Smoke Break

[Kurenai Yumi]

With each passing second the destruction of the infected city came closer, people and rescue crew hastily gathering those that remained along with any possible research data to someday make cure. 'Feels like the black death all over again', the galaxy wide plague a few hundred years ago being quite ordeal to live through, even with her.

The chatter of people outside still filled Kurenai's ears as she took another drag on her cigar, letting the smoke flow from her mouth as she flicked a few of the burnt ends of it's tip. It was not the expected outcome of this operation, more then half the team was dead, several peoples injured and one of Metu's own children was put down, yes not planned at all.

Her small quite get away was broken as the young ginger haired boy coming to rest beside her, against the metal wall of the drop ship, not what she had expected. "Another day, yes you can say that, in war time, disasters all that sort of stuff", something soldiers eventually got around to saying after so many years of service. Taking another drag she peaked her head towards the boy at his statement on her being clam.

"Once you get to my age child nothing really fazes you, zombies, demons inhospitable war zones, thousands of deaths.... it is something I have seen much to often in my life". A factor that may come in handy during events that would leave other people shaken in the boots, shell shock and just over all mentally scared, but over made people like Kurenai very anti-soical and a little unemotional most of the time.

[member="Noatyr Moldmerr"]

 

[Noatyr Moldmerr]

Nodding a few times, and sliding down the wall into a sitting position, Noatyr turned his head to stare at the older woman. It was true that after dealing with situations like these all the time, the brain got desensitized to it, but it had always seemed odd to him to get out of such an ordeal and then act like nothing had happened.

Well, maybe that was just him.

​''You must have a really long lifespan then, or is it just as simple as many intense situations one after another in quick succession?''​ He chuckled lightly.

Resting his head against the cold metallic wall of the ship's interior, he took a moment to awkwardly draw his weapon from it's sheath and checking the blade over. It would need a good sharpening later. He set the weapon down next to him and took another look at his female companion.

''Y'know, you remind me of myself in a way. You've been hiding something.''​ It was an observation he had made a while back. His head tilted slightly in curiosity, wondering if he was correct.

[member="Kurenai Yumi"]

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

Kurenai took another drag of her cigar as the boy talked, not making much reaction to his mention on a long life span, many people had suggested it or assumed one way or another. Most of the time it was not a big deal, their where many near human races with long life spans, and if not many ways through the use of the force that one could stay alive for a long time.

"You can say that both of those a true, but how old do you think I am child"? it was always interesting to see what people said in this regard, some where outlandish, others where overcompensated, while a few where correct. Her eyes ontuing to look at the ginger haired bow as they looked over their knife, one that had felled quite a few of the undead that day, probably blunt and in need of sharpening.

"Pray tell how do I remind you of yourself... and what 'thing' do you reckon I am hiding"? The boy thought being young was perceptive, and in all honesty she had yet to see all of his skills. Perhaps he was just as good at deductive reasoning as he was at combat, but if she had to take a guess it would have been how she pushed thought the wounds she obtained during the crash.

[member="Noatyr Moldmerr"]

 

[Noatyr Moldmerr]

Taking a moment to look her over, Noatyr scanned every single detail he could see on the woman's surface. Although she looked physically young through and through, there were a few very hard to spot little clues pointing to her age being far greater then one would think.

A being's eyes always told more story then the rest of the body, and age was no exception. If one looked hard enough, you could almost see all the years that had gone by within the woman's eyes.

​''Hmm... well if I were to make a decent guess, I'd say about... hmm, certainly a lot longer then anyone else I've met. I'm gonna go with around... 800...900? Somewhere around there?''​ Not the most accurate deduction he had ever made, but she told far more story then he was used to encountering.

​''And as for the similarity I see in us, we both hide something that others tend to flaunt around like fancy jewelry or a new ship. We both hide a certain...well, thing that not everyone can do. I noticed back when we first met very briefly. I assume you know what I'm referring to?''

​He paused for another moment, and then in an annoyed fashion asked:

''Y'know I don't know if I ever properly introduced myself, nor did you.''​ He had bothered to talk to her, and he be damned if he didn't even bother to learn her name.

Reaching into his boot, he withdrew a fair sized flask. He unscrewed the lid with a small satisfying pop and took a small inhale of the contents, before offering it to her causally. If she didn't accept, well, more for him.

