THIS IS AN ANGRY THREAD

[thegreatbeyonder]

Windu's; what kind of place is that?

Arian found himself standing in line waiting for food, when he finally got up and was ready to order the cashier stepped back and decided to converse with her friend. "Uh, miss--" the spacer was interrupted by a rather odd sight... Approaching the counter was furry fellow, an Ewok to be exact. "Yub nub!" The creature exclaimed, one lazy eye drifting off towards Sith knows where.

Arian glanced around, his heart began to race and he hoped someone else would come up to take his order. Yet to no avail, "Um... Grub grub?" He acted quickly, and perhaps stupidly. For a moment the Ewok stared at him intensely which caused the man sigh in defeat. Then without a notice, the Ewok shuffled off towards the back, returning a few moments later with a tray of food. The wrapper happened to be slightly clear in various places, only revealing the amount of grease that went into this.

Awkwardly taking the tray in hand, Arian walked off to find a table.

 

[Arage Bao]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Windu’s… the commercialization of Tatooine’s pride in a nutshell. “EST. A Long Time Ago”, my left buttcheek, because I was at least eighty-three percent sure that an old Jedi Master wouldn’t have allowed his face to be used as a pull-in for all the historical wannabe’s who think they know a bunch after attending a single seminar called “Galactic History 101”. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]They just opened this joint on the local spaceport above Kal’shebbol- and honestly, I just needed to get a bite inside of me before I hit the road again. After having to hold the hands of yet another group of enthusiastic tourists who just [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]had[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] to experience the sight of the Kathol Rift: from afar, of course, I managed to convince them that actually… [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]traveling[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] through it would be just a little bit too much. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]‘Course they tried to pay me off, but I refused. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]It don’t matter how much money you have, nobody is ready for the Kathol Rift and even I had enough of it after the first few runs. I suspect they just heard me out and then went back to the cantina to find themselves a different ‘guide’, poor bastards.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Probably won’t be alive for another week or so.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Yubnub?” an Ewok was behind the counter, barely able to look over it, but that was alright.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]I had spent some time with the locals back on Endor. Ship had crashed and there was need of shelter while repairing the damn thing again. A tip for you guys… if a female Ewok (don’t ask me how you can separate the two) offers you a crown made of lily’s and thorns? Don’t accept it… just don’t, trust me on that one.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Nubyub nub.” my Ewokian wasn’t exactly fluent, but it did the job most of the time. “Jubdenub, nub, jub… mmhmm, ed de rubgrub.” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Took the little furry guy some time to scrounge it all up, but in the end he got it alright. Gave him a nod then took the plate with my goods, turning around to find myself a seat.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Ugh… it’s all so… [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]clinical.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Arian Lenar"][/SIZE]

 

[thegreatbeyonder]

Arian managed to find one past the whiny children, the angry the Trandoshans, and the hungry Wookiee. He didn't realize that such a place had a habit of attracting all the sort who'd love a good fight if one was given to them. The children especially! He had too many firsthand accounts of alien offspring assaulting a human just for looking different. Then again, he also recalled a time when a certain Empire once treated their kind as second class and even committed xenocide a few times just to prove a rather empty point.

Sitting down and clearing the table of organic debris, he set the tray in front of himself and began to chow down. Truth-be-told, despite how disgusting the concept of fast food was, it somehow went down quite easy and the sugar-baked buns, greasy meat, and lucrative secret sauces all came together with a certain sense of flavour. Of course, the matter of getting that terrible stench out of one's clothes would be a later regret for sure.

Among those finding a place to eat, Arian noticed a stranger wandering the establishment. Someone who seemed just as out of place as he did, but carried a stride that suggested otherwise.

Who the hell are you? Arian wondered.

