Reality

[Zesiro]

It had been close to three years since Zesiro had gone into a self-imposed exile from anybody she knew. She made a new life for herself on Kesh and found a calling as something of a police officer. Tonight, she was picking some extra hours and wasn't normally on street patrol anymore.

As she walked in her uniform, the people of the area either avoided looking at her or waved openly. Taking notice of who did what, her blue eyes scanned the street. Something wasn't right, but there wasn't anything she could pick out exactly. Moving on and not more than a few blocks from where she was, the familiar sound of a fight reached her ears.

Letting out a sigh and rolling her eyes, the young woman started jogging in the direction of the ally she heard it coming from. Poking her nose around the corner and then pulling her head back quickly as a body came flying out, Zesiro looked again. Three forms lay on the ground at the feet of a man now standing there.

Watching him as she squatted down to check the pulse of the man at her feet, when she made sure he was alive, she stood up. The fight was over and it looked like the want to be attackers were living.

"Do you want to press charges?"

Holding up her badge for a moment, Zesiro put it back in her pocket and stood waiting for him to speak. She knew there was something about the man that felt familiar, this was the first time they met though.

One of the guys started moving and her hand came up again. A brief flash of light erupted from her fingertips and he slumped back to the gound.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

Sol wasn't one to start a bar fight. Well, he wouldn't say that he was fighting adverse he usually liked to keep it separate from his drinking. He was one of those people that ate his meals one part at a time instead of mixing and matching the various dishes on his plate. When he was in a bar to drink, he just wanted to drink. When he was fighting he just wanted to fight and never the twain shall meet.

However, when three street toughs learn that you recently pulled in a large bounty they will pick a fight. After all, how tough can one old man be? They just had to beat Sol up and take the credits for the bounty. Never mind that the bounty must have been a tough son of a gun to be worth going after, surely they could take down the guy who took down a hardened criminal. Even though most of them barely knew how to throw a punch, let alone fire a blaster or use a knife.

The punks hadn't lasted more than two minutes before he started tossing them out the front door. He wasn't normally one for such theatrical moves, but he'd had a little to drink so he was a bit more ornery than usual. The men were still alive, they might even be conscious, but they certainly weren't any shape to fight. He hadn't broken anything, or at least he didn't think he had but he'd definitely put the hurt on them.

Stepping out of the bar to make sure the fight was well and truly out of them he finds that a cop was already there. Apparently, she did him the service of assuming he'd been defending himself despite being the clear victor of the fight. Three on one odds were a good indicator of that though. Rubbing his chin where one of the punks had gotten a lucky flailing punch in and split his lip he shrugs. "Not for this, but I am sure if you ran them through you'd find something to hold them for. I don't really want to stick around for a trial though." Sniffing he eyes the young woman, she was sending out more powerful ripples in The Force than most people in the area, a sensitive maybe even with some training. He hadn't expected that so he was giving out his own ripples mostly mixed dark and light side pulses that he quickly wrangles under control, hoping to catch them before she senses them.

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

"You're probably right. I didn't witness a thing though."

Seeing the man wasn't going to get hostile with her at her approach, Zesiro took on a more relaxed stance, but still on her guard.

"Need stiches or anything?"

Tipping her head at his ​split lip, she didn't see any other blood, but it never hurt to ask and make sure. Not having been trained or taught how to pick up on the Force ability of another person, it wasn't an innate skill Zesiro had. She could tell he was trying to hide something though, but didn't know what.

"I'm called Ava by the people here."

Holding a hand out to shake and maybe help him out of the mess of bodies at his feet, she hoped he took the hint and provided his name.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

Sol shrugs there were half a dozen witnesses in the bar, though he doubted any of them would testify one way or the other. "Nope. Punk kids like these aren't much of threat to anyone but themselves." It was true, besides the split lip, he was fin.

He eyes the offered hand for second shrugs and shakes. "Which means Ava isn't your real name." He says blandly before shrugging. "Around here people call me that grumpy old mercenary." He wasn't being obstinate but hey if they were giving away false names.

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

The man declined medical attention which Zesiro assumed would be the case. She let out a small chuckle at his words about the kids.

"These kids are old enough to drink though, so not quite so young as all that."

He shook her hand and introduced himself as grumpy old mercenary and that got a rather large grin out of her.

"You have me there, grumpy old mercenary. Ava was a name given to me by a man several years ago and I liked it. So I kept it and use it. What do you think brought about the scuffle and how did beat all three of them down?"

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

Sol snorts when Ava points out the "kids" weren't really kids. For him, it was all just to be silly he called everyone younger than him a kid. He was aware that at thirty-two he wasn't really that old but hey, he felt old and looked old so he could get away with it.

The woman admits that he was right about her real name and doesn't seem too put out at him not giving his real one. She may have been what passed for a cop in these parts but at least she had a sense of humour, unlike some cops he'd dealt with. "They heard I just collected a big bounty. They took one look at me and thought, hey he's just one old guy we can take him and decided to go for the easy score. I think you can probably guess what happened from there."

