Private Let's have another, then

[Karima Fett]

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LOCATION: Wielu, Beachside Bar
Objective: Get smashed.
Tag: [ Capris Halcyon ]

"Another", asked the unmistakable (and ever-feared) figure clad in beskar, half-slumped over the counter and grinning at the lady in a floral-patterned shirt behind it.

The Mirialan bartender gave the warrior a look of worry. Not just for her well-being, in truth, but also because of the danger she posed to her and her clientele; a deadly bounty hunter drowning her sorrows in alcohol was not exactly common in the establishment. A disreputable cantina in some backwater world would surely have fit the beskar-clad figure more closely; if anything, the soldier of fortune looked completely out of place here, wetting her whistle at a seaside tiki bar on some jewel of a planet in the Inner Rim- somewhere that was decidedly the innards of the Galactic Alliance. A bad place for one of the Enclave's own Karjr to choose as her next stop, if she wanted to avoid the attention of someone with the authority to bring her into custody. Not that she cared, of course. Karima had always shown a flippant disregard for cautiousness, ever since a young age, and even the loss of her eye could not slow her down - and that was without alcohol in her system.

"I think you've had enough, Mando", spoke the woman with a soft smile, her features betraying the sympathy she felt for the warrior. Unfortunately for her, pity was just about the last thing tonight's problem customer wanted to receive, her hand slamming against the counter with more strength that she had meant to employ.

"Did I ask?" growled the rose of the desert, throwing a generous handful of credits on the counter. "Shut up and keep'em pouring."

Opening her mouth to protest, the bartender's gaze came to rest on the stock of Karima's blaster slung over her back... and so she opted to let out a defeated sigh instead, turning towards the bottles behind her to prepare the woman's drink: bourbon, liqueur, grape juice and lemon juice. Not quite bizarre, but unusual enough for her to have remarked on it when she first arrived hours before and made her order.

Karima almost immediately regretted her words, soon returning to her morose state of being. Lashing out against people who tried to reach out and help seemed to be a pattern as of late, and she only had herself to blame. Truth was... she had never felt so incredibly lonely. With the Enclave biting off more than it could chew, the fierce hunter found herself a crusader without a crusade, raging aimlessly against the world around her. In the end, she returned to the time-honored tradition of bounty hunting - something Clan Fett was well known for throughout its long history. Grand causes and pretty speeches just weren't for her, in the end, and there was a measure of peace in accepting that fact.

What the stories of her great ancestors never mentioned, however, was how taxing such a lifestyle could be. It shouldn't have bothered her. After all, she was the only team she ever wanted or needed, insatiable glory hound that she was. Why, then, did she feel so lost and aimless? Was she weak, to desire company so ardently, yet pushing away all those who came close to her?

Turning her gaze to her helmet resting on the counter, she brought a finger to trace along the lines of the T visor.

 

[Capris Halcyon]

Capris picked up the umbrella toothpick accenting her drink and twirled it between two fingers. She honestly couldn't say what subconscious impulse led her here. Most of her meals as of late had been ration bars hastily eaten over her lap, so yeah, a tiki bar was definitely a change of scenery.

It reminded her of one of the spots Kahlil took her and Rhemti on Naboo; some seaside resort where she learned to swim for the first time. It wasn't as raw of a memory to stew over as she might've expected. Maybe because it was one of the few not totally soaked in layers of regret. Her eyes tracked the slosh of liquid as she rotated her glass, inspecting it for no real reason other than the fact she wanted her thoughts occupied.

"Shut up and keep'em pouring."

Capris blinked, raising a brow at the Mando's slight outburst. It had interrupted her train of rather depressing thoughts, and for some reason or another Capris found that immensely irritating. Bringing her own glass up to her lips, expression flat and cold, Capris raised a finger and used to force to simply tip over the Mando's drink.

Karima Fett

 

[Karima Fett]

​

Tag: [ Capris Halcyon ]

If there was one single truth that encompassed all Mandalorians, no matter how heroic or villainous they proved to be, it surely must have been the near-religious approach they took to their equipment. Weapons and armor held far more importance than gilded icons - which went a long way to explain just how irate Karima was when her cocktail spilled all the plate of unpainted beskar covering her chest. Standing up from the bamboo seat, she slammed both of her hands against the counter, drawing the gazes of several patrons.

