Private What Lays In Shadow

[Aliris Tremiru]

To say Lothal had an underworld would be more akin to saying a teddy bear was a dangerous weapon to those who had been to proper underworlds. Aliris was among those, unfortunately. Her time on Denon was still a memory in her mind she'd rather not think much on. What she did, how she survived, there were no good stories of that city world. Lothal's underworld was more a collection of individuals down on their luck and the occasional actual criminals trying to find something worth their time. It was a backwater world of little significance, but that was a boon to some criminals.

It was why she was walking down the back alley now. As a Jedi, there was some authority to help people. A dive bar would be a good place as any, she figured, to find the one she was looking for. One of the woman who came to the Temple had taken notice that her son had fallen into a bad crowd and she was worried he might end up doing something foolish. It worried Aliris too, and apparently the Jedi of the Temple enough to let her go and see what she could do. Hood up she'd enter the bar, glancing around only briefly before heading right towards the counter within.

She'd wait for the young man to arrive here. Hopefully without drawing too much attention. She at least didn't have a lightsaber to make her stand out.

Razmir Tezhyn

 

[Razmir Tezhyn]

Razmir withdrew the vibroknife from the weak point in the bounty hunter's armor. It slipped from between helmet and chestplate, trailing blood. His adversary, a bounty hunter whose name he didn't know, toppled into the lake and sank, weighed down by the durasteel plates of his armour.

Razmir took the time to watch him disappear beneath the surface, then waited longer until the waters stilled again. After what felt like a small eternity of staring at his own reflection, Razmir exhaled a slow breath of relief. The bounty hunter didn't resurface.

He made a mental note to slip the kid who'd tipped him off about the hunter a few credits when he was back in town. That tip might have been what had saved Raz's life.

The tension in Raz's muscles finally faded. This life was getting tiring. He needed a drink.

#

The cantina door jingled as Razmir pushed it open. That made him hesitate. He scanned the crowd. No dirty looks came his way. No silent warnings or street toughs sizing him up for a quick payday. Instead, he got the patrons seemed like hearty folk. He got the impression they were honest labourers enjoying an evening to unwind from the day's hard labour. He stuck out like a sore thumb around these parts, but no one seemed to pay him any mind.

That was a pleasant surprise.

Raz moved to the counter, thinking nothing of the cloaked figure there, and waved down the bartender.

"You know how to mix a Coronet?"

Aliris Tremiru

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

Tea ended up being her drink of choice. She cradled it in her hands, letting the warmth spread. Aliris was nervous in a way. She wanted to help the boy find a different path, but would they even be willing to listen? The silence of her immediate surroundings only left her in her own head, occasionally glancing to the door as if the boy was going to come through next.

When the door did finally open she looked right up, her eyes focused on- Oh. It wasn't the boy she'd been waiting for. Her expression fell jus a bit as she turned to her tea, sipping at it from where she sat at the bar. At least it wasn't completely quiet to her now as the man who'd entered was ordering at the bar. She did blink though, glancing over towards the man with a brow raised.

"Coronet? Why would there be a drink named after the net of all things?"

Razmir Tezhyn

 

[Razmir Tezhyn]

He turned toward the door while he waited, an old habit, and flipped his commlink open. Several new messages, bills for new tech from from Yeza and Cardinal, mostly. He began to type, when he absently registered the woman he'd dismissed had actually aimed her question at him.

"Uh, what?"

The actual contents of her question took a moment longer to register.

"No, it's a type of—"

Raz sighed and looked over to the barman, praying that he might take care of explaining that a Coronet was a special type of mixed drink. The barman's expression, however, was as blank and confused as the woman's.

"You have Corellian whisky and kavasa fruit on hand?" Raz asked the barman.

The older man nodded but his expression didn't change. It was clear he wasn't following where Razmir was leading him.

Razmir sighed. Lothal might not have been a total backwater, but it clearly wasn't as tapped into galactic culture as he'd assumed. He dug a credit chip from his pocket and flipped it to the barman in a tall arc. The man looked surprised for a second, but readied himself and caught the chip between his hands.

That same moment, Razmir hopped the counter. By the time the barman noticed, he was already picking out the bottle of Corellian.

"Hey, you can't—" the barman began, but Raz cut into his words.

"Relax, I'll pay extra for everything I use. Take a break, and allow me to demonstrate what a Coronet is," he flashed them both a well-practiced warm smile.

