Private Second Date U-Haul

[Niysha]

Yeddim Station, Wild Space​

Almost as frequently as either of them touched grass, In and Niysha found themselves on nowhere junker stations in the middle of the endless void. In the vein of Redshift and so many decrepit old Silk Holdings rest stops, there were a seemingly infinite amount of crappy old, broken down, metropolis-sized, floating cities of rust and quiet desperation. The vibe varied by sector and, honestly, by where you were on any given station, but in general it was agreeable to both of them. These were In's people, jumpsuits and grease stains, smelling like recycled life support and surviving on a steady diet of nutrient paste... and Niysha already liked In, so a couple of ten thousand or so more of her didn't go amiss. Also they needed a place to drop Choonga off.

After the three of them secured the Dancer in hangar D-87, they were off on... well, shore leave, kind of. Technically they had a goal, but more importantly there was a big complicated Place that Existed and they hadn't seen all of it yet. The exterior of the station was relatively welcoming; as a junker point and waystation, it needed to be approachable to less scraggly traffic. The three hundred meters or so immediately adjacent to the hangars and docking bays looked rusty and grouchy, but relatively tame by Rim standards. There was plenty of lighting, most things weren't presently leaking, and the manifold scents of humanoids mixed with old metal and a hint of ozone was only ''acute." The areas closest to the exterior of the station served as its defacto commercial hub. They could all use all the business they could get.

To the gentle types of the core worlds this would not be welcoming, but to Niysha's sight it wasn't measurably different from Coruscant or Nar Shaddaa. The whole place was a living organism miles in every direction, with a heartbeat of electricity and more aggregate life than you'd find in a nowhere frontier like Lothal. While it wouldn't be as nice as Nabboo, you could raise a family here. You could live your entire life here. It'd doubtless be more exciting than it would've been on in the middle of forgotten space like Susefvi, but junker point stations were full of old men with enough stories to provide endless inspiration for the spacerpunk holoslop writers.

The three of them passed by one of the inner bulkhead rings, into what looked to be a multi-story atrium and commercial hall that extended vertically for at least a solid kilometer. It was cavernous, dotted with lights fighting a constant, unequal war against shadows, and full of people. There were hundreds in this single artery, eating and shopping and talking and working and just living. It was absolutely entrancing to be able to extend her vision even a hundred meters and see dozens more haggling and shouting and just keeping their heads down, trying to avoid trouble.

As she stopped by the edge of an overlook, holding onto the old, poorly-secured guard railing, Niysha turned back to In and gave her a bright grin, practically ear to ear. "I kind of love it here."

In Rhan

 

[In Rhan]

In ambled along, a mixture of cautious and languid. Yeddim station wasn't a hot stop - she'd only offloaded a few tonnes of freight here, and they could have gotten moving within an hour if they wanted to. But they didn't want to. And on the scale of space and time that In tended to operate at, spending the night somewhere wasn't much different from getting moving the moment you were loaded and refueled. Alone, she absolutely would have stayed here exactly as long as logistics required and then made wake. Medi-Creen had been mildly anomalous in that regard. With two crew on board who had their own need to buy sundries, stretch their legs, explore, and get out of each other's way for once? It was worth it to stop.

She'd offloaded freight. She'd told the station crew to top off the fluids and lubricants. And they'd gone for a walk.

Choonga joined Niysha, leaning on the railing to peer into the throng of humanity below, "Yeddim great." The Balosar promised in mildly clumsy Basic. "I'd show all the sights, but-"

"You'll want to lay low for a bit, get gone?" In suggested with an easy smile, taking a position between her two crew. Choonga nodded in confirmation. The Balosar looked a little apologetic, which In assuaged by putting a hand at the back of his head and pulling him in for a gentle forehead tap. "I understand. You want to find your people. No bad blood between us." She promised, pressing a few credits into his hand. "Gabba goh jo jeech ragna no-ko. I hope you find him. And if you ever need a ride-"

The Balosar chuckled in a way that could almost be a sob. The way he looked down, no-one would ever know. "Lur bagga wan poppoh dur-rurna." Choonga murmured. "Thank you, In."

