Public Cobble Stone Couture [Open]

[Nova Casamyr]

"They are," Nova said as she sat down across from Marina, placing a tray in front her new dining partner and the other in front of herself. "I thought that the most difficult thing about working at a restaurant would be the endless labor. But no. It's definitely resisting the temptation to eat through the whole shift." She offered a soft laugh at the oddity of the statement.

Too hungry and too tired to show much decorum, she dug in straight-away to the skewer. Still, the food was too delicious to not savor every bite of tender meat and juicy vegetable. The brushed on sauce went a long way to tying everything together. She realized she was focusing too much on the food and not enough on their conversation. She dabbed at a dribble on her chin before regarding the other woman again.

"So if you're this far out of the center and not sporting much of a tan, you must be a spacer, right? I can tell the look. After all, I'm one too. Captain Nova Casamyr, at your service."

Marina DeVoe​

 

[Moya Virtu]

Moya had been looking forward to doing business. The explosions interrupted that.

She heard screams. Saw blood. Meleena next to her was alert, having pinpointed the source and ran to it, Moya following close by afterward, as both wanted to help the injured and both had the medical training to do it. Smoke poured into the air.

They both spotted one man on the ground, severely burned. Meleena's X-Ray mode got a look at his internals.

"No internal bleeding. Broken arms and legs..." Meleena said. "We can move him..."

Moya wasted no time, and they both quickly hefted him up, though Moya strained because in this guise she was only as strong as a normal human, whereas Meleena was twice as strong. The man screamed as they carried him as far from the blast zone as they could, towards a triage area being set up by people swarming the scene, then went back and looked for more, keeping alert for secondary blasts.

Moya's heart wrenched as she spotted a man who was clearly dead. Who the hell had done this and why.

Meleena found a butcher stand utterly obliterated with a crater. Not understanding at all why this was happening, she began looking for injured, helping them up and advising those who could walk to leave, while Moya looked for more dead. Thankfully. There didn't seem to be any but she could hear sirens in the distance. Emergency services and authorities were on their way...

She spotted a grim faced Meleena walking up to her

"They say fething rival butchers did this..." she growled.

"Butchers?" Moya asked, bewildered. Then she got angry as well.

"Finding whoever planted it has to be done quickly..." Moya asserted. "Whoever planted it should have traces of the materials used all over them..."

Meleena sniffed the traces of explosives in the air with her enhanced sense of smell, beckoning Moya to follow.

"You gonna beat the living stuffing out of the person who did it?" Moya asked.

"I'm going full Comic Book Vigilante on the bastard." Meleena growled, following the chemical traces in the air out of the market...

"Good..." Moya said, green lightning arcing up her arms. "Because I'm helping..."

The pair followed Meleena's nose...

 

[KSM]

Location: Alcohol Stand
Tag: Aeshi Tillian

Of the options the sweeter one did sound nice. Kat'ra thought it would be a nice surprise for her clan and a good thank you for them welcoming her in so readily. She was about to tell the fethered merchant this when suddenly there was an explosion.

KABOOOOOOOOMMM!!!!!



"What the frak?" Kat'ra spun around, turning her scanners on to detect what was happening. "Are you alright?" She asked the merchants behind her.

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Running headfirst into a dangerous situation was a very Jedi thing to do, but Katarine was no longer a Jedi. She hesitated, clearly uncertain what her new role in this galaxy was. The merchant man with the charming eyes shut down the shop, providing a small reprieve from the screams outside. A moment latter he dashed out the door however and to Kat's utter amazement continued trying to make the sale with the woman who was interested in the clothing. Seriously?!? That was some dedication and work ethic, or maybe he just really needed the credits. Either way she didn't have time to speculate because the man took off towards the disturbance, clearly curious as to what was happening.

"Sithspit!" She cursed under her breath, aware that the word might be as ancient as she was. Despite the uncertainty of her new role, Katarine didn't want any harm to come to the merchant, whom she had taken a liking to, plus she hadn't paid for her clothes yet. She followed him out, keeping her deep green eyes on the back of his head as she wove in and out of panicking people running every way they could. The woman who had wanted the fabric was helping an injured man, and just a few feet away there were at least three bodies with no life signs visible.

