Been A Long Time, Romeo

[Nyx]

Mos Eisley, Tatooine

In 24 years of life, Nyx had learned one thing: the more things change, the more they stay the same. Different planet, different people, different names, but they were just the same as back home. Here on Tatooine, the former mercenary was doing something she had almost never done in her life: honest work.

Specifically, she was loading crates on and off ships at the Mos Eisley spaceport. Not exciting, but it paid enough to allow her to afford an apartment in the city. More like the basement of an old Rhodian's house, but she wasn't one to complain much. It was better than a lot of places she had slept.

The heat of the twin Suns burned overhead as she worked, her signature jacket off, exposing her inked arms, and the tattoos under her grey tank top barely visible. Her hair, a dark and deep red, was cropped short to keep out of the way as she worked. Her fellow workers bustled around her, mostly ignoring her. Her face wasn't known on this hellhole, which was partly why she was here. She just needed to get away from everyone.

Prison had changed her. It wasn't her first rodeo in the joint, but now that she was older, the experience did something to her. She desired more out of life, desired a better life. Nyx sighed mentally as she set a crate of food supplies down, wiping her forehead. Ships were constantly moving in and out of the port, and there was almost never a break.

She stretched her arms behind her back, jutting her chest forward. The sweat ran off her body from all available places. Good thing she wasn't trying to look pretty, or she would have failed fairly hard.
With another sigh, Nyx turned her gaze to the sky. She swore, one of the ships coming in had a familiar name, but she just couldn't place it. Shrugging, she waited for it to land, so she could assist in moving cargo, and its crew could do whatever the hell brought them to Tatooine.

[member="James Justice"]​

 

[James Justice]

Blood. So much blood. When James closed his eyes he could still see it flowing like a river. The blood of the Spartii clones. The blood of Cloudburner. The blood of Rose Blade. The blood of countless nameless faces he had butchered wholesale without question. The blood of his enemies--and the blood of his friends.

"Sir? Um, Sir? Sir?" Asked one of the officers reporting to James' side.

"Mmm?" James's dark eyes flicked, looking at the uniformed man through the haze of cigarette smoke around them. "What is it?"

"We are coming on Tatooine, sir," the man swallowed fearfully.

"Bring us out, into landing."

He flicked the ashes off the butt of his cigarette. He didn't normally escort runs like this anymore--but then again, he didn't normally carry 6 tons of precious Arkanian jewels. Celiana had asked him to be a middle man and distributor of the goods. A buyer for some of it had come up on Tat, and while he hated the planet and all that it reminded him off, he was here to sell. As the sandy planet came into view he suppressed a growl. Here he had lost his father. In a literal sense--the man had vanished off the face of the galaxy. He tried to stay away when he could, but he had been drawn here, against his will almost. He had half a mind to slag the planet just to get rid of the memories.

The Angel's Glory slowly descended to Mos Isley with a humm. The spacer pushed out of his chair and lit another cigarette as he walked to the exit ramp. When the hot air hit his face, James felt something else. Something familiar. Almost like smelling a familiar perfume and not quite being able to place it.

He watched as the workers started towards his ship's cargo hold, scanning faces, searching for who or what it was. When he found her--he had to do a double take.

"Nyx? Nyx is that really you?"

He quickly made his way down the exit ramp, and closed the distance. He had to know, if this was another apparition or if it was really that woman he had lost track of three years ago.

[member="Nyx"]

 

[Nyx]

She froze at the sound his voice, his wonderful voice. It reached through the busy port, weaving in and out of busy worker's legs until it reached her ears. It couldn't be. . . Could it? Not after all this time.

But upon her whipping around to confront that voice, she found him. By the Force, she found [member="James Justice"]. There he was, exiting his ship, and running towards her. The years has been kind to him; he was just as roguishly handsome as always, even if there were a few extra scars here and there.

As he stood before her, James Justice in the flesh, she almost didn't believe he was real. Her hand, wet with sweat and marked by ink, reached out to touch his face, to make sure he was actually there, and not some cruel hallucination her subconscious had dreamed up for her.