In smiled faintly and nodded, releasing him. "Any time. You're crew, not a customer. "Laputa werner bah bongo." She advised.

Choonga nodded, approaching Niysha - to whom he resisted the urge to bow, barely, and offered a spread-armed hug. Niysha was less comfortable with Huttese, so he stuck with Basic. "Thank you for advice. Thank you for teaching me about me. You are beautiful. I'm love." Choonga recited this with the air of somebody who'd spent the morning reciting the line over and over again to work on the pronunciation. "I am sorry about your top. I will replace." He promised, smiling brightly.

 

[Niysha]

The transience of being a transient seemed to affect just about every individual part of life. Some ships and stations lasted a very long time, but nothing lasted forever. That applied to single trips, friendships, the lives of people you knew... living on the Rim inevitably resulted in changes. Your life didn't collapse piece by piece, but parts rotated out to be replaced with something new. In had waxed philosophical and navel-gazed about it before; that she herself felt temporary, and that one day she'd be gone, replaced by yet another faceless spacer in the infinite darkness of eternity.

In didn't have Niysha's perspective. Other Sith didn't even have Niysha's perspective. Sith philosophy was so rooted in antagonistic ambition and aspirant demiurgy that it would be self-defeating to stopp and consider their place in things. The Jedi had an idea or two about the way the Force worked - an infinitely recursive cycle, fractal down to the fundamental building blocks of existence - but they couched it in religion in a way that made it possible to debate. They were closer (through no fault of their own), but still pretty far off the mark.

As Choonga approached Niysha, hugged her tight, thanked her and apologized in equal measure, Niysha saw as clearly as she had at every other point in her life. One day Choonga, In, and even Niysha would be dead... but dead things were the Force, as well. Everything boiled down to the fundamental building block of reality. Their meeting was the Force, and in its passing, that energy could move elsewhere. She had no bittersweet, no melancholy, no beautiful tragedy in the moment.

Instead, she just had a big hug and a smile for her friend, however brief. "Plee to bongo mooli rah. You can buy me a drink next time and we'll call it even." Her pronunciation was terrible.

The atmosphere of Yeddim Station was abstractly appropriate to many things. Its long shadows and hollow echoes made it fitting for scheming, conniving, or other skullduggery. The smell of rust and the color palette was fitting to blue-collar life and common, everyday struggles. And right now, the slightly chill gust as the atmo feed kicked in and one light seredipitously dimmed to affect a subtle, moody shift in light.

And Choonga left the two of them alone, to continue his own life. Niysha persisted in the moment for exactly as long as it lasted: one moment.

In Rhan

 

[In Rhan]

In watched the Balosar stride purposefully off towards... somewhere. Not the starport, they'd just come from there. Maybe to get a meal or meet a friend. Maybe... In lit a cigarette and leaned her backside against the railing she shared with Niysha. "Choonga's got some things going on." She reflected idly. "Good luck."

She glanced at her frizzy partner, made note of Niysha's apparent serenity, and opted to not try and comfort her. Niysha seemed perfectly fine with parting. She didn't need reassurance. It occurred to In that she, herself, was likely more upset about this. Rather than speak them aloud, she simply leaned over until their shoulders came into contact.

"Got any plans while we're on-station?" The Pantoran woman asked idly, stubbing her smoke out. "New outfit, buried treasure, hot date?" In asked with a slight (and very audible) smirk as she claimed Niysha's arm. "I can leave you to your errands, if you like."

In flipped her hair. Or at least, she would have if she didn't have it wrapped up protectively in a white cloth. She did the gesture instead, affecting the air of some grand coreward diva. "I understand how distracting it might be, trying to get anything done while I'm around." In sighed gallantly.

