wasn't sure what point he was trying to make with that, beyond an acknowledgment of perspectives, but it was more true than even he realized. Ironically, he was having a hard time seeing things from her own perspective. Family legacy wasn't really something he cherished, because he hardly had one. His only responsibilities were only those forced upon him by his owner. The only real loyalties he ever held were to his friends in the underworld, to Shep, and now to the Jedi. "So, if being a Jedi didn't have any impact on your family's influence or protection, you'd still do it? You'd still want to be one?"

He let her think on that while he pulled over by a street corner, and stopped the bike. Almost immediately, they were beset by a group of young urchins, staring at them (and their pockets) with big sad eyes. Tenn raised a hand, and threw out a couple credits, "Use this for food only. There's extra if you make sure this bike is still here when I get back," They scrambled to collect the offered cash, a few nodding eagerly at his incentive for more. He knew how these things worked, having been on the opposite end for so long himself. Of course, that meant there was a decent chance they hauled off his bike to a chop shop anyways, but he trusted they didn't know how to operate it. The urchins would get some extra cash, and he got to keep his ride.

Tenn then turned to Cora and pointed at her, suddenly stern, "Stick close. And let me do the talking. Okay?" His voice was stern, and the look on his face was one of concern. Whatever they were getting into, he was serious about the consequences. "Let's go," With that, he slipped into the alley near where they had parked, stopped right in the middle of it, and just waited.

Corazona von Ascania​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

As Tenn probed her reasoning further, Cora lapsed into a thoughtful silence. She wasn't upset with him or the topic, but she wasn't quite sure how to answer. Would she still want to be here if it wouldn't help Ukatis? She wasn't sure. What she did know is that she missed her family terribly, and that she had to set a good example in following through for her younger siblings.

They came to a stop before Cora's quietness could become truly awkward, pulling up to a dimly lit street corner that seemed to be home to half a dozen rough looking children. Cora nearly jumped from her skin when they swarmed from the shadows with acquired stealth. The big sad eyes took her in, and she pressed a hand to her chest when her breath hitched. Before she could comment, Tenn tossed a few credits and the orphans clambered to collect them, some even snatching the coins out of thin air before they'd even had a chance to clatter to the pavement.

Tenn suddenly turned to her, jabbing a pointed finger in Cora's direction with a severe expression and grave words. This only bewildered her further, given that no one had spoken to her in such a manner, save for father. Caught off guard, she gave Tenn a simple, dutiful nod and slipped off the bike. This was his world, after all.

Cora could swear that she felt the grime of the street through her boots, but she stuck closely to Tenn. She'd felt more untouchable on the bike, but perhaps anything could happen here. Following Tenn into the alley, she looked baffled that he was simply standing there and not doing much of anything.

"I don't understand." She whispered loudly. "What are we doing here? Are we waiting for someone? Are…wait!" Gasping, she hobbled a few steps away from Tenn, then stopped, looking equally horrified at the thought of her back touching a wall covered in some sort of black slime. "Is this…are you kidnapping me?? Who sent you?! How much is the ransom?? Oh, father did warn me about this!"

Tenn Kalos

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Even after only a few moments, Tenn was obviously antsy; Bouncing on his foot, constantly looking around and checking his chrono. Cora's whisperings were hardly registered until she gasped, making him spin around to look at her, "What?"

"Is this…are you kidnapping me?? Who sent you?! How much is the ransom?? Oh, father did warn me about this!"

"What?!" He repeated, bewildered and flustered by the accusation, "N-no! I'm not kidnapping you! You're the one who wanted to-"

"Rat." A voice from behind the far end of the alley cut him off. The source appeared a moment later: A wiry rodian in ill-fitted (some of it likely stolen) streetwear. He was sickly yellow, with tall spikes that ran across his head, evoking a mohawk. A smoldering cigarra hung in his proboscis, and as he approached, a bit of smoke wafted into Tenn's face. "Been a while. Last time I saw ya, you were just a little pipsqueak. Still are, but at least ya got a bit of meat on your bones, now." He appraised, his voice heavily accented, and distorted by the flanging effect most rodians had when they spoke.

