First Reply Day After Injury

[Rayne Lo'to]

Day After Injury
Lothal
Tags: Open (One Responder Only)

It was late into the evening hours. Rayne was huddled up underneath a small alcove in a cliff, next to the warm blaze of a campfire. It was raining, water pattering off of the roof of her walker which was positioned right outside, providing a wall from any incoming wind. She wasn't alone, however, as she had found an individual today, out on her expedition to find old hardware to salvage. They were injured, passed out, and notably dehydrated, so she had managed to transport them here before the storm, bundling them up in a home-made blanket next to the fire.

As Rayne sipped a cup of hot chocolate, watching the storm dance in the bitter night, movement would draw her attention to the wounded individual she had saved. They were moving, and it seemed as though they were returning to consciousness.

The young woman would give them a warm smile and a half wave, her typical wordless greeting. Hopefully they were not in too terrible condition. She had done her best, but she was no medical expert. Ultimately she would just have to wait and see for how the individual would respond. Rayne only hoped that her kindness wasn't almost immediately taken advantage of.

Ooc: Hey there! The concept for this thread is a pretty simple one. Your character, for some reason or another, was injured and passed out whilst traversing the Outer Rim planet of Lothal, and Rayne here has nursed you back to health. You're objective is to figure out how bad your condition was, what day it is, and then ultimately enjoy a more dialogue/interaction based thread. Normally I leave stuff like this open for OOC requests to jump in later, but I wanna keep this to 1 on 1 stuff. Thanks in advance!

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

Gatz woke with a sudden start, a sharp pain in his shoulder, and a hacking cough.

He knew he shouldn't have left New Cov. He'd been safe from bounty hunters there, but he'd let his shame at hiding away get the better of him. All it had taken was one circulating rumor about a potential slaver ring on Lothal, and he'd abandoned the (relative) safety of the Jedi's jungle world.

And what did he have to show for that? No proof of slavers, and a blaster wound to the shoulder. It was pure luck that the hunter had missed, and he'd fallen into a ravine. If not for that, he'd be dead, or in the clutches of—

Wait a minute. Where the hell was he, and why was he snuggly wrapped into a blanket like a burrito?

Gatz looked around, eyes nearly feral for a moment. He took in the walker, the cliff above him, and the warm fire keeping him safe from the chill of the rain. And then he spotted a Twi'lek woman, who looked very different from the Weequay man who'd shot him. She seemed far less hostile as well.

Had she... rescued him? Only one way to find out.

"Uh," his voice was tired and raspy, "hi?"

---

Tags: Rayne Lo'to

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Lothal
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

Ah, he was okay. That was good. When he responded to her presence with a confused hi, Rayne went to sign out a greeting and then rather quickly stopped herself.

This guy probably didn't know sign. That wouldn't do at all. Where had she put that blasted vocoder she had salvaged. It was out of a female personality core Protocol Droid, one which she had been using ever since she had found it to communicate (through her technopathic abilities) whenever she couldn't use her hands to get across her thoughts, but she was a rather scatterbrained individual. The damn thing was always getting misplaced somewhere. The young Twi'lek woman quickly patted down her pockets to locate the device, her eyes lighting up when she had finally located it.

She drew it rather hastily, losing control of the vocoder and beginning to fumble it between her hands, but Rayne would ultimately gain control of it. With an embarrassed look on her face, though still with a friendly smile, the young woman presented the device so that Gatz could hear it clearly.

"Hello."

That seemed like a bit of an anti-climactic greeting, but she was tired. It would do.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

Gatz had been expecting something resembling an explanation, or maybe a question about his well-being. Instead, he watched as the woman started patting herself down. Was she looking for a blaster to point at him? Was he still in the clutches of a bounty hunter after all?

But he felt no warning from the Force, no darkened swirling of energy around her. Whatever she was doing, Gatz didn't think she meant him any harm. That theory was proven correct only a few moments later, when she produced a... was that a vocoder she was fumbling around with?

His confusion cleared up, after she used the vocoder to return his timid greeting. She was mute. Selectively? Willingly? He supposed that was none of his business. Gatz was just glad she had a way of making communication between them easy. He hadn't practiced sign language since his school days, and he didn't remember much.

"By the looks of it, you saved my life." Gatz groaned as he shifted his shoulder, "thank you. But how did you even find me?"

He didn't really have time for casual conversation. Another hunter was certain to find him within a few hours, and he needed to get off world. But it would have been awfully rude to just up and leave after this woman had saved his life.