 

[Niysha]

In's aura swirled with complex emotions for a few seconds before she sort it out right quick. Well, "distracted" it out. Focusing on her partner was absolutely the sort of thing that could keep her from stewing on losing a connection. That honestly would've been a good enough reason to return fire, but Niysha didn't really need a reason to sling nonsense at In. Her response to being grabbed was simply leaning her head to one side to rest it against In's shoulder.

"I could use a wardrobe update, yeah, but I've got something else I want to look into." That could've been a bit ominous, so she turned her head to face In. As always, it was an intentional gesture to show respect or, more practically, focus. It also made it easier for people to hear her, given that Niysha's voice was naturally very quiet. "I'll need your help with it. I can rotate battery cuffs and clean ion exhaust, but suffice it to say, ships aren't exactly my specialty."

Rather than let things remain vague, she brought up her datapad and started searching through things that she'd found over the last week or two. "I'm sure you'd be fine with just about any date, and we'll definitely do that. But I do have an objective." Her tapping and sliding finally finished, and Niysha turned off Miraluka mode before handing her computer to In.

A stock list? There were no-doubt a dozen individual junk shops on a junker point station. The one that Niysha handed over was "Kagor's Supply," and it was almost entirely a list of model numbers and prices, with little links to open that indicated what condition the items were in. Niysha had highlighted a shuttle - Sojourner-class, not that that meant almost anything to either of them - and circled the price repeatedly with two exclamation points.

"The Dancer is home, but I've had a lot of things to do on my own recently. I don't want to drag you past the Blackwall."

In Rhan

 

[In Rhan]

In took the datapad and gave it an appraising look. Scan, swipe, stare. While she was a more than a bit curious about the Blackwall - and the entrepreneur in her wondered at the profit to be made by having a ticket to make smuggling things past it that much easier - she had thus far not intruded on Niysha's work unless asked. Further, she could assume that if Niysha was devising her own way too and from, she didn't feel it was safe for In to take her. That was worth respecting.

Niysha'd tell her if there was a buck to be made, the same way she'd tell her if she needed to go somewhere. She had before.

"Not a bad little machine. Nice narrow profile. It'll slide right into The Dancer's cargo bay." In reflected. Sure, she'd have to move the storage container she used as a tool shed - but honestly, those things should likely go into a proper room anyway. Or at least be hung on the wall rather than inside a big rectangle. "Don't think I've heard of Che Boutique. I'd personally like to see you something a little more solid and with a pedigree to it, but..." She sighed softly. "Can't disagree with that price point."

"In the likely event that there's more wrong with this shuttle than Kagor here is letting on..." In mused. "How much work do you want to put into this thing? What's our budget?" Passing the datapad back, In gave her partner a considering smile. "Might be fun to pull out a bit of the wet bar, add a little bed in there for those long trips. Yeah? Make a little room for Cromslor and me?"

 

[Niysha]

Well, she hadn't shot it down outright. That meant that it was in their budget, which was an exceptional relief. In would likely have far more ideas than she did about this after they got their hands on it and cracked it open.

"I did a bit of reading," she replied to the vaguely "all" of In's questions. "From what I can tell, these things are designed to be stripped down and built back up again in a hundred different ways. This one's the Model-2 version, so it's got a cabin. It'll be snug, but it's made for two." She cocked her head to one side and tapped once or twice more on her datapad, showing off the Che Boutique site that went into loving, glazing detail over the precious little Sojourner.

Budget. "I'd say my budget is whatever we can spare on it. I don't want to steal it if I can keep from it." She shrugged slightly and gave an only mostly joking smirk. "Like, if we were going to steal something, I'd say it should be a little more classy than an old junker shuttle that probably doesn't even half-work."

