Who Made You the Boss, Lady?

[Kay-Larr]

****** TWO YEARS AGO ******

Kay had spent the last few years since her husband's death on Commenor. Most of the time she stayed away from everything and everyone, coming out only when she needed more supplies. Sure she could have ordered some from the holonet and had them delivered, but she didn't really trust such services.

So here she was in the market, dressed like a common merchant with her satchel strapped over her shoulder. She didn't yet have the ability to hide her Force signature, so it was felt by other Force sensitives. Kay didn't like that. So she never did stay within the towns or cities for long. One would almost say that she was like a hermit, but really she just was in mourning, figuring that she would be for the rest of her life.

She entered a booth that was filled with a variety of teas. There was one that tasted better than all the others, but she couldn't remember what kind of leaf it was. So she started to begin the slow process of going through them all, losing herself in the process.

 

[Akira Kono]

Commenor:
Roughly Two Years Ago

Smash, crunch, thunk! These were the sounds of doors sliding open and garbage being tossed out onto the streets on the planet of Commenor. This garbage wasn't your average collection of bags, containers, wasted food, and napkins. This garbage was the being known as Akira Kono, and he was making his first impression on a pile of that very same garbage that had been washed from the bins that he had spent his time in over the last few days. This was his journey across the stars.

Being thrown out of a Starport was nothing new for the, currently, fourteen-year-old adolescent from Kiffex. Having left his home world, and the shame that his existence was wrought with from the day of his birth, Akira had been travelling the stars--from planet to planet--as a stowaway on as many vessels as he could possible slink his presence on to without being caught. This wasn't a life that most children were accustomed to, but for someone that had never felt a sense of home, this was the only life he could dream of.

Having been raised in the foster system on Kiffex--a planet widely known for its prisons and unsavory types--Akira had learned the basics in school but it was the extracurriculars that had helped him on his quest to find a home. These unsavory types were those who always needed someone small enough to fit through a duct and young enough to forget a face if they were caught in the process. From these people, Akira learned how to survive and scrap together bits and pieces to keep fed and rested--on the streets or in a makeshift shack--until he could find the next shuttle to carry him to somewhere new.

Akira pushed himself to his feet with a groan, and a sneer, at the security droids that had thrown him out into the wilds of Commenor. These wilds weren't jungles, nor forests, but an expanse of markets and shops that would make a thief's eyes light up in wonder. And right now, Akira's eyes had decided to light up just enough to find a mark that would be willing to part with their credit chip and provide a decent meal--maybe even a room at a local hotel--if he could catch them at just the right moment.

Walking forward--into the concentration of shops and stands--Akira brushed off his clothes to remove some of the dust and muck that was now attached to him. He started at his shoulders and moved down his body until he reached the tips of his boots. It wasn't more than a brief pat-down but it was enough for Akira to survey the scene while seeming inconspicuous enough to not attract any unwanted attention.

"There! Her," Akira exclaimed in his mind as he began to draw closer to a woman, [member="Lady Kay"], dressed as a simple merchant. With a satchel draped over her shoulder, and her attention lost on a booth full of tea, she seemed like the perfect person to make a move on.

Casually walking from booth to booth--appearing like a regular shopper--Akira made his way from the Starport into the depths of the market in which his target was perusing. He moved at an average pace until he came upon the edge of the booth wherein he could just barely make out the satchel with his eyes as he pressed his body against the booth--his right hand reaching out toward the bag that was just out of his reach.

"Time to work my magic," he mouthed to himself as he squinted his eyes in concentration. His hand began to grab at the satchel in a pulling motion while using--what he would later discover to be--some of his raw force ability.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay was busy smelling some of the tea leaves when she felt the pull. It wasn't quite physical, but it was there. She turned her head and saw [member="Akira Kono"] reaching for her satchel. She eyed the teenager and then raised a brow. "Looking for something? Or were you just trying to grab my attention?" He certainly had it now. As well as the attention of the owner of the booth whom was always keeping an eye out for thieves. Neither of them made a push to contact the authorities yet however. That all depended on whether or not the boy decided to run. The guilty tended to run or to fight. She folded her arms across her chest, securing her satchel to her as she waited for him to answer.

