Private Chance Reunions

[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn paused as he registered the question, and grinned when he put her plan together, “Guess we’ll find out,” A scan of the coordinates, a quick course correction, and they were off toward their new destination.

“Playing the downtrodden little orphan boy all those years has to mean something right?” People down here were all too eager to stick to their own business, but on occasion you got the rare passerby who cared a little too much, and a bit of charity along the way, “I like to think I mastered that vulnerable puppy dog look,” He chuckled to himself as they slowed to a halt. About a block away, their supposed drop-off site was in view: A ramshackle spice den, one that would’ve looked unoccupied to any outsiders. A crooked neon sign hung over the entrance, each letter devoid of power except for the last, which still flickered intermittently with orange light.

“This is the place?” He asked skeptically. Tenn gave the coordinates one more look, then nodded at Ren, “...I trust you.” It was a dangerous position to put himself in without assurances. But his faith was unwavering; She wouldn’t do him wrong.

“Don’t suppose you got any uh, cuffs or anything? Make this a little more convincing?” He spared her any more spur of the moment ideas, entrusting that she understood the process here better than him.

Ren Bishto​

 

[Ren Bishto]

“That’s just how you always look. Completely helpless-” Loosening a smug grin she swung a leg over, finally standing on even ground, “At least we know it’ll be convincing.”

Before Ren got the chance to say anything further, she followed his gaze down to the hellhole, suddenly met with her own skepticism. “You piss off a bunch of squatters or something? This place looks like it's on the brink-” Quick to cross-reference the coordinates herself, the girl’s lips pursed in consideration. This was the spot alright. A realization Tenn had already come to moments before. She couldn’t help but blink at his admission of trust.

Pocketing the commlink, she unholstered her gun, settling into a comfortable grip as Tenn proposed they introduce another prop. With a brow raised and a look of amusement plain on her face, she loosened a pair of restraints from the lining of her jacket before handing them off, “Your commitment really is unshakeable huh?”

After they looked compelling enough to sell it, she grabbed his cuffed arm. Not tight enough to actually direct him anywhere, but to at least appear as if she had some control. Sparing Tenn a reassuring glance, her eyes drew an all encompassing look of the den as they made their approach. Finally settling on an imposing durasteel door seemingly rusted shut. Before she had the chance to skeptically knock, a slit hinged open as if on command, revealing nothing but a gruff voice lingering behind.

“What do you want?”

Steeling herself, her eyes shifted towards Tenn, “Payment preferably.” With a flat tone, she pulled the Jedi Padawan into full view of the door.

Tenn Kalos
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[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn laughed wryly at her comment as they watched the supposed drop-off with a hint of skepticism, “Probably a temporary holdout. Keep any troublemakers, like us for instance, from getting a little too cozy with their main operation.” The idea rolled off his tongue like he’d never left the streets. Even the padawan blinked, visibly taken aback by his natural reintegration.

Whatever their intentions were didn’t matter. They were putting a stop to this mess here and now. He messied up his hair and clothes, then offered his hands in mock surrender, “All that Jedi training's gotta count for something, too.”

Ren led him in,and he offered her a glance of his own just before they made it through the door, at which point his gaze was largely downcast, spare the occasional look at his surroundings. This den used to be a lot more extravagant it seemed. Moth-eaten drapes and fabrics, once vibrant in color, now muted by time and neglect.

The slit of the door opened, and Tenn was pushed into view. The man behind it studied him, and in that moment Tenn heard the faint whine of a dog somewhere past. He tensed, but forced himself to relax before he broke the illusion. The slit closed, and the door itself opened. Before them, a short staircase leading to a lower floor. The man gestured downard, “Take him to the boss.”

Ren Bishto​

 

[Ren Bishto]

She kept her confidence steady, shielded under a façade of indifference as she stared down the structurally questionably staircase. Without as much as a verbal response, she forced Tenn to make the descent first, squeezing his arm in confirmation that she heard Shep’s plea as clearly as he did.

Bracing herself against the cobwebs, she pushed further down. Finally breaching the exit where they were both welcomed into a considerably more spacious room. Welcomed being a relatively liberal use of the term.

It was an office of some sort, or at least functioned as one. Carrying over the already established pattern of a muted, derelict atmosphere. A fact that most certainly wasn’t helped by the armed brutes freely stationed around the room. Attention all pinned on the Jedi seemingly fallen from grace.

