Private Mandalorian Moonshine

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Equipment: Khair Stone
Tag: Efret Farr

Gatz did not know much about the Mandalorians. What he'd discovered, tonight though, was that they brewed some strong alcohol.

In the dimly lit hole-in-the-wall bar he'd wandered his way into, Gatz did not appear to be a Jedi. He was avoiding that, actually. Though the war with the Enclave was over, there were still many folk who distrusted each other after the hostilities that had ended in worlds like Ukatis being ravaged. And so Gatz had thought it more appropriate—and safer—to ditch his robes and don his red leather jacket of old. It was surprising, how one's outfit could be the difference between looking the part of an imposing Jedi Knight, and looking like a charming scoudrel.

And tonight, he was a charming scoundrel.

A drink in his hand, and lips loosened by inebriation, his eyes scanned the dark tavern. Here, on Mandalore, most the people he saw were, well, Mandalorian. The only thing that looked out of place was some bird perched on a table. Gatz chose not to question it. Maybe the bird was of legal drinking age here on the Mandalorian's most holy planet.

Truthfully, the avian creature was the only thing that looked out of place—until his eyes cast their gaze upon the bar proper, and he saw an unarmored woman sitting at it on her lonesome. Gatz paused for a moment, considering he options. She was probably just having a nice night to herself. He didn't need to disturb her. But on the other hand...

You missed a hundred percent of the shots you didn't take.

Gatz meandered over, casual swagger in his step. He pulled back the barstool nearest to the woman, and plopped himself down beside her. What left his lips next were words that, in all honesty, were not appropriate for a public setting. But if he was going to try and woo a stranger, it was best to let her know what she was working with from the get-go.

Unfortunately, Gatz would soon find he might regret that choice.

 

[Efret Farr]

It was the night after the Carnea. Efret had stayed for the full month after all. She was planning to stay a few days yet, to try and iron out her sleeping schedule before travelling on to Lorrd.

The owl on the bar was Nirrah. It was understandable that Gatz didn't recognize her. He'd only met her once, briefly in the grand scheme of things. Plus, plenty of people kept convorees for pets. Why not a Mandalorian?

It was through her eyes that Efret saw him over her shoulder sit down beside the master likewise masking her affiliation with spacer clothes. Efret's own eyes widened when she recognized it to be Gatz, surprised to find yet another Jedi on this trip of hers, but she didn't say anything. It looked like he was about to speak and she didn't want to interrupt. She took a sip of her non-alcoholic drink as she waited.

As he finished speaking the last few words of his pick up line, she spit her drink back into her tankard with an abbreviated, nasally exhale of a snort. Social shock gripped her for a long moment before she forced herself back into reality. This was happening whether she believed it or not; she may as well gather all the grace she could muster. "Ahh, you think me superficial." She paused to set down the vessel, took up a napkin, and swiped it over her lips before turning to Gatz. "How..."

Embarrassing? Unduly troubling? Slightly amusing?

"...disappointing."

All of the above.

Even still, she had a bit of a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Gatz Derrevar​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Equipment: Khair Stone
Tag: Efret Farr

The woman in question turned to face him, rejection on her lips—which, in all honesty, Gatz expected.

But he could never have expected to come face to face with Master Efret Farr. Gatz froze solid, not even blinking. Because oh shit, he'd just propositioned a respected Jedi Master for sex. And bragged about himself with (true) information that she most certainly didn't want to know. Now, he was left gaping like a fish, trying to figure out how he was going to climb out of the hole he'd just dug himself into.

Thankfully, something in her eyes tipped Gatz off to the fact that he hadn't entirely screwed the pooch.

"...disappointing."

But boy, did her words have a shiver running down his spine. Not the bad kind, either. Not at all.

"M-master Farr, I—"

Gatz finally unfroze himself, but it mattered little. Frozen or not, he still hadn't the first clue as to what to say. An apology was probably warranted first, for his inappropriate come on to his senior Jedi. That, absolutely, should have been the next thing to leave his lips. Even now, mind lightly addled by alcohol, Gatz knew "I'm sorry," was the correct way to start his next sentence.

But the alcohol addling his mind also brought with it liquid courage. And, well...

You miss a hundred percent of the shots you don't take.

"Master, could I buy you a drink tonight? And maybe we can find a booth to relax in."

 

[Efret Farr]

After she turned around, Nirrah hopped around on the table as well, staying close to Efret's side.

“Shhh. Lower your voice. I’m just Efret here.” Giving him permission to use her first name was definitely a mistake in some ways, but in others it was for the best. They both were laying low and she'd like to keep it that way. Though, it was a bit flattering that he remembered at least one of his manners despite drinking. Some were better than none.

