Public The Night Market

[Shaye Ares]

​

As dusk settled upon the world of Near Pando, many shuffled back to their homes and settled into quiet. However, there was a portion of the world that came to life at night – the market. Vendors emerged from transports and warehouses, carrying their goods and setting up tented stands. There was excited chatter among them, too.

Every night was a chance to earn some credits.

Hover carts followed, their cooks hurrying to stake their claim on the main strip. This way, everyone that walked the market would surely smell the food and come running. Though prepared in little carts with barely room for two or three to crowd around, some of this food was the best around.

From exotic textiles to hand-thrown pottery, or jewelry to ship parts... there was a little something here for everyone.

OOC:
Feel free to join as a vendor, market-goer, or a possible contact for Shaye's giggledust.
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Shaye usually sold her wares on the holonet.

She'd hide behind a seller name and deal with customers as little as possible – just give her the credits and she'd give you the stuff. No fuss. But tonight, she parked her ship on Near Pando hoping to make a few credits in person. While most of the market regulars had big tents set up with ample space for their goods, Shaye had only a table and a folding chair on the sidewalk.

“Hey,” she said, standing up. “That's on my side.”

She pointed at a large pot that the neighboring vendor had placed just a touch too close to her table. Narrowing her eyes accusingly, she tapped her foot until the man begrudgingly found a place for it closer to his table.

“That's right.” Shaye lifted her chin slightly, still fixing her fellow vendor with a narrowed blue gaze. Though she was not the most intimidating figure, she had to make it known that she wouldn't put up with anyone's chit here.

She set a few small crates out on her table, one that contained cheap data pads and the other held some cartons of Atrisian candy. There were packages of instant noodles, too. Shaye didn't expect to make a killing tonight by any means... but her true reason for being here was something else entirely. She wanted to make a purchase on the down low – she'd been told that someone would approach her with a stuffed bear at some point tonight. An innocent enough looking thing, but what was inside counted most... giggledust.

Putting on her dark hoodie, she pulled the hood up and secured it around her face. It made her feel better, even if people could see her plainly. Now, all she needed to do was wait.

 

[Ashin Cardé Varanin]

Adjacent to Shaye Ares ' table and folding chair was a slightly - but only slightly - more elaborate stall. The proprietor was a woman of a certain age who sat with her feet up on a stool, eyes half-lidded and feet up on a stool. A mug steamed within easy reach. Her hands were interlaced on her belly. Her stall held strange things - glossy black blades; bottles of things that sloshed of their own accord; slablike greenish metal boxes, stacked like bricks and large enough to fit a hand inside. She hadn't seen much business tonight and didn't seem to care. She looked relaxed.

"Good for you," she said, just loud enough for Shaye to hear her. "Don't ever let them shove in on what's yours, or they'll never stop."

She took her feet off the stool and leaned over to offer Shaye a couple of wupiupi coins.

"Just realized I forgot to get dinner. Toss me one of those noodle cups, would you?"

 

[Shaye Ares]

Shaye's attention shifted as a woman spoke, and her blue eyes found an older woman with a rather relaxed way about her. She gave a nod to acknowledge the words; it looked like the other woman had been 'round the galaxy a time or two. But there were items on the woman's table, and she didn't seem all that concerned about trying to hawk them to passersby. Maybe she could get along with this stranger.

"Sure, no problem." She accepted the coins with an open palm, and then pocketed the payment. Shaye handed over a noodle cup and a pair of disposable chopsticks, completing the transaction. There were better things to eat here at the market, but the convenience of instant noodles was pretty hard to beat. Glancing sidelong at the metal things on her neighbor's table, Shaye had to wonder just what they were...

Little boxes? Did they have something inside?

“What are those?” she asked, nodding towards Ashin's table... trying to sound like she was making chit-chat, not like curiosity was about to knock down her door.

Ashin Cardé Varanin

 

[Don Cagliostro]

Don was nearing the end of his current little bout in Hutt Space. However, before leaving he'd caught wind of the Near Pando night markets and wanted to check it out. Him and some of his crew moved about through the grabbing some local food and seeing what wears there were for sale.

All the while the large green man spoke to his men rather loudly, conducting himself with a sort of exaggerated swagger. Looking over something caught his eye. It seem to be a vender selling exotic animals. Well, he at least thought they were exotic. Don wasn't really from this galaxy after all. Approaching he looked at one of the animals, he thought it was rather ugly, but kind of cute at the same time. "Hey, how much for the silly looking bird?" He asked the vendor pointing at a Jubba Bird.