She set eyes on the boss easy enough, the big give away being the choking disdain that spontaneously filled the room once he spotted Tenn. The girl was quick to give him a once over, reeling in her expression as she felt a surge of recognition. A gorged Hutt, whose mouth contorted into an unnaturally splitting grin, wasn’t exactly an easy sight to digest. Especially not when you’ve seen it before.

Regardless, the girl was quick to regain her bearings. She wasn’t the one on trial after all. Just coming face to face with her former-employer.

Crossing the threshold, she met the Hutt’s line of sight unwaveringly, brandishing a fake smile,“Presukk-” Calling the Hutt by name she kept her eyes forward, clearly not keen on gauging Tenn’s reaction. “It’s been awhile- Wish I could say I planned this.” Lying through her teeth, she held firm.

Tenn Kalos
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[Tenn Kalos]

When they stepped into the room, Tenn could hardly pay attention to all the people staring at him, far more focusing on singling out his charhound. They stopped in front of the Hutt’s makeshift dais, and Ren’s apparent familiarity with the so-called Presukk earned a look from Tenn. Even out of his periphery, it was easy to tell she was very much trying to not look back.

There was little time for it to simmer, as he quickly became distracted by the sound of a chain jingling on the far wall, where Shep ran forward only to be stopped by the metal links that leashed him. He barked, and one of the guards stepped forward to threaten the dog. Tenn became visibly angry, which provoked a laugh from the Hutt, followed by a language that Tenn had never quite mastered. Thankfully, a dull bronze protocol droid stepped forward to translate, “Presukk is most pleased with your quick success… and surprised. Jedi often make for… stubborn prisoners.” There was an implication of skepticism, though not immediately hostile. If there was any offense taken to that doubt, the Hutt didn’t seem to care.

Tenn flexed impatiently under Ren’s grip, and the hidden hilt of his saber slid down his jacket sleeve, stopping against the cuff on his wrist with a barely audible clink.

Ren Bishto​

 

[Ren Bishto]

Presukk’s skepticism, however indirect, uncut her faith to a degree. She could only buy so much time bullchiting. To be fair it would be a generous amount no matter what. But regardless, they had to move into action sooner rather than later.

As if it were a panicked reflex, she responded with a quip of her own, “Then he’d be the first to break the glass-ceiling. Let’s not be hasty to overestimate him.” With a casual snort of amusement, she internally made the note to apologize after this was over. “How bout’ now we talk credits. After all, I think I’ve done you a pretty substantial service.”

When Presukk seemed unimpressed, she shrugged, rolling her gun with a brief glance at the ammunition.

“Yeah, figured you might want to see the job finished.”

Without so much as a heads up, she shoved Tenn forward. Down to his knees in clear view, and reach, of Presukk. Her gun quickly followed, pressed against the back of his head. With a shit-eating grin, a genuine shit-eating grin she brought her gaze up the Hutt, stalling to give Tenn just enough time to recover.

“Heads up slug.” Spoken as a warning to Tenn more than a jab at Presukk, her aim was redirected to the ceiling above. Loosening a shot.

The fluorescents above shattered within the span it took to process the betrayal. Raining a blend of sparks and finely diced glass down indiscriminately. Trusting Tenn’s lightsaber wouldn't leave him blind to the world, she lowered her own mask. Reawakening her sight to a scene of confusion and spontaneous rage in the pitch-black.

Tenn Kalos
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[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn couldn't help a bit of a raised brow at Ren's quip; A fleeting moment of amusement in an otherwise dire situation. A situation which admittedly made him all the more nervous when he was forced to his knees. Deep down, there was a paranoid piece of his mind that wondered if he really had been played. It would be a pretty humiliating way to go out.

But the intrusive thought was little more than that, and on Ren's cue, the padawan smirked. His saber slid out from his sleeve, and as darkness gave way to chaos, a solid beam of yellow stood out, appearing only long enough to sever his bonds, and strike the Hutt, before he extinguished it once more. Presukk cried out, and based on the heavy thud sound, toppled over.