"Wheeze," Tenn greeted, waving away the smoke, "You look the same."

"You know I hate that stupid-ass name, Rat," The rodian quickly answered with a hoarse sputter, incidetanlly revealing how he earned the epithet. Tenn's brow twitched at being called 'Rat' again, but he made no comment on the double standard.

"You got the info?"

"Who's your girlfriend?" Wheeze ignored the boy, his compound eyes honing in on Cora instead, "You said come alone."

"It's not a big deal, alright? Just-"

"You trying to pull a fast one on me?" The ill-tempered thug pulled a blaster, pressing it against Tenn's cheek threateningly. The padawan glared at him, and opened his mouth to speak, but Wheeze spoke to Cora first, "Got a name, miss?"

Tenn kept his silence, rather than risking a harsher reaction from Wheeze. He looked between the two of them, then down the end of the alley. Behind the walls, his Force senses were registering the presence of two others in waiting. When it came to protecting his hide, or keeping his word, Wheeze often chose the former.

Corazona von Ascania​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora calmed down as a distraction entered the scene—and his name, apparently, was Wheeze.

Puzzled, her focus kept bouncing back and forth between Tenn and the chainsmoking Rodian. Wheeze? Rat? Suddenly, the idea of being kidnapped seemed so far away. Despite the fact that these two apparently knew each other on some level, Cora felt supremely uneasy about this.

She stiffened as Wheeze turned his attention on her, cheeks flushing at the mention of girlfriend. Tenn hadn't asked her to come, she'd insisted, and now she was feeling a little guilty. The blonde nearly jumped out of her skin when the jaundice Rodian pushed a blaster into Tenn's face, jaw dropping in surprise.

"I…" Her voice died in her throat as a squeak, and her muscles tensed as if she were preparing to either run away or throw herself forward. For his part, Tenn hadn't even flinched with a weapon in his face. "Cora." She supplied eventually, mouth suddenly feeling very dry.

"Listen, Wheeze," Raising both open palms in front of her, she spoke as diplomatically as her tightened throat would allow for. "We are not here to cause trouble. I asked Tenn to take me along." Swallowing thickly, she continued. The Force was here too, even if it was covered in a layer of grime. "I'm sorry if I've done anything to offend."

Then she surged forward, aiming to grapple for the blaster.

Tenn Kalos

 

[Tenn Kalos]

The rodian's eye twitched as Cora called him Wheeze again, but he remained frozen while she continued. As did Tenn, his gaze constantly flicking between her, the blaster, and Shep, who was growling with raised hackles. The padawan raised a hand as if to keep the hound back from doing anything rash, lest any one of them end up with a hole in their head.

"She seems nice," Wheeze said with a hint of sarcasm. But before he could continue, the girl made a move for the blaster. Tenn's danger senses flared, prompting him to shift away from the barrel. Immediately the weapon discharged, but the bolt hit the ground. Tenn helped to wrangle the weapon away, and Shep leapt in for a bite on the rodian's leg; Between the three of them, the blaster was quickly stolen, "Son of a-" Wheeze wheezed, stopping as he saw the position he was now in.

Tenn pulled Shep back, trusting Cora with the blaster now that the momentum had shifted in their favor, "You don't actually have any info do you?"

The rodian chuckled, "You pissed off a lotta people with the mess you made down here on your last trip. You thought you could get rid of one Hutt and suddenly the bounty was off?" He clicked his tongue, "Shoulda stayed up top, Rat. Kept 3000's messes behind you." The other two thugs appeared from the far end of the alley, a human and another rodain, each drawing weapons of their own.

"Sorry you got involved with all this," Tenn muttered to Cora, right before Wheeze lurched forward and struck him in the face. The two then fell into a scuffle on the ground, while the thugs opened fire, "Get- out of here!"

