Private Always a Need

[Kay-Larr]

"I was a politician and Queen for most of my life. When it comes to living and work environments, I know how to take precautions." Most especially as people liked to take her hostage or have her as a prisoner of war.

Only now after having given up that life did she feel....safer.

At least Gunther was happy with it. In truth she hoped that he wouldn't be bored with it. Kay was quite used to people coming and going, which was probably why she chose a shop to gain income instead of something where she needed people to be more permanent. Loyalty was difficult to come by.

It came to no surprise that Gunther wanted his room closest to hers. "Yours'll be just across the hall from mine. I take it that you'll want to inspect my own room, so we'll go there first." Behind a door that looked similar to the rest was where Kay's room resided. It was larger than the others, of course, but the furnishings weren't much different. She just had more space, as well as a larger refresher that included a soaker tub. There were no windows, only candles. And of course she had a secret door hidden in the wardrobe that led to a secret stair connecting to the escape tunnels.

Gunther Corek

 

[Gunther Corek]

Gunther nodded upon her explanation of just why she was so well prepared for many eventualities. "Growing up Mandalorian and in the clan I did a mistrust of royalty and politicians was ingrained in me...you don't seem so bad though." He gave Kay a small wink.

He followed behind Kay to her room and looked inside of it. He nodded at her choice of room and looked around. "No windows, only candles. Smart. Seems you have experience in things like this...good that'll make my job one hell of a lot easier." He set his bags down for a second and began a closer examination of the room. "I'm assuming you have some kind of escape tunnel in here as well. Hmmm do you have any type of personal protection?"

 

[Kay-Larr]

Gunther Corek

Kay chuckled under her breath. Many didn't trust politicians. She was used to that. "Perhaps I don't seem so bad because I'm Mandalorian myself. I was adopted into Clan Raxis to save Commenor from the Crusades. Though my duties there prevented me from fully immersing myself into the Clans." That was probably a good thing. But no one would ever know.

She pointed to her wardrobe. "I have an escape tunnel there that leads down to join with the others. As for personal protection,....that's what you're here for." She offered him a sly smile. Kay refrained from speaking of her Force sensitivity. That was an old habit. And although she trusted Gunther, she didn't trust him fully just yet. All things to be said in good time.

"Anything else you'd like? Anything you need?"

 

[Gunther Corek]

Gunther raised an eyebrow at her mentioning of being Mandalorian. "Well then if the lady would permit me then I will not only act as your bodyguard but your tutor in the culture of our people." With another smile he went and checked on the tunnel she mentioned. Opening the wardrobe and peering into the tunnel he was once again satisfied with its size. An eyebrow was raised when she mentioned that her personal protection was him.

Reaching behind his back he pulled out a refurbished Model Q2 hold-out blaster that his cousin had given him. "Noah figured that you wouldn't have a weapon and told me to give you this. He said a blaster of the same model was used by some famous queen and later politician." If Kay didn't take it Gunther would instead put it on her nightstand. "If you are not confident with it I shall teach you." Giving her a smile he picked up his bags and made for his own room.

"No, I think I'm good. I'll settle in my room for now."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Gunther Corek

Our people. Even now certain parts of her past gave her reluctance in embracing the Mandalorian way of life fully. She had been betrayed by some of them, made to bow down to some of them. Kay was stubborn and as such it was difficult for her to let go.

She bowed her head to him. "I think that there are many that would celebrate the notion that I'd be learning what I should of learned long ago. So thank you, I accept."

Kay took hold of the weapon and palmed it. "I used to have one of my own. I used to have many types of hidden weapons. Some are still on Commenor. Others are...probably destroyed by my enemies." Just like her ship. She had lost many things and it was her pride that kept her from going back to Commenor to collect more.

She gave him a pleasant smile as he set to get himself comfortable in his room. Kay followed him out into the hall. "I'll prepare supper for us in a couple of hours.
Unless you'd rather eat in the morning?" Kay wasn't sure of what time his body clock was at after travel.

