Public Old Friends in an Old City

[Cassus D'Kai]

Cassus had come to the great walled city of Iziz a couple of days ago, having booked himself a room in one of the city's ancient hotels and payed for an extended stay docking permit at the space port. He was on a nerd vacation, more or less, here to relax and see the ancient tombs that made Onderon, and Dxun by extension, one of the most important places in Jedi History. Today, he had spent the day just wandering the ancient neighborhoods and marketplaces of the oldest part of the city, having purchased several trinkets and knick knacks that he promptly stored in his hotel room.

Now that Evening had fallen, he was in the hotel bar, sipping a drink and listing to the slow jizz band that was playing off in one of the corners. Tonight seemed like one of those nights.

 

[Rika Hassan]

Days or weeks. Maybe months? She wasn't sure anymore. Then again, time passed differently for a creature like her. Surely she would know when she landed. Most of her time in space was simply drifting as she repaired a new body, something she found when she was pirating other ships and lost cargo. Something she found she quite liked. This body was different than the other. It required care, and when it was repaired it was a shiny diamond that she treasured. Now, she needed to take it for a test drive.

Iziz would do. The young Shard ventured out of the small ship she had called hers since she woke from stasis with others. Parting ways to do things, but not forgetting them at all. Eventually, she came to the hotel bar in question. Slipping inside with an awkward gait and a weird glance. Someone at that bar that looked familiar to her. She stared. For a while, before it became far too awkward. So she'd approach him with a scrutinizing stare, leaning herself against the bar and looking him dead in the eye.

Part of her wondered what the reaction would be. She was no longer a nearly six-foot-tall statuesque droid. "Cassus." She says as a small smile begins to form across her lips. "Friend. How are you doing?"

 

[Cassus D'Kai]

Cassus almost choked on his drink when Rika popped up out of almost nowhere. He had hardly recognized her, and it truly did take him a moment to register who she was. "Rika! It's been awhile..did you do something different with yourself or has my memory just gone to hell?" Rika would note that there are several empty highball glasses in front of him.

"How's business been?"

 

[Rika Hassan]

When he realizes who it is at his side she would look away for a brief moment. If only to hum a little to herself. "New body." She says with a flip of hair which she tosses over her shoulder. "Your memory isn't that bad." She says, her eyes glancing towards the glasses he had sitting in front of him.

"Business has been... interesting. I stopped working for a while to repair this body, which I finally got back into working condition. What about you? What trouble have you gotten yourself into? And to follow that up. How drunk are you?"

 

[Cassus D'Kai]

"I'm not THAT drunk. I havent been doing anything, just playing the whole galactic tourist bit. Things have gotten more...confusing since we went into stasis. I'm honestly not sure what I should be doing." He would say that last bit with an almost melancholic tone in his voice, his eyes going to the bartop for a brief moment. "What brings you here?"

 

[Rika Hassan]

"Not that drunk." She repeats in the same tone and inflection as Cassus. "I've done my best to fit into the world around me, but it is quite difficult when you feel you don't belong." Rika took a moment to stare off for a moment herself, chewing on her bottom lip in thought. She's reeled back in by his question, her eyes shifting back towards him. "Selling things I've stolen mostly. And you? What tourist things have you done here?"

 

[Cassus D'Kai]

"I'm just trying to take in all of the more ancient parts of the city...it's really comforting to me to know how some things remain constant in the face of so much change..I hope you didn't have to hurt anyone while you were robbing them." How carefree Rika seemed to be about her work always left bad taste in his mouth, but, who was he to judge a Shard? He flagged the bartender down for another drink, setting some credits on the bar and slinging his arm over the back of his stool.

"What do you feel like doing right now?"

 

[Laertia Io]

Wearing: Ursula's Robes

Armed with: Momentary Discomfort

With: Moya Virtu , Darth Themis

Objective: Relax

Came to Onderon in: Blessing of Loste


Laertia was overjoyed to finally spend some time with her caretaker Moya as well as her adoptive Grand Mother...

After a few weeks of ripping and tearing until it was done, Laertia had decided to take a week off, let her body recover, spend time with her family. What counted as her family, anyway.

One was an Android with Force Powers that was extremely difficult to destroy, even with the numerous factory defects she had to her design. The other was that Android's creator, an infamous Light Side Sith from The Reconstruction Era. Laertia, despite being sworn to the service of the Jedi, had done nothing about Themis...she knew how dangerous she was...but Themis occupied a moral zone that deeply confused her sensibilities: they both drew from the same side of The Force.

