Private Supply Run

[Yuri Maji]

KESTRI | TOR VALUM
TAGS: Vara Rasha

---

DRIVE​

The meeting with Vren went well for the most part. But Yuri wasn't going to dwell on that, he had his own gripes that he wasn't happy about, but the more important part was the conclusion of it all. He was sadly stuck with the loud-mouth mutt for good or bad, so it was only a matter of time before he dragged her to their people's homeland. It was likely better to get it out of the way early and get her acquainted with the unforgiving planet.

Luckily they wouldn't be stuck in the middle of the wilderness for most of it. The Ironworks needed preparations for the enormous job ahead of them, which meant checking the vital parts and smaller aspects that kept the operation afloat. To Yuri's dismay, however, the list was beginning to grow bigger with every passing hour of investigation. Eventually he felt confident with his grocery list of items needed as he left the factory proper and ventured to his mother's old office.

The personal forge was restarted for small work and to also keep the office warm against the raging storm outside. The rest, however, was still on display for the two mutts to see. Old holograms of experimental or new designs, blueprints of existing items, and an array of weapons and items. Yuri finally tossed his datapad on the desk by the door and casually drew a bottle of Tihaar from a drawer to take a sip. "Stuff's karked." He grumbled as he sat on the desk to light a cigarette. "Wiring's shot, plumbing and hydraulics are hopelessly out of service... and that's the karkin' stuff that ain't looted." He scoffed, taking another sip of the tihaar before extending it to Vara. "I'm still surprised the central forge didn't immediately explode the moment I flipped the switch. Thank the Manda for that..." He glanced over to his companion for a moment.

A smile began to creep up. "How broke are ya, exactly?" He asked her casually, trying to be as blunt as possible.

He had begun to warm up to her company, but she was still not in the clear with the Hound.

 

[Vara Rasha]

Tags: Yuri Maji
​

Dereliction.

What once seemed to be a buzzing hub of production, was in a complete state of abandonment; tools lay around on counters at an indefinite limbo, waiting to be picked up by a worker again. Flames of the great forges smothered long ago. The howling light blizzard outside crashed against the windows, the latter doing very little from shielding neither the mutts nor the interior from the cold as it found its way in through every little crack and broken window. Small piles of snow dotted the factory floor, built up under broken skylights.

Layers of dust marked her digits as she ran a hand across a counter littered with metal bits and bobs while he walked beside Yuri. The woman brought her snout up high, taking a deliberate pull of breath. The complex smell was everywhere they walked; a familiar concoction of stale air, dust, metallic decay with a hint of various industrial oils and chemicals.

It all brought back some memories for Vara, most of which she fondly looked back on. A portion of her childhood was spent chilling and squatting at dumps like these back home, whenever she was out with her buddies. Exploring structures long forgotten and yet to be reclaimed by the city, fooling around in the dust and rubble all day, freely; even being chased around by the stray massifs that had taken places like these for a home was fun.

But there was no fun to be had here.

She got to work along with her friend. Never shy to get her hands dirty, the woman would help Yuri get his “grocery list” together, inspecting the grounds with him; squeezing in and out of tight spaces he could not fit to take a better look, she only had issues naming a handful of parts that were missing from the great forges, the latter being completely foreign to her in general.

She hadn't seen serious equipment like this before.

The harpy couldn’t help but wonder how different this place would have looked like, at the height of its production capacity.

Done with Yuri’s list after a few hours, the woman dusted herself off as she entered an old office with him. The light blizzard outside had evolved into something fierce. The vicious howl of the wind was a constant, loudly whistling through any gap in the decayed insulation it found.

Her teeth clattered in the cold as she went to hug herself in an attempt to retain some of her body heat. She wasn’t equipped to deal with this level of cold. Not only she felt unacclimated for such a climate, unlike Tatooine, she didn’t have the clothes, too. All she wore was her usual attire, with a long sleeve grey shirt and her black leather jacket thrown on her tank top.

She didn’t think it was gonna be this karkin’ cold.

“Kark me…” Her breath came out in a white cloud at the exhale. The mutt mumbled as she went to sit down at a chair by the office table. Shivering from the cold as she sat down, Vara watched Yuri fire up the small forge in the office. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for the dancing flames to start heating up the rest of the office. She leaned back into her seat, her left ankle thrown and draped over her right kneepad.

"Stuff's karked." He grumbled as he sat on the desk to light a cigarette.

“Yeah,” she mumbled as she began to take in her surroundings. Her sharp, curious gaze looked over at the strange contraptions in blueprint form. Some of their outlines easily told what they were supposed to be, like ships, components, and weapons. Some even looked experimental, at least to the degree she’d expect an experimental… thing to look like. But with some, she had no idea what they were supposed to be.

"Wiring's shot, plumbing and hydraulics are hopelessly out of service... and that's the karkin' stuff that ain't looted." He scoffed, taking another sip of the tihaar before extending it to Vara.

The woman brought her eyes to the bottle in his hands afterwards. She knew a strong spirit when she saw one. Immediately, Vara shot out a hand for it, wordlessly demanding a few sips. She took the bottle to her lips immediately after snatching it from Yuri. A pleased murmur rolled from her lips after a few swigs. “That’s the stuff,” she felt her core set alight after it burned down her throat.

She could brave the weather with this.

"I'm still surprised the central forge didn't immediately explode the moment I flipped the switch. Thank the Manda for that..." He glanced over to his companion for a moment.

Vara shook her head with a grin. “That wouldn’t have been pleasant for sure, cuz.” she murmured, as the contents of the bottle sloshed around when she sharply brought it up to her lips for another swig.

A smile began to creep up. "How broke are ya, exactly?" He asked her casually, trying to be as blunt as possible.

The mutt scoffed as she liked the spirit off her lips. “Well wouldn’t you like to know weather boy.” A small groan ripped from her throat as she stretched and threw an arm over the backrest of her chair. “What, you’re not looking at me for financial help for this place, are ya?” She smirked, chuckling as she passed him the bottle back. “You got any more a’dat? Whatever it’s called?”