Niysha gave a little sigh and stood up from the rail, stretching her arms over her head. "I think... maybe we get some caff, tea, or whatever they've got around here, then swing down by Kagor's and figure out what's wrong with it. That'll help us figure out how to haggle him down. We can use whatever we save as forward investment into repairs and toys."

In Rhan

 

[In Rhan]

In nodded in agreement, folding her arms. She was already mentally running numbers - fuel costs, financing, how much slush they had from the algae sale to work with. About halfway through this train of thought towards arriving at a number, In considered for a moment how very domestic the moment was. She hadn't really set out to be here, but she was nevertheless planning out a major purchase with her fairly serious girlfriend. A little scary. A little nostalgic.

"Caff sounds good." In agreed cheerfully. She normally preferred tea, but buying a shuttle felt like caff work. The two wordlessly departed from the railing side-by-side in the direction opposite Choonga. Walking with Niysha felt easy, comfortable, natural. At some point, she'd become the status quo. On her own, she might've been considerably more guarded walking alone in a station like Yeddim. Somewhat more performative - not looking like an easy mark or a victim, trying to be invisible, trying to look like more trouble than she was worth. But together with Niysha, they'd collectively handled worse than the likes of Yeddim station could likely throw at them. At the very least, she knew Niysha always had eyes in the back of her head. So to speak.

They stopped at a little coffee shop - a franchise, but not one of the big ones. Coffee from a droid the size of a refridgerator. In sipped her cold drink thoughtfully as they meandered towards Klagor's.

"Did I ever mention I was married before?" In asked idly. "I feel like I've mentioned it, but I'm not sure."

 

[Niysha]

There were two kinds of places in the galaxy: dangerous, and safe. To a lesser extent everywhere was dangerous, but in most places that danger was sharply limited in scope. She was a weak, unimpressive, at times mildly pathetic Sith, but she still considered herself Sith, and that meant that muggers, gangers, and thugs would find themselves hilariously out of their depth if they tried anything. Without even drawing a lightsaber, Niysha knew approximately a dozen ways to send ten men with blaster pistols scrambling and screaming. So, for a given value of the word, this place was "safe."

The primary reason she was trying to get set up for independent mobility outside of the Dancer was that anything behind the Blackwall was not safe by definition, and no part of her wanted to put In through that. Both of them had come to their own understandings and realizations about their relationship at different times, together, and a dozen other small ways.

For Niysha's part, she had to contend with the knowledge that she was valued. This was a mixed blessing; it was fantastic for her confidence, even moreso with how In seemed to see her as some kind of superhero, but it limited her options. Normally, in the before times, Niysha could simply pick up and disappear whenever she felt like it. That was no longer on the table. If she disappeared now, she'd measurably hurt In, and that was unacceptable on so many different levels.

When they stopped at a coffee place - a local branch of a small franchise - Niysha got herself a slightly warmer-than-room temperature caff with a hint of chocolate flavoring and had a seat with In. The Pantoran brought up her marriage. "I think you might have, in passing. I don't even know enough to be sure whether or not that was the same person who named the Dancer after you."

Hmm. If they were bringing up family, Niysha didn't really have much. She could talk about Adekos or Leos, but neither of them were... family. At all.

In Rhan

 

[In Rhan]

In waved slightly and chuckled, shaking her head. "Nah. Guy named Wak-So who sold me the ship gave me the idea for the name." She explained idly. In didn't expect Niysha to keep up with the deep lore of her life, didn't consider it an issue when she forgot the little details like that.

"She was a friend of my roomate. My ex, Sarai - not Wak-So." In giggled quietly, stirring her drink. "They were both engineering students. She thought it was hot that I was a dancer. I..." She trailed off, shrugging - not that that meant anything to Niysha. Her tone remained wistful, largely positive. "Guess I have a type. Smart girls with big hair." In confessed idly, beaming.

"I went by Ina back then. Took her name, too. Ina Linz. I think I still have some documentation in that name." In rambled. "It might actually be my birth name, I don't really know. it isn't important. We didn't work out, but that's fine."