"You must think I was born yesterday", she all but snarled. The fear she could see on the Miralan's features brought an odd sort of comfort to her, a reminder that she still held power over others; and, through the fear she inspired in them, she remained in control. She knew herself to be many things, most of them bad, but helpless? Never. Why, then, did she find the bartender's terror so disagreeable? Perhaps she knew that she would lose herself to the display once more, and end up all the more alone because of it...

Instead of sending her fist to crash against the woman's face as the poor Miralan seemed to expect her to, the rose of the desert snatched the bottle of liqueur out of her hands, turning heels after snatching her helmet and keeping it pinned under her arm. Without any of the expected calls of "hey, you're supposed to pay for that!" following her, she was content to take a long, greedy swig-

Only to stop in her tracks, turning towards the figure looking at her so coldly over her glass. Slowly, with purposeful motions, she walked on over to her, setting down her bottle as she looked the stranger up and down.

"You want trouble?"

It was asked almost nonchalantly.

 

[Capris Halcyon]

Something fiery ignited in Capris, like a gust of embers over burnt logs. The last few days had just felt volatile. If this woman was about to give the excuse to rage at someone, she might just take it.

"Not particularly." The girl decided, "I wouldn't want to hold you up on your way out."

It was delivered with all the charm she could muster. Which was to say none. Her eyes then skidded to the doorway the Mandalorian had almost exited through, taunting almost.

"Look sulking at a bar top is one thing, but would it kill you not to take your baggage out on some unsuspecting waitress?"

Was she being hypocritical? Absolutely. Did she care? Not in the least. Capris took a sip of her notably non-alcoholic drink, before vaguely gesturing at the Mando.

"Just cry yourself to sleep like the rest of us."

Karima Fett

 

[Karima Fett]

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Tags: [ Capris Halcyon ]

The one-eyed warrior lifted an elegant brow at the stranger's words, somewhat taken aback by the bite she showed in response. Then again, perhaps bite was not quite the right word. There was no fire behind the girl's words, no anger she could feel. If anything, she seemed well and truly dispassionate, dismissing the heavily-armored figure as one would a lesser woman. No charm, no taunting smirks... just plain, cold dismissal. Which, in a way, the worse possible thing she could do to someone so obsessed with glory.

This girl did not fear her. And that fact intrigued the soldier of fortune...

Perhaps it was the gnawing sense of loneliness eating away at her. Perhaps she just wanted to get a rise out of her, to see her aloof facade finally break. In the end, Karima decided that none of it really mattered. Placing both hands onto the table, she leaned forward, a grin splitting her features, goading the stranger to try and wipe that look off her face.

"You know what? You're right. Clearly, you are a much better candidate", chuckled the warrior warmly. "If you had nothing to sulk about, you wouldn't be here. You don't belong. Not any more than I do. I think this is something they call... how do they say it? Ah, yes. Pot, meet kettle."

 

[Capris Halcyon]

Capris had gone back to fidgeting with the toy umbrella, only to stop a moment later when Karima read her out. The ex-padawan hated when people tried their hand at psychoanalyzing her.

She hated even more when they got it right.

"I have manners." Was the retort she decided on after a brief lapse. It wasn't as witty as her typical jabs, but hey, but you can't win them all.
Taking a sip of her Hawaiian punch, the girl levied an impatient glare at the Mandalorian. "You don't. I think that's enough of a difference."

"Don't pretend that we operate on the same level. We don't. You know nothing about me."

Mandalorians took pride in their work. Or so she heard. That in itself was one gaping, impassable divide between them.

Karima Fett

 

[Karima Fett]

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Tags: [ Capris Halcyon ]

To her credit, the stranger didn't care to give much away. Hell, if Karima wasn't quite pouring all of her attention on her features, she might very well have missed it - the way that little comeback didn't quite hit as hard as those before, the glare that followed giving her some inkling as to where she should be applying her efforts. A wolfish grin soon pulled at the warrior's lips, dripping with a sense of smugness most found utterly insufferable. Enough so that she often managed to start fights with that little taunt alone.

"You do? Weird. I wouldn't have guessed, given how you're talking shit to a complete stranger. But, hey, if you want to talk manners..."

Bringing a hand to rest against her heart dramatically, she gave an exaggerated little bow, clearly enjoying herself.

"Karima Fett, best soldier of fortune this side of the Rim. You're right, by the way; we don't operate on the same level. Nobody ever manages to measure up to me- I do a hell of a job, and I look good doing it."

And an ego to match, too, it seemed.

 

[Capris Halcyon]

The girl deadpanned. “Huh.”

