Public A Step into the Light | Eshan Solstice Festival

[Evelyn Shaw]

Interacting with: Amea Virou
Nearby: Yula Perl | Phalsi Drynchen
​

It would’ve been a lie to say Evelyn wasn’t typically concerned and/or worried for Amea. Especially after how she found her when they had reunited after Willowdale. Somehow, she had managed to pull Amea from a metaphorical cliff she was about to fall from. From there it had been a slow and steady process of trying to help guide her along a less self-destructive path.

Give her comfort, warmth, love, the things she had been missing. That daily life shouldn’t be filled with paranoia and concerns of being stabbed in the back.

But every time Amea had left for some reason or another, Evelyn’s worry always intensified. Concerned that something had happened, that she wouldn’t return. And yet Amea always did, albeit usually looking worse for wear than when she left

Evelyn wasn’t foolish enough to believe that paranoia would ever go away fully. Hell, delving further into their way of life made it apparent to the Echani why her girlfriend got so paranoid. But now she had someone watching her back, they both did. And those worries and concerns slowly dwindled, as Amea seemed to become more comfortable in situations that would have otherwise been the opposite.

Amea’s words had brought the Echani out of her musings, who had also subsequently been glancing over at the nearby knife stand. Evelyn had the decency to look sheepish, having been caught effectively red handed.

“In my defence, you always have to have the right knife. A bad cut can make or break a dish, as my grandpa would say.” The question that was left unanswered though, could one even find a decent knife in a backwater station of all places?

Evelyn chuckled lightly, glancing at Amea.

“Would this also be a bad time to mention I might’ve ordered a new set of throwing knives yesterday?” That she’d blame on that one time they had visited a carnival. One of the game attendants had goaded her into acquiring the top prize. Many knives were thrown at targets that day, and Evelyn had found a new appreciation for the weapon.

Their conversation was interrupted however, when a couple of women approached them. Evelyn immediately noted the Zeltron, who seemed to be familiar with Amea. The Echani raised an eyebrow, looking at the brunette with amusement.

“Is she calling you Stacey?”

 

[Noelle Varanin]

Kal | Inhye Oh-chai​

The telepathy earned Kal a fleeting, sour look. She didn't pay his intrusion any response. Convenient or not, it made her uncomfortable. Only her kin had ever had a place inside her mind, but here he was trancing about like they were blood bound and--

Well. She supposed the binding spell had involved blood...

She hid her frown inside the bite she took and stole a glance of the stranger. The woman was remarkably calm. Noelle was more than sure she had protected that boy from negative exposure, what she didn't expect was the unfazed grace the foreigner possessed while managing it. Her curiosity spiked.

"...I suppose customs around the galaxy are different" she commented offhandedly. Before Inhye could look up or chose to engage her in any further pleasantries, Noelle leaned intentionally into a silver platter. The large oval upended and flipping off the table. Her sidestep knocked her into Inhye's arm, and before the woman could do much about it, the sleeve was tugged just so .

The silverware came tumbling out, falling into the chaos of pastries and napkins. No one would have been left the wiser, her body had blocked the view from anyone that had been looking at that moment.

"Oh, dammit," she cursed, releasing the woman's arm and looking at both their sleeves. She had shoved them into a pastry jam. "My mother would never be this clumsy."

 

[Inhye Oh-chai]

​

Dammit indeed. Two heirlooms squandered in a day. A few minutes' stretch, even. What bad, frustrating luck, but Inhye was one to cover up her feelings like the full-coverage foundation on her flawed skin. Emotions weren't becoming of a handmaiden; neither of an efficient mercenary, which she technically was nowadays.

Upon looking up, her dark, almond eyes widened to the size of the spoon heads sprawled on the floor and swam with all the water in the orbital bombardment lakes outside.

Damn it twice, even.

The 'lady' now before her wore a crown. The possibilities of her true rank lightened Inhye's head: duchess, baroness, princess. Gods almighty. Her heart wasn't on her sleeve--room now taken up by pastry jam--but it was in her throat and just about in her mouth. The most daring security detail had never gotten her blood pounding like it was now. She had been exiled for much more with much less evidence. A simple thievery of cutlery and slander of mistitling a noblewoman was worlds easier to prove than a conspiracy of rebellion leadership. She hadn't even introduced herself here, but would be very surprised if for her assumed transgression she wasn't prompt thrown off of grounds if not out of orbit...