The Pantoran woman sighed idly. "I hope she's doing alright. Last time I saw her, she tried to shoot me."

 

[Niysha]

Just watching In's lips move was its own kind of quiet joy even without taking into account the magnificent patina her nostalgia brought to her aura. Honestly, Niysha didn't need an excuse to stare at her for hours unprovoked and unrequested. This did provide one, though. Everyone's emotions were complex, but having spent more time around In and come to know her more intently than she did other people, Niysha realized she was noting the tiniest changes in In's aura much more acutely than normal.

The complicated little streak striped with joy, pain, and regret that shot through her as she remembered that last meeting with her ex. The gentle warmth that coated her whole body when she fondly remembered both her marriage and her old friend. The slight blush of embarrassment when her "type" implicated Niysha. It was all just so magical to look at, like an exceedingly good soup that evolved the more you tasted it.

Basically, In was gorgeous all of the time, and a different kind of gorgeous when she got mopey.

"Ina's a cute name," Niysha commented resolutely, stating objective fact in a moment of silence. "You've got a lot of history and baggage that involves family. Don't you dare go apologizing for talking about it with me over coffee." To punctuate her point, she sipped said coffee. "I'm officially cutting you off before you can start. I am a wizard and I can literally see the future."

In Rhan

 

[In Rhan]

"Yeah?" In asked, more than a little smug. She leaned on the little table, a grin slightly too broad for her face dominating the available space. She hadn't gone by Ina in a long time - it was too attached to Sarai, to her life before she'd lucked out with The Dancer, possibly belonged to a girl who's parents had thrown everything away on a foolish endeavor into nowhere, and then abandoned that endeavor at the first hurdle for a life of ignominious crime and pathetic existence on the fringes of the Galaxy. In knew who she was now, but back then? All she'd wanted to be was the furthest possible distance from two promising botanists who'd jettisoned their life and careers for absolutely no return. Also, 'In' made for better jokes than 'Ina'.

But if Niysha liked it...

In shrugged a shoulder, brushing the idea way like a cobweb. While she didn't feel she was too old for reinvention or anything like that, she liked who she was. Signing her paperwork 'Ina' wouldn't change anything about her life, nor did Niysha seem the sort to use the name if it meant wrangling with her habits and muscle memory.

In set her hands on the table, pantomiming a small box which she then set aside. She then gave Niysha a wicked grin, propping her chin up on her palm. "And what do you see in OUR future, wizard?" The Pantoran woman asked playfully. "Not today. Not tomorrow. But moving forward. Where we going with this thing we've got?"

 

[Niysha]

Niysha pursed her lips. "Big question."

There was a lot of thinking to be done about that particular point. Niysha's life and In's progressed at different speeds and in different directions, though they had enough overlap that they could make most of the journey together. The big things she needed to worry about were putting In in any danger because of who she was, what she was, or what she was doing. At every level, Niysha knew that she was far too consumed with her passions to stop them on account of any relationship; even if she tried, she'd relapse very quickly no matter how much effort she put in.

"I guess in order to answer that, I'll need to lay out what I think is going to happen, and we can talk about it from there." Her tone was more guarded, but she didn't seem more physically on-edge. In fact, she was far too busy leaning over the table and sipping her coffee with one hand to seem much of anything other than a mildly put-out hipster youth.

Eventually she gathered her thoughts into a sentence, and shared that sentence with her partner. "We're dating. That much is clear. That means you get every part of me that you want, and more than a few that you probably haven't asked for. That second part is the dangerous one," Niysha offered with a slight frown, putting her cup back on the table. "Naturally, my work tends to get me involved in trouble. And I am absolutely kitted out to handle it, I'll have you understand. Before you start worrying about anything: in a vacuum, I've been completely safe for ten years."

