Private Guilded Moments

[Ala Quin]

SURRON
Blacksmith's Guild

​

Wearing​

"Portolum! Portolum! Get out here and serve this young woman!"

Ala's eyebrows lifted in surprise at the way the coverless droid spoke. It had yet to even look at her, but had clearly noted her presence. It was simply sitting and working on the furnace. There was some unique custom piece that was being forged. Apparently this was the best place for what Ala wanted? She was unsure it was going to be the greatest experience in customer service.

A massive Crolute near waddled out of the back room behind the droid and cussed at the metal made blacksmith. Again, Ala's eyebrows lifted in surprise.

"If...it is a bother to you," Ala said in an offer of peace, "I can try somewhere else."

"There isn't a place on Surron that will give as good as we got, girl," came the booming reply of the rather odorous sounding Crolute, "what do you need from us? And when do you need it by?"

Hestitating for just a moment, Ala opened her mouth to answer.

"Speak woman! We haven't got all day!"

Feathers wanted to ruffle, but Ala maintained composure and spoke as soon as the booming voice of the Crolute gave her the chance. "I am needing a couple small metal tube's forged with a number of compartments for electronic components and a few flourishes...here are designs I have come up with," she said, offering the scraps of paper she had doodle on.

"Lightsaber hilts, aye?" Said the smirking Crolute, "not the first, and not the last we will do. We can have it done by Taungsday." The papers we snatched from Ala's hands, and within a moment the large figure of the Crolute had turned his back on Ala and begun walking away with a harsh 'hurrumph'.

"Ah. Thanks?" Ala said before turning to make her way out of the guild shop. Taungsday was days from now, and she needed to find something to fill in that time. As she walked out of the blacksmith's workshop, she glanced about the hustle and bustle of Tradesman Row. This was the sort of place she could get happily lost in. The people, the places, the sights and sounds all thrilled her. As she reached out in the Force she could feel the energy of each being that made its way through the concourse of 'The Row'.

Time to be a Jedi, Ala. Find a problem...solve it! Make Surron a better place than when you arrived.

| Alexis Solis |​

 

[Tann Po'rah]

Third planet: Surron. What a strange path Tann Po'rah was taking through the galaxy. From Ryloth to Naboo, to Corsuscant, and not to Surron. It was a good thing she wasn't using her own fuel otherwise someone would think she was lost. It just so happened that's where the Force was sending her. As she walked around a space port the green skinned Twi'lek looked for some sort of sign. It just so happened a vessel to Surron was departing nearest her and had a single seat left. Thanks Force! she said as if talking to a real person.

Tann had to take public transportation. It was her only way of getting around save for hitchhiking. And sure, her Jedi mentor could fly her where she needed to go, but Tann wasn't about to wait for her to be done with her Jedi duties. Tann was a fiery spirit. She had to move. She had to see the world, so to speak. Tann could not just sit still. So Surron awaited.

As she waited (impatiently) on the journey, her eyes scanned several information sites about Surron. But there wasn't much to see except for Surron Startech. The conglomerate was everywhere. It was like being slapped in the face left and right while someone yelled at you, "buy a ship!" If that wasn't the Force talking to her she didn't know what was. Tann reached into her pocket and counted the credit she had left. Not in a blue moon would she have enough for a new ship, let alone a second hand one. Perhaps it was time to invest. And by invest, she meant gamble.

The Twi'lek teenager had gotten fairly good at the game of Sabaacc. She played all the time with captains who stopped by at their local port. Tann won a decent amount of times too. She wasn't ready for anything professional, but she figured a table at some local casino or bar would be enough to double her credits. So that's what sh was going to do. First thing first, find a cantina.

Stepping off the transport in her usual greasy attire the Twilek looked around. She shoved her hands in her dark cargo pants pockets that were stained with oil and muk from working on engines so often. Her boots were much the same, only with some mud spots to add. The cleanest part of her was her shirt which was long sleeved and ripped down the sides of the arms. She looked more like a deviant punk than a Jedi potential. Nodding to herself, she adjusted the fabric on her lekku then strolled into the town. All the while reaching out with the Force to see where it would guide her....