Tenn used the shadows to his advantage, letting the Force guide him to his targets, alongside the occasional stray blaster bolt flashing the room with color. He slinked behind the one closest to Shep, and took him down with a slash to the back. He then cut the chain on his pet, reuniting with a brief hug, before setting the charhound loose on their blind adversaries.

Ren Bishto​

 

[Ren Bishto]

Things had certainly gone better than expected. In fact the girl couldn’t help but stare somewhat dumb-founded as Tenn made quick work of the unfolding situation. The massive beast of a Hutt laid slumped, still smoking from the point of impact as Tenn swiftly released Shep on the remaining henchmen. Suffice to say, it was an impressive feat.

A stray bullet served to draw her back to the moment, cutting down a few unexpecting targets in the next breath with sure-fire aim. Her rush of confidence was quickly diffused as she turned on another guard. Ready with the butt of their gun bearing down on her helmet. In one swell swoop, the mask cleaved in two with enough impact to force her to the ground. Seething in mild irritation more than pain, she drew herself up.

Her next attack was pure reflex, sweeping a leg under the assailant who reeled back in response. Before their shock could fester into imminent rage, the girl ducked beneath the barrel of the gun, bearing her weight down on their foot while simultaneously forcing the weapon from their hands. Finger on the trigger they loosened a round in retaliation as Ren grappled with the stock. The attacker barely recoiling against the impact as a series of bullets embedded themselves into the surrounding walls.

After a prolonged moment, the henchman rounded on her, a stocky forearm slamming the kid against the wall with an audible thud. Pinned against the rifle she pushed back with gritted teeth.

Tenn Kalos
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[Tenn Kalos]

What Tenn couldn’t see he could sense through the Force. Chief among them, he could tell his friend was in a bit of a bind now, “Ren?!” He foolishly called out in some hope to confirm that she had a handle on things. Not a moment after, his voice escaped along with his breath as a heavy fist connected with his stomach. The padawan fell on hands and knees, still recovering from the surge of pain when a boot struck his side, rolling him onto his back.

“Ow…” He reached frantically for a lightsaber no longer within reach, unable to move as the same boot now pinned him by his chest. “Stupid kid.” A sneering voice muttered from the darkness. Tenn could feel Shep approaching, but shouted him away, “Go!” The dog whimpered in concern, but then spun around to leap onto the guard attacking Ren.

Ren Bishto​

 

[Ren Bishto]

The assailant tore away with surprising ease as Shep tackled him, quick to lock his jaws. Forcing herself back on her feet she blinked in equal parts surprise and gratitude, muttering a quick “good boy” before her attention snapped to Tenn. Her eyes strained against the darkness before a small prickle in the force hinted towards the Jedi's location and sent her on her way. Scoping out the rifle at her feet, she ran blindly across the room, footsteps echoing from an indiscernible direction.

Before the guard could steel himself, the end of a rifle came bearing into his side forcing him off of Tenn and onto the seedy floorboards where Shep was quick to pounce. Adrenaline still pumping, she traded the rifle into one hand, extending the other to Tenn as an invitation pull him up. “You alright?"

Tenn Kalos
​

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn felt the weight leave his chest, and he breathed a little freer when a much more pleasant voice introduced itself, "I was gonna ask you that." He smirked, but laid still in an awkward pause before he realized Ren had her hand out waiting for him. The padawan pulled himself up with her help, then quickly rushed over to help Shep finish the guard. He knelt down and gave the man a sucker punch that dropped him cold. Tenn shook his hand, knuckles stinging from the impact.

"...Is that all of them?" He asked, a bit skeptical. With some hesitance he called his lightsaber back into his grip and ignited the blade, once more brightening the basement with yellow light.

Ren Bishto​

 

[Ren Bishto]

“You better have-'' With a huff of amusement she brought him up to full height, watching him incapacitate the guard in the next breath. A blend of mild surprise and humor touched her expression before it was wiped away by the objective at hand, “Huh, and here I thought all you Jedi were deep-seated pacifists.”

Adjusting to the sudden illumination, she scanned the fading darkness with clear reservations. “No clue. Can’t you like-” She gestured vaguely to the surrounding abyss, “sense them or something?” Quirking an eyebrow she spared Tenn a strained glance. Her understanding of the force was by all means primitive, without a solid grasp on what was or wasn’t exactly possible. Which naturally led to the occasional mild ignorance.

