Private Wild Ride

[Shai Maji]

Taris/Talinn District​

13:01 local time​

Taris wasn't exactly what it once was anymore. The planet was ruined, with only one half managing to rebuild to some degree. the rest of the planet made its home in the wrecks of ships, ruins of ancient skyscrapers and anywhere else it could. It was no surprise that in these poorer areas, crime was a common occurrence. One of the biggest of the poor areas was the Talinn District. To put it mildly, it was not the sort of place any sane person would want to visit.

But that didn't stop Shai from blundering in there for some easy creds and then going on vacation as well.

"HA! Take that, mud scuffers!" she shouted triumphantly as she slid the pile of caps towards her side of the sabacc table. She tossed her cards into the middle to be reshuffled while she tidied up the small pile. The rest of the people at the table, all criminals and other low-lives, were groaning in defeat or shooting angry glares at her. She sat there with a very smug grin on her face, her golden tooth shimmering in the light. She pulled out a cigarette and lit it, blowing a cloud of smoke into the air above the table. "So, who wants to try their luck again?" she asked happily as she looked at the people around the table. "You cheated." one of the men, a Twi'lek guy, said as he rose from his seat. Shai sat back and brought the cigarette up to her lips. "Oh is that so? Where would I have materialized all those perfect cards?" she asked, wiggling her arms to prove that she did indeed not have any means to cheat. Kind of logical given the fact that she was wearing a tank top that had clearly seen better days. "Nobody wins that many games in one go." he said coldly, resting a hand on his pistol.

Shai's lip contorted as she bared her teeth at him. "You really wanna go there, you sore loser?" she asked him, reaching down for her own pistol. People were taking a few steps back just in case. Things were getting a little heated...

Salba Eldar

 

[Salba Eldar]

"Hey Mando, I'm talking to you." A loud and frankly irritating voice punctured the air. Salba didn't give the man the time of day, as she swirled her gin, hoping to keep from starting another fight.

Clad in her Beskar, there was no risk among this rabble, if anything they would be in trouble if they cross the Mandalorian. Salba raised the straw towards the emergency induction port of her helmet, and felt a hard hand swat the drink out of her grasp. The glass tumbled away, splashing gin over the man to her side, before it shattered against the floor. "Don't ignore me, Mando." The same voice from before stated, and now her temper was flaired. Salba turned her head slowly, her eyeless gaze fell upon the man who had wronged her, an ugly SOB who was missing an eye. "You're going to buy me a new drink." Salba stated calmly, her drinkless hand set on the bar top, her further slowly building. "You think you can just waltz on in here like you own the place Mando? Like this is your-" The man didn't get to finish. Salba threw an elbow into the man's crouch, and felt something 'pop'. The man doubled over in pain, his eyes wide, as he fell to the floor, his partners in crime stumbled over each other trying to pull their friend up. Salba put them out of her mind, as she flagged down the bartender. "Another gin, put it on that worthless sack of poodoo over there." She remarked, and was served a drink soon after. This man knew how to save face, now if only his patrons could show similar respect.

Nodding thanks to the barkeep, she sipped at the drink, turning her attention now to a card game that was about to get heated from the sound of it. A small grin stretched underneath the helmet, as Salba watched the group through the force. She wasn't looking for a gun fight, especially one she wasn't going to get played for, but the force was drawn around the woman sitting there before her. There was a familiar tug, almost like their paths had crossed before, and would do so again. Curious. Could there be a destiny at play here? There was only one way to tell. Sipping from her drink, Salba continued to watch, her empty eyes settled on the young woman who radiated confidence.

Shai Maji

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai's crimson gaze bore into the man while her hand was itching to pull her blaster. But despite her situation, she really didn't want to end up in a gunfight. Not by a long shot. "Hey, tell you what." she started, smirking as she relaxed again and took a drag of her cigarette. "How about I make it up to you boys? Three rounds for three games. Anything you like." she offered casually. The others at the table were certainly liking the sound of that. The one doing the accusation was also regaining his temper until finally he nodded. "Deal." he said with a shrug and made his way to the bar to take her up on the offer.