She knit her brows. Oh? He was doubling down. Strange choice but one she wasn't completely opposed to. A battle of wits would perhaps serve to shift her mind from a few overbearing things that the recent festivities had actually been unable to stave off. “Another drink? Why? What’s wrong with this one?” Turning back a moment, she moved her tankard to her new position, and motioned at it. “It only has my saliva in it.” Her brow smoothed when she rose them teasingly. “Which, by the way, you’re getting none of.”

The bartender, rearranging the middle shelf liquor bottles not far away, couldn't help but overhear. He was mostly successful in hiding his chortle at her uncharacteristic feistiness.

“And, conversely, I’m accepting none of yours,” she continued, oblivious to their eavesdropper. “A booth sounds lovely though. Thank you.” She motioned to the floor, waiting for him to show the way. There was no way she would. She may seem it, but she wasn't naïve.

Upon sliding into a booth opposite him with Nirrah now on her shoulder, she offered him another teasing expression: a smile. She crossed her arms over the tabletop and leaned slightly forward. “When I expressed regret that I didn't attend your…” She paused to glance over her shoulder at the open floor. Even without anyone in earshot here, she opted to not refer to the knighting ceremony by name. “...event, I was not secretly offering to make it up to you in such a personal manner.”

<Take pity-him, Efret,> her internal signer bade.

Maybe later and only if he did it first. This was entirely his mess, after all.

Gatz Derrevar​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Equipment: Jedi Robes | Lightsaber | Khair Stone
Tag: Efret Farr

Hey, first name basis? Maybe he was getting somewhere.

Look, Gatz was stupid, but even he knew that making a pass at a Jedi Master wasn't the most intelligent thing in the world. And yet... why not see where the night took them anyhow? There was a war on, they were bound to get caught back up in it soon, and they could both be dead by this time next month. If that was the case, then Gatz wanted to live a little.

So, he threw caution to the wind. Efret Farr was kind, warm, brilliant, and very pretty. And Gatz rather thought that she should know.

“And, conversely, I’m accepting none of yours,”

Gatz gave a toothy grin. There was a feistiness to Efret that he hadn't expected, calm and collected as she'd seemed the few times he'd met her. He was rather fond of the surprise though. It made her that much more interesting. It also had a faint blush rising to his cheeks, as embarrassing as that was. But Gatz persisted, undeterred.

"It'd be a shame to steal your lips with my own so soon anyways," Gatz winked, "as beautiful and intelligent as you are, I'd rather get to know you first."

Wisely, she bid that he lead the way to the booth. He absolutely would have stared at her ass, had she been the one in front. It seemed his polymath not-date for the night knew men better than he thought she would. Gatz had taken her for one of those pious, celibate Jedi who were naïve on matters of lust and love.

Perhaps she wasn't after all. Another pleasant surprise.

When they got to their randomly chosen booth, Efret surprised him even more by leaning in and smiling. Oh no, she was gorgeous when she smiled. Oh no, his heart was pounding awfully fast as she teased him. This wasn't how this was supposed to go: she was supposed to be the blushing maid, not him. But... Gatz persisted, still undeterred—if maybe a tad more self-conscious.

"You tended to my wounds once, I think that more than makes up for your absence." Gatz leaned in too, "I just thought tonight would be a good night to... express my gratitude."

 

[Efret Farr]

"...as beautiful and intelligent as you are, I'd rather get to know you first."

"The gallantry," she had scoffed playfully at that idea. Of course, it wasn't a bad concept in and of itself. He knew little about her and she knew even less about him, but, given the situation they currently were in, his motives didn't strike her as exactly learned.

"I just thought tonight would be a good night to... express my gratitude."

"Oh my." Efret sat up against the back of the booth. She used the occasion of her last sign, palm splayed across the middle of her chest, to play up her distress. "What an impressively lucky guess that you were, in fact, addressing me then."

There was a very short pause. She was under no actual delusion that their interaction was anything but coincidence. It was phenomenon that she most often did not believe in, but in cases like this, it fit the bill.

She continued, "I assure you that I'm not in need of the kind of gratitude that you're wanting to give..." She put a finger into the air before continuing to sign. "...but if you insist and are amenable to request: break the habit of speaking to strange women like that. That will settle whatever account you feel we have as far as I'm concerned."

Gatz Derrevar​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Equipment: Jedi Robes | Lightsaber | Khair Stone
Tag: Efret Farr

"What gallantry,"

"What can I say? I'm your regular knight in red leather."

