Pleasant Confrontation

[Arekk]

​

LITHIOS​

Merchants' District, Ethos City ​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Mira Rekali"] ​

Rain.

It poured from the pale grey sky every day, every night non-stop. The flickering lights from the sorrounding neon lights and massive advertisement boards scattered through Ethos City reflected on the cold and equally wet pavement. Sellers from all parts of the city reunited and set up their shops at the Merchants' District, providing the bypassing pedestrians all types of wares and unique items that you wouldn't really find elsewhere.

Of course, the more rich and accomodated individuals would have their own massive shops with proper interiors and highly decorated walls and floors, every item displayed in wonderfully placed and designed metallic shelves plus holographic demonstrations.

Ar'ekk sat by a noodle shop just around the corner from "Kevahl's Warehouse", a place focused on selling experimental augmentations and other advanced high-technology for patrons who knew their way around this type of business. He engaged in casual conversation with the noodle shop owner and sole worker Jovim, who spoke with a clear accent which usually meant he wasn't a local.

"I heard things have become slightly crazier up north, by the slums. You've checked that out yet, Ar'ekk?"

The man held onto the chopsticks as he toyed around with the noodles inside their small box, looking up to Jovim and giving him a careless shrug,

"I've heard but that's not my department. They'll keep killing each other until the matter is settled."

Letting out a heavenly deep sigh, the former crime lord turned Je'daii Ranger looked around aimlessly in an attempt to spot anything out of the usual. Unusual could have very well be the trademark of Lithios.

Anything could catch your eye...

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[The End Narrator]

Was it something with these worlds that just attracted weather like this?

The dreary rain that seemed to pelt away at the senses, causing them to dull and make one feel as if they were apart of some collective. Mira didn't feel that way, however, it sure seemed as if those around her did. The masses marching to the invisible beat, their daily lives dictated by the desire to just make it from one day to the next. The sound of the market filled her ears as she concealed herself beneath a rain soaked hood, eyeing each person she passed but only for a moment. They became momentary specs to be lost in a sea of thought as she made her way to the coveted noodle shop. Her stride broke only briefly as she dodged a crate that toppled over as an Ithorian and Rodian got into a scuffle about it's value.

She'd arrive without any other issues, to find that another patron had occupied her favorite seat. With a grumble, she took a seat further down.

Jovim broke his conversation with the patron – a man of sorts, to greet her. Mira discarded the hood and nodded to him. "Ayy Jov, can I get the usual please? Extra spicy! Don't forget those new peppers I asked for this time!"

He chuckled and nodded. "I won't, I won't." He turned to his station before looking back. "You want that Bantha meat medium?"

She'd chuckle and brush away a lock of soaked hair before nodding. "Yeah." Her crimson gaze flickering to the other patron before gazing down at the scratched holopad that was embeded into the counter. She started browsing through the news and different feeds, propping herself up with her hand. "So, how has business been?"

The sound of noodles sizzling soon filled the booth as he shouted a reply. "Ah, pretty good. Steady."

Mira nodded softly as she mumbled. "I see, I also see you're giving away my favorite seat..."

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Merchants' District, Jovim's Noodle Shop, Ethos City ​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Mira Rekali"] ​

He enjoyed rainy days like this, specially during the evenings when most people on Lithios moved throughout the city and filled the streets until they were packed. Today was no exception to that and he felt right at home. A man like Ar'ekk could never live in the comfort of a planet covered in plants, animals and lakes. He grew up in the underworld of an urban ergumenopolis far away from here and Lithios...

It felt like home.

To cope with the cold evening, Ar'ekk enjoyed the most delicious noodle meal with Bantha meat a man like Jovim could offer. He had become a regular here and while he usually never spotted the girl sitting besides him, the man could not help but give her a sly smirk of some sorts.

Cigarette in hand and blowing smoke out of his nostrils, he replied back with a confident tone,

"This is your seat? I'm sorry I stole it from you, Jovim usually tells me things like these."

He shot daggers at Jovim who stood behind the counter while preparing Mira's meal, the smoke from the kitchen evaporating as it went in an upwards motion. Shuffling on his seat to sit comfortably, he gave the girl a brief size up before continuing.