 

[Yuri Maji]

Yuri chuckled at Vara's quips as he snatched the bottle from her hand. "Well... yeah. Figured you can spot me a couple grand." He joked, taking a sip before stashing the bottle back in the desk drawer. "Stuff's called 'tihaar'. And yeah, got plenty more. Just hid it with the rest of the stuff on my ship so you don't finish it all." He continued, giving her leg a light slap to get her moving.

The factory was powered down once more and the doors were locked. The blizzard tore through the streets of Tor Valum with a piercing frost, snow packed on against the buildings and the two hounds were left to fend for themselves as Yuri led the way. He was far more accustomed to the frigid cold, but his concerns for Vara's health were confirmed as she struggled with the cold. Even in the factory could he see that she was more adjusted to hot climates. He decided to pull his winter coat off and hold it out for her to don instead. He could brave the cold for a while at least.

He waited until they reached his hangar and got aboard his freighter to explain his plans. "We need a bunch of stuff for the factory, but I figured you're gonna need some stuff as well. I can sort you out with weapons and crucial stuff. But you're gonna have to figure out yourself what else you need." He gestured to her choice of attire as a smug grin took hold. "You're startin' to look poor, wearin' the same stuff all day." He teased with a snicker. Eventually he guided her to the cockpit, but instead of taking his seat as the pilot, he gestured for her to take it instead.

The Hound calmly sat down in the co-pilot's seat and patiently turned his seat to face her. "Time for you to learn how to fly." He remarked.

Vara Rasha

 

[Vara Rasha]

Tags: Yuri Maji
​

"Well... yeah. Figured you can spot me a couple grand." He joked, taking a sip before stashing the bottle back in the desk drawer.

Vara rolled her eyes. “Yeah I’ll be sure to let you know if I get a couple thou’ extra,” the mutt quipped back as Yuri took one last sip of the strong spirit before putting it away in the same drawer he found it from. “Tihaar,” the young woman echoed Yuri’s utterance of the word. Although the language was still foreign to her, this time her pronunciation was rather accurate. Tihaar being an easier word to pronounce surely helped.

"Stuff's called 'tihaar'. And yeah, got plenty more. Just hid it with the rest of the stuff on my ship so you don't finish it all." He continued, giving her leg a light slap to get her moving.

“Yea, as if you can keep ‘em hidden for long,” Vara teased in the wake of the light slap on her leg. In one smooth motion, the girl got her foot off her right knee and got up, walking with him out the office.

With the last gate closed and shut behind them, the two found themselves caught in the middle of the raging, savage blizzard. Instinctively she went to tuck her hands into her armpits, and hugged herself close in order to preserve her body heat as best as she could; the snowfall clung onto her shoulders, locs and mane in no time. She looked through the veil of white with squinted eyes, a vain attempt at shielding her eyes from the cold. Visibly struggling, Vara still followed just two steps behind Yuri.

This time, it seemed clearer that Yuri was more accustomed to colder climates than she was.

And although the strong, clear spirit continued to warm her core, she began to feel Kestri’s cold cut into her very bones; her teeth chattered every time the blizzard lashed at her, which was a constant in this weather. When all seemed alarmingly bothersome, Yuri surprised her. Paused for a moment in his tracks, he wasted no time slipping out of his winter coat, and held it out for her.

Vara exchanged a silent look with him for a heartbeat, before she reached for it, and slipped it on, and immediately zipped it up. “T-T-... Thanks.” She murmured as she shook like an aspen leaf in the wind; without a second consideration, she wasted no time in thanking him in her own way. Closing what little distance they had between them, Vara matched his pace and huddled up to him from the side.

It wasn’t much, but at least she made sure he was shielded from one flank and shared her warmth with him.

Thankfully they didn’t have much more ground to cover. Tor Valum’s starport was just up ahead.

"We need a bunch of stuff for the factory, but I figured you're gonna need some stuff as well. I can sort you out with weapons and crucial stuff. But you're gonna have to figure out yourself what else you need." He gestured to her choice of attire as a smug grin took hold.

The woman listened to her in silence as she walked up the ramp to his freighter with him. “The help’s ‘ppreciated,” she began. The zipper of the winter coat whirred sharply as she unzipped it, and took it off her. She threw it on the back rest of the nearby folding chair at the galley.

"You're startin' to look poor, wearin' the same stuff all day." He teased with a snicker.

A smirk emerged from under the snow covered visage of hers. “Pfffft, you motha’karka. I’m rich at heart,”she joked with him in response to the quip. The woman took a few steps back, and began to get the snow off her with a wet-dog shake after ensuring Yuri wasn't caught in the crossfire. “Right, look,”Vara began after she tossed back her locs and mane. “ I don’t wanna get into more debt with you than I already am, so how about a fair business proposition?” the harpy stroked the length of her biceps to warm herself up as she spoke.

Thankfully the ship had a good heat regulator.

“When we get the stuff, I take the brunt of the hard labor y’need to get that factory up and running again. Y’just tell me what I need to do, show me somethin’ I don’t know, once, and then I take care of the rest.” Vara walked with him to the cockpit. “It’s like y'hirin’ me to be your contractor. Y’dig?” The woman held out a hand to seal the deal. She wanted to earn her keep, not be a freeloader.

Not with him.

In the cockpit now, she went to sit down at the co-pilot seat, but stopped dead in her tracks as Yuri beat her to the punch. The woman blinked, as Yuri turned to face her with a deliberate spin, and surprised her once more.

"Time for you to learn how to fly." He remarked.

Vara blinked. Her eyes shifted to the pilot’s seat staring back at her, and went back to settle on Yuri’s golden eyes. Making sure he was actually not bullshitting, the Foundling went up to the pilot seat. She sat down, and spun herself to face the controls. The mutt hesitated for a moment, before committing. “You’re gonna have to walk me through this, step by step,” Her tone left no room for argument for the contrary. One hand on the flight stick, and the other reached out for the control panel, she expectantly looked to the mutt beside her to walk her through it.

She could not do this first try without instructions.

 

[Yuri Maji]

Vara attempted to help him in return for his generosity by huddling up against him. It didn't do much to shelter him against the chilling wind, but he did appreciate the attempt. If anything, it simply felt nice to have someone so close again. At least it didn't take long for them to reach the hangar and board his ship, though she tried once more to be useful... or repay the "debt" she owed him.