"James. . . It can't be. . ." She whispered, her normally confident tone gone, replaced with one of desperation, of need.
She _needed_ this to be real.

 

[James Justice]

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXpdmKELE1k[/media]
James took her in, every inch, every ounce of her. There were--memories. Such memories. Such regrets--regrets he had never said goodbye. Regrets he had forgotten were there. Regrets he had grown accustomed to feeling and wallowing in all but his most drunken moments. He found himself looking in her eyes. The rich, green eyes he remembered. Your just like I remember.

He felt a sob choke up in his throat as she touched his face. His legs went weak, and he could feel himself loosing his balance as he tried to remain standing. The world around him went blurry as he felt tears well in his eyes. Tears of joy, tears of relief. His world seemed to be coming around full circle these days, his past was resolving and old aches and pains were finally healing, or at least becoming more manageable.

He forced himself to look away, running his hands across his face and through his messy hair. He cleared the lump from his throat, struggling to get his emotions back under control. He didn't trust himself to speak, not yet. Not now.

"Um, sir, we--"

"It can wait," James snapped, barking over his shoulder.

He sniffed, and looked back at her. The crime lord couldn't hardly believe this and he was almost too afraid to speak, scared he would shatter the moment into a thousand pieces. It had been a very long time since a woman had brought him this level of intensity with emotion.

"It--its good to see you again," he managed, his voice thick and husky.

[member="Nyx"]

 

[Nyx]

Her hand touched warm living flesh instead of air, and Nyx now knew that the man in front of her was real. [member="James Justice"] was actually standing in front of her. Her mind wasn't playing any tricks on her, nor was it torturing her. This was real.

She was stunned into silence for a few moments, the realization not quite sinking in. After three long years of hell, James was standing here before her. Her emerald green eyes welled with unshod tears, and she did something she hadn't done in a long time. She drew him into an embrace.

Nyx held him tightly, afraid that if she ever let go, he would be gone forever again.

"I've missed you." She said softly, looking up at him with a smile. "Would you believe I was trying to find a good honeymoon spot?"

 

[James Justice]

James seized Nyx, wrapping his arms around her warmly and resting his head on her shoulder. He let himself release into the perfect, secure peace of the embrace. He hadn't felt this safe in so long. One of his hands grasped the back of her gray sweat-soaked tanktop gently. He breathed in softly; Nyx smelt of work, ship fluids, and sweat but he had never smelt anything as sweet as she did right now. He didn't care, the world would wait. All the pain, all the hurt over the years, all the waiting and was worth it for this rich moment.

He looked back down at her and felt the heavy warmth in his chest getting heavier and thicker.

"I--I missed ye too," he whispered, barely able to will his lips into moving.

One of his hands stayed around her back, holding her close to his body. He had never felt anything so sweet. His other hand caressed her crimson hair, gently moving it back in place. His hand came to rest behind her neck, cradling it with his calloused finger on her tender skin.

He smiled slightly at her comment, "I've thought about you a lot for three years. So much and," he swallowed, mustering courage for what he had to say. He looked deep into her rich emerald eyes, "I know I made a lot of mistakes. I did ye wrong, I hurt a lot of people, I hurt ye, I regret it, all of it so much," a tear snaked down his cheek as the words just seemed to flow from his mouth like a river, "I thought ye ran from me. I thought ye were trying to stay as far from me as ye could go. I never wanted to hurt ye, ever. I swear. Sometimes I dunno what comes over me--I want to do the right thing, and I try so hard to but I just end up killin' people and hurtin' those I care about. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm--"

James took a sharp breath, cutting himself off in mid sentence as his voice got shakier.

[member="Nyx"]

 

[Nyx]

In the arms of [member="James Justice"], Nyx closed her eyes, feelings his hands roam her, hands she had missed for three years. Her own stayed firm where they were, terrified he would disappear if she let go. She had taken other lovers over the past three years, believing she would never see James again, that she would die in prison; and later, that she would die in service to her father.