Ala Quin ​

 

[Ala Quin]

Fletch's

The sign above the cantina door simply said a name. Or at least Ala assumed it was a name. After walking around for some time, she found herself in front of the cantina and feeling a touch thirsty. Upon entering the establishment, Ala found it to be...generic. Which was a touch disappointing but also entirely within her expectations. There were the normal collection of ruffians and scoundrels, many of which were casting their leacherous gaze on her.

As much as she could she ignored the stares, and ordered a simple glass of iced water from the barkeep. He did not seem so impressed by the low cost purchase, but his comments around her presence seemed to indicate that the clientele were the type to appreciate any female presence. Again, Ala tried to shrug it off.

She wandered towards the back of the room, and as she passed a table with a couple of empty seats, one of the men at the table called out to her. "Hey there. Have a seat with us. Anyone such as yourself sitting by themself at a table is just asking to be hit on constantly."

The voice caught Ala's attention and with a quick gaze she noted the young human male who had just been speaking. "Anyone...such as myself?" Ala asked, with a smile that said 'be careful'.

"Excuse me miss," said the young human with his hands up apologetically, "I mean no offence, simply wish to avoid you having an unpleasant stay i my establishment. We are just about to start a game of Sabaac and could use a couple more players. You help us out, I will cut you in, and you avoid the approaches of any scurrilous situations. Wins all round."

"I don't know how to play Sabaac," Ala said with a shrug and seemed to be dismissing the thought entirely.

"You would be playing with my money...so it doesn't matter," came Fletch's reply.

"OK. You have a deal," Ala said before taking the seat immediately next to Fletch, "deal me in."

The owner of the cantina grinned in triumph, and it as in that moment that Ala wondered if his goal was not to protect her but to insure he had her attention. She winced slightly, and then sipped her water.

I hope he is OK with losing all his money.

| Tann Po'rah |​

 

[Tann Po'rah]

It didn't take the Twi'lek long at all to find a bar. They were all over the port. But Tann knew better. That's where sharks lived. That was a sure fire way to lose your money. No, Tann needed somewhere with more....regulars. Average people just playing a friendly game. That's what she'd been told by the shipping captains back home. So with some dedicated searching, and following the will of the Force, Tann stumbled upon a little place known as Fletchers.

If Ala thought men were lecherously staring at her, she should have seen how they looked when the Twi'lek walked in. Disgusting pigs. Every one of them. Tann knew about the sex appeal of her race, specifically the females. It was one of the reasons her kind were often bought and sold for slaves. Tann was lucky enough to have been sheltered from that horrible life. It also didn't help that Tann was a total flirt. So she was basically asking for trouble. Not that she deserved it of course.

After looking around the room she heard someone say they were just about to start a new game, and even better, were looking for more players. Tann smirked. Perfect. She strut right over and put her hands on the empty seat next to the girl who'd also just joined. "This seat taken?"

Ala Quin ​

 

[Ala Quin]

"By all means," came the answer from the owner, and clearly leader at the table, "the seat is yours."

With a soft smile, Ala greeted the newcomer, a Twi'lek, with a wave that was composed purely of twiddling fingers. "I've never played Sabaac before. Had the opportunity...but this is my first time."

Several of the players at the tabel groaned audibly, and Ala shot them a glance. Fletch was the first to speak though as he raised a hand in defence. "Now friends, we wanted a full table," he said in an almost tut-tut tone of voice, "what fine company we now have." His smile that he directed towards Ala and the Twi'lek left Ala feeling a little unsettled, like there were more to his request allowance of them to sit there than a mere game of Sabaac.

The cards were thusly dealt, with a brief explanation of the rules as it happened, and the Ala picked up her cards. She splayed the cards in her fingers and let out a chuckle when she saw 'The Idiot' and a '5'. It seemed almost serendipitous. It was clear that Fletch was not impressed with his first hand, Ala could feel his emotions wafting on waves of the Force, but his face did not show emotion. He only made the first bid and passed on to the next player. The Gand next to him seemed satisfied, though not excited about his hand, and promptly followed Fletch's bet with his own. The other human male at the table seemed right disgusted by his hand, but kept a straight face and stayed in the round. It was too early to be sure which way it would go...