"You're a regular too, huh?" he said while slurping more noodles, chopsticks on his face and a small grin developing behind.

The black leather jacket he was wearing that night was soaked wet, rain droplets dripping all the way down to the pavement. While not very good at small talk, Ar'ekk was certainly talkative during their brief meeting.

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[The End Narrator]

Mira huffed. "Yeah, that was but I don't really see you budging at the moment..." She let that linger as she slid forward a bit more, drawing herself under the comfort of the overhang. There was a chill at her back, while the artificial heaters and the warmth from the cook tops kept her front and sides toasty. She could feel her skin begin to dry, as well as her hair – which only meant it would get slightly frizzy.

With a grunt, she stretched and moved herself from side to side – trying to find the sweet spot in the seat before slouching back into it. "Yeah, quite often. I come here to get away from the hustle of the other routes." Which was only slightly accurate considering they were still on the nerve line of one of the major routes but nothing like the Hydian, or were they on the Hydian? Oh right.

"I was thinking of the Mara Corridor." She muttered as she flipped through the news feeds, constantly scanning them over.

Mira yawned widely as Jovim continued to prepare her bowl, garnishing it with the Bantha steak and fresh veggies. "So, what brings you to my stand?" She gestured with her free hand before gazing over to [member="Arekk"] with crimson eyes.

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Merchants' District, Jovim's Noodle Shop, Ethos City ​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Mira Rekali"] ​

Ar'ekk smiled. "Now I know that I'll have to pick a new spot next time." His entire body shivered as the cold breeze slipped through the back of his collar, raining pouring down on them more heavy than before. Sometimes, the sky of Lithios offered a wonderful display of flickering lights and rampant thunders and luckily enough for them, the night offered that same spectacle.

"It's nice here, I feel like home sometimes. The whole place is vibrant and full of life at all times."

Ar'ekk's gaze was fixed on the datapad and the newsfeed that Mira was scrolling through like it was nothing, he wasn't someone who liked to read the news during meals. He found that to be pretty interesting and told a thousand things about the girl sitting right next to him, she was someone curious that liked to keep herself up to date with everything.

Smart, intelligent.

Her crimson and fiery eyes clashed with his brown ones for a brief moment, a warm silence building up for a few seconds before any more words were spewed out.

"Tonight? It could be you, probably. I just came for a nice meal under the rain and give my friend Jovim here some company, right?"

Jovim shook his head and sighed with a wide sly smirk on his face, shrugging off Ar'ekk's attempt of a cheeky joke.

"What about you?"

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[The End Narrator]

Mira chuckled softly as Jovim placed the bowl of steaming noodles infront of her. She lifted herself up as the wafting scents of veggies, wheaty noodles and grilled Bantha steak hit her nostrils causing her mouth to salivate. A soft shrug rolled off her shoulders as the rain began to lift.

"Good food mostly..." She unwrapped the ebony chopsticks from the paper, as she gestured towards Jovim. "Keeping the old man company." Her fingers intertwined between the ends of them, she held them delicately but precisely.

With another gesture towards Ar'ekk, she smirked. "Maybe that of another." She winked before turning back to her bowl and began digging in, trying to satisfy the growl that bellowed in her pit.

He was handsome, that was for sure – but had she ever done anything like this before? Flirtatious encounters weren't something she could recall. Sure, for work purposes but they were always targets. Mira wasn't working, and she wasn't exactly sure how these things panned out when the job wasn't involved. She picked up a carrot, taking a bite of it with a loud crunch before consuming the rest without worry of who was watching. She continued to observe the holofeed, ignoring his presence – for the moment.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Merchants' District, Jovim's Noodle Shop, Ethos City ​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Mira Rekali"] ​

Huh.

There was something special about her but he could not find the right definition for such sensation. Instead, he digged into his meal further and pondered for a moment. A smile was returned in exchange as he ate in silence, letting Mira go through her newsfeed quietly and without any annoying interruptions.

