First Reply For Want of the Nail

[Aristeia Zambrano]

Location: Ord Tiddell, Stone Mite Tavern

Old habits die hard. Aristeia wasn't sure what that line actually meant, but it sounded very interesting, mostly the dying part. Her time in the Empire had proven that it's people lacked the finer understandings of culture, and given how little of a buzz her revelation had stirred, she was in desperate need of some sort of validation. It was all a sort of game for her, assuming another identity, find an inconspicuous planet, and play the part; leaving the fools none the wiser as to who she was. She had done this before, while living under the eyes of her mother, and it never failed to amuse her. Her new persona for today, was a down on her luck stone miner by the name of Azula, holding out for hope that one day she would make it big; a goal that Aristeia herself felt rather strongly about. Sitting at the bar, the figure of a six foot five snow white haired woman drew attention, but not the sort the Ari was hoping for. She could do without the cat calling, but she knew how to stand up for herself if someone couldn't take a hint. The last man who had tried to make a move on her had the misfortune of catching a case of hysteria, and thankfully that was the only person she had to make an example of. Though, as nice as her illusions were, she enjoyed conversation with real people. Talks with illusions were boring after all, she was the one doing all the talking.

Ordering a Bespin Fizz, 'Azula' sat at the bar, fiddling with her drink as she awaited some sort of cue from the universe.

 

[Deryn Kaaldos]

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Deryn wasn't much of an actor. Though he had to hide what he truly was, no one ever really asked. To them, he was just a guy in power-armor, which was sometimes a good thing, but most of the time bad. Having to explain it was also a life-suit gets annoying after having explained it to every bouncer he's ever met. It wasn't also very good for missions based on espionage. It was obvious that however went in wearing that meant business, whether or not he could take it off at his leisure. Walking into the cantina with only the hold-out weapon on his hip, his modified DL-44 as he was allowed, he would order a drink. He was on a mission yet again, another bounty to hunt as his quarry hid among the people here, but he'd have to wait out. It didn't help that there weren't many people here that were among his kind. The place may be low and dirty, but unlike other low and dirty place, people here worked honestly, and not a lot of honest people wore power-armor to a cantina.

He quickly scanned the area, looking at his target through the polarized lenses of his helmet. He slowly made his way towards the Ursine Scum trying to lay low, trying to look as casual as he can be. Still, he was a sore thumb out of all the other patrons here. Not to mention, he wasn't about to start trouble in the cantina. He's already got a warning from the law for that back in the Sith-Empire. When he and the target locked eyes, he knew he needed to look like he was here for someone else. Closest and most obvious - someone who obviously didn't work in the mines in spite of her garb, was the pale-skinned and silver haired girl drinking lonely by the bar side.

"Youngin, humor an old man wil'ya" He said as he sat down beside her. "Ain't really a miner here, are ya'?"

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[Aristeia Zambrano]

From her spot at the bar, Ari could see many things occurring. The idiot dealing spice in the corner, the poor server girl was was getting cheated out of her tip, and the juggernaut of metal that was moving her way. He looked an intimidating figure, and the way he walked indicated that he felt that he belonged here. Was he a bounty hunter? An outlaw? A mercenary in need of a job? She couldn't be sure. To her surprise, the man sat beside her, his rough and gruff voice spoke to her, and the words deflated her already diminishing ego. Was it her appearance? Did she not look the part enough? Or was he just trying to call her bluff? Well, whatever he problem was, Ari wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. Scowling, Ari pulled away from the man, looking him up as if she hadn't noticed him enter the establishment. "Ain't a miner? You saying I ain't a miner?" She questioned, her hand taking her drink and raising it to her lips, shaking her head all the while. Taking a sip of her drink, Ari set the glass down, keeping her eyes on the new comer. "Friend, I don't know what side of bed you woke up on this morning, but you better change that outlook right now." She warned, leaning back in her chair, feeling the threads of her grab stretch; she should have added an extra half inch on the shoulders.

Her eyes studied him, trying to get a read for what he was here for. She doubted very much that he knew who she was, though the placement of his hand near the blaster pistol indicated he was waiting for something, or someone. Could he be here to get a hit on her? Unlikely, she hadn't garnered that much stardom. "You ain't looking like a minor yourself mister, who might you be?" She greatly disliked this style of speaking, it was so informal, felt like speaking the language of the slaves. Then again, most of the slaves went to the mines, so perhaps it was an apt term. "The names Azula, ain't doing the best work at the moment, but it'll pick up." She was hoping for her new partners sake he would stop questioning the nature of her role; Ari never did well with handling criticism.