So it was strange when the moments ticked on, on, and on, and no accusations streamed out of the woman's mouth. Inhye stared back for too long in response to her, only breaking her line of sight by shuffling to the side to allow a butler to begin cleaning up the mess. Likewise, his, "Excuse me, mistresses," shattered the awkward silence, until she herself began with a small, shy smile, "I was meaning to get rid of this old thing, anyway. I should really be thanking you."

Yes.

Quite.


~
Noelle Varanin | Kal

 

[Kal]

Noelle Varanin | Inhye Oh-chai​

It was almost remarkable how uncomfortable she could be about simple telepathic exchanges - despite the fact that it had been his only medium of communication during the month or so she'd bound him. Unless you counted dreams as separate. Mortal dreams were often oh-so-interesting and ever so fun to play around with. Probably best not to mention that specific hobby to her, come to think of it.

Witnessing Noelle's exchange with the stranger, Kal did little but thoughtfully nibble on pastries. Even when decorations and foodstuffs alike came crashing down, he was not among those gasping or raising eyebrows, though the loss of so many excellent treats was tragic.

Not that it was a complete loss, as the small marzipan orb he had saved from the chaos indicated.

Plucking it from thin air - hopefully without anyone noticing - he contemplated for a moment before plopping it in his mouth. Chewing slowly, he went as far as to slow down his mouth's production of substances that would aid the breakdown of foodstuffs so as to savour the flavour.

What peculiar behaviour from the both of them. Would it not be simpler if everyone just attempted some honesty?​

 

[Noelle Varanin]

Kal Inhye Oh-chai​

"Oh, please. That was me." She stepped to the side, allowing the server to begin to pick up the scattered plates. All the while her foot nudged a few wayward spoons under the cloth of the table.

There. Like nothing happened. Almost.

Her tongue clucked as she noticed the sleeve. It was collateral damage-- far more preferable to any heat the woman might have taken cleaning up after the wayward boy's mess. At least, that was how Noelle saw it. She did not know the clothing's value to the stranger.

One might even say Noelle created more trouble than it was worth, but she was nothing if not stubborn ... and short sighted.

"Well that will not do, I'll have to lend you one of my own. I can have that taken out before the night is--" A flicker caught her attention, the something from earlier solidifying into a familiar chiseled face. And it lingered over none other than her sister. She froze.

"...Chit," Noelle curse under her breath. The warmth left her cheeks, panic seizing her chest as a cocky August Oreno stepped in closer to Quinn Varanin ... her twin.

Identical twin.

"Will you excuse me-- Kal," she stressed, her voice tightening as it rose a hushed octave. She tried to hand Inhye Oh-chai 's problem sleeve off to the shadow, a step towards intervention already taken.

Now was not the time to tease her! ... Though no doubt the shadow would. It wasn't often your secret fling mistook your sister for you.

 

[Phalsi Drynchen]

Objective: Have a Blast
Equipment: Under-Armor, Clothes-How they look, utility belt, Wrist Device, Slicing/Gaming Tool, The Encoil, Stowaway Node, Clarion Personal Translator
Weapons: Four Zenji Needles
Tags: Yula Perl Amea Virou Evelyn Shaw
​

There was a grin to Yula's snarky challenge. But nothing beyond the playful reply as the beans were spilled. The pair drifted forward in line as Yula went on with her explanation of the pairs first meeting. A distinctly muffled laugh came from behind the hand she held to her mouth at the chair and whip comment.

"Must have been a real eye opener of a meeting for him." She joked, pondering the appearance of a whip wielding zeltron in a spice ring. Especially if it was a bust gone wrong. Boy had to have been sweating slugs at the sight.

Yula continued, getting a few wide eyed looks and grins from Phalsi as she heard the fondness in her tone. It was nice hearing her speak of someone so dearly, even with the implied head butting.

"Hmm. Butting heads isn't anything new for you though. Just keeps him on his toes. I am happy for you though. Seems a real catch." She offered sincerely and quietly with a nod. Taking a small bite off her kebab before pausing and adding on a little bit more. "Even if he is Alliance."

The tucking of hair behind her ear had her stopping short. The comment of her appearance had her mouth opening before closing just as quickly. A shade of red crossing her cheeks as she stuck her tongue out just a bit.

"Says the nine to a seven. Thank you, though. It's...uncharted territory. " She managed, though there was a grin behind the words. They had drawn near enough to another stand that Phalsi began eyeing up a particularly slim dagger before Yula spoke up.

Her eyes wandered over the crowd before following the directive point of the zeltrons kebab stick.

