Private A Bit Closer To Heaven

[Arekk]

NABOO, THE MID RIM​

"Lock in the auxiliary power, V1!" Arekk shouted at the astromech as he tried to outmaneuver a cargo pirate trying to steal his cargo, lasers hitting the energy shield every ten seconds. "It's now or never!"

And as simple as that, the fallen Jedi turned slicer made the jump to hyperspace and vanished from the claws of the pirate, his destination unknown. Perhaps he'd jump right into an asteroid field or maybe next to a planet that had a civilization. Many outcomes were possible when you jumped to lightspeed without a set course.

"Everything good back there?"

"Beep, boop. Brwaaap!"

The dashboard of Arekk's ship was beeping and all kinds of lights were on which wasn't really good, smoke was emanating from within the ship as a few key components burst into flames and the astromech tried his best to get rid of the fire with its built-in fire extinguisher.

"We need to land quickly or we'll have a very bad day."

Easier said than done, Arekk carefully maneuvered the vessel directly to the nearest planet visible, to his surprise that being Naboo. He was relieved that it wasn't a place like Dxun where a Rancor tried to eat him once, it was a place were people were civilized at some extent.

"This is KX1-R requesting permission to land. Require immediate repairs upon touching ground, copy?"

"Chsk-- en--... Proceed to docking bay 1-1. KX1-R."

Eline Djo ​

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[Eline Djo]

Theed, Naboo
Enroute from Ee'everwest Estate
Approx. One Week After The Coronation

Normally, the waiting would have been difficult, but with Teyla keeping her company when she could, and otherwise learning more of the ins and outs of Naboo society from Alora, Kintel, and so on, passing the time until her belongings arrived was the simplest thing. She even managed to hold her tongue, and mind which thoughts she let loose, trying her best to look on others and treat them like they deserved, not like how her Hapan upbringing dictated. This was one of the greatest challenges of her life, that had her practically mute, and feeling more awkward than she had ever been, every time she performed this act, but she had to do it. She had to try. And Teyla had her reasonably convinced of the worth in the pursuit, given time.

Eline had been convince to stay on Naboo, this time, but in truth, Teyla taking up an apprenticeship under an instructor of the Knights Obsidian thus binding her to this part of space made their once-shared room, and life in the Alliance too lonely. The wait for her Kel Dor master to return was too much to bear in the face of this fact, in the face of all that had occurred, and... she needed to be there for her sister. Be there, in this season of her abandonment by the man her beloved sibling had chosen. It wasn't as hard now to bite her tongue, with her opinion of the man, when seeing the devastation in Teyla's beautiful visage. Pain was pain.

Still, she gave herself some reprieve, and this came in the form of daily, sometimes more than once daily, walks. Usually this would be a directionless stroll, taking in nooks and crannies of Theed, thus coming to know it better, but today she had a direction, and that direction was the spaceport to sign off on and inspect her shipment, before having it sent to her... new home? The Ee'everwests were very welcoming, but Eline wasn't certain this could be permanent, even if the discussions were enlightening, particularly with that violet-eyed, red-haired guest of theirs. So frail! Her investigative curiosity made her want to know more, and it was these wonderings that occupied her mind as the spaceport came into view, and the noise of more bustle than usual, with ground crew scrambling, and....

"By the moons..." she gasped, as her eyes joined many others in watching a ship streaming smoke and spouting some flame, come in for a landing, "...that's got to be some story."

And trouble. Likely trouble, but nothing followed. Even flight traffic in and out of the spaceport appeared to have been halted in the wake of this event, a fact that caused her to reassess her assumptions at least a little, until the thought of her shipment came to mind again, her eyes going wide, and her gaze slipping to the spaceport. She wasn't one for cursing, but...

"Oh, chit."

She debated running, but it wouldn't do to be seen panicking, so she turned, and walked as calmy as she could manage, the rest of the way to the spaceport. Hopefully whichever lummox was piloting that ship could land it with minimal damage to the surroundings...

Arekk

 

[Arekk]

NABOO, THE MID RIM​

The vessel landed shortly after being given permission, leaving a trail of dark smoke behind as the usual traffic resumed. It didn't look good from the outside as once it touched the ground multiple pieces of the ship fell to the ground, a small flame here and there made the entire ship look really fragile you'd wonder how it was able to get there in the first place.

