Can you hear me, Lady Luck?

[Zandra Tal'verda]

Coruscant was home. No matter where else she lived, no matter how many places she went, she always came back here. She'd walk through the familiar streets of the lower levels, smile and wave to old friends and acquaintances, visit her old haunts, the cantinas, the old apartment complex Cal used to live in. The empty lot she used to park her ship in was now a construction site. Some hotel was being put up in it's place. Zandra watched the work from afar with a smouldering cig between her long fingers. She flicked it now and again with her black painted fingernails, put it to her lips, take a drag. Until there was nothing but a lipstick stained filter.

Years were not kind. Years took the most precious things from us. But the years could never take the memories. She dropped the cigara at her feet and stomped it our with the pointed toe of her black boots. Burying her hands in the pockets of Calico's old trench coat, she turned on her heel and started heading down a street she knew, to the place she moved the most in the whole Galaxy.

Nameless was like any other cantina on Coruscant. A little run down joint with too many patrons and not enough tables, even though they were so cluttered together that they could hardly fit as it was. The furniture was mismatched, some of it broken and stained beyond hope. The lights were dim, so most of the lighting came from the tiny candles in jars on the tables. Zandra smiled as she entered Nameless, waving at the old man behind the bar.

"Zandra! It's been months!" he shouted over the music and chatter, "Business doin' well?"
"Well as ever, Hachi," she responded, taking one of two empty seats at the bar, "Hows Parsec doin?"

She nodded to the band poster behind the bar featuring a pretty Zabrak female singer with a half dozen face peircings and a leather-clad Twi'lek drummer with tattoos all over. Zandra smiled, remembering those two fondly when she used to come out every night to watch them play on that tiny broken stage in the corner. The other musicians behind them in the poster she did not recognize. Time was like that. People came and went, just like the members of this band.

"Gettin' pretty famous from what I hear. Don't come around here no more. They do concerts in big arenas now. Last I saw of them was an interview on the holonet."

Zandra nodded, letting the subject drop. She still had Rei's contact info. She should send him a wave sometime. Even if it was just two of them left in the band, it would be nice to grab a drink at some point, congratulate them on making it big. If they still wanted to see an old friend from back in their early career, that was.

"I'll have my usual, Hachi. You remember, right?"

The old man grinned and scooped a bottle of some blue liquid out from behind the counter. She popped the cap off with an expert bang against the countertop and set it in front of her.
"All yours, Z. You're the only one who drinks this stuff anyway."

"Ha! Thanks," she grinned, "Put it on my tab. I got a feelin' I'll be here all night."

The old Cantina owner nodded in understanding, before rushing off to take care of someone else at the bar. Zandra's pale blue eyes studied the counter, still stained in the same places, same old scratches scarring the surface. She remembered taking Cal here years ago, making him listen to Parsec, sitting at the table right over in that corner, drinking together, laughing, holding hands, kissing. And right out back, she'd hung out with Rei and the rest of the band after the show in that littered alley. Some things changed. Some didn't.

In her pocket, she still carried her deck of playing cards. She always had those. They were like Calico's jacket, they never left her. Sweet Stars, she was just itching for a game, but she knew that her luck had finally run dry. Lady Luck had abandoned her. Why else would she be here now?

 

[Edward Frisby]

[member="Zandra Tal'verda"]

Lights and music, Frisby had a love hate relationship with the two. On one hand, sometimes he watched lights for hours, cataloging each flicker and surge. If he was listening to music he liked, he'd usually drift into an odd form of dance, more an elegant walk then anything, moving in time with the music. But sometimes the lights were only annoying and distracting, dampering Frisby's mood. When the music was loud, with no tale to tell, it drove him mad... madder. Unfortunately the latter seemed apparent, and Edward thanked the God(s) that be for a helmet to negate both.

He moved towards the bar and sat on one of the stools, not really wanting a drink, only a place to stay and think. Why was he here? Not any reason in particular. When you're borderline deranged, it doesn't really matter. All you need is a seat and a roof, and contentment will come soon after.

He turned his head slightly eying a blonde woman from the corner of his helmet. She seemed lost, not in place but in mind. An experience Frisby had yet to feel. Whether he was stone cold emotionless, or semi-insane, he always knew where he was, what he was. He turned in his seat to stare at the woman, keeping one hand on the counter and gesturing in an inquisitive manner with the other. "Your story?" he asked, rather bluntly, oblivious the candor of his question.