 

[Gunther Corek]

Gunther bowed his head with hers and smiled to her. "I might not be the best teacher you've ever had but I will try my hardest to teach you as best I can." He nodded to her as he threw his bags onto his bed.

"Supper would be nice, thank you. Don't mind any noises you hear, it'll probably just be me moving furniture and such." Giving her one final smile and nod he closed his door and began to set up his room to his liking.

An end table was moved next to his bedside and his pair of DC-17 blaster pistols were placed on them. Taking his EE-3 blaster carbine he slung it over the headboard by its sling. The finally touch he made was setting up his armor rack to hang his armor on.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Gunther Corek

Well if there was one thing that Gunther was going to learn about her, it was of how stubborn she could be. That would probably come out soon enough.

Kay gave him a warm smile. She couldn't explain why, but she was glad that Gunther was there. Maybe it relieved her of some stress at having to watch her own back and that of her shoppe. Or maybe it was something else? Either way she felt some comfort.

"See you in a couple of hours then."

As Gunther closed his door Kay went downstairs and picked up her apron, slipping it on. She then continued her work of restocking the shelves behind the counter. After that was finished she performed her usual routine of shutting down the shoppe for the night. It was end of day. As usual there weren't any customers to shoo out. But that might change later.

Soon afterwards she left the front of the shop and headed into the lab. It was there that she did all of her cooking and baking. For tonight she prepared some bantha steaks and grilled veggies. It was one of her staple meals and at this point of life and to help her deal with her trauma, she stuck close to her routine and what she was familiar with.

She didn't sing, she didn't talk to herself. Kay just cooked in silence as though she was the only person in the world. It was like a meditation for her, and one that she couldn't lose focus on or the food would be burned.

The smells were sure to waft upstairs soon enough.

 

[Gunther Corek]

Kay wasn't the only one who could be considered stubborn and in time she would learn that he was just as stubborn as, or even more, than her. His stubborness was actually quite well known within his clan, though his cousin had urged him to tone it down for Kay and he would try and honor that request. "You'll definitely be seeing me."

He would return the smile before he closed the door. For some unknown reason he felt calmness and ease seeping in from the back of his mind. Maybe it was the tea? Kay had said it had a calming effect. Or maybe it was something else entirely.

Much like Kay he had his own rituals of sort. He started by stripping his armor off until he was down to the bodyglove beneath it. From there he would meticulously scrubs every piece, helmet to boots, before placing them on the rack. Next came his blasters. They were disassembled with every piece being laid before him and cleaned before reassembled, tested and placed back into their spots.

Next came some basic exercises. Push-ups, sits-ups, pull-ups, etc., exercises to keep his body in peak shape. Satisfied with all of this he finished up with a shower and a quick shave. Stepping out of the refresher he smelled the smell of cooking food and smiled. He quickly got dressed in a pair of jeans and a button up shirt, grabbed one of his blaster pistols and headed down stairs to see what was cooking.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Gunther Corek

By the time that Gunther made it down the stairs, Kay was just about finished plating the food. She loved a good bantha steak and hoped that he didn't mind it either. Some people didn't eat meat. Which was fine. If he didn't like it, then that'd be more for her to eat. Letting the food cool on the plates, she picked out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. Tea wasn't the only drink that she had on hand in the shoppe afterall. Tea was just all that was for sale.

Coming out from the back room, Kay carried the glasses and bottle in hand and set them down on the table nearest the fireplace. She gave an approving smile at seeing Gunther comfortable enough to be out of his armour. She didn't often see a Mandalorian out of armour. Even her niece was more often than not wearing it. "Have a seat and I'll bring the food out in a moment. I hope you like whiskey. If not I can fetch you something else." She didn't wait for a response, instead just moving quickly to fetch the plates of food. They couldn't rest for too long or the meat would overcook on itself. Not that Kay minded, but Gunther was a mystery when it came to his tastes.