A ramp lowered at the front to let the 'crew' out but it was only Arekk and his trusty astromech, V1. A plethora of workers rushed to the ship in an attempt to salvage whatever was left, putting off the flames with extinguishers of their own.

"Sorry about the mess." The fallen Jedi mused to one of the workers as he inspected the 'marvelous' work he had done. "Where do I sign myself in?"

The worker, a Nikto, pointed at the station-master holding a clipboard posted behind them. Each and every ship, regardless of their destination, had to sign themselves in and out as dictated by the Nabooian authorities in an attempt to mantain records of visitors.

Bureaucracy at its finest.

"Hello." He said while approaching the station-master with this one ready to hand Arekk the paper and pen. "Sign here. You'll pay extra for repairs."

Flabbergasted but ultimately resigned, Arekk signed his name off plus the cargo and destination of the delivery. Someone was supposed to meet up with him at this time so he just stuck around for a while, watching the workers try to save the engulfed ship.

Eline Djo ​

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[Eline Djo]

Theed Spaceport
City of Theed
Naboo

Rounding her way into the spaceport, and making her way to the cargo area was a bit of pushing her way through, and a lot of quick, if a mite hesitant, apologies. It wasn't that she was rude, but her mind was elsewhere, on her shipment, mostly full of precious tomes, the rest of her wardrobe, some Jedi things, and other personal items. She was looking forward to picking up where she left off with her individual studies, and as she sought out the stationmaster and others moved out of the way, she saw the pitiful result of whatever had happened to that ship, and then she saw...

"Arekk?" This was a surprise that gave her pause in her steps, as she slowed to a more cautious pace, certain that was who she was recognising, as briefly as they had met before, "What are you..." she paused, then tried again, trying not to look too long on his unshaven face and unkempt hair, "...Teyla isn't here, she's off training," dirty, smoked out clothes... her eyes went wide as she put two and two together, "is that your ship?!"

She drew one side of her lower lip between her teeth, eyes beginning to acquire the sheen of criticism, but... no. She shook her head of it. What would Teyla say? No, what would she say, as she had been doing so much with her struggling sibling, as of late? The stationmaster approached her, knowing it was her name on the inventory, but she put up a stalling hand, and flashed him her best apologetic glance, before looking back to the dishevelled slicer.

"Are..." She hesitated over the words, because it was plain as day, but... "are you okay?"

Arekk

 

[Arekk]

NABOO, THE MID RIM​

Even though the vessel was falling apart as it was engulfed by flames, the cargo remained intact as the cargo hold was everything-proof, perks of knowing people within the business that knew how to take care of things. If that wasn't obvious then Arekk's calmness was corroboration that everything was fine.

"Oh, Eline." The slicer's blue pools focused on Eline as she approached with a rather blank expression on her face. "My ship? No, no! I borrowed it from someone. Kinda."

A grimace then an awkward smile formed on the slicer's face, his own way of being sorry without actually saying it. Giving his back to his beyond-recognition-all-toasted ship, Arekk spoke again.

"Don't you worry as your stuff is safe. I guarantee it." He said so casually before a small explosion tore the top of the ship, causing slight damage. "Really."

The whole ordeal had left him speechless, dirty and tired. It wasn't easy to navigate with the cargo of a Nabooian through desolated space, even more knowing he had a target on his head after a stunt in the Smuggler's Moon.

"Me? I'm great. Better than I can be." He replied in a lighthearted tone. Fine and dandy. Sure. "Yourself?"

Eline Djo ​

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[Eline Djo]

She honestly couldn't tell if he was being truthful about it being his ship or not, but that didn't matter because it wasn't her ship either. Not that she didn't care about the possessions of others, but in the here and now she was anxious to receive her own. And kinda? Her eyes narrowed for a split-second, her curiosity engaged and disengaged just as quickly.

Safe? "I know tha--" another small explosion made her wince and recoil; a pointed, incredulous look levelled at Arekk in the aftermath. "I know that! I paid for crates that could withstand more than y--" her dark eyes skirted to the side, then back to him, almost worried, "...that ship blowing up!"