Glad that she didn't need to get involved in a shootout, and that her newly acquired riches would stay intact for the most part, Shai looked around to see if anyone else wanted to challenge her. She spotted an odd woman looking at her. A Mandalorian of all things. She took one last drag of her cigarette before bagging her riches and making her way over to where the Mando sat at the counter. She slid in next to her and leaned with her back against the counter, using her elbows to support her as she grinned at the warrior. "You wanna go a couple rounds by the table, Mando, you should have just said so." she quipped before turning around and calling the bartender over. "Single Tarisian brandy and cola." she ordered and pretty soon her drink arrived. "So, what's got you so interested? Digging the dots?" she teased, taking a big sip of her drink and giving a satisfied sigh.

Salba Eldar

 

[Salba Eldar]

To her surprise, the woman seemed to deescalate the tension rather swiftly, something that the Mandalorian hadn't seen coming. She relaxed, her hand moving away from the blaster pistol at her hip, as she chose to instead drum the armored shin of her suit. The woman she had been studying however had taken note of her, and her cover was now blown. She had been noticed.

The Shistavanen came towards her, her walk relaxed, though her expression felt like it was a pass of judgement being levied towards her. The comment amused her, though the Mandalorian only sipped on her drink, not saying anything at first. "If I could see them, perhaps. I was expecting you to get into a scrap, but seems to managed to avoid that misfortune." She commented calmly, her drink now empty as she set it on the counter and flexed her fingers. This stuff was too watered down to get anything out of her, it was a shame really, but then again she wasn't look to get drunk. Then again, why in the feth was she here?

Her shoulders dropped slightly, a frown growing under the Beskar helmet. She knew the answer to that of course, she had no future. She was just trying to find something, anything really, to cling to. "I don't think you'd want me to play cards. I have an unfair advantage, you see." She commented, looking back to the Shistavanen, her tone softer now. "I'm very good at reading people you see. Makes card games a breeze, almost like I can read their hand." Which if she wanted to, she very well and could do; though that wouldn't be very sporty of her.

Shai Maji

 

[Shai Maji]

Her comment visibly confused Shai, who blinked a few times as she looked her over. "What do you mean 'if'? How the hell do you move around if you can't see?" she asked her, taking another sip of her drink. The woman went on to comment about her avoiding a shootout, earning a rather proud grin from the Shistavanen. "What can I say? I can be pretty persuasive at times." she explained, sounding quite proud of herself.

She sat down on the stool next to the girl and leaned on the counter with one arm, resting her head against her fist. "And what, pray-tell, is this unfair advantage?" she asked casually. The woman explained her little advantage, and Shai had to admit that it was certainly an advantage. "Damn. I can see how that might not be fair...though I'd be playing all day if I could do that." she said with a chuckle. "You're looking a little dry there." she commented before waving over the bartender. "Get her the same as me. Put it on my tab." she ordered and the man gave a nod. Pretty soon a glass of brandy and cola was placed in front of the Mandalorian along with a straw. "Sorry for my manners. Shai Maji. Friendly neighbourhood delivery girl. And you are?" she introduced herself, holding out her right hand to the girl, though the comment about not being able to see was making her wonder if that wouldn't be some type of insult to the blind girl.

"Say, if you can't see then...how does that work?" she asked her, slightly leaning in to look at her helmet. It was a normal helmet with a normal T-visor. She couldn't see inside of it at all.

Salba Eldar

 

[Salba Eldar]

"Oh certainly, you're convincing me to listen to you right now." She jabbed, waiting to see how the woman would respond. She smiled to herself listening to the confusion of the new comer. No one understood how her sight worked, which was why she often kept it to herself. No one believed her when she said she was blind. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She commented, and listened to the woman remark about her unfair advantage and how she would have abused it if the situation were reversed. "As a Mandalorian, it would be dishonorable to level such an advantage for profit. I try to at least keep true to values I deem worthwhile." It was a little more than what she was willing to share with others, but there it was. All she had now were her ideals, and little else. If she left the Mandalorian life behind, she would truly have nothing. She was honestly surprised that the woman offered to buy her a drink, and indeed did so much to her surprise. Upon getting the new drink, Salba turned towards the woman, and gave the slightest of nods. "Salba Eldar. Nice to meet you, Shai." She raised a glass to the woman, before taking a straw and sliding it into the emergency induction port of her helmet.