Corazona von Ascania​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Whether or not the Rodian had been prepared for the assault, they'd managed to wrest his blaster away. While Shep had hold of his leg, Tenn had seized the alien's wrist, and Cora snatched the weapon from his hand.

A proper Noble, Cora had been trained in marksmanship. But that had been with a rifle, and only at a firing range with inanimate, non-living targets. Never had she been in a situation such as this; and though her hand was steady as she leveled the blaster at Wheeze, there was some measure of hesitation in her grip. She had never shot at another living being before.

Her eyes snapped to Tenn at the mention of Hutt and bounty. Is that what he'd been up to?

A pair of goons approached from the other end of the narrow alley, effectively cutting off their escape route. Cora spun on her heel, aiming for the pair now instead of Wheeze.

Tenn's murmured apology triggered her eyes to narrow. "Don't be. I'm the one who asked to—"

Blaster fire began pelting the alley, and Cora ducked behind a drainage pipe, trying to make herself as narrow as possible. Despite being pinned down, indignation burned in her chest as Tenn tried to get her to leave. For her own safety of course, but really? Did he think her so flaky that she'd simply leave him here to be killed, or hauled off to a crime syndicate and be subjected to Ashla knows what?

She'd have to lecture him on the dangers of being involved with criminal activity later.

"Not a chance!" She called back.

Placing a hand against the pipe, her gaze followed its length upward, then along the edge of the building where she spotted cracks in the duracrete siding. She noted idly, and with no small measure of disgust, that the lower levels seemed to be prone to both shoddy masonry and a lack of maintenance. Angling the blaster upwards sharply, she fired off a few shots at the crumbling wall. The force of the blaster bolts was enough to loosen the decay, sending heavy debris careening downwards towards the two thugs.

Just before they'd be buried in duracrete rubble, one of the punks had managed to land a hit on her shoulder, which had been exposed when she'd moved to shoot the wall. Cora yelped as the plasma seared through her shirt and against her skin, dropping the weapon she'd been holding. The blaster clattered over to where Tenn and Wheeze wrestled, while Cora pressed her back against the grimy wall and slid to the ground.

Tenn Kalos

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn was scrappy, but Wheeze had the advantage with his sucker punch, maintaining leverage over the padawan even as they traded blows. "Gonna get a cool paycheck for wrangling you. I'm sure the girlie will earn a nice bonus, too," Wheeze hissed, none the wiser that Cora would be the premium catch, if her would-be captors found out she was royalty. The threat cause panic and anger to rise within Tenn, but that alone wasn't enough to turn the tide. Wheeze found the reaction amusing, and responded with a malicious laugh.

The rodian finessed his long fingers around Tenn's throat, catching the breath in his throat and strangling him, "Stupid…little…Rat!" Instincts surged into overdrive as the padawan thrashed beneath Wheeze, when Cora's pistol clattered to the ground beside them. Each look at each other, then made a grab for the pistol. Just barely, Tenn's fingers slipped around the grip, leaving Wheeze to try and keep the barrel away. But with his priorities split, the struggle was short-lived.

The blast shrieked, and the alley briefly lit up red. Wheeze stumbled back, and Tenn immediately crawled onto his hands and knees, retching for air. When he stood up and turned around, he saw Wheeze clutching a smoking wound on his chest. The rodian looked between him and the fatal blow, "You… you fethin' shot me?" Incredulity gave way to fear, gave way to a death rattle all in just a few short moments.

Tenn couldn't help but stare as the adrenaline wore off, conflicted. Senses returned, and he tossed the blaster aside, quickly searching for his fellow padawan, "Cora?!" He saw the hit she had taken, and scrambled to her side. The other thugs were either buried, or bailed entirely. He was hardly even able to notice one way or another in the chaos, but the fact that she was hurt had him worried, "Shit. You okay?" The concern abated somewhat upon a closer look, seeing as the wound was likely non-fatal, at least, "I'm sorry."

