Miss Me?

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt didn't mention the cost, he didn't need to.

In truth for him it was still odd, paying so much for a camera...but he decided that it was best not to say anything about it. There was still that strange gap between them, one that had to do with their birth and upbringing. He supposed that Jamie probably didn't even really think about the cost, but to him...well it was still a big deal.

"So." He said, simply glossing over the subject in his mind. "Ship next?"

He gave her a winning smile.

The ship was still the most important aspect of their trip, at least to him. He wanted to see if the police would actually let them take it back home...or...well he wasn't exactly sure where they would be taking it but he wanted to take it somewhere! The vessel was not only precious to him due to the memories, but it presented another project. He liked working on ships, fixing them up and making them work like they were in their prime again.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Taking the box from Cliver she gave a quick "Thank you!" before turning to Kurt as they headed for the exit.

"Sure, we can do that if you want." She was curious as well as to what they might have found, or not found. Hopefully they wouldn't be questioned about that secret room. Hopefully they'd passed through without seeing it. Jamie had no answers for them, even if they had discovered the room. She was just as much in the dark on the subject as they would be. The fact of the matter was Jamie hoped the Captain and his guards found nothing of note and would just release it from impound.

"We'll have to take the bike though, the hangar is a bit far to walk, and I'd rather not carry this the whole way if I don't have to."

It wasn't that she was lazy, but walking that far with a box with a very expensive camera, even in a safe place like Naboo wasn't something she was too keen on doing. There was always that one chance.

"Shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes on the bike I think."

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt thought he remembered the way back to the Bike, at least he was pretty sure. For a moment he juggled the way that they had come in his mind, thoughts lingering on the maintenance room that they had spent a little more time in, before quickly returning to the walk over the cobblestones. Eventually he settled on the fact that he probably knew the way to go, and if he didn't Jamie would be able to guide him back the way they came.

"Alright." He said as he slipped his hand around her hip and slowly lead her out the door, a small smirk playing across his lips as he pushed opened the door and heard the clinging of the bells positioned above it. They stepped out into the warmth of the sun, Kurt turning down the path.

"Maybe tonight I can help test out that new Camera." He said to her as they began to walk. "Get you on the bed with some lighting..."

He trailed off mid sentence.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie eyed him with suspicion. He could have been genuinely trying to help test the camera, though the insinuation that she be on the bed raised a bit of concern. "Uh huh." She said, dropping the emphasis on the latter syllable. What exactly did he need to take pictures of her for? He could see her features just about whenever he pleased. It wasn't as if she ever cut him off of what he wanted. In fact, she enjoyed his attention and love. So the idea of taking photos of her seemed strange.

"Why exactly...Do you need to take pictures of me? You can see me whenever you want."

There was also the lingering possibility that galaxy forbid she lose this camera, and it falls into the wrong hands, her reputation could very well be permanently tarnished, especially in the court. There wasn't a whole lot one could do if such sensitive material was in the wrong person's hands. She wasn't entirely concerned with Kurt having them, but even the most delicate hands could find themselves in a situation where it was simply out of their control. Jamie would feel inexplicably hurt.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He squeezed her side gently, not in the same tickling manner he had done earlier, but in a more gentle caress. "Well, babe."

Kurt sounded very serious.

"I think you forget that this trip will eventually have an end." In truth, that was a fact that he'd very much rather forget as well. They didn't live together, they couldn't travel forever together, they had things that they needed to do. Kurt needed to work, Jamie needed to continue her training. Eventually they would have to leave one another, and there was no telling for just how long that would be. Still, the idea of pictures...while not necessary certainly made him giddy. "And unfortunately, I can't always get you on holo."

That was certainly the truth. The way she trained and the time difference made it difficult. Oh they talked as often as they could...but...well...

"Besides." He stopped and pulled her towards himself, wrapping his arms around her. "I think the experience could be fun, and also...I didn't say I was the only one that would get to take pictures."

Kurt gave her a wide grin.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The playfulness in her voice somewhat faded. She wanted him to take her seriously for now. Well, as serious as Kurt Meyer could take anything. This wasn't simply because she wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea, but because there could be very serious repercussions for her if said photos ever found their way out of Kurt's hands. Once they were out there, there was no taking them back. It wasn't like one could just delete them from the HoloNet.