"Everyone's a friend of yours. They just don't know it yet." She chuckled, using her own kebab to wave the two women over to them.

"Ey! The kebabs are amazing by the way if you haven't ate yet!" She mused, holding the skewer up for their viewing pleasure.

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw // Yula Perl // Phalsi Drynchen

Throwing knives again? Amea’s eyes closed with a long sigh. Her eyes opened, her gaze set on Evelyn with a warm smile as she raised her brows in confirmation that this was indeed a bad time to mention that. Not because of where they were, but just in general because Evelyn had acquired several new sets ever since the Festival of Joy on Glee Anselm.

Truly, Amea didn’t know whether to thank the game attendant or strangle them with her bare hands.

And then, that one voice called out. Amea froze up for a second out of sheer habit before she eased out of it. Even as Amea put herself under someone else’s banner it seemed that the Zeltron had a way of bringing forth the worst in her. Her nerves didn’t tangle this time though, or so she wanted to tell herself. In truth her main worry was how Evelyn would take to the introduction of this pink-skinned woman without any prior introduction.

“She did.” Amea rubbed at her neck and slowly turned around. “So much for my friends being dead, and far away.”

“Sounds good!” Amea called back to whoever the woman was with Yula. A lover, perhaps? Her attention went back to Evelyn as they began to approach. “Okay, so…”

“Short story is…” She said and cleared her throat and spoke in hush whispers. “Remember when I told you that I had a massive crush on this one woman once? ButthatitwaslikereallylongagoandIloveyouandIwouldnever—”

“Hiiiiii!” Amea burst into a smile as they approached the other two. “They, uh, look good.”

“Evelyn, this is Yula. Yula, this is Evelyn. My girlfriend.” An arm was raised towards each of them as if to indicate who was who. That was very important to make clear when making introductions. Amea glanced over at Phalsi. “And I take it—” She said and stopped to catch a breath as the anxiety of this entirely unexpected social encounter pounded against her chest. “You are hers? Yula’s girl— friend, I mean.”

 

[Kal]

Noelle Varanin | Inhye Oh-chai​

It was a veritable smorgasbord of awkwardness and courtly silliness and Kal was eagerly watching every bit of it, slowly sampling treats all the while. Having more or less given up any attempt at hiding his amusement, a crooked smile graced his host's symmetrical lips.

Unfortunately, it seemed Noelle was picking up on a nascent embarrassment before it could be enjoyed.

"Portlover's not that bright, is he?" Careless or misinformed, by the looks of it - in Kal's mind the latter was far worse, for it would indicate a degree of unpreparedness he found personally offensive. Information was everything to any worthwhile endeavour; anyone who was even vaguely intrigued by courtly affairs would do well to know the players on the field, so to speak - the who, the what, the why.

Taking his own unspoken advice, a pair of pale eyes drifted towards the foreign noblewoman. While still visibly entertained, his look had shifted into the coldly examining, as if seeking to dissect her by weight-of-gaze alone. Then there was her soiled sleeve, now apparently his problem.

Stepping forward, he gently gestured with a hand, the jam losing its stickiness and subsequently dripping off like water.​

 

[Inhye Oh-chai]

"Oh."

Inhye hadn't known what to expect when her sleeve was all but shoved in the face of yet another stranger, but she retained enough presence to step back to save her third heirloom, her kkotsin shoes, from a splat of freefalling jam.

"That's an interesting trick, Sir..."

She left the last syllables of the sentence unpronounced, hoping for an introduction.



~
Noelle Varanin | Kal | August Oreno

 

[Yula Perl]

"Says the nine to a seven."

Yula choked on a chunk of grilled pepper. After a frantic moment of thumping her fist against her chest, she gasped at Phalsi.

“Nine???”

She couldn’t stop the chit-eating grin from spreading across her face. It softened into something a tad more appropriate when they approached Amea and her companion.

“Girlfriend, huh?” Up and down went the eyebrows in an exaggerated fashion, directed at Amea. The Zeltron appraised Stacey’s beau for a moment, noting the snow white hair and a complexion light enough to blend into the sea of fair faces around them. “Nice to meet ya, Evelyn. Glad to see Amea here found someone as pretty as her.” Her cheesy smile shifted into something genuine.

Wink.