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

The blue of her drink reminded her so much of the sky on Mandalore, up in the north where she'd married Calico and raised his kids. The sky was always so clear and blue when it wasn't snowing. The blue of ice. The blue of family. It was... as close to a favorite color that Zandra would ever get.

"Your story?"

The Echani looked up, watching the stranger out of the corner of her heavily make-up covered eyes. Another stranger in another cantina. Zandra smirked, lifted her glass to her lips, the set it back down with a clink.

"Sorry pal, I'm a married lady."

Could be the truth. Could be a lie. Not even Zandra knew anymore. Cal could be dead. Or maybe he ran off and had another family somewhere like her Daughter thought. How did a twelve year old girl hear about affairs and why did she think he Father was out having one? That girl was, well, a little too smart. Sure didn't get it from her Mother.

[member="Edward Frisby"]

 

[Edward Frisby]

[member="Zandra Tal'verda"]

Frisby chortled, the noise sounding more like a cough due to his helmet static. The woman had misinterpreted his question, then again, most everyone did. He wasn't the most simplistic person in the galaxy, half by his damaged mind, half by his own choice. It'd be a boring galaxy if everyone was dreary, and if he had to be insane to avoid it, so be it.

"So?" he said, more in jest then in seriousness. He was interested in how she'd respond, perhaps in anger, or she could just ignore him. On the other hand, it wouldn't hurt if she was that kind of woman. "But I digress, if that was my original intention I could have thought of a better one."

He tapped a button on his vambrace and the digital tinting his visor had been projecting to keep the lights from being too intrusive turned off, wanting to have a good look at the woman. He looked her up and down, his "scanning" remaining undetected due to his helmet.

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

Zandra's smirk turned into a real smile. If Cal were here, he'd probably be annoyed by this guy hitting on his wife. But Cal wasn't here. He was never here. He was gone and she didn't know if he'd ever come back.

"Ah, I gatcha. Kid wants a story. Well, little boy, be real nice and I might tell ya the tale of Lady Luck."

She raised her hand and Hachi the cantina owner noticed it at once.

"Hach, bring somethin' fer my new friend here. Put it on my tab."

She didn't say what. The helmeted man would have to order. Zandra wasn't the kind of woman to presume to know what anybody would want.

"Take yer helmet off. Must be burnin' up in that gettup. My husband was always complaining about how warm his was..."

Whatever he was scanning for, Zandra wouldn't mind if he saw. She carried a small knife tucked in her boot, two more hidden along the lining of the leather jacket, and only a tiny blaster pistol strapped to her thigh. She was a woman who preferred close quarters combat, and it showed in her choice of weaponry.

[member="Edward Frisby"]

 

[Edward Frisby]

[member="Zandra Tal'verda"]

Frisby smirked under his helmet, she had a bit of spark apparently. Good, he wouldn't want to share a drink with someone as lively as a Jedi chronicler. However, her request that he take his helmet off made him frown. His helmet was muffling the accursed music, he didn't want a spell to happen, not here not now.

"Boy?" he said as he removed his helmet, revealing his large beard and lost eye. "Not exactly the pit e' youth, am I now?" He stared at the bartender for a moment before realizing he was waiting on him. Frisby raised a hand, pointing to one of the many drinks lined up, but retracted it and said whilst waving his hand in an all encompassing gesture, "Any brew that won't kill me."

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

Zandra laughed and Hachi went to grab something off the back wall for him to drink.

"Sorry. When ya seen as much as me, everyone starts to seem young."

With a small clink, Hachi set a bottle down in front of the mysterious one-eyed male. The music from the stage took on a melancholy tone. Zandra felt herself react to it. She couldn't help it. She responded to music the same way some people responded to the weather. Her mood sometimes depended on what music she had blasting in her ship.

"The names Zandra," she said, staring deep into the blue waves inside the bottle in front of her, "Zandra Tal'verda."