The rain and the sounds coming from Jovim's frying pans plus the pedestrians going back and forth around them helped with the quiet ambience that overtook their conversation. No need to speak but enjoy what they were being offered, that was the key right there and then.

"What are you reading?"

He said in a hushed tone, trying to not break Mira's concentration as she passionately squinted at the holofeed. Whatever she was reading seemed interesting and Ar'ekk wanted to dig into the her thoughts one way or the other. To keep the conversation flowing, Ar'ekk spewed out a few words of knowledge about Lithios and some other not really interesting topics to spark their chat again.

"Lithios has been having some issues lately with a few gangs on the east side. Jovim's pretty worried about it, you've heard anything?"

So mundane, so predictable. And so he heavenly sighed.

"How are you supposed to be taken serious by talking about death and gangs, Ar'ekk?"

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[The End Narrator]

There is a moment in one's life where a sense of awkwardness might settle over a situation, sometimes it's odd or sometimes it's adorable.

This happened to be one of those times, but Mira couldn't quite tell if it was odd or adorable.

She stopped reading the feed, her eyes shifting from the article as she stopped slurping a noodle swallow only to gaze upon his curious face that peered a bit closer to her own. Rapidly blinking, she inhaled rapidly, sending a spray of juice in different directions before looking back to the feed with a soft chuckle.

"A bit of everything." She responded softly, pulling a piece of meat from the bowl and nibbling away at it. She pushed the food to the side as she gestured around them. "I won't lie, I don't know much about this place besides it brings me comfort, ya know?" Mira swallowed hard, letting off a sigh of satisfaction before digging into her bowl more.

"And Jov's noodles are by far the best on this side of the Hydian Way."

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Merchants' District, Jovim's Noodle Shop, Ethos City ​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Mira Rekali"] ​

"I have to agree with that, Jovim's got the best food on this part of town and I'd even say the entire city."

His hand reached out to pat the cook's back as he prepared the rest of the orders still pending, Jovim lifting his palm up to acknowledge the gesture but as always without saying a thing. He was too busy to think of anything and with him that was always the case.

"Lithios is a special place, full of wonderful venues. Comfortable is a good word."

They shared the same idea about this place and he appreciated that, making sure the point was conveyed clearly through his words. He cared for people like Jovim who worked their backs all day and expecting nothing but a good comment in return or the wonderful casual and spontaneous conversation like the one with Mira.

Slurping the last noodle from his Pagoda-esque box, Ar'ekk brought out a credit chip and made the last good gesture for tonight. His lit cigarette rested by the ashtray nearby and so did his custom lighter and a box of generic cancer sticks.

"It's on me, that's the least I can do."

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[The End Narrator]

She blinked as his gesture of kindness was noted before she spun in the chair, lifting the bowl up to gulp down the savory liquid. Mira let out a satisfying sigh as she placed the bowl upon the counter and looked to Jovim and then back to the stranger she was talking to. Her hands wrapped around the plastic cup which held her tea as she cocked her head to the side curiously, bringing the straw to her mouth, sipping away as she analyzed him.

Garnet eyes looked down and then up before shrugging, sliding off the chair, cup in hand. Casually she walked to him and nudged him. "You look like you could use a warm place to stay...come on."

Mira wasn't one for getting rejected, nor was she one to offer something a second time – so she'd reinforce it with a look over her shoulder as she walked away. "And a nice relaxing time in the refresher."

It was rather simple for her atleast, she took interest in the man and he had done something kind for her – now to see what he was truly about.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Merchants' District, Jovim's Noodle Shop, Ethos City ​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Mira Rekali"] ​

To cope with the cold rain, Ar'ekk enjoyed the last of two cigarettes remaining on his pack. As soon as Mira stood up, looked at him and made the unexpected offer he couldn't help but almost choke with the smoke that began to spread through his lungs. Certainly, such things did not happen very often and certainly rose a bit of uncertainty within him.

She looked and sounded genuine, at least that's what he thought in that instant. He knew that following through this and eventually doing something was wrong yet... He was alone on Lithios and had been for months. One little secret to keep which would not hurt anybody.