The Sith were big on wars, domination, conquest, horrible experiments, assassination, power-mongering... and none of those things were interesting to Niysha. She wanted scary rocks and spooky trinkets. She'd commanded troops and ships before, when she was younger; that didn't hold any appeal for her then, and it certainly didn't now.

"We're a thing. We're together. That's not something that I might spontaneously change-" Niysha made spooky fingers for emphasis. "-just because I'm reconnecting with my people. But it does mean that we need to talk about how much danger is acceptable for me to put you into on account of my work."

In Rhan

 

[In Rhan]

In nodded thoughtfully, giving Niysha's statements the important consideration they rightfully deserved. This was, after all, the sort of Conversation that was probably a bit overdue between the two of them. They'd shacked up largely by mutual necessity, the foundation of their relationship had been forged by mutual trauma and lust. They'd built everything else after that. And it FELT solid, at least to In, but feeling solid and being solid were different things. She'd felt like she was in a good place with Sarai, up until she'd been handed her walking papers for (what felt at the time) aspiring to be more than a stripper.

"Obviously, I trust you implicitly." In began softly, adding a small smile. "You're amazing. Not just the... jumping, spinning, bulletproof parts, though that's a piece of it. I try to keep up with you." The spacer looked slightly sheepish, furrowing her brow. She managed not to apologize. "I know I don't always succeed. I've seen you... lose your patience with that." She elaborated. Niysha was generally pretty understated and soft-spoken, but In had seen fury in her jaw. She'd seen her tap into those dark places, and briefly earn the title of Sith. It was always a little awe-inspiring. It always seemed to happen when In found herself in danger or caught out.

She considered her next words carefully. "I love you, Niysha." In affirmed. Nothing new there. "And I'm here for the -" No. No silly wordplay. In began again, looking apologetic. "I'm here to stay. Because I think we have staying power. So I want to be here for all the good and bad. I want you to be able to rely on me for things. I don't want you to hesitate before calling for my help because you don't think I can handle it, if that makes sense. I fully trust you when you say something is too dangerous. I think you know by know that I'm always behind you, all the way - but I never want to arrive at a place where you feel I can't have your back."

In set her coffee aside and gave her partner a serious look. "So, what's my shuttle?" She asked quietly. "How can we get me into a place where you're more comfortable? What are the steps we take?" The Pantoran woman asked with all due gravity. "What adjustments do I make?"

 

[Niysha]

Leaning back in her seat, Niysha crossed her arms and pondered for another long moment. It was unfair to In for her to make decisions about where the two of them went together for her, without consulting her. And if that meant she was leaving a whole sector of space - a sector which Niysha herself was probably going to be spending some time in - off the table, that was the sort of thing she needed to deeply examine. They needed to deeply examine, together, because they were a team.

It all came down to Sith, so that was where she needed to begin. "I'm going to tell you what I know of Sith. How they work, how they're broken, and how to survive talking to them. Hopefully this will at least give you some idea of how dangerous this is, if you get no other useful information." Niysha paused and held up one finger. "But there is absolutely more useful information here than just 'red saber shoot lightning very scary.' So we'll parse out what's useful."

Deep breath. Focus. Niysha brought her memories of Kaas, the academy, the Order, and Serina out to tumble them about in her hands like puzzle pieces. There was a lot of information to cover, and In was in a somewhat unique position to understand it. She'd barely even believed in Jedi when they first met - she very likely didn't have a fresh-faced padawan's understanding of what a Sith was.

"First things first," she started after taking a long sip of caff. "Simple practical stuff. Definitionally, a Sith is a member of one of the several Sith Orders. This is a religious sect that teaches people who to use the Force for personal gain. Their - our - outlook is dog-eat-dog; it is your sacred right to take anything that you can survive taking."