Ala then turned her thoughts to the Twi'lek to see how she faired.

| Tann Po'rah |​

 

[Tann Po'rah]

"Thank you kindly," Tann would say and pull out her seat.

The girl to her left waved in welcome to which Tann gave her back a pleasant smile. She shifted her behind down into her seat gracefully next so as not to bend over any more than necessary. Much to the men's dismay she was sure. From there she looked around the table to see who she was competing against.

"Oh trust me," Tann said to her new friend about the rules. "It's super easy. You just want your hand to equal twenty three. Or minus twenty three. The closer the better. Just don't be over that when the rounds are finished. Trust me. You'll pick it up in no time."

Tann didn't bother explaining the whole rules, the boys at the table would help with that. But the basics were there. Tann set her credits down onto the table and laid them all out in a row. She needed to show them she didn't have a large pot. Her goal was to make them think she was desperate, while also showing them she didn't have much to offer. A simple yet effective move. For there was one big thing Tann didn't share with Ara: deception. The cards hadn't even been shuffled yet but the game started even before she'd sat down.

Picking up her cards, Tann would peak at them for a moment before hiding them facedown. She smiled at everyone once more then watched the turns go around the table. She did a simple bet here and there but always seemed to play. And as Ara scanned the girl's emotions, she would find the Twilek to be pleased with every set of cards she got. And the game seemed to fall in her favor most of the time anyways. But even with her bad rounds she was still happy. Was she actually getting good hands, or was she an excellent bluff?

The truth was, Tann was just happy to be playing. There was some deception in dealing her hand, but she never once seemed to falter. She was always in a good mood. Tann loved the game and she craved competition. And with her luck, she kept getting ahead. Before long she had a good stack of credits nearly three times the amount she started with. Little did Tann know the Force was guiding her decisions. Ala would surely be able to tell something was up with the girl in some way or form.

Ala Quin

 

[Ala Quin]

Super easy...OK...

The ebb and the flow of the game took Ala from losing most of her money, well most of Fletch's money, to make a big play on a round and winning a pot worth double of what she started with. Her face beamed with an ear to ear grin. She glanced at each of the men at the table, who all showed a mixture of mild bemusement and annoyance. "You're right, my friend," Ala said to the Twi'lek next to her, "this is easy." She scrunched her nose to indicate that she knew how lucky she had just been.

The Twi'lek seemed to be doing fairly well for herself, and the others at the table were noticing. Ala could sense a very real presence in the Force, that occasionally made the hair on the nape of her neck bristle. Her female gambling companion was Force sensitive.

Let me know when you have a good hand. I will bet big then...I'm not going to win...but it doesn't mean you can't walk out of here better than when you walked in. She said through the Force.

Was that fair or even right? Ala was skeptical of how appropriate it was, and if caught she knew that she and the Twi'lek would no longer be looked upon simply as eye-candy. The goody-two-shoes Jedi Knight justified her decision purely in that she sensed among the men at the table some truly dark backstories, and future ambitions. These were not simply glaring, learcherous oafs, but men of ill repute and evil intent. Taking a bit of money from them would be a net benefit to the galaxy as a whole, and this small corner of it in particular.

| Tann Po'rah |​

 

[Tann Po'rah]

Although she had lost that round, she wasn't out much. The Twi'lek returned the smile with all honesty and congratulated the girl on such a good play. But what happened next gave Tann the shivers. She heard a voice in her head speaking to her. If she hadn't been looking right at Ala in that moment she wouldn't have thought any different about it; merely thinking she was speaking aloud. Which wouldn't make all that much sense as she just offered to help cheat.

