Private Time Never Changes

[Reina Daival]

//: Arra Thatch //:
//: Outfit //;

The Ersansyr took a bite of the riceball in her hand, stood admist the spaceport of Taris, a small scowl on her face. It barely looked any different to that day she had been here with the New Jedi order. That had perhaps been the day she should have realised she wasn't cut out to be a Jedi. When she refused to rise above the hatred she had for the Mandalorians at the time and refused to help the innocent and suffering. The irony that she ended up becoming one. Though perhaps it wasn't that ironic. She still felt some form of hatred towards the Mandalorians. She still hated herself. It just added all together.

Her gaze stared out at the others, watching those moving past the crowd. Citizens of the Empire. Her thoughts wandering onto if things would have been better if they had been a part of the Alliance or not. Things seemed to work for them either way. Adjusting her jacket, Reina tossed one of her spare riceballs off to a beggar on the street. It was better than throwing it away in the trash.

What was the point of her being here? What was the point in anything? She could have been off fishing. Doing something she enjoyed. Instead she was here, reminding herself of her failures. Of who she had wanted to try and be and who she couldn't be. Things would have been so much easier for her if she had just went off to get drunk but alas that wasn't what her kind of mindset.



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[Arra Thatch]

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The Mandalorian Empire was not where she wanted to be. But it was a hell of a lot better than Abregado-rae. Arra slung the dufflebag over her shoulder, tools clinking together, as she left the hangar bay in the spaceport. She'd found a job relatively easy so getting credits to continue looking for Suri Thatch wouldn't be a huge struggle. And it was enough that she could both eat at least one meal a day and pay for her room while saving the little leftover for a ticket or help looking for her sister.

Gleaming spires of skyscrapers pierced through the yellow smog in the distance, far from the spaceport, glittering like aurodium in the early evening sun. It always looked pretty but she knew that the wealthy elite weren't as pretty as their buildings. Nor would she ever see what that life was like. She pulled on the strap of the dufflebag and kept walking out of the spaceport. Her scuffed, worn boots half-scraped along the duracrete as she half-dragged her feet. She'd need new ones soon. Abregado-rae had been rough on them.

Arra felt the need to look up immediately. Red hair filled her vision. She awkwardly tripped over herself and around to the side trying to avoid running into the person.

"Oh kark!"

This was the second redhead she'd run into—metaphorically—since the one on Abregado-rae. And while she was of similar height to the first, this one had bright green eyes.

And a rather intimidating scowl.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry," she said quickly.

It probably wouldn't be enough to avoid the redhead's ire but she could hope.

Tags:
Reina Daival​

 

[Reina Daival]

//: Arra Thatch //:
//: Outfit //;

Her gaze flicked over towards the girl who had bumped into her. The Ersansyr didn't think about how...intimidating she could look. Even with her having given somewhat more into the Dark Side recently covering the warmth she'd normally radiate. The gills on the side of her neck flaring up for a moment as she stared up at the stranger. The difference in height didn't intimidate her as much as one might have expected. She had grown used to being surrounded by taller people amidst the Sith either way.

For a moment, she was reminded of herself. It wasn't as if she was probably much older than the girl, but from the outfit she wore, the scruffiness of it all as if she was struggling to make ends meet. If anything, it was like Reina when she was making a living selling fish. Travelling from planet to planet, with barely a single credit to spend on any luxuries. Though it seemed that unlike Reina, the girl couldn't eat off whatever her job was.

"...You hungry?"

Even with the internal frustration, the "blessing" that was being an Ersansyr meant her voice came out in almost a natural song no matter what. She rummaged around in her jacket for a moment, trying to find some form of spare cred chit. No matter how much she might let the Dark Side in, there was still that faint Light inside of her. The desire to help outweighed the desire to do harm.

"I'm not gonna splash the credits for you to get a five star meal, but some groceries or something isn't a problem."


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[Arra Thatch]

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"...You hungry?"

More than the musical quality of the redhead's voice, the words caught Arra by surprise. The redhead had every right to be angry with her and for a moment, it had looked like she was going to be. Arra began to wonder if it was obvious but if the other young woman was asking, then it was obvious. It grinded her gears, knowing that people could look at her and tell that she was probably always hungry, but there wasn't much she could do about being gaunt. She worked her jaw for a heartbeat, trying to think of how to answer.

The redhead started looking around in her pockets.

"I'm not gonna splash the credits for you to get a five star meal, but some groceries or something isn't a problem."