---

Tags: Rayne Lo'to

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Lothal
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

"Snoring."

It was hard to portray bluntness in an answer over vocoder, but Rayne did a pretty good job of this. She had been filling with the antenna on top of her walker when she heard a cross between a man in agony and a dying bantha. Not that she'd express any of this, mind you, but it had at least made finding the man a whole lot easier.

Rayne frowned, tilting her head to the right as she assessed the man. He seemed tense, like whatever had injured him was still out there. Lothal was a big planet, and a rather empty one too. Chances of that being the case were probably slim.

"How are you feeling?" Rayne asked through her vocoder. "Need any food? Water?"

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

Gatz snorted at her answer. He was usually far too light of a sleeper to snore, what with the constant nightmares that woke him four times a week. It was ironic, really, that it took a shot from a blaster rifle to make him sleep deep enough to not wake as this woman had rescued him. If it meant getting proper rest, then maybe he ought to get blasted more often.

"Water, if you have it, please." His voice was still raspy, dry as it was.

Gatz then slowly sat up, groaning as his wounded shoulder protested the movement. He couldn't see it under his shirt, but he could feel that the wound was bandaged. It seemed that this Twi'lek had done more than just save him from the elements. That was another thing to be grateful for, and another thing he couldn't repay her for.

"Well, I definitely got shot," he grunted out, as he probed the bandaged wound lightly with his fingers, "how bad was it? How long have I been out?"

Questions started to whirl around in his mind, now that the dregs of sleep were wearing off.

---

Tags: Rayne Lo'to

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Lothal
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

Rayne nodded, hooking the vocoder onto her belt before making her way over to her walker, climbing up the ladder to the sliding entrance where she quickly reached in and procured a flask of water, handing it over to the man.

"how bad was it? How long have I been out?"

"About a day," the vocoder answered. "You were in pretty rough shape, though I think the bolt through your gut was the worst of it."

Rayne sat down, crossing her legs as she looked at the man again, her head tilting the other direction this time. She smiled in the same manner a child might when they were observing something they were curious about, which was accurate to her thoughts at the moment. The young woman still had a very childish sense of curiosity and intrigue. Now that she had helped the guy she should at least get to know what his deal was, right?

"So..." she continued. "What'cha doin' here?"

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

It only just now occured to Gatz how odd the woman's walker was. The legs didn't seem like they belonged on the chassis, and it was very colorful for a piece of military or utility equipment. But it was very ostentatious, much like his ship, and so the former smuggler decided he liked it. There was no need for either his ship or her walker to be boring. The galaxy had plenty of boring in it as it was.

Gatz took the flask of water with a small smile, wincing as the simple movement of his arm made his shoulder and his gut ache. He really wasn't in great shape, was he?

"Thank you," his voice returned to normal, once his parched throat had been wet by the water, "I lost a whole day, huh? That's never good."

That meant the day of Kragan's debut was less than a week away now... But that was something he could think about later. For now, Gatz figured he owed this woman a few answers.

"I heard rumors of a small human trafficking ring here on Lothal. I came to see if there was any truth to them, and instead got myself shot by a bounty hunter."

---

Tags: Rayne Lo'to

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Lothal
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

"I heard rumors of a small human trafficking ring here on Lothal. I came to see if there was any truth to them, and instead got myself shot by a bounty hunter."

"Ouch," Rayne reacted with a wince. "That's rough."

Her smile did return though as she turned back to the vague direction of the capital of Lothal. Even if there was a slavery ring, it was not likely to last long, not with Jedi interest and the local government's hatred of the underworld.

"That stuff will probably be taken care of," she assured. "Lothal Protectorate is pretty buddy-buddy with the Jedi Order. They called in a few of them to clean out a crime syndicate not too long ago. They may even get the guy who shot you."

Oh, she hadn't given her name, had she? Come to think of it neither had he. Late introductions were better than no introductions.

"Rayne," the vocoder stated suddenly. "Not the weather, I mean my name."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

"Someone will get to it eventually," Gatz agreed, "but that doesn't mean I can sit back and wait for it to happen. I can't turn a blind eye to these kinds of things. Not anymore. Not when I can act."

Shame filled him at that admission. Six years he'd spent in Hutt space, ignoring suffering, as he delivered spice to more worlds than he could ever hope to count. But these days, when he saw harm coming to someone, he chose to do something about it. He had to. Gatz didn't want to be the kind of man who turned away when people were in need. He couldn't be that man again.