 

[Akira Kono]

Akira's eyes widened, and his extended arm flinched backward, as his fingers grasped nothing but air; while his eyes had caught that of [member="Lady Kay"]. He knew that he had been caught but now was his moment to seize this opportunity and determine his own fate by the silk on his tongue and the confidence he had in his craft. Akira now had the chance to turn the table back toward the opponent who had finally realized the game that Akira had been playing right under her nose. The game had just evolved and Akira couldn't refuse a challenge. Smoothing out his hesitation, Akira retracted his right hand to slide across the buzzcut right side of his head as his eyes tightened with his cheeks as they helped his lips form a jovial smile.

Revealing himself, fully, to the stares of the woman before him, and the shopkeeper, Akira let out a brief, yet uneasy, chuckle before beginning to inch closer and closer to Lady Kay. His plan had to adapt, to change, to chance at an opportunity that had an equal chance of failing than it did succeeding. Akira had to resort to this old fashioned technique in order to get his daily meal and he wasn't as ashamed of it as he would have been if Lady Kay had looked like she couldn't afford his antics. Deep down, Akira had always resented those who had means onto themselves while he had suffered the hospitality of foster homes and orphanages.

"Who, me," Akira enquired as his left wrist snapped up to allow the index finger on that hand to waggle at himself. His face had molded into an innocence that only a seasoned, and mischievous, child would have practiced. "Oh, I was just noticing how pretty you were! I couldn't help myself."

Complements! Vanity was a concept that wasn't lost on Akira and that very aspect was something that he sought to exploit in anyone. In truth, Akira realized how much people could care about themselves--their looks--and was ready to use that to his advantage to distract from his ulterior motives. This move was meant to soften her up--make her melt like butter--and diffuse the situation into thinking that Akira was nothing but a harmless teen with too many 'improper' thoughts trailing through the recesses of his mind.

"I mean, look at you! Am I right," he began with a gesture toward Lady Kay before looking for an affirmation from the shopkeeper--another person that had to be placed at ease. "I bet you could slay a rancor with a bat of your eyelash."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow at his compliment and then smirked as he made more of them before asking others to verify his words. "You know....there are certain types of people that say such things. Either you're trying to sell me a sandbox in the desert or you are trying to misdirect our attention from what you are really up to." She tilted her head to the side a bit as she studied the young man. "So.....which is it?"

[member="Akira Kono"]

 

[Akira Kono]

As he continued to slither his way closer to [member="Lady Kay"], and her bag, Akira rubbed his hands together and placed them just under his chin to frame a face of innocence. Crafting, and creating, the perfect angle and expressing was something that was an acquired art over time and practice. He knew he had to place everyone at ease before he could strike and nothing other than his body language could do that--even if the words falling from his mouth were as warm and soft as the insides of a taun taun.

"Aw, m'lady, you think too little of a young boy such as myself," he began with a glint of deceit in his eyes. "If no one has ever complimented you in such as way; why would you cast them away if they seek nothing but your pleasure?"

Opening his hands to reveal his palms--spread out--in a gesture of warmth toward the woman before him. He had all but forgotten the shopkeeper--for she would be too far away to do anything about his thievery once it had commenced but [member="Lady Kay"]'s grip upon her bag would be the last thing that would have to weaken before he could get away with his grand scheme. If that should not happen, however, Akira would have to change his strategy off the top of his head--yet again.

Was all this trouble really worth it for the opportunity of one bag, one satchel, one person's daily savings? Of course it was! The thrill of the challenge was what excited Akira in his quest to find his way through the murky dredge of his meaningless existence. His only hope was to entertain himself by increasing the risk, and the reward, of whatever he decided to do next. Could this bag lead him to vast riches and the lap of luxury or could it lead to a measly night in a hotel and protein paste? For Akira, this gamble was worth the risk!

