Miss Me?

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Sleep came and went rather quickly, almost in the blink of an eye in fact.

He awoke to the sound of the silent alarm beneath the pillow, the heavy vibrations of his datapad shaking him awake. Jamie still lay next to him, half a sleep and looking up at him with a daze. He smiled at her, then plated a kiss on her lips. He had to make it out of here before they could travel anywhere, if he got caught...well there would be trouble and a half. Slowly slinking out of bed, taking careful measure not to shake Jamie too much, Kurt got dressed.

His pants were scooped off the floor and his hand went wrapping around his shirt, pulling it on and slinging his backpack over his shoulder before once again leaning down over the bed. He kissed Jamie, once, twice, then a third time before whispering. "I'll see you in a few hours, Gorgeous."

A happy sigh escaped from Jamie, and with that Kurt took off.

He took the same window that he had used as an entrance, slipping out and into the night like a cat burglar. As it turned out, escaping the compound was far more simply than getting in. It appeared that he guards weren't really concerned with someone getting out, but rather people getting in. Most of them were looking outward from the wall and the lights all flashed around the walls instead of within the courtyard. Kurt managed to spider monkey his way past the guards and over the wall in record time, reaching a safe distance from the compound in under an hour.

"Well, that was easy." He said with a smile. "Now she just has to get out."

Kurt turned halfway towards the compound, grinning and then setting himself on the fourteen mile hike ahead of him.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie would wait the few hours for dawn to break, the daily routines of the clones beginning anew. The blonde gave a few tired yawns thinking about the night just before, and what lay waiting for her at the starport. A wave of excitement flooded her senses as she quickly scampered to pack some of her belongings for the trip with Kurt. Of course, the assumption was that she was going alone on a simple exploration and vacation, but those were just minor details really. There was no need to burden anyone with the knowledge that Kurt was joining her, and had actually been with her since the day before, hiding out in her bedroom.

She said goodbye to the few folk she needed to, then eagerly caught a transport that would take her toward the starport. She'd felt ashamed that Kurt had to hike the rather long walk back, but borrowing a transport would raise too many questions and launch a very unnecessary investigation as to how it disappeared. None of which was an explanation Jamie wanted to have to give. Estimating the time it would take for Kurt to reach his destination he wouldn't have to wait more than thirty or so minutes for his traveling companion to arrive.

The large lobby was bustling with activity as one would expect, however was nowhere near the level of crazy that city worlds like Coruscant or Byblos had. The girl assumed that Kurt would be somewhere near the main entryway, given that they hadn't booked a flight and waiting elsewhere would likely make it incredibly difficult for Jamie to find Kurt. At last she found him, his eyes gazing up at one of the terminals that would suit their needs of travel. Quietly and cautiously she crept up behind him, her hands slipping behind his head to cover his eyes.

"Guess who?" She whispered softly.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He smiled slightly, not able to hold back the slight grin.

"Mom?" Kurt said out loud. "What are you doing on Cartao, you're supposed to be on Tato-"

He cut himself off as he quickly spun around and pulled her into a tight embrace. His arms would float around her waist, his hands clasping at the opposite ends of her hips, and then suddenly he would lift her into the air and plant a deep kiss onto her lips. The Courier spun her around, picking her up and simply spinning on his heels. A few people looked their way, some smiling, others shaking their heads, Kurt simply didn't seem to care.

A part of him had been worried, worried that she wouldn't show.

Oh the confidence had been there that she would want to come, but Keira was still very much an unknown element to him and he had feared that Jamie's Jedi Master wouldn't allow her to leave the grounds of the compound. Of course when she had arrived...when he had heard the sound of her voice and the touch of her fingers Kurt couldn't help but have been elated with joy. He grinned at her, eventually settling her back down on her feet and giving her one last kiss.