[member="Kurenai Yumi"]

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

Kurenai perked an eye brow as [member="Noatyr Moldmerr"] began to examine her face, the boys eyes seeming to stare deep into her own, she did not really have anyway to hide the look of experience. The was she carried herself, and over all manner just being natural to the Dark Jedi at this point, it would actually takeing a conscious effort to avoid, but that would just call attention.

A small chuckle escaped her mouth at the boys assumption, not the most accurate, but it was not far off, in the sense of a person who could live over 5000 years. "Close, close, I am 884 years old child, I will be turning 885 in a few weeks time, I've lived though some of the galaxies major conflicts, Clone wars, Galactic Civil war, Uzan Vong and much more".

As the conversation continued her gaze sharping a little towards 'things' that one hid, "hmmm, and what do you suspect that is for me? or would you rather it stay a mystery"? It also made her wonder a little about the ginger heard boy,, nothing about his action, really eluded to some secret abilty, only that the he had mostly likely seen his share of combat in the past.

"As for my name, these day I go by Kurenai" she replied, looking at the flask he handed her, "what's this, spice or whisky"?

 

[Noatyr Moldmerr]

''Whiskey. Least it tastes like it.''​ Chuckling lightly at his poor joke, he thought for a moment on how to handle going about what he was going to say next, but then figured being blunt was the only real option in this scenario.

​''The force.''​ He let his head fall back against the wall, maybe a bit to fast, and banged it against the solid metal surface. He let out an annoyed ''Ow.''​

Sometimes it was hard to tell if he took himself seriously or not, but maybe that was one of his charming points.

He was mildly surprised he had almost made her laugh, seemed he was better at reading others then he had first thought. She was certainly older then him, but then again, it's not like age mattered really in these days. In times of war age was only a number. Either way, Yumi certainly had a lot of combat under her belt, the way she moved was that of a veteran.

He still had a lot to learn.

[member="Kurenai Yumi"]

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

She was surprised the boy had not been more quizzical about her age, not everyday you meet someone over 800 years old, she half expected to be bombard with questions about her life and what not. Though maybe [member="Noatyr Moldmerr"] just wanted to be polite, not that she could really tell the difference anyway, but he was rather nice, she gave him that.

"Whisky, the force... strange analogy but I'll bite, well more sip" she replied taking the small canister, giving is a small smell before taking a swig of the strange liquid. It's taste was like whisky, but also a little more refreshing then the alcoholic drink, definitely something she would not mind having at the end of every mission... wow she was starting to sound old, a cigar and drink, just like most old veterans did.

She handed back the flask, taking one last drag on her cigar before throwing it away, "so, what is your age child? mid 20's? seen much combat in your short life span". He was surely skilled and good at improving, if not a little over the top at times, but what could you expect from kids.

 

[Noatyr Moldmerr]

​''Heheh, well, if I haven't lost track, I'm twenty three. Had to grow up fast though.''​ Considering the flask for a second, he took a swig from it, savoring the harsh taste of the alcohol.

Life wasn't easy when others constantly judged you by age, but that also meant many had underestimated him, and wouldn't be able to anymore.

​''You do a pretty good job out there, y'know, considering your age. Heh, just kidding, you could probably still outperform me any day even if I wasn't injured.'' ​She certainly was more efficient then he had been, but in times like that using confusing flashy moves made it easier to handle a great deal of enemies at once. At least for him anyway. His speed was key in the end.

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

"23, only a baby... and by grow up do you mean learn how to fight or like literally get older in some way? She guessed the latter, but who knew these days, with genetics and other crazy science stuff around. It was a little hard to tell, more so with [member="Noatyr Moldmerr"] seemingly young appearance, something she could relate to, though in her case being almost 2 meters tall and the typical Atrisian look helped pass of the over 30 act.

"My age won't start to have any negative effects for a few more thousand years, so my age is more or less irrelevant at this time" more so being the opposite, but Kurenai knew the boy was just playing around. "Though you really think that? it was and that other girl did the work, I just followed behind with a wounded Srina, firing my side arm a few times". Though Noatyr's flashy moves where unorthodox against such an enemy it worked very well, in honesty when it came to creativity the young mercenary probably out performed HER by a long shot.

 

[Noatyr Moldmerr]

​''Heh, if I grew up faster I'd either be a clone or just be an older version of myself, probably lacking in experience and not much different from my present self.''​ Taking another swig from the flask, he took a moment to mentally note to have it refilled later for another such occasion, and set it down between them.