Finally she caught the man and grabbed his wrist. "Whoa Superman, what's your plan here?" Even as she asked emergency services and police forces were arriving on the scene. Katarine bit her lip and looked around. It was a very weird situation for the girl. She had no Jedi authority, no idea how to act with her new identity, and no desire to see the merchant harmed. So much for a fun shopping day.

Luc Rivers Moya Virtu

 

[Marina DeVoe]

-----

"Captain Nova Casamyr...." Marina rolled the woman's name around on her tongue.
"Pleasure to meet you." She said, eyeing her a moment. A captain, working in an outdoor makeshift restaurant? Now that had peaked her interest.

The woman was apparently more famished than her it seemed... the way Nova took to the skewer. Marina on the other hand, and while eyeing her, blew on the end of her own skewer, before taking to pluck and sample the first bite off it.
"Mmm..."
It immediately tantalized Marina's taste buds, carrying through with the flavor and texture as she swallowed.

"Shoot, this is better than good!..." Marina then said licking her lips, setting the end of the skew on the plate. She took to slide her portions off with the table knife and on to her plate.
The food was definitely above average. Actually a few levels above what her nose even had anticipated it would be. Marina could imagine if it were a high end establishment...the skewed portions laid over some white rice. yes, white plain rice as the flavor and textures would be carried over. Hell, Marina could see with a little ingenuity and proper marketing this little eatery could be a near 5 star restaurant. That is, if their menu line followed in the same suit.
But no. Marina wasn't about to shoot the hay about food... or the weather. She were very much interested in who Nova was, where she were from.... and definitely what her story was.

"Oh wow...
Funny you say that..." She continued, rounding up a few grilled veggies with another savory morsel of meat. "I didn't figure you were from this system for the same reason.
You know..." Marina lightly waved the table knife to the open sky.
" Love the sun...as most times I can't get enough of it. But easily toast up to a crisp if I hang around it too much...lol
I'm from the northern mountain regions of Alderaan. We don't get the intensity up in the mountains-" Marina cut short when...

Kaboom.... sounded off in the distance.
It wasn't anywhere near their district it seemed, as it was drowned out, absorbed by the blocks of buildings between them and ground zero.... but it reverberated nevertheless.

In that instant, Marina suddenly locked eyes with Nova. Had that been a distant explosion that she just heard?... a sonic boom perhaps from a descending vessel?... fireworks?
It had certainly been a sort of percussion, a distance away. Maybe not so distant, but blocks distant...mostly drowned out by the density of marketplace, the canopies..

"That-
...that wasn't what I think it was?
Nova?" Marina asked, dropping her loaded fork on the plate.

She rose up from her chair as the sound of people creaming and shouting started to make their way over to their block.
For a moment, it were difficult to ascertain as to where the frak that explosion had come from. But soon enough, the sunlit blue skies to the East of them, gave rise to a plume of smoke.

"Shiet..."






Nova Casamyr / Moya Virtu / Katarine Ryiah / Luc Rivers ...and anyone that I may be possibly going to trip over.

 

[Moya Virtu]

"They're close..." Meleena growled, sniffing the air, still angry and hurt at what she had seen and desiring to make the motherfether pay at all cost. Moya was interested in doing some harm to the psycho that had done it herself. The search led them way outside the Bazaar herself and Moya's psychology programming spotted a candidate, a Nautolan that looked particularly nervous as he moved through a crowd of panicked people.

"He reeks of the materials used..." Meleena whispered, starting to move ahead, only for Moya to stop her.

"What is it?" Meleena asked, curious.

"Better I be the one to get hit if he's got any tricks..." Moya explained. "The Authorities know I'm not human. They 'don't' know that you are not human."

Meleena acquiesced, letting Moya take the lead as she tailed the man Meleena had pinpointed. She followed him as he made a turn to a public park. Moya decided to confront him, drawing her silvery Lightsaber hilt, modeled after Ahsoka Tano's, its black cored, green aura blade slithering out of its emitter.

"Halt! I have some questions for you!" Moya called out.