"I'm glad you could make it." Was all he said as his nose nuzzled against hers.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie couldn't hold back the joyful laughter as he picked her up and spun about. Her hands braced herself on his shoulders as he held her up for a few moments before planting her feet back on to the ground and giving him a tight embrace. Her eyes glanced about to see the few staring back at the two as they made a bit of a spectacle. Like Kurt however, Jamie couldn't care any less for what kind of scene they made.

"You think I'd stand you up?" Her hand ran up and through his hair, settling back on his cheek before giving him a soft kiss. "Never."

Her eyes lifted to look at the terminal information above, her head turning slowly to examine the board. "So it looks like there's a couple of options. There's a small transport leaving in 30 minutes, probably a bit cramped." Her finger followed her eyes to the other ship. "Or there's a larger freighter taking passengers and cargo in an hour." She looked back towards Kurt. "What do you think?"

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He smiled slightly, considering their options. "I don't mind cramped."

Kurt had been in the navy after all, the transports and starfighters that he had experienced there had been completely unforgiving when it came to leg room, worse when it came to accommodating his general size. It was the way of things, and Kurt had long since gotten used to it. Plus, he was more than eager to get off Cartao and head to Spira, where he and Jamie could be alone, on vacation, completely and utterly by themselves. That thought made him grin more than anything else.

"You can sit on my lap." A small smirk pulled across his lips. "It'll be fun."

The truth was that he simply wanted off this world.

He wanted Jamie to himself, in private, with nothing but the sounds of the ocean crashing in around them. He had come to enjoy the ocean, even thought he could still only barely swim. The thought fo having Jamie there, seeing her relaxed and tanned...it was worth being cramped for an hour or three.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The girl in his arms gave him the same look Kurt would come to realize was her 'very funny' face when he offered her to sit on his lap. She might be naive, but she knew full well the type of deviant Kurt was. Eyes closed partway, a slight grin and a slant in her posture. Pushing his shoulder with her hand she laughed and shook her head, hair bouncing in front of her face.

"Behave, you." Taking his hand Jamie laced her fingers between his and walked towards the terminal where tickets could be purchased. A few people were finishing their own transaction at the ticketing terminal. Jamie had packed a sizable backpack and slung it across her shoulder. Necessities mostly, a number of outfits, Kurt's Mp3 player, toiletries, and her datapad. She'd spent some time fixing her hair before arriving, golden locks now down and curled to meticulous perfection. She'd picked out a deep red belly shirt that rested at the corners of her shoulders, and a pair of dark pants that ended just below the knees, leaving the remainder of her legs exposed.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

He grinned at her, unable to help himself. There was a simple joy in teasing her like that, in being suggestive and seeing her face turn the slightest shade of red. His fingers latched onto her own, palm filling with warmth as he gently squeezed her hand. The ticket counter ahead of them cleared of the couple that had been mid-purchase, the woman behind the desk waving them forward.

"Hi." Kurt said quite simply. "Two tickets on the next transport to Spira."

The woman nodded, typing something into the computer and quickly pulling up the information.

From his pocket Kurt dug out a credit chit, sliding it over the desk. The woman grasped it, almost somewhat greedily, and then proceeded to print the tickets for both him and Jamie. He shifted slightly, squeezing Jamie's hand once again then scooping up the tickets. Both of them didn't need to check their luggage, which given these transports was likely a good thing. Kurt thanked the woman, then pulled Jamie away and towards the waiting transport.

The ship wasn't massive, it didn't even have separate quarters, but it would do for the three hour travel time to Spira.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

This was gonna be a long few hours by the look of the ship's interior. Jamie gave a bit of a whistle as she walked up the ramp and inside to see the small sea of people that had already boarded. A number of them sat together chatting with one another. Others stuck to the far corners of the common area. A couple were off to the side sipping on Caf and observing the crowd. As Kurt tugged Jamie along her thumb glided softly over his hand, enjoying the simplicity of the moment.

Her eyes then noticed the QuickCaf machine that the others had acquired their drinks from. She quickly pointed and abruptly tugged Kurt the opposite direction he was heading, away from a few open seats.