He was a merc, he thought dirty and he thought to win. The three punks were probably used to street brawls with other idiots who did nothing but shove each other and throw haymakers. Against a guy who snapped a palm into their solar plex before cracking an elbow into their temple, they'd gone down pretty quick. Though that still didn't explain how he'd one three on one, at least, not without more injury. Most normal people take more than one hit when facing those kinds of odds.

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

Tapping a finger on her chin as she listened to his answer, her eyes narrowed at him slightly.

"Yes, I can guess what happened, but not the how I asked about."

Getting as much information was part of her job and wanted to know that small detail. He omitted that when he replied and she struck at it again.
​
"So, you take out a bounty, collect on it and they try to jump you. Typical street punks like these guys don't think a grumpy old mercenary can fight even though he just took down a bounty they couldn't take on themselves. The way some people think is beyond me."

Shaking her head, she fell silent and waited to see if he was going to spit out the how he had beat all three.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

Giving her an exasperated look he sighs. "You really want a play by play? Well, I figure they saw that I wasn't carrying my weapons and they figured without them I wasn't so tough. One of them..." He points at the biggest. "Got up in my face demanding I give them the credits or they'd lay a beating on me. So I kneed him in the crotch, headbutted him in the face, and the punched him in the sternum." Hard enough to crack ribs but no need to add that part.

"He dropped like a sack of shit and his friends came at me. One pulled a knife so I grabbed him by the arm and twisted it to make him drop it. He flailed at me with his free hand and clipped my jaw before I kicked the legs out from under him just as the other threw a punch. I tossed knifey boy into the path of the haymaker and they both went down. I took the opportunity to kick knife in the back a few times and his friend tried to grab my ankle before I stepped out of the way."

"The scrappy fella." Sol points at the one that hadn't had the knife. "Came at me in a bear hug tackle, so I bobbed him in the nose, then dropped got my shoulder under him and lifted. Tossed him out the door. Knifey then came up trying to hit me in the back, but I donkey kicked him in the stomach. While he was doubled over I grabbed him by the pants and neck and tossed him out as well. Then I figured the big fella should join his friends so when he managed to get to his feet I gave him a bum rush out the door."

His flat gaze turns on her as if to say, I don't know what you expected to get from that. He wasn't annoyed just wondering why she'd wanted a blow by blow of the whole fight. Not like she needed to write a detailed report if no one was pressing charges.

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

Zesiro paid careful attention to the details he provided to her, though at first he didn't appear to want to. In a way should could invision the scene and she nodded.

"Thank you. Honestly, if I hadn't seen one of them flying out the door, I wouldn't believe the story."

When he finished, he gave her a flat look and she returned it with one of narrowed eyes slightly. There was certainly more to him than she could see.

"How long do you plan to stay on Kesh?"

By the look of him, he was one that wondered around and didn't stay in place long. However, Zesiro felt he could pass on this knowledge of fighting, something she lacked. However, right now, she couldn't think of how to ask and not sound like a beggar.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

Sol snorts at her incredulity. "You'd be surprised. Ask any grappler, a good throw isn't about strength but technique." This was true, although enhancing your throws with the force did make them more dramatic. The narrowed eyes from Ava gets a look of bland indifference from Sol, though he was curious about why he was getting such scrutiny.

"I'll be on Kesh for as long as I need to be." He answers ambiguously, but honestly. He went where The Force took him staying on whatever planet he was on until he felt it was time to go. He'd only been on Kesh a few days and so far he hadn't felt the invisible ripples of fate urging him away. "Probably a few more days, maybe a week." He adds, trying to be a bit more helpful and to make it clear he wasn't sticking around for a trial.

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

"Technique...I think I should learn more about this."

Her ability to use the Force wasn't unknown to the people here, but to have other methods of dealing with people would come in handy. He answered about his stay on Kesh and Zesiro nodded.

"I'm not going to hold you here if that's a concern or if you needed to be some other place."

Waving a hand in the direction of the thugs and looking back at Sol.

"Don't think they are going to cause you any more trouble either. Who knows, maybe they'll start thinking more about their life choices after tonight. You got a place to stay?"

Not about to offer her own home, she could find him a place to sleep for a few days if he needed it.

"I promise it won't be a holding cell either."

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

"I don't, I was going to go back to drinking but I'm not feeling it anymore." His buzz was gone, burned away by the adrenaline of combat which was also gone. No, he just felt calm which meant it was probably time to head back to his room.

"I've got a room thanks, these guys should probably see that cell you mentioned though. That or a hospital." He sticks his hands in his pockets then and wonders towards the spaceport. He had a room at a motel near it, the kind of cheap room spacers used when they wanted a night off their ships.

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

Raising an eyebrow about putting these guys in the hospital, Zesiro shook her head at him.

"They may need it, but I don't think they could afford the bill and I'm certainly not footing that."

