Ol' World Blue (Open, 2)

[Jsc]

Corellia

A woman walks into a bar. Could have been the start of any old fairy tale really. Except for one thing?

Karen Roberts was no easy woman.

"Yo. Heya Blue. What can I get cha this fine morning?"

"Just a coffee. Thanks Mike."

"No problem darlin'. Have a seat. It'll be right up."

Roberts was a tall, strong woman with vibrant blue hair. Years of fighting didn't hold a candle to how radiant she still looked. Even after all those messy battles her skin could still hold a Jedi's glow. Which was sort of funny because last time we saw her, she was pretty much, well, ...dead. Mostly anyway...

"So Mike. What's the good word? Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Aww. Now you know I ain't supposed to be telling? Margret would kill me if I let it slip before the parents heard."

"Hehe. Oh, I know. Just browsing I suppose. But don't keep us in supense now? Soon as it happens, I want that text. Okay?"

"Haha. Okay okay. Soon as it happens. Promise."

Yeah. Mostly dead is a good way to put it. I mean, rising from the dead takes talent you know. Talent, and a clever cover-up from Republic Intelligence. Indeed, dispite the extravagant rumors of her sudden demise following the huddle, Karen had enjoyed almost a whole year away from Republic space at this point. Hiding right in plain sight. Right under the nose of the Omega Pyre and it's many colorful divisions and powerful lieutenants. Just relaxing, breathing, and living a comfortable retirement on Corellia with good family and friends. It was a great time to be alive and prosperous. Even if she knew it couldn't last. After all. For the life of a Vanguard woman? Such things simply aren't meant to be.

Dressed in Tetan fashions with a black leather jacket swung about her shoulders, this lost blue-haired heroine took one last moment to enjoy her coffee in peace. With almost a decade of visiting breakfast bars on Corellia under her belt? She knew these quiet scenes of tranquility were few and far between. Especially without someone's force frying pans trying to burn the whole place down. Well? ...Nah. Maybe she was just a little rusty.

___

*ooc: open to 2.​

 

[Gilamar Skirata]

Corellia.

It was a place Mordecai knew well...Though that would be a little inaccurate. Gilamar had known this place well, he had felt the old man's spirit rise when the pair landed a few days ago. Just the sight of the CEC's massive shipyards brought a reluctant smile to this cold warrior's face. But why were these wandering souls on Corellia? Not for simple sightseeing, that was for sure. He didn't understand why, but it felt like the two were being watched...Studied, most likely by his "Mother". Mordecai just needed a place he could blend in. If not for just a while.

The door into the breakfast bar sung open gently, the heel of his boot clacked on the floor and his utility belt jangled with every step. Trinkets, odds and ends dangled from the belt and within the leather jacket he wore. To a Galaxy as diverse as this one was, a man as large as Mordecai was not nearly enough to make one uneasy, but even still, there was an uneasiness about him. The few guests that had been originally enjoying their breakfast meal seemed to squirm and a few simply got up and left with the credit chits on the table, not bothering to wait for change.

He knew what it was. Something about the leather coat he wore made things feel fear. He had experienced it a few times before when attempting to put on the damned thing. He also knew how to switch off the effect...But why do that now? He was tired, and he wanted a drink and some food alone this early.
[member="Karen Roberts"]

 

[HK-36]

[member="Karen Roberts"], [member="Mordecai Tal'kyr"],

Corellia,

And yet another traveler would venture forth through the threshold of the bar's door. An old traveler from the looks of it, his aging skin slightly pale, a mane of snow-colored hair decorating his head. He was clad in simple robes, nothing fancy, yet nothing disintegrating in disrepair and overuse.

"A cup of lord shadow tea, please monsieur."

He would quietly say to the barkeep when the man would look to him, giving a kind smile as he settled himself on one of the stools, making sure his body was hugged snugly with his robes, he would not want any of the concealable weapons he had on himself just in case to reveal, it might attract attention, if not trouble.


Looking around he did indeed spot a mane of blue hair across the bar the being seemed to recognize, but then again she was supposed to be dead, and it's not like blue hair was a trait specific to just one person, after all there was Major Mao out there who shared the hair color, plus that race of blue haired people whose name the writer is forgetting right now.


Either way, should Karen catch his analytical stare at her, the man would give her a simple soft smile and a similar kind look from his eyes,

​

​

After all, HK's HRD bodies were his few chances to blend in as an organic, he wouldn't want to attract enough attention to himself to reveal one of his shape's appearance.


