Private You're Lookin For The Other Guy

[Kahlil Noble]

Had he known Raya Krayt for longer than her pointing a gun at him and trying to collect a bounty on his head, he'd certainly of leaned into her quip way more. But he didn't know her well enough to chance that kind of thing. Sides, this was nice. Last thing Kahlil wanted to do was throw a wrench in it. And Force knows he could use the money her other job likely offered. If she was willing to split that.

Something to talk about at another time.

His smile faded as she spoke of her mother's fate. It was getting harder and harder not to see the result of his father's actions wherever he went. The galaxy was supposed to be so vast that no one person could truly affect everything. His father continually proved otherwise. "It's a heavy burden to lead a clan, especially with what happened to Mandalore. I know we've just met and all, but if there's anything I can help you with, I will." To try and make amends for his families irredeemable actions. His frown lingered for a moment.

"You do know who I am, right?"

 

[Raya Krayt]

"Yeah, don't I know it?" She chuckled humourlessly. Some days it felt like trying to be a good leader for the clan was a losing battle. "My clan, they have... issues with Mandalorians who use the Force. It's put a division between us and the more tolerant clans for decades. I want to change that, to intergrate Force users into the clan but not everyone has been receptive towards the idea." She told him, feeling comfortable talking about the issue with him as she knew for certain that he wouldn't have an issue with Force users whereas such a conversation was a bit more like stepping on eggshells around unfamiliar Mandalorians.

His offer to help gave her a clear look of surprise. While the Jedi were generally quite decent and honourable people, she hadn't exepected an offer of help from one in matters that didn't yet concern him. "Wow, thank you. That's... quite a big offer." She replied. "The Jedi did a lot to help us in the aftermath of the battle and we appreciate it." She gave a sad smile.

"No?" She seemed confused. "I don't know a lot about the Jedi, sorry. Are you well-known?" She asked.

Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Not too surprising, when you consider people like the Sith. It's all too easy for people to use the Force to manipulate the hearts and minds of those around them." Especially subtly, given enough time. He wasn't really smiling anymore, though he did offer his own sad one for a brief moment as she mentioned rebuilding. That changed at her confusion. He snorted mid sip of his drink before coughing. Then laughing.

"No, but you were hunting me. You didn't bother to even look at my name?" His laughter died off as a more solemn expression formed after a moment. "I'm Kahlil Zambrano. My father destroyed your world."

 

[Raya Krayt]

"Yeah... I think that's their fear. We descended into civil war in the past because of the betrayal of unguided Force users within the clan and times have changed but some of the clan are struggling to move on." Raya explained. It was something she had considered before she raised the issue with her clan over their situation with Force users when she came into power but she ultimately decided on supporting those with their abilities the best they could, with the help from clans more experienced with Force users, which would increase their size and mend their broken relationship with some other clans.

"Hey! I was told you were called Kahlil. I didn't care for your family name." She tried to justify herself but upon his following comment she hesitated before responding. "-But maybe I should've." Her expression was a mixture of shock and sadness as she tried to process the extremely thought-provoking information she had just been given. For a while, she didn't know what to say or do but eventually she recalled a saying she had been taught. "In Mando'a we have a saying: Gar taldin ni jaonyc; gar sa buir, ori'wadaasla. It means nobody cares who your father was, only the father you'll be." She told him.

Arguably this was the biggest stretch the saying had ever had to make but she was reminded of how the man before her was not his father. He was a Jedi and from the look of it: a decent man. While the information he gave had been disturbing and gave her much to think about, it did not alter her overall perception of him, although she was a little warier of him now. Mandalorians had been betrayed before and she wasn't about to allow it to happen again.

Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"I appreciate the kindness of the saying, but with what my father did to your people, I don't think it's as easy." He offered another sad but kind smile before finishing off his drink. The silence had spoken enough for him. Her kindness was a welcome thing, but Kahil could tell how uncomfortable and upset the information had made Raya Krayt. Last thing he wanted to do. "The offer to help still stands, of course, but we don't need to do anything more than that. Tell me the world and I can meet you there with my own ship."

 

[Raya Krayt]

"No... You're right." She agreed, looking down at the drink her hands clasped on the table for a moment before back at Kahlil. It was a lot to process and while she knew he was not his father and seemed to have chosen a different path, it was still a comment that invoked mixed feelings from the Mandalorian. Raya truly believed the words she had spoken but this would be the hardest situation she would have to come to terms with them.

All evidence pointed to Kahlil not following in his father's footsteps from him being a Jedi, to spite his father no less, to his apparent empathy for the plight of slavery and the bounty on his head from the Sith. She could respect that he had forged his own life away from that of his abhorrent father. After a few more moments of pondering, she offered a small smile and a nod.