Not that she meant to yell, but explosions. Port staff scrambled to put out the flames before they became hot enough to begin melting things, which drew her thankful attention for a brief moment, blowing out a long breath through her nose, briefly closing her eyes, after which she refocussed on the char-streaked slicer, and held a hand out to the stationmaster, finding the datapad placed in her hand in short order.

"I'm okay. Better than okay," she glanced down at the 'pad and placed her signature in flowing script on the indicated line, with turning with a brief word to the stationmaster as to where the cargo was to be delivered, the 'pad returned to him with thanks; she calmly turned back to Arekk, "fabulous, even."

All that 'excitement' aside. Of course.

"Well, it would be remiss of me to leave you..." Eline gave the tarnished form of Arekk a short once-over, 'tsk'-ing under her breath, "...like this, and..." she nipped one side of her lower lip, her eyes filled with some genuine concern, "...after all you've went through to bring the remainder of my belongings to me."

And what would Teyla think? What did she think? Some of those tomes were priceless to her.

"Let's get you cleaned up, and..."

Maybe... it was worth getting to better know the people her dear sister surrounded herself with.

"...then lunch?"

Arekk

 

[Arekk]

NABOO, THE MID RIM​

"Yeah, the cargo's handling and care was my first priority." The slicer pointed back at the ship as the flames that began to consume its entire core were being actively extinguished as they talked. "I obviously didn't want to disappoint. Glad I haven't, right?"

Arekk just smiled from ear to ear as he wiped an imaginary speck from his leather jacket. The explosions didn't fade him whatsoever unlike Eline but it was a slight annoyance that the man didn't really display explicitly.

Fun stuff.

"That's pretty good." He replied genuinely, bopping his head along. "You must be busy around 'ere."

Once the word 'lunch' was uttered Arekk's stomach growled instantly, almost as if it had a mind of its own.

He hadn't had a meal for a while now, mostly because he had forgotten while trying to fend off space pirates from the merchandise he was carrying; food wouldn't be exactly the first thing he'd care about while out there.

"Thank you, Eline. I would very much appreciate that if you're not busy. I don't want to bother."

Eline Djo​

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[Eline Djo]

Despite the present scene, she wasn't disappointed; the ordeal was just surprising. Unexpected. Not really the right kind of exciting, but the Jedi path sought to alter her definition of 'exciting'... well, it was when she was being pulled along it. Things had been uneventful since Kian disappeared, until she had moved to Naboo.

"Busy?" she laughed, "oh yes, my dear sister's family is certainly making sure of that as much as possible."

Not a complaint. Hardly. It was far less dull than her time on Eira Pechal, but then, almost anything was. And thankfully, it didn't get quite so dark here. For certain, almost all of the months since she quietly left Hapes were eye-opening. Months? More like years. It had to have been two.

"Oh..." she briefly put a hand to her mouth, at the grumbling of Arekk's stomach as it answered for him; after that, waving off his polite concern at imposing was an immediate thing. "...bathing first," she insisted, then turning heel, "come along, quickly, then. I can't take you anywhere looking that filthy, but I also can't have you getting to the point of passing out."

Caring for Teyla at her low points made Eline plenty aware of such things. Being with the Ee'everwests took that and added on to it. In her opinion, he could use more than a sound bathing, but she had also been learning to try and hold her tongue. It was up to each person to do with their body as they saw fit, so she'd been told, but was it really so bad that she wanted that which she looked on to be pleasant to the eye?

-----------------------------

She had them shuffled int to a speedertaxi, and shortly thereafter, at the Ee'everwest Estate, where Arekk was shuffled off to get clean, while she tried very hard to pull together something wasn't too, too far off from his usual garb without relying too, too much on her own preferences, with the assistance of one of the household staff, and sent his own clothes to be thoroughly cleaned and mended. De-smoked.

That done, she settled into waiting in a chair outside the dressing room with a book Alora had recommended to her, that she was partway into reading, waiting for him to be ready, her own stomach well into its own dance of hunger. She didn't much care how he felt about being handled. Taken care of. It had to be expedited before she got truly hangry.

Arekk

 

[Arekk]

NABOO, THE MID RIM​

"Thank you." He replied instantly, bopping his head in approval. "Eating food rations for months isn't too nice."

Arekk simply looked down at this raggedy smokey clothes at the mention of filthy; it came with the job. Being on Naboo instead of Nar Shaddaa was a blessing at that time and he'd take it over anything. A nice bath, some food, relaxation by the estate.