She proposed to him to "work for him" as a contractor once they managed to scrounge enough parts and pieces together to fix parts of the factory. He watched her hand for a long moment as he contemplated her offer. She didn't work on charity. Any favour or assistance came with the expectation of repaying it in kind. He was similar in a way, he didn't like it when people just helped him out for no reason. But in this instance, there was no expectation. After a moment of thought, he took hold of her wrist and tapped her cheek with her own hand.

He gave no immediate answer as he took his seat next to her in the cockpit.

He would let it stew for a moment as he taught her how to fly before divulging any information to her. As he expected, the thought of flying the ship seemed to have terrified her. She insisted that he guide her, step by step, and for a moment he was tempted to yank her chain and refuse. But that would simply be cruel. "Obviously. I ain't gonna let you scratch her." He remarked. Rising from his seat, he obnoxiously rested his elbow on her shoulder and pointed at the specific parts of the dashboard.

"Usually most of it's automated, but I wanna make sure you know what's goin' on with your ship. We'll do this a few times, don't you worry." He reassured her, before pointing to a central panel on the dashboard. "Start off here. Master power, fuel, fire, ignition. Set both primers to number 'two'." He showed each individual switch and dial before taking her hand to rest it on the main throttle. "Set throttle to half...." He paused to listen, waiting for a mechanical whine to echo through the ship. "Drop it down again, then you crank her over." He gestured to a blinking red button, letting her do the honours.

The moment Vara hit the button, the ship rumbled and chimed, the dashboard flickered and the main display terminal flickered to life. After a second or two, the ship's engines roared and the shudders ceased. "Now, check your systems. Thrusters, repulsors, dampeners... all green. Raise landing gear." He instructed, tapping his finger next to a switch. Once they were squared away, he made sure she had a hand on the control wheel and another on the throttle. "Gently forward throttle and guide us out of Tor Valum. I'll take care of the rest." He sat down in his seat and flicked a series of switches. The hangar door slid open and the systems showed green to advance.

Yuri continued to sort out other systems as he watched Vara guide them out of atmosphere. A shadow of a smile took hold, but he said nothing. Not until the ship began to shudder and warnings blared across the dashboard. "Hit the shields! We'll blow up!" He practically barked at her, waiting for tension to build sufficiently until finally pressing a button that returned the systems to normal. A hearty laugh ensued as he rolled over in his seat.

Vara Rasha

 

[Vara Rasha]

Tags: Yuri Maji
​

"Obviously. I ain't gonna let you scratch her." He remarked.

Yuri’s remark stole a smirk from the harpy. Of course she knew he wasn’t gonna just let her fly this bucket of bolts without proper supervision. She was counting on that, but she had to make sure.

Damaging the ship in any way while she held the flightstick, was something she’d very much like to avoid.

A protestful grumble tore from her core as the fleabag dug one elbow into her shoulder as he went about introducing the controls. What little discomfort he inflicted however was quickly brushed away by the harpy, as she gave Yuri her full attention. Her crimson gaze intently trailed the man’s digits hovering on the switches. The foundling read back the name and function of each button right after Yuri had shown it to her, leaving no room for misunderstanding from her part.

And with his guidance, she began the take-off sequence once she was properly acquainted with the equipment.

Vara reached for the controls, and flicked the switches for the master power, fuel, fire and ignition in the order Yuri had shown her; the woman’s gestures were sharp and confident. Both primers were set to ‘Number 2’. Vara then placed her hand on the throttle, her muzzle bowed for a brief nod as she allowed Yuri to guide her hand with his. They pushed the main throttle together, and set it to half.

A mechanic whine reached their ears not long after. The ship began to shudder; Vara, although visibly excited, seemed not to be alarmed by the noise. Even though she was just now learning the procedure for take-off, she had felt the same shudders, heard the same whines and whirrs when Yuri was at the helm.

Not a thing sounded out of the ordinary to her sharp ears.

With enough engine power generated in a mere moment, she dropped the throttle back down at Yuri’s command, and punched the flashing red button in one smooth motion. Soon, the powerful roar of the engines replaced the sharp whine of their initial wind-up. In a heartbeat, the main terminal before her, and several other flight displays, came to life before her eyes.

She was presented with relevant flight data. The harpy brought her gaze to a nearby screen, and began a brief pre-flight check with Yuri.

Thrusters, dampeners, repulsors… Every system reported back to them nominal. “All systems’ green,” She reported back with an upbeat tone.

And now came time for the real deal.

With one hand on the control wheel, and the other on the throttle, she raised their collective. Gently, they arose. A short lived shudder rolled through the airframe, but it was nothing out of the ordinary, as the weight of the ship fought and won against the ever incessant gravitational pull from the planet.

With the flick of another switch, Vara raised their landing gear, as Kestri’s thick snowy veil befell their frontside view.

The hangar doors allowed them exit, a moment after Yuri flicked a switch on his end. With the thick blast doors out the way and the greenlight given, the harpy brought the throttle forward; her core lurched back as she steered them out of the hangar. Vara’s grasp of the flightstick proved stronger than the blizzard that assailed them the second they left the hangar; a small unintentional flick could mean instantaneous disaster.

Outside, the visibility quickly became less than poor as the merciless blizzard took away most of their sight, but the fact did not deter the young Foundling from trusting her instinct, and the equipment.

The gravity pressed her back against the backseat of her chair, as the ship took to the skies! For a moment, the harpy simply stared — then, her maw pulled to a smile, flashing her rippers as her laughter rang in the cockpit, sharp and breathless. Her eyes stung with something unexpected; her crimson gaze carried visible jubilance, but threaded with a hint of disbelief, and the ache of knowing just how impossible to do this had once felt.

And here she was, achieving what felt unimaginable to her.

“Right as rain!” she barked a joyed howl as the great beyond split their horizon.

But something always had to take the wind out her sails.

A deep shudder shook her core — accompanied by a series of blares, warning her of a problem, as the screens before her turned red! Her cheerful mood shifted on a dime. “..-The KARK!” Bitter frustration quickly took the place of her mirth, as her confused and panicked gaze jutted around to see what in the kark was wrong.