Then the topic went to how she functioned with her blindness, and now there was an opportunity here. A grin sprung up beneath the 'T' visor, as Salba thought of a humorous tale to weave for the woman to her side. "I can see sound waves and how they move across the air. It paints a scene for me, and everything is in intense detail." She stated, which wasn't a lie, she could indeed do such things, but that wasn't how her force sight worked.

Shai Maji

 

[Shai Maji]

The woman defended her argument with her ideals. Shai knew that Mandalorians held their ideals in high regard for the most part, though it was still a silly argument over something so little. "Suit yourself, sugar." she said with a shrug. "It's just a couple credits, nothing serious." she continued before taking a sip from her drink. She introduced herself and Shai gave a light salute "Nice to meet you to, Salba." she said with a toothy smile, finishing off her drink and ordering another.

Salba explained how her sight worked, and Shai knew for a fact that it couldn't be that. "No way, lady. I know there's some weird stuff in the galaxy but that I don't believe." she quipped with a shake of her head. "Come on, let a girl in on the secret!" she groaned as she reached up to poke her helmet. "What's under there?" she asked as she leaned in to try and see into her visor again. "I'll give you a kiss if you do." she joked with a grin as she kept trying to look into her helmet from all directions. She was determined to learn the girl's secret as to why she couldn't see.

Salba Eldar

 

[Salba Eldar]

"You extended me generosity, it should be acknowledged. You may pay little, but the action says more." Salba argued, her hands resting on the bar top, feeling that this woman was trying to peel away at the beskar and see what was underneath the suit of armor; sadly, Shai would only be in for disappointment. Out of the Mandalorians, Salba was one of the few who hardly counted, least that's what her brethren made her feel like. She wondered again what her aim was, where she was going. Because truth of the matter was that she didn't know, and at this point she was starting to fear that she never would.

Salba pursed her lips, sipping at the drink that the woman had just given her. The Mandalorian tilted her head, wondering if this girl was serious or not. "There's a woman under here, and she has no eyes." Salba reaffirmed, before taking another drink from the glass. She pondered the question, before setting the glass down. "Tell you what," She started, looking back to Shai. "Play me in a hand of Sabbac. You win, I'll take this helmet off and show you whats underneath." It was a modest proposition, one that the Mandalorian wasn't sure she would want to live up to. "If I win, you'll have to just settle with my explanation." She stated, a smile curled across her lips, seeing the potential to make a new friend if things worked out.

Shai Maji

 

[Shai Maji]

"Yeah but still! I've never met a person with no eyes! Come on, no need to be shy. You can't be much uglier than this mug." she playfully went on, joking as she pointed to herself. Salba then decided on a little bet. Though the timing wasn't the best. She glanced back to the table then to Salba. "Uh...I think given today's events it would be best to avoid the Sabacc table for a bit. she admitted with a nervous chuckle.

A few thoughts started to pop in her head as a smile spread on her lips. "Tell you what. How about we go back to my ship and drink on it?" she suggested as she rested her head against her hand on the counter. "Here me out here. I got some good stuff on my ship. Whoever can drink the most, wins. Same bets. Just a different game." she continued, shifting to wrap an arm around Salba's armoured shoulders. "Besides, I heard you mandos don't like showing your face in public. So this should also take the edge off for you as well." she commented slightly softer on a more personal level.

She pulled back, gave a clap and held her arms open. "So what'll it be?" she asked with a big smile.

Salba Eldar

 

[Salba Eldar]

Her eyebrow twitched under the beskar, as she chewed on her lip at the words of the woman. It was rather hard to explain to the woman, namely how there was problems on two fronts for showing what was under the helmet; and showing her eyes was out of the question. Salba was clearly uncomfortable with this question, as she looked away, craning her neck as she wasn't sure what to say. She was trying to be nice, yet at the same time what Shai was asking was insanely personal and violating her cultural rites on two fronts.

