All the Strangest Places...

[Kimiko Taiyou]

The hustle and bustle of Mos Eisley was a much welcomed change to the rolling dunes and quiet nights the crew had found themselves in for the previous months. Kimiko had even found a new pupil in none other than one of the locals. That first meeting and lesson had spurred her into leaving her exile and heading back to ORC space before attempting at her plans once again.

This happened to be their last agreed night in port in order to restock and relax before they departed. Ki found herself standing at the edge of the port in stoic silence, looking out over the landscape in thought. Nearby was a gathering place of sorts her companions had attempted to drag her into to no avail. But as she stood there, feeling about her, one thing, or one person, stood out to her more than the background noise of the port.

The slight breeze caused her tails to sway as she felt the presence grow closer to her, not with malicious intent...but that only caused her more concern...

[member="Akabane"]

 

[Akabane Jarvik]

Tatooine... what a great place to go back to.

Akabane received a distress signal right as he entered Tatooine's atmosphere, it read "SOS" and nothing else. There was barely anything else to do really and he didn't like turning away when he could help out, so he went to the location of the sender. Now he wasn't doing this for honor or anything similar, but for fun. He hadn't fought anyone in awhile and saw this as an opportunity to beat up some people. Of course an SOS could be anything, not just an attack. No matter the situation he wasn't all that worried. Whether the pilot was being attacked or needed urgent repairs, he could help with both and pass some time.

It turned out the man forgot to refuel at the spaceport before leaving and ended up here. Akabane thought this was hilarious because the man looked very embarrassed by his own forgetfulness. He helped the man out and received some compensation in return, then they parted ways. It was refreshing to come back to Tatooine and do something that he was good at, that being odd jobs. Akabane covered his expenses his first time staying here with money from completing small and big tasks. He did the same on Naboo but Tatooine brought in more money. All of this changed when he joined a faction though. Money was no longer an issue because he used their resources instead.

After helping out the man he traveled to Mos Eisley's spaceport to recover the lost fuel. Once he landed and exited the ship, something caught his eye. Silver hair? He stopped immediately and looked through the crowd and there it was again. Shiny silver hair. Akabane started to move towards where he saw it but the crowd grew large and blocked the way. Sigh, he waited for it to clear and fixed his coat in the meantime. Akabane thought about turning around as he waited, but then he realized a cantina was in the direction of the silver-haired person. After another sigh, he crossed his arms and waited some more time.

Finally, there was an opening. He moved fast, wasting no time and he was now approaching the silver-haired... female. His eyes were locked on the woman as he passed by. If their eyes were to meet he would smile and nod. He would then proceed to the nearby bar.

[member="Kimiko"]

 

[Kimiko Taiyou]

Eyes...

She was used to the occasional stare, or even a finger thrown her way by a curious onlooker. If her looks didn't garner the attention of the random creeper, the ears atop her head and multiple tails that followed her were definitely unique. She hoped to change that soon...

A smile and a nod accompanied this peculiar onlooker's gaze, and she quickly turned to hide her blush. This was a sensation she hadn't felt in quite some time, a giddiness that hadn't found her since...oh no...this newcomer was dark, and mysterious, and dashing...

A soft giggle escaped her,"Why me?"

She turned to subtly continue tracking the stranger and saw him settle into a nearby bar. Turning back to her overlook and quietly buried her face in her hands, and heaved a sigh full of frustration. A shake of her head steeled her resolve and cleared her mind and she quickly turned and began her approach and working her way through the other patrons to sidle beside him.

"A glass of Corellian Merlot and keep the bottle nearby." she shot to the bartender when he motioned he was ready.

Her blue eyes cast a sideways glance at the man along with a slight smirk,"So...what brings you here tonight?"

[member="Akabane"]

 

[Akabane Jarvik]

Akabane sighed when he made it inside the cantina, relieved that the woman back at the port wasn't who he thought she was. An old friend of his had bright hair much like it. It was more blonde than silver though but he still wanted to make sure. He was kinda shocked when he first laid eyes on the female, silver hair and large ears was very unique indeed. Akabane didn't get to see the tails because his gaze was focused on her hair but that would've shocked him even more. Using that word 'shocked' might've been wrong actually. There were no negative thoughts about her unique features, no, he wasn't prejudice against any woman. Perhaps it was awe? Yes... that was it. Akabane had seen so many different species during his life, some strange and others terrifying but she was neither of those. A beautiful being, is how he described the woman.

His interest in her was cut short when he entered the bar, the topic of drinking replacing his previous thoughts. Akabane had no idea the silver-haired woman was following him yet. He sat there and tapped his finger on the table as he thought about what would be nice. Before he could say a word, a woman sat down beside him and placed an order. She requested a type of wine and demanded that the bottle stay nearby. Very bold of you ma'am, he thought without looking her way. The woman spoke again and she was apparently speaking to Akabane, he turned his head slowly and began to speak. "I wanted a cold drink and...," he stopped and found himself frozen.

