Drinks

[Claire Organa]

Drinks. He said, and that he had just returned from a hunting trip. She had pondered the idea a lot, even asking [member="Marzena Choi"] her opinion. Claire felt she had to do this, she never really did thank you properly. So.

Ok Drinks, so she invited him to Alderaan to meet in New Aldera City at a place called the Dusty Bin. She had to admit to being nervous she had only seen his armor the entire time they traveled from Balmorra to Alderaan.

Did that make him more mysterious, well of course in some ways.

She wasn't sure how to dress for this either, was it a dress to pants. She went with what was comfortable. He'd probably still be in armor, and have a straw for his helmet. Oh no wait there was another word for that, buy'ce that's right.

She had started studying what she could find when one Ari suggested she be sold off like the fatted calf to the mandalorian, two Faith prepared to marry Draco, and then there were her conversations with Ember.

Ember had understood her desires about family. That she didn't need a father, she just needed someone to talk to, and he had let her talk. Perhaps if she had told him more about Tori she would still be on Alderaan.

[member="Elijah Rekali"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Claire Organa"]

Life ain't always what you think of it.

One day you be hunting bounties in the Outer Rim, the next you hear your Alor was deader than dead. Elijah had always respected Ember for his strength and for his commitment to honor -- even if he himself never had much use for it. You don't need to be all about honor to see how much strength it takes to commit yourself.

From the Outer Rim to a little creek... they waited for the accused to come, but Verd never arrived. His sister did and so did a son, but it never went to a battle.

Much later Verd was named right hand to Ra and it made Eli wonder.

Ponder things. But the man had never been much of elaborate introspective and at the end of the day, he had left Mando Space again in pursuit of another bounty.

"Name?" The bouncer at the club asked, as he approached. He looked over the blue-shine armor and the red V-visor of his helmet, but apparently this wasn't the first Mandalorian he greeted, cus he didn't so much as retreat. Just stood his ground and waited for a reply to his question.

Eli could respect that as well.

"Elijah of Clan Rekali." There was a bit of static in between the words, but the message was conveyed as clear as day.

The Rodian Bouncer checked the list, before nodding and moving to the side.

A nod followed, acknowledgment and thanks, before Elijah stepped inside and started to look for his final destination.

 

[Claire Organa]

It really wasn't hard to pick Elijah out when he came in, yes while there were Mando'ade on Alderaan they tended to stick to their settled areas and avoid New Aldera.

He was taller than she remembered, and his armor looked a bit more banged up she decided it was his lifestyle and work that added the additional scratches and such to the shine of the blue armor. Claire stood up revealing the pink dress she wore, it complimented her skin color and fit her properly wihout revealing too much.

She waved hoping he would see her she flashed a nervous smile.

She did owe her life to this man, she wanted to be on her best behavior. She wanted to show him that helping rescue her from Balmorra was the right thing to do he hadn't wasted his time and efforts.

[member="Elijah Rekali"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

It didn't take long for Elijah to pick out [member="Claire Organa"] from the crowd.

Wasn't about the wave or the awkward smile, his HUD picked her out like water in a desert with the same practiced ease. There wasn't any nervous feelings from Eli, he wouldn't understand the feeling even if it hit him straight in the face - a life of hunting bounties, killing and living in the Outer Rim took the edge out of social settings like these.

He didn't really get how to be social, but neither did it unnerve him.

If the Mandalorian could survive a week on Tatooine without supplies in the desert... he could survive a sweet face and words.

" Ma'am. " The Rekali addressed, once he wove his way through the crowd. Didn't take her hand or offered his though - crushgaunts, didn't feel all that proper to shake a hand or hold it, when you can literally rip it off with a little inch.
" How's life been treatin' ya? "

Like he hadn't saved her life a while ago or ignored her ever since. The sheer genuine nature of the question would probably be infuriating.

It was like Elijah didn't even realize.

 

[Claire Organa]

[member="Elijah Rekali"]

Ok she could take that breath now, "Please sit, something to drink? And as for life..." Should she be evasive about it, or just say how it had really been. Honesty, that way she'd never have to think about what she had said.

"Life is alright, I have a few things that aren't, well optimal but then some things could be worse. How about for you Mr. Rekali?" Yeah she didn't know what to call him, calling him Elijah seemed a bit forward and not knowing if he had a title he went by, "Should I call you something other than Mr. Rekali? I mean, are you Alor Rekali I don't want to be too familiar or insulting. But you can call me Claire Ma'am makes me feel like I should be old and I don't think of myself that way"

And she was rambling..she stopped.

"please do sit." She sat before she ended up putting her foot in her mouth.

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Claire Organa"]

"Hmm?" Eli took a look at the seat, before shrugging. "Sure, why not."

He settled himself down, back to the wall and visor aimed at the main room. This way he would be able to pick out who was coming in and going out, and nobody would be able to just sneak up on him without him noticing it.

Lesson #1 of living in the Outer Rim, as far as Elijah was concerned.

"Elijah, Eli, either of 'em works for me, ma'- Claire." The Mandalorian chewed on that name for a moment, then decided he liked it.

"Claire it is then."

He waved over towards the barkeep, they'd order, get some drinks on the table and then Elijah would ponder for a moment.

"So what's not optimal?"

 

[Claire Organa]

"Eli, Elijah" She smiled either really worked. She watched him sit and figured there was a reason he looked towards the door, still hunting perhaps?

Anyhow.