Sabacc was shot down, and it seemed the woman was pushing for another solution to their impasse, and Salba slowly turned back to face the woman now. The frown she wore slowly shifted into a smile, as it seemed that the terms would be agreeable. The touch of the other woman drew her attention, as the Mandalorian looked hard at the arm on her shoulder, then to the woman who had touched her. Shaking her head slowly, the Mandalorian saw a potential future that might be gleamed from this encounter, and she was going to take it. "It's your funeral, but you try any funny buisness and we'll have a problem." Salba said rather firmly, pointing towards Shai, before seemingly ready to depart. "Show me your vessel." Salba stated, waiting for the woman to take her to it.

Shai Maji

 

[Shai Maji]

The woman agreed and Shai gave a cackling laugh to the woman's warning. "You're asking a lot from me." she joked back. "Follow me." she said before downing the rest of her drink and taking hold of her hand to pull her along out of the bar. Outside she let go and led the way back with a spring in her step. "Don't worry, I know better than to try and pull a fast one on a Mando. From what I heard, you guys pack enough firepower to take on an army." she spoke as she walked, keeping her pace to walk next to Salba. "What's being a Mando like, anyway? How do you guys pee in that armour? I've always wondered how that works. Also when do you take off your helmets? Like does it come off during a hookup or do you guys just do an intense T-visor stare at each other?" she rambled on, giving a rather hearty laugh at the end of her slew of questions.

Eventually they arrived at her ship and Shai led her on board. "Hey baby! I'm home!" she called out into the ship and a series of happy beeps answered back from inside. A few moments later a little BB-droid rolled up to them and she knelt down to give it rubs all over like it was a pet. "You stay out of trouble?" she asked with a smile. It beeped in confirmation, earning a pet on its dome. "Good." she got up and nodded down the hallway. "Kitchen's right up here. That's baby, he helps me out a ton to keep the ship running. These days I'm hoping to get a few more crew members on board." she explained as she led the way.

In the kitchen she opened a cupboard and retrieved a few rather expensive bottles of liquor. "Let the fun begin." she quipped as she set the bottles on the booth table along with two shot glasses.

Salba Eldar

 

[Salba Eldar]

This woman was intriguing if anything, which meant that Salba didn't have much of an issue justifying accompanying her to her ship. Of course, the moment they were outside the bar, the questions began. Salba sighed silently within her armor, knowing all to well the barrage of questions that she would soon be assaulted by. "I can answer both of these questions rather simply. Firstly, that depends on the needs of the species, some of our suit designs take this into account and have waste deposits installed underneath the armored plating. Secondly, we only remove our helmets in private. The old ways were far more stern in that manner, but we have relaxed it given we are no longer in danger of being wiped out." Salba spoke, her tone ringing from the Beskar helm, as she kept her eyeless gaze upon the pirate with her. It seemed Shai was true to her word, there was a ship, and she seemed to be intent on sharing a drink with the Mandalorian; something that allowed her to relax her posture ever so slightly.

Entering the vessel, Salba took a gander, finding it rather annoying to look at the whited out void of the interior. As Shai took to greeting her droid, Salba looked about as she was trying to get a grip on her surroundings. Shai's words got her attention, and Salba fell in line, listening to what the woman had to say, and hoping that this wasn't some poor attempt on Shai's part to get her to join her crew; she was a Mandalorian after all, not a damn ship hand. Taking a seat at the table, Salba watched as Shia opened the bottle of liquor, and announced the start to festivities, to which the Mandalorian moved to remove her helmet. The 'pop' of the helmet seal filled the room, as her brunette hair tumbled out of the bun she had tied it in. The small veil over her eyes was revealed, as well as her stoic features. Salba set her helmet to the side, taking up the glass and raising it to Shai, trying to think when the last time she had shown anyone her face; it had certainly been a while. "So, how ugly do I look?" She asked, hoping that Shia wouldn't try and look past the veil.
Shai Maji

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai listened with solid focus to what Salba explained to her. She just had two enormous mysteries answered in literally a few seconds. She wasn't sure how she was feeling about it...

"Wait...serious? That's it?" she spoke up with confusion. "Huh...I expected something else. Like...more advanced or something." she continued, blinking a few times to clear up the disappointment she was feeling. Though by the time they reached her mess room, those feelings were long gone. Salba took a seat by the booth and Shai moved to join her. But she stopped to watch as Salba removed her helmet. She looked surprised for a moment, though with the Mando's comment the surprise was replaced with amusement. "A lot less ugly than this mug." she quipped, pointing at herself. She looked at Salba's eyes -or where they are supposed to be- for a few seconds before speaking up again. "So you were serious? You really got no eyes?"