"I don't know." She looked noticeably torn. She did like to please him, but there was also the other side of that coin. "It's not that I don't trust you." She did, after all. There wasn't anything she wouldn't trust him with. Certainly not after he had saved her life back on Spira, and she his. "It's just that, if they are seen by anyone else, intentions aside, if that made it back here, the shetstorm that would follow would be more than I could realistically handle. I would never feel like I could look at someone without wondering. That's all."

She was aware that it wasn't likely, that there probably wasn't anyone so closely watching her actions that they'd go after Kurt to find dirt on her. She wasn't nearly as important on Naboo as her parents. But it was still possible. It was a lot to consider from such a seemingly innocent thing.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

His shoulders rolled in a shrug, Kurt slowly leaning in to kiss her forehead. "If you don't want to, then you don't want to."

The Courier's voice was even, calm, there was no edge or disappointment to his tone. Oh he wanted this, very much so, but Kurt wasn't one to push or press Jamie, or anyone else for that matter, into something that they didn't want. This especially wasn't something that he would pressure her into, not when she didn't want to, and not when she had some very real concerns about what could happen. They were a bit unfounded of course, Kurt would never let something like that out, but he could understand it.

"As much as it pains me." Kurt said with a smile. "I cannot have everything I want."

Would that he could.

He kissed her, his arms squeezing Jamie gently. "Even though I really really want. I'd never let something like that slip, I'm far too possessive after all."

Kurt couldn't help himself.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

There was a long sigh. Jamie stopped. "It's not that." Her left hand reached for her right arm. "I just don't want them ending up somewhere they don't belong, you know?"

How could she give him what he wanted while still feeling like she wasn't making a rather risky gamble? There wasn't exactly anything she could do once those photos left her hands. She would have to simply trust Kurt's judgement to take them to the grave. What it really came down to was how much she believed he would safeguard the things she shared. He was protective of her. She believed that he loved her. There was little doubt in her mind that he wouldn't also protect the things she shared with him. He hadn't given her reason to doubt as of yet.

"Promise me." She said quietly. "Promise me that the only two eyes that will ever see them will be yours."

Maybe that would make her feel better about the idea. Maybe not.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"I promise." Kurt said with a soft tone. There was an absolute truth to those words. He'd never let anyone see anything like that, the thought made Kurt oddly...jealous. He didn't like the idea of anyone besides himself seeing Jamie in any sort of...compromising position. It was rather ironic really given what kind of a man he'd been just a few short months ago, perhaps a bit hypocritical, but he knew that he was oddly possessive of her. Enough that he could guarantee that promise.

"I'd blow up The Messa before I let anyone get to them." Provided no one living was on board. "I'm not about to go traipsing about with something like that."

He wouldn't. "It would only be for me."

Kurt pressed his lips against her forehead again.

"I made the suggestion because I thought it would be fun." He did. "Now...and later."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

She took in a deep breath, letting her chest rise and fall before nodding, once Kurt pulled away. "Okay." There was still nervousness. The only way to deal with that though was to put it out of her mind for the time being. All she could do was pray that Kurt would keep his word, no matter if he even disliked her some day in the future. He promised. That, to her, was as solid as a written contract. A deal between two people in good faith. Granted she would never believe the word of another noble aside from perhaps two of her closest friends, but this was different. Kurt wasn't like those people.

"Maybe it could be fun." Perhaps she was also still a bit self-conscious of her body. It was one thing for Kurt to see her in the moment so to speak. It was oddly different in her eyes to capture that moment for later.

For other purposes.

"Let's maybe get to the ship, figure out what is going on with that, and then we'll see about this whole camera thing. I feel like I am going to look ridiculous. I'm not a galactic model. Self portraits aren't really my thing."

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He gave her a long, almost urgent kiss, lingering on her lips for half a second before slowly pulling back with a wide grin on his face. "You're my model."

It was an incredibly corny thing to say, but then again, one couldn't really expect anything else from Kurt.

The Courier gave her another gentle squeeze, then slowly pulled back, fingers quickly tracing to find one hand so that he could hold it for half a moment then kiss her knuckle. The ship was still something on his forefront as well, though now his thoughts were rather split among...other things. He wondered briefly how long it would be before he got himself in trouble with her. When she would inevitably get fed up with his constant...poking and finally give him a firm smack to let her get some sleep for once.

The idea itself made him smile anymore, perhaps just because the moment would be rather amusing.

"Alright." He said finally. "Let's go find that ship."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Oh, come on."

Another eye roll followed as she pulled Kurt along through the streets of Theed, back towards the lot where the bike would be waiting for them. That had to have been the cheesiest line he'd ever spoken to her.

