It's Time to Play the 'Gam

[Doctor Azure]

The old man scowled at Lor, and then looked at Rawnie like she was a small and rather annoying puppy.​

​

"Who either of you keep to warm your bed doesn't change my answer. I ain't selling to a Chiss. Or anybody who'd sleep with one."​

​

The last comment was enough that Lorane slipped one of his Rodian throwing razors out of his sleeve and spun it on his finger.​

​

"People really need to stop assuming Chiss don't do things when their loved ones are insulted. Bet an old shut-in xenophobe like you doesn't know what this is. Doesn't matter, though. What you don't know can very much hurt you."​

​

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]​

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

Her deep grey eyes flashed like a storm. What was his problem with who she slept with!? What was wrong with Chiss!? Rawnie was beyond offended now. She was furious. She was a storm about to break and leave devastation in her wake.

"Why you-!"
A rather long and complicated stream of curses followed, ranging in languages from Mando'a, to huttese. Nobody insulted her husband. She snatched her knife out of her belt. Oh, she wanted blood.

"-Gar copaanir at ramaanar!? N'jurkad!"

[member="Doctor Azure"]

 

[Doctor Azure]

The old smith smirked when Lor and Rawnie drew their weapons.​

​

"Oh, is that all? You kids are idiots."​

​

From next to his workbench, he picked up a rather nasty-looking sword that looked like a very nicely polished giant knife. The Chiss just shrugged at him.​

​

"So... If we beat you and your Overcompensation Blade, I get some beskar, right? Because you looking stupid is an insufficient prize."​

​

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]​

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

...and Rawnie had brought.... a knife. A tiny little hunting knife. Thank goodness she was wearing something over her face, because the look she had on her face was... slightly afraid, actually.

"Lor..."

Let's go somewhere else. Let's get out of here. Let's not do this.

"If we kill him, we'll never find out where to find beskar," she sighed, "and I really don't need this aggravation..."

[member="Doctor Azure"]

 

[Doctor Azure]

Lor looked away from the crazy old man with a tiny bit of disappointment on his face.​

​

"But... Beating up on overconfident idiots is so much fun."​

​

He put the razor back in its sheath, and sighed a little bit.​

​

"Fine, let's leave the bastard to his work."​

​

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]​

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

Much as she was angry and honestly wanted to put a racist in his place, the side of her that really did not want to be go to prison for murder had won out. She left with Lorane, grumbling.

"Lorane, most mandalorians are not like that. I promise."

[member="Doctor Azure"]

 

[Doctor Azure]

Lor just shrugged and put an arm around Rawnie's shoulders, giving her a little squeeze.​

​

"Don't worry about it, visahot. The last time somebody was seriously racist towards me, I snapped his shoulder out of its socket."​

​

He gave her a joking grin.​

​

"Medical science is good for knowing exactly how to beat the hell out of people."​

​

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]​

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

She glanced behind at the racist who had insulted her lover. She would remember his face. She never forgot a face or a voice. She would remember. And when she found the opportunity, he would pay for his remarks.

"You deal with racism a lot?" she asked, already knowing the answer. She dealt with it too. Being half echani, she knew what it was like to be judged right away from your appearance.

[member="Doctor Azure"]

 

[Doctor Azure]

Lor shrugged again as they walked. Outside of Sith and Mandalorian space, he wasn't really treated badly. People just assumed he was a cold, calculating, killer. Lots of Chiss were like that.​

​

"Well, Sith feel superior because they subjugated the Ascendancy a couple of times. And everybody else just assumes I'm going to have them assassinated. Never figured out what's up with Mandalorians, though. It's not like they ever went to war against Chiss."​

​

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]​

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

That did surprise her. Normally her people were very accepting. They had races of all kinds out here. Really, as long as you considered yourself a child of Mandalore, nobody questioned you. You were accepted as a brother or sister. Or maybe that was just how things were in the North? Father had taught her never to judge someone by where they came from...

"Lor? Let's try another shop."