She sat down next to Salba and poured them both a shot of Tevraki whiskey. "To curious first meetings..." she toasted. "May they never cease to surprise." she finished before downing the shot. She let out a raspy sigh of content as she took a moment to appreciate the taste. "Man that's good stuff." she poured them both another shot and quickly downed that as well. She glanced over to Salba and with a smirk she leaned back and more towards her as she poured herself another shot. "So, Salba..." she downed the shopt the proceeded to take a swig from the bottle. "...Planning on catching up?" she reached over and poked Salba on the side where her armour didn't cover. "Or should we get rid of more pieces of armour before you get into a partying mood?" she teased with a smug grin, tilting her head onto Salba's shoulder to look up at the girl.

Salba Eldar

 

[Salba Eldar]

"Reality is often disappointing." Salba said quietly, knowing all to well the reality of the galaxy around the pair. She had thrown away her life twice for the thrill of adventure, and where did it get her? No where fast. She ended up with disheartened Mandalorians, and losing both her families. She was all she had, that and whatever company a few drinking buddies could offer to her.

As Shai handed out her judgement on the Mandalorian's looks, she smirked just a tad. Her empty eyes lingered on the woman for a bit, as she tried to flesh out the details and failed; she needed to be holding it to get the fine details, and she was no where near comfortable with doing that. "I'd try and compliment you, but I honestly can't make out faces. Just shapes. Yours is a pleasant shape however, if that helps." Her head dropped down for a moment before looking back to Shai. No one believed her when the eye thing got mentioned, but she wasn't about to reveal that tidbit, to lose the veil was something so intimate she dare not do it now. "Yes, my people have no eyes. If I take this veil off, there's nothing there. Only flesh." She joined in the toast as well, downing the sweet and burning liquor with a fervor, before putting it to the side. The ripples of Shai tensed and shined, indicating a sense of mischief brewing within the woman. That didn't bode well. "Catching up?" She watched under the table as Shai's finger prodded to the exposed section of her armor, causing her abdomen to clench so as to not show weakness against the prodding. It took a moment to process what was being offered here, and the Mandalorian looked caught off guard for once. Salba didn't blink, in fact she couldn't physically do so, but she gave pause as everything began to process. "I..see." She muttered, her hands gripped at her kneecaps, as she looked ahead, trying to find a way out of this awkward situation. "If you're looking for intimacy my friend, I don't think I can provide it, if that's what your getting at." She had never taken a lover, nor was she looking to start. The armor was the only embrace she needed, cold, distant, and safety. That was all she would require, being a woman without a clan, without a creed. As sad as it was, she could exist with those things. The hairs of Shai's head tickled at the exposed portions of her neck, and Salba was left pondering what she was to do. "I'll drink so long as you pour the shots." She muttered, her gaze falling down to the table, as that rift in her chest opened up. This was not a fun life to live.

Shai Maji

 

[Shai Maji]

Shai flashed a grin at the girl's comment. "Gotta be one hell of a shape if a blind person thinks so." she joked with the woman. Though she seemed to be getting uncomfortable with the situation. Her mind went places Shai's had yet to reach, though now that it was in the open, she was starting to consider it. "Well I didn't exactly mean sex, though now that you mention it..." she teased, leaning more against the woman before pulling back with a cackling laugh. "Okay, sis! You said it. It's on." she quipped as she topped up both their glasses.

The drinking was on again. As was agreed, Shai made a challenge out of it. Every shot taken by Salba, she matched. She kept the alcohol flowing between them. Though she had another motive in mind now. This woman looked ready to blow her brains out. If she could get her into a mood where she didn't seem like doing that, she would be happy. However the alcohol was also starting to get to her. She was quite comfortable beside her companion and was starting to miss when refilling the glasses. "Why so down?!" she called ou, wrapping an arm around the armoured woman to pull her into a hug. "Come on! What's eating you up?" she asked her before downing another shot. "You've been wearing a 'shoot me now' face ever since taking your helmet off. The company that bad?" she joked, lightly bumping the girl with her shoulder.