What else could you ask?

Him and Eline eventually made their way out of the spaceport to finally clamber within a speeder taxi to make their way to the Ee'everwest estate. The trip was short, with a few steamy glances inbetween, but comfortable.

Arekk immediately undressed and left his clothes were they had indicated him to put them before entering the warm bathtub, gently resting his head against the towel and closing his eyes to relax.

How long had it been since he had caught a break like this? Way too long as far as he could remember.

It wouldn't be too long before he was out of the tub, towel wrapped around his waist and barefeet padding across the tiled floor to make his way where Eline would be waiting.

"That's what I call relaxing. Thank you so much again."

Eline Djo​

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[Eline Djo]

That he took his time was on one hand surprising for how hungry he seemed to be, yet on the other hand, she wasn't bothered so much by waiting with something to read. She had been getting a lot of reading done during her time here, and very little of it was fiction, but this one could be argued to be partly fictional. Religion was a societal glue, but the realness of entities worshipped was a matter of interpretation; this was a historical account of the polytheistic religion of Naboo, and when Arekk's shadow loomed over her, she glanced from the page to the bare feet and lower legs, to the bottom edge of the towel...

"I didn't choose that for you to wear" she deadpanned, her eyes and head travelling further up over his bare torso, where one brow lofted, followed by another, until she found his face, and presented it with a nonplussed expression on her own, "Also, you need a tan. Badly."

Her eyes returned to the text, and she shooed the slicer away with the gesture of one hand. It wasn't like she hadn't seen countless Hapan men, topless. at. the. beach. Goodness.

"Go on - I'm certain you can dress yourself. Clean clothes are on the chair in the dressing room."

She was definitely going to filling Teyla in, later.

Arekk

 

[Arekk]

NABOO, THE MID RIM​

"I think I'm blind as I couldn't find the attire you provided me with." Arekk apologized with half a smile concealed beneath. "A tan? You're breaking my heart. It's not that bad!"

Shooed away, the slicer closed the door behind him to dress up and come out immediately after, donning the outfit that Eline had chosen for him to comfortably wear as his clothes were being cleaned and dried.

He didn't look bad but perhaps out of his element, in a way, the attire made him look odd but nice at the same time.

"I hope I didn't make you wait too long. You must be as hungry as I am."

The man's eyes diverted to the book that Eline held onto for a brief moment before glancing around, trying to come up with words to say.

"What are you reading?"

His interest was obvious, sincere, honest. Reading was something that relaxed him, especially when out on missions while traveling throughout the galaxy.

Eline Djo​

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[Eline Djo]

He didn't grouse too much about her assessment, and not a word about her reaction (or lack thereof) to his nearly-naked form, which was a point in his favour. Some would be much, much more insulted, either by her assessment, or that she didn't show a marked interest or even shyness at the display of flesh. To wit, she wasn't easily impressed, particularly not by men.

"You're right..." she said absently, eyes moving across the page, "...it isn't that bad. It's worse."

A cheeky half-smile flashed up at turning her fair assessment into a jab, and then it disappeared, a scant existence. She could say the same of many-a-man on Naboo, so Arekk at least wasn't alone in it, here. When he came back out again, this time fully clothed, she closed the book, and gave him a second once-over.

"It's a historical account of the local religion - not everyone's daily caf," she replied, as she looked him over, "better," she decided, rIsing from her seat and leaving the book behind where her rear had once been, "and yes, I'm famished. If you took any longer, I might have gone to lunch without you."

Eline smiled cordially, but her gaze put a faint, daring tease to her words of abandonment.

"So, unless there's anything in particular you've a craving for...?"

Chaos NaNo: 221 words

Arekk

 

[Arekk]

NABOO, THE MID RIM​

"I beg to differ."

Her half-smile was met with one of his own, embracing the jab and taking it in good spirits where many would try to say something 'smart' in an attempt to defend themselves.

Arekk took two small steps forward as he tugged his neck collar so it would fall into a far more comfortable position, the same with the cuffs thereafter.

"And what does this historical account say about the local religion? Must be a touchy subject, they say it's not a very appreciated topic of conversation."

If there was an all-seeing eminence overseeing each and every one of your movements then the slicer failed to believe in such fairy tale as there was only the Force in his eyes. It'd be difficult to convince him otherwise as his stuborness overcame his critical thinking.