"Eh? Hmmm?" The vender though to themselves, as if appraising their own merchandise. "3,000 credits."

"Huh, doesn't that seem a little high for a bird?"

"Not at all, you should see it as a steal, don't you know what it is, it's a Jubba bird."

"Oh yeah, you're right." Don replied, as if remembering what the species was despite not even knowing what a jubba bird was. "Yeah I'll take it!" He figured it must be an exotic animal to weren't the price. However, some of Dons men raised an eyebrow over their captain spending so much on a bird. The vender grabbed the cage and passed if over to Don, the captain giving the merchant their hefty amount of credits for the bird. The jubba bird didn't seem to really mind. But it looked a little concerned over being traded.

Holding the cage up and getting a better look at the rather ugly bird he chuckled to himself. "You got green eyes, like my skin little one. I'll need to think of a name for you..." However, the night was still young, and there was plenty more goods him and his crew could get for themselves.

 

[Ashin Cardé Varanin]

Ashin accepted the cup of noodles and poured in water from her travel bottle. She did something just out of sight and steam puffed out of the cup. She dug in with the flimsy plastoid chopsticks.

"What are they?" Sith training tools of her own invention, a far cry from the traditional ones. Some of them could bring pain - stinging or numbing venom, electrical shock - if one failed to learn. Those were the boxes that taught students how to resist injection needles, toxins, electricity. Others taught them how to precisely modulate their own Force Lightning's amperage to stun, burn, or kill. Ashin tilted her head, wondering if this kid had a latent sensitivity of some kind. Easy enough to find out. Latent talents tended to have certain instincts.

"If you had to...guess, what would you think they are?"

Somewhere down the street, a big green man was carrying a big green bird in a cage. Ashin did something of a double take.

Shaye Ares Don Cagliostro

 

[Rekha Kaarde]

Rekha had seen a lot of things in her life but never had she seen someone with such a large bird. Her curiosity was peaking what does one do with a bird? What if it just wants to fly away? Can you stop it? Are birds loyal? What do they eat?

Rekha stood with her hand out a few coins that she had been clutching so tightly she finally let loose for the chance to taste deep fried nuna leg. It reminded her of something from another street fair which she had enjoyed.

Beyond the bird she could see other vendors she wondered what else could she find along the way.

Don Cagliostro | Ashin Cardé Varanin | Shaye Ares

 

[Baros Sal-Soren]

Prelude to DiscipleQuest 2: Tainted Sample​

If Baros saw another cheap ornamental figure representing the Malabar Construct he was pretty sure he was going to let out the ultimate insult in every connoisseurs arsenal - the exagerated sigh. Yes, it had been that sort of night. There was a time where a market such as this would have been a prime location for him to find new fabrics, patterns and inspiration for a new clothing line for Glitterstim. However, his fashion house had been out of his hands for a couple of years now, with his assistant picking up the reigns wonderfully. No, he was not here as a tourist, nor was he here to scout out new ideas for future attire worn by young rebellious rich kids.

It was information that Baros sought. Information that would help he and his companions to track down another disciple to the Thistlebark Killer. The serial killer himself had been unmasked as a fraud and cover story, but a contigent of copycat individuals calling themselves disciples were very much the real deal. Their obsession with the Thistlebark Killer and the players in his story meant that Baros was perfect bait to bring them out of hiding.

Raf is back with the next piece of the puzzle, Baros, said voice in his earpiece, you are looking for a Weequay named Phutz. Sells plants apparently, the special stuff is out back.

"Phutz?" Baros said with a smile and a shake of his head.

"Hey! You buyin' er ain't ya?" Came a startling voice from behind the display cabinet of the stall where Baros had been loitering just a little too long.

Snapping back to his senses, Baros glanced around to see if anyone was looking his way after the loud, booming demand had yanked his attention to the here and now. No one seemed to be looking his way, not specifically at least. If there was someone watching him, it was near impossible that he could spot them.

"You deaf! Or you on somethin!"

He hadn't responded to the vendor, a shortish alien hunkered back in the darkness of their covered stall. "No. No, I ain't...I'm not buying. Thank you," he muttered before glancing at the available items. A trasplastic trinket in the shape of the Malabar Construct caught his eye, and without hesitation he let out a long, mournful sigh.

"Then g't lost...others wanna shop 'ere..."