Deryn Kaaldos

 

[Deryn Kaaldos]

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"Looks like yours won't go to waste hacking away in the dark. Besides -" He watched as she reached for her glass, the world moving in slow motion in his view and allowing him to get a good, clear look at her palm as it wrapped around the swirling pink condense. "Those aren't a miner's hand." He pointed out as he would put his sensory acuity towards his target while keeping his superficial attention on the girl. His ursine target squirmed in his seat at the sight of the Bounty Hunter. His quarry wasn't sure if he was after him - the moment of eye contact wasn't as debilitating to his cover as he had initially thought. Tracing someone's eyes, expression, and attention was hard when their entire body was behind a thick sheet of thumping metal. However, his quarry was still on edge, he could feel his heartbeat starting to pick up speed, his breath starting to get ragged, but the sound of his distress was interrupted by Aristeia's drinking, the vibration of slushing water pouring into her blocking some of his reads on the bear.

"I'm a merc. Former Sith-Imperial Soldier way back when before I could'n fight no mo'." He wasn't quite sure why he was doing the accent. It was hard enough trying to not make himself sound like a subterranean monster that woke up from a hundred year nap. The accent just made things harder, though it didn't necessarily sound unnatural. He's spent a lot of time around people with this kind of accent and intonation. Perhaps he was getting a bit too in character, but it would seem odd to just back away from the accent. "The name is De'in." He karked up his own name by doing the accent. Cursing himself - no, De'in - mentally, he decided to roll with it. He was "De'in Kahldus" for now, he guessed.

"Tell me, little missy. He realized that that part sounded completely natural. Thinking back, he said that quite a lot, mostly to small, youn-looking women like her and Mariah. Deryn had always been self-conscious about his own voice. After spending most of his developmental years never having made a single sound, stuck in the dark, he was distraught from how different he naturally sounded. He tried his best to replicate the voice of other people, like humans, to fit in. Even when he was introduced to creatures like Wookies and other creatures that were far from human form that sounded a bit more like him, the habit had already been engrained in him, and old habits die hard. "What's a miner like you doing here?"

Aristeia Zambrano​

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[Aristeia Zambrano]

Ari looked to her hands, seeing what the man was speaking about, and found the fatal flaw with her role. Scowling, she looked to her digits and melted a bit in her chair. Notes to take into consideration. She wouldn't linger on it long, taking up the drink and shrugging her shoulders. "Self care goes a long way." She remarked, swirling her drink before sipping it, though she was fuming on the inside. He wasn't interested in her, it was rather obvious, which was good for him given how she was far, far, far beyond what he could hope to obtain. She raised an eyebrow at the man's words, former Sith-Imperial? Say it isn't so. A mercenary then. Either that, or one of those dreaded traitors she heard so much about. Not really her problem per-say. Still, his presence here was...perturbing to say the least. He was here for something, or someone, though what that might be she couldn't care less. She was the main star here, and he was just some...no named extra. A no named extra who apparently went by the name De'in as it turned out. What a stupid primitive name. It was difficult to resist rolling her eyes, but she did so, taking her annoyance out on the drink in hand.

Being called 'little missy', she could feel her skin crawling, and a made a note that no one ever be allowed to refer to her as that in her court; assuming she ever got one. At this rate, she'd have to wait for her dear mother to die of old age. One thing she did take note of however, was his voice seemed to shift, perhaps going from more casual to more stern? Maybe he was a bounty hunter, getting the jitters before pulling off a job, but if that was the case, who was his target she wondered? Her eyes loomed about the cantina, searching for a guilty conscience, though she would answer his question all the same. "What everyone is looking for I reckon, an opportunity to strike it big. Though, I gotta ask Mister De'in, what are you in town for? You look like your itching for a fight." If she was lucky, this evening might prove eventful after all.
Deryn Kaaldos

 

[Deryn Kaaldos]

Note: For the purpose of immersion, he is currently sounding like a southern american Steve Buscemi.

Spoiler: Steve Kaaldos

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"Self-care, huh?" He could feel a sudden rise in her systems. Even if she trained out any tells, her physiological responses never lie. Very few lies can get past Deryn, though, he was still very much a sucky gambler. "Was there a boom in the business? Wouldn't reckon miners got paid enough for that - nor cared enough with how much they go through it." He called over the Rodian Bartender, with his two fingers in the air. Deryn/De'in leaned forward as he spoke his order, "Meiloorun Daiquiri, please.".

As the Rodian sauntered off, preparing his drink. A drink he wasn't really going to drink. There was no mouth-hatch for his mask, it was one whole piece. He didn't like drinking either, though the little alcohol Daiquiris had. He mainly just bought it for the aesthetic purposes. "I was a soldier and now I'mma merc, missy. Looking for a fight 's all I've eva' known. I made this suit so I can keep fightin' even if I couldn't breathe cause my lungs don't work, cause fightin' is all I've got." That would've sounded cooler if he didn't started to break his voice half-way through the line. He coughed up something inside his mask and he wasn't sure what. He's never coughed before, the voice was killing him. This wasn't a good idea.

'Tell you -" cough ...hhhhwat, missy. You lookin' to score some quick cash?" He hoped that she would just excuse his sudden fit as his previously mentioned injuries that he needed the suit for. "I got-" Wet Cough, the bartender set his drink down, put a hand on his shoulder. Deryn would wave him off, saying he was alright, before continuing. "I got use for those, uh, actin' skills of yer's." For some reason, the accent was getting heavier.

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