"Hit the shields! We'll blow up!" He practically barked at her,

“OKAY!” the girl barked her acknowledgement, looking for the switch. Seconds felt like minutes as the warnings deafened her; the lack of knowledge kept her pausing and second guessing, until finally, she found what she was looking for! The white imprint under the switch read ‘SHLD’. Her hand impetuously shot forth to flick it. “GOT I-..” The woman paused, before her digit reached the switch.

The blare of the sirens were instead replaced by the hearty, mocking laughter of the mutt beside him. The girl took her eyes off from the controls as she turned to look at Yuri.

Her eyes screamed bloody murder, after realizing what this was. Calmly, she flicked the switch for the autopilot, before letting go of the controls. She leaned towards him from her seat “YOU-...,” her palm outstretched, she began to slap the fleas out of him as he still laughed. “I’MMA SKIN YOU ALIVE!”

Eventually, her shoulders dropped and her jaw uncleanched. The young harpy, unable to stop herself, began to laugh with Yuri as she collapsed back into her seat after mauling him. “You… Are such, a scughole. Y’know that?” The foundling shook her head as her core relaxed with a sigh. “...Piece of chit,” Her chuckle a confession of how good Yuri got her with that. “So where the kark are we goin’ next, dumbass?”

 

[Yuri Maji]

The visceral reaction he got out of Vara was worth every punch, slap and scratch she sent his way. Yuri wailed with laughter as the dots connected in her mind, and he continued to laugh as she cussed and shouted at him. His hands only raised somewhat to halt her attack, but it was of no concern to him. Eventually she laughed with him and he got up to wrap an arm around her neck.

"Welcome to the Mando'ade, fleabag!" He cried out, ruffling her mane up before tapping his forehead against hers. A relative calm eventually returned to Yuri as he sat back down, but one glance at Vara drew another chuckle out of him. It took a while, but eventually Yuri could focus enough to assist her with the navigation. "Was thinkin' Christophsis. I ain't in the mood to get shot at in Hutt space, and I want some quality stuff for a change. So... unless ya got any suggestions, maybe a planet you heard of or somethin' like that... ya can chart a course for us there." He explained.

Once more he got up from his seat, but this time he loomed over her seat to guide her through the process of preparing for hyperspace. "This is the most important bit. Out of everything, you don't wanna kark this up. Blind jumpin' can send you into a star, a planet, gravity well, anything like that. If you think space is nice, it ain't. So, search for the planet you wanna jump to, confirm the coordinates, then let the Navi do its job." He explained, eventually shifting his posture to rest an arm over her shoulders. A fleeting glance was sent her way to make sure she was paying attention.

Once it was set, he returned to his seat and pointed to the second lever in the center of the dashboard. "Once it's green, punch it." He ordered, leaning back in his seat for the ship to do its thing. Only once the void of real space was replaced by the streaks and swirls of Hyperspace, did Yuri kick his feet on the dashboard and recline his seat.

"... This trip will cost ya nothin', you know." He remarked, closing his eyes to relax. Despite his gripes with her, and his insistence that they weren't anything to each other, they had become fast friends.

Vara Rasha

 

[Vara Rasha]

Tags: Yuri Maji
​

Another surprise.

"Welcome to the Mando'ade, fleabag!" He cried out, ruffling her mane up before tapping his forehead against hers.

Tugged up to her feet, she found the crook of Yuri’s arm bite around the back of her neck. Tugged close, the Mandalorian ruffled her mane with his knuckles, and tapped his brow against hers. Vara’s smile came easily, her clean whites showed without apology. Coupled with Yuri’s sharp bark, and just how heartfelt this was, the fact that this is how her new-found people greeted one another, did not escape her.

In the same breath, Vara wrapped an arm around his back, and gently butted her brow against his, before the two mutts eventually sat back down. Sensing him glance her way, the woman couldn’t help but glance back. A chuckle rolled out her lips as she shook her head, the fresh and unforgettable memory of her panicked state at the pilot chair coming back to the both of them as they shared their laughter. “You motherkarker,” The mutt shook her head, her core relaxed with a peaceful sigh.

"Was thinkin' Christophsis. I ain't in the mood to get shot at in Hutt space, and I want some quality stuff for a change. So... unless ya got any suggestions, maybe a planet you heard of or somethin' like that... ya can chart a course for us there." He explained.

Her ears perked up in the same breath of Yuri’s utterance.

Chart a course.

Vara had heard that right. Her core fluttered with another wave of excitement as she shrugged. “..Think I’d refer to your experience, man.” The harpy draped one ankle over the other after she leaned back, and extended her feet in the space under the dashboard. “If it were ship parts we needed, I’d probably recommend Kuat,” she mentioned. That planet had come up more than a few times while she wasted away in some mechanics shop repairing ships for a brief stint.

The seat’s leather cushions softly crackled as she sat herself up right in the same heartbeat Yuri stood up and loomed over her. The foundling’s hands hovered over the controls as she held his golden eyes with a glance of her own from over her shoulder. He possessed all of her attention once more.

"This is the most important bit. Out of everything, you don't wanna kark this up. Blind jumpin' can send you into a star, a planet, gravity well, anything like that. If you think space is nice, it ain't. So, search for the planet you wanna jump to, confirm the coordinates, then let the Navi do its job." He explained,

Vara nodded throughout the course of his brief lecture. “Search for the planet, confirm the coords, and let the navi do the work,” she echoed the gist of his words. ”Alright,” With a nod, she brought her eyes to the navi computer terminal, situated between the pilot and the co-pilot seat. Concurrently, she moved her digits to interact with the equipment as Yuri leaned on her shoulder with his arm draped over her.

She punched in the name for their chosen destination, after making sure she typed it correctly on the console. There was no room for mistakes here; she checked, checked, double checked and checked again for Christophsis’ coordinates. What was displayed checked out with the database.

She hit confirm with the press of one final button. Before long, the rising whine of the hyperdrive reached their ears.

"Once it's green, punch it." He ordered, leaning back in his seat for the ship to do its thing.

Vara lowered her snout for a nod. In a spell, the drive’s whistling reached its apex. She hit the button without further delay, and she was met with the view she fell in love with. The distant pinprick lights of stars and planets snapped and ruptured into thin streaks of light as a shudder rolled through the ship’s frame. In the same spell, the cold vacuum was replaced with the bright, alluring swirls of hyperspace and the shudders ceased.