She wasn't a sadist, like other Sith. She didn't harm the innocent. Laertia had let her into her life more because after the revelation about The Amalgam on Kar Shian, Laertia had been grasping to have as many people in her corner as possible. People she could love and that would love her back. She knew that this increased her vulnerability, made her a target, but she was 'not' one of the Jedi who lived their lives without attachments...she had been forced to live life without attachments for too many years and had hated it in the end. She'd have gone crazy in the end if she hadn't met Ursula, as much as it disgusted her to admit this...

As if that was not enough, now she was secretly having an affair without telling her family...

Laertia forced herself away from thinking about Syd Celsius through their Force Bond, lest she start to feel the Force Spawn's thoughts. She was nervous all the time, split between two things. She wasn't sure why she hadn't told her family about Syd. She was still trying to navigate her own feelings in that regard, due to being so unfamiliar with them.

She had NEVER been in a romantic relationship with anyone. Ever. It was a whole lot of firsts. Way too many firsts, in fact.

Laertia could currently only count the handful of times she and Syd had spent time with each other. But they each burned into her damaged brain in a new and different way. The feel of Syd's lips, the color of her red hair--

Laertia FORCED herself to stop. With an iron discipline ironically taught by her arch-enemy, Laertia sequestered away all thoughts of Syd from her conscious mind as she put on the white robes, instantly dulling the coming migraine to almost nothing.

Exiting her quarters she found Moya in the ship garage in her black dress, preparing possible medications Laertia might need. Laertia promptly walked over and hugged the Android, a curvy, bronze skinned woman of middle age, with long, curly dark hair.

Laertia knew Moya was not happy with Laertia being out of retirement, but also knew stopping The Amalgam was too important. Laertia was in until The Amalgam and all her enemies were dead.

"Iz evrytingz inn orrduhh?" Laertia asked softly, fully aware of coming into contact with the highly dangerous military grade pheremones constantly saturating the Android's skin

"Of course Laertia..." Moya said happily, as she hugged her daughter. "In fact, I managed to find this wonderful aftermarket tech shop...they make weapon attachments for cybernetics...some of it not quite legal in 'every' corner of this section of space...but legal enough..."

"Ha! I thryvez innz leegull grayy areaz!" Laertia joked...sorta, hugging her again.

She then went to the main hold where she found her grandmother, who looked like Moya, only much younger looking, clad in a black and purple catsuit, with mutated Bronze and Green eyes. She was leaning against the hull of a utility chamber, petting one of Laertia's rabbits. Cortosis, who snuggled against her.

"This one likes me..." Themis said, bemused.

"Cortosis lykez evrybuddy..." Laertia pointed out good naturedly.

Themis seemed fascinated by the rabbits cuddling because she let it go on for another fifteen seconds before letting it go. Laertia's gentle whistles ordered the rabbit back into his pen, where Moya sealed him in.

"I'm reelee gladdz wee mannaged tuh lynkz uppz..." Laertia said to her...to be honest, Laertia was not certain where she stood with Themis. She wasn't certain whether she was subtly trying to sway Themis to the Jedi or slowly letting herself be swayed to the Light Side Sith. She was starting to question her entire life.

Maybe I don't want to be The Black Knight of Nar Shaddaa anymore she thought to herself.

The plan was simple: Spend the night relaxing walking the planet she had helped a while back fight off The Sith...while she and Moya subtly double teamed Themis to figure her out better. A win win...Moya didn't show it to Laertia but she didn't trust Themis...not that Laertia hadn't figured it out anyway that Moya didn't.

The three left the starship, Laertia paying the docking fee to the nearby official and the three, two of them bronze skinned visions of beauty, the one leading them a scarred but nonetheless tombstone skinned knockout, even with the mechanical left arm.

The three strange family members walked the walled streets keeping eyes on the civilians that gave strange looks as they passed by, as well as each other.

It was evening outside. They planned to stay the next few days so their first stop was the hotel that had been booked on the coin of Themis. A grand and expensive place with lots of privacy...

 

[Rika Hassan]

She pondered just why Cassus enjoyed the taste of these drinks. Why he drank them. So she reached for one of his empty glasses, nimble tattooed fingers gripping the lip of the cup. Then slowly she began to drag it across the bartop towards herself. "You should do more interesting things, or are you intent on living in the past?"

