Thorns

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Samantha Solo"] | Samantha's Condo, Corellia


Legs stretched out before her as she carefully balanced a glass of red wine in one hand. Having a penchant for being clumsy, Delila was more than a little nervous about spilling the drink across the light colored interior of the home. Especially if the topic got animated or their laughter got too loud - one might forget their was a drink in their hand.


"We should have did this sooner."


Easy to say, hard to accomplish. Both were busy. Life tended to get in the way or unexpected events tended to pop up. Delila had been on the crew of the Gossamer for well over a year prior. Samantha had her work. One may consider it unusual to still be in contact with a former sister-in-law but Dells had considered Samantha family by now. Family one could actually stand to be around at that.


"What have you been up to? Still working too hard?"


Legs crossed, blue eyes searching the other woman for unsaid clues. Both brothers tended to be idiots when it came to their sister, blindly ignoring issues that cropped up. Delila could say they were busy, but the realistic answer was they were both dense.

 

[Samantha Solo]

[member="Delila Castillon"]​

​

"I agree if [member="Brad Solo"] or [member="Hawk Solo"] were to find out there'd be questions coming at us faster than we can blink. They are so nosey" She laughed her brothers meant well and they had good intentions but there were times they were about a dense as rock.

"Yeah work. Nothing like crawling through sewer lines and swamps to find out what gangs are doing what this week." She laughed, "I wouldn't have it any other though, its well fun at times. And....if I am honest the adrenaline rush is good too." Sam had her drink taking a long draw on the glass.

"ohh Dee tell me what have you been doing while carousing the galaxy?" For a little while they could just be girls catching up, something normal.

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Samantha Solo"]


"Questions faster than we can blink? I think you're giving both of them too much credit, although Brad might be a bit more rapid fire. If he'd made it this far as a lawyer his brain might work a bit faster than we suspect. Although, lets not puff him up too much right now."

Eyebrow quirked at the mention of gangs and sewers. Kids were hanging out in sewers nowadays? Well, if someone was pushing drugs or guns they probably weren't doing it wide open in the streets. Delila suspected with upheaval around the galaxy the blackmarket and gang activity were actively thriving.

"Crawling through sewers? I thought I smelt something strange when I walked in. Seriously, be careful."

Another sip of wine and Delila shook her head,disagreeing.

"Carousing is hardly the word. Xin and I were on the Gossamer as part of a huge crew exploring another galaxy. That was....interesting...but nice. Hard work, cramped in a tiny little cabin with Xin and Skreech. Learned a bit to help with the new shipping venture so...always nice."

 

[Samantha Solo]

"The boys mean well even when they do something that just makes ya want to pull your hair out" Sam knew her brothers well, Dee probably knew them just as well having been around them for so long.

The thing is the boys for all their puffing sometimes forgot that the women in their lives weren't one of the boys. They couldn't just say things and expect that it was alright.

"Yes their is a rise in cartels again. It's filling some kind of gap got to find it it and plug it before they become too powerful." There were always gangs of some kind on Corellia. Always they lingered in the shadows waiting like leeches to begin sucking whatever prosperity could be found. She didn't hate them completely she just wished they wouldn't take advantage of all the kids.

Anyhow.

"I don't know,cramped in a small room with a guy....sounds....intense."She laughed, it did sound a little enticing.

"I once thought about joining some expedition to do something like that but I'm not sure I'm the kinda girl that can be cramped in ships for a long time. I'd probably get in more trouble than doing some good. Did you find anything out there? Ya know new, exciting?"

Sam still loved new and exciting even if she wasn't roaming all around anymore.

[member="Delila Castillon"]

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Samantha Solo"]


"Intense might be one way of putting it. Can't say I didn't enjoy it, at the same time I am happy to be back with a bit of space to stretch out. Won't be complaining about a cramped ship ever again after that experience."


Delila reached across the space between them and grabbed the bottle of wine off the coffee table. She tended to be stuck with mostly men and thus her alcohol intake lately had been more in the family of hard liquors. A nice change of pace compared to chugging down shots.


"We got stuck in a crystal planet. I completely freaked out but a lot of fascinating wildlife. Things I thought I would never see. Never dream of. I'm not sure how crystalized creatures eat one another but it was a bit scary. Saw a lot of odd spaceports and traded with people. Ate some weird food. Learned some inventory and supply tricks. It was productive overall."

Another sip of wine.

"We could go somewhere. Get in some trouble."

 

[Samantha Solo]

[member="Delila Castillon"]


The way she talked it sounded like the adventure of a lifetime, new creatures, new food, new everything. All that how Sam wished she could do something like that..."WE could?!"

