Fire and Ice (Karta)

[Ryan]

Mandalore, Keldabe City​

The Oyu'baat​

2000hrs Taungsday​

​

Tariu Fett sat alone at the one of two curved bars that made up the main center piece for the cantina. The mandalorian bounty hunter was fresh back from a contract and he had made the Oyu'baat his first stop the moment his ship touched down at the star port. This was home to the warrior, was a sanctuary where he could deescalate himself from the stresses that a violent life produced. With the aid of Ne'tra Gal the night seemed to promise relaxation. Tariu took comfort in this setting, surrounded by his own people most clad in beskar'gam to some varying degree. This was home.

Perched on the bar stool Tariu sat, his blue and sliver grey armor was mostly covered by a dull worn blue poncho. His helmet settled nicely upon a magnetic clamp off his left hip and attached to his utility belt. The way he sat, most could see his nerf leather hide holsters that housed both his westar-34 blaster pistols low on his thighs that made for smooth quick draws. Tariu was known for his draw speed, not many in the galaxy could out do the Mandalorian gunslinger with his panther like reflexes.

"Ey! Oi will take a bowl of your stew, Vode!" He would politely place his demands of sustenance to the barkeep.

 

[Karta Kote]

Karta had been on planet for about a week now. It was soon time to go take another job, likely body guarding or merc work. She was about through her available credits. Not that she was broke, just that she set as certain percentage from every job aside. Just in case. She might have been on occasion stupid with the credits she tagged as spendable, but she never dipped into her emergency fund, and it was very nearly respectable at this point.

Soon time for another job.. but not yet. There was time for at least one more night at the Oyu'baat, taking in the camaraderie. It was one of her favourite things about becoming a Mandalorian. Sure the pirate period had fulfilled her need for action and adventure, but you could never really trust anyone, and she had opinions about killing non combatants.

Granted if you were an able bodied adult you fell into the combatant bracket whether you liked it or not as far as she was concerned. The galaxy was a rough place, if you chose not to be ready to deal with it, well you were an idiot and that was hardly her fault. Kids, elderly and the physically unlucky though, that was something else. Another positive about being a Mandalorian. If you insisted something was against your 'Code', particularly with your helmet firmly in place, employers rarely argued with you.

Though she could have gone without it, being on friendly ground, Karta still had her armour on. Iron skin was about right, she was most comfortable wearing it. Of course hers was much lighter than some, but it did it's job all the same. No headgear currently though, but she'd brought her sword and the grappling hook was always on her.

Keldabe kisses were the only kind she gave.

"Su'cuy!"

She greeted the barkeep. He'd seen her often enough the last few days.

"You'll want feeding too then."

It was more statement than question. Drinking on an empty stomach was something she tried to avoid. It never ended well.

"Elek. Something with hetikles. No more soup."

Tiingilar it was, with a nod, the barkeep moved off to fetch both orders. This done, the woman switched her attention to those in the Oyu'baat tonight, you never knew, there might be something or someone of interest.

[member="Tariu Fett"]

 

[Ryan]

Tariu noticed the warrioress approach the bar with intrigue. For most human societies she was very attractive with an athletic build to her frame. In mandalorian society, it wasn't her physical appearance that caught attraction. It was attitude, kit, battlescars and personality that drew prospective mates together. Tariu was admiring her large sword and was pleasantly awe struck for such class of a weapon took a lifetime dedication to master and from the looks of its wielder and the confidence she portrayed he had no doubt the woman knew how to use it. He had seen many mandalorians favor the blades but for himself personally he enjoyed his Westars. Though any good soldier had equally a good blade or two on their person and Tariu was no exception, it was just they were no where near the size this woman was packing.

"Nuce sword ye got there, vod!" In his thick concordian accent, Fett would compliment the female warrior on her tools of the trade. Such was the way to break the ice with a nice mando girl unlike elsewhere in the galaxy where a man would make observation on famine curves. Here such pick up lines could end in serious injury or even death. "My name is Tariu Fett!" he would introduce extending his arm out in a mandalorian custom forearm grip.


[member="Karta Kote"]

 

[Karta Kote]

Case in point.

Her attention shifted to the man beside her. Worn poncho, but the armour peeking out beneath it looked to be well cared for, and the blasters at his side certainly were. A proper Mandalorian then, as if the accent didn't suggest it. Good, sometimes tourists wound up here of all places, and they seemed to think hitting on Mando women made them particularly manly. They looked much less manly after she made them cry.

She flashed him a quick grin as she clasped his forearm.

"Karta Kote, and thanks. This one's spoils, plan to smith my own one day."

Part of her savings was earmarked for new armour and sword, of real beskar. This more than did the job for now though, and swinging her sword around (it wasn't named, only di'kuts named their weapons, it was a tool, not a being) certainly helped keep her in shape. Upper body strength and all that.

"Been off-world recently?"

She'd not seen him around, but this wasn't surprising. Mandos were a mobile people, and it wasn't like she herself spent that much time here anyway.

[member="Tariu Fett"]

 

[Ryan]

Tariu would of shown the lady his blade collection but in all honesty it would not have matched the cattle chopper she wielded. " Actually oi just reeturned from Nar Shaddaa. Cached oin on munor contract though oi don't thunk the creedits that oi eerned er worth the cleen up job Oi wull hev to do to my holding ceells" He shivered at the very thought of the excrement his bounty had left behind. He new the man shat himself out of fear but Tariu felt as if the bounty was having the last laugh...... well maybe not for he was probably being flayed alive by a hutt at this very moment. Now that thought brought a smile to the hunter's face.

"You look es uf you er on your way out, vod?" Tariu inquired though his keen senses could see the obvious tell signs this woman was heading out on a hunting trip. The fresh scent of oils that had lathered her assorted weapons was not just a tell sign she was dedicated to her kit but a true sign she had prepped her self to a task at hand properly. Another quality a mandalorian would find attractive, a person that was squared away.

"Uf so, your pirur and food er on mee!' He would insist upon his fellow bounty hunter "Uf ya don't mund thee company?"

[member="Karta Kote"]

 

[Karta Kote]

She chuckled at his story.

"Elek, that's one reason the few times I do bounty work I kill 'em or freeze 'em. Can't be bothered with keeping an eye on them otherwise."

Plus then you had to feed them, they usually wanted to tell you their whole life story and how they were secretly great people, and they likely had kids or pets or dear old mum's who would miss them and who's heart you were breaking.. No thank you. Merc work and bodyguarding was easier. Even her badyguarding jobs were always the sort where she just ignored her employer up until they did something stupid or she judged their security was threatened. Karta did not do babysitting. At least with actual children there was the chance you could teach them something and mold them into something useful, once they'd already grown up into idiots that was that. Might as well not waste your time.

"And gar serim, got a few decent paying leads, reckon I'll head off-world again tomorrow. Stay here too long eating and drinking and I'm like to go soft. Mishuk gotal'u meshuroke, pako kyore."

She added, finishing the well known saying with a grin and a wink. Looking at her there was little chance of this woman going soft, but then that was likely the reason she was driven to go out into the field again, why she'd become Mandalorian in the first place. Some people were just not built for ease.

"I'd not mind a vods company."

[member="Tariu Fett"]