Sitting In A Cantina

[Arumi Zy]

I can see the fear in your eyes, see it grow stronger each day

A thousand years trapped in the eternal prison, awake and cognizant it had been a maddening prison. Encased in the crystals of Illum by a long dead master of the sith arts, his very apprentice in the legacy of Darth Bane over threw him and took the mantle of master. A battle that had nearly lit the icy world ablaze as two titans of the old order clashed, sundering great crevices.

Yet like all prisons, this one had to end and end it did when an archaeological team had come upon the frozen dark side master. Unbeknownst to them, still very much alive and ready to spill blood. He waited for them to chisel him out as a great find, a dead sith from the dark days. In a torrent of trapped furry he slaughtered them all and stole their shuttle, fleeing to darkened corners of the galaxy to find his path. To figure out this world with the credits he had salvage from twisted bodies and severed limbs.

Ord Mantel, Lithels Cantina

Darth Fidelis sat in a corner booth, Clad in a black trench coat , black pants, black combat boots and a drink firmly in his hand. His eyes glued to the holoscreen as he tried to absorb the changes of the galaxy. The Republic fallen and rebuilt, the sith extinct and reborn and his Vod reforging long lost Empires. The galaxy had surely changed around him, plague, aliens who escaped the grip of the force and so many long lost legends.

“ Another drink” he said coolly to the waitress as she came by him, his eyes never leaving the holoscreen as a special report of infighting amongst the sith Empire. For a few minutes he paid attention before his gaze fell upon another group of patrons. Their tech was far more advanced then he had ever seen, top dollar equipment in his day would not have come close to it. Strange wonders indeed this new world, this new age, ripe for the taking with plenty of credits for one willing to make them.

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

[SIZE=11.818181991577148px]"Ha! I win again! Pay up!"[/SIZE]
The Echani womans shrill voice broke through the cantina, successfully irritating not only those that she just annihilated in the last round, but the other patrons around her. There was a groan as credit chips were tossed across the table at her as the losers got up to leave.
"Huh... Musta won too hard..."

She tilted her cup her her lips again, not feeling half as drunk as she had hoped to be by this point in the night. Winning was no fun if she wasn't drunk enough for it to be hard! Ah, well... nobody else seemed to want to play with her anymore. She sighed, collected her cards and shuffled them. She'd won enough tonight anyways. Lady Luck didn't just work with card games, after all. Time to get social. She put her cards away, picked up her drink and took a seat at the bar. This really was the best place to meet new and exciting people.

 

[Arumi Zy]

Schieking and shrilling echoed through out the Cantina, the sith scanned the bar for the owner of the voice. His eyes locking firmly on the female form of the owner, such excitement and exhilaration over something as small as a gambling pay out. Times had surely changed, it seemed cards centered around the forte of those eager to make money. No longer the arena's or combat leagues, nor even Hutt Ball. Arumi turned his gaze towards the waitress as she sat him another drink down, sliding her a credit chip before channeling back in on the woman.
After a few moments he saw the tell tale signs of white hair and a firm and subtle form, a echani hand maiden. Had they not been on the brink of extinct in his era? And even more so in the era before him? Perhaps if they prospered in this day then even more wonderful surpirses awaited, for there were few the Mando'ade sith respected more outside of his Vod then the Echani. Almost as skilled of warriors as a Mandalorian warrior and half as gruff. He picked his drink up and moved towards the bar finding a seat beside the young woman. He took a deep, almost reflective drink as he thought keeping his gaze forward.

" Su cuy'gar Hand Maiden, i was unaware your order still existed" he said in a somber and cold tone, not unfriendly but not quite friendly.

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

Who was this one? What was with his voice? The way he spoke to her... and what did he call her? The Echani took another long drink before turning to look at the man that approached her.
"Where ya been? Frozen somewhere? Think you're in the wrong time period, sunshine," she said, giving him a sly little grin, "Nobody talks like that anymore. And I aint no 'maiden'."
She snickered, motioning for her drink to be refilled. While she waited, she pulled a silver braid over her shoulder. An absolute disgrace was what she was to her family. And that was A-OK with her. She had more fun in one night than the rest of her stuck up family had in decades.