As she spoke, Niysha brought out her pad and brought up a few different materials for graphical aides. Images of historical Sith, modern names like Carnifex and Prazutis and Talon and Calis. Sith architecture, with its violent lines and sharp angles. "To this end, the sect teaches its followers how to achieve personal power, and advises them to accumulate abstract power. This is why they're dangerous; many Sith believe that anyone who isn't Sith is literally a lesser form of life than they are. Some extend this belief to any Sith other than them. They are callous with life, and people around them tend to become casualties in either an economic or fatal sense."

In Rhan

 

[In Rhan]

In listened dutifully. While she'd been intending to be advized towards a piece of kit or tactic she could use, or even something as simple as 'get behind me when sabers come out', this was fine, too. After that first talk leaving Medi-Creen, In had done a bit of research. Not much, her resources and ability to read in-depth analysis was severely limited, as was her patience for propaganda. And there seemed to be SCADS of propaganda. Jedi building themselves up as heroes and representatives of the law, and casting the Sith as brutal monsters. Sith also casting themselves as brutal monsters. Some of it wasn't news to In, some of it jibed with what Niysha had told her or implied. A little bit of it even made sense with what she knew about her partner.

Mostly, shame on her for ever thinking Niysha would give a quick answer rather than a comprehensive one.

"But that doesn't sound like you at all." In replied with genuine confusion, placing a hand on the table. "I know you hold back for my benefit when combat erupts - I do notice that, Nysh. I love you for it." She promised. "That aside it still doesn't reconcile with the you I know. Dog-eat-dog, ambition and power, economic casualties..." In spun her wrist, her brow furrowed, her smile confused. "You collect old trinkets to make ends meet but you don't horde them. I can't imagine you being mean to a waitress. I watched you tear up over that stupid commercial with the dog three times."

A quiet sigh, palms flat on the table. "I'm not doubting your experience. I don't mean to interrupt, either. I'm just trying to understand why you count yourself as one of them, why you're re-connecting. Are you aspiring to live up to their standard? Proving a point?" In asked as gently as she could.

 

[Niysha]

From the outset, Niysha was worried this whole line of discussion was going to turn into another one of In's "I don't think you're Sith" rants. That might've been the point of contention that Niysha felt like harping on the most; she didn't try to tell In that she wasn't a smuggler, even though she hadn't engaged in a single illegitimate business practice since they'd met. Aside from like... piracy. Light piracy. Twice.

Eventually, though, In found her way to an actual point, rather than just questioning her identity again. That was quiet rage to smolder over later. It'd make good fuel if she needed to defend either of them in the near future. No, In focused on the why of it, which was a bit more legitimate. By all accounts, Niysha was well and truly out. And when you get out of an abusive relationship, it's only right for your friends to try to prevent you from getting back into it.

Niysha took a moment to find her words and speak deliberately. "When I was young, I didn't have a lot of choice," she began. "I'm older now, and I do have a lot of choice, but I'm still deciding to reconnect." She sighed a little, leaning back in her chair, her head facing up the kilometer-long central shaft of Yeddim Station. "I guess it wouldn't make a lot of sense to... well, anyone, really, but especially anyone who isn't exactly me. With the exact perspective I have."

Think it through. You can find a way to describe it to where other people would understand. In might not, because she's just as illogical and emotional about your safety as you are about hers, but other people might. After another moment of tripping over thoughts until they became words, Niysha gave it another shot. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried. Sith are, by and large, literally crazy. Violently so. And most of what they do is awful and makes a lot of defenseless people suffer. People who have no ability to resist." Personal experience again.

But. "But when I was young, I was defenseless and couldn't resist. Now I'm older, stronger, and know what I'm doing. I've lived ten years on my own without anyone telling me how anything works, and I came out the other end of it with a fantastic girlfriend, a home, and more self-confidence than I have any idea what to do with." The Miraluka indicated vaguely to the air around her. "And now I do want more. There are things that I could learn how to do, if I had help, or found the right resources. And there are people whose lives I could change just by making things happen slightly differently."

For the first time in ages, she was staring at the precipice of Want.