[member="Edward Frisby"]

 

[Edward Frisby]

[member="Zandra Tal'verda"]

Frisby grabbed the drink firmly, turning it towards himself to look at its contents. For a moment he considered calling the bar tender back and voicing his request again, but decided against it. In truth, alchohol wasn't exactly wasn't one of his favorite pass times, he was loopy enough without it.

Edward pushed the drink forward dejectedly before turning to Zandra. "Edwaaard Frissssby," he said, emphasizing his words, "Lord of the Bounty Board, Survivor of the Nexus, and... Seducer of Women... at your service." he finished with a flourish of his hand. In truth, he'd taken a break from the bounty board while he was planning his most recent job. With luck she didn't keep tabs on it.

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

Did he say bounty? The Pirate Queen let her hand drop to her side, carefully patting her hip to ensure her blaster was still in place. He wasn't out for her, right? If she had a bounty on her head she'd totally know about it. She'd have to know about it. Then again, she'd ticked off a good few hard working citizens in this Galaxy. Who even knew?
Nah. If that's what he was here for, he'd never have mentioned it to her. He was just a guy trying to get her into bed. Might'a worked before she met Cal, but it wasn't gunna now.

"Oh yeah? Seducer of women? Sounds like a hard job," she laughed, "Gatta business card to go with that?"

[member="Edward Frisby"]

 

[Edward Frisby]

[member="Zandra Tal'verda"]

Spoiler

Last post I can do tonight, sorry.

"Heh, I AM the business card." He said jokingly. He wasn't entirely interested in the woman but friendly banter couldn't hurt. Besides, a soft face to look at did I good job to divert his thoughts from the flashy environment. The lights were almost unbearable to him, annoyingly enough.

He hesitantly picked up his drink and took a sip. Frisby coughed and slammed his drink down onto the bar. "Sure he understands basic?" he said, in reference to the bartender. This was another reason he'd avoid alcohol, it tasted foul to him, similar to urine in fact. Not that he'd tasted it, despite what SOME

"So, to repeat my question, what's your story?"

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

The Echani narrowed her eyes. She didn't like people insulting Hachi. This cantina was her first true love, and Hachi was like Nameless's father.

"Once upon a time," she started, taking a pack of cigarettes out of her leather jacket pocket, "There lived an Echani and a Mandalorian."

She stuck a cig between her dark red lips and lit it up, blowing a faint stream of smoke into the dim lights.

"The Madalorian was a big shot. Military genius, big time, ya know? Famous. And the Echani was just some street rat who gambled and stole for a living. She was famous too though, but for completely different reasons.
How these two got together is anyone's guess, but it happened. An Echani and a Mandalorian... It was like the earth tryin' to court the sky. Two complete opposites and yet it worked. It worked so well that the Echani gave up just about everything. Little did these two know that this was all the work of Lady Luck, and once the good Lady lost interest, all this good fortune would soon come crashing down."

She flicked the ash straight onto the bar, paying no mind that the embers were burning new scars into the surface. The music died in the background as the band finished up. This band was nothing compaired to how Parsec used to rock the house back in the good ol' days.

"My husband went missing a few years ago," she clarified, "Remember that weird incident? A lot of people went missin'. Half the Galaxy just up n' vanished or somethin' like. My kids and half of Clan Tal'verda did too. All of 'em came back though. 'Cept him. Been lookin' for him since. Poor excuse for a love story, I know. Said I'd tell ya a story. Didn't say it'd be a good one. Ya ain't seen a man 'round, goes by the name of Calico, have ya by chance?"

She was pathetic. Just a love lorn damsel. She hated it. Hated that when she told 'her' story, it was really just their story. The two of them. But that just couldn't be helped. So much of herself was his now. Here or not, he still held on to so much of her.

[member="Edward Frisby"]

 

[Edward Frisby]

[member="Zandra Tal'verda"]

Frisby placed his elbow on the table and leaned his chin on his hand, an inquisitive look common only among children on his face. He didn't want to be insulting, but her story did actually interest him. However he opted to not mention that that crisis had been a time he enjoyed thoroughly. All the confusion made for an excellent... diversion.

"So technically, you're a widow?" he said while gesturing towards her with his palm and pointer finger, also opting not to mention that the tale interested him, as she might take offense.