"I can think of a thing or two." He casually blurted, eyes falling on Eline for a brief second before moving away. "But beggars can't be choosers. I am happy with whatever's offered."

Removing an imaginary speck of dust from his shirt, Arekk pointed at Eline and then himself.

"How do I look?"

Eline Djo​

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[Eline Djo]

The words of a letch... she shouldn't have been surprised, but she shouldn't have to mind her phrasing to avoid it. What was that song? 'I just met you, and this is (definitely) crazy'? Yup. She pursed her lips, crossed her arms, and pinned him with a pointed look. Did he think she could dine on conversation, be sated by words? If jittery nerves were the thing driving the steady stream of inquiry, she couldn't tell; she didn't know Arekk well enough, nor was she much of an empath. The look held for a handful of moments, before she gave a mildly exasperated sigh and threw up her hands, turning heel and making to exit the room.

"Save the interrogation, Arekk," she groaned, perhaps now getting a mite hangry, "or we may not have anything to talk about over lunch," and she stopped at the threshold, half-turning back to him when he asked after his looks, she appraised him carefully and came to a decision, "I chose well - that looks good on you."

A warning smile graced her lips, and she turned away again, a mild eyeroll and a mouthed, mild curse punctuating her departure down to the speeder bay. Men. Who needs them? Honestly!

Chaos NaNo: 206 words

Arekk

 

[Arekk]

NABOO, THE MID RIM​

"Guess you're right."

The exasperation coming from Eline was clear enough and Arekk seemed to keep toying around with it, almost finding it enjoyable to a degree, until he decided to stop and adopt a much more 'serious' persona.

Shooting his cuffs, the slicer followed her along towards their final destination, eyes wandering around aimlessly. Naboo was the kind of place where he could see himself finally 'settling down'; it was quiet, peaceful and the everyday drama was close to non-existant when you compared it to Ethos City.

"It's not the kind of clothes I'd wear but I appreciate it."

His stomach continued to grumble and with every passing minute he'd begin to feel more and more hangry much like Eline. The least you'd want to see is two people getting crankier because they bellies remained empty.

Hopefully they'd be able to at least have an enjoyable evening with a delicious feast followed with entertaining conversation.

"I am not trying to annoy you, by the way." He eventually said. "So I'm sorry if I made an out of place comment or two. Years of working with smugglers and do-nothings don't help my case."

Eline Djo​

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[Eline Djo]

She would question how being around her sister so much didn't civilise him a little, yet... look at who her sister had been married to! But then, she felt for her half-sibling, who had genuinely loved the man, and Eline couldn't speak another disparaging word about Damon Riggs, seeing how profoundly his absence, and the later notice of his death had affected her. Love, it seemed, transcended many, many, many things... even eyesight, Eline might have added, once upon a time. The walk down to the speeder bay was quiet save for footfalls and the rustling of fabric, as her hunger-fuelled irritation and culturally-formed way of thought crashed against consideration that became more and more a part of the fabric of her the longer she was separated from the world of her birth, and guilt born from painting Arekk with the same brush that she had done for so long with, dare she admit to the term, her late brother-in-law.

Coming to a slate grey, auto-piloted hovercar, she planted both hands on the hood as Arekk and his apology and defensive words stood in the background. She was better than this. She had better control of herself than this. She had to. Her fingers curled under her palms on the hood, and she pushed off the hood, standing silent for another minute, before she would dare trying to voice any words. Turning partly to look over her shoulder, long chestnut hair falling like a curtain aside her face, she gave him a response.

"For what it's worth..." she paused, as if weighing her words, her voice soft, gentle, and streaked with remorse, "...I'm sorry."

Turning away again, she wordlessly went to get into the car, which hummed to life as she touched the door handle and climbed in when the door slid up. It wasn't enough to say she couldn't help the way she was when she could. It was just hard to change over two decades being Hapan. She didn't have to become someone she wasn't, just... a better version of her, without losing who she was. One that was more conducive to the Jedi path. One that Teyla could be proud of.

"Get in," she called out the window, just loud enough to not be yelling; she wanted to get some food in her before she felt worse, "we're going for prime nerf, and you're not allowed to say no."