Within moments she was returning to him with two plates of food. The smells enveloped the room and mixed with that of the teas. She slid the two plates on the table and then sat herself down on one of the chairs. "I hope you like it. But if not, that's okay. I won't be offended." No need for him to pretend on her account. It was better for him to be honest.

 

[Gunther Corek]

Unbeknownst to Kay a nice cut of steak, not matter the animal, and a side of vegetables was the perfect meal in his eyes. The glass of whiskey was icing on the cake per se. Smiling at her as well he sat down next to the fire place he grabbed the bottle, popped the cork and poured three fingers in the glasses for each of them. "I'm glad to see that tea is not the only thing to drink around here." He sent a grin her way as he relaxed into his chair.

He chuckled when Kay mentioned she hoped he enjoyed the food. "I spent twenty years in the Republic Marine Corps, Kay. I'm use to military rations that clog your digestive tract for days afterward." Picking up his knife and fork he quickly and deftly cut a piece of the steak and popped it into his mouth. To say the steak tasted great would have been an understatement. He made a moan of appreciation as he swallowed the steak and quickly piled some of the veggies onto his fork. Popping them into his mouth he gave another moan as he tasted them and swallowed them. "My compliments to the chef."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Gunther Corek

Kay smiled, watching him enjoy his food, her grey eyes almost piercing, but not in an unsettling way. She found it rather intriguing that someone could love their food so much. Plus the cut of his jaw was really nice...

As soon as she realized that she was staring, Kay started cutting her own piece, plopping it into her mouth and closing her eyes as the steak almost melted like butter in her mouth. It was spiced perfectly in her opinion. A good steak was almost as good as tea. Almost.

She picked up her glass of whiskey and had a sip. It had been a while since she had any alcohol, and of course it burned a little going down her throat. But she wouldn't complain. "Why thank you. Twenty years with the Republic Marines? My time serving the Republic was that of a Senator. Although my tenure didn't last long. I spent my time freeing slaves from the Hutt Cartel, for I did more with that than I did voting for bills. My voice carried no weight among the other Senators. I was but a junior member. The Republic fell before I could rise in the ranks." That wasn't entirely true. The Prime Minister found out about her Force Sensitivity, which was illegal, and so she was forced to resign in order to maintain her secret and the reputation of the Senate.

"Have you any children? Ever marry?"

 

[Gunther Corek]

Gunther noticed Kay staring but he decided not to make a deal about it, there was definitely worse and worse looking people that could be staring. He himself was taking quick glances and such, admiring the color of her eyes.

He leaned back and watched her as she started mentioning her own service in the Republic. "Yeah. Did five years in the Marine infantry and after that I joined the Marine Raiders, the Marine version of the Army Commandos. Retired myself after twenty years and like most of my clan became a mercenary and bounty hunters." When she talked about her time in the senate he nodded as he drank and ate. "Even a junior member is still rather respectable. I retired a few years before the Republic fell myself."

When she asked about marriage and children he simply shook and head and shrugged. "No kids and no wife. I guess you could say I just never found the right woman."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Gunther Corek

She nodded, eating some more of her meal while he spoke of his own experiences. Mercenary and Bounty Hunter work. She was often on the wrong end of that. But as far as she could tell, he hadn't been contracted to go after her before. Surely she'd of recognized him if he had.

Kay had another sip of her whiskey to wash down her food. "That's not too hard to believe. The Galaxy is harsh and cruel. I've lost two husbands to Sith Lords. One of which I had a set of twins with. They live their own lives, one may be getting married soon himself. I just hope that neither of them have the same luck as me." No one deserved it. Kay only thought that she did because of her life choices that had led to the deaths of millions. There was a lot of guilt within her, even if it wasn't her fault. As a leader she was a failure.

 

[Gunther Corek]

Gunther would never have taken a contract on someone like Kay. To his eyes she didn't seem like a challenge and Gunther only took contracts on people who seemed like a challenge. For mercenary work he often took jobs that seemed dangerous but most often than not they weren't even nearly dangerous as the issuer made them out to be.