A satisfied breath poured from her snout as she leaned back into her seat, her arms crossed over her navel.

"... This trip will cost ya nothin', you know." He remarked, closing his eyes to relax.

Vara let his words hang in the air for a moment as she watched the show before her. Her tone carried gratitude, when she began.“I know,” the harpy finally said. “But you also done a lot for me man.” Vara broadly gestured all around her with her hands, as she took her gaze away from the shapeless, mindbending swirls of hyperspace to look at her friend, her head tilted. “The least I can do is return the favor somehow.”

 

[Yuri Maji]

There was a sense of satisfaction in teaching the mutt how to fly the ship, he felt that it was a necessity in this galaxy. The quicker he could teach her the ins and outs of flying a vessel of her own, the easier it would be for her to go her separate way. A thought he found confusingly troublesome. It had only been a few weeks since they met, but already her presence had become rather normal for him.

There was a momentary silence in the cockpit, apart from the hum of the ship as it zipped through hyperspace. As much as she liked to poke fun at the state of the ship, it was quick and it was sturdy. It didn't have to look like much, as long as it worked. A staple of the Ironworks he planned on upholding. But the silence was broken by her when she spoke up, addressing his comment exactly how he expected. An eye pried open to look her way for a moment or two. "Didn't do that much for ya. Besides... you're vod now. Be kinda messed up if I didn't help you out a bit." He remarked with a shrug as he looked ahead, out of the viewport ahead of them.

“The least I can do is return the favor somehow.”

A scoff initially escaped him, though no snarky remark followed up. A fleeting thought crossed his mind, barely even qualifying as such. But it was suppressed as quickly as it came. A question he found himself pondering, yet one he refused to voice. It was a stupid thought, and he wasn't the type of person to wish for such a life. He thought that he was, he thought that he could get serious. But he was far from such a moment.

"I'll hold onto that favour for a bit. It's fun to have something over someone, not a feelin' I'm used to." He finally joked. "Besides... you still owe me five hundred bucks." He let his feet drop from the dashboard and stood up, giving her a tap to follow as he left for the galley. "That pistol I borrowed ya ain't the best. Let's get you somethin' that'll actually keep you safe. A Mandalorian always has a weapon on 'em." He explained to her, disappearing into his room for a few minutes before finally emerging with an armful of weapons and equipment. Most of it was Maji Ironworks, as one could expect, but a lot of it was simply various other weapons and items he collected over the years.

"What works for you?" He asked her, hands resting on his hips.

Vara Rasha

 

[Vara Rasha]

Tags: Yuri Maji
​

"Didn't do that much for ya. Besides... you're vod now. Be kinda messed up if I didn't help you out a bit." He remarked with a shrug as he looked ahead, out of the viewport ahead of them.

Adorable.

The corners of her maw wrinkled to a playful smirk. Warmth emerged from her eyes as Vara looked to him.

She drew a breath, her head mockingly tilted. In the same breath, a chortle poured from her snout. “Awwww,” The harpy leaned to her side towards Yuri from where she sat. Her digits reached for his visage. “Izz the big, bad, stinky mutt getting all humble wiw me, now?” Deliberate exaggeration, yet affectionate in her mockery. “Well, aren't you so cute?” In the same heartbeat as she joked with him, Vara pulled his cheek as if he was a pup, cradling his visage in her palm and giving him a gentle squeeze between her long, slender and calloused digits.

The woman did not bother to hide the growing affection inseparably entwined with her sarcastic quip.

A small, private chuckle poured from her lips. The pilot’s seat faintly creaked as she leaned her back into the backrest, resting her ankles on the empty space above the dashboard as she went back to admire the radiant and captivating dance of the whirlpool of hyperspace.

The harpy was lost in a world of her own thoughts before long as they shared a pleasant silence with each other.

...She would have never thought they would wound up like this, not in a million years.

But here they were. His scent had grown familiar to her more and more with each day.

Vara looked on, dreamy; every choice she made on Junkfort, conscious and subconscious, had somehow led her here, and that was the thing; although she had clawed her way to this life, quite literally, he was the one to present him with the option to choose what came next. As much as the fleabag next to her acted humble, the simple truth was he had given her a choice. Paths to walk.

And even after that choice she made, he didn’t just do away with her. He easily could have, Vara knew. She also knew she would have had no say in it, too. What was she gonna do if he had decided to tell her to kark off after Tatooine?

Fight the dude that had folded her like a lawn chair days prior?

Absent-mindedly, the harpy shook her head at the notion; she could count souls as generous as he on the digits of one claw.

"I'll hold onto that favour for a bit. It's fun to have something over someone, not a feelin' I'm used to." He finally joked. "Besides... you still owe me five hundred bucks."

Yuri’s words pulled the young harpy from her dreamy state of mind. “Don’t get too used to it, mutt.” The foundling flashed him a toothy grin. “You’ll be the first to know when I get some extra scratch,” She rolled her crimson eyes, with a mock pout flashing from her visage. The tap on her shoulder sprung her into action in the same moment as Yuri stood up. She raised her feet off the dashboard, spun her chair around and leaned forward to get up. The momentum carried her up to her feet in one smooth motion, and began following after Yuri.

That pistol I borrowed ya ain't the best. Let's get you somethin' that'll actually keep you safe. A Mandalorian always has a weapon on 'em." He explained to her, disappearing into his room for a few minutes.

Vara crossed her arms over her chest. She didn’t have to wait too long for him; in a few moments, he emerged from his room, embracing a crap load of weapons in his arms. Vara’s brows shot up as her amazement spread along her features. With a widened, curious gaze she had already begun eyeing some of the weapons she’d like to choose before he even set them down on the galley table.

She gave a low whistle at the sight. “Damn, Yuri,” She took a step closer to the galley table as he went about sorting the guns. “You been holdin’ out on me!” A humorous disapproval. Her interest in guns peaked, she began to satiate her curiosity. Her digits softly stroked gunmetal with every weapon she began to inspect, as she walked the length of the table at a very deliberate pace. “You can kick off a revolution with these! Hah!”

“You have taste,” A few of the guns called to her, as the harpy offered him a small compliment.