And then that jingly jangly man entered, the Old Wanderer catching a glimpse of him, noting that the two had similar idea of not going into a bar unarmed, although so far the droid seemed to put more effort into hiding the few weapons he carried on himself. As to any effects his coat would have, that would go over HK's head unfortunately, although his current body's appearance was human, he was still a machine underneath, no matter how well he tried to hide it he would still be only a mockery of a human, not the actual thing.

 

[Jsc]

Within and without. In the ebb and flow of the Force came the interesting and the curious. Still waters that would begin to stir, and pool, and even swallow your thoughts whole. Turning day dreams into sharper focus. Such was the temperment of a sensitive being, that when the universe began to glimmer around a singluar individual, you might take notice. Karen Roberts knew absolutely nothing about Kerrigan Coats or the aura of dread that surrounded them. Alchemy was lost upon her completely and she gave little thought to purchasing such expensive trinkets dispite their use. My my, and weren't they expensive too. Still, Karen found her hand waving through the air with a subtle ward of power. Her silent finger tracing a line through the air just above her coffee. It was a Jedi spell that guarded the mind from the toxic effects of violence, paranoia, lust, and fear. Unnaturally common amongst Jedi these days. She would blame Kaine for that one. Luckily, it would suffice. Once woven she took a long sigh of relief and turned to browse upon the new arrivals. [member="HK-36"] seemed only an unfamiliar old man seasoned with an excellent pallette. Surely this comforting gaze was not the source of the panic that could stricken a moral to fearfulness. Perhaps, rather the opposite really. Oh no. It did appear that [member="Mordecai Tal'kyr"] was the centerpoint of this particular disturbance to her comfortable morning. Even now the Force continued to rest upon with a keen and unseemly interest. Eyes resting upon eyes. Karen was so facinated that she even turned to complacently stare at the male. Oh my, oh my. What ever do we have here?

Karen spun fully to watch the man with a casual, if unnecessary, interest. Turning her chest and posture fully to contemplate upon this new arrival. Sipping her coffee with only passing amusment and quietly lamenting the quick escape of the other patrons. Ugh. But Gods in heaven, It was so hard to remain retired and undercover. Why couldn't her curiousity just stay dead too.

Smilng faintly Roberts offered a robust and amused,

"Good morning, hmm?"

 

[HK-36]

[member="Mordecai Tal'kyr"], [member="Karen Roberts"],


"Hyrm"

The elder being grunted out hushly as the force peafowl turned about to study the man, for reasons unknown to the machine,

Surely another copulation ritual in the works.

The droid mused to himself, giving a smile to the waiter who brought him a mug of the Space Earl Grey he ordered, apparently bars were not the place to look for tea in fine porcelain.

"Merci so much."

He thanked the man, barkeep giving out a grunt or some vague words in acknowledgement, moving on to his own works as the disguised droid looked to Karen and Mordercai once more.

He will probably start off by showing his rear to her and waving it through the air.

Machine continued his calculations,

That is how organics woo one another, by showing asses to each other? Right?

He asked himself,


Apparently he wasn't that far off in the assumption when [member="Lex Matako"] was trying to win [member="Cira"]'s favor. Or maybe at that point the writer played a droid for so long he actually forgotten how to write a proper romance and/or seduction.

 

[Gilamar Skirata]

His eye twitched, annoyed, or was it annoyance? Maybe it was that thing organics called instinct. The mind of a trained killer and the soul of a seasoned Mandalorian, he could almost see the faint scars that battle left on the organic body. The way one carried themselves told much to an experienced eye, or soul in this case.

His hands had been folded, his forehead buried in the palms of his hands, propped up on the table by his elbows. Deep in thought and awaiting his caf he wondered what kept her so calm in the presence of his coat. It only added to his suspicion. Did her speech elicit a response? Communicating was still quite strange to the tube-born, despite Gilamar's sixty years of experience with people.

The other, older man just outright gave him the creeps.

"Hrmm," a grunt came in response, "Is it such a good morning? I guess." A waitress set the cup of caf down on his table, her hand shaking. With a smirk he reached into his coat and removed Gilamar's flask. Maybe this morning would be 'Good'.

[member="HK-36"] [member="Karen Roberts"]

 

[Jsc]

Karen's writer kept her sweet sweet bahooty firmly against it's cushion as her mouth began a smirk. [member="Mordecai Tal'kyr"] was playing hard to get. For although he was a instinctual gambit, Karen always considered more than just the cards on the table. Because even amongst the strongest of bluffs and between the coldest, hardest of poker faces; there always came a time when all the players must show their hand.

Her eyes flickered with a giggle at [member="HK-36"] french. She could apprecite an older man who knew when to keep his cool. And when to make it hot.