A strange question posed by a relic such as herself. A rock who was simply, thousands of years old. She grins at her old friend as she brings the glass up to her nose and gives it a brief sniff. Whatever else she was interested in doing stopped there as she gathered the scents that lingered coupled with his smell. She'd process them quickly and puts the glass down gently. "I only hurt people who actually deserve it." She adds with an arched brow and a teasing tone. "The rest I just leave without credits and items. It's lucrative. You should join me sometime." She had plenty of doubts that he would not in fact join her on piracy missions. Something about being a decent person. Whatever that meant.

"Watch and stare." Was he only response to his question as she looks out past the bar where they sat at the rest of the hotel.

 

[Cassus D'Kai]

"Perhaps I should find something more interesting..." He watched her take his glass, an eyebrow quirking. "Can you taste things? I know you're just using that HRD like a vehicle, but just how plugged in are you, really?" With that, he flagged down the bartender again, who would fill up the cup that Rika was holding.

"Maybe I should come with you, maybe I'd be a good influence on you?"

Cassus' attention would briefly fall upon Laertia Io and her cadre, watching them momentarily while they made their grand entrance into the hotel lobby, which would be directly in line of sight with where they were sitting at the bar.

 

[Rika Hassan]

"I can taste plenty of things." She retorts with a slight snort. "HRD's are quite human. Frankly, it was the most human experience I'd get. The last was okay, waifish with a keen eye. This one.. she sees better and her senses are more tuned." She would put the glass down as it is filled and raises a brow at Cassus. "I've managed to ensure my housing works with the interface. So fairly plugged in." She says grinning.

His offer made her smile wide. "We could be our own crew. Me stealing, you telling me the moral obligations of such actions and how it contradicts the force and what you stand for." Slowly her eyes drifted towards what his eyes had fallen on. She watches the group, head tilting. "What do you make of 'em?"

 

[Laertia Io]

Laertia had ordered a strictly non-alcoholic drink at the bar counter. A Coruscant Virgin. Moya could not order anything as she did not eat or drink, and Themis was the only one who ordered actual alcohol, Atrisian Rice Wine, to be exact.

Laertia daintily consumed her virgin, while Themis sipped her Sake. Moya sat closer to Laertia than Themis did. Laertia hadn't told Moya that Themis was a Sith yet. Light Side Sith, anyway.

"So tell me...how did you pick up magic tricks?" Themis asked in genuine curiosity.

"Ittz wuz a reekwyremenntz too surrvyves azz a chyldez...pluss, maynetaynyngz duh okkupayshunn allowwz meez tuh trannzporrtz susspyshuss lookinz ekwipmenntz wythoutz drawingz too muchh attennshunnz..." Laertia answered. "Pluss I luvvz beeingz a stayge muhjyshunn..."

Themis sipped more of her Sake.

"Sometimes I wake and wished I had picked another occupation..." Themis admitted.

Laertia thought of The Amalgam and suppressed a shudder...

"So dooz I...sommetymez..."

"I have a question..." Moya asked the Bright Lord.

"Ask away, Creation..." Themis replied.

"What are your intentions, now that you are back in Laertia's life?"

"Currently? Nothing but enjoying a drink with my only family. But who knows? Maybe I'll build me a Jedi offshoot..."

Laertia snickered at this for understandable reasons but regained her composure quickly. Moya raised a brow.

"I really gotta work on my sarcasm better, I am way too damn obvious..." Themis muttered.

Her eyes noticed Cassus D'Kai and Rika Hassan noticing them as they talked. She got a vision of the future for both of them...

"Hey..." Themis called out to both. "What I say next will only make sense down the road. You..." she said to Cassus politely. "About a hundred days from now you have a good chance to get into a fight with a Sith Lord...when you do, slice at his midsection only after he's tried three overhead attacks. It's the tactic the works the most. And you..." she called out to the Shard controlling the HRD.

"You have fifteen days until an Assassin will attempt to expose you to a droid disruptor. You always survive if you dodge left when its aimed at you..."

Darth Themis then sipped more Sake.

"Just friendly advice...but you would be well to remember it..." she told them.

"Yeahh, sheez crayyzee goodz wyth Pruhdikshunnz..." Laertia admitted to them, before sipping more of her own drink...

"She can also never legally enter a Casino on pain of death!" Moya joked. Themis jokingly flipped her creation off without looking at her, but she had to fight down the chuckle, because it was totally true...