Apparently it didn't matter if Arra answered if she was hungry. She shifted her weight uncomfortably, favoring her bad ankle. The redhead was being genuine in her offer. There might be strings later, but she was genuinely offering creds or food. Either one wouldn't be missed.

"I— Thank you," Arra said quietly. "I'm here for... well for a little bit anyways. I can pay you back. If you need anything mecahnical fixed, I'll do it free."

There. If there were going to be strings attached, she'd gotten ahead of them and offered a favor for a favor. And it made her feel better about accepting someone else's charity, if it was genuine. Arra's face flushed as it struck her that she hadn't given her name yet so if the redhead wanted to take her up on her offer, she had no way of finding her.

"Name's Arra," she said, shifting awkwardly. She winced internally at the sound of her own voice compared to the redhead's. "Arra Thatch."

Tags:
Reina Daival​

 

[Reina Daival]

//: Arra Thatch //:
//: Outfit //;

Ah. Mechanical work. That explained a lot. Can't exactly eat a bunch of nuts and bolts. Especially when they were the ones putting people out of the more enjoyable jobs. It'd be better in Reina's eyes if she could just rip apart every blasted droid she came across, but for now she kept that frustration under wraps as she gave the girl a small shake of her head.

"Tech work? Nah. I'm alright on that end. I ain't no expert but having a prosthetic leg and the Force means I'm able to fix my own stuff."

Reina didn't think about how that wouldn't have made any sense without context. She didn't have that prosthesis anymore. She for now just gave a dismissive wave through the air as the stranger introduced herself.

"Mhm. Reina. Reina Daival. You know any good places to get food from here? I haven't been here since the Galactic Alliance was still a superpower in the Galaxy."

She turned her gaze to their surroundings, scratching the side of her neck in thought. Where was the best market to go to? She wasn't exactly a local and didn't exactly have the thought to try and find a map.

"So...What do you want to eat? I doubt this planet has any good fish here. I could prepare some of that myself if they did...Plus teach you how to do it yourself. Easier to live off the land if you know how to prepare it."

It was part of why Reina didn't see the point in cafe, diners or restaurants. They just cost credits that people might not have. It was always a safer and easier bet to learn how to look out for yourself. But sometimes people didn't have the teachers willing to impart those lessons on them.
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[Arra Thatch]

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That... didn't make a whole lot of sense if she was honest. But the way she spoke told her more about the redhead—Reina, she'd said. It wasn't the refined, snooty speech of aristocrats or even the wordy talk of scholars and the like. She sounded a lot like the people Arra had grown up and worked around. Arra allowed herself to relax a little. So far, the redhead hadn't jumped her or yelled so she wasn't a tough.

"Mhm. Reina. Reina Daival. You know any good places to get food from here? I haven't been here since the Galactic Alliance was still a superpower in the Galaxy."

Arra shook her head. "No, I-I haven't been here all that long. Few of the guys go to a bar usually," she said. "I just... make do."

The Galactic Alliance was a name she hadn't heard for a bit. Granted, life hadn't changed much since its fall and she'd been too young during its heyday, too busy to really pay attention to it. After their dad died, who ruled which planets didn't become any more important than before. The Mandalorians that came to Abregado-rae changed that. Irreparably.

Reina's question made her stop and consider. It wasn't something she really thought about. Usually, it was just whatever she could afford. Sometimes, whatever she could find that was still decently edible in a dumpster. During the worst time in her life, it had been bugs. Arra wrinkled her nose reflexively. Never again. Not if she could help it.

"I don't really care?" she said, changing her sentence at the last moment to be a question instead. She didn't want Reina to feel like she was just brushing off the question. "And yeah, I don't think fish from here's a good idea. I'd be worried about kessoline in it."

Arra nodded ahead of them. "There's a market ahead, but it gets a lot of spaceport traffic so it's prices are higher. There's another in this direction. Farther, but cheaper."

Tags:
Reina Daival​

 

[Reina Daival]

//: Arra Thatch //:
//: Outfit //;

"Bars are a place for drunken mistakes. Not food. Shouldn't waste your credits in those kind of places."

She could think of a fair few drunken mistakes she had met at different clubs and bars. Thoughts that she tried to keep out of her mind. Instead she decided it was just a good idea to get moving, as she stepped off and expected Arra to follow along with her as the Ersansyr folded her arms along her front, watching the others walk amongst them.

"We'll go for the further market. There's the odd chance that the quality are the one nearby might be lacking. They don't good quality food if people are on the move."