Efret was playful, and bright, and Gatz was suddenly struck with the realization that she wasn't at all what he'd expected. Perhaps it was arrogant of him, to think he could make assumptions as to who she was from a mere handful of meetings. But she'd always seemed the typical Jedi Master: prim, proper, and straight-laced. Yet here she was now, maybe not flirting back quite yet, but entertaining him with a hint of amusement in her eyes.

"I knew it was you the whole time of course," Gatz lied plainly, lopsided smirk on his face as he took a sip of his drink, "I was curious to see how amenable a respected Jedi Master was to a night of carnal fun."

Gatz didn't... didn't understand what was going on with him. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the stress of the war, or maybe it was just genuine feeling—but he wanted to spend the rest of the night with Efret. It was a thing that went beyond hormonal desires, the idea of getting her into his bed was almost an afterthought at the moment.

If everything he'd assumed about Efret Farr was wrong, then just how much was there to learn about her? And why did he want to learn it so badly?

"...but if you insist and are amenable to requests: break the habit of speaking to strange women like that. That will settle whatever account you feel we have."

"That's a fair request, I think." Then Gatz winked, "of course, Efret, if I'm to forgo finding a beautiful woman to spend the evening with, it's only fair if the beautiful woman in front of me helps me find other ways to sate myself tonight."

 

[Efret Farr]

"Fine," she signed with a sigh and an exaggerated roll of her hazel eyes. "I shall be their sacrificial lamb, against my better judgement I'll have you know."

In the next moment, she flashed one more grin, this one a little more minxlike than just playful. "Not that it's any of your business, but I'll also have you know that I've spent time in villages that view petitioning their gods for fertility as a communal responsibility." She took a drink from her tankard, stealing a glimpse at him over the metal rim, mostly to gauge if her meaning landed or not.

When she had finished her sip, she set down her vessel. "The rituals that they hold to this end are fascinating. I've observed and participated—academically, if you can believe that." She shrugged nonchalantly. "Even if you can't."

Speaking of it brought her no shame itself. Any fleeting guilt she felt was at how she was trying to fluster Gatz. Even past iterations of their Order hadn't condemned sex to its own credit as taboo. The much greater concern, even now, was the great risks intercourse could bring not physically but emotionally. Physical intimacy often led to emotional bonds which could be beautiful but also could lead an otherwise good Jedi to the Dark side. For this reason, plenty of historical and modern Jedi swore off romantic attachments, and even carnal ones, that they may not be tempted to seek out more.

Gatz Derrevar​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Equipment: Jedi Robes | Lightsaber | Khair Stone
Tag: Efret Farr

Master Farr's playful insistence that she was playing the role of "sacrificial lamb" had Gatz smiling. Finally, a shrewd, intelligent, playful woman to trade flirty barbs with. Something warm settled in his chest... and something else settled down south, but could he be blamed for that? He was, after all, just as hot-blooded as any other man, and Master Farr was gorgeous and desirable.

"Worry not," Gatz leaned in, "I treat my lambs like Queens... after I've worn them out."

Then came something that flipped their entire dynamic on its head.

"The rituals that they hold to this end are fascinating. I've observed and participated—academically, if you can believe that."

Participated?!

Gatz had been flirting under the assumption that he was the learned lover—as he'd always been in every intimate encounter he'd ever had. Yet, here he was, face to face with Efret, who'd taken part in scandalous activities that even he could scarcely dream of. Gatz blushed the color of his jacket, stunned. His charming, roguish façade broke as he stared at Master Farr, imaging...

Well, what else was there for him to imagine at the moment?

And suddenly, his want for Efret Farr turned into a need. One he could scarcely comprehend, and yet somehow understood all the same. A woman who could keep him on his toes, put him on the backfoot, was as rare as... as—

He didn't even have an analogy! His mind was too busy, fantasizing about Efret wrapped up in the debauchery of all the "rituals" she claimed to have taken part in.

"If we're already spending the night together," Gatz tried to recover, but there was a bashfulness to his words now, "then perhaps you could educate me on these 'fertility rituals.' But, fair warning: I'm an awfully slow learner. You might have to... demonstrate things for me more than once."

 

[Efret Farr]

Efret's aura suddenly grew quite serious. Gatz might have worried if he had done something wrong—unlikely considering what she had just admitted to, but possible. “That's privileged knowledge, Gatz,” she said, expression stern but soft. It was clear that she was so dedicated to the discipline of anthropology, to the protection of closed cultures, that she did not hesitate to put aside flirting to educate. “It was an honor to be allowed to interact with the rites of those tribes as an outsider, and still is to carry that part of their ways with me. Nothing I learned from them is mine to share.”

She offered a warm smile then. It was almost shy too, as she was concerned that she had teased too much. “But...not all of my experiences are culturally protected." Surely, something about his demeanor would let her know that her concern was mistaken. Her grin grew and playfulness blossomed back into it. "I'll contemplate demonstrating those."