Tann would give the girl a very confused look. She'd just....spoke into her mind. How was that even possible? Was it some racial thing? No...humans couldn't do that. Did she have magic powers? Obviously she did, she had the Force. That was the only magic the Twi'lek knew about in this universe. How had she not noticed before? She really needed to pay more attention to these things. For all she knew, the girl could be one of those Sith people. Tann had yet to meet one..

Since Tann didn't know how to respond, she merely kept her thoughts to herself. Would the girl be able to read them? "Alright.....Let's do this then."

It didn't take long for the girl to get a good hand. Luck was in her favor. She took a deep breath and thought the words to Ala, hoping they made it across. Tann was no expert at the Force; there were thousands of things she didn't know. But, she believed in herself. And that was probably her greatest asset. The thoughts would transfer over loud and clear saying, "This is it. I'm going to win this round for sure. Make your bet."

And with that, Tann raised the pot with her own large bet to see who would call her on her decision. Was she bluffing? Only one person in the group chose not to see it. He folded right away without a second thought. The others were still in their own heads wondering what this girl was up to.

Ala Quin

 

[Ala Quin]

The timing was absolutely delightful. Ala fought to suppress a smile when her 'teammate' went all in. She didn't do the greatest job. The Gand spoke, "Why are you so happy about that move?"

There was no accusation in the tone, but Ala knew that with this type it was not too far away, so she needed to come up with something quickly to detract from what was really going on. "Oh. I just think I have a hand that can beat hers!" She said with show of excitment before pushing all her remaining chits into the middle od the table.

"Do ya now," said the Gand, before looking back to his cards.

Dodged a bolt there.

The round came to its inevtible end, with each person having either gone out, or revealed their cards. Tthe Twi'lek was the clear and undeniable winner. Ala fought the urge to grin from ear to ear. It was a pretty natural thing for her, so proved to be quite the challenge.

"It seems...we have been bested by the better player," Fletch said with eyes narrowing, "or should I say..."

"...players!" Called out the Gand as he stood and pulled his blaster, pointing it somewhere between Ala and the Twi'lek.

Lifting her hands and leaning back quickly into her chair, Ala started mouthing the sound 'whoa' a few times. "Calm down there, bud! I don't even know her name!"

"There's no way to know that...but I know when I am being hustled..."

"As do I," added Fletch, who was still sitting next to Ala. He readjusted his seating and Ala could see the barrel of a blaster jutting out from under the table, "you are a pretty good actor, Miss Never Played Before, but you clearly know more than you are letting on...what are you two? Partners...thinking you can pretend you don't know each other...waltz in at different times and take us for all we are worth. I will take more than a couple of pretty faces and decent posteriors to distract me."

With a sigh, Ala looked at the Twi'lek and again insured them that they did not know each other, but through the Force she spoke directly to the Twi'lek. Get your credits. And be prepared to run.

| Tann Po'rah |​

 

[Tann Po'rah]

"Don't count on it,"" Tann would say to Ala's bluff. "Luck's been in my favor tonight. Your beginner's luck...has run out."

When the round came back to her, Tann added all of her chips to counter Ala's anty. As expected, Tann would the round and the pot and the pile of credits was hers to keep. Or so they thought. The Gand would stand and pull a blaster on the two girls making Tann incredibly nervous. "Hey now. Don't be a sore loser," she'd say at the same time as Ala. "Yeah seriously. I don't even know her."

When someone mentioned hustled she would gasp and put her hand to her chest from the insult. "Hustled!? How dare you." She then looked to Fletch as he spoke, calling them both out for being liars. Ala would whisper again in the girl's mind, but Tann wasn't about to just flee. She stood up and put her hands on her hips; her lekku swayed angrily behind her.

"No I don't think so. You invited me here. You dealt the cards. That's how the game is played. You lost. I won." Very carefully she would start scooping her credits closer to her which was a very dangerous thing to do when someone was pointing a blaster in your face. "You're going to sit there and accept your lumps like good little boys."

As Tann spoke, she looked into the Gand's eyes with determination. Little did she know, she was reaching into his mind as well. A Jedi min trick, as it was called. Tann was only a Padawan at heart, so this level of conjuration should not have been doable. Yet, her raw and natural power let her do just that, even if she was unaware of it. The Gand would lower his weapon and sit down saying, "I have to take my lumps."