There was a part of Reina that wondered what in the Force's name was she doing. Why was she helping some random stranger she barely knew, when she had refused to do that for so long. When she had decided that she had only cared about the people who were a part of her life. What had exactly changed to make her act like this? She wasn't some kind of saviour. Or helper. She was a nobody at the end of the day. Not a helper. Not some form of teacher.

"Even if a fish is tainted with kessoline, there'd still be used for it. The organs. To use it as bait. You just need to know how to use it. Plus hey, if you're selling it, you don't need to hang around long enough for people to eat."

Was she suggesting scamming some poor innocent sap by selling them tainted fish? Of course she was. There was no point in being morally right when it came to survival!
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[Arra Thatch]

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"Waste of credits is right," Arra said. She'd been to one once and felt uncomfortable the entire time. Creds were better spent on actual food. Reina said they'd go for the further market, and Arra sighed quietly with relief. Cheaper over convenience meant she wouldn't incur a huge debt, but Reina had also pointed out something Arra had never actually paid attention to: quality. Back on Abregado-rae, cheap meant cheap quality, even before the Sith arrived. It hadn't occurred to her that some people would sell good things at a low price. And while the cheaper market was a healthy walk from the spaceport, it was a good day for her bad ankle. She hadn't needed to be on it a lot.

Arra huffed a laugh at the kessoline fish comment, even though she wasn't sure it was a joke or not. "It's not just kessoline I'm worried about. With all the crap tossed into these swamps, I'm worried about a fish hunting me."

The idea of scamming someone didn't really bother her. Plenty of people had done it on Abregado-rae. In fact, it was one of the first lessons Arra had learned the hard way after their dad died. Most scammers didn't care if you were a kid, they just cared if you had credits. Arra couldn't blame people that resorted to doing that but she also couldn't do that to someone else. She'd rather eat bugs again.

One thing still bothered her though. Reina hadn't made a return request. In fact, she'd shot down the offer that Arra had made. Which was fair—if she didn't need help with tech or machines, she didn't need help. But that left Arra in the disadvantaged position of having accepted not just help, but monetary help from someone else. Nine times out of ten, they always collected on a debt.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "For doing this. If you're sticking around, I'll try to pay you back quickly."

A thought occurred to her. Reina travelled and seemed like she knew her way around the galaxy enough to know the galactic governments. At least, her knowledge seemed better than Arra's. It was entirely possible she could have run into other refugees from Abregado-rae. She could have run into Suri.

"Um, do you travel a lot?" she asked. She should start there and then work her way to asking the real question.

It was a long shot but maybe she could find Suri sooner rather than later.

Tags:
Reina Daival​

 

[Reina Daival]

//: Arra Thatch //:
//: Outfit //;

"I'm rarely wrong when it comes to credits."

Reina broke out into a small smirk of her own at that. Come to think of it, she was surprisingly frugal when it came to her credits. Even if she wasn't as poor as she used to be and had certain people to rely on if she was in desperate need for credits, she still found herself quite tight-fisted around her credits. At least that's what she believed, but the fact that she was going off to buy groceries for some stranger...Well, it was definitely proving that she didn't quite know herself as well as she thought.

"If something is gonna hunt you, you just need to learn how to fight back. It's pretty simple. Nearly everything bleeds. Even if they're covered head to toe in armour."

Perhaps...a bit darker than she should have been. But the first person Reina had killed, she was roughly in the same position as Arra had been in. It had been a Mandalorian of all people. And here she was, technically a Mandalorian, technically aiding someone who was in the same boat as she had been in. Not that it mattered though, as her gaze flicked back over towards Arra as the other woman said she'd to try and pay her back.

"No. You won't. Don't offer to pay back someone you don't know. You don't know who's willing to take advantage of that. Take the gift. That's the end of it."

With that, she carried on walking. In fact, she didn't even answer Arra's question about travelling immediately. Instead the Ersansyr let the silence fill the air as she folded her arms along her front. It was only once the silence finally began to became awkward that she opened her mouth.

"All I've ever done is travel. From Alliance Space, to Republic, to Sith, to Empire. Staying in one area of space for too long is never a good idea. You never know when the next attack might come."

And for all Reina knew, she might have to be part of that attack. Fortunately enough for her, it didn't seem as if the Empire and Sith had any...negative relationships, so she could keep her little alligences there a secret. But it was only a matter of time...She shook her head, attempting not to focus on that.

"You have a point in asking that question, don't you? Get to it. I don't beat around the bush. And I don't like it when other people do it."
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