[member="Samael Rekali"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Ah… the famous rumbling and banter of the middle-class.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]If I ever forgot why I decided to leave civilization behind me and wander the lanes, it would be flooding back to me right here and now, because it was just [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]insanity[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]. Back in the days when I still cared about the Mandalorians and their endless bickering I was a pretty prominent figure, spent a lot of times on the usual raids and battlefields… let me tell you this. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]That was [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]nothing[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] compared to the madness of having to navigate this mess. I put on my happy face though and started humming to myself… and [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]suddenly things slowed down, the rhythm of the place became apparent to me and I could traverse it.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]One step here, a near miss of a running twi’lek neophyte, I ducked and a half-eaten burger missed my head and instead hit the Trandoshan housewife I just passed. A few more passes, a few more steps and I noticed someone [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]else[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px].[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]He didn’t fit.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]His rhythm was all wrong, against the current of the moment, he did not belong. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Passed him too, gave him a knowing wink before settling down in the corner of the shop. Before long all that madness passed away into the void as I opened up the packages and started wolving down my hard-earned meal.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Ah… commerce, how brilliant[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px].[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Arian Lenar"][/SIZE]

 

[thegreatbeyonder]

A loner, perhaps?

Arian shivered slightly as a nerve tingled down his spine, a reminder from his brain saying "Hey, pay attention or you might die at any moment." Yet a sentient such as himself did not heed such pesky things, nor was he even aware of its intentions. Somehow just watching a stranger had all but distracted him from the events transpiring around them. Usually only a woman is able to achieve such, and a very attractive one at that.

So who was he, this stranger? Someone capable of distracting a man who has walked on worlds carrying a trillion souls, yet none standing out nearly as much as he did now. Maybe it was the atmosphere, or likely so just the fact he had a long flight here and was looking for anything to ease the boredom that had weighed down upon his mind. Perhaps, however, it was that little annoying relic known as fate lingering in the air; an invisible, and undetectable energy which somehow kept the galaxy turning the way it did.

Regardless of the reasons, Arian failed to realize he had just spent the last two and a half minutes staring mindlessly at the man without touching his food once.

[member="Samael Rekali"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Can I get you a refill?” the waitress asked with a radiant smile. She… had something between her teeth and it stuck out as a sore thumb, but how do you bring something like that up? Part of me wanted to just ignore it, flash her a smile back, nod and then just go on with my day… but something (something completely evil) compelled me to smile too and then subtly point with a finger to my teeth.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Um… are you alright, sir?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]She didn’t seem to get it. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Y-yes, ma’am. It’s just that…” once again I gestured towards my teeth, this time with a little bit more fervor. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]For a moment she was quiet. I could practically see the gears turning around in her head, I could also practically [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]see[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] that moment when those gears turned the wrong way and she misunderstood my intentions [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]completely.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]A shadow passed her expression, one huge frown settled itself between her brows and her eyes spit fire, reasonably sure if she had been a Sith Lord… I would have been incinerated on the spot. As it stood she hissed and almost shouted out.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Are you kidding me?! You, you are like forty! Ew!” then she tried to slap me, but I managed to dodge that one. She paid no heed to it, instead turning around on her heels and walking off towards the counter again.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]The immediate area was quiet and people were staring, but I just shrugged. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Never try to do some good in the world, kid. You will be fethed twice.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]I went back to my burger and started to munch again. [/SIZE]

 

[thegreatbeyonder]

Arian picked up his tray and slowly walked to the table where the man was, sitting down across and setting his tray rather noisily down as well.

"You know, if you're looking for women I wouldn't go after the ones with poor hygiene," he left some guessing room as to whether he was being completely serious or entirely sarcastic. His hand reached into his food, pulling up the side dish and bringing it to his mouth where he chewed slowly on the heavily salted strip.

During the duration, he thought up of what he was going to say next, eager to swallow but in no hurry as he didn't want to be seen chewing furiously in front of the stranger. It was a silly concept, really, to have any sense of manners out here in a place such as this. Yet at the same time his entire approach seemed poor-mannered all together. So that was to say he knew how to be civilized, just that he often chose not to be.

Then again, maybe it just meant he had a bad temperament.