A set of twin pistols that bore the open, threatening maw of a Shistavanen as the manufacturer’s logo. ‘Maji Ironworks’ read underneath the rippers. She reached for them, making sure they were not loaded, and set their fire mode to ‘SAFE’ before she tucked them behind her, under the waistband of her cargo pants. In the same breath, her hands shot for the empty multiple grenade launcher bearing the same logo as the twin pistols; then, she pulled an assault rifle. The weapons softly clattered in her embrace as she slung the rifle over her shoulder with one hand as she held the launcher by its handguard with the other.

“Y’fine if I took these off ya?” The harpy asked as she eyed a light machine gun a few steps away from her, and what seemed to be a box, containing an assortment of grenades.

 

[Yuri Maji]

The Hound was caught by surprise when Vara grabbed his cheeks and squished his face, teasing him in the wake of his generosity. Surprise turned to irritation as he flicked her hands away. "Yoka to Bantha poodoo, schutta." He grumbled, though a smirk quickly followed along with a middle finger directed at her.

The mirth and amusement continued once she got a glimpse of his personal arsenal. It was far from everything, but it gave a good baseline for her to pick what she wanted to use. He flashed a wink at her as she expressed her amazement. "Weapons are part of our religion, gotta stay strapped." He quipped. He stood back with folded arms and watched as she handled the weapons, his first unspoken test to see if she knew anything about firearms. Thankfully it seemed as if she knew a thing or two... or more than that. His eyes strained wide open and his lips pursed as she simply tossed his old pistols into the back of her belt.

He remained quiet and let her take her pick before finally plucking the grenade launcher and rifle from her grasp. "Don't mind at all, I got spares... but you don't need these right now." He set the weapons down and instead closed the distance between them until he was intimately close to her. His hands wrapped around her and gripped the two pistols to pull them away from her. "And we didn't go to the 'hola ese' school of gunnery. One sec." The pistols were set aside and he disappeared once more into his room. After a few moments of scrounging and digging, he emerged with a leather belt and holster.

"Use this. Nothin' fancy and no biometric lock, but a hell of a lot more secure than tucking it into your belt." He seethed, holding the holster out to her. It felt somewhat cathartic to pass the old holster on. It was his for a long while, same with the pistols she chose, but he had since figured out his preference, and he picked up a bit more size and muscle since his teenage years. "I got a second holster that ties to the belt for a second gun, but you can add that on if you need to carry two." He explained, holding out three spare power cells for her to slip into the loops of the belt.

Taking a step back, his hand rested on Peace's grip as he looked her over and finally gave an approving nod. "Good. Once we get back, we can figure out some base armour for you." He scratched his chin as he rummaged through his memory. "Should still have some steel or duraplast lyin' around..." He mused. The thought was pushed aside as he gestured to follow to the cargo hold, grabbing a tray from a cupboard as he walked. "I wanna see what you know... that doesn't involve holdin' a gun sideways." He remarked.

Vara Rasha

 

[Vara Rasha]

Tags: Yuri Maji
​

"Don't mind at all, I got spares... but you don't need these right now."

Vara was in silent agreement with his words.

The harpy extended the weighty launcher in her hand towards Yuri when he reached out for the guns. She slipped the sling of the assault rifle off her shoulder, and passed it to them. Back on the galley table they went. The young woman was idly eyeing her new “toys” and a bunch of others, as Yuri took another step towards her.

The foundling instinctively took one step back. Her crimson eyes looked to his golden gaze in the same breath. Vara’s head quizzically tilted to the side, her ears perked up in a wordless question. She came to a standstill as he moved to reach her.

He got within less than an inch of her; the woman couldn’t stop but quirk up her brow, as her core tightened and her breath caught in her chest. The harpy’s snout brushed closed as she could not stop herself from drawing a slow, deliberate sniff of his scent, in the same breath as she felt his broad arms, chiseled and strong, wrap her. His touch explored not, as they moved to grasp at the blaster pistols she had tucked under the back of her waistband.

Their weight tugged at her no more, as Yuri retrieved them with a deliberately slow pull.

"And we didn't go to the 'hola ese' school of gunnery. One sec." The pistols were set aside and he disappeared once more into his room.

The words stole a warm chuckle from Vara, even though the tension of the intimate moment remained in her crimson gaze. “Right, right.” she parried.

The fleabag was not wrong, though. She was supposed to be one of them now. A Mandalorian, as much as she was but a Foundling; she was yet to kill off these habits she had picked up when she was but a street rat.

And it seemed perfectly clear to her that those habits did not entertain Yuri.

"Use this. Nothin' fancy and no biometric lock, but a hell of a lot more secure than tucking it into your belt." He seethed, holding the holster out to her.

Not even in the slightest, it seemed, evident in his harsh tone and in the glimmer of disappointment in his glare when he returned to her with a holster.

Vara shot a hand out to grab it. “Damn brother, who pissed in your cornflakes?” A nervous chuckle poured from her lips, her words and worried tone an indirect acknowledgement of his frustration. She understood the assignment. Weapons are a part of our religion, the harpy’s mind echoed in her head. That meant she had to show a greater respect to these tools than she normally would. Not to a comical degree, of course, but it was obvious these things demanded a greater respect at handling them.

And so she did.

The harpy wrapped the holster around her right thigh, as she affixed its secondary loop point to her belt, She walked in place for a few steps, before a satisfied grin reached her lips. It fit her quite snugly, and the weight of it gave her comfort as she holstered one pistol there.

"I got a second holster that ties to the belt for a second gun, but you can add that on if you need to carry two." He explained, holding out three spare power cells for her to slip into the loops of the belt.

Taking a step back, his hand rested on Peace's grip as he looked her over and finally gave an approving nod. "Good. Once we get back, we can figure out some base armour for you."

“I like the sound of two pistols,” Vara smiled brightly. “Double the firepower, double the fun, right?” A rough chuckle rolled out her snout as she shook her head. The young woman lowered her snout for a simple nod, silently acknowledging Yuri’s words as she went to put one of the blasters she chose into the new holster around her thigh. The woman’s ears perked up as she saw him move about the galley, picking up a metal tray signalled to her to follow to the cargo hold.