"Good. Glad we're in agreement." She had literally no idea she'd just brainwashed the man. She then turned to Fletch and with the same look in her eye she would ask him. "And how about you? Are you going to let us leave?"

Ala Quin

 

[Ala Quin]

Fletch looked clearly distubred by the Gand's quick change of heart. This made him look at the Twi'lek with even more scurrilous intent. "What are you?" He said, leaning forward but also reaching for his blaster.

Ala stood dumbfounded for just a moment while she took in what had just happened. She felt the distinct connection in the Force when the Twi'lek mindtricked the Gand into calming down and letting them go. The Jedi just stared at the Twi'lek for a moment before the ripple of animosity coming from Fletch caught her attention again. Clearly his mental defences were higher, or they had been heightened by what had happened to the Gand.

"Friend...I think...you will just let...us go," Ala said with a wave of her hand. Her mind putting all focus she could into the words.

Fletch seemed to have some momentary change in his demenour, but then stood up, blaster drawn and pointed now at Ala. "What...are...you?" He demanded.

This was getting close to being a full on bar brawl, and that was not something that Ala particularly enjoyed. She could feel that Fletch had been really close to just letting them leave, but she had not given it enough. Closing her eyes, she took in a long breath through her nose and then spoke in a whisper just loud enough for Fletch to hear.

"You will...let us go," she said.

Fletch's posture straightened, and his eyes took on a vague distant stare. "I will let you go."

With a sigh of relief, and a quick nod towards the door, Ala lead the way to exiting the premise. Once out the door, she spun about on her heals and nearly squeeed. "Hi! My name is Ala...and you are a Force user too!" He eyes were as big as saucers and her face aglow with excitement as she examined the Twi'lek.

| Tann Po'rah |​

 

[Tann Po'rah]

Tann gulped when Fletch looked at her strangely. The way he said those words really got to her. She wasn't sure why. But it felt like he was saying she was different. And that bothered her. She didn't like being singled out. She was about to say something else when the girl to her left waved her hand at Fletch. Tann squinted her eyes some. What was with that gesture? And why was she talking so....slowly?

Fletch would turn his attention to Ala now and draw his blaster. Tann stood up straight and grabbed Ala's arm gently. She wasn't about to let her get shot. She moved in front of the girl so the blaster was in her face and not Ala's. Ala continued to try and Force control the man. Tann felt a shiver down her spine. She could feel Ala using the Force. It felt so warm and familiar to her. Fletch would go cold, offering to let them go. Tann didn't wait for him to change her mind. She'd turn Ala around and start to guide her out of the bar.

"I am!" Tann said with the same excited. "And so are you! How did you even figure it out? I wasn't even using my powers." She didn't realize she had in fact been using them. She needed more control with her gifts.

"And it's Tann by the way. Tann Po'rah."

Ala Quin

 

[Ala Quin]

Call it impulse, call it 'a bit too much, but definitely call it all Ala. As soon as the introductions were out of the way, she near jumped on Tann with an embrace, and then pulled back, gripping her shoulders and shaking her slightly with each word.

"Hi Tann! I didn't know for sure until you convinced that Gand that he wanted to plonk himself back in the seat and let us go..."

Looping her arm around Tann's she tugged her into the busy concourse, and into the hustle and bustle of the crowds.

"Where are you based? Who is your Master? Are you a Padawan? You don't seem Dark Sidey to me," she said, blurting out questions and statements in a rapid fire gleeful exuberance, "do you have a lightsaber? What colour is its blade? Mine are yellow...but I lost them when I was fighting a Draelvasier...well...I wasn't fighting per se...it was more that I was running away..."

| Tann Po'rah |​

 

[Tann Po'rah]

"Oh my goodness!" Tann exclaimed when Ala practically jumped into her arms. She didn't know how to react from the hug but she didn't have much time to figure it out as she let go just as fast.