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay kept her arms crossed as [member="Akira Kono"] seemed to move towards her. She eyed the young man and answered his question. "I don't trust a silver tongue. They only want things for themselves and take advantage of others. If you want something from me, then just ask. The worst that could happen is that I say no."

Both her and the shopkeeper never let their eyes stray from him. Lawyers, politicians, all of that sort would love this kid and his skills. But Kay wasn't that sort. She was hardly selfish.

 

[Akira Kono]

"Ask and you shall receive, eh," inquired Akira within his own mind at the offer that was placed before him by [member="Lady Kay"]. There was a subtle drift in Akira's motion toward [member="Lady Kay"] but what that hesitation was would take a lifetime to explain. The lifetime was that of Akira and his ability to grow, and mature, without the help of others, or at least without accepting help from others, as he transformed into the teen that stood with a disingenuous attitude and a million credit smile. This was a lifetime full of sadness, loneliness, and a lack of self-worth other than that of a two-bit street urchin that lacked any sense, or defining direction, in his life.

Time was counting down, however, and with the strong snarl of Akira's empty stomach urging him to forget his options and delve deeper into his attempted thievery; there was doubt in his mind. This was no regular respite of his survival mentality for that of a conscience, but instead, it was a manifested pull at the inner-workings of his being. It was as if a higher power was suddenly tearing the darkness from him and allowing him to see the world from a different perspective, but as it came, so it went in that brief flash of what could be. This moment--encapsulated in Akira's mind as nothing more than a weakness to overcome and a closeness to his would-be victim--was now pressed aside for that of the rumbling stomach and the smell of freshly cooked meat in the air.

"Okay, I give up," Akira remarked in feign exasperation--a last ditch effort to relax his current company--as he throw his hands down to his sides while his head began to hang low. "Worst behavior!"

With an exclamation, and a quick lunge toward [member="Lady Kay"]'s bag, Akira attempted to grab it by the bulk before turning to run from his problems.

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Akira Kono"] 's hesitation again caused her to raise a brow. She could hear his stomach growling, who couldn't as it was so loud?

And then he grabbed her satchel and attempted to run away with it! But the bag was still attached to it's strap, which was firmly over her shoulder and secured by her folded arms. But as he pulled she uncrossed her arms and held onto the strap in an odd looking form of tug of war. "Hey! Let go!! Do you want to get arrested or have a free meal?!" The choice was his. Either way he was not going to get away with her satchel if she could help it.

 

[Akira Kono]

Normally, Akira would have no problem ignoring the words coming from anyone he was thieving from--[member="Lady Kay"] included--but this time he was led astray by his lack of physical force. A method of surprise and shock was Akira's primary skillset--to overwhelm without having to rely upon his innate physicality--and due to this skillset he lacked the actual muscle to wrangle away even this very purse from his mark. It was enough to fluster any boy with a socio-cultural predisposition which made him believe that he should be more physically dominant than a member of the opposite sex. This option that he had been presented with, however, became more and more entice as the seconds lingered between the two and the satchel--of which Akira had no idea as to the contents of. Knowing that he could continue to pull the purse, and hope for the strap to break, to continue to make his getaway; options were flowing through Akira's mind.

"Fine, have it your way," Akira said with a quick release of the bag--which could sent it back to [member="Lady Kay"] if she wasn't prepared for the sudden lack of tug. "But what's it gonna cost me, boss lady? Nothing in this life is free."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay fell back a few steps as [member="Akira Kono"] let go of her bag.That was a bit unexpected as he had let go earlier than she had anticipated.

She kept a firm grip on the strap of her satchel still as she answered his question. "Quite simple. The cost is for you to stop trying to steal from me. Do we have a deal?"