[member="Kimiko"]

 

[Kimiko Taiyou]

He froze mid sentence, and she panicked, immediately believing she had made a mistake by making an advance herself. She paused, gently taking her glass and taking a slow and deliberate sip of the opaque red liquor within.

She replaced the glass after several moments, and offered the man a smile,"And...?" she playfully cooed to entice the continuation of his answer and hopefully not scaring him more.

[member="Akabane"]

 

[Akabane Jarvik]

He sat there frozen for awhile unable to look away or say anything. Akabane's eyes were stuck on the tails on the woman. It was rude for him to stare but he couldn't help himself. They were... interesting. After some time, he snapped out of it and gained control over himself once more. He cleared his throat before speaking. "Excuse me. My ship lost some fuel and Most Eisley had the closest spaceport so I stopped here to refuel. A cold drink sounded nice along the way and that's why I'm in this bar now." That wasn't so hard now was it?

Akabane turned his body slightly to face the woman. He was gifted a smile after she sipped on her drink. Naturally, he returned the smile. "And you, Miss? A late night drink?" He retained eye contact and the smile as they chatted. "Oh and can I get iced tea, sir?" He inquired, calling out to the bartender. Moments later the bartender would bring over the tea, Akabane took a quick sip to satisfy his little thirst.

[member="Kimiko"]

 

[Kimiko Taiyou]

She giggled, the answer sounded a tad forced, it amused her. She oriented more towards her conversation partner to be polite,"It just happens to be my last night here. I gave my crew the night to relax before our departure...and well, figured I might as well try to do the same." she spoke her answer with a low voice as she swirled her drink in the glass, the color of the liquid reflecting in her eyes.

This could be interesting, she thought,might as well enjoy it.

"What exactly brought you to Tatooine silly?"

[member="Akabane"]

 

[Akabane Jarvik]

The tea wasn't as good as the liquor would be but it was nonetheless satisfying. Any cold drink was fine in a desert after all. She told him her crew was relaxing tonight and leaving tomorrow, so she came here for her relaxation. Akabane nodded and took another sip of his tea. A crew huh? He wanted to ask where she was headed next but he was met with another question. "Ah, yes." He laughed a little when he became aware of his own ignorance. Silly? Another laugh followed. "I had some business here," he kept it brief.

Akabane moved his bright red eyes once to view her drink. A lovely color. He wondered if she was really in a crew. A small girl like herself? He chuckled. "What does your crew do for work? Are you the mascot of your it?" Akabane let out his joke all too quickly without thinking about the consequences of it. It definitely could've been taken the wrong way. He spoke again almost immediately, "Pardon me, Miss. That was rude of me. You're pretty cute so I wouldn't see you as the one doing the heavy lifting." He hoped that made sense, insulting her was not his intention.

[member="Kimiko"]

 

[Kimiko Taiyou]

The wine must have been getting to her sooner than she thought it would...lightweight...as another giggle sounded. The lip met her lips again and another longer sip was taken and setting it down to be refilled.

"I guess we should declare a mascot, would make longer trips more fun. But, to answer your question, I am not in that position." she smiled a little more proudly,"I guess you can say I'm sort of in-charge, although Chika does most of the piloting and giving orders...but I brought them all together."

Her hand re-grasped the stem of her glass and brought it before her again, swirling the newly poured liquid within,"Thank you for the compliment. You're quite handsome yourself. By the way, my name is Kimiko, it is a pleasure to meet you Mr...?"

[member="Akabane"]

 

[Akabane Jarvik]

The woman said she was not the mascot of her crew. No, she was the leader? Akabane turned his head in the other direction and let out a snicker. He may have been underestimating her a little but she looked nothing like someone in charge of a group. Oh well, looks can be deceiving as the saying goes... he thought. Akabane kept in mind she did say "kind of in charge" so he didn't spend too much time on thinking about it.

She thanked Akabane for the compliment he gave her and sent one back at him. Then she told him her name and seemed to want to know his. "You can call me Akabane, Miss Kimiko." He knew she was drinking quite a bit so he wondered if she really thought he was handsome. Either way, he'd be polite as usual and show his gratitude. "Thank you. I try to look presentable." It was true, though there were some days when it was not true at all.

Akabane glanced at the bottle of wine that was slowly being drained of it's contents. "You shouldn't get too drunk in a place like this, Miss Kimiko. You could be taken advantage of by someone in that state." He figured he'd be the first to warn her. Akabane sipped on some tea after speaking.

[member="Kimiko"]

 

[Kimiko Taiyou]

"Akabane," she repeated, intrigued,"it's an interesting name, has a nice ring to it."

She looked at her glass, then to the bottle, finding it nearing half empty, or full, and pouting slightly as she agreed with his warning. It was true, this space port, much less the entire planet, was rather unforgiving to those who wandered too far from the predetermined pathways. It usually spit most hapless victims out with no more personal belongings. Although some less fortunate beings found rather less savory fates...

Her gaze returned to the man, looking him over as if in thought. It was true the drink was affecting her judgement and all parts of her conscious screamed for her to leave and get to bed...but, the woman other ideas.