[member="Samael Rekali"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[SIZE=10.6667px]A soft snort was followed by a snicker.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]I looked up from the burger, watching as the same man I had noticed a few moments ago decided to walk over and sit down at the same table as me. There was something to say about fate, the Force and the common mysteries that made meetings like these more likely, but most of the days I tried to forget about shet like that. It was hard enough that ninety-eight percent of my perspective was colored by the training I had endured with the Rekali’s, but to actually quantify all that philosophy with something like a random meeting?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Yeah, no.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Learned a long time ago that helping people out usually only leads to trouble.” case in point the madam behind the counter who was still sending angsty looks my way - it would probably be a full day, before someone would point out that she had something stuck between her teeth and realize what a schutta she had been.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Or maybe she would never realize it.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Doesn’t stop me from trying every once in awhile though.” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]I shrugged and then took another sip from the milkshake, before actually taking a good look at my new dinner partner - seemed like a competent fella, if the way he handled himself with his food was any sign of it, anyway.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Name’s Samael.” guy would either give me his name or not. That was his decision.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Arian Lenar"][/SIZE]

 

[thegreatbeyonder]

"Arian; Arian Lenar--star pilot, adventurer, and consumer of crappy food," he extended his arm across the table, offering a handshake to the man.

Yes, his sense of manners were there. A decent fellow might've been a stretch in some regards, but more or less he had a sense of self-discipline when he wanted to have it. Part of it was due to his time with the navy, the other part of it was having an upbringing with only one parent. Sometimes you just had to carry your own weight to get by without much trouble.

Nonetheless, finding someone else amongst these particular stars who wasn't totally incompetent, absolutely nuts, or entirely foreign to Galactic Basic had been good fortune even if Arian wouldn't admit it.

His travels have taken him far and wide, from the inner core to the fringes of the Unknown Regions. The galaxy was a rather large place, easy to get lost in, yet somehow the corruption of democracy, the oppression of imperialism, and the chaos which follows both happens to reach every corner without much hindrance.

For someone like Arian who despises the great powers of the galaxy, it only furthered his ambition to do something about it. Yet what could a star pilot do on his own? Maybe that was why he joined the Couriers; yet somehow part of him also believed he just lusted for adventure.

[member="Samael Rekali"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[SIZE=10.6667px]The thing with eating junk food is that everything tends to get… [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]sticky[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px].[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]So when I finally noticed the hand levitating above the table, awaiting a shake, I took a good long look at my own hands which were pretty much smeared by ketchup, grease and what manner of other junk that you probably didn’t want to think about it and gave him a smile. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“I will let ya off the hook for this time, if ya do the same.” just to be certain I gestured with my head to the hands. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]The guy might get offended, but he would probably definitely get offended if I smeared ketchup all over his offered hand.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Damned if ya do, damned if ya don’t.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“So what does this star pilot do for his adventuring needs?” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]A shot in the dark really. Just a way to carry the conversation - or at least for him to carry the conversation, while I focused on my burger. There ain’t nothing wrong with talking to some folks every once in awhile, but when a man is hungry… a man’s hungry. Ya can’t do anything about that, it was a natural state of being.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]One which needed to be sated.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Didn’t mean I wasn’t curious though, already he was a couple of shades more interesting than the other folk frequenting this joint.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Arian Lenar"][/SIZE]

 

[thegreatbeyonder]

Arian recoiled his hands after discerning the reason behind his polite refusal. "Understandable," he added before grabbing a few more fries.

Again he spent his time chewing, and thinking of how to respond to the man's question.

On one hand, he could just tell the truth but the truth was always the least believable thing... You spent so much time living it that you couldn't help but find the truth--that reality--a vague thing, due to the lack of creativity that existed in it. So honestly a lie would seem less mundane, maybe even more believable if told properly. However; Arian didn't like to lie. He did it often, but he didn't like too; mostly because lying usually led to consequences down the road.

