Private Far Down Below

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: smuggler Val
Weapons: Blasters

Valery watched Xochi closely as he spoke, noting the smile that reached his green eyes and the brief chuckle that accompanied it. There was a weariness in him, one she imagined came from carrying the weight of his life and choices for so long, but there was also something undeniably human about him in this moment — genuine and unguarded. It was refreshing, even in the dim, rough atmosphere of the cantina.

"Nothing too strenuous, huh?" Valery echoed with a soft smile, her tone carrying a touch of playful warmth. She leaned back slightly, letting her fingers trace the edge of her glass as her amber eyes flicked briefly toward the fighting pit and then back to him. "That doesn't sound like much of a plan, though. You've got some time before the big fight — maybe you could do something that's actually enjoyable. Something for yourself."

She tilted her head slightly, her curiosity and encouragement clear in her expression. "I get it, you want to stay sharp, not take any unnecessary risks, and that's smart. But it doesn't mean you have to lock yourself in survival mode the whole time. Have some fun. Take a day or two to unwind, to remind yourself what life outside the pits can feel like."

Valery looked at him with a hopefully encouraging grin.

Xochicalcu ​

 

[Xochicalcu]

Equipment - Breathmask, Blaster
Location - Coruscant underworld fighting pits
Objective - Make Conversation

Xochicalcu couldn't help himself, as he'd looked back toward Valery, meeting her bright amber eyes, and was infected by her grin. It was an honest grin, that sort of thing was near impossible to fake. And she'd caught his subtle joke, another sign of her intelligence if he had not already been convinced of that much. Something enjoyable? For himself? Beyond what he was doing right at this moment, he couldn't think of a single thing. But her proposal to find something new to do was a good idea.

Would milady care to make a suggestion? He asked, playfully. That was a far better way to phrase it than to highlight his own lack of imagination, in his mind. Maybe he could go and see some other parts of Coruscant while he was still here. But what? Where? When? Most of the historical places he knew of were long destroyed and paved over. There was little left that he was aware of that might interest him.

He felt encouragement, and it surprised the old teacher, opening up avenues of thought that he had never considered, or more honestly, had never bothered to consider. He drank to avoid too much thinking, as had been his way for some time now. Here he was, though, only two beers to the good, hardly enough to get properly intoxicated, so still possessing what mental faculties he did retain. And she was making him use his brain.

The old man was careful to damn down on any hope or thoughts of a positive outcome. That way lay despair. Still, he could at least alleviate some of the monotony of the same old places and same old faces. Maybe Valery would have a suggestion. That might actually be nice. Yeah, nice, that was a good level. He'd allow nice. More than that, could be very dangerous to his mind, he knew from painful experience.

He grinned back, feeling a little stupid, but with the tiny spark of hope for something nice, a feeling he hadn't allowed himself in a long time. Never mind, he told himself, you are pretty stupid. You're gonna feel stupid a lot. He hoped his eyes didn't look as vacant as they felt. He didn't like feeling vulnerable, and while he wasn't quite feeling vulnerable, he did feel like Valery could see right into him and into his mind. That wasn't all bad, she was obviously a good person, but it did worry him a little that anyone could read him at all.

Yeah, well, as long as his mind and intent wasn't exposed to an opponent inside the fighting ring, he'd live with the company of a pretty woman who could read him like an open datapad. As stoically as he could.

Valery Noble
​