She watched with curiosity as he went to place the tray atop a stack of crates, reaching both their chest height. The young woman easily saw where this was going, and his words all but confirmed it.

"I wanna see what you know... that doesn't involve holdin' a gun sideways." He remarked.

Vara nodded. When Yuri moved away from the direction of fire, she went and unholstered the pistol as she stood several paces away from the improvised target; Her digits wrapped the handgun with a thumbs-forward grip, and her footwork kept an inch or two more narrow than her shoulder with. Her shoulders hiked up from the unfamiliar weight of the blaster in her hands.

It would become clear to the Mandalorian that this harpy wasn’t so new to shooting at all, but her technique bore many inefficiencies a well trained eye could spot, that prevented her from being a FAR better shot than she could be.

“Bang,” a short laugh slipped from her snout, sharp and breathy. A huff more than anything, as she pulled back the trigger in the same breath; a mute click. She hadn't loaded a powercell in there.

And she was not going to, unless her instructor told her otherwise.

 

[Yuri Maji]

He didn't have to explain to her what the objective was, she quickly followed his train of thought and drew her pistol the moment he was out of the line of fire. With folded arms, Yuri stood back and studied her form as she took aim at the tray. Certainly better than he expected, but still a lot of improvement to be done. It would come in time.

"Not bad." He remarked, twirling his finger as he pointed at the pistol. "Load and holster. Anyone can hit a target like that, I wanna see what you're like from a draw." He explained, taking a step behind her. "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Focus on bein' accurate and stable. We can work on speed as you train." He continued, hands resting on her shoulders to square her up and drop them. He didn't need to explain how a gun worked at least, she definitely had some experience with that.

Once she hit the tray, Yuri fetched a sturdier target. His helmet was placed on the crates for her to shoot as well. "Pistol is one of our most reliable weapons. Compact, powerful, always available. But it's the hardest to shoot straight." To prove his point, he stood beside her and faced her fully. A smug grin took hold and his hand dropped down to draw Peace from his thigh holster with a twirling flourish. The moment he stretched his arm out, he fired the pistol at his helmet... and missed.

Two scorch marks stained the durasteel wall behind the helmet. The Hound gave a simple shrug as he made his point, he fully expected her to give him crap for the miss.

Her jokes and banter had really grown on him, it felt weird when she didn't have something lined up to tease him. He had learned to... like it. Golden eyes looked her over for a fleeting second as he stood beside her.

"Where'd you learn to shoot?" He asked her, returning his pistol to its rightful place with another twirl. His tone wasn't accusative or rude, he was asking her a genuine question out of curiosity.

Vara Rasha

 

[Vara Rasha]

Tags: Yuri Maji
​

"Not bad." He remarked, twirling his finger as he pointed at the pistol.

His compliment drew a shadow of a smirk from Vara.

"Load and holster. Anyone can hit a target like that, I wanna see what you're like from a draw." He explained, taking a step behind her.

Her left hand incisively moved at her instructor’s command; the notion of voicing a concern about shooting a pistol inside the ship quickly dissipated from her mind. She knew Yuri wouldn’t put the ship in danger if he thought this practice session could damage critical systems.

In the same breath of his words, Vara went ahead and produced a fresh magazine from her newly issued belt holster. The powercell slid into the pistol’s magwell with a distinct metallic scrape and sat in place with a clatter.

Her holster crackled with a leathery rattle, as she sheathed the handgun. The pair of crimson eyes remained locked on the impromptu target sitting before her while Yuri began a brief lecture for her benefit. The harpy signalled her continued great interest with sharp nods of her head and succinct, wordless murmurs of acknowledgement. “Mhm… Mhm..”

Then came the moment to prove she had picked up what he taught her.

The Foundling sized up the target for the last time, before she reached for her pistol with deliberativeness.

Her right claw grasped firmly along the grip as she snatched the gun free from its holster. In one smooth motion, her left hand went to support the right as she raised the gun and lined up the barrel towards the target, all in the same breath. The weapon in her hand swayed ever so slightly with each beat of her strong heart. Her core seized and locked as she held her breath in a heartbeat, and pulled at the trigger.

The harpy seemed used to triggers more stiff; drawing on an effort far exceeding what the light hairtrigger required, the blaster sharply barked once. The particle bolt slammed into the metal tray about two handsbreadth above where she had intended to shoot.

The woman paused briefly amidst the follow-up shot she was about to send at the second pull of the trigger; Vara brought her snout low as she spared Yuri a look. The corner of her lips wrinkled to an amused, curious smirk as she felt his hands atop her shoulders. Her muscles relaxed, willfully taking the posture her instructor molded her into.

"Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Focus on bein' accurate and stable. We can work on speed as you train." He continued, hands resting on her shoulders to square her up and drop them.

The harpy’s crimson eyes held a playful shine; she took a deliberate rearward step. The woman felt her back become flush with the Mandalorian’s chest. “..Like this?” Vara teased. It became crystal clear now, if it wasn’t already for Yuri, that he wasn’t alone in becoming used to this.

The harpy watched him carefully when he moved, and went to place another target on the crates. His helmet now sat idly beside the metal tray. He returned to her side, facing her as he continued the lecture, and drew his own sidearm to prove his point. Like an expert juggler, the Mandalorian presented arms after a set of swift, twirling flourishes.

A sharp, whine-like bark erupted at the squeeze of the trigger.

She heard the report of only one shot, yet two particle bolts had singed into the metal crate behind the helmet.

Misses, both of them.

But damn well impressive to her, regardless.

“Eeeh, I guess you shoot well for a cross-eyed mutt,” Of course she'd give him shit for the miss; Vara socked him in his upper chest with a fist, mailing a light jab in the wake of her quip.

"Where'd you learn to shoot?" He asked her, returning his pistol to its rightful place with another twirl.

“Not from the ‘Hola Ese’ Gunnery School,” The harpy let out a throaty chuckle, shaking her head as she assumed the firing stance Yuri had taught her as she went on to truthfully answer his question. “The HoloNet,” The mutt remarked. “Found some, instructional videos here and there. Read up a little,” Her core rose with a sharp breath as she reached for her pistol again. “..Had "opportunities" to practice..!” Her handgun drawn swiftly, a moment of hesitation settled upon bringing the pistol to bear at the target.