 

[Akira Kono]

The shopkeeper leered over at the two with a look of bewilderment, and disdain, due to the events that had just taken place--in her shop nonetheless! it was more than the shopkeeper who was affected by this sudden magnanimous act by [member="Lady Kay"] but there was enough suspicion in the air to fill the room with a toxic haze of inquisition and mistrust. This foreboding sensation that thickened the intensity in this shop was far less certain than anything that Akira had experienced before and because of that he was at his utmost level of apprehension over the circumstances of--what would be--his free meal.

"Too easy, too simple, too... generous," Akira inquired within his own mind with a hesitant look plastered across his face and showing through the language of his body.

"You're telling me that, to not rob you, that you'll give me food," he actually asked out loud with a simple drop of his jaw to emphasize his own bewilderment for [member="Lady Kay"]'s benevolence. "Just like that? No shoe shining, no lashings, no slave labor, no nothing?!"

 

[Kay-Larr]

Well this was drawing up more attention than she was asking for. Who knew that something so simple as shopping for tea would turn into an intense situation?

Kay raised a brow as [member="Akira Kono"] asked his bewildered questions. "Hasn't anyone ever given you anything with no strings attached before? Hasn't anyone ever just been nice to you?"

 

[Akira Kono]

In reply to [member="Lady Kay"], Akira offered nothing but a blank stare and a darting glance toward the shop's opening to the rest of the market. There was little that he felt the need to delve into with a woman whom he had just met--let alone tried to steal from. This wasn't the type of place, nor time, nor circumstance for Akira to tell his life story to a stranger. He couldn't risk the feelings of his past catching up with him either--no--Akira had to keep pressing forward so that he could never be caught by his past.

"You said something about food," he replied with a veiled intent to change the subject and progress this situation out of stagnation--especially in case the shopkeeper decided to report him in anyway.

 

[Kay-Larr]

She caught onto the change of subject, but pretended not to notice. It was easier that way, especially at this moment and in that shop. "Yes, I did. Come for a walk with me and we'll look for something good and hearty. It's better to think on a full stomach, isn't it?" Kay led the way, keeping a firm grip on her satchel, just in case [member="Akira Kono"] tried to steal it again. But before she left, she bowed to the shopkeeper to let them know that everything was okay. Maybe later she'll go back and get some tea. It was an odd situation for the lot of them, but at least there was no bloodshed or damage.

 

[Akira Kono]

Watching, and waiting, Akira gazed at the actions of [member="Lady Kay"] as she bowed and exited the shop. At this point, Akira was just along for the ride. What right would he have to choose, or complain, or even attempt to steal from her again? This was an opportunity that he was curious enough to see though until the end but he had to wonder why he was receiving such kindness. And who, exactly, was the person that he had chosen to steal from in the first place?

Akira followed Lady Kay, silent, almost brooding, and trailing her the entire way to the awaited promise of food in lieu of returning to a detention center. Wandering from foster home to foster home, as well as detention center to detention center, was something of a normality in Akira's life. Having left the planet of his birth--which he had never really considered to be a 'home'--at a young age, Akira was more at home among the stars, or travelling on a ship stowed away in a cargo bay or ventilation shaft, where he was moving toward something--anything--new and different that could pique his interest. Would Lady Kay answer that yearning for a new interest? Only time would tell.

"Why are you so nice, Lady," he enquired as he walked with her--beginning to feel bad for his earlier antics.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay would glance back to [member="Akira Kono"] every now and then as they walked. Both to ensure that he was still there, but also to ensure that he wasn't causing anymore trouble for himself.

To his question, she simply shrugged as she answered him. "It's just my nature. I believe in treating others the way that I'd like to be treated. Not everyone is bad or evil. They are just victims of their own circumstance. Sometimes all it takes is a kind word or action to pull them out of the dark."

Kay led him to a little restaurant that she knew of and found them a small table. Once they had sat down, she ordered a couple of bowls of meaty stew and some water. "I hope that you don't mind meat. Some people avoid it, strangely enough."