Gunther took as swig of his whiskey when Kay mentioned the Sith. "My family and clan have been fighting against the Sith for...well since after the Mandalorian Wars so about four millennium. Noah served in the Army and his brother and sister served in the Navy themselves. But on from me. I'm sorry for your loss and for your children's loss. Hardest thing in life is to lose a parent or a loved one. I lost father at a young age."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Gunther Corek

Kay continued to eat while he spoke. It was as though they were taking turns. Such a conversation was good for their arrangement. He needed to know about her and vice versa. If they were going to be strangers, it just wouldn't work.

"I'm sorry for your loss. I know what it's like to grow up without a father, however. My own abandoned me when I was young. He was an Imperial officer and there was something about me that he didn't approve of. So he dropped me off at an orphanage." She sipped her whiskey and gave him a smile. An old spark of hope shone in her eyes, something that had been lost for a time. "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger though, right?"

She cut another piece of her steak. "I might practice my dancing with you, if that's alright? When I'm ready. I just don't want to make a fool of myself."

 

[Gunther Corek]

Gunther found this back and forth conversation just as helpful as Kay. During his Marine Raider training he had learned many things and one of them was to read people as they talked, though with Kay having been a politician she was obviously harder to read...well then he'd just have to watch her face closer.

"Don't be sorry. From the way my mother described him he wouldn't have been a good father even if he stayed. Besides, growing up in a Mandalorian clan means I had a lot of family around me so I never really noticed the loss of a father." He decided not to mention her orphanage history as he figured that might be a sore subject to bring up in such a conversation.

He had to catch himself when Kay mentioned practicing her dancing, almost choking on his slice of steak. "Of course I don't mind. I'd be honored in fact."

 

[Kay-Larr]

Gunther Corek

"That's true. Family is very important to Mandalorians. I learned that with Yasha." Kay was there when her niece needed her most, and when she was dying. It tore a rift between herself and her husband. War had a way of doing that, however. It worked out in it's own way in the end.

She laughed a little as her question caught Gunther by surprise. Kay placed her hand on his arm as he choked, in case he needed a rescue. But then he composed himself, so she removed her hand. "You alright? Sorry, I should have waited. But thank you. Have you been to many such establishments? It's easy to assume that I have not."

 

[Gunther Corek]

"Education, armor, self-defense, our tribe, our language and our leader. The Resol'nare. The Six Actions. The tenets that every true Mandalorian lives their life by. Admittedly my clan has it's own modified version of it." He chuckled. Clan Corek was a strange clan indeed.

For some reason when Kay put her hand on his arm he felt something bloom in his chest though he couldn't put his finger on it. He laughed out right when she asked if he had been to such establishments. "I was a young, breathing and horny Marine. What do you think? Though none of the establishments I went to will measure up to your elegance and grace." He don't know why these words escape his mouth, or the wink that accompanied them.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Gunther Corek

"You'll have much to educate me on the tenants. I had much on my plate and didn't have the time. But now my time is...plentiful. However with the Sith occupying Mandalorian space, I believe that this is a safer place for that." One day Mandalor would be free. That was the way.

She laughed again as he remarked on his youth. That was normal. Even when her late husband had heard about her dancer clone, he often joked about going to see her to watch.

Kay found herself blushing as he complimented and winked at her. She lowered her head in a bad attempt at hiding it. "Elegance and grace? Your confidence in my ability far surpasses my own."

 

[Gunther Corek]

"Thankfully teaching you will be much easier and straight forward than teaching a child. We'll be sure to put your plentiful time to good use." He took a longer sip of his whiskey as she mentioned Mandalore. Many within Clan Corek had regretted leaving Mandalore so soon after their clan had returned to the planet.

Gunther found her laugh was intoxicating and wanted to hear more of it. When he saw the blush that spread across her cheek he let out a grin, he still had the ability to make a girl blush. When she remarked on her ability her shook his head. "One thing I learned quickly was how to size up a opponent during. Your figure and the way you walk speaks of grace and fluidity that'll be essential in dancing..."