Obliging immediately, Baros turned towards a series of stalls and vendors, and he pushed into the slowly growing crowd. The night would hopefully hold some distractions to his beleagured mind, but also fruit in his search. In his meanderings he sidestepped a few oddities, green people with green birds...the galaxy was strange, and ultimately found himself loitering again in front of data pad and instant noodle covered table. The vendor was talking to her neighbour, this would hopefully allow Baros to scope out the surrounding area without looking to obvious to any Weequay target he might spot.

| Don Cagliostro | Ashin Cardé Varanin | Shaye Ares | Rekha Kaarde |​

 

[Shaye Ares]

Shaye's question was given back in the form of another. What did she think the boxes were? Her eyes flickered out towards the crowd, searching momentarily for any sign of a bear-holding contact. But all she saw was a big green buy carrying a bird... okay, weird. But she supposed that markets like this were breeding grounds for weirdness of all sorts.

Turning her attention quickly back to the boxes, she craned her neck slightly to give them a better look. They almost reminded her of little credit boxes or the lock boxes that folk kept their valuables in. But, something seemed to tell her they were... empty. Well, empty in the way that there wasn't any treasurer waiting inside.

And the longer she stared, the more she felt that they were instruments of... pain. It was just a hunch. She held her own palm up, comparing the size of her hand to the slot in the front of the box.

“Torture devices?” she asked, brows arching with interest. “What happens if I reach inside?”

Shaye was leaning in her chair by now, her eyes still on Ashin's table. However, she was well aware of the man casting a shadow over her own wares. Perhaps she ought to institute a fee for browsing this long.

Ashin Cardé Varanin | Baros Sal-Soren | Rekha Kaarde | Don Cagliostro

 

[Ashin Cardé Varanin]

Ashin glanced at Baros Sal-Soren and refocused on Shaye Ares .

"Torture? Certainly not. They're training tools - but yes, put your hand in these ones, the tonkutaji, without the right experience and focus, and you'd be in quite a bit of pain. These other ones, the midvanot - no pain involved unless you do something cataclysmically stupid. I designed them," she said with pride. "Most Sith and Jedi training devices are some variant on 'this is a ball.' Good instincts, by the way. Were you aware you're Force-sensitive?"

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

Nimdok didn't realize he had been nodding off in his chair until he overheard Don Cagliostro buying a Jubba bird for three thousand credits. "Three thousand..." the professor muttered under his breath, his eyes fluttering open. "Three thousand? For a bird?..."

His table was on the other side of Shaye Ares , who was currently in conversation with Ashin Cardé Varanin —in fact, he was the one whom the girl had complained about having a pot too close to her table. After begrudgingly moving it, he had sat down and promptly fallen into a doze. As for his wares, well, he was selling what amounted to snake oil. But at least it was alchemized snake oil. (He needed the money.)

Nimdok was on the verge of falling asleep again (he had no idea why he felt so tired), lulled by the soft tones of the two voices beside him, but the topic of their conversation caught his interest. "Training devices, hm?" he muttered, shaking himself to increase his alertness. Realizing belatedly that he was intruding right as the discussion was taking a serious turn, he demurred for a moment, then asked, "What specific skills do they train?"

 

[Illian Dragos]

His mind felt like shutting off, yet his body was perfectly fine. Illian could not determine the specific reason, but he knew that it at least involved being back in Hutt Space. Being from the Smuggler's moon, his memories of his time in the region were less than favorable. But certain materials wouldn't be acquired by themselves, and his desire trumped whatever he felt being here.

Fortunately for him, Near Pando was far from Nar Shadaa, and he never had to see the world when he arrived here. Looking around, the young squire could hear all sorts of sounds, and conversations. Some, he chose not to attempt to engage in, for he had such little time. Or maybe he just wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. He couldn't figure out which was true, but it didn't really matter anyway.

Moving around the market, his eyes lit up his lips curled up, smiling at the thought of Don Cagliostro purchasing 3,000 credits for a Jubba bird. A momentary thought of telling the purchaser he had been ripped off eclipsed his mind, but he chose to act against it.

Illian continued to look around where the vendor wanted. Holding a datapad with a map opened, he knew he was close, and he'd get the specific things he wanted.

 

[Rekha Kaarde]

While she was standing there taking in the surroundings, preparing herself for the first bite of the leg she was suddenly surrounded by children. All offering something to her, "this miss this..." "My mom makes the best" "oh no don't listen to her"

A twirl here and there, Rekha twisted, "maybe yeah..I'll be by yep yep..." Another turn and she felt dizzy then she remembered..oh pick pocket!