Corazona von Ascania​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora watched everything go down in a haze. The cacophony of the fight died away suddenly, unsettlingly.

"Y...you killed him." She stared up at Tenn with wide eyes. Cora had never witnessed a murder before, even if it was in self-defense. Her eyes drifted over to the pile of rubble and she stared, hoping that the two thugs had gotten away and weren't buried under chunks of duracrete. "I…" Her stomach started to turn at the thought and the hand clutching her injured shoulder fell away in time for Tenn to inspect the wound.

The though that she'd killed today was rolling around in her head unpleasantly. It helped, just a little, to focus on something else—the pain. Cora hissed as the cold air touched scorched skin, moving to cover the damage against with her hand. It hurt like hell, but she'd survive.

"D-don't be sorry." She croaked, stopping to swallow the spit that had gathered down her tightened throat. "I'm the one who insisted on coming along. I'm the one who reached for the blaster. If I hadn't done either of those things, then maybe…" Glancing to the motionless body of Wheeze, she shivered and quickly refocused on Tenn.

The thick, acrid stench of the underworld, the smell of the skin fried from the blaster, it all coalesced unto Cora and she lurched over, heaving her dinner onto Tenn's shoes.

Tenn Kalos

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn grimaced a bit, wishing Cora hadn't pressed the matter further, and certainly not so directly, "Y-yeah…" When she reached up, he took hold of her hand for just a moment as he finished ensuring it was alright, before tentatively letting her cover the wound. The boy broke eye contact, and shook his head, "Well, if you weren't here, I'd have probably gotten jumped. It was a trap no matter what," Tenn turned back to offer her a reassuring smile, but there was a strange look building up on her face that he wasn't quite sure how to respond to.

It was too late for him to even bother reacting, when Cora suddenly upchucked all over his shoes. Tenn frowned deeply, his nose wrinkling in displeasure, "Oh, gee…" He awkwardly gave her undamaged shoulder a comforting pat while she collected herself, "Thanks for that." Shep decided now was the time to come and check in on them, pressing his muzzle against Cora's face, then sniffing the both of them confusedly. Afterwards Tenn stood up, shaking his legs free of the excess with a disgusted shiver, before offering her a hand, "Let's uh, get the hell out of here, yeah? I think we've both had enough of the sublevels for a night," He didn't get what he wanted, but at least they could both get out in one piece. He already felt bad enough about Cora being caught in the crossfire.

Tenn led her back to the bike, letting them all hop on before they took off. He made an effort to start slower, for the sake of her stomach. "We should probably get you to the healers back at the temple," He resigned. That meant admitting they were out getting into trouble. But considering she had been shot, Tenn was already accepting the fate that lay ahead.

Corazona von Ascania​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora let out a gurgling gasp, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. "Oh no. Tenn, oh, I'm so sorry!" She wailed. "I've gone and ruined your clothes. I promise, I will pay to have them laundered."

When she'd insisted on following Tenn, she did not anticipate they'd be sitting in a grimy alleyway, her with an injured shoulder, and Tenn with her vomit on his clothes and bruises coiling around his neck. Shep's affections tugged her lips into a small, tired smile, and she gave the hound a brief scratch behind the ear.

"I couldn't agree more." Taking the proffered hand, Cora carefully hoisted herself up. Her shoulder still stung, but the prospect of having to explain just what they were up to hurt worse. After shambling their way to the bike, Cora sucked in air through her teeth at the mention of her needing to be seen by the healers. It went unspoken that receiving treatment would necessitate detail of their exploits.

"I can bare it." She insisted, knowing that she could not. "It's not...so bad." From her position seated behind Tenn, she could see the bruises beginning to form around the back of his neck thanks to Wheeze. "You are injured as well," Cora murmured, reaching out to lightly trace the imprint of the Rodian's finger with her own without thinking. She pulled away suddenly, cheeks flushing as she realized what she'd been doing.

"How...ah, how are you feeling…?"