 

[Akira Kono]

Almost refusing to meet [member="Lady Kay"]'s glances as they walked--Akira in tow of Kay--was something that he had resigned to doing as a feeling of helplessness encroached upon him. The act of someone doing something for him was almost unbearable to the independence that Akira had established at such a young age. Having to only rely on himself through his continued adolescence, Akira was often tasked with finding his own food, water, or even shelter as the days passed during his travels. And now something was being handed to him for, what?

"It's just my nature. I believe in treating others the way that I'd like to be treated. Not everyone is bad or evil. They are just victims of their own circumstance. Sometimes all it takes is a kind word or action to pull them out of the dark."

Nature? Was that the true meaning of innate ability, or will, that the Living Force had decided to enbue upon a person? Was the nature of this woman, truly, to treat others with an equality that would surpass anything that Akira had experienced in his brief life? In truth, being treated as a child, or a nuisance, was the stigma that Akira always had firmly attached to his own self-worth. It was his own identity that struggled with the ideas of equality, and affection, with true intentions to help someone who could not help themselves without resorting to underhanded measures.

Delving deeper into his own thoughts as the two strode down the streets of the market district; losing himself in his own mind and losing perception of all that was around him was nothing new for Akira. He was often troubled by his thoughts taking him on a tour of mystery and ignorance of the outside world. He didn't return to the present world until they had arrived at the restaurant--which he would never be able to find his way back from due to his lack of mental presence on the journey--when Lady Kay had spoken to him and snapped him out of his trance.

"I hope that you don't mind meat. Some people avoid it, strangely enough."

"Oh, um," Akira began with a slight stutter from returning his consciousness to the moment at hand. "I can't be too picky, ma'am."

His tone had changed to that of a polite child that held a fear that the moment would end. It was a complete difference from his tone earlier in the day. It seemed as if he was accepting his own defeat by seeing that her magnanimous gesture wasn't just a ploy to lead him astray and into the arms of the local detention center. He had fallen victim to her outlook and couldn't describe the sadness that he felt as he visibly dwelled upon the newfound shame from the actions that he had taken in order to meet this wonderful person.

"Th-thank you," he said with his head bowing into the menu. "My name's Akira. Akira Kono. Can I ask yours?"

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay watched him, noting the difference in his manner. It was like he was waiting for someone to pounce on him. Then he introduced himself. She bowed her head to him, choosing to leave her titles out of her name. "My name is Kay. Good to meet you [member="Akira Kono"] ."

The bread, stews and water soon arrived. Given that stews were one of their main and more popular dishes, they always had plenty on hand. Kay already started breaking the bread when she spoke up. "I'm not some rich person or anything. I don't come from a rich family either. But if I can do something nice for someone when they need it, I will. So tell me...
Where do you hail from?"

 

[Akira Kono]

Akira sat at the table with his hands in his lap--shaking--as if waiting for [member="Lady Kay"]'s permission to attack the meal that had been set down in front of him. His hunger was gnawing at his body but his mind decided to contain it as much as possible just in case there were unseen strings attached. This was a part of Akira's nature after travelling the galaxy, by himself, from such a young age. His mannerisms were akin to that of the prisoner in terms of a possessive nature when it came to his belongings and his own life story. The decisions that he made weren't always the best but they were the best that he knew how to make.

"I'm not some rich person or anything. I don't come from a rich family either. But if I can do something nice for someone when they need it, I will. So tell me... Where do you hail from?"

"Richer than me, ma'am," Akira said with a sheepish grin, masquerading as a smile, encroaching upon his face. "I'm from... ummm... somewhere that's not here."

No matter his answer, if Lady Kay were versed in any sort of knowledge about those of the Kiffar, she would be able to tell that his markings were that of the Kiffar and her conclusions could lead her to suspect that he were from Kiffu or Kiffex. Of course, broad assumptions could end up being troublesome but they could also be useful tools in discerning someone's nature and being awarded further information.