She went to tap her pocket and found everything still there, but she dropped the leg. Kids scurried away to their next target. Rekha looked down at the leg, so is the five second rule good here? She looked around was anyone watching? Would they be oh my shocked?

Wouldn't matter Rekha didn't get the chance some furry creature ran by grabbing the leg and dragging it down the alley. "great."

She looked ahead, "Ok instant noodles it is. Besides must be good they're getting a crowd"

She was disappointed about the leg...feth.

She arrived at the stall in time to hear only a few words. Torture. Devices. Training. Were they devices for torture training? She smiled not quite sure how to react or even if she should. She motioned for the noodles and did a quick exchange of money for food.

She couldn't help herself she stood listening, or eavesdropping whichever you would like to call it. But training was always a good thing....Rekha didn't hear the part about it being for forcers.

Illian Dragos | Ashin Cardé Varanin | Shaye Ares | Jacen Nimdok | Baros Sal-Soren

 

[Ashin Cardé Varanin]

"Training devices, hm?" he muttered, shaking himself to increase his alertness. Realizing belatedly that he was intruding right as the discussion was taking a serious turn, he demurred for a moment, then asked, "What specific skills do they train?"

She arrived at the stall in time to hear only a few words. Torture. Devices. Training. Were they devices for torture training? She smiled not quite sure how to react or even if she should. She motioned for the noodles and did a quick exchange of money for food.

She couldn't help herself she stood listening, or eavesdropping whichever you would like to call it. But training was always a good thing....Rekha didn't hear the part about it being for forcers.

There was a little attention now, so Ashin let Shaye Ares ponder the potential bombshell of her Force sensitivity.

"The tonkutaji train a Force-user's ability to protect themselves from injection, electrical shock, and toxins. You can swap out the toxin in the needles for any effect from mild itch to agony to something more malevolent. I use them all the time. The goal is to keep the electrified needles from touching you, while keeping the electricity at bay. Force Protection and tutaminis, if you want to get technical - usually followed by detoxification skills. The midvanot are a whole different animal: they teach more precise use of Force Lightning than just about any Sith Lord can manage. Stronger lightning isn't better: it only takes one to two hundred milliamps to kill, and anything above that actually protects the heart - produces unconsciousness, though. And at lower amperages you could be looking at anything from scorching to paralysis to unconsciousness, all the usuals."

She was, by intent, quite blasé about the secrets of the Dark Side in a public setting. This was for her own amusement.

 

[Shaye Ares]

So, these were not devices of torture, but training. Shaye studied the boxes with head canted to the side slightly as she listened to the woman speak. But there were words that she hadn't expected to hear. Shaye's eyes widened.

Force sensitive. She'd heard the words before, but never about herself.

It was then that the man next to her, the vendor with the pot, spoke up. Her eyes shifted in his direction, though she didn't turn to face him. Based on his questions, he seemed to have some interest in the skills taught by Ashin's mysterious training devices. Perhaps it would be good to hear just what they did before she went sticking her hand into them.

As Ashin began to explain, Shaye's eyes flickered to Rekha Kaarde – a newcomer to the party. It seemed she had something of an audience for the revelation of her force sensitivity.

Shaye didn't know about the force skills that Ashin spoke about. However, she did know words like 'injection,' 'electrical shock,' and 'toxins.' Her brows arched a bit further. So, if she practiced with one of these boxes, she could learn to protect herself from such things? Standing there on the edge of the unknown was exhilarating.

“I...” she started. “Didn't know.”

Her hand reached up to her chin and started to fiddle with the drawstring that kept her hood firmly in place. And she focused on Ashin, not the others that were nearby... no doubt they'd still hear.

“Can I learn how to use those?” She nodded towards the training devices.

Nearby: Jacen Nimdok , Ashin Cardé Varanin , Baros Sal-Soren

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

Nimdok listened to Ashin Cardé Varanin 's explanation, intrigued. He didn't have much use for the training devices himself, but he knew a couple Jedi Padawans who might like them as gifts. Or at least, Nimdok's eccentric concept of what constituted a gift.

Meanwhile, Shaye Ares was clearly quite shocked at the revelation of her Force sensitivity. Nimdok was tempted to answer her question himself, but he deferred to Ashin, not wanting to seem any more intrusive than he already was. Once she had an answer, he asked, "How much for one of each?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth, he finally noticed Rekha Kaarde was missing a leg. Oh. Well. How had she hopped over here on only one foot?...