The rude face she had dissipated into something playful, complete with coy smile. As much fun as it was to speak with a new individual, she had decided on something a little more fun to do to enjoy her night...

"Oh poor little old me, all alone here. I need to return to my ship, but who knows what could happen between here and there. With all those unsavory individuals stalking the streets at this late hour..." she looked up to him with wide blue puppy-dog eyes,"You wouldn't let anything happen to me would you Akabane?"

[member="Akabane"]

 

[Akabane Jarvik]

Huh? She gave him another compliment, saying his name was interesting and had a nice ring to it. Akabane wasn't sure how to react. He couldn't remember a time when someone said something nice about his name. I suppose I'll have to thank father for that one day... He finished up his tea before responding to her praise. "I'm glad you like it. My father picked it out." His father decided on that name long before Akabane's birth. All family members loved the name along with the clan members. It was a name crafted from love.

Despite having a name accepted by his entire clan he was never able to prove he actually deserved it. He sighed, it's useless to think about it now, he placed the glass on the table. Akabane turned to view the silver-haired woman and he felt relieved when he saw she slowed down on the drinking. He noticed her speedy drinking wasn't the only thing that changed, her facial expression was clearly different as well. Akabane was sure she was planning something... he wasn't expecting something like that though.

Akabane didn't know if she was joking or not but her question gave him a good laugh. He wasn't really interested in chaperoning a drunk woman tonight... but those bright blue eyes convinced him to help in the end. "You win, Miss Kimiko. I'll accompany you to your ship." Akabane stood up and dropped a few credits onto the table. "Can you walk or would you rather me carry you like a princess?" He asked this jokingly, not thinking about the possible consequences.

[member="Kimiko"]

 

[Kimiko Taiyou]

A grin spread across her face, liking the offered modes of transportation. The woman stood as well, dropping her own credits on the counter and moving towards her newfound companion.

"I-I think I can walk for now...Oh no!" she faked stumbling from intoxication and fell right into him and continued beaming up to him,"Well, looks like I'll have to put those big strong arms to work."

[member="Akabane"]

 

[Akabane Jarvik]

He watched the woman pay the bartender for all the liquor she'd downed in such a short time. A very heavy drinker... like me not too long ago. Akabane wasn't really an alcoholic but he was guilty of drinking alcohol still. It would be hypocracy for him to judge someone else's drinking habits. She appeared to trip somehow and bump right into him, he had a feeling it wasn't by accident though. Akabane chuckled as he placed a hand on each of her shoulders, stopping and staring at her ears. His mouth formed an O when he could see her ears from this close. He wanted to touch them but he figured it'd be rude to do so.

Seconds later his face returned to normal and he swiftly picked her up gently without warning. He was careful in how he took his steps, they were slow and he tried his best to not make the ride bumpy or uncomfortable. Whether he was carrying a drunk woman or a real princess Akabane desired nothing less than the passenger to feel comfortable. He glanced at her and smiled. She could easily pass as a princess, he thought. When they got outside the bar he asked a question. "Where are we headed, Miss Kimiko? I take it you aren't so drunk that you can't remember your ship's location?" Another question inviting trouble... Akabane also didn't think about the consequences of this one.

[member="Kimiko"]

 

[Kimiko Taiyou]

She had made herself relatively comfortable in the hold. Her legs were swinging as she held around his neck. Secretly, her enjoyment of the situation was sky-high, what little girl did not dream of being held this way. One of the reasons this night just keeps getting better. His question though, stirred her from la la land and back to reality. She really didn't want to just end it so soon, there was so much time left in the night.

Why can't I just have some fun?

"Mou~ that wouldn't be fun! The night is young and you have me in your arms. There must be something a little more fun you would possibly know to do...or some sort of trouble to fall into." she grinned devilishly, looking up to him like a child would. She rarely ever got a chance to unwind and have fun, all with being a mother and all that.

[member="Akabane"]

 

[Akabane Jarvik]

Kimiko appeared to be having a lot of fun but Akabane couldn't say he was enjoying it. Perhaps he should've gotten drunk beforehand and maybe he would've been having a better time. Although, getting drunk around such a woman could be dangerous. Despite the lack of enjoyment on his part, Akabane found it worthwhile to carry the drunk Kimi as she was acting very funny. Plus, he was carrying somewhat of a rare specimen. There was never a time when he'd met someone quite like her. He felt like a very lucky man tonight.

She didn't want to go back to her ship. Akabane sighed as he listened to her talk. He wasn't sighing out of frustration or anything like that. The issue was that she was drunk and it worried him what would happen if he didn't drop her off soon. She wanted to have some more fun before the night ended. Akabane thought about it and decided to give in because he had nothing better to do. With a grin of his own he would speak, "Unfortunately I don't come here often so I wouldn't know... but I'm sure your crew is awaiting your arrival." He dismissed the idea as soon as he had said it. "Actually, would you like come to my ship? I have booze in there and I'll continue to hold you until you fall asleep, if that'll satisfy you, Miss Kimiko." He said the latter part jokingly.

[member="Kimiko"]