"Did you know you carry the faintest scent of plague? ...Forgive me but my religion bids me speak. Indeed I myself, dark stranger, already wonder from whence you came? Are you perhaps a plague spore, a Sithspawn draug, or a budding blackguard bandit? Mmm. Oh! Or something in between. So hard to tell really. I can never seem to get it quite right on the very first try."

She set down her mug and mused even more overtly. Caring little for specktacle at this point,

"Mmm. No. A good morning indeed. I think something splended is afoot."

 

[HK-36]

[member="Mordecai Tal'kyr"], [member="Karen Roberts"],


The elder man listened in as the conversation sparked between the other two persons of interest in the bar, he would raise a brow, looking to Murderkai as Karen listed all the possibilities of what he could be, apparently the Forcesensitive peafowl sensing some sort of plague or influence about the man.

He would adjust himself in case something would erupt from this situation, if he would need to arm himself with a lightsaber or shatterpistol, or just dodge a stool or bottle being thrown his way, he wanted to be ready.

Other than that, he just kept listening, looking from the blue haired beauty to moderately attractive Gilamar tube baby.

 

[Gilamar Skirata]

The blue haired woman's question brought veiled confusion to the cold face of Mordecai. Did he qualify as a Sithspawn? With his "Mother" involved it was anyone's guess, though he did not feel like a Sithspawn. He most certainly wasn't any of the other things she mentioned. She was annoying, but interesting, and interesting meant he felt obligated to answer her question.

"Not sure what a sithspawn is," he lied, picking up his mug with both hands, "I hunt..." a pause as he thought of a way to put his next words carefully, "big game." Another lie? Or a half truth. He had recently become a registered hunter with the Beast Hunter's Guild, but that was only a side job, a way to fly from spaceport to spaceport.

"What of yourself? You seem to have killed more than your fair share, or fought at the least." That old man still unsettled him. So...inorganic.

[member="HK-36"] [member="Karen Roberts"]

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="Karen Roberts"] [member="HK-36"] [member="Mordecai Tal'kyr"]

Noah sighed as he walked into the diner, his overcoat that obscured his armor was quickly taken off, it was hot enough inside the armor without having that heavy coat over him. Sitting down at the nearest stool, a bar tender came up and asked Noah what he wanted. He quickly responded with a baco nerf burger and a tall glass of whatever they had on tap. Sighing, Noah surveyed the diner, looking for any familiar faces.

 

[Jsc]

Karen smirked at [member="Mordecai Tal'kyr"] . He hadn't even blinked. Facinating. She took a long sip of her coffee before replying across the way,

"I'm just here for breakfast. Though you do not appear to have percieved my intent. How exactly are you manifesting a Force Aura without so much as a lick of concentration or inate talent? Are you perhaps? Oh."

She bladed her eyes and delved deeper into the swirling currents that surrounded the man,

"Mmm. No. It's not you. ...Is it? Something. About you. ...Something. You keep with you. Hm?"

Even with all her years of experience, she just couldn't quite figure it out. Was it luck or providence? These fated meetings. She could never decide. It was like looking at a Hobbit who had stolen a very special ring. There was just something about him. Something powerful. Something raw and deadening. The Force gave only hints and gestures. Nothing solid for her imagaination to grasp onto. Indeed, given her musings Roberts had almost completely forgotten about [member="HK-36"] . The benefits of his unusal disguise and his cool demeaner no doubt. But when [member="Noah Corek"] entered the establishment, she knew the gig was up. Corek was one of the most subtle marksman she had ever known. Sure, she could attempt a mind-trick or a vision cloak in order to escape unnoticed? However, something told her that Noah was likely far too experienced with Force Users and Space Wizards to ever fall for something as childish as a charade. So instead she sighed and took one last sip of her coffee.

So much for staying dead now.

 

[HK-36]

[member="Karen Roberts"], [member="Noah Corek"], [member="Mordecai Tal'kyr"],


"Monsieur"

The hidden droid crouching drone begun in his Space French dialect towards a waiter shuffling about the bar cafe diner place they were in.

"A cup of Space Caf for the blue haired lady o'er there, se il vous plaît, tell her it's from 'Abregado's Finest'"

The older being would smile to the waiter as he took the order, whispering the message to him.


Surely soon enough the cup would be placed in front of Karen and the message past on to her, hopefully it would be enough to let the peafowl know that Noah was not the only Protectorate officer hiding in the bar, should there still be doubt, next time she would catch glance towards the elder wanderer she would be able to see subtle but purposeful and visible dull red glow in his iris, glow much like particular photoreceptors belonging to an assassin droid on Abregado-Rae.