She managed to calm down a little and give a more sincere look. "Seriously though. What's up. I'm not even kidding, you look like you're contemplating swallowing a blaster bolt. Why's that?" she asked her, pouring the woman a shot while sipping at her own.

Salba Eldar

 

[Salba Eldar]

Salba grinned, seeing the energies of her compatriot change. "My people have different ideas of beauty. There's shapes, energies, patterns in people that we find satisfying. At current you fulfill all three of these criteria. Take that as a point of comfort if you wish." She said, feeling the energy of the room take another turn, though Salba had no idea where in the hell it would be taking her. She felt a bit relieved that intercourse wasn't the route that Shai was looking to take, which helped her anxiety quite a bit. She felt the woman pressing against her, and felt a sensation she was not accustomed to; was it embarrassment or nervousness, she wasn't entirely sure, nor did she have time to contemplate it. With a newly filled cup, Salba was quick to down it, and took in a sigh of relief with it's consumption. She could feel the tension slipping into the recesses of her mind, and with it Salba felt she could finally relax. She sunk into the couch, her head dropping back, as she let the buzz take over her.

It was in this moment of venerability that Shai would manage to get physical with the Mandalorian, as before Salba knew it the other woman was nearly wrapped around her. She looked at Shia bold faced, her expression not wavering in the slightest as she was processing what the other woman said to her. With the best grin she could master, Salba merely shook her head, snickering as she fell back onto the couch. "My life is train wreck, that's the problem. Well, ain't that bad. Could be dead I suppose." She mused, her empty eyes lingering up the ceiling as she let out a groan. Her hand took hold of Shia's wrist, but instead of throwing it off, she held it firmly in place. "I need a new goal, something to work towards, refine myself, that's what I need." Salba muttered, trying to find what she could work towards, something she could do. Her head rolled over, looking to Shia, who she now realized was extremely close to her now. "Don't suppose you know of any one in need of a Mandalorian bodyguard." She smirked, as the alcohol got the better of her. "Someone like you might need protection after all, though I think you can take care of yourself." The grizzled warrior was suppressed for the time being, as she finally found herself able to drop her guard; though a small part of her was ready to tense up at a drop of a hat.
Shai Maji

 

[Shai Maji]

Salba admitted what was eating her up and Shai sat back with her. "There's always that. Gotta be glad you're still breathin'." she quipped, sipping at her shot glass. She set it down and worked on finding her packet of cigarettes while Salba tried to figure out what to do with her life. She glanced up at Salba while lighting her cigarette. She laughed at the comment of looking like she could take care of herself then held the packet of cigarettes up to Salba. "Then I'm glad my image is holding up. Because I'll be honest with you...I can't fight to save my life." she said before bursting out into a giggle fit.

"Sis, I'm gonna level with you here. A gun-hand who knows how to handle themselves is always welcome on my ship. Sure, I can perform miracles behind the controls of a ship and I'm a decent shot. But I'm no soldier. I'm sure you can snap me like a twig if you wanted to." she admitted, nudging her with her shoulder while taking a drag. She blew the smoke into the opposite direction and cozied up against Salba. "You need a place to hunker down while rethinking your life, I'm your girl. If you can cover me with meetings and help me out, I'll take you anywhere you wanna go and pay you a fair price." she offered, downing her shot glass and refilling it. "By the way, your drink is getting cold." she joked, nodding at the Mando's shot in front of her.

She rested her head on Salba's shoulder and took another drag of her cigarette. "Though I know how you feel, life being a mess and all. But as mom used to say: 'cheer up, there's always a bright side. And if there isn't, chuck a few incendiaries in there. That should brighten anything up'." she rambled on, snickering towards the end. "That's a lie, mom didn't say that. I just made that up. But I think it is good advice if you got some grenades to spare." she giggled away before finally calming down. She sat up and looked at Salba for a moment. "...So no getting you out of that armour, huh?" she asked with a sly smirk, though she moved on before even giving a chance to answer.

She got up, stumbled a bit to regain her balance then looked at her. "Wanna go blow some swamp creatures up while flying around drunk as hell?" she suggested with a grin spanning ear to ear.

Salba Eldar