"You have a ship?" She asked, though the answer seemed obvious. "I don't suppose you could... give me a ride there? My ship needs repairs, that's why I needed the credits. I came here with a friend and you were one of her bounties that I took." She explained her situation. "It's on Tatooine."

Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

It was Kahlil's turn to look surprised. That made a lot of sense, actually, that she needed the job to pay for a ship. No wonder she was so hesitant with the bounty on his head. He offered a much kinder smile as he nodded. "Course. I'd be honored to have you on board." The bagels came by then, thankfully, and he started to eat in favor of the awkwardness that had formed. Thing was as good as he promised, thankfully.

"How good are you at maintaining a ship?"

 

[Raya Krayt]

"Thanks." She replied with a small bow of the head. Raya took a bite of the bagel and and raised her eyebrows. "Oh wow, you weren't wrong about the bagel." She covered her mouth as she spoke with it half-full before continuing to eat. After a couple of bites, she paused to comment. "You aren't what I expected from the son of a Sith." She said thoughtfully. "Obviously I mean that in a good way." She added, keen to get passed the awkwardness they had just had though there were still moments of silence while they ate.

"Maintaining my ship or your ship? The answer for either is not very good." She replied before taking the last mouthful of her bagel.

Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Right? They're pretty great." He finished off his own bagel pretty quickly, sighing happily. There was a grin as Raya Krayt gave the compliment. Which he did take as a compliment. The young Jedi stood up to stretch out his arms. "Really? .. Alright. That's fine, I guess. I can show you how to do some basic stuff if you want. It'll be a bit before we'd get to Tatooine anyway."

 

[Raya Krayt]

"Who knew such great things could come out Nar Shaddaa?" She commented before following suit and rising to her feet, replacing her helmet as she did. "How long is it to Tatooine?" She asked, having not made the journey from Nar Shaddaa before. She knew they were both in the Outer Rim but that hardly meant anything. There were still days between some planets in any of the same rims.

"I can make up for my lack of skills in other ways like... making sure you don't get hunted on Tatooine." She smiled, though now her expression was concealed, following Kahlil where he led.

@Kahli

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"It's one of my favorite places." Kahlil mused idly before glancing around again. Just making sure he wasn't still being hunted. His gaze returned as Raya Krayt replaced her helmet as he offered a nod. "That sounds pretty fair. I'll likely be hunted there in one way or another. Didn't make too nice with the Hutts." He snickered to himself as he lead the way to his ship. It was a freighter, bout as normal and basic as they could get. Had to be, with how little money he made.

"Probably a half a day or so, unless we need to go the longer way. Depends on what might be in the way. Longer is a couple days." R6, his white and red R unit, rolled out to greet them. Kahlil offered the droid a smile before patting the machine.

"Good to see you bud. This is Raya. She's our guest for a bit. Raya, this is R6. He might help ya learn more of the ship if that does interest ya. Otherwise, I'll show you around."

 

[Raya Krayt]

"Oh that's unlucky. I've managed to stay clear of the Hutts so far. At least... until I get desperate. I don't think it'll come to that though. I have my clan." She replied, clearly becoming more talkative as she became more at ease with him. Despite the fact they had only just met and the fact his father ordered the crusade that decimated her planet and people, he was easy to get along with, though she was trying to put the more unsavoury facts out of her mind.

"That's not so bad." Raya shrugged. "A couple of days is... less good but as long as you don't get us lost in hyperspace or crash into something then I can't fault you." She told him, taking care to stay aware of their surroundings despite their conversation. "Aw, hey buddy." She followed suit and patted the droid on the 'head'.

"It would be nice to be able to find my way around first." She replied before boarding the ship. "Do you live here?" She asked.

Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"I've a bad habit of sticking my nose into things I shouldn't. Can't help it, unfortunately." Not that he would. It's the least he can do to try and make up for all the wrong of his family. And it's his duty as a Jedi. The droid gave Raya Krayt a couple beeps in greeting before rolling off to go about maintaining the ship as usual. Really it was the droid that kept the ship running, but Kahlil would say he helped here and there. "I do. My rooms over there. Shower n such is there. Better guest room there. The other not as good is down the hall. Cargo bay's to the left. And there's the living area."

He'd point them out as he went through the ship before heading into the 'living area'. It was basically a couch, holotable and kitchen in one, and that was about it. Kahlil offered a shrug as he headed to the path towards the cockpit. "Make yourself as home as ya like. I'll get the destination set then I'll probably take a shower."

 

[Raya Krayt]

Once inside, she removed her helmet, since she knew it was safe to do so, and carried it under her arm until they reached the living area where she placed it on the couch and sat beside it. "Pretty decent place you've got here." She told him sincerely. Though for someone whose planet was sieged and hadn't had somewhere to call home for a long while, it was safe to say her standards were low.