Nyx listened to him ramble, a smile on her face. It was good to hear his voice again, no matter what he was saying. He was being his usual selfless idiot self, taking on all the blame for her absence. For a prince of crime, he sure cared a lot about other people.

"Oh, James. Only you could put up with what I've put you through and not blame me for a second."
Nyx wiped the tear off of his cheek. Now wasn't the time to cry.

"I wanted to find you, I did. But I've spent the last three years in prison, James. I met my parents-"
Nyx sighed, looking at him with a smile.
"A lot has happened. But never, not for a second, blame yourself. I'm the one that left, not you."

Nyx's boss yelled at her to get back to work, and she yelled back that she was taking a sick day. He grumbled, but didn't contradict her, clearly seeing that whatever was happening was important to her.

She looked back at James.
"Let's go somewhere other than this, yeah? I got a place in town."

 

[James Justice]

Prison? Part of him wasn't surprised. They did run a dangerous game, a dangerous life. She was the street rat when he last met her, a gangster, and he was a crime lord, as he had almost always been. But still--there was a sense of protectiveness that washed over him at the mention of her doing time.

"I'd love to hear about it," he murmured gently, giving her lower back a soft squeeze.

"Sir--" objected one of his nearby officers.

The crime lord shot him a glare, "Buy the port, finalize the paperwork, and tell our buyer they can pick the shipment up here. I suggest ye dun't have a problem with that."

The man swallowed and nodded hastily, "Of course, Lord Justice. Your word is law."

Part of him wanted to rip the foreman's entrails out for yelling at Nyx, the other part wanted to start doing the right thing and turn over a new leaf. So, he'd probably have Thraxis do it for him as he watched. For now he lead Nyx out of the port and into the sandy, dusty streets of Mos Eisley. The midday crowd and heat beat down on James like a hammer, but he didn't mind as much.

"Hold me close so I don't get lost," he said coyly, wrapping his arm around her tightly, "Crowds tend to do that."

[member="Nyx"]

 

[Nyx]

Though somewhat suppressed from disuse, Nyx could still sense Jame's anger at the mention of her prison sentence. It wasn't surprisingly, really, considering how many galactic felonies she had committed. Assault, smuggling, robbery, murder; the list went on and on. Her only getting three years of time was due to well-placed bribes and good behavior, and the wardens not really caring that much.

As his hand squeezed her lower back, Nyx gave a small grin, glad to feel his touch at all after these years. She scoffed at one of his underlings calling him 'Lord'. And Nyx thought she had an ego.

They entered the sandy streets, and the woman held on tight to [member="James Justice"] beside her.
"Don't worry." She muttered. "I don't plan on letting you go ever again."

As they walked through the crowd, Nyx decided now was the time to bring up some things that had happened.
"So, James, how would you react to me telling you I had almost 7,000 clone sisters made of me a few months back?" That had been one of the most wild things to happen to her since she got sprung, and she felt like it was a bit of an ice breaker, helping James to keep his spirits high.
Force knows he could use some help keeping his head out of the dumps.

 

[James Justice]

James was helplessly romantic as they came. Don't let the legendary status of being a playboy, he really loved romance. And in this case, having Nyx hold him close and lead him through the streets was tragically so, even if the streets were rather dusty, sandy. He would rather walk the streets of Mos Eisley with Nyx than Astria with any other woman.

"I like the way that sounds," he said warmly.

He quirked his ear at her statement. He had never taken her as the cloning type--except for the one clone of hers that she had ordered from his cloning center. He had never really taken her for the cloning or clone loving type.

"Well," he said leaning in and giving her ear a playful nip, "I think it sounds about like I need to get about 7,000 more beds."

He shot her a half grin. Even though he was playing, she knew he was--well, more Nyx was always better than less. But still--"Why'd ye do that? I dun't suppose ye was preparing for me birthday, eh?"