"What's not optimal, my sister is missing has been for a few months. I thought I had something that said she was on Nar Shadaa, but I haven't heard anything since. So..that's the biggest not optimal. I miss her, and my family important. Every time I travel I try to get more information, I've hired people and to no end she just," Claire shook her head.

"I don't know, Eli it...like she disappeared into a hole." She took a drink.

So far he wasn't so bad, could be worse...a lot worse...she remembered the story Faith told of the Duke on Vena now THAT was worse.

[member="Elijah Rekali"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Claire Organa"]

Elijah digested that little trickle of information for a while.

Gauntlets absent-mindedly playing with his own glass without taking a sip -- he'd have to take his helmet off for that or use an emergency induction port, and it didn't seem to be the place for that. So instead he watched her drink, all the while pondering if this was a situation he really wanted to get involved in.

The awful, honest truth was that he didn't. Nar Shaddaa... could mean a whole lot of things, but more often than not it meant either death or slavery, usually at the hands of the Hutt Clans (if only indirectly).

Wasn't a good way to go, wasn't a fine way to get killed either.

"Bounty out on her?" So why Eli inquired further... was beyond him. Maybe it was the opportunity for money, maybe, just maybe something of Ember's stories about family had hit him, maybe it was nothing of the former or all of it.

Point was, the words were already up in the air. Wasn't anything he could do to take 'em back now.

 

[Claire Organa]

[member="Elijah Rekali"]

"Bounty? ,Why would I put a bounty on her. " Claire did not quite understand that a bounty would draw more attention than searching for her.

"She ran off not committed a crime." She looked at his helmeted head, "am,i ever to see your face?" it felt a bit odd to always look into the visor. It felt disconnected.

She took another drink. She was letting her nerves get better of her.

"Eli I never did say thank you. For coming and getting me. I. Am grateful. I'm also sorry about Ember. The little we talked I found him understanding"

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Claire Organa"]

"Probably," Elijah answered to the latter question, while rummaging about and thinking how to best put the elephant in the room. "Not around these parts, though, less people know how I look, easier my job is."

There was nothing quite like being anonymous in the Galactic scene.

Oh, the Guilds knew his name. Elijah Rekali, but all they got was a registration number and the looks of his armor, never did give 'em that ID picture. It helped him in the business, made it easier to sneak up to people when they least expected it. Plus, it was harder to plan revenge when you don't actually know how your target looks like.

"Anyway, you put a bounty on her -- make it clear you only pay when she alive? People gonna be looking for her... I might look for her, Galaxy ain't working on good feels only, 'mfraid."

He leaned back in the seat, the chair cracking against the weight of his armor. It was a lean of surprise, but Eli shrugged it off, literally.

"Ain't no worry, love, Rekali got a name to uphold. You practically 'fam."

 

[Claire Organa]

Family she needed family that didn't have their heads in the lofty goals of a planet, and a people. And if Eli wanted to consider her 'practically fam' she wasn't going to say no. "Thank Eli it means a lot to me"

She didn't think he'd want to hear why it was so she would keep that thought to herself. So he wanted to keep his face hid, ok, she didn't quite follow all of that in her reading but ok. So then perhaps this place wasn't the best place to talk, "um would it be easier for us to walk and talk rather than sit still, or in here if this is too public. I didn't actually think about that" She actually didn't know about that was more like it.

Again, the learning curve.

"Put a bounty on her for alive only and folks will look for her. hmm" She didn't think about that, but would they find her and in their goal for the bounty hurt her? oh..she frowned.

"I would trust you to find her and keep her on good condition. I could just pay you" She had her commissions that she had earned over the last few sales it might be enough, "if you...........are... available for hire" and if she can afford him.

She didn't think she could bribe him with a good suit.

Another nagging thought, if Ari wanted her to consider being the fatted calf to the Rekali clan, she'd really like to know what Eli looks like. yea yeah you can say all you want that looks don't matter...

[member="Elijah Rekali"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Claire Organa"]

"If you pay me, I will track her down, sure." Elijah replied to that directly. See, it was probably a touch heartless - guy getting a drink with a girl and then asking for a bounty to track down her sister, yeah, it wasn't warm fuzzy feelings. But Eli wasn't a warm fuzzy feelings guy, he was a cold-stone realist and in this galaxy realism was realizing that there ain't not such thing as free.

Discounts? Sure, she 'fam, so she wouldn't have to pay the price he usually asked.

But time was money and the time he spend on this case, would detract from the time he could be spending on paying cases. Again, it was cold, but at the end of the day this Rekali...

He didn't want to live on his Clan's money, he wanted his own money.

"Nah, this is fine. So you wanna come with or what? Faith practically twisted my arm to get along, so I am assuming that runs in the family."

 

[Claire Organa]

Claire had forgotten the days of going to bed without dinner, and had become a bit of a spoiled brat dinners and when she looked over at Elijah his matter of fact tone, and offering her a way to find Tori and yet still satisfy his way of life.

She knew she should take a moment to consider all of this but in truth she really wanted to see Tori, her only sister. One thing she knew, be honest. "What's the going rate for finding sisters?"

She couldn't expect him to do this for free.

Did she want to go with or what. She laughed Faith had told her the story, "Organa women we go with or what, there's no sitting home unless we are nesting"
She finished her drink, "So then the charge for finding sisters, and taking me along. I can cook some, I offer some talents." Not that she could pay him in meals. No. Hunters earned credits.

She just wanted to say she would try to be helpful not...well in the way. Another Organa trait she imagined.

[member="Elijah Rekali"]