Keeping a firm hold on her new-found rifle, she fought to regain a sense of direction, “I don’t suggest we stick around and find out.” Her body ached, bruises spiraling her shoulder prompting her to grumble half-heartedly. “My lust for revenge is certainly satiated.”

Tenn Kalos
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[Tenn Kalos]

Ten scoffed a bit, "Maybe, but somebody hits me first— Laser sword's there for a reason, right?" He smirked and followed her suggestion, taking a moment to try and hone in on his sixth sense. Nothing.

Her next suggestion was more agreeable regardless, "Don't have to tell me twice." The longer they waited, the more time that gave for one of them to get up again, or for possible reinforcements to arrive.

"Revenge is not the Jedi way," Tenn recited the mantra a bit sarcastically, and began leading them out of the old spice den. He rounded into an alley, before letting himself take a breather. For as short as the fight was, it sure left him feeling winded.

Shep bounded along, tail wagging, and finally the padawan took the chance to give his hound a few scratches, "Good to see ya, buddy." Tenn looked to Ren next, "See anyone coming?"

Ren Bishto​

 

[Ren Bishto]

“Then it’s a great thing I’m not a Jedi.” With a quirked eyebrow she tailed behind, letting the tension gradually drop from her shoulders the further they moved down the strip. Recovering from the adrenaline rush.

Keeping alert, the girl's eyes whisked the streets, her split attention only brought back by Tenn’s question. Shaking her head, she kept her gaze locked behind them a moment longer before dropping to the duo. Despite her best efforts, a small grin teased the corner of her mouth at the sight of Shep, completely recovered and energized. He was fast to bounce back.

Crouching to the hound’s level, she held a hand out, curious if he’d recognized her at all. “Man- It’s been a while.” Voicing her internal dialogue, she looked up at Tenn after the fact, a degree more solemn.

“You-” With something of a sigh, she restarted, struggling to get the words out. “You need to get out of here before shit hits the fan- We can’t make a mess like that and expect there not be damage-control.” Clearing her throat, she rose to her full height again, conflicted. “You’re free to hide out in my apartment until we find you a way back-” up. She trailed off unintentionally, confronting something she hadn’t had the time to fully realize. Tenn wasn’t back for good.

Tenn Kalos
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[Tenn Kalos]

With Ren's confirmation he was able to relax a bit, the tension in his posture visibly sloughing away. He grinned broadly, the most he had since their little encounter began, watching Shep reunite with Ren after all this time, "It has." The hound was more excited to see her again than Tenn, his tail wagging so hard it seemed ready to fly off.

It felt right, in a way, being here again. Whatever downsides there were to that life before seemed irrelevant in the moment, and instead Tenn wallowed in its nostalgic familiarity. Like he never left. Like he never… would.

Ren realized the underlying truth at the same time, and voiced it first. The padawan's gaze fell to the ground, and he shifted awkwardly knowing this really would end, sooner or later. But he didn't want to think about that.

So Tenn merely nodded at her suggestion, and forced another smile as he tried to refocus their conversation on her initial point, "You have a place now?" A quiet chuckle, "I'm a little jealous, actually. Jedi quarters are nice and all, but you never really get much alone time, y'know?"

"Sure, let's, uh… well, lead the way," He stumbled over his words, and grinned more sheepishly this time. Maybe for a little longer, they could pretend things were normal.

Ren Bishto​

 

[Ren Bishto]

Tenn’s reluctance wasn’t lost on her, sharing Ren’s own desires. Both void of realism. As much as she appreciated the fact, finally having the reassurance she hadn’t completely sullied their relationship with her new line of work, it wouldn’t change the course of things.

Scratching behind Shep’s ear she shook her head, a small smile on her lips, “Don’t get excited, it’s not much. Just wanna set expectations.” With an amused snort she headed further down the lane, finally coming up on her parked speeder. Shep hopped on first, with enough allowance for Ren to steer regardless. Signaling him on she swung a leg over, instinctively going to lower her helmet before she realized her lack of such. Annoyed, she revved the engine, bolting off down another series of lanes further and further from the action.

The time it took to finally reach their destination gave both plenty of time to reflect. But fighting the inevitable wrath of emotions she kept herself focused solely on the path ahead. Blocking out any and all interference.