Baros Sal-Soren

 

[Ashin Cardé Varanin]

“Can I learn how to use those?” She nodded towards the training devices.

"Certainly. They're for advanced students, but you could be using these inside a year with the right teacher and the right level of commitment. I could arrange the former if you can arrange the latter."

"How much for one of each?"

Since Near Pando was close to the borders of the CIS, SJC, and Sith Empire, Ashin quoted three numbers in three currencies, all reasonable for a piece of turadium-clad electronics of that size.

 

[Shaye Ares]

Listening, Shaye's eyes narrowed to a thoughtful squint. She could learn, and this mysterious woman could teach her – if she had the right level of commitment. If anything, that was the most frightening part of this proposal. Commitment just wasn't her strongest suit; it made her squirm. But, greed was there to soothe her. After all, it was good to be greedy about knowledge, right?

Her head would swivel towards Jacen Nimdok , and she'd allow him the chance to respond before continuing herself.

“I've never been a good student,” Shaye said, honestly. “But maybe it's because I didn't have the right kind of teacher.” Ashin Cardé Varanin seemed to be the type of woman Shaye could respect. “I'd be willing to try.”

And that was kinda saying a lot.

@Those nearby, too!

 

[Illian Dragos]

As he looked for a specific storefront, Illian overheard certain bits of the conversation between Jacen Nimdok , Ashin Cardé Varanin , and Shaye Ares . The name. Recognizing the former Empress' voice, he debated if he should spend his credits on purchasing a unique set of armor he had or the devices being sold. Perhaps he'd be able to purchase both. After some debate in his mind, he decided to attempt to purchase both of them.

"I'll get one." Illian stated, moving himself toward Ashin's storefront. He'd seen the effectiveness of the tools first hand, and for where he wanted to go, the fledgling force user needed as much help as possible.

He waited there as he crossed his fingers, hoping there was enough devices for him to make one purchase.

Baros Sal-Soren Don Cagliostro

 

[Ashin Cardé Varanin]

Shaye Ares

"There's a very old saying: no such thing as a bad student, only a bad teacher. And while it's pie-in-the-sky bantha wash, it also happens to be true. Given enough commitment, flexibility, will from the teacher...any student can succeed."

She glanced up, blinked, and broke into and a smile as she recognized Illian Dragos . He was asking for one each of the midvanot and tonkutaji; she handed them over at once. "Take Illian here. When I met him he couldn't even touch the Force at will - but he buckled down and worked alongside one of my other students, and by the end of the night he was putting his hand in a campfire unburned. Illian, this is...I didn't catch your name, dear."

 

[Jacen Nimdok]

The boxes were reasonably priced. Good. After overhearing how much that green gentleman had paid for a bird, Nimdok had been worried about some of the vendors in this market. He'd also been worried that he wasn't charging enough for the alchemized snake oil.

Rubbing his eyes as Illian Dragos beat him to the punch, Nimdok waited until he was finished with his purchase, still half-listening to the conversation. Ashin Cardé Varanin and Shaye Ares were apparently on the verge of becoming master and apprentice, or at least Ashin might prompt Shaye to head down a similar path. He eyed the old woman as she spoke of learning how to put one's hand in fire without burning, head tilting slightly as he searched for some indication of her alignment/allegiance, but there was none. Or at least, nothing a barely-connected-to-the-Force pleb like him could see clearly. And not that it was any of his business, but... she looked sort of familiar. He couldn't place a name to the craggy, wrinkled visage.

As soon as Illian was done, Nimdok jumped at the chance. "I'll take one of each, if you please." He reached into his pocket, producing his wallet, and laid the (Galactic Standard) credits on the table. It occurred to him that if she could sense Shaye's untrained sensitivity, Ashin might also be able to sense his very slight sensitivity as well... or maybe not. Maybe she thought he was a very silly elf man impulsively buying dangerous devices he couldn't possibly use while still groggy from an impromptu nap. Or maybe she logically guessed that he was buying them for someone else. Or maybe she didn't care. That was the most likely conclusion of them all.

"Not to intrude, but—how do you know she's Force sensitive?" Nimdok asked Ashin. "Is she exceptionally gifted, or is it something you can tell about anyone at a glance?" No doubt Shaye herself would be interested in the answer.