The Nautolan man wheeled around and blasted her with a flamethrower.

The Android felt her artificial flesh sear and fall off the metallic like chitin underneath her head and face. The dress was luckily rated for short term exposure to flames so she pressed forward through the searing heat and brought her Lightsaber down in an elegant slice that destroyed the flamethrowers mount and jammed the blade into his leg, where he collapsed, screaming.

Moya stared down at him.

"Why'd you run and why did you set me on fire?" She asked, unable to hide tge metallic tinge to her voice when no flesh was covering her silvery, skull head.

"Piss off freak!" he shouted back.

Moya stabbed him in the other leg, making him scream while she spotted his expensive com link with dozens of nifty little apps people barely use.

"I won't ask again!"

"Alright, alright. I was paid! One of the old school deli magnates!" The Nautolan complained. "He's been loosing business in this area for a while now."

"What's his name?!"

"John." The wounded man answered

Moya tossed him his comlink.

"Call him."

"What?"

"Call to John." The Android growled.

When the man hesitated, she jammed the blade into his shin.

"I know this hurts..." Moya seethed, enraged by his crimes. "Call to John now."

(Terminator 2 theme plays for a few seconds.)

Meleena, just unnatural enough to actually hear the OOC music, darted her head about in confusion, looking for the source.

The man made the call, trying to keep a calm tone and hide his pain at bladepoint. Most of the other civilians had fled at this point.

"John its Rix. Job's done...I want my payment. Meet me at the museum south of the Bazaar..." he said.

The instant he had shut the com link off, Meleena proceeded to violently pummel the man within an inch of his life, her fist bloody by the time Moya pulled her off.

"Enough..." Moya ordered. "We have an appointment to keep. Let the authorities deal with him."

Meleena scowled, looked at the man who had planted the device and broke his knees with a well placed kick.

"Now we can go..." she snapped, heading for the Museum in a huff. Moya followed...

 

[Marina DeVoe]

It were three blocks East...
That had been the consensus as far as what they could get from those whom had been close to the incident.

Whom were injured...who had done it and why seemed to be random assumptions. At least this far from the scene. But even so, with just about everyone having been disrupted, many shops were seemingly closing down. marina looked over to Nova, who at the moment was in conversation with her associates. Seemed like the general consensus was to close down till there was more definite answers as to what had taken place and whom were responsible.

Marina didn't know what to do or say. Should she just leave? There were so many people about going in every which direction..either to the site or going home. Maybe it would be best if she went back to her ship, she thought. .

"Nova I think it best I head b-" Marina was about to get the woman's attention when she spotted a young boy. His clothes were tattered...soiled. No...blood stained!

"Gasp...Oh merciful Berkana (God)..." She muttered and rushed on over to the boy. He was disoriented for sure as he more staggered than walked. The sad thing was that no one paid any mind to him. Except of course Marina who finally got to him.
"Oh child... here, let me help-" But before she could finish, the boy jumped back in a panic and tried to run...only stumbling over his own injured leg.
"Where you going?"
Marina got to him just before he went down face first on the coble stone, grabbing his arm.

To her surprise, he seemed to want to struggle and push her away. the fear in his eyes-
"Oh No..." Marina then just realized as to his fright.
he were one of the very same boys who had snatched her satchel.

"No no no.... please...
Please...little boy.
I'm trying to help you. I'm not going to harm you...no no no..." she urged him to calm down, trying to help him sit up...checking his person for broken bones..other injuries beside his lacerated leg.

"No..no..." he were in tears now still trying to ward her off him.
"I don't have it..
It wasn't me..." The boy pleaded.

Marina realized he were thinking she were patting him down for her belongings. Hell she were.
"I don't care about that. I care about you. Let me carry you out of the street and over there under the canopy." She said, huddled over the boy as passerby went about and around them.

"I'm not going to hurt you... I swear." She pleaded putting a hand on her heart.
"And you have to know... I don't ever swear...not often.." She said with a concerning smile. One which had a contagious effect, for the boy stopped his struggle to run.