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Tenn Kalos]

“Yyyup. It’s- well-” Tenn tried to blow through the conversation rather than dwell on the mess of vomitus she had stained him with, “Appreciate it. Let’s just uh- Worry about it later.” He was quick to help her up and move her to the bike, all too happy to leave tonight's events behind them.

Well, if it weren’t for the fact that they’d likely have to confront them again once they got back. Cora’s assurance otherwise didn’t exactly inspire confidence, and Tenn likely wouldn’t be able to hide his bruises anyway. She brushed her fingers over his neck, which made for an odd confluence of reactions; The tingling sensation flared into a burning ache, and though he winced at the touch, his face reddened as well, “...I’ll live,” He said, “Not the worst hit I’ve taken.”

They were off and away from the scene now, gradually picking up speed to get back to the Temple as soon as possible. Their entire ride through Level 3000 was eerily quiet. No commotion. No sirens. If any cops were to bother responding to the scene, it likely wouldn’t be until morning. Such things weren’t always reported down here; Enforcement was always either lazy or exploitative. Violence was a part of life. Why bother with the added risk?

“I hate to say it, but our best bet is probably to just… own up to it, and hope we don’t get into too much trouble,” Tenn sighed. It was odd for him of all people to say that, but they didn't have many other alternatives. Lying would only dig the hole deeper, “Need to make sure your injury gets properly treated anyway,” He swallowed, “I’ll uh… I’ll tell them I made you come along. Or something. Take the heat off of you.”

Corazona von Ascania​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora sighed in resigned agreement. Confessing to their little escapade was likely the best course of action, especially so considering their injuries. Perhaps if she hadn't been so careless as to take a blaster bolt to the shoulder, they would be able to get away with sneaking back into the temple undetected.

Tenn was right, though. Despite her will to grit through the pain, Cora knew that an injury this extensive needed to be treated by a medi in order to properly heal.

"Absolutely not. You will do no such thing." She insisted firmly. "I will not allow you to sacrifice yourself for me, Tenn." Though the prospect of disappointing the Masters and facing potential punishment was not appealing, lying to protect herself was less desirable. A lie that may result in a harsher retribution for Tenn would be even worse. "If asked we will tell the truth; that I joined you of my own accord." The idea that she needed protection was something that she reviled.

Her good arm had since secured itself around Tenn's waist while they traveled to the lift, and now it gave him a brief, apologetic squeeze.

"I'm sorry. I appreciate your willingness to help me, Tenn. Not many would step into the line of fire for another person, especially one they've just met."

She smiled, tired and sheepish. "I believe that is a trait of a true Jedi."

Tenn Kalos

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn grimaced, taken aback that she was so quick to deny the suggestion. Reconciling her behavior with her status continued to prove challenging for his preconceived notions, “But- What about your family? Nobody would think twice about the street kid causing all the problems…”

He couldn’t know for certain what punishment might be in store for them, but if it actually risked setting back the Ascania reputation, was it worth it? He was used to the expectations, or lack thereof, for himself.

They hit the lift once again, now launching back up to the surface level. Tenn sighed. A true Jedi? He didn’t feel like one. But as she gently squeezed his waist, he found a bit of solace in her assurances all the same, “...Thanks.”

There was a pause, before he stuttered to add, “W-well- For what it’s worth, I uh, think you seem pretty alright yourself… true Jedi and all that…” Tenn cringed at his own awkwardness, and kept his gaze firmly fixed away to hide the growing blush.

Corazona von Ascania​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora sucked in a breath through her teeth. "I'd rather let my actions reflect poorly on me than engage in dishonesty."

"Besides," She cleared her throat, trying to sound a measure more hopeful. "I will just have to work harder in order to put my family in the good graces of the Alliance."

Not that the Alliance particularly cared about her family in that context.

A smile drew across her tired face—awkward, but proud at his complement. The first light of the sun was cresting over the horizon now, illuminating the city in a golden glow. "Thank you, Tenn. Perhaps one day, that will be true."

Tenn Kalos