“Oh, her?” She jerked a thumb at Phalsi. “Nah. She’s my dealer.” Quickly, she ducked before Phalsi could thwack her. It was an honest assumption to make, given how they were canoodling down the streets. “Nah nah, just playing—this is my friend, Phalsi. Phalsi, this is my friend from my 'rim days, Amea. We’re here to eat good food and buy some of those cool Echani knives I’ve been hearing about.”

A beat passed while Yula paused.

“Hey, do fancy knives make good apology gifts for when you almost choke somebody out? Asking for a friend.”

Probably not. Because of the implication.

Phalsi Drynchen | Amea Virou | Evelyn Shaw

 

[Noelle Varanin]

Noelle was quick to weave through the crowd, her shoulders managing to slide by and avoid any uncouth jostles. She was attempting to not attract attention to herself, but every second August Oreno was allowed to speak to Quinn Varanin n was a second of ammunition her twin would not forget.

Heat filled her cheeks as she slipped in behind him.

Her hand snaked out and wrapped firmly around his wrist. A sharp tug would yank him back, into the crowd to hopefully depart without any resistance from Alina Tremiru or her partner. Better a rude exit than to be caught being snatched out by Noelle.

"What are you doing?" She hissed up at the man, her face pressed close as she attempted to shield them behind a tall man's back.

It would only take a quick moment for him to connect the dots. Her lips were pinched in that familiar petulant frown. There was no lightness to her expression, just stress.

She shook her head once at him and tried to pull him deeper away.

 

[August Oreno]

Noelle Varanin

He was about to say more to Quinn Varanin before he felt himself be yanked back into the crowd.

That didn't even make the top ten of things August expected to happen here.

So Noelle had no problem at all in making it happen.

"Um, excuse you, my Lady, but-" August turned to the woman and then blinked. Then blinked AGAIN, before looking back into Quinn's direction and then looking at Noelle again. Understanding started to dawn a little bit. "Oh... o-oh no. I did something bad, didn't I..." She pressed herself closer against him ostensibly to hide them both behind the bulk of a larger gentleman.

"Well, I was going to come and... say... hi." Trailing off there slowly as August realized just how close their faces were.

Noelle didn't receive any warning.

One moment they were hissing to one another. The next? August leaned all the way in to kiss her out of nowhere. Well, it wasn't entirely fair to say it came out of NOWHERE.

Definitely not planned by August however.

 

[Noelle Varanin]

August Oreno​

A noise of shock caught between their lips, her hand bracing on his chest. It had been meant to be used as a barrier to push him away. It twisted into the fabric instead, making separation suddenly impossible.

She gasped and pulled back, her lips parted as she gaped up at him.

"Are you- we-... ugh." Her chest heaved with each breath she took. She shoved him back subtly.

"Did you kiss my sister like that?" She hissed. Unlikely. He still had his limbs. Still, the bodies shifted and revealed them to the pair she had tried to sneak around. To no avail, clearly.

Her eyes went wide. She took her hands off his chest and cleared her throat.

 

[Quinn Varanin]

//: Noelle Varanin //: August Oreno //: Alina Tremiru
​

Quinn was lost in her own thoughts, wondering where Alina had wandered off to - or if the girl had even arrived yet. Frowning, Quinn had completely decided to ignore the man that had come up to her. It was probably for the best, since if she would have heard and then saw him treat her so familiar - he would have found himself without a nose.

Instead, he was saved by her sister, who was someone Quinn couldn't ignore. Coming out of her daydreaming, the Echani Princess glanced towards her Queen and sister with her face being devoured by some man. Quinn looked horrified, her body facing the pair as they kissed and with no shame expressed her feelings on the matter.

"EW!" Her nose wrinkled, her face cringed and she covered her face. "Now who's kissing random nobles." The cringe faded into a frown as Quinn moved and assessed the gentleman that had decided to plant his face against her sister's.

"Who is this? And why was he near me? Does he think if he's nice to me I'll be okay with him face sucking my sister? WHO HAS MY FACE - HE'S FACE SUCKING MY FACE." ​

 

[Alina Tremiru]

This party was so beyond what Alina wasn't used to. People were smiling, having fun. Genuinely in good moods. There was something so welcoming about it, and yet, she couldn't feel any more out of place. The Vampiress kept to herself, more afraid that someone might find out who she was before she had Quinn Varanin at her side to keep any hostility at bay. Really, though, where was Quinn?

She heard her before she saw her. Ew. There was a relief in hearing the Princess's voice, but also a new worry. She was going to make a scene. And.. She did. Alina laughed nervously as she approached, reaching out to set a hand to Quinn's arm. "Uh." Well, she wasn't sure what to say at this point. Instead she just smiled.