"Come on..I'll just carry you out of these people's way....just over there.." She said as she got her arm around the boy.
"Hold on to me ...yea..like that."
And up she lifted him and on over to where she had said she would.
She then checked his forehead. it were sweaty...cold even.

"Look, I'm going to see how bad your leg is...ok. " She then tore his one pant leg open to reveal the laceration.
"Oh shoot...it's soiled but not too bad...hear?
I'll have to clean it before I bandage it...Ok?" She spoke, not taking her eyes off his. The boy had been traumatized. he had been close...too close to whatever had happened blocks away. She were making sure he remained coherent as she didn't want him to go into shock or suffer from a possible concussion.
"See... it's not as bad as it feels...I'll clean it up and bandage it all up for you...ok?"

The boy nodded, looking at his leg, then up at Marina.

"Now, I'm not going to leave you... I'm just going to see about getting some clean water... alcohol or something.." She looked about.
"Please wait for me. Will you do that?"
The boy nodded. He would.
She nodded back, giving him a nice assurance smile.
He were still uncertain of her, she knew that. The open shop near them was promising as far as getting something more than just water.
And both water and some ointment she found, not a few paces from where they were. Of course with a promise to pay...as Marina discovered she had no credits... thanks to the boy and his friends.
Marina then chuckled to herself as she went about cleaning the boy's wound. She just then realized that she had ordered and eaten at Nova's place and had forgotten she had no credits. Her mind had been in looking out for the little rascals that she forgot about the credits altogether.

"You should know...Berkana works in mysterious ways." She then said as she continued to clean the wound.

Who was Berkama, the boy asked.

"Berkana...
Well...She looks out for people like you and I." She gestured to the sky with her eyes.
"I think she means for us to become friends...what do you think?"




Nova Casamyr / Moya Virtu / Katarine Ryiah / Luc Rivers

 

[Nova Casamyr]

She was just about to take another bite and ask her dining partner about Alderaan. Nova had never been, as well traveled as she was. But the stories about the planet's legendary beauty were, well, legendary. And someday she would love to visit and see everything. The captain was sure her new spacer friend had plenty of stories about the world, and probably about her own adventures throughout the galaxy. Those were the best conversations: trading stories over good food, good drink, and good company.

But Nova didn't have the chance to ask Marina anything. An explosion in the distance interrupted any conversation that might have come about. The noise came, and then the shockwave and blast of air whipped at the tent's flaps. After a moment of stunned silence, people starting reacting, running this way and that. The calm chaos of the crowd became a panicked hurry as people looked about for their loved ones.

"I don't know," Nova said, cobwebs filling her brain and slowing her thoughts. What was she supposed to do again? Marina began to speak again but something caught her eye. In a flash, the Alderaanian was to her feet, coming to the aid of a wounded boy. Nova almost called out for her new friend to wait but caught herself before she did.

The nearly finished shishkebab was placed back on her plate and Nova turned and shot up towards the tent's kitchen. "We're fine here," the chef said. "Everyone's accounted for. We'll try and keep things calm." Without another word, Nova nodded and grabbed the restaurant's medkit.

She navigated her way through the crowd, looking around until she spotted Marina's recognizable blond hair. The woman was aiding the injured boy into a shop. Nova approached and offered the medkit, kneeling on one knee next to Marina.

"Here. There should be a bacta patch in there. It's supposed to be for kitchen burns but it should work just as well."

The boy seemed nervous but Marina's voice seemed to settle him. The Alderaanian had a calming presence, the kind of thing that just comes naturally to a person. Nova was impressed. "Maybe we can all be friends?" Nova offered her own warm smile to them both.

Marina DeVoe​

 

[Marina DeVoe]

Marina had to do a double take. Sure there were people helping others about in such circumstances. She even had hoped, expected even, that someone in the plaza should have recognized the boy and come to his aid.
But the woman whom rushed to their side were another foreigner...like herself.
Marina had been applying a bandage, her silk neck scarf, on the boy's wound when Nova came with her med kit.

"Oh yes....yes, that would be wonderful..." She said, carefully unwrapping the bandage.
"It'll be alright... her name is Nova...she is a friend...." Marina said, shifting over to the boy's side while Nova applied her handiwork.