Taking his advice to heart, Raya unlaced her boots and kicked them off but she was not impolite enough to put them on any of the furniture. However, if she was going to be here for several hours then it wasn't like she needed them to go out. She then took her cape off over her head and draped it on the back of the couch. Her armour however, would not come off as easily since following the Resol'nare required she wore it. "Okay, thanks." She smiled.

Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil gave a thumbs up and a smile before disappearing to the cockpit. R6 was already there to initiate the take of sequence, watching his Jedi friend for a moment. A couple curious beeps sounded off as the co-ordinates for Tatooine were punched in. Kahlil chuckled a bit as he took a seat and hit the thrusters. They'd be taking off fairly quick, and it'd only be a minute or so until they were in space and the white lines of hyperspace were streaming by.

"I know. I'll be careful. I don't want to get caught any more than you want me to. .. No, she's nice. Yes, she was trying to capture me, but she decided not to. No, it's fine. I trust her." Another series of very accusatory beeps. "Hey, that was one time. One time. Don't do me like this. Aren't you supposed to be my buddy? Pretty sure that's how I programed you."

Another series of sarcastic boops.

"I so too can program. You're lucky I don't have your memory wiped." There was a moment of silence, then both the Jedi and the droid burst out into laughter. Once the course was set and auto pilot was engaged Kahlil got up, patting his droid buddy before heading off to take a shower like he said.

 

[Raya Krayt]

While Kahlil was gone, she took the liberty of nosing around his kitchen and surrounding areas in curiosity. She didn't want to overstep any lines but he did tell her to make herself at home so she looked through the cupboards at what food he had before picking out a half-eaten bag of chips to snack on. She returned to the couch and activated the holotable to watch the latest news update which just documented all the terror and misery across the galaxy so she switched it off again.

The Mandalorian tried to position herself comfortably on the couch but was reminded of the plethora of weapons attached to her person so she scooped up her helmet and walked to the nicer guest room she had been directed to. She removed her belt and holsters and placed them on the bed along with her helmet. There was no need to be so armed sitting in someone's living room. She then looked around the room while eating the chips still before leaving to go back to the living area.

Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

It wasn't long till he came back, though in way less layers than the cloak and suit he normally wore. Just a shirt and some slacks to relax in. He went right into the kitchen, looking around curiously for something. The munch of the chips caught his attention. Raya Krayt was eating his chips. There was a chuckle as he moved to sit beside her and casually reach over to snatch a couple of chips for himself.

"Sour cream and onion. The best, right?"

 

[Raya Krayt]

Raya opened her mouth to reprimand him for stealing the food before promptly realising it wasn't her food to begin with so she carried on eating until he asked her a question. "Yeah! Of course." She agreed. The Mandalorian had lightened her load considerably and was much more comfortable though she still retained the most basic and essential parts of her armour despite feeling safe around Kahlil.

Her willingness to give up all weapons but her vambraces was a testament to the trust she had in him, or rather the trust she had in Jedi as she didn't know him too well but his reputation as a Jedi preceded him. Though she felt she had a good impression of his character from the behaviour he had displayed so far, starting with aiding to free people from being taken into slavery so she didn't think it was foolish to trust him so.

"Wanna watch a movie?" She asked as she switched the holotable and flicked through some of the options. It occurred to her that perhaps if he was as peace-loving as the Jedi tended to be then he wouldn't had the same taste in movies as her. "Anything in particular you want to watch? Has anything good come out recently? I haven't been keeping up."

Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"They got Durasteel Man on here?" He reached over for another handful of chips before leaning back comfortably on the couch. He was a peace lover, sure. But he still appreciated a good action movie here or there. R6 would roll out into the room and find a spot close by to settle and join in, though stayed pretty quiet. Probably to keep an eye on the Mandalorian guest in case she was only baiting the Jedi so she could capture him.

Kahlil didn't mind one way or another. "Unless you got somethin more you'd like to watch. I'm cool with just about anything."

 

[Raya Krayt]

"Oh, I didn't know that was out. Yeah, definitely." She agreed as she pressed play on the movie and shifted to make herself more comfortable. Part of her wanted to put her feet up on the couch next to her but she didn't want to be impolite so she folded her arms and leaned back into the couch. She looked at the droid as it entered but didn't pay it much attention as she couldn't understand droidspeak so her attention was soon back on the movie that was beginning.

After the movie neared the end, the Mandalorian grew more and more tired. The toll of travel to and from different timezones on planets having an evident effect as she had only been on Nar Shaddaa for a day and hadn't adjusted to their time. She rested her elbow on the armrest of the couch and propped her head up as they watched the end of the movie. It was a testament to show how at ease she was with the situation and how she didn't feel threatened by Kahlil.

Kahlil Noble