Dee had to hear the excitement in her voice, "you mean it, you and me....like where could we go?" Sam sat on the edge of her seat more like a child on life day than a grown woman. It just seemed everything was so serious all the time and this...man this was just what she needed to help her feel alive.

Yeah working was great and it fed a lot of her needs, but fun...real fun....now that would fill a void that had been empty for some time.

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Samantha Solo"]


"Why couldn't we? I don't see a ring on this finger."


Delila held up her left hand for emphasis. She hadn't spotted one on Sam either. Nor spotted a male presence in the house. Wasn't her sister-in-law married at one point? Perhaps she had joined the First Wives Club while Delila was out in the other galaxy. She could ask later, when it was more appropriate.


"You and me. I can get away for a bit. Question is where do you want to go and what will we do? Really I'm just along for the ride at his point, its your trip Sam. Big city, backwater. It won't matter to me."

 

[Samantha Solo]

[member="Delila Castillon"]

"Oh where to go?" she nodded holding up her own fingers, no rings though there had been someone wonderful at one point he was on a long mission away uncertain when he'd be back. It felt like a long time already, not that she was planning on going out and finding a guy.

BUT she could take a trip, anywhere....to do almost anything away from Corellia, away from the Core...away from everything that left her with a bad memory.

"What's the furthest out really, a place where..we can...relax but have some adventure..there's" Sam was looking for something...where was it she knew it was here..OH...she grabbed the map sprawled it out, "Ok so....let's think...where to go " The galaxy was big and there were a lot of places to see.

The Outer Rim grabbed her attention, why? She had no idea.

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Samantha Solo"]


Eyes scanned over the map, watching little planets rotate around with their names attached. She had been to a few of the planets in her travels,mainly to drop off goods or cargo. Or for military reasons back ages ago. Some weren't worth trying to visit. Some a bit too dangerous - not that both of them couldn't handle it. Just didn't feel the need to bust skulls with her sister-in-law.


"There's a planet named Castilon? Seriously?! Wonder if thats where my name originated from. Only they added in a second 'L' for flair perhaps. Can't say I've ever heard of the planet ever. We should go. Its very blue on this map...ocean perhaps? It will be nice to go swimming and not hold someone back from zooming all over the place."


Delila looked at Sam.


"Sun, surf. A little mystery. What else could we ask for? Although we will have to catch public transport I think. Xin's using the ship."

 

[Samantha Solo]

"Castilon, are you making that up? Or did you name it on one of your adventures?" She laughed wondering how Dee had found that. "Really..." She was surprised "hey who knows maybe you had an ancestor who was out there."

Or who knew, maybe Dee was actually the last of a long line of nerf herders, or belly dancing red heads, or....warriors..the imagination could run a bit wild with the what if and maybes

"Yeah, sun, surf...mystery...I can do it...and maybe a little shopping. I need...something I'm sure" Something, anything, maybe shirts that said I got it on with Castilon. Or some other catchy phrase.

"Let's go." She was ready, and she could pack in a flash too.

[member="Delila Castillon"]

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Samantha Solo"]


"I'm not making it up. Maybe my long distant relatives were seafaring folk. Which would be odd, very odd."


Being already packed from coming into Corellia, she got to lounge around and make commentary while Sam collected her things. Castilon was on the edge of the Outer Rim so it would take awhile. Not to mention a deal of connecting public transport hops in order to reach the destination. Apparently Castilon was still an Outer Rim hub. There was a note to stop by with Xin if they were ever in the area. It was hard to find decent spaceports in the Rim.

-- Days Later --


Several days later Dells was stretching trying to fix the kinks out of her back. Flying with a bunch of others wasn't something she was used to. Being confined on a ship was one thing. Mix in a ton of strangers and she was out of her element. Typically she was used to small crowds so it had been trying. Yet they had made it.


"Let the girls fun begin. Guess we should probably set down our bags, shower and look fabulous, before hitting the streets?"

 

[Samantha Solo]

Sam moved through some of the cat like stretches she had learned in some class a hundred years ago, or so it seemed. She didn't mind the crowd, the jokers, the ones trying to figure out what they were doing no she was a social creature.

Dee on the other hand at times seemed like she needed a protective bubble, it tickled her to watch Dee fend off the admirers. Course one of them had whispered to Sam, what happens on Castilon stays on Castilon. She promptly told yes she heard some bodies had never been found following it up with a big grin.

"Yes. Let's get into something comfortable, after wiping some of this travel grunge off, and I need a drink too. Did you see that Dug eyeballing you yesterday?" Dug's where not pretty to look at.