The boy seemed hesitant in having the salve applied. he didn't seem to know what bacta was, or what it could do.
"It'll be alright...it'll be cool at first but then very soothing..." She explained, holding the boy's hand.
Sure enough as Nova dispensed it , the boys grip loosened...relaxing. His eyes went from his leg to nova's then hers.
Marina smiled. "See...took the sting and burning feeling right out." She stroked the boy's hair as Nova finished applying the bacta.

Her new found friend then reached into the kit again and pulled out a proper sterile bandage, giving it to Marina, as she put away the bacta ointment.
Marina unrolled it as she applied it to the boy's leg.
"Well, now you know our good friend's name...my name's-"
"Marina.." the boy beat her to it.

"Hmm...yes, you are right." she chuckled playfully. Of course the boy had guessed right, as he had been part of the gang that had snatched her bag. But that were no longer important as she had found the means to help the boy. if only she could help the others whom he had been with.
"And what is your name?"

It was Sam Yuel.
"That is a nice name, Sam Yuel...
Can I ask you if your friends were with you when you got hurt...you know, where they near the explosion too?"

The boy shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head. But Marina weren't sure if the boy didn't know or were reluctant to snitch on his friends.
Marina then looked over to Nova a moment. " I have to know. I need to know that they are alright." It were obvious that Marina was the kind of woman that just couldn't take it for granted that the children she were talking about were alright.

"I'm sorry, Marina...." The boy then said.

"I know." She then replied.
"But don't mind that. It's not important to me. What's important is that I know you and your friends will be alright.
So please tell me Sam...were any of your friends hurt too?"
The boy lowered his head and slowly nodded, a tear started making it's way down his cheek.
"My brother and me were going over to see our dad. I fell and didn't see my brother after. I went looking for him in the smoke...and...and found you."

Marina swallowed hard, but kept her calm composure, nodding. " We'll find them...your brother...your father...Ok, Sam?"

 

[Nova Casamyr]

Nova worked on soothing the boy's leg as Marina talked to him and keep him calm. She was no medic. But she'd burned herself on enough ship repairs that using a medkit was pretty second nature. After applying the bacta salve she took a patch and pressed it firmly in place, then took some gauze and wrapped it around and around the wound until she felt it was snug. A little clip attached to the end to keep everything in place.

The conversation between the boy and Marina was a little puzzling. She didn't know the boy's name, but she did seem to know the boy. And the boy seemed to know her too. Though Nova supposed that the circumstances didn't really matter all that much. Her curiosity was always just asking these questions, surfacing from her brain like noodles in a soup.

"There. All done," she said, her voice mimicking the soothing tone of the Alderaanian woman beside her. "You'll be alright," she told the boy. "But no running for awhile, ok? You'll need to rest your leg." She packed up the medkit as Marina pledged to help find the boy's family. Nova couldn't say no to that. No one should ever lose their family. Family was everything. Having lost her own, she knew that feeling of loss well. No one should have to go through such agony.

"Can you show us where you last saw them?" she asked the boy, trying to keep her voice calm. "Don't worry about walking." With surprising ease, Nova, still knelt down, picked the boy up and set him down on her shoulders piggyback-style. She stood up and balanced herself, making sure the boy was firmly in place. "There, see? All you have to do is point us the way. I bet you know the city pretty well, huh?" She was assuming again. Nova kicked herself for it, but this was no time to think about that. Sam seemed emboldened by a little praise and gave a little nod. "Alright. Can you take us to where you were before all this happened? Then we can find your family together, right?" She threw Marina a glance and an easy smile.

Marina DeVoe​

 

[Marina DeVoe]

To tell Nova that she were very kind would be out of place for her to do so.
Marina had gazed into her ocean blues for maybe a moment... then maybe perhaps she had several times already, since she discovered them behind the grill. Marina were not keeping count though.
And as Nova hoisted the young boy on her shoulders, she got a chance to reflect her smile into those depts again.

How did Marina come about to know the boy...the boy whose name she did not know? It didn't seem to matter to Nova, as it would not have mattered to marina either, had their fate been switched.
Nova seemed to follow through with the right thing as natural as it came to Marina.
There was no need to tell her she were kind, as Nova was kind in nature.