Well at least should the Cyan Hunter of Darkness decide to physically confront Mordecai about his coat she wouldn't be without backup. Of course there was also an issue of her deciding to confront the droid instead for deciding to blatantly take appearance of a human, the memory of how she reacted when HK proposed first to copy himself and serve Protectorate still fresh in his mind.

 

[Noah Corek]

[member="Karen Roberts"] [member="HK-36"] [member="Mordecai Tal'kyr"]

Noah took a bite out of his burger as he surveyed the bar, that was when his eyes came to rest on a patch of vibrant blue hair. Noah had only ever meet one person who had hair like that. Standing up, Noah walked over, leaving his burger but grabbing his whiskey. "You know, usually when you fake your own death, they usually trust their friends enough to tell them why your doing it or well you know, tell them your actually alive!" Noah didn't yell, though he wasn't yelling, he was sure though that his anger was very much bleeding into his tone. "So Roberts, how has the land of the dead been treating you?"

 

[Gilamar Skirata]

"A Force presence?" Was that what his coat did? Created a Force presence so powerful and menacing that it made people literally shiver in their boots? Interesting. "I have no clue." A lie. He shook his head and shrugged, keeping his head down, his gaze fixed on the young woman. A drink slid her way and a soldier of some denomination was now speaking to her.

Something wasn't right. Why was this woman gaining so much attention? His hand slid to his blaster slowly, suspicion rising. Was he really this paranoid? That he couldn't enjoy a cup of caf? Though when dealing with a potentially pissed off Mother, or in this case Rave Merril, could one be too cautious?

@[member="Noah Corek"] @[member="HK-36"] @[member="Karen Roberts"]

 

[Jsc]

@[member="Mordecai Tal'kyr"] knew how to play hard to get, that was for sure. Sadly, Karen didn't have time to inquire further about his magical coat of terror. The Commander had arrived.

Karen didn't turn her posture from the cowboy. Just her head and gave a soft smile,

"Hello Noah."

She nodded to herself and spun about with a casual flick of her chair,

"Commander? Oh my. Impressive. I heard the news. And good for you. The Seat of the Protector knows when to admire good soldiers. Always has."

Roberts tipped her glass in salute. She had never actually felt close to Noah Corek though they shared similar hobbies. Perhaps even a similar standard of character. Yet, even without a companion's bond one could still have a more professional kind of admiration for a person. An admiration for their willpower and their goals. Their guts and their flag. He wasn't a Jedi or a Priest. Probably not even the religious type either. Still Karen couldn't stop but to hold a smile when she thought of Corek. Blasting away at Bando Gora raiding parties or Sith interlopers with ease. He certainly had style to his name. That was for sure.

"And yes. I've been enjoying my vacation from the war rather blissfully. After Coruscant, nothing has been the same."

She hoped that sentence had the good weight even a soldier might understand. Karen being dead was one thing. The loss of life that happened on Coruscant? And every single day since? ...That was a dreadful weight to bear. It was the perspective she chose to carry. Even now. Even dead.

A cup of caf finally brushed against her place setting at the bar and Karen turned surprisingly to notice @[member="HK-36"] . With quickening facination she searched the Force deeply enough to discover his spark. That old, old spark. Like an ancient strand of DNA or an etheral, no, spiritual fingerprint. Intelligence, order, preference, and even his signature curiousity. Maybe even a hint of comedy too. Could it be? Did that red twinkle ever lie?

"Oh my?"

And oh yes. She didn't have the words.

 

[HK-36]

@[member="Noah Corek"], @[member="Mordecai Tal'kyr"], @[member="Karen Roberts"],


That seemed to have gotten Karen's attention well enough, the droid smiled to the stunned Peafowl, raising his cap of tea to her in a bit of a mocking toast and giving her a nod before getting the nearby waiter's attention,

"Monsieur"

The waiter leaned down to him to hear what was the elder being's request,

"Check please."

HK asked and the waiter nodded, shuffling away to get receipt ready, the masked droid did not supposed he would be staying much longer, especially if Karen would care to stop by his table and catch up, after all they shared that night on Abregado once and then the energetic morning after. And by that the writer means when Karen visited HK on Abregado he sneaked into her hotel room and got into her bed to greet her when she woke up, that struck a bad enough chord with Karen for her to send out a Force shock-wave and thrash the room.


He gave a look to Karen then, beckoning for her to dare and speak with the elder machine who found a way to blend in among organics now apparently.

 

[Jsc]

The time came to finally move along and so, Ol' Blue gave Noah her new card. He could reach her anytime if he just called that number. Maybe she would give chase to HK and see what he had been up to all along.

With a last sip of her coffee, and a twinkle in her ear, she departed back into Corellia's many mysteries.