"Sure."

Grabbing his hot steaming cup of coffee and the remainder of his belongings from the counter, Ar'ekk and Mira walked together under the unforgiving rain of Lithios.

The neon lights from the shops and advertisements reflected on the wet pavement and the sounds coming from loud shouting vendors quickly invaded their sights and hearing, a bustling urban sprawl indeed it was.

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[The End Narrator]

The walk was short, but pleasant. A mist of rain coated them as they strolled through the hustle and bustle of the dimly lit streets, Mira keeping herself close to Ar'ekk for one reason or another. Her garnet eyes shifted back and forth as thoughts flowed through her mind about the previous time she had encountered him - but she dismissed them just as quick as they came. She made no mention of it, nor would he. It was all business then, but this was personal now. She smirked as they strode into a building, the entry way lights flickering from neglect. They'd pass beings of different backgrounds, some high on narcotics while others propositioned them for a "good time" but Mira said nothing as they made a left and then a quick right down a dimly lit hall before stopping infront of a locked door.

"We're here..." She muttered, looking over her shoulder briefly before pulling out a card and tapping it onto the pad. The door slid open, to a very quaint and small apartment. It was clean and bright - much more so than the outside where they were walking through.

Mira would enter, no doubt followed closely by Ar'ekk and the door would close and lock soundly behind them. She would say nothing, only move. Her motion was fluid but her intent was obvious - she turned to face him and closed the gap between them, grasping his shoulders tightly with her hands, running them down the wet leather, watching the ripples of water flow off. Her hands would move in towards his chest as she put both hands on the insides and pulled out and off - removing the jacket from his shoulders. The sound of hardened, wet material clattering to the floor filled the otherwise silent apartment, causing Mira to chuckle softly. Delicate hands would run back across his chest and to his shoulders as she tilted her head sideways, gazing up at him affectionately.

"Does this make you nervous, Ar'ekk?" She inquired as she leaned in closely, so close he could feel the warmth of her breath against the flesh of his cheek. "Do you feel vulnerable?" She whispered, leaning in closer towards his ear, before gently kissing the bottom of the lobe and then his jawline before pulling away. Her hands ran across his chest and to his shoulders, back and forth in gentle fluid motions.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

[media]https://soundcloud.com/fernando-fanjul/blade-runner-theme-love[/media]​

​

LITHIOS​

Mira's Apartment, Ethos City ​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Mira Rekali"] ​

They rolled up on the most impressive bit of tenement squalor he has seen in a long time. There's few streetlamps around, and what light there is flickers with uncertainty. Most of the buildings are damaged and tagged. The smell of old, rotting trash mixed with you-don't-want-to-know was overwhelming. It's no wonder people living here turn to narcotics. Anything's better than this.

The Black Lace is the newest drug on the market. You don't need a good life - you can slot someone else's, live through them, and wreck your brain in the process.

The front doors of the building aren't even locked. As they stepped inside, one could hear a junkie crying for another hit. Following Mira closely as she opened the apartment door with the keys and walking inside, he found himself in a much nicer interior than one could anticipate on a place such as this one. Much better on the inside than the outside.

Mira did not want to lose another minute as she slipped off Ar'ekk's leather jacket from his upper body and letting it fall to the floor, hands caressing his chest and the back of his head. A tingling sensation went down his spine, her warm breath and delightful tone of voice whispering gently to his ear made him feel on cloud nine.

Meaty palms grabbed the girl by the hips tightly, running them across her back and pulling her closer to him. Sweet kisses were planted on his neck and he responded by playfully biting Mira's neck.

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[The End Narrator]

Mira chuckled as she was bit, but the chuckle would fade as she failed to illicit a response from Ar'ekk. A gentle push against him would occur, subtle yet enough to garner his attention. "Now, now....you avoided my question." She mused as she gazed into his eyes, hands moving away from his chest as they cupped his face. "Do you feel, anything?" She leaned in, her voice taunting him to the edge. "Does this haunt you of memories long since gone?" She brought herself closer into his grasp, feeling his grip tighten against her waist, causing her to respond with a soft grunt and a smirk. "Be gentle, I might break..." She kissed his lips, lingering for a moment before pulling away.