Sam lead them to where he last saw his brother. It was definitely in the direction of ground zero as the dust had yet to fully settle still. That, along with the many people whom were returning to the scene out of curiosity, as well as many going back to their shops and storefronts.
The explosion had already passed it's hour mark and much of the fear surrounding another blast had settled like most of the dust.

"Sam....your father. What does he do?" She asked as they neared the butcher's market.
There was no doubt the explosion had come from one of the meat stands, or shops. It were difficult to say as the entire shop front had been devastated.
"He fixes shoes.." The boy replied, as he were looking about all around him for his brother or anyone he knew.

"A cobbler...that's nice." She replied, noticing the constables and what appeared to be other civil servants whom had responded to the scene. of course it were about an hour later, but there was still some sort of investigation as to what happened.
People about were talking about it, arguing as to what happened all around them. it was mayhem as far as getting to the bottom as to what really happened and as to the why.
Seemed that maybe there was some sort of vendetta or something as rumors of revenge killings had taken place blocks from here.

"Crazy..." Marina shook her head.
"How could civilized people come to do this to one another?" she asked herself.
Marina could never comprehend such malice....she could never see any justification in taking anyone's life for any reason whatsoever. either. It were no one's right to take life by which Berkana (God) had bestowed on people.
Marina just could never understand, for her mind could never phantom to even formulate in taking life. It were just not in her spirit to contemplate.
Still, it didn't mean she were naïve. Marina had seen people die right before her by the hands of others. She knew of and understood death begotten by the evil of man and his kind. She just were not on that same plane of existence...or thinking.

"Hey you!...put my boy down!" Came a man's voice not a few meters away.
Marina looked to where Nova turned, with the boy on her shoulder.
She spotted a very irate man, parting through the curious crowd toward them.



Nova Casamyr / Moya Virtu / Katarine Ryiah / Luc Rivers / Aeshi Tillian

 

[Aeshi Tillian]

Kat'ra Smart Luc Rivers Katarine Ryiah Marina DeVoe Nova Casamyr

The Imyni was waiting for the Mando to make the decision, standing back quietly. There was an art to this. One he was well experienced in. And much of it depended on the nature of the prospective customer. And Mandalorians? Well, they had to be carefully handled. Guided, subtle suggestion. Nothing overt. Convince them that they were the ones making the choice and they would pay any price if they thought it worthwhile. Just take a look at how many times they tried to kill each other over some sort of idiosyncratic belief. He could almost taste the payday already when an explosion rippled through the air nearby.

He ducked under the table and cursed explosively, coming back up with a scatter-gun in both claws. Another burst of speech. "Yes. Thank you. Quite fine. Discount on damaged bottles, perhaps?"

Aeshi had not been so lucky. She had circled through the butcher's department when the bomb went off. A surge in the Force brought her hands in front of her face as the explosion shredded the synthskin on her hands, revealed in the durasteel underneath. Her hair was singed and uneven and soot covered the edges of her face, but her eyes burned. The blast hadn't done anything to her clothes, specifically designed to be extra durable.

Instead, her hands dropped to her pistols as she stalked out of the chaos. "What in blazes just happened!" She yelled out to the others along the ring of the explosion. "Why was there a bomb at the butcher's!"

 

[Marina DeVoe]

Amid the converging onlookers, a man had drawn their attention, seemingly calling out for his boy.

"Dad!" the boy Sam shouted, reaching out from Nova's shoulders for his father.
Marina could only feel relieved as the boy was embraced by his father.
You're hurt." the man said as he held his son, feeling for any injuries aside from the bandaged leg. His eyes then met that of the two women, stopping for an uncomfortable moment over to Marina. He were trying to place her from somewhere.

"He-
...Sam, were wandering not three blocks West. The laceration on his leg isn't too deep. My friend here had medicine...the wound was cleaned, bandaged up. I think it will be alright, although he should see a doctor.
He indicated his brother?...could have been with him-" Marina found it difficult to explain as the man seemed to somehow recognize her.

"...I'm sorry...have we met...before?" She had to ask, for she herself could not place him.