With Rayne's introduction, it occured to Gatz that they hadn't exchanged names yet. He supposed that made sense: they both had other priorities, considering the situation.

"That's a very pretty name," Gatz smiled, "I'm Gatz Derrevar, captain of The Red Night. Thank you again for saving me, but what are you doing way out here?"

Civilization was clearly in the other direction, but Rayne had been far enough out in the boonies to save his dumb ass. Which he was grateful for, of course, but it did make him curious.

---

Tags: Rayne Lo'to

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Lothal
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

"There has to be a better way to do it though," Rayne noted with a frown. "You can't help anyone if you're dead."

She wasn't sure how she felt about the whole 'dying a hero' thing, but some people took it to extremes. Maybe she just didn't understand. After all, she didn't really have anyone to die for. She was alone out here, living off of trash.

The mention of her name being pretty made Rayne's cheeks the slightest bit rosy. She wasn't used to compliments at all. Maybe that's just because she was a recluse, or because usually complements came with an ulterior motive. Growing up on Nar Shaddaa had a tendency to make one paranoid. The mention of his ship was funny. He said it with a little grandeur, like the name was infamous or something. She was just some random person, ultimately, disconnected from the wider galaxy. Even as knowledgeable as she was, she was isolated in her own little world.

"Just looking for scrap," the Twi'lek shrugged. "There's loads of old civil war era crash sites across the planet left over from that old Empire thing. They make good cashes. A high end component from back in the day that's still in good shape will get you a fair amount of credit if you clean it up good."

She gave a mute sighed, tucking her hands into her pockets as she shifted her attention back to the fire.

"Loads was generous twenty years ago," the vocoder added. "Most spots like that are drying up of the quality stuff. It's more rust than anything now."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

"Maybe," Gatz said solemly, "but some things are worth my life to me. But I am glad that I haven't kicked the bucket just yet."

Gatz held back a smile as he saw a small blush rise on Rayne's cheeks. As nice as it was to know he still had some game, it hadn't been his intent to flirt with her. It'd be kind of rude to throw pick-up lines at the woman who saved his life, even if she was quite pretty. And, frankly, he was trying not to be that sleazy smuggler he'd been for six years. The whole point of this last year had been to be better than that.

"You're a salvager?" Gatz blinked, "well, you're pretty good at patching people up for someone not in the medical field. So where'd you pick those skills up?"

Gatz didn't know many salvagers capable of properly binding blaster wounds. He was starting to think that there was a whole lot more to Rayne than met the eye, besides the heterochromia and being mute. If she was a good at salvaging worn out components, then she'd probably make a pretty good mechanic too.

"You ever think about branching out into starship repair? I don't know how much that would earn you, but I have to imagine it would be more consistent than salvaging. I'm sure most spaceports are probably shorthanded when it comes to competent mechanics."

---

Tags: Rayne Lo'to

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Lothal
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

"well, you're pretty good at patching people up for someone not in the medical field. So where'd you pick those skills up?"

"You learn a lot on Nar Shaddaa," Rayne shrugged. "I try to use the skills I got that are less violent."

She frowned as he brought up the idea of working for a starship repair. It was ultimately not something that she had much interest in. That would mean working for someone else, which meant losing her freedoms. Rayne very much wanted to be her own boss, even if that meant making less money.

"I'll pass," she decided. "I'm not a big fan of working for people. I'm free to do whatever I please out here, even if I'm kinda broke. Someone else can have the job."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

Rayne's words struck him almost physically. Nar Shaddaa had taught him plenty too, and none of it was good.

"Yes," Gatz said quietly, looking down at the fire with a furrowed brow, "yes you do."

In many ways, he wished he could erase the six years he'd spent in Hutt space. Wished he could un-deliver all the spice he'd smuggled to law-abiding worlds. Wished he could undo the deaths he'd caused, both by blaster and by spice deliveries. But... what was done was done. There was no point in dwelling on the past. He could only move forward.

He wished it was that easy.

"I understand where you're coming from. Feel exactly the same, really." He sympathized, "it's better to work for yourself and be free to live your own life. Few people in this galaxy can say they do the same."

---

Tags: Rayne Lo'to

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Lothal
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

He seemed somber at the mention of Nar Shaddaa. Most people did, honestly. There was clearly some history there that she didn't know. That was fine though. People became different beings when they focused only on survival. She had probably done things whilst homeless on Nar Shaddaa that she would never dream of doing again. To that end she'd leave that point untouched.

It simply didn't matter.