Rolling to a stop, her boot skid against the gravel in front of what was clearly a block of apartments. The quality of which were certainly questionable. But there wasn’t much a house-trained mercenary could really afford. Dismounting she led him through an entrance, into a narrow staircase, whining under each step and up into a hall of suspect residences. Creaking upon a door, she let Shep run ahead to find a well-maintained albeit cramped space. "Missing the Jedi quarters now?” With grin, she didn’t bother gauging his reaction, slipping in.

Tenn Kalos
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[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn shrugged, "Better than living on the street, right?" That had always been the goal, hadn't it? It was almost funny to think about now. They were so busy struggling to achieve the bare minimum, that the idea of what they'd do after had been little more than fantasy. This maybe wasn't quite what any of them envisioned, but for now he was happy to just acknowledge the silver linings.

The three of them filled up just about all the space the speeder had to offer, and the ride back was little more than the sound of wind against their ears. They reached the complex, and Tenn offered little more than a raised brow.

They reached the door, and Tenn gave the interior a cursory study before stepping all the way in. Shep meanwhile, wasted no time settling into the space. He chuckled a bit, "Cozy." In truth there was little that wouldn't leave some impression materialistically. As an urchin, it was easy to set low expectations, "Guess it depends on what your neighbors are like." Tenn shut the door behind them, and slipped off his jacket, "I remember when a group of us all got together, committed to saving and pooling our credits, just to get a place like this." He scanned her for some sort of recognition, "In the end we were just twenty credits short."

A dry laugh, "We didn't even realize that rent was a monthly thing, anyway."

Ren Bishto​

 

[Ren Bishto]

Biting her lip in an attempt to restrain a laugh, she slipped the jacket from her arms before sinking into a dilapidated couch, Shep cozying up at her feet. “Yeah- Try fitting a dozen or so kids in here.” Shoulders hunched, the clinging tension dissipated as a sense of security settled around them.

“I swear, we survived purely on dumb-luck longer than statistically possible.” The corners of her mouth twitched up into the beginning of a smile as her eyes flickered up towards Tenn, a stark reminder of how far they’d come. It felt wholly uncanny, no matter how much they reiterated the fact, that he was now something of a full-fledged Jedi. A group they largely considered some weird hyper religious cult as naïve kids. She still wasn’t sure what to make of it, probably wouldn’t for a good while.

Eyes dropping to the saber hilt at his hip, a shadow of consideration passed her face. “Mind if I take a look?”

Tenn Kalos
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[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn laughed a little louder, "Yeah. No, sometimes I wonder how we made it out at all... Still woulda been better than what we had, though." There was a twinge of solemness to it, despite his attempt to subvert that fact. Life had dealt them all a bad hand, and he spent a lot of time being angry about it. The unfairness of it all. Some of the pride he felt in being a Jedi came simply from beating the odds. Proving that even if the galaxy was against him, he could still find a way to crawl out.

Not everyone got as lucky as him, though.

The padawan's pensive musings were cut short, as Ren spoke again. He blinked, then followed her gaze to the hilt of his saber, "...Oh." Tenn walked the short distance over to sit beside her, and gingerly unhooked the weapon before presenting it to her, "Uh, sure. Just… be careful not to point it at yourself. Or me." He smirked a bit, and pointed to a few key components, "That's the activator. So if you just hold the switch it'll turn on. And that's the emitter, obviously. The part you don't aim at us."

Ren Bishto​

 

[Ren Bishto]

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Coruscant,
Lower Levels

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Receiving the lightsaber with clear intrigue, her thumb grazed the patterns etched into the circular base with consideration, “Seems straightforward enough. I’ll try not to get us killed.” With a playful, haphazard shrug the girl stood up, twirling the hilt with deft hands. As if to tempt fate, she ignited the saber, fascination sparking along with the low hum of energy. The emitting glow reflected clearly in the balcony window, overshadowing her own reflection. “Feth, I can’t understand how you don’t sear your hand clean off with this thing.”

With a cautious grip she examined the blade before assuming a what was sure to be a heavily flawed stance. Not that she cared much. Only concerned in mocking what her approximation of a tight laced Jedi would look like. Loosening a low chuckle, the saber dropped back into an idle position. “I fail to see how this would be intimidating.”

Tenn Kalos ​