"Maybe...what are you called?" the man then asked, before he kissed his son's forehead.

"Marina. She's my friend" the boy beat her to it.

"Marina..." the boy's father repeated her name. " You're Alderaanii."

"That's....a very good guess. Do I know you?"

"It's not so important as that I know you." he said as his lips seemed to quiver.

Marina swallowed, glancing over to Nova a second. She had no clue as to how the boy's father knew her and why he were reacting as such.

"You are the pilot that came for us....on Commenor." he said, nodding as he recalled that fateful day.

Now it were Marina's turn to get glass eyed. Yes, she knew what the boy's father were referring to. There had been many people she had helped evacuate...mostly from rural areas...farmers...settlers. She didn't remember any individual faces. Not really, as there had been so many and such adverse circumstances. Even during the crossing to sanctuary systems, she more tended to the elderly...played with the children...comforted those whom had lost both loved ones and friends in the sith onslaught of Commenor.

"Oh Berkana (God)...." tears were now welling up in her eyes. Marina's heart rejoiced in the knowledge that at least one of many whom had managed to escape, were doing well....had resettled elsewhere.
"...I often wonder and pray that She watch over those whom I have had the grace to help." She replied. And helped she did. Marina had helped people flee Commenor when the sith had attacked that system and returned during the occupation to get as many people out as she could....running through blockades and even managing to sever tractor beams that had gotten a hold on the vessel she were piloting. She had the foresight to use seismic charges that she released to sever the orbiting sith platforms tractor beam and jump to safety....

"We will always be forever grateful...your name is often mentioned among my kind." Sam's father then said.

"You never returned to Commenor then?"

"No. We have no one place we call home. Home to us is where our hearts and family lay their heads to sleep. We are wanderers...nomads....many call us gypsies."


Nova Casamyr / Moya Virtu / Katarine Ryiah / Luc Rivers / Aeshi Tillian

 

[Nova Casamyr]

Nova ducked down as she exchanged the young boy with his father, standing back up once Sam's feet were clear of her shoulders. The initial fear of a parent finding their lost child in the hands of a stranger died quickly as Marina explained the situation. Nova had never experienced such a strong, defensive emotion immediately against a person before. All strangers were potential friends if given the chance, maybe even family if the space dust lined up just so. So she'd never had a remotely dark view of another being before, not even on first encounter. But then, she wasn't yet a parent. She didn't know what it was like to be a mother. She thought back to her own parents and whether or not she had ever been a circumstance that had warranted that response but nothing came to mind.

Marina and Sam's father went back and forth with their conversation and Nova let them. Against the odds of the galaxy, the two seemed to know each other from a prior encounter. Those kinds of chance meetings were the greatest: meeting someone like ship's passing in the black of space and then crossing paths once more. Nova had had some of those over her career and they were always joyful reunions. Judging by the tears traded by the Alderaani and the Commenori, Nova felt certain that this was one such happy reunion.

The freighter captain gave the two space, not wanting to invade into such a wonderful and personal moment. Instead, she spent the time observing her hopefully-new friend. Nova could tell that Marina was the type who wore her heart on her sleeve, always giving herself to everything and everyone. Knowing that the woman had assisted in evacuating civilians in the middle of a major conflict was no surprise to Nova. Helping people wasn't even a decision. When a situation arose, Marina would be there, helping however she could. This knowledge made Nova proud to know Marina. The Captain's overactive imagination started spooling through different ways Nova might be able to fit herself alongside such a brightly-souled person.

The talk of family pulled Nova out of her thoughts and she subconsciously brushed a hand to her cheek, as if to hide a blush she wasn't even sure was there or not. "Sorry to interrupt but... speaking of family, Sam mentioned a brother. Is he alright? We're still trying to piece together what happened here."

Marina DeVoe​

 

[Marina DeVoe]

The walk back were no different, other than the silence between them for about a block.
Most of the shops along the way back to Nova's kiosk seemed to be back to normal by the time the two women headed back. It had been quite an eventful day. One which had been able to touch upon a few hearts despite the tragedy that had brought them together.