So instead, after finally swallowing his bite, he cleared his throat and went for it. "I guess you could say I'm a courier," he snickered, "except my packages tend to be in the form of information and things most smugglers wouldn't see the value in. That's not to say I'm a smuggler, though--I'm not." He had to emphasize a bit on that last part, to assure the man that he wasn't of the criminal variety.

Was he a criminal, though? He preferred to see it as being a revolutionary... Someone who is in the right, just people don't know it yet.

[member="Samael Rekali"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[SIZE=10.6667px]Whilst the lad was pondering about how to answer that question I had enough time to actually [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px]enjoy[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6667px] my piece of crap dinner that I ordered. You had to give it to Windu’s, they really had a talent for making pure grease mixed with ketchup… and then actually sell it, some criminal outfits could learn a thing or two from a thing like this. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]The irony of that statement was lost to Rekali, few if any people really knew who had recently bought Windu’s.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“At ease, kid.” a shrug was placed at the end of it to soften the ‘kid’-line.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“I earn my paychecks by guiding folks through the lanes. Some of ‘em can be unsavory.” Most of them were, really, they simply paid more than the regular tourists. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]So obviously I would pay more attention to the smugglers looking for the shortcuts to cut their own traveling time in half.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Live and let live, is my line. Do whatcha want, as long as it doesn’t affect others too much.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Arian Lenar"][/SIZE]

 

[thegreatbeyonder]

"You know, it's funny... I'm sitting in a dump like this, eating food that probably just took two years off my life. I honestly didn't expect to find a mystery spacer with sage advice." He wasn't trying to offend, and by his tone he actually seemed oddly amused rather than annoyed or bothered in any way. It was the respectful kind of sarcasm, the kind used when talking with an old friend or sibling.

Maybe Arian just felt comfortable finding someone he could get in a place full off strangers who seem to think quite the opposite.

Then again, he usually opted out of places like these. Food was always too greasy, besides--there's no fun in eating food that's not local. Where's the sense in adventure when your food item is called Combo #6 or has a copyright symbol at the end of the gimmicky name. Still, lots of people ate at places like these and somehow they only get more popular despite the only time they change their menus is when whatever they're serving is either too expensive to provide or went extinct.

[member="Samael Rekali"]

 

[Arage Bao]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“All I do, friend.” Sam replied with a snort, in between chews. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]There was just something cathartic about eating a greasy burger in a tent, screaming and yelling kids all around with their parents casting you sidelong gazes that spoke of their “I am so sorry, but what can you do, kids!”-attitude, which was totally fine with Samael. Years ago he had to entertain Ember’s kids throughout their infancy and above, so it wasn’t really that unknown to him.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“Saddle up strangers with unneeded advice.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]He’d chew a little bit more, until suddenly he stopped. Sam casted one of his own gazes at Arian, sizing him up a little bit. Before seemingly nodding to himself.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px]“So you have an offer to make to me, let’s hear it.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6667px][member="Arian Lenar"][/SIZE]

 

[thegreatbeyonder]

"Alright, genius," he said, slouching back in the seat of his chair. "You seem smart enough. Hell, you might also be dumb enough too--come fly with me, do what I do, and help me out as I explore this sector of space." He spoke bluntly on the subject, but with a hint of sarcasm for insurance.

Although, at the same time he didn't actually explain what it was he'd be doing, or even what it was that he himself did. Nor did he reveal whether it was intentional or otherwise, as is usual with the man.

Sitting up again, as if to relax a numb back, "I'm sure whatever you're doing out here on your own must be pretty dull anyway if all you do is give unneeded advice. And even a blind man would know you're far more useful than that. The way you talk, even the way you pause after your bites--it speaks a man who fancies himself detached from the circle of drones. You walk your own path, and it's leading you somewhere but you're not certain where it'll go." The moment of analysis was spoiled as he brought his drink's straw to his lip, slipping up the last drops of liquid in an annoyingly loud fashion.

"What say you, then?"

[member="Samael Rekali"]