She kept her hands upon his face for a brief moment before dropping them down to his shoulders, cocking her head to the side. "Do you miss her? Am I just a supplement to the carnal desires that course through your veins? Merely a tool to ease the pain?" Her right hand would drop to grasp his own, fingers interlacing as she gripped it tight, guiding it across her stomach and upwards. "Or am I something more?" Her hand would place his upon her bosom, as she pressed against it and leaned in to kiss him, roughly and intensely. Maybe she didn't want to know the answers, she didn't want to know the truth - maybe it would hurt, in more ways than one. Mira's heart had been broken in another life, or so she had been told. She was casted out, tossed aside by the ones who loved her, more so the one who did love her. Mira had been told she had been nothing more than a thing for the gain of another.

She never believed it, she wanted to believe she was loved and cared for but the overwhelming feeling she had that Gorba was telling the truth outweighed her gut instinct.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Mira's Apartment, Ethos City ​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Mira Rekali"] ​

As he was pushed aside and face was cupped, Ar'ekk finally spoke out.

"I wanted you ever since I laid my eyes on you." he pushed the matter further, nostrils flaring in delight and grabbing Mira's arms to wrap them around his shoulders. "And now that became true."

He had to move on from Jyn and Atefeh after their disappearance and apparent deaths, the love he had for them would be eternally present but the void in his heart had to be filled by someone else to continue moving along. That's the way it had to be and Mira... she was someone he had deep feelings for that developed overtime.

"Look into my eyes and you'll know the answer to that question."

He pushed Mira against the wall and held her in his arms against it, kissing her soft lips with uncontrollable desire. The soft touch of his hands against her bosom was tender but congenial at the same time. It wasn't time to think of the past, to look back and reminisce on what happened. Too many what ifs had gone through his head and he didn't want to remember, only to forget.

The amount of care and tenderness that Ar'ekk put into their act of love was undeniably sincere and Mira could see that by the way he moved, touched and kissed her.

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[The End Narrator]

Mira grinned as she was pushed against the wall, letting off a soft moan as his hands roamed. She returned the kisses, passionately and with equal desire. Clothes would begin to be discarded, and Mira would help him remove his own until they were both bare to the world around them. They would embrace each other, intertwining back and forth for hours - filling the void of silence with the sounds of love and carnal lust. As the night wore on, so would their bodies until such a time came where they would be found embraced. Mira lay her head upon his chest, reaching across to embrace his shoulder and burrowing her face into him. Her hair was matted with sweat from their passionate rendezvous. Her bare back exposed, flesh glistening against the dim light. A shiver would run down her spine as he trailed his finger along her back, tracing the intricate design of her Valkyrie wing, a tattoo fully covering her shoulder blades. One wing full and the other broken and tattered, the symbol of the Bareesh Kajidic below it. The tattoo showed all that she was a property, so to speak, of the Clan - in some form. At the base of her spine, a symbol of the Rekali Clan, emblazoned in the colors of her mother and father was also etched into her flesh - although it was a symbol foreign to Mira, having forgotten who she was and where she came from.

She closed her eyes slowly, letting off a brief sigh of happiness as she continued to try to nestle further into the man she lay next to, gripping into his shoulders. She spoke no words, her satisfaction was apparent as was her comfort with the situation.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Mira's Apartment, Ethos City ​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Mira Rekali"] ​

Love.

One eventually realizes that they're alone. Not alone socially, but alone in the sense that all of these thoughts and images and ideas in their head can never really be accessed by anyone else. Cursed to play narrator, protagonist, and judge behind the curtain of their behavior. Your words float up and pop like bubbles in the water while your internal self is left to drown. But then eventually someone comes along who seems to understand what's underwater, even if the image is refracted at first.

You talk, you spend time together. You share stories and feelings and create your own experiences. Eventually you get to know one another so well that the power of the seemingly impenetrable barrier of consciousness that is your skull starts to fade. They know you. They know what's underwater.