​''And hey, at least you stuck by her side and protected her, while I spent a good chunk of my time scaling a building and making a simple little explosive. You were certainly more efficient then I.''

​​Reaching into his jacket pocket, he withdrew a small pack of cigarettes. It was rare that he actually smoked, but now seemed an appropriate time, and he plucked one from the pack and moved his dark eyes back to Yumi.

No matter the case, she was certainly a strong fighter.

​''Got a light?''

​​No doubt, throughout her many years, she had seen and done so much, while he'd be lucky to live that long. He had little idea how long he'd live naturally.

​''So what kinda things have you experienced? If you don't mind me asking.''​ He asked with a small smile. The amount of stories she must have had within her memories was probably worth more then his ship.


[member="Kurenai Yumi"]

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

"Hmmm clones, yes I know about their accelerated growth rate and all, and your right, doing that would mean you'd lack a lot of experiences", also did not have the best effect on people's minds and mental health. "Still I am not sure my traditional methods would have helped out if swarmed, just kind of wish I did more in that fight, seemed just as I was about to do something it was taken care of, that new girl certainly did not waste anytime clearing our parth". Perhaps she should take the initiative on more occasion, but that was kind of hard when you'd did not see the coming danger. Quite a few times nothing would be happening then a huge rush of undead would come from no where followed by the other Atrisian woman jumping into the fray and taking care of things.

"Cigarettes?, so unrefined, but I don't per-say have a lighter, but I can provide one", snapping her fingers a small flame came from the tips of her figures, her hand lowering to the narcotic item, igniting the end. "What have I experienced? static ranch warfare, hot zone dropping, jungle fighting, urban warfare, ship to ship fighting, you name it, all with humans, aliens, vong, Sith spawn and natural beasts". If it was in large numbers and aggressive she probable had fought it at some point, weather in the army, as a hunter or for her short time as an assassin, but that side of her story often was kept secret.

[member="Noatyr Moldmerr"]

 

[Noatyr Moldmerr]

Whistling at the little trick, Noatyr nodded. The fact that she was her own lighter was rather interesting. How many other powers could she possibly possess? It would be interesting to find out.

His thoughts wandered back to the ''Battle'' and he shrugged.

​''I can agree there. I rather would have been chopping those things into little pieces then scaling buildings, but to each it's own, it all worked out.''​ He took a puff from the cig, and carefully blew a smoke ring. It wasn't a skill he was particularly proud of, but it was a fun little trick of his own.

​''In all honesty, I would have preferred something over a cig, but these were cheap.'' ​Taking another drag, he blew another smoke ring into the air.

Even Sith spawn? Well, she certainly had experienced a lot in her many years.

​''Any situation in particular that left it's mark on you?''


[member="Kurenai Yumi"]

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

The trick was nothing special, just pyrokenisis, nothing more nothing less, a simple skill that could be taught to most force users, all you needed was a basic understanding of physics and a clam min. "My question was more on how you found that sound device, but what ever it's in the past... though very few of us made it, though I've some to accept that in war".

"Oh yes, I forgot, not everyone is as well off as me, here take these if you want" she replied showing the pack of cigars she herself often used, "I have no real shortage of these". She would leave the offer out for the younger man before following to answer his next question, one that would need some sort of clarification. "Depends, psychical wound do not last, I can regenerate from anything short of lethal, I've had light sabers stabbed though my body, been shot up many times and punched to the same extent that would leave someone with brain damage".

"If you are talking about my mental state, well there has been some thinsg that have left me scared, like Mando's, as well as a few times when I went insane and reverted to a beast that hunted and lived like any other meat eating animal". "Though these days I am not bothered by such anymore", heck she had gone to Mandalor not long ago to participate in a tournament, which she had won.

[member="Noatyr Moldmerr"][member="Noatyr Moldmerr"]

 

[Noatyr Moldmerr]

Taking a moment to take a quick puff of his cig, he stared at the ceiling for a moment.

​''Ah yes, the explosive surprise I tossed. I found it among a large pile of nick nacks up on that roof. I've read about them before. They contain music like any other audio player, but that one in particular was rare, valuable, and highly explosive. All it really would have taken was tossing it, but I figured a little timed delay would prevent it from going off at a bad time.''

He still really wished he could have rigged up something else to explode, but dire situations meant chances of making a quick buck had to be sacrificed at times. Sad really, but sometimes there was no avoiding it.