[member="Delila Castillon"]

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Samantha Solo"] | Planet of Castilon


"I saw him. Didn't know if he was planning on hitting on me or killing me. It really could have gone either way if we're being honest. Wasn't worried, we're able to handle ourselves."


Delila wasn't sure why they had suddenly acquired a sea of admirers. Perhaps she had been traveling with [member="Xin Boa"] too often. Not that she particularly paid attention but perhaps the Nautolan was keeping a stern gaze on anyone who drifted a little too close for comfort.


Eyes turned to her comm, looking on where they were supposed to be headed. Considering their current luck with odd strangers walking was most likely their best bet. After turning once and turning back, the redhead was fairly certain the direction was to their left a ways. Head inclined to a side "street" (best she could describe it) that looked off the beaten tourist path. Much like Mon Cala, the cities were of the floating type.


"I second the drink. Maybe two. No bars right now though, I might end up killing someone if we get looked at like pieces of meat again."

 

[Samantha Solo]

"I've heard if you step on them really hard they get the message" She had not seen many of them on Corellia so what she knew was book knowledge and even that could be a fabrication.

Sam knew why they got admirers, travelers wanting to make a connection, far from home alone it made one long for the comfort of another. Two women traveling alone was like claiming open season on bantha.

"Agreed" Sam moved along the side street she could then hear the soft sounds of music up ahead where the street crossed another a man sat playing a harp. "I've seen one of those before" the melody was easy, it was the visual effects of the charms attached the strings that lured Sam, "Let's get a drink here and sit outside..it seems...relatively safe...what do you think?"

Sam just stood and listened the notes touched upon her soul giving her spirit a much needed boost.

[member="Delila Castillon"]

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Samantha Solo"]


"You just want to stare at the handsome harp player." A pause as if she was debating the entire thing, despite already ready to agree. "Yeah, lets sit outside and stare. Besides, I'll keep my overnight bag closer, got a blaster sitting right on top."


It didn't take too long for Dells to collect a tropical drink loaded down with fruit juice and a cheery umbrella and stake a claim at a small table in the sun. If they kept this pace up of being in the sun she would be nothing but freckles in another day. Legs were crossed as she stared at the musician across the way for a moment, sipping her oddly tropical and (probably) overly touristy drink.

"Are we going to have to create a sock-on-the-door system?" There was a huge,teasing grin on her face. "Just tell me in advance so I don't walk in on anything I can't unsee."

 

[Samantha Solo]

She laughed, "Yes sometimes I mean look at his fingers the way they move...I bet he's really good with his fingers." They finally parked it in a seat and ordered the first of what was likely to be many drinks.

Fruit, straws and whatever the locally brewed was in a glass.

"Sock on the door...oh why not just fast and dirty in the alley?" She looked over at Dells totally kidding of course, "that way they don't follow you home" She couldn't help but continue the sarcasm.

[member="Delila Castillon"]

 

[Delila Castillon]

[member="Samantha Solo"]


Eyebrow raised at the harp player comment but Delila decided not to add her own thoughts into the fray. She wasn't quite sure her thoughts were family friendly at this point. Besides, commenting might encourage Sam. Delila didn't want to get ditched this early in their trip for some guy.


"I've had...uh...an 'encounter' on the beach. Highly recommended, just be mindful of sand. Skip the alleyway, you're better than that." A pause as she took a sip of the tropical drink. "He still followed me around like a lost puppy though. You're on your own ditching them."


Eyes drifted to their surroundings.


"You know I havent been to a club in ages. Haven't had a chance to dance in ages. Since you're on the prowl for someone....maybe we should pretend to be young and exciting again and hit a few places."

 

[Samantha Solo]

"Too much sand on the beach and it gets in places that.....well....make it unnecessary to go to the spa." Yep the sand scrubbed everything off. Left it all smooth as silk but...oooooo what a burn...no she wouldn't do sand.

"Prowl?" She laughed a bit uneasy "I don't know that I'm prowling, I'm just...venting in other ways than someone normal." She sighed as she took another drink, "I can talk bit, and dish it out with the best of them but in truth, I'm harmless."

She was. she looked at Dee for a moment no one knew Greg was missing. His job did that sometimes took him to some place then he went in so deep that he wasn't Greg anymore he was someone else. She didnt know if this was one of those times or if something worse had happened. No one had tapped on the front door or sent the anonymous just so you know message to the house. So, she assumed he wasn't dead.

CorSec Special Ops Division took all the jobs that no one else really wanted to do anymore, no that wasn't true either. They did the jobs they trained to do.

[member="Delila Castillon"]