And after all of those years of thinking you were alone, instead of cursing the time you spent without love, you stand in awe of the fact that anyone could make the fantastic journey across the immeasurable nothingness between your minds.

They had consumed each other into a single one that night, a strong desire of lust mixed with love led them to this point. His heart was broken until then and she had doubts about the very same people who once swore she was worth something. Their troubles dissipated in one single act of major significance.

His fingers intertwined and played with Mira's strands of hair while he looked around the room. It was steaming hot, obviously, but warm enough to keep them sheltered. Thier own little bubble to enjoy every last bit.

She was marked for life with ink but this meant much more than that, something that went beyond insignias and ideals ingrained to your back and anything imaginable. They were marked differently, in one way nobody could even comprehend a single bit because it was theirs and theirs only.

It was perfection.

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[The End Narrator]

Perfection it would be, but time would come where they would have to part ways and destiny would take them apart. Mira would continue her work for the Hutt Clans, while Ar’ekk did what he was destined to do. She would regain her connection to the Force and her memories once again after an ill-fated attempt on her life. With the Force reborn within her, Mira would turn back to focusing on the Force and would wonder about Ar’ekk from time to time.



As fate would have it, their paths would cross once more down the road – for different reasons. Mira struggled with the keycard in her hand while holding a bag of groceries in her other, her body concealed beneath a swath of black cloth, gently flapping in the rain-soaked breeze that occasionally gusted through the exterior corridor. She’d groan slightly, as she set down the bag, bending over a bit awkwardly before rising up to tap the card against the door. Dizziness would overcome her briefly, causing her to pause as the door opened slowly and with a soft hiss. A gloved hand coming to her forehead, brushing away matted down hair. “My mom always made this seem easier.” With a grunt, she began nudging the bag inside with her boot, inching her way inside.



[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Lithios, Ethos City, The Meissa System​

"She was beautiful. I hated her for making me feel this way."
——————————————————————​

[member="Mira Rekali"] ​

Arekk's connection with the Force had weakened over the course of the last year, more and more losing his affinity with the gift that he was born with. It wasn't something that seemed to worry the fallen Jedi too much but certainly was an extra headache that simply added up to his every day stress, Lithios wasn't exactly paradise itself even if he lived on the "good" side of town.

It was faint but there was a tingling sensation in is head that told him something continued to be there even if he felt some sort of void in a place where it would always be full. Walking under the unforgiving heavy rain of Ethos City wasn't exactly something that helped his case, often clouding his thoughts just by the sheer amount of people roaming the streets and the drizzle from the sky that interrupted his chain of thought more times than he wanted to admit.

Something familiar caught his eyes while walking past a massive window of holoscreens filled with corporate propaganda, a girl with the frame and hair color of someone that was very special to him yet he couldn't quite exactly tell if it was who he really thought she was which is why he approached at a slow pace so he wouldn't freak the girl out.

"Need help with your bags?"

​

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[The End Narrator]

She frozen inside the doorway as the voice hit her ears, a sigh escaped her lips and she stopped briefly to lean against the frame of the door, not even bothering to look at the direction of the voice. Her connection to the Force was strong, and his aura was as bright to her as the suns of Tatooine – and even if her senses were dull, there was no mistaking that voice. “I’m surprised you even remembered...” She would look this time, her gaze showing conflict before turning to the bag down at her feet. For a brief second she’d pause and then move away from it – leaving it behind for him to bring inside the dimly lit apartment. She discarded her large robe, revealing her still athletically built frame beneath – or so it appeared from behind, and disappear behind the chest high counters.



“Just set them up here.” She motioned infront of her as she reached down to remove her sabers and unholster her blaster. Not another word would be spoken and the silence between them would almost be deafening, There would be just the sounds of a faint holodisc playing somewhere in the apartment and the pattering of rain outside – followed by the clanking of metal against metal as she set down her weaponry. Mira shuffled her way towards the fridge, keeping an eye out of her peripheral on him as she opened it up to pull out a half-gallon of blue milk. She’d quickly check the date before opening it and consuming it directly from the jug.

[member="Arekk"]