​''Well, all those injuries and you still look as good looking as myself. I'm kidding, I'm not that self centered.''​ He laughed. Those experiences she spoke of told him he still had a lot to explore, and a lot more to do. He was looking forward to it.


[member="Kurenai Yumi"]

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

Nick nacks on the roof? probably what remained of some lost sole that tried to get away from the horrors of the undead, but either failed or became one of the things they sought to avoid. At least it came in handy for their own use, guess luck was on their side in that interest then again there was not such thing a luck, just chance and the force to guide ones actions to such.

"You sure seem handy with your hands to rig something up so fast, still it would have been nice to keep something of such value if what you said is true, never hurts to have an extra piece in the collection or some uncashed funds that can come in handy". At the rate she collected old and interesting tings for the family archives it may be possible to set up a small museum back home.

"Injuries, good looking? hmm most people call me beautiful or chiseled marble, but I get the joke, though I would recommend getting a little more muscle on your bones, unless the pretty boy approach is what you are going for". An odd side step but they could not really keep dragging on about the latest mission.

[member="Noatyr Moldmerr"]

 

[Noatyr Moldmerr]

Nodding, and taking another drag, Noatyr said:

​''Yep. A little extra cash never hurt anyone. Shame really. Oh well, there's always next time. And in all honesty, making home rigged explosives isn't an extremely useful skill when being shot at or in the middle of an open field. Tanking damage would be far more useful.''

He took a moment to run a hand over his face.

​''Pretty boy eh? Well, if that's what I look like, I think I'll stick with it. It'll make others underestimate me. Hehe. And beautiful is an understatement for describing you.''

[member="Kurenai Yumi"]

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

[member="Noatyr Moldmerr"] seemed to underestimate his skill, such had more then one use after all. "True, home rigged blow ups may not always be a viable option, but at leat you have a skill that can be used outside of combat, besides cooking I am not much use in anything else". "Not the best when talking with people, often show a lack of tact, not good enough with tech to be in other area's of the military". "Maybe a tour guide and historian, but those are not always of much use, and driod can just usually pick up those sorts of jobs, unless you need some sort of protection".

Sliding down the wall Kurenai rested her legs for the time being, though still taller then the younger mans already seated. "My son uses those tactics, his more then... pretty boy appearance often makes people forget how he is a well trained assassin, so yes, your looks can come in handy".

 

[Noatyr Moldmerr]

''Cooking you say? That actually sounds rather useful when not in the middle of combat.'' ​He takes a moment to stare at his hands for a moment. They had never even attempted to interact with cooking utensils, which was rather sad, but he'd never really had the need to cook.

​''You must cook a lot then. Considering you just mentioned a son, and cooking, you must be the one who cooks for your family. Heh, I didn't really peg you for family woman. Guess I misread you on that.''​ He said cheerfully.

It was true a droid could simply do the work of a tour guide, but it was usually far more entertaining to follow a living being over a mechanical rust bucket who was programed to do so. Living beings were far more lively. Which was a silyl thought but a true one.

''Might just be my opinion, but if you were a tour guide, I'd follow you. Droids are far to boring.''​ He reached down and took a small swig from the flask he had set down.


[member="Kurenai Yumi"]

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

"Yes useful, though I have not as used it as much as I would like" more so with constantly going out to fight in war after war, her skill in cooking more just down to being alive for so long, picking up the skill with time, not so much attending a fancy school like many others. "As for being a mother, well I am when needed, though lately I have been wanting such a life a little more, no doubt my son and two daughters would like to have me around, perhaps I should visit my husband after this, it has been a long time". Being away from home fighting with the CIS did have that problem of being away from family, perhaps it was time for a leave of absence.

"You sure you want me as a tour guide and not some clunky easy to make fun of protocol droid, well I shall take your compliment in that manner, though I would need to get better at social interaction before I can hope to do a good job in that field". When it came to talking with others she was often to abrasive or not very tactful, probably why so many people didn't like her very much, though at the same time running around telling everyone she was an over 800 year old vampire with little social skill was not a very good idea.

[member="Noatyr Moldmerr"]

 

[Noatyr Moldmerr]

Snickering, he nodded. Being away from family for so long must have been hard. The thought of family made him want to put his own family together at some point. But that could come later on in the future.

''Only when you need to huh? Hehe, bit of a traveling mom aren't you.''

​He took a glance at her, and flashed a thumbs up.

​''You should, if you improve your people skills, I think you'd do great.''

​He ran his finger over his Vibrosword's edge absently.