"Hello, Quinn. And.. Noelle, right?" Her faintly glowing gaze shifted to Noelle Varanin and August Oreno . She kept a calm smile, trying her best to dissolve whatever tension might of been building.

 

[August Oreno]

Noelle Varanin Quinn Varanin Alina Tremiru

For a moment everything was perfect.

Well, that was a big word, they were still surrounded by exhausting nobles and such, but as perfect as it can get in this context.

"What? Of course not, why would yo-" And August quickly straightened up, plastering up a fake noble smile as Quinn and Alina arrived on the scene. It was funny how different Noelle's sister was. Identical and yet... August couldn't help but blink at the current of words spilling out of her mouth. For a moment August was speechless.

"Ah, you must be the Lady Quinn Varanin." And don't forget, August, the Queen's sister will be at the ball too. Try not to make an ass out of yourself? Well, that had gone well.

Of course, his seneschal hadn't thought to remind him of the fact that she'd look IDENTICAL to one another.

"No, I simply wished to introduce myself to the Queen's sister, face sucking was quite far from my mind." August responded calmly, while trying to ignore the trickle of sweat running down his spine. That would have been a diplomatic incident to put it mildly. Oh, Noelle put up with his chit and allowed him to push some boundaries.

Making THAT mistake however... costly, he was certain.

As Alina arrived and drew attention to herself, he leaned in slightly to Noelle. "You could have warned me your sister is basically a mirror you with a klaxon for a mouth." Murmured quietly in her ear before smiling again for the pair opposed to them and specifically to Alina.

"Pleasure making your acquaintance, Lady...? I am August of House Oreno. I doubt you have heard of me, I have barely been on Eshan the past few years."

 

[Noelle Varanin]

Oh dear gods.

Noelle suddenly felt less like a queen and more like a mortified child. Any hope she had of this moment going unnoticed was dashed as Quinn began to exclaim in annoyance. August whispering in her ear wasn't helping. It was only the 'vampire' that offered her any bridge to deescalate the sudden tension.

Of all the people.

"Quinn, please, people are watching." Her tone was low and strained, the commands gone as she plied at her sister to be normal. Just like she had as children. Of the two, it was Noelle that cared about the public eye.

She stepped in closer, trying to block out the world from the delicate encounter.

"Obviously, this was not meant to happen." She shot August a warning look. She had been ignoring him since that meeting, the events of that night left unresolved and unaddressed. She suppose she should have seen this coming. She hadn't given him any other way to find her.

Her attention turned to Alina. She had originally thought the woman's presence would be a problem, now she felt like the only stable block in the moment. She smiled tightly at her, nodding her head at the greeting.

"Yes, you can tell us apart by which one screams in public." A jab suited for a sibling, she carried on as if it hadn't occurred.

"This is Lord Oreno. Lord, meet my sister Lady Quinn and her companion. Miss..."

Quinn Varanin August Oreno Alina Tremiru

 

[Kal]

Inhye Oh-chai | etc.​

Shrugging blithely, Kal eyed the falling jam with worldly indifference before his attention returned to the noblewoman.

"Oh, just something I picked up from strange people in stranger places." As far as statements went, it was as true as it was intentionally misleading. It was just like him to leave out the fact that he was, by most definitions, one of the strange people and that said strange places were home.

Inclining his head in greeting, a name rolled off his tongue as if it was the most natural thing in the world. As if this was not his first day as Anric.

"Anric Ferevin Vae, at your service." The subtle grin and looming silence that followed made it clear that he expected her to return the favour, so to speak. A pseudonym for a name, an excellent trade as far as he was concerned - he was not one to attribute undue significance on names, but that was not to say that they were not valuable in their own way. A name was history, history was knowledge, knowledge was power.​

Who controls the past controls the future.