"You're not wrong," Rayne shrugged. "I may be broke, but there are worse things to be."

The young woman would take a moment to brush her Lekku over her shoulder as she shifted her gaze back to the fire, letting out a sigh. The rain didn't seem to be letting up any time soon. That sucked. She wasn't a fan of the cold very much..

"It's been like this all day," the scrapper sighed silently. "Makes finding scrap a real slog. I'd rather not do anything like that in the cold..."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

Gatz had been broke and starving before. Technically, he was still broke. He was only fed because of Valery's charity: something he had accepted, but still felt shame that he needed. In spite of all of that, though, he'd still seen much worse. He'd spent the last few months trying to break a crime lord's slaving rings, and he'd take broke and starving over the way those slaves had been treated.

At least the two of them were free to live their lives.

Rayne made mention of the weather, and the temperature. Funny how she didn't like the cold, but he'd learned to prefer it. Gatz spent most of his time in space, and while space wasn't "cold" per se—that wasn't quite how the science worked—it was still far colder than most habitable planetary bodies. He was used to living and working on a cold metal ship in the depths of space. In some ways, the cold was more comforting than warmth to him.

"I can't imagine any job where you'd want to work in the rain," Gatz still did his best to sympathize, groaning as a stretch of his arm brought a wince of pain, "but I would imagine it adds a layer of danger for scavenging. Especially if you're scavenging something big, like a walker or a crashed starship."

Climbing metal surfaces in the rain, or broken machinery having exposed power lines... Gatz didn't know the specifics of the trade, but he could imagine a few pitfalls.

---

Tags: Rayne Lo'to

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Lothal
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

"It's especially bad if there's somehow still a live generator," Rayne noted. "Some of that old imperial tech doesn't know how to die."

Getting zapped was no fun, and potentially lethal if you weren't careful enough. Rain was just an all around bad time, and that wasn't even mentioning the cold. Rayne did at least think it was nice to look at. If she was sitting with a cup of hot chocolate in hand it could actually be quite pleasant, so long as she was next to something warm or snuggled up in her walker.

"It's at least pretty," she added.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

"Yeah, being electrocuted isn't how I want to go either."

Rayne made a passing comment about the weather, and Gatz had to agree with her assessment. Cold and wet it might have been, but it was a nice sight to look at. The pitter-patter of raindrops splashing against the cliff overhang was soothing, and there was always that smell that accompanied fresh rain that just made things feel... right.

It was peaceful, and that was something Gatz did get a whole lot of these days.

"It's relaxing," Gatz agreed, "puts me at ease. I grew up on Naboo, and well, I guess this reminds me of home a little."

He missed those idle days on Naboo, when he'd been a child with no real worries in the world. As a teenager he'd taken those for granted, and had always been itching to leave. How foolish he'd been.

---

Tags: Rayne Lo'to

 

[Rayne Lo'to]

Lothal
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

"Never been," Rayne remarked with a shrug. "Not exactly a world known for scrap, so I haven't really had a reason. The stories make it seem too fancy for my taste I think."

She didn't belong in a world like that. Pearly streets, high society, rich and honored cultural traditions. It seemed like the full nine yards and more. That was a place where Rayne could only ever be an outsider, which was the ultimate truth about a lot of places in the galaxy. She had the freedom to do what she wanted, but even freedom had it's limits. Needless to say, growing up homeless wasn't really doing her any favors in that regard.

"I'm not really in the business of taking vacations anyways," she added through the vocoder. "But home is still a good thing to remember. It's better than nothing, right?"

That was a bit of a one-sided statement. After all, Rayne truly did have nothing to fill that hole in her childhood. There really hadn't been a home for her. Maybe she was just trying to be less snarky and more supportive.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

"Naboo is a very rich and cultured world," Gatz explained, "it's home. Or it was, but... I never really fit in there. It was always too peaceful for me, terrorist attacks and cataclysms not withstanding. And I was too rambunctious."

Gatz sighed as he reminisced, a motion that caused him to wince again as it irritated the gut shot he took. Rayne did a real good job patching him up, but he wondered if he ought to take a turn in a bacta tank. Not that he could: with the bounty on his head, nowhere was safe for more than a few hours, especially not a medical center where he'd be unconscious and suspended in a tank for a few hours.

"Honestly, home is my ship, really. It's not always a full one." He spoke quietly.

Empty. Cold. Lifeless. Just him and a droid. Funny how in the six years he'd smuggled, that had never bothered him. But it did now.

---

Tags: Rayne Lo'to