For good measure, Razmir reached out to the barman's mind through ways beyond the physical. He dulled the man's anger to prevent a scene, and pushed on his capacity for cheerfulness. It wasn't quite a mind trick in the traditional sense. Nothing that a Jedi might employ. The man's free will was never overridden. The extent of Razmir's influence was a more subtle mix of his own non-confrontational, charming ways and the subtle push on how the man felt about their encounter.

Any observer would likely attribute the barman's lack of resistance to Razmir possessing some infectious charm. That he was someone who could be inherently trusted.

If not, well, Raz would be leaving the world with one less bar in the galaxy that welcomed him, and a grumpier mood.

Aliris Tremiru

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

She would've laughed in all honesty. There weren't many drinks that the people here knew about to even ask for, so seeing the poor bartender blanking on what a Coronet was to the point the man who'd asked for it decided to hop over the bar and make it himself. It wasn't unheard of, folks here were pretty lax. But there was some issue to be had with a stranger doing so. An issue that quickly faded.

An issue that went away with a pulse of the Force.

Aliris's expression thinned, her eyes now focused on the man rather than the tea she was sipping. Suspicion. It would've been one thing to see such an action used in a fight, or an escalation. But to use it on someone just doing their job, stopping a customer from coming behind the bar? She didn't have a lightsaber, or any real authority, but her glare alone spoke volumes.

"You shouldn't do that."

Razmir Tezhyn

 

[Razmir Tezhyn]

Razmir placed three glasses on the counter, then filled each one with a few ice cubes. The barman didn't protest. He stood there, with his arms crossed, and watched Raz with, admittedly with a hint of suspicion, but no overt gestures that told him to stop. His evening was saved.

The bottle of Corellian had stood undisturbed long enough that the smallest sheet of dust had formed on it. The locals didn't seem to appreciate it, but the proprietor had done well in choosing the brand he had. This bottle originated from the Corellia's southern continents, where the climate was warm and humid. The taste was more pronounced but not as harsh as some of the northern ones.

He placed the bottle on the counter and met the woman's eyes. Where the bartender watched with quiet passivity, she did not. If she hadn't outright said it, her expression would have told him plenty about her disapproval. He guessed she must have found his boldness at doing the bartender's job for him disrespectful. It was, he supposed, a bit of a sleemo thing to do, but it wasn't like there was no upside to it.

"Don't worry, I know a thing or two about this line of work," Raz smiled, warm and bright. "Besides, my friend here would have kicked me out already if he was seriously bothered by a pair of helping hands, eh?" He poked the bartender with his elbow.

The man rolled his eyes and kept polishing the glasses.

"If you weren't payin' me for it I just might've," the bartender grumbled.

Razmir gave a small laugh and grinned, fetching the kavasa fruit from the bottom shelf.

Aliris Tremiru

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

At least the Bartender still responded. It wasn't full domination then, just subtle guidance? It didn't sit any better for Aliris though as she watched the man mix his drink. Everything felt uncomfortable now. Someone with the ability to influence another's mind and did so for a drink wasn't a Jedi, were they? The Order at least would be swift to punish someone who used the Force on another over something so trivial.

She didn't want to make a scene either, though. The boy she was waiting for was due to be here any moment, and she didn't have a Lightsaber or authority here. Was she supposed to sit here in silence? Supposed to say something more? The internal struggle was clear on her face as she stared at the man.

"Is that what you made him feel?"

Razmir Tezhyn

 

[Razmir Tezhyn]

It took care to peel the kavasa fruit in a way that didn't cut too deep and break the inside. The rind was so thin, and the shape of the fruit so awkward that a wrong move could cut too deep and spill the juice. While some added it to the Coronet, Raz found that made it taste too sweet. Ruined the subtle aroma the Kavasa peel added.

Once he had three pieces, he pulled a lighter from his pocket and got to warming them up.

"Noticed that, did you?" He smiled at the woman. "That why you're staring at me like I got blood on my hands?"

Aliris Tremiru

 

[Aliris Tremiru]

"Blood on your hands is an exaggeration. But it's not something you should've done." Was the curt response given. He had only decided to make a drink, so it wasn't anything too wrong, right? The type of thing someone wouldn't think was bad but might once they realize what it does to others? Maybe. She let out a breath before she glanced to the drink he was making.

".. I appreciate that you paid, at least."

Razmir Tezhyn