"How in the galaxy did I ever buy into you?" She tried holding back the grin on her face by biting down on her lip. "You're like a child, I swear." Maybe she felt like she needed to watch over him, make sure he stayed out of trouble. He was in fact the definition of trouble. The things he'd coerced her into without so much as suggesting it she'd have never done otherwise. That little detour earlier? Unthinkable. That was only the tip of the iceberg on the list of things she was certain he had stored away in that mind of his.

The walk back to the bike was rather short, now that they didn't stop for anything else along the way. They would find it sitting where Kurt had left it.

Jamie took the box with the camera and secured it to the small cargo area in the back, and climbed onto the back seat. She wasn't interested in arguing with him over driving this time. She just wanted to get to the ship and see that it was cleared for them to take possession of again.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He didn't say anything, only smiling as he climbed into place on the bike. The key went slipping into place, quickly turning so that the bike sprang to life. Surprisingly, Kurt actually knew a little bit about where they were going this time. The only times he'd visited Theed had been for deliveries, and finding the starport had been a rather necessary part of that work. He clicked his tongue for half a moment, looking around at the different streets to assess where they were.

"I know where we're going." Kurt said it almost a bit too happily.

It was clear that he was pleased with himself, and before Jamie could say anything or question him he sent them rocketing forward. The Speeder bike took off almost immediately, jumping forward without even half a moment of hesitation. The thing was well made, running seamlessly and sending out no hint of sputter. Kurt took to that fact well, eeking out every turn that he could, pushing the bike to the limit by passing speeder cars, other bikes, and even people that were in the way.

It didn't take him long to find the starport like that.

Within just a few moments Kurt could see freighters dotting the air, all headed towards the hangars.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

If Kurt could see behind him he would take note of the white knuckled grip Jamie had going on. Her face went flush as they zipped past countless other speeders, people, and buildings at a speed higher than one would consider safe for the area. As much as she trusted him behind the controls her body still refused to relinquish that very real possibility that she could die if he slipped up even once. Not matter how much her brain fought her muscles and heart, they were still strained to the maximum. There were hardly any words she could muster to say until they cleared the most narrow of streets towards the more open area by the starport.

That was when she finally relaxed a bit, her fingers loosening from their grip, allowing her to breath normally while her heart rate began to slowly settle, almost in disbelief that they hadn't crashed.

"We'll want to go to the security building. We can ask to talk to the Captain there."

He would be the best person to talk to. Even in the event that the ship wasn't being permitted to leave yet, he would give Jamie more answers than anyone else, simply because the two knew each other.

"Hopefully it's ready and we can take it. Then you can stop worrying so much."

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"I'm not worried." Kurt said, a slight hint of a smile still on his face from seeing the way Jamie had reacted to their little race. "I'm concerned."

His mother had always said there was a difference, though she'd never elaborated as to what that difference was.

"I just want to see if we can actually get it back, if not...well it'll be a bummer." It would be like Jamie losing her camera. They didn't have many keepsakes from their time on Spira, and the ship...well it made up for that in large part. If they lost that they pretty much only had the scars on his back to remember the whole trip, and Kurt would much rather remember the pleasant parts. He shrugged and took Jamie's hand again, or rather, she took his. Without a moments more of hesitation she began to pull him in the right direction.

Though he'd been to the starport before he'd always managed to avoid the security office, he was a Courier not a smuggler after all.

It took them a few moments, but eventually they found their way to the oddly ornamental security building.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

One eye narrowed while the other one raised.

Did he just use two words that mean the same thing differently?

Kurt just yanked a page straight out of the book of Naboo Nobility. It was momentarily alarming for her to hear him say that.

She blinked. Several times. Speechless.

"Okaaaay." Did Kurt not actually understand that those two words were synonyms? That was plausible. After all, some figures of speech were different throughout the galaxy. Maybe on Tatooine those two things did mean something different. She hoped at the very least Naboo society wasn't rubbing off on him. That was one thing she truly liked about him, that he wasn't like the people from around here.

Jamie brought Kurt to the entrance of the security building, pushing gently open the door that revealed a large transparisteel window, behind which a dispatcher sat. The rest of the room was rather void of anything, save for a bench, presumably for those who were waiting to see someone. The blonde sauntered over to the window and waived.

"Hi. We're here to see the Captain. We're looking to get an update on our impounded ship." The man behind the window leaned forward, looking at Jamie and Kurt. "Take a seat, I'll let him know you're here."