[member="Nyx"]

 

[Nyx]

Nyx navigated the streets of Mos Eisley as if it was second nature, far from a stranger from this place. She had spent quite a bit of time here, even before she had served a prison sentence. It was a popular destination for people like her, it seemed, and she was no exception. Her basement wasn’t too far from here, and the old Rodian that owned it was likely sitting outside, cursing at passerby. He was an acquired taste, but he had done alright by the human woman so far.

“Soon after I got released, this guy approached me. Said I was the perfect slate for a bunch of military clones he was makin’. Offered me a ton of creds, so I said yes. Creds didn’t last too long, as you can probably tell.”
What she didn’t mention was that the man had been with the One Sith, but James didn’t really need to know that.

They arrived at the house, and the Rodian sat outside on a small chair, his large eyes narrowing at the sight of [member="James Justice"].
“Who’s this?” He hissed in Huttese, his grip on his cane whitening. The alien had grown somewhat protective of Nyx over time, and was suspicious of anyone she brought home.

“An old. . . friend. Don’t worry, he’s alright. I’ll have rent by the end of the week.” Nyx responded in Rodese, the language seemingly putting the alien at ease. She had picked up some words from a Rodian boyfriend years ago, and just hearing the language seemed to soothe the Rodian’s mood.

She showed James in, the basement rather spartan. It contained a cot, a stand where her jacket hung, and a small dresser. On top of the dresser lay two large revolvers and the hilt of Nyx’s lightsaber, which had not been used in a very long time.

“Welcome to my humble abode.”

 

[James Justice]

The spacer didn't doubt it. Nyx was one of the toughest, hardest criminals he had met in all his life. Part of that was what had won his heart. He had a thing for hard girls, bad girls, soulless girls. He had never really gone for the "good girl" thing--at least not since Leighlah died. Nyx could hold her own, she didn't need him to wave a blaster around to protect her.

But it sure as hell felt good to do it anyway.

"Too bad," he said fishing a cigarette from his pocket. He lit it up, offering Nyx one. "I was looking forward to the 'Harem of Seven Thousand And One Nyxes.' But, in hindsight, that'd probably end badly."

He followed her to this small room and felt a pang in his chest. This was where his Nyx was living? It was quickly followed by a wave of regret, he wanted to do something about that, something to change that. It would never do.

"It's not bad," he admitted as smoke streamed from his lip. He dropped himself on the cot, half laying-half sitting, "I hope ye ain't too attached, though. Cause the commute from Soceras to Eisley is hell. I had something much closer in mind."

[member="Nyx"]

 

[Nyx]

Nyx cringed as James brought out a cigarra, feeling her own need rise. She had been trying to quit for awhile, now; the smell of the smoke was tempting her, but she would never bring it up to James. She knew he needed it, possibly more than she did.

Realizing she was not sitting in dirty and sticky clothing, Nyx walked over to a duffel bag on the floor, listening to James talk. She peeled the dirty tank top from her skin, using it to wipe the sweat from her skin. She now wore only simple breast bindings on her torso, exposing her scarred and inked skin.
"Hope you don't mind."

Nyx considered his question as she rummaged through the bag, looking for a clean pair of shorts. Laundry and showers were rare in Mos Eisley, and she didn't want to interrupt her time with [member="James Justice"] too much.

"You askin' me to move in with ya?" She asked as she shuffled her pants off, and slipped on some shorts, followed by a fresh tank top. She'd worry about bathing later. Her basement already smelled like smoke and filth, anyway.

"I'd love to get the hell out of Eisley, for sure. And Socera is a great place, yeah."
She turned, looking directly at James.
"But are you sure you want me there? After what I've put you through for three years?"
She grinned.
"Not to mention I'd smash the dreams of a thousand women across the galaxy."

 

[James Justice]

"Oh trust me," James said letting his eyes flick over her. His eyes held that familiar mischievous glint that she knew too well. "I dun't mind in the least."

Time had been good to Nyx. Very good. She was every bit as much he had remembered her being. The tattoos, the lithe form, the petite size, the sultry pale skin, was even more vivid now in person than it had been in his memories and every inch of her was a work of art, sculpted from the finest ivory in the galaxy. Sure, she had scars, he had them too. Anyone who did anything worth living in the galaxy did. But he hardly noticed them when he saw her.