"Look! Caf! Neeeeeed." The girl hadn't had anything to stimulate her still tired muscles as of yet. If they were about to spend a few hours in a cramped space like this she wanted to get something into her system before settling in for the journey, and before it was all gone! It was going quick.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt suddenly found himself completely tugged to the left. "Woa-"

He found himself cut off as she talked over him, a sly smile falling on his lips as she declared her need for some caf. Kurt hadn't taken Jamie for the type to be dependent on substances to stay awake, but given that he had kept her up most of the night and made her...well round through vigorous activity after an entire day of training he could hardly blame her for the fact. They reached the machine in half a heart beat flat, Jamie practically bouncing over the to thing as she took out a small credit chit.

"Wait." He told her as his other palm came to cover hers. "I know a trick with these things."

The Courier waggled his eyebrows at her, then slowly turned towards the machine, his fingers slipping away from her own. For a few moments he checked around them to make sure that no one was watching, then he reached up and began to twist the small nozzle that was attached to the machine. There was a slight beep, then a silent boop of acknowledgement. Suddenly the machine dropped a cup from it's holder and began to fill it with Caf. "Most of these things are manufactured by ATC, they all have the same override command."

Kurt shrugged.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie's jaw dropped as Kurt did what he did. Stealing Caf. Her head quickly snapped side to side to double and triple check if anyone saw what he was doing. She prodded his ribs hard with her finger. She'd never stolen anything in her life. Not even something as simple as Caf, or a candy bar!

Her voice was quiet as she whispered sternly into his ear as the machine began to bubble and produce the dark liquid that she required. "Are you crazy!? We could get in trouble for that!" Her eyes widened as her blue eyes pierced him. "You're bad!" She would reiterate. Getting kicked off the ship for two meager credits was not in her eyes an even trade. Perhaps it was simply they had come from such contrasting backgrounds that it was entirely unfathomable to her, while to Kurt it was nothing really, sometimes even necessary.

Still, she wasn't necessarily angry about it, more surprised and baffled that he'd done it.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt found himself slightly startled, though the realization quickly hit him once again. He recalled that moment back on Byblos, how she had acted when they'd entered the spaceport's closed off area. A smile drew on his lips as the memory of her reaction popped into his mind, the indignation and worry that had quickly spread across her features. The Courier stifled a laugh, simply looking down at her and slipping his hands onto her hips.

"Don't worry." His nose nuzzled against hers. "If they try to kick us off I'll just say we're on our honeymoon."

They came from such different backgrounds, back where he had come from quite literally everyone did that, ATC really only making money on Caf Machines when tourists used them. "Nobody wants to kick the newlyweds off the ship. There'll be a riot."

For him, doing those little things didn't matter, even if they had gotten caught it was unlikely that they would kick them off the ship, in fact it was unlikely that they would even care enough to talk to them about it. It was really only two credits after all, not even a tenth the price of their tickets.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Biting the corner of her lip she simply shook her head, eyes closing as she did so. "You're awful, you know that right?"

The blonde leaned over, the cup having been filled during their exchange of words, and picked up the drink. She eyed him once more, her free hand sliding beneath his ribs where three fingers would dig between them, tickling him with a bit of forward force as his punishment. Jamie then turned back to the table and wiggled her fingers in silent contemplation as to what to add to the Caf to suit her desires.

"Oh! Look at that!" She reached forward and picked up a syrup that was labeled Dark Mocha. One of her favorites! Turning the bottle upright for a full three seconds the flavor enhancement poured thickly into the cup before she placed it back down. A small cooler beneath the table held creams and milk, among other cold beverages. Taking the milk she poured it into the Caf, filling the remaining space between the liquid and the top of the cup. Jamie then gave it a quick stir and sealed it with the lid.

Her hand raised the cup to Kurt, offering him a sip. "Want to try it? It's goooooood!"