Who in their right mind would say no to that? She felt like she could eat a whole nerf, if she were honest. With sides. With dessert. With Arekk in the vehicle, she gave the car's AI her verbal instruction:

"To Belderaine's, please, Mero."

The AI gave its assent, and off they went, into the streets.

Arekk

Chaos Nano: 458 words

 

[Arekk]

NABOO, THE MID RIM​

"You're fine." Arekk colored their little chat with a little humor. "This is why we're getting to know each other."

With haste, the slicer clambered into the hovercar as Eline called out for him, the thought of devouring the most delicious of steaks was enough to make his mouth drool like a hungry Bantha. The fact that she'd even mention he would say no to such exquisite offer was nothing but a mad person's thought.

"We're getting dessert with that, right?" He mused almost like he could read Eline's mind. "Just got to."

If the long drive to where they were heading wouldn't kill him then the hunger would as his stomach continued to grumble loudly, furthermore in the depths of the driverless hovercar.

His eyes focused on the Nabooian sights in the far horizon, lakes and green mountains that were a welcome sight compared to the neon-lit skyscrapers of Lithios. Arekk felt slightly nervous, perhaps too much for a man that worked with scumbags for a living.

It could be many things, it could be nothing at all.

The prospect of switching from meeting low-lives in shady cantinas to dining with someone who doesn't want to put a vibroblade to your neck was something he wasn't used to on the regular.

But one thing was certain: They were going to eat good and have one hell of a time.

He was sure of it.

Eline Djo​

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[Eline Djo]

Getting to know each other, yes, but not in the ways that many might desire; given his earlier comment, Arekk appeared to be no less different... but then, Teyla had said something or other about this, and how it still somehow was no reason to be scathing as she tended to be - that was months ago. Right now, she was low-key glad for his easy going nature, even if she would have preferred to get a rise out of him. That she didn't, that she might never, might've been more of a very real concern if her mind wasn't consumed by this balancing act.

"I don't know," she began; her arms were crossed, buy she turned her head and made herself look at the once-filthy man, who really did clean up nicely, who didn't need as much of a tan as she said, but he was looking a little pale for his colour. That couldn't really be healthy, right? "If there's room?"

Who was she even kidding? Belderaine's had the most delectable take on delicate Atrisian confections. A light smile graced her full lips, melting some of the tension in her face, a smile brought to life by pleasant thoughts of sweets and at least visually alluring company (she was pleased with herself for that), despite the cavernous, growling state of here stomach. After a moment or two of giving him a fair, honest look, she turned her attention away, directing her gaze forward at first, then out the passenger window on her side. There was so much she did want to ask, but it could wait until there was food in them both.

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Belderaine's
Late Afternoon

Finally arrived, finally seated, Eline seemed to melt into her seat at the table for two, the prospect of a good meal being this close, the scents wafting from the kitchen, making her salivate. Having already ordered a set menu, the drinks were next, starting with water, then after, their assigned waitress asked after their preferences for libations

"I'll take the pairing suggestions for each course," she decided, trusting the staff's judgement as she had done before, "and you, Arekk?"

She looked at him, expectantly, much as the waitress did, also, though more subdued.

"The selection of beers on tap is quite respectable, if wine isn't your preference."

She wasn't much of a beer person, unless it involved fried chicken. It appeared to go quite well with fried things, but fried anything was an infrequent indulgence.

Arekk

415

 

[Arekk]

NABOO, THE MID RIM​

"There's always room for dessert."

Arekk always appreciated a well decorated and seemingly orderly establishment such as Belderaine's was, the 180 degrees change from scummy bars on the other end of the galaxy was nothing but a welcome change for once. Champagne instead of Jawa Juice?

Sign him up every time.

"Bring us a bottle of Domaine de la Maison sur le Lac." The thought of him even spewing such name out of his own mouth might have been a surprise for Eline but in reality he was an avid conoisseour of wine. Never judge a book by its cover, they say. "Chef's recommendation on the food for me, thank you."

He lifted himself up as the wafting scents of victuals emanated from the kitchen, its staff working around the clock to provide for every table within the establishment.

Arekk was visibly comfortable though his stomach continued to grumble, perhaps the wine would keep him at ease until their food arrived.

"Finest wine you can drink, I must say. Hopefully you will like it."

Eline Djo​

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