He pressed the cigarette between his lips puffing slowly, methodically as he watched and listened. A wreath of the thick white smoke soon shrouded him.

"With time comes perspective, I surpose," James said crossing his arms. His eyes met hers, he paused for a moment, thinking, drinking her eyes in, "and I dun't give a damn. Life's too short to hold grudges. I care about ye. Its that simple. And I think--" he stopped himself, "I think ye care about me too. Please, by all means, break their hearts. Shatter them hard. I've tried hard to forget ye, and I cain't. And besides," his lips quirked in a devilish smirk, "I cain't think of anyone else I'd rather smash their dreams."

[member="Nyx"]

 

[Nyx]

If one was to give [member="James Justice"] anything, he knew how to make a girl feel special. A small part of her that still doubted him wondered how many other women he had said these things to. She knew he had been married, once, that he had and still loved his wife. The bonds of marriage didn't just go away, after all.

She didn't really know how she felt about him, even now. Nyx lived in an environment where nothing was done for the good of others; everyone had an ulterior motive to do anything. Even now, she was afraid James was simply another leech trying to get something out of her before discarding her for the next woman that caught his eye.

But she would never voice her fears, never let him know. She supposed she was selfish that way; she didn't want him to know of her doubts, for fear he would leave him, and she didn't know she could recover from his leaving again.

"Well, I certainly won't say no to that. Nyx and James, ready to take on the world."
She beamed, running a hand through her Crimson hair.
"Maybe you could even meet my folks, now that I found 'em. I think they'd like ya, eventually; even if they are Mandalorians."

 

[James Justice]

Even Leighlah, his deceased wife, hadn't been one to introduce him to her parents. Part of that was because their dads had been business partners before and watched him grow up. The other was because James had never been the type of guy you showed your folks too even before he was as wild as he was today. But he was old, not in body but in mind. Worn, and tired of always running. He was tired of bringing women close enough to have for one night--then pushing them away out of fear. He wanted something more permanent. He couldn't deny that and even more, he was tired of denying it.

"I'd like that," James said, his voice warm and tender for a rare moment. Just for a brief moment, the mask of charm was gone, just long enough for him to show his tender side that he worked so hard to hide. It was warm, gentle, and tender and if you'd blinked it would have missed it. He pulled his cigarette to his lips and sucked in the sweet nicotine, as the wisps of smoke escaped his lips, it was gone. He was James again, smuggler, rogue, and criminal. Not the tenderhearted romantic that languished underneath.

He worked the kinks out of his neck, "Of course they'd love me, everyone loves me," he chuckled, flicking the ashes off his cigarette end, "Do ye need help getting ye accounts in order afore we leave? Bills, idiots, or men who cain't die too soon?"

[member="Nyx"]

 

[Nyx]

Were there any? The past few months, Nyx had been sure to travel light, keeping only the bare essentials, and making small ripples. It was her version of staying anonymous, one might say. Currently, she had seventeen credits, two revolvers, a leather jacket, a light saber, and two pairs of clothes to her name. She hadn't even had a drop of alcohol in three weeks. Yet, there was the cave. The cave where a Sith Lord was supposed to be, but was now empty. Should she try to find the woman that had dragged her through hell? Was it worth it? Revenge would put her on a path she was hesitant to take once again.

"No." Came the simple response. "I just have to inform the Rodian I'm leaving. There's nothing for me here."

Not the whole truth, but there were things even [member="James Justice"] didn't need to know.

She walked around her small room, packing her things. She slipped one revolver into the back of her pants, old habits dying rather hard. The light saber went into her bag, along with her other firearm. Hopefully, she would not be needing it. Finally, she slid her arms into the sleeves of her jacket, the feeling akin to greeting an old friend. Some would say the jacket was apart of her, at this point.