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt twitched slightly, shifting uncomfortably as she tickled him. He would have to learn how to counter-act that, maybe become more stoic or something.

Frowning for half a second he pondered just how he would become un-ticklish, though the idea was quickly abandoned as Jamie dragged him over towards the table. His eyes fell on all of the secondary ingredients for the caf, letting out a slight whistle as he wondered just how much one could dump into a cup of caf. Would it even be caf at that point? The Courier shrugged to himself then looked over the Jamie, watching her fill the cup with some Dark Mocha as well as some milk.

"If you want me to behave..." Kurt trailed off as his hands slipped onto her hips. "I better not."

He very nearly stuck his tongue out at her, though by his expression Kurt was being entirely serious.

Caf had always made him rather wired. The powerful ingestion of Caffeine usually was enough to set him off-balance. It had all the same effects on him as one might expect, with the added benefit of making him far more active than one might normally expect. An odd effect, admittedly, but one that he'd experienced more than a few times, even in the most uncomfortable situations.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

So he was ticklish. That was important. Now she had her own way of throwing him off guard in almost any situation. A powerful tool was now at her disposal to be revisited later. A terrible grin marked her face as she gave him the most suspicious type of laugh. It was ironic that he was declining the Caf on the basis of his behaving.

She raised an eye, "You think you're behaving now? Well then, where have I been the last two days?"

Jamie leaned up on her toes and kissed him, shaking her head before lacing her fingers back into his and tugging him back into the common area to have a look around and maybe find a place to at least sit somewhat comfortably for the next few hours, though not too far away from the Caf machine, you know, just in case. One can never have too much Caf.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

The laugh made him weary, his instinct being to immediately turn around and flee. Of course he did no such thing, and not just because there wasn't even really a place to flee to. Her hand caught his again, she offered him a small smile and a kiss, encapsulating him once again and drawing him away from the caf machine.

The common area was filled nearly to the brim.

Kurt tried to look over the crowd, spotting a number of aliens and humans standing, sitting, and simply loitering within the area. There was a surprising amount of diversity within the ship, a large amount of aliens that he would never have guessed to find here. He spotted Twi'leks, Trandoshan's, a Kaminoan, and even a pair of two Jawas. The last surprised him the most, though only because he knew that Jawa rarely traveled away from Tatooine. An excited look crossed his face.

"Come here." Kurt urged Jamie, smiling slightly and dragging her over to the two Jawa's who stood in the corner.

He did so love meeting someone from his homeworld way out here.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Her nerves seemed to settle a bit the moment her head registered that it was being stimulated with caffeine. Her world was right again, so she had made no protest when Kurt tugged on her hand and wandered over towards a pair of stout little Jawas. She had never seen or met one in person. She knew where they were from, and that they were most known for being salvagers and shrewd little merchants, but it seemed odd to her that they were on a ship bound for a tropical retreat such as Spira.

Still, Kurt seemed intent on speaking to them for one reason or another, above all the other colorful looking passengers that they passed as the two walked hand in hand to the Tatooine natives. The blonde would stand quietly next to Kurt when they finally reached the two. Their faces, obscured by the small brown cloaks they wore pierced her eyes with their own almost fiery ones. They seemed confused as to why they were approached, and looked at Kurt, then Jamie, then spoke some jargon in a dialect Jamie didn't understand.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Kurt smiled. "No, no trouble. I'm from Tatooine."

The little guys seemed excited by the notion of that, the one on the left talking faster than he had before. Kurt knew quite a few Jawa's, having dealt with them in one way or another for his entire life. He was friends with two of the clans that roamed Tatooine, having them often bring him parts for his pod-racer. They were good people, generally, sometimes getting a bad rap as thieves or con-artists. Certain tribes were like that, but by and large Jawa's were good people.