In saying he had a room, she waved him off and assumed it one of the places near the spaceport and figured she could find out about him if she needed to. One bit of advice she took from this encounter though was take the names of these thugs. If they had a past record, then another issue could be put into the books and dealt with another time. He wasn't pressing charges, but the fight could still be noted.

Watching Sol walk away, she knew they would meet again.

A day and half later, Zesiro walked into the place Sol was staying. Armed with his name now, she would knock on his door and hope he was in.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

Sol was sitting on his bed in deep in meditation when she knocked. It was just normal meditation at the moment rather than the more advanced but also far more noticeable in the force kind he preferred. When he hears her request for entry he inhales deeply and exhales just as deeply. Straightening his legs he gets off the bed and heads to the door opening it. "Officer." He says giving her a bland stare that betrays no surprise at her presence.

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

"Here I thought you would still be sleeping. Nice to know somebody else follows normal hours around here."

Zesiro replied to his simple greeting and looked him up and down again. In her first assessment after the fight, she had thought him older. Now he'd had the chance to clean up and wasn't drunk, he only appeared to be several years older instead of decades.

"I'm Zesiro. No surname attached, Mr. Damerin."

She wasn't on duty today so dressed in civilian clothes. A blue shirt that matched her eyes closely and black pants.

"May I come in?"

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

The entirety of Sol's response to everything that Zesiro just revealed to him was profound and poignant in a way only an old Force master could be. He grunted and moved away from the door frame to let her in.

The grunt was more because he did not know why the woman was here and he wasn't sure what to make of the situation. Her outfit indicated this was her free time and she'd obviously used her authority to get information about him. Why though? What did she want? He was good at precognition but it didn't give you all the answers, it barely gave you any answers really, so he was a bit in the dark.

"Right, nice to meet you properly Zesiro. I'd give my name but you clearly know it. So what can I do for you?"

He settles back on the bed assuming lotus position leaving the chair for her.

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

He stepped aside to let her in as she requested and took a seat back on the bed. It left the chair for her to sit on, but for the moment, Zesiro remained standing. Sitting still was something difficult for her to do and she didn't sit when she there was not a reason for her to do so. Not that she was trying to be intimidating to him or anything, but he may take it that way.

Her movements were relaxed though. That old seductive way she used to way was still a part of her, but it wasn't an aspect Zesiro flaunted anymore. These days, she didn't give that part of her old life much thought other than to give herself a mental kick now and then. She was young, foolish and naïve then. While not much older, she had grown up since those days.

Sol asked what he could for her and she stopped in her steps. One arm was crossed in front of her, the other resting on it with her fingers resting on her chin. Clearly she had been in thought and the answer to his question was what she had been thinking about.

"Well, sir, I would like training. You know how to fight and that is something I lack."

It was straight and to the point, but as honest an answer that she could give.

​[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

The young woman decides to keep standing. His pale blue eyes meet her's and his expression is so blandly neutral that it is hard to tell if he is thinking at all, let alone what he thinks of her. Though his general thoughts were pretty uninteresting. He knew she was force sensitive and that she was trying to help out around here. He hadn't really formed an opinion of her at all.

The request manages to get a subdued reaction from him. A single eyebrow arching in surprise. Rather than answer he closes his eyes. Inhale, exhale. He wasn't done on this planet yet that much he knew, but was this what he was sticking around for? He wasn't quite sure the waters were muddy at the moment, far too many ripples and far too murky. He felt like there was something important he needed to do on Kresh but The Force was evasive on what.

"You are a cop that doesn't know how to fight?" He finally asks, wanting a bit more information about her.

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

Sol kept his expression neutral, but met her eyes when she looked at him. When Zesiro stated why she was here, he did raise an eyebrow at her. Not providing an answer, he then closed his eyes and spoke a few moments later.

He asked if she was a cop that didn't know how to fight and she gave him a flat look of her own before speaking.

"They don't give much training here, but I can fight in my own way."

Raising a hand, Zesiro would display one of her stronger skills on him and attempt to place a hold on him with the Force. There was no pain involved or choking, just a simple hold and then it was gone.

"That usually takes care of business, but sometimes there's more than one. I can't do that and fight at the same time, Mr. Damerin."

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

The Force isn't much, it would be enough to stop someone in their tracks but not much more than that. The revelation that it took all she had to do just a simple force hold was even more ridiculous. By The Force this girl needed help.

"I am going to go out on a limb that you haven't actually fought anyone that can actually fight. If you tried that trick on well trained Mandalorian they'd have you eating your teeth before go, even without The Force." Considering he shrugs. "Course the really good ones spend a lot of time learning how to fight Force users."

With a sigh, he unfolds his legs and gets to his feet. "If you plan to fight people it is pretty clear to me that you'd benefit from some lessons. Maybe from me, maybe from someone else. So here are my questions, why do you want to be able to fight? Why ask me specifically to train you? There has to have been someone on this rock you could have asked before now. If I like you answer I'll think about it."

[member="Zesiro"]