 

[Saram Kote]

Tag(s): Sergeant Omen ​

​

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Spoiler: Equipment

​

• Armor:
  
  • 'Ori'vuhyr'yaliyr'gam
  • Vambrace Weapons:
    
    • TBP-01V Tractor-Pressor Beam Projector
    • PC-05V Plasma Caster
      
      • Plasma Gas Medium Cannister (1)
    • MML-01V Miniaturized Missile Launcher
      
      • Electro Darts (4)
      • Explosive Darts (4)
      • Surveillance Tagger Darts (4)
    • NML-02VTB Nano missile Launcher
• Implant(s):
  
  • 'Rammikad' Enhancement Package
  • 'Gar Tkiriyr' Neural Interface
• Melee:
  
  • B-01M Beskad
  • K-02M Kal (2)
• Sidearm(s)
  
  • LRH-5A Verpine Shatter Pistol w/ 'Kyrayc Sur'haai' 1-4x Short Range Optic
• Rifle(s):
  
  • AMR-4M Verpine Shatter Anti-Materiel Rifle w/ 'Kyrayc Sur'haai' 1-250x Extreme Range Optic
• Explosives:
  
  • Smoke Grenades (3)
  • Flash-Bang Grenades (3)

​

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​

Saram opened and closed her mouth a few times as her brain desperately tried to come up with a response to his comment about him being unattractive because her buy'ce was nowhere near her head. "Was Jango this much of a cheeky di'kut or is that all you, vod?" she laughed, her expression only become more serious as the conversation did. He'd made a fantastic point about the Oyu'baat and it being the prime example of how some things tended to stay the same. Which for a culture like theirs which valued the change that came with personal and societal growth, was a profound statement indeed. ​

​

"Aay'han" she said a moment after his somber yet not unreasonable remark. "The comfort of having someone to be there for you even though you know that you'll leave someone behind. The word for bittersweet moments like that is aay'han. It's okay to lean on either side every once in a while, that's normal. Happens to the best of us." There wasn't a warrior who didn't think about the end, and who didn't entertain the possibility of wishing they didn't have to inflict the pain of their passing on another. She found it was the knowledge that there was someone to go back to that often kept one fighting in the most desperate of times. ​

​

Saram laughed again when he told her about getting shot at by the blue-skinned Twi'lek Vizsla. "Vizsla's can be hot-tempered like that, the women more than the men. Sounds like a scene straight out of a holovid though. You know, one of those cheesy romance ones?" she teased, eyebrows raised as she nudged him in the ribs with her elbow. She listened to him describe what he did for the Silver Jetii, her eyes going wide with interest when he mentioned that he was a marksman, "You're a marksman too, huh? Kandosii!" ​

​

She was going to say something else, but instead her attempt at an apology stumbled out of her mouth. Thankfully, he wasn't actually insulted and stopped her midway through her apology attempt and accepted the cake and her attempt at a fresh start in the conversation. "Be happy to, vod." The moment opened the bottle of tihaar, the scent immediately broadened the smile on her face. "Oooh, that's good, we definiately don't want that to go to waste" she agreed as she took the bottle from him and took a quick swig. "Hmmm. Yep. The good stuff," she concluded as she held the bottle back out to him. ​

 

[Sergeant Omen]

Omen nearly doubled over in laughter as he watched the female warrior try desperately to find a reply to his joke. Wiping a tear from his eye, he responded to her question with glee. "Eh, I mostly got the funny genes plus the ones that make me want to blow up the bad guys. Maybe I'll try a comedy career if the whole silver thing doesn't work out." This galaxy had a million opportunities for those who wanted them. All one had to do is come out and grab them.

The Clone's face turned thoughtful as he thought upon the word Aay'han. "That word sounds just right, to be honest. Just got to make sure not to break the balance right? The way I can think it, all I can do is put my best foot forward even with people I don't like. Tends to go better for the most part than just opening fire on everything in sight." Looking out into the sea, the out-of-time warrior gave a soft chuckle. "Wow, a mando who doesn't like shooting people for a living. What a strange thing I am..."

With an embarrassed chuckle, the Clone coughed at the ribbing before scratching the back of his head. He wasn't exactly sure of what to say till his brain started to work again and words slipped out like they usually did. "It pretty much is... And when all of your experience in dating comes from movies or novels actually talking with someone about it in a way that isn't cheesy is just... weird." His embarrassed smirk turned to a grin at her excitement at finding another person with good aim. "I also do demolitions. Partly why I asked for the thermals earlier. Whatever training can help you survive in a hostile galaxy right?"

The male warrior chomped the rest of the cake, only to look up and grin. "Thanks. I really need to know what berries you put in this thing. The flavors... so heavenly... You really are quite the cook. I might have to use these flavors in a tihaar someday" Omen pushed the bottle back in her hand when she offered it back to him. "Please, keep it. Say it's a reward for a good review. Just don't force me drive you back home to your old man because you are drunk." The solution was better than telling her he was a lightweight. Either way, the Clone was humming as the merc drank, glad to have found a friend in the remains of hatred.

Saram Kote