[member="Doctor Azure"]

 

[Doctor Azure]

Lor looked around, then pointed at another shop that looked like it probably had a smith. The fact that all the shops had pictures above them, rather than the names of the shop or owner, confused him a little bit. He'd been under the impression that Mandalorians usually educated their kids as much as possible. He looked at Rawnie and raised an eyebrow.​

​

"I thought illiteracy would be uncommon on Mandalore. What's with all the shop signs?"​

​

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]​

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

Rawnie for once, didn't really have an answer. She'd been taught to read basic before she was five. She assumed everybody had. Maybe not? No. That didn't make any sense.

"Maybe for foreigners?" she suggested, "I don't know, to tell you the truth, Lor'ika. We don't really have shops in my village. We all trade for what we need, or just give what is needed as a favor."

There was no need for currency. They were all family. Family did not requite payment. The mutual survival of their people was enough for anybody.

[member="Doctor Azure"]

 

[Doctor Azure]

Lor shrugged for what felt like the millionth time today.​

​

"Yeah, I got that the first time I went to the tavern. All I got for my money was a glare."​

​

As they walked into this smith's shop, the Chiss' face became a mixture of horror and amazement... There were several suits of fully finished beskar armor on the walls... painted bright pink and covered in floral patterns. The smith himself looked up from his work and grinned at the pair of them, quite obviously spiced.​

​

"Heeeeeeey, man. You wanna sit down?"​

​

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]​

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

Rawnie managed a smile behind her helmet. See? This one looked like one she could work with.

"Su'cuy," she greeted, "We're looking to do some business. Do you have a minute?"

She took a seat, motioning for Lorane to sit with her.

[member="Doctor Azure"]

 

[Doctor Azure]

The scent of whatever the man had been imbibing besides the spice was almost overwhelming to Lor. He found himself wishing he'd brought a helmet along like Rawnie. He sat down a little dizzily, looking at the smith, who smiled back with the same drunken expression.​

​

"So, what's a Chiss doing in my shop? Thought y'all preferred to shoot people wearing bess- besh- bask- sorry... beskar. And- er... You two sleepin' together or somethin'?"​

​

Lor raised an eyebrow. The smell was giving him a headache, and he took his glasses off to rub his nose.​

​

"Is it that obvious? Not that it matters, really. I just need some metal."​

​

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]​

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

Her eyes narrowed. What... a rude question. He probably wasn't trying to be rude, but it still made Rawnie uncomfortable to talk about her sex life. What did it matter who she was sleeping with?

"Yeah. He's mine," she replied flatly, "Why? Got a problem with that?"

She was so not in the mood to deal with another racist....

[member="Doctor Azure"]

 

[Doctor Azure]

The man just shrugged.​

​

"Problem? Nope. Nothing's my problem. I work, and people pay me. Can't you smell my chill happiness?"​

​

Lor gave the man a look of somewhat annoyed impatience.​

​

"I smell spice and melted beskar. All I want for my money today is to know where to find your supplier."​

​

Another shrug.​

​

"The aliens supply me. Not blue ones. Green ones. They wear clogs and ride scooters and they're wonderful about a whole variety of things."​

​

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]​

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

Green aliens... And scooters? What the hell was he on about!?

"Clogs and- We're talking about the beskar," she replied flatly, losing patience little by little, "not the spice!"

[member="Doctor Azure"]

 

[Doctor Azure]

Lor leaned his forehead against the nearest convenient wall. So, a racist and a spice-head. That seemed like par for the course with his usual luck.​

​

"Beskar? I don't know where it comes from, kid. I leave money out, and it shows up in the back of my shop. Like the Tooth Fairy."​

​

The Chiss made a mental note to come back and steal from this guy's stockpile if they didn't find somewhere with a smith who wasn't an idiot.​

​

[member="Rawnie Tal'verda"]​

 

[Rawnie Tal'verda]

The Mandalorian growled, grasped her fiances hand and turned on her heel.

"Lor, this guy is an idiot junkie and we're wasting time here."

She didn't care how loudly he said that. She was losing patience. Quickly.

[member="Doctor Azure"]