Niysha let out a deep breath, leaned forward on the table, and turned her face directly towards In's. They would've been eye-to-eye, if not for the biological limitations. "That might not be something you can understand. And if not, then I accept that."

In Rhan

 

[In Rhan]

In took a breath, nodded. "Thank you for explaining to me." She led with the safe pick.

The Pantoran woman sat back in her chair, draping an arm over it as she sipped her coffee. "I don't need to get it to support it. But if there's stuff you want to do and things you want to accomplish, that's more than enough reason for me." She promised. "I just wanted to make sure you were going for your own reasons. Not to like, settle a grudge you think would be too dangerous for me to help with or because somebody was blackmailing you or something." Amidst all the other reasons, admittedly. But In didn't need to go deep into those. Niysha knew already. She always did.

"Being there matters to you, so it matters to me." In segued, leaning forward once again. In lieu of eye contact, she gave the closest thing to it that she could imagine; laying a hand over Niysha's hand, and touching her foot to her leg. Two points of connection, an assurance of active listening and engagement.

"Sorry for interrupting. Please. Continue." In requested.

 

[Niysha]

The closest thing to a flare of rage that Niysha had felt since the last time In was in measurable, immediate danger died down to a shameful smolder when she felt her partner touching even one hand. She was barely mad in the first place, and she certainly couldn't stay that way after that. "Thank you," she replied earnestly, relaxing just a bit.

Right. Back on track. Niysha cleared her throat. "Sith survival guide. If you're planning on going into Sith territory - either following me or running the Blackwall or whatever else - you'll need a primer on how not to get killed." Without breaking what In would probably perceive as eye contact, the Miraluka squeezed her hand tightly. "Because I can only protect you so much. And I will protect you. But you need to know what to do to protect yourself, and what to avoid."

Slowly, surely, she whipped out the mental survival guide she'd dusted off to deal with Darth Virelia . "Easy stuff first: while you're talking to a Sith, if you aren't dead confident that you could kill them in any fight they picked at any time, you have no ego whatsoever. Contrary to popular belief, Sith don't normally kill servants or slaves that prove themselves competent. If you're prompt, reliable, and self-effacing, within a rounding error, you're not worth killing."

After a moment of consideration, she found a few little bits she could add to this for a smuggler specifically. "Second, you need to avoid repeat customers. Sith and Jedi both love to claim that they don't form attachments, and both are equally delusional." Niysha took a moment to give an awkward, vulnerable smile and cock her head to one side. "As if that wasn't clearly self-evident."

In Rhan

 

[In Rhan]

In allowed a slightly indulgent chuckle at that while nodding her head, In: understanding. It wasn't just Niysha she was thinking of, either. The two Jedi she'd met and connected with had seemed quite attached to her, and in was fairly sure that it wasn't as though she had some sort of intrinsic nip-like quality that drew them to her. They just latched on. In reflected that all three of them had been traveling alone or close enough to it. Perhaps having a lightsaber doomed you to a lonely life, or having a lonely lifestyle doomed you to a lightsaber.

Probably not.

"Believe it or not, I have a little experience with this specific line to walk." In promised warmly, rubbing her thumb over Niysha's knuckles. "Not to say that I'm going to be confident or cocky about it or anything. I'm not. But it DOES sound a fair bit like best-practices when you work in a club." She explained. "Don't stick out, don't make yourself either indispensable or pathetic, never let a customer have your actual phone number, never let them take you home..." In trailed off, waving her hand in a small circle. "Yadda yadda. That sort of thing."

"Though if I meet more of your make, I AM going to be tempted to go in for that second pass." In lied cheerfully. "Gonna stock my ship with nerdy, thoughtful beauties. Live like a queen for awhile." She chirped. Of course, given what she knew about Sith, this was more likely to result in the lot of Niysha-likes killing each other as only one could be the Prime Niysha, but that didn't HAVE to be the case. And she was only joking, anyway.