“‘kay, I don’wanna hear how much of a brokie I am ever again, when you can’t even afford a gun with basic irons!?” A cackle poured from her snout as she turned to face him, the barrel pointed to the ceiling as its safety crackled faintly to “ON” with the flick of her thumb. “The kark is this!” she gestured to the slide of the handgun, distinctively lacking ironsights.

A massive oversight in design choice!

 

[Yuri Maji]

While he tried to adjust her form and posture, the damned mutt let herself move back and pressed into his chest. Yuri's mind went blank for a breath before he gave her a poke in the side to let her move. The two fired their shots and a grin took hold of Yuri at her comments. She finally explained where she learned to shoot, earning a knowing nod from the Hound. "It shows..." He quipped, letting her interpret his comment however she wanted.

He took a step back to let her fire away, except she didn't. She instead decided to criticize the design of the gun and its lack of sights, earning a scoff from Yuri. Once again he took a step closer to her, this time with a daring fire in his eyes. "Don't need any to hit my targets." He spoke with a smirk. His mechanical hand brushed over hers and took the pistol from her. Without breaking his sight of her, he flicked the safety off and fired again. This time, three sharp barks erupted and the helmet flew beyond the crates.

These pistols he knew, far better than the ones he carried now. "Sights help on one target, not on six." He explained, flicking the safety back on to hand the pistol back to her. "HUD helps a lot, but knowing your weapon is your greatest strength." His smile faded as he stared into her crimson gaze. With a blink he caught himself and stepped back to instead retrieve his helmet.

"Those pistols you picked. I learned to shoot with 'em since I could hold 'em. Only reason I don't carry 'em anymore is 'cause of these." He tapped his holster as he spoke, walking past her towards the galley. He set his helmet down and made his way over to the cockpit to check on their progress... and to also clear his head from whatever he had felt in the cargo hold. "Almost there." He spoke up, sitting back in the seat for a moment to stare into the swirling void ahead of him.

Vara Rasha

 

[Vara Rasha]

Tags: Yuri Maji
​

"Don't need any to hit my targets." He spoke with a smirk.

The harpy met his words with a daring smirk of her own. Vara’s crimson eyes locked with the golden glint of Yuri’s in the same breath he took a step closer to her once more, and reached for the blaster pistol in her grasp. The mutt’s smirk shifted to something more tender as he felt his mechanical digits brush against her fur. She broke her gaze not, even as the man went on to prove his mastery over the blaster pistol.

The harpy forgot to blink, even as three rapid shots rang sharp in the cargo hold after the flick of a safety switch; she could feel her core tighten at the sight of that dare in his eyes. His gaze aflame while he held hers, not once shying away his eyes from her.

Pretty.

"Sights help on one target, not on six." He explained, flicking the safety back on to hand the pistol back to her.

Vara folded her arms over her navel. ”Show off,” she teased Yuri as she scoffingly reached for the pistol with an open palm. A casual glance at the switch, the mutt made sure it was on ‘SAFE’ before she holstered the weapon.

"HUD helps a lot, but knowing your weapon is your greatest strength."

His words were nothing short of proper wisdom, hard earned through years of training and fighting experience.

That fact did not escape the Foundling’s perception. A joker as much as she was, the ever present glint of curiosity and interest was a silent assurance she was all ears every time Yuri parted with some of his invaluable experience with her.

She was ignorant, not stupid.

With an approving nod, the girl signalled her wordless acknowledgement. A lull between them slowly settled as they held each other’s gaze in the wake of his words. The woman’s grin faded into a more quizzical expression while she looked at him. The woman regarded him as Yuri visibly collected himself with a blink and went to fetch his helmet.

"Those pistols you picked. I learned to shoot with 'em since I could hold 'em. Only reason I don't carry 'em anymore is 'cause of these." He tapped his holster as he spoke, walking past her towards the galley.

The woman slowly turned around as he walked past her and disappeared into the galley. With a leisurely pace she followed, halting briefly for a quick pitstop by the fridge. A bottle of ne’tra gal in both hands, the fridge door closed noisily with a nudge of her heel.

"Almost there."

The girl’s boot-heavy footsteps drew closer as she headed to join Yuri in the cockpit. The girl took one bottle to her maw; its cap popped free with a fizz as she used her rippers as leverage, and tugged it free with an effortless pull. The harpy passed the wondrous ale to his comrade as she brought herself to sit down at the vacant pilot’s chair to his left.

The woman opened her bottle in the same fashion. She tucked her right knee to her chest, her elbow draped over it, as she moved the bottle to her lips. “The muzzle flash really brings out the color of your eyes,” Vara casually remarked before casting a sideways glance his way as she chugged the bottle.

“..And who taught you to shoot like that? Your ma’.. I imagine?” Vara would finally say after taking a long swig of beer, the cold, sticky goodness was a much needed refreshment. She didn’t realize how thirsty she got after taking the first sip.

 

[Yuri Maji]

To Yuri's dismay, the harpy followed him to the cockpit, though at least she had the foresight to bring some refreshments for them as they waited for the last stretch of the trip. Silence was thick between them for a moment as he accepted the bottle, though he couldn't figure out if it was tense or pleasant. She finally broke the silence with a joke which earned a scoff as he glanced over to her. "Flirtin' ain't your strong suit, is it?" He quipped, taking a long sip of the bottle.

She continued to ask where he learned to shoot, a question that earned a gentle chuckle from the Hound. "Yup... and the rest of the town." He commented. "Ma was a supercommando, close quarters specialist. Same with Uncle Kranak. Whatever they couldn't teach me, the rest did. Learned to fight since I could walk, learned to shoot since I was strong enough to hold a gun up." He explained, looking over to her. "I was... heh... I was a handful as a kid." He snickered as memories came flooding back.

His eyes lingered on her features for a moment as he thought it all over. "Still got a way to go, though. That's why Vren asked me to show you around... hell, that's why I took you to him in the first place." He looked back at the viewport with another sip.

Silence overtook him once more, only this time it wasn't because he chose to. It was awkward, his mind was blank. No clue what to say as thoughts spun in his head. "Think you and Ma would've gotten along great." He remarked with a gentle smile, trying to avoid looking like an idiot.

Vara Rasha