Tann was pulled then around and into a busy crowd of people walking in either direction. Tann had never met someone who talked this fast. It was just the same as her. She'd met her match it seemed. The girl was just as hyperactive as Tann was as she asked question after question with no end in sight. Tann squealed with the same amount of excitement and tried to remember every question as she came to answer them.

"I'm not really based anywhere actually. My mentor and I are going to be doing my training on Kashyyyk. We're only stopping on Coruscant as a layaway as she had some other duties to do. I'm new you see. Literally. I've only been in this world for like a week. So I don't have a saber yet. And did you say you had two? How cool! I wish I could see them."

If Ala was paying attention, Tann didn't mention anything about the Dark comment. Was that just a missed question or was there something more to that...?

Ala Quin

 

[Ala Quin]

The lack of comment regarding the Dark sidey of it all did not slip by Ala. Even though she noticed, she did not think it was particularly of note. It did not need a comment for Ala to be okay with Tann.

"Well...if you don't have a home...you are welcome to come visit and stay with me on Jakku," Ala blurted, smile beaming just a little too giddy for her own good.

"Jakku is not that great of a place. Sandy. Oh my. The sand. It is all rough, course - gets everywhere - yaddy yaddy yada," she said with her spare hand flapping back and forth with every other word, "but it is wonderful being around so many lovely Jedi."

"You have only been on Surron for a week?" Ala said with a tilt of her head, "hmmm...well...I would certainly like to meet this mentor of yours. Where is you ship stowed away?"

| Tann Po'rah |

Spoiler: ooc

You have every right to slap me on the back of my head. Do not hesitate to hit me up on Discord if there is a delay. I can get busy and lose track of what posts I owe. So sorry for the delay.

 

[Tann Po'rah]

"Jakku? I've heard very little about there. What's it like?" Tann let the comment go and she'd reply that it wasn't that great of a place. But the thought of being around other Jedi was nice. She had already met some wonderful people just on Coruscant. She imagined she'd have just as much success anywhere else too. "Well sand I'm used to. Dirt mostly. And heat. You get a lot of that on Ryloth."

The conversation then turned onto her as Ala asked about her mentor. "I'd love for you to meet her. Master Sam is really sweet. She'd super knowledgeable about the Force. I've learned so much in the short time I've been with her. We're docked in....." Tann had to stop for a second. She took out her data pad and flipped through a couple screens. "We're in port C on the east side. Dock four-fourteen. Do you want to head there now?"

Tann realized they were still running so she stopped after turning another corner. "I think we're a good distance away don't you?"

Ala Quin

Spoiler: OOC

I don't remember what your discord was lol. But I'm not worried about it. Take your time.

 

[Ala Quin]

Ala was short of breath, and they were well away from Fletchs. Stopping was more than permissable. Short of breath and feeling a little flustered, Ala took a moment to recover her senses. She let out a big puff of air. Tann was one of those Force destined meetings, it made Ala's heart sing just a little more.

"I would very much like to meet your Master," Ala said, "he sounds lovely. And...you are always welcome to visit me on Jakku. I will be headed back there pretty soon."

| Tann Po'rah |​

 

[Tann Po'rah]

"She actually," Tann would correct with a smile. "And if you'll have me I'd love to visit. Like I said, I've never been to that side of the galaxy. And I imagine you have a nice place set up there. Jakku isn't the most hospitable planet, I'm told. "

Tann would look around and nod her head knowing that the cost was clear. She then pocketed the credits she was still holding in her hands into her money pouch with a satisfied jingle of metal on metal. After that she reached into a different pocket of her utility belt and brought out a tiny data pad. "[color=tealHere,[/color]" she said as she scrolled through one of her apps. "This is my private number. You can message me anytime. That way we can stay in touch. I've got to get going though, otherwise I'll really be in trouble. It was so nice meeting you. I hope we see each other soon. Can I hug you?"

Giving the girl a hug after she exchanged holo-numbers she would start to back away and leave the alleyway the two of them were hiding behind. Tann had made a great friend today and she couldn't wait to tell her master. The gambling part she might leave out....

END THREAD

Ala Quin​