These two, surprisingly, were part of a clan that Kurt knew of, though had not befriended. They were headed towards Spira in order to return to Tatooine, apparently taking a round about way due to lack of credits on their part. They had ventured to Lianna to acquire contracts with a company there in order to gain galactic salvage rights for an asteroid field. That startled Kurt a bit, not expecting Jawa to be so...outgoing.

"This?" Kurt waved to Jamie, as if one of the Jawa had asked about her. His hand tightened around hers, pulling her slightly closer. "This is Jamie, my girlfriend."

The word came from his lips without a thought.

He had no idea the implication that he had just dropped, the words that he had said or what they would mean. Of course last night he had made his commitment to her, the small promise that had come with accepting her as his, but to put a title to it? That was another step. "We're traveling to Spira for a vacation, not back to Tatooine like you guys."

Kurt offered Jamie a smile.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

For a minute or two she stood and passed her eyes back and forth between Kurt and the small people as they exchanged words. It was an odd thing, not to understand the conversations of others. Perhaps some time in the future she would make it a point to learn a few less common languages in hopes to not be so in the dark later in life. Sure, she could have a protocol droid follow her around and translate everything on her behalf, but there was something entirely impersonal about that prospect, one she found borderline offensive to those she wished to communicate with.

While she was busy having this internal monologue with herself Kurt squeezed her hand and made some kind of introduction on her behalf. She heard but one word as her mind came back to the here and now, 'girlfriend.' Jamie's face, neck, and chest suddenly flared with red splotches as she looked at a smiling Kurt. The two Jawas looked at her, likely waiting for some sort of response prompted by Kurt. She stared at him for a moment, a series of questions waiting to be asked, her face almost entirely blank. She blinked. Again, before turning back to the pair beside her.

"Oh! Hi there. I'm Jamie! It's nice to meet you!" What were they just all talking about?

[member="Kurt Meyer"]

 

[Kurt Meyer]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"They're from one of the clans on Tatooine." That really went without saying but Kurt wasn't sure how much Jamie actually knew about Jawa's. "Apparently their tribe wants to expand their scavenging to outer space, going to some of the nearby asteroid fields in order to look through the junk there. They want to be enterprising, and succeed at it."

The two Jawa's spoke excited gibberish. "Right now they're headed back to Tatooine, couldn't go direct because some of the larger transports were either too expensive or wouldn't accept Jawa passengers."

That latter part visibly upset Kurt.

The Courier was not a fan of racism, especially against people that he generally considered to be not only good, but Just. Jawa never wanted to hurt anyone, in fact by and large they were helpful and good natured. More than once he had been aided by one of the tribes, more than once he had been offered water or food by a wayward Jawa. He didn't like the thought of anyone rejecting the little guys, especially when they were just trying to get home.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie looked at Kurt and saw the clear pain behind his eyes, then turned to the two little folk curiously. She didn't understand racism altogether. Of course she knew what it was, but not why. Was there really a reason that some species were treated more poorly than others? Often times it was humans who treated other species this way, and it made her feel almost disgusted.

"I see." She said. Her hand let go of Kurt for a minute, holding up a finger as she turned, setting her backpack on the ground and kneeling beside it. Funny enough, on her knees she was about as tall as the two Jawa. She offered them a smile before focusing her attention on the contents of her bag. With everything being packed as neatly as it was it made it difficult to to find the item she was searching for, but at last she felt it in between her index and middle finger.

With a bit of twisting and tugging she finally pulled out the small credit chit she had tucked in between several layers of clothes. With the item in hand she held it forward and offered it to them to take.

"Here." She said, placing it in one of their small hands. "That ought to buy your way home with a respectful crew."

Jamie had forgotten to tell Kurt that she had sent a message to her parents back home, telling them she was OK and what had happened and why she'd left. An agreement had been made to return home when her training was finished, and in exchange they had sent her an allowance of credits equal to a year of modest pay. The credit chit she had handed the Jawa had somewhere around 800 credits on it, give or take, more than would be required to pay a reputable captain and his crew to return the two home.

[member="Kurt Meyer"]