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Again Kurt felt somewhat out of place.

He wasn't exactly new to this sort of thing, talking to port authority, but it seemed like Jamie knew more of what to do in order to actually get them what they wanted. He warched her with a small smile on his face, eyes slowly wandering towards the deputy just to see his reaction to the small blond girl who seemed to be demanding her way through things.

Briefly Kurt wondered what they had found on the ship.

He had found the room they'd stumbled upon odd, but in truth he'd seen much stranger things in his time.

The greatest concern he had was that they'd missed something. That somewhere within the confines of the ship there had been another hidden room filled with far more sinister things then a few night time toys. The idea seemed a bit ludicrous to him of course, but...well things hadnt exactly gone to plan on this trip so far.

Hopefully it wouldn't continue that way.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

A few minutes of waiting and out from the side door came the Captain of starport security. In his hand was a datapad. He gestured for Jamie and Kurt to follow him as he turned to re-enter the area he had come from. Jamie tugged on Kurt's shirt for him to come with her. Following the uniformed man into a conference room he closed the door behind them, sitting only once the two took the two seats on the opposite side of the large table.

"Miss Pyne." Jamie smiled. "Captain Brack." The man powered up the datapad, pressing his fingers against the screen a handful of times before turning the device around to her.

"Jamie I'll be plain with you, the ship you arrived in belonged to the Underhill family. You are familiar with Jesslyn and her deceased husband Jarek, yes?"

Blue eyes went wide, her face flushed. A close look would see small bumps appear on her skin hearing the name. "Yes, Captain. What do they have to --" That's how I know that crest! She finally put the pieces together. Unfortunately she couldn't exactly say what she was thinking at the moment. If the guard hadn't found that room yet, she would look awfully incriminated if she said anything. "Do with this?"

"This was their starship. It was reported stolen years ago. Now, Mrs. Underhill wrote this ship off through her insurance, so it is no longer her legal property, meaning you are free to register it as your own if you choose. We found nothing as far as evidence is concerned regarding the theft, so unfortunately as far as the starship authority is concerned there is little more we can do to track down the responsible party. I'll need your signatures here though, to acknowledge that you spoke with me, that you are claiming the ship as your legal property, and that you will register the vessel before it leaves port."

Jamie nodded slowly. She was still having a difficult time with the realization that this was Jesslyn's ship. Why would she be living that kind of life? It simply didn't make sense.

"Very well, Captain. Mr. Meyer will sign for ownership. These things interest me very little. I will sign the affidavit and report."

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

The guard captain rattled off some names that Kurt didn’t recognize, said half a dozen things he didn’t quite understand, and then asked for a few signatures. Kurt didn’t mind signing papers, contracts were half of his entire life after all. Racing sponsorships, Navy Contracts, documents for Sif.

He was no stranger to signing his name.

“Alright.” He said as he was handed some papers to sign. Jamie would have to sign the affidavit as well, or so he assumed, but Kurt squiggled his signature first, sliding the documents over on the tiny table so that she could have at them next.

What really mattered to him was the ship.

After signing two more documents a registration form came. The thing was a bit...silly to him, mostly because he had never actually signed a piece of paper that said a starship belonged to him. Even The Messa didn’t have a document like that...just an original lease from Sif and that was it.

He supposed it was more official this way. “There.”

Kurt signed the piece of paper with a flourish and a smile, looking at Jamie almost gleefully as he did so.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Her face was notably less gleeful. There was something clearly running a marathon in her head. The involuntary bouncing of her leg was there beneath the table, the biting of her lip. All classic signs that despite her facial expression wheels were turning at hyperspeed behind blue eyes. She looked down at the papers passed to her, signing them quickly, far less fancy than she would typically do. It was as if she was on some kind of autopilot for the time being.

With the signatures in place Captain Brack smiled, picking them up and filing them into a small folder. He placed the key to the starship on the table in front of the two, giving them both a nod.

"Thank you, Mr. Meyer, Miss. Pyne. That will be all. You're free to go, as is the starship. It has been cleared for departure where it was left."

Jamie gave a quick nod. "Always a pleasure, Captain. Good day." The blonde took Kurt's arm, leaving him just enough time to grab the key to the ship before pulling him out of the conference room and towards the exit. She remained dead silent as she quickly made her way down the steps of the building towards the speeder. If she moved any faster she'd be running.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]