One of her hands grasped her drink. "Contemplate being the operative word,” she reasserted with her free hand as she hid her face partially behind the tankard.

Gatz Derrevar​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Equipment: Jedi Robes | Lightsaber | Khair Stone
Tag: Efret Farr

Efret shifted, not just her visage, but her presence in the Force too. Normally, he probably would have gotten anxious that he'd screwed up somehow, but the liquid courage he was drinking kept his paranoia from spiraling. Instead, Gatz found himself listening intently, losing himself bright hazel eyes that were brimming with intelligence.

Gatz found himself wondering: was he interested in her because she was a learned woman, or because she was, uh, a learned woman? The answer came immediately: both. Both those things made him desire her. Honestly, he felt a little silly for wondering at all—who wouldn't want to spend the night with an intelligent, experienced woman?

“But...not all of my experiences are culturally protected." Surely, something about his demeanor would let her know that her concern was mistaken. Her grin grew and playfulness blossomed back into it. "I'll contemplate demonstrating those."

Gatz allowed himself a smile, one part bashful, one part confident, and one part allured.

"I suppose, in return, it would only be fair of me to give a few demonstrations of my own." Gatz slid his drink aside, his full focus now on Efret, "Nar Shaddaa isn't good for much, but you'd be surprised by what I've learned there. I think you might even be interested in some of it—academically of course."

Gatz paused for a moment, considering his next words, before adding:

"And, of course, what kind of host would I be if I didn't offer breakfast in the morning? You'll need the energy."

That was not something Gatz usually offered women. Most of his many trysts ended with the partner in question leaving the ship as soon as they'd had their fun. Spend the whole night with someone, and the morning? Him? The man he'd been before would never have considered it. The man he'd been before wouldn't have wanted her to be in his bed in the morning.

The man he was now did.

 

[Efret Farr]

Efret clicked her tongue, likewise pushed her drink away, and settled her elbows again on the tabletop. “Mm, tempting. I have a sophisticated palate, but I won’t tell you how to satisfy it.” It wasn't that she was a picky eater, but she was settled into her personal appreciations of flavor and spice.

She lay her chin on one of her hands, the ridge of her lower jaw slotted between the bent backs of her pointer and middle fingers. “Speaking of our other exploits, have you retained anything from Nar Shaddaa or anywhere else you’ve been besides knowledge?” She rose a brow at the last sign, a little before the word came out of her interpretation unit, again watching for understanding on his face. Damn, she really was experienced at this all the way around.

But then she blinked once, fluttering her eyelashes next in a surprised rather than a coy way. She withdrew her head from her hand, sitting straight again. “No, don't answer that. I’m sorry. This is not appropriate of me.” Not the question, which was in context very appropriate. Sexual safety was of utmost importance, especially in casual encounters. No, it was their professional power dynamic that was improper. Even if they were undercover tonight, she was still a Jedi master, he a newly-named knight.

Plus, there was another reason deep in her heart why she suddenly hesitated. It ached with desire of a completely different sort than the one strung across from her.

Gatz Derrevar​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Equipment: Jedi Robes | Lightsaber | Khair Stone
Tag: Efret Farr

“Mm, tempting. I have a sophisticated palate, but I won’t tell you how to satisfy it.”

"That's alright," Gatz grinned, "I rather like a challenge."

There was a part of Gatz that loved being kept on his toes. Strong women, like the one before him, just captured his interests in a way he couldn't quite explain. And Efret was... she was warm in a way that Gatz hadn't felt in a very long time. She couldn't fill the void in his chest, no, but one night of warmth could be a wonderful thing for a man so used to the cold.

But then her demeanor suddenly shifted, as if she was guilty of something.

“No, don't answer that. I’m sorry. This is not appropriate of me.”

Gatz very slowly, and very gently, reached across the table to try and lay his hand on hers. He didn't know what had suddenly made her withdraw herself, but he didn't like the idea of Efret thinking she'd done something wrong. She hadn't. He'd come on to her, and she wasn't wrong for entertaining the idea.

"Efret, you have nothing to apologize for," Gatz spoke softly, charm replaced with something far more genuine, "we're both adults. We can both make our own choices. I want to spend my night with a beautiful, intelligent, warm woman. There's nothing wrong if you want to spend one night with me too. There's a war going on, and there's no guarantee we'll live to see its end. It's not wrong of us to want a night of comfort and fun."

Gatz paused for a moment, and then added:

"And yes, I have a clean bill health." Gatz winked, charm returning, "I am a doctor, remember? But you can play nurse for me tonight if you really want to."