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

Zandra took a long slow draw of her cig, considering his question. Was she a widow? Without a body, how could she know for sure? She didn't act like Cal was dead. It felt like he'd be home any minute, like he might send her a message over the holonet, telling her that he was waiting for her with the kids. He'd ask her to pick up a bottle of the usual on her way back. That smooth blue drink that Zandra and he had shared their first night together. Was that really thirteen years ago?

"Widow... I.. guess I am, aren't I?" she flicked the ashes off her cig, looking up at the flickering bar lights thoughtfully. "It's weird. All his relatives and friends talk 'bout him like his body is already ash. Here I am still out lookin' fer 'im..."

With a sigh she snuffed her cig out on the dirty bar and left it smouldering.

"Ya know, the worst part is not really knowing one way or the other. At least if I knew fer sure he was gone, I could move on. But here I am stuck in limbo. Half a widow, jus' without the closure."

[member="Edward Frisby"]

 

[Edward Frisby]

[member="Zandra Tal'verda"]

"Well," Frisby said, know drumming his free hand on the table,"I don't know what kind of man he was, but I know that the chances of an Echani and a Mando 'hooking a power coupling' considering them being rivals is somewhat negligible. What I'm meaning to say, is if he was willing to love you though you were Echani, then he must have had a special love for you. If he loved you that much, 'e wouldn't want you to tear yourself apart on his account, no matter if he living or dead. If I was him, I'd want to be mourned a bit, well, a lot, but I would want the person I cared about to be able to move on afterwards. Otherwise, it ain't one person dying. Its two."

Frisby crossed his arms. That... was one of his more profound moments. He wasn't one to give advice, and when he did it was usually followed by the person screaming and running away, (What's so scary about how to cook intestines?) but this time he felt that he was able to get his point across, perhaps doing some good, maybe even softening her up for the Ol' Frisby charm. Regardless of which, Edward made a mental note to put that in his memoirs, right under how to skin a fish.

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

Zandra... actually smiled. A real smile. For the first time in months. Huh. That was curious. He was right. Zandra never forgot for a second how unlikely her and Cal had been as a couple. She'd been warned against it so many times. Their cultures were just too different. But Calico hadn't paid any mind to what she was. All he cared about was who she was.
And if he could see her now moping about, lost without him? He's wonder what it was that made him love her in the first place.
He had loved her strength, her ability to endure. She needed that right now.

"Heh... ya know, if ya caught me a few years ago, I might'a fallen for that charm o' yours."
The Echani giggled. A real giggle. A silly girlish giggle. Anyone who knew anything about Zandra would have been, well, frankly shocked. It was a noise so incredibly out of character for her, she may as well have pulled off a mask to reveal herself to be someone else entirely. But here she was, giggling,

"Ah... Thanks fer sittin' here with me, listenin' to my problems. Drinks are on me tonight, a'right?"

[member="Edward Frisby"]

 

[Edward Frisby]

[member="Zandra Tal'verda"]

Frisby smiled. At least it had been partially helpful to her. And solving other people's problems was almost as fun and diverting as causing them. Actually, he considered a victory despite his charm not working. You win some you lose some, that was his motto, or was it 'The sun shines only on the left of the Bantha'? Bah, didn't matter. He shrugged as if to say he conceded, picked up his drink and raised it into the air.

"To closure." he said in a slightly triumphant tone.

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

Zandra held the now 3/4 empty bottle up with a grin.
"To closure and to the future."

It didn't make her feel any better. No, it was like pulling off a bandaid. But you had to expose your hurts to air now and again too, or else they'd never heal. The toast was bitter, plain and simple, but she knew that maybe not today, but soon she'd start to feel just a little bit more Real.

She tipped the bottle up to her lips and drained it in one go. By this time, she was starting to feel the effects of the strong alcohol. Even for an alcoholic like her, this stuff was still pretty strong. About now, it was really the only thing that could get her drunk. She could thank Cal for this at least; he introduced her to a drink that could still get her tipsy.

"Hachi, my man, Got another?" she called out to the elderly cantina owner, who simply shrugged and popped the top off of another bottle.

"It's all your's, Z. You're the only one here that drinks this stuff."

Zandra grinned, knowing full well that the only reason her drink was even stocked here was because of her.
"Another drink for my new therapist too, Hach. Whatever he wants."

[member="Edward Frisby"]