Nyx lead James out of the room, where the Rodian waited. He took one look at her, then nodded his head. He knew she was leaving, had known the moment he saw her walk into the room with the man, a smile on her face. SIlently, she gave him all the credits in her pocket, and turned to her. . . Whatever James was at this point.

"Well, here we are. Is the part of the fairytale where you swoop me into your arms and carry me into the sunset to our castle?"

 

[James Justice]

That was a relief. He hated this planet as much as he hated anything. He could have dropped some cheesy line about the sand being course and irritating and how it got everywhere, but he wasn't about to do that. He was too classy. He watched her pack and pulled himself off the cot to his feet, finally snuffing his cigarette out. He followed her out the house, admiring how good she looked with the jacket on. It was the definition of who she was, just like his was the definition of who he was.

When Nyx gave him the credits, he looked the Rodien over. He was well past the prime of his life. He was old, and probably needed some sort of medical treatment or something fantastically good to happen to him. He moved close to the Rodien and pressed a high denomination chip in his hand. Enough for him to live comfortably the rest of his days without a care in the world, "For taking good care of her, mate."

He gave his redhead a smirk and a soft chuckle. She was--well always the charmer.

"Come on," he said, his hand wrapping around the small of her back as he tilted his head to the side, "I got a ship, we got all the time in the worlds."

There wasn't really a need to hurry. James wasn't one to ever desecrate the joy of the moment. He didn't rush as they made their way back to the space port. If they were lucky, the exchange would be done by the time they got back. And beyond that, he knew he had to familiarize himself once more with Nyx. She was still so much the same--and still so different at the same time.

"So, ye said ye found ye folks," James said pulling a flask of spirits from his jacket pocket and offering Nyx first dibs, "What are they like?"

[member="Nyx"]

 

[Nyx]

At the offering of the flask, Nyx shook her head.
"Sorry, I don't drink anymore."
Part of turning over a new leaf meant giving up the vices of the past. No more alcohol for her.

What were her folks like? How to even answer that question accurately. . .
"Well, my father is [member="Isley Verd"], a Mandalorian warlord leading a bunch of mercenary Mandos into battle. My mother is [member="Izevel Zambrano"], a Sith that abandoned me to Honorhall, on Coruscant."
The locket in her jacket pocket given to her by her mother burned, and Nyx scratched her nose in discomfort.

"Got a few siblings, too, but I didn't really get to know 'em too well. Two sisters, two brothers; all of them running with Isley and his Crusaders."
She took a moment to run her hand through her hair, throwing James Justice a grin.
"They're an interesting bunch, for sure."

She sighed, looking into the distance.
"I expect they're not too happy with me leaving. They haven't sent anyone after me, yet, at least."
She didn't even know if they would; Mandalorians were a rather confusing people.

 

[James Justice]

James quirked an eyebrows, slightly surprised. She had been quite a drinker before--not as much as he was, but she was still a drinker.

"Ah, sorry," he said before taking a mouthful of alcohol.

"Well, my father is Isley Verd,"

The words made James choke on his booze for a moment. He spat it out on the sand and looked at Nyx with wide eyes of bewilderment. When she said she was family to Mandolorians he had never thought she meant Isley. He was--well--Isley. One of the most powerful Mandolorians in the galaxy. The spacer quickly wracked his brain to see if he had done anything to upset Isley recently. Or at all. Nothing he could remember. That was good. He could already see how this meeting would go;

"Hi mom, hi dad, this is my boyfriend, James."

"Isn't he the one who fought at Roche and left?"

"Oh, yeah, that's him."

"And isn't he the one that we sent Draco Vereen to hunt down and kill?"

"Yeah, that was him too."

And her mother was a Sith....... James pinched the bridge of his nose before offering Nyx a winsome but very worried smile, "Aye they are quite an interesting bunch. Ye fell quite far from the tree." He pulled her slightly closer, "Dun't worry. If they send someone and ye dun't wanna go, I'll take care of ye."

Even if it means finding myself on the wrong side of the mandos.... Again.

[member="Nyx"]