Capris had met her fair share of self important pricks, by no means was this a remarkable find. But even then the woman before her seemed to take the gimmick to a whole new stratosphere. The bounty hunter briefly wondered what would happened if she took her umbrella tooth pick and simply popped the inflated ego staring her down. “Then why have I never heard of you?”

Being the rhetorical question it was, Capris didn’t allow her the space to answer. “You don’t sound very happy with your life for being the—how’d you put it?— best solider of fortune this side of the Rim?” Despite her penchant for flat deliveries, Capris couldn’t help but crack up by the end. “For force sake, you’re in a Tikki Bar refusing to pay for a single drink. I can’t imagine that’s meant to impress anyone.”

She was being a jerk, and not that Karima had been all rainbows and sunshine, but Capris’s venom was definitely a bit misdirected here. The profound self hate she’d been stewing in needed a soundboard.

Karima Fett

 

[Karima Fett]

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Tags: [ Capris Halcyon ]

It was oh-so unhealthy, this dance of theirs. Dishing out all of the hurt within them in their own ways made for the meeting of an over-inflated ego... and the most venomous words Karima had ever heard in her life. More often than not, hurtful words never quite reached her heart, stopped by her self-esteem; and yet, here she was, at a complete loss for words. In truth, the killer for hire looked as if she had been slapped in the face, her singular eye betraying a flurry of emotions. Shock soon gave way to anger, her stance shifting as she considered letting her knuckleplate vibroblade out mid-punch, shoving the blade in the arrogant stranger's throat-

And perhaps she might have, if not for the realization that this would only prove further defeat on her part. Answering a taunt with a blade was precisely the sort of things that would betray her as short-tempered, a trait only fools would regard as a quality.

"Sure got a hell of a mouth on you", groaned the Mandalorian. Or perhaps it was more of a growl, given how she barely kept a lid on things, not to mention how weak of a comeback that was.

"I'm surprised nobody's made you choke on your words just yet."

It was better not to acknowledge the accusation. Mostly because it was spot on, and she felt only misery and loneliness - that a complete stranger could get a read on her left her immensely frustrated. Ironic, then, that she had done the same to the stranger, only to find her verbal offensive stalled and abandoned in the face of this counter-attack.

 

[Capris Halcyon]

Capris couldn't help but feel immensely satisfied with that reaction. It was nice to lash out and see one her barbs catch. For it to hurt.

"Sure got a hell of a mouth on you"

She hummed in agreement, taking another unbothered sip.

"I'm surprised nobody's made you choke on your words just yet."

The sip that followed was slightly less unbothered. She knew very well her words had consequences, it's what got her in this vicious cycle to begin with. What else could she blame other than a deadly concoction of ego and pride? Her assumption she could handle the knowledge and power Kahlil entrusted her with and not crack like some poorly made vase.

"Yeah, it's a wonder." With her fire a bit doused, the girl fixated on a point behind the bar, "If you're trying to be the first, I'd advise against it."

It wasn't a threat. Not really.

"I'm tired."

Karima Fett

 

[Karima Fett]

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Tags: [ Capris Halcyon ]

Walking away was the right thing to do. Karima was lucid enough to know that, if only just; even if she pulled the six-shooter resting in her holster or the blaster rifle slung over her back, there wouldn't be any satisfaction in the kill. Hell, she couldn't even find it in herself to be satisfied by the way she seemed to have doused the girl's fire somewhat. Not when the venomous stranger spoke three simple words that so clearly struck a chord within the warrior of beskar and fury.

Silence stretched between the two, and awkwardly so; before long, the malaise would leave them both looking for a way out of this unfortunate social interaction of hers. And yet, Karima acted, if in the spur of the moment- grabbing a nearby chair to sit on down with that impetuous soul who left her oh-so wounded indeed.

"Me too."

It was stupid. They weren't friends, or anything resembling cordial. All they had done was spit words at one another, clearly trying to get a rise out of the other for no other reason than to feel something. But, in the end, it didn't really matter. Karima would rather take the company of someone who loathed her over more silence, and more loneliness. Venom was better than the hollow sensation she had come to regard as her new normal.

"... I'd say I'm sorry, but we both know that's not true."

Bringing her helmet to rest on her lap, she drummed her fingers against the shape of the T visor, even as her free hand kept a loose grip around the neck of the bottle.

"Or maybe it is. I don't know. You ever get the feeling that you're just- making things up as you go along?"

More than anything, she hoped to hear a yes, to know that she was not alone in this.