And of Sam, his father and brother; they had been reunited. In the midst of the blast and ensuing debris and dust, the two boys had been separated. In short, the two brothers had wandered seeking one another in two completely different directions. Had Berkana's Will lead the little boy back to her? All things were possible as the odds were against it.
In short, Marina had been given back her satchel...with all of it's content. It had been Sam's elder brother by two years whom had for the most part been the gang leader. Upon the father, and soon enough the clan discovering as to whom the satchel had belonged to, there could not have been more for them to right the wrong than anything.
To Marina, the content or what had been taken were not of any concern, other than to help the children in a more constructive manner than seeing them steal as such.
Her attempt at offering them to keep what they had already taken were refused. The boys, along with the children responsible were to be reprimanded by the clan.
It were upon Marina's plead that they abstained them from punishment. She could not offer them anything more than accepting the clan's apology. She had to accept the clan's decision in keeping her returned possessions according to their laws. Marina had to accept the honor that the clan could not accept anymore from her as they were the ones in debt to her.
Out of respect to their culture and creed, Marina agreed and both her and Nova were given a customary and honorable embrace by those who were present.

Two blocks later, Marina finally broke silence as they neared Nova's kiosk.
"You know... I would have offered to do the dishwashing...clean off the tables..." She said, getting Nova's attention.

"I mean... ~sigh~.... I had no credits on me when I ordered, ate the meal." She said, in all seriousness.

It didn't take but a passing moment before both broke out laughing.... Marina couldn't hold a straight face for too long.

"So.... Captain Nova Casamyr ..." No, she weren't going to let this open opportunity Berkana (her deity) provided her, to just let it blow in the wind.
"...since the deception... the infraction if you will, were undoubtedly still committed by my party. Restitution shouldn't be a mere settlement of due credits.
I think perhaps there is a lesson I must learn from that. One which I believe by all fairness should be just that.... hard labor. That is, until the debt is paid and lesson fully learned..." it were obvious, that Marina wasn't intending on parting company with her new found friend so quickly. So she took to playing...testing the waters.

Nova's restaurant came into view, as they rounded the corner. Marina easily recognized the color awnings.
"...like, I don't know what code of spacing you may follow, but mine dictates that I hang around awhile." Of course there was no said code. But Marina was quite innovative, imaginative ...and not too bad a story teller.
"At the very least, help you with the clean up and closing of your restaurant...being so late in the day and all....."

 

[Nova Casamyr]

The family group that Sam belonged to seemed quite nice. They had a creed and they stuck to it and looked out for their own. That was the kind of thing that should happen throughout the galaxy. People looking out for each other. To have such a devastating event disrupt the peace would always be difficult. But the recovery would be far easier as long as everyone had a support system around them. That was what it meant for Nova to run a ship, with a crew, people she called family. To have support, to be surrounded by those who loved and cared for each other, giving and receiving equally.

The two women walked along quietly, but it wasn't uncomfortable for Nova. In fact, she was happy just to be close to someone who shared the same quality for life as herself. When Marina spoke, Nova found herself laughing and smiling easily and warmly around the Alderaani woman's words. Nova heard the hints in Marina's words and felt her pulse race a little faster as they approached the restaurant. Keep your cool, Nova. Everything has been natural so far. Don't awkward it up. Those thoughts did little to soothe her nerves but she tried her best.

"Oh, uh, well...," Nova absent-mindedly tussled her hair. "It's not really my restaurant. They just needed some help and I offered. I'm actually hauling the restaurant from system to system on their way to a new home and they're stopping along the way to raise funds. The owners are trying to escape the conflict with the Bryn, I guess." She felt herself losing focus, her words starting to spill from her lips faster than she could speak them. She physically shook her head, hair waving about her shoulders, and snapped her attention back to the relevant part of the conversation. "Anyway, uh. I mean, I will have to help them close up for the night. After everything that happened, I'm sure they aren't going to want to stick around to much longer... But! But, yeah! I would love to have some company. I mean help. Help, I would love to have some help."

She wasn't sure if she was blushing before. Nova was definitely blushing at that moment. Smooth. Real smooth.

Marina DeVoe​