 

[Grid Locke]

Grid stumbled into the bar and struggled to position himself in his seat. A ripped napkin stuffed in each side of his nose began to drip with blood on top of the bar.
"AHHHHCHOOOOOOO"

Grid sneezed ejecting each piece of napkin on the floor below him.

"I call it modern art!" he said.
The bartender approached Grid and began to look baffled.
"You should see the other guy! But never mind that! I got a chipped tooth, I need some salt, along with whiskey to gargle to numb the senses and fuel the comeback."
The blood from his nose began to run over top of his lips. The taste reminded him of the night before where he awoke outside a random bar. The numbing effect of each shot of whiskey granted Grid a level of bitter enlightenment of the night before. Memories of the one he lost last night, the night before he lost the memories from the one before last and prior.
"The only thing good from last night is the random credits I have in my pockets and the sore liver promising I had the time of my life. So! Here is to the time of my life today! Next round is on me!"

 

[Arumi Zy]

Had the galaxy truly and surely changed around him so rapidly, no it wasn't possible that in only a millenia and a half it had changed so much. The galaxy progressed at the pace of a hutt going to pay a debt, but the holonet showed so much. The Rule of Two long gone, the days of he and his master Darth Odessian and his apprentice Lady Fel. The lineage that had existed for untold generations had fallen out, had finally died and with a rebirth of the old Empire. He looked at the female and still couldn't believe an Echani knew so little about the Hand Maiden order, servents to great sith and great jedi alike over the eons.

He chuckled under his breath when he heard her speak of being frozen, oh if she had only known how close to reality her statement had been she would be most disturbed. Yet the sith knew that it was in his best interest to keep that facet hidden, to keep his existence hidden until he was prepared to make a move and reveal himself to the galaxy. Sith and jedi would flock at the chance to destroy a sith of a time when they were at the height of strength and ability.

“ I have been on Alderaan for most of my life, I studied ancient history of the Old Empires. Of the orders and major warrior races that have etched out a place in the annals of history. And my grasp on the modern mannerism and jargons of speech are a bit lagging as it were. Being stuck in the university i have had little interaction with others for what seems like centuries, no offense was meant calling you a maiden. They were of your people, mighty warriors who could almost and yet on many occasions did rival a Mandalorian Warrior. They served great jedi and sith a like in an era long since lost to the galaxy, an era of expansion and hidden secrets unearthed that have long since vanished.” He said with the friendliest smile he could muster. The muscles in his face twitched as they came to action for the first time in uncountable days.

“ I am unsure of what exist today, outside of Alderaan that is or unsure of what orders and collectives and species still stride upon the galaxy leaving their mark for the future scholars, like myself ” he said as he tipped back his drink and chugged it in one fell swoop.

“ Another one, one for my companion as well”he said as he slid another credit chip forward. This echani was unlike any he had seen, either commanding, bedding or slaughtering as an enemy. She seemed unrefined, undisciplined something wholly unexpected and unanticipated. He half expect a jedi hutt to burst forth through the doors to vanquish him. “ Excuse my rudeness, I should have introduced myself upon sitting but it slipped my mind. I am Da...Dakkon Arumi Zy, my collegueas call me Arumi”.

The siths attention was grabbed by a truly wretched looking creature, the smell of it wafted in and made him swallow back a bit of bile. It ejected bloody tassels of paper from its nostrils, was it human? “ I see manners have fallen as of late” he said dryly as he avoid speckles of blood that appeared where ever the thing was moving and waving its head.

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

This guy was weird. Her mother always told her to avoid speaking to weirdos. So, naturally, Zandra was going to talk to him quite a bit more.
"Nice ta meetcha! M'names Zandra," she introduced holding her hand out to shake, "Zandra Fenni. Dumb name, eh? Didn't choose it, trust me. What kinda sadist names their kid Zandra?"
She grinned and took the drink he bought her with a nod of appreciation. She was doing her very best to ignore the blood-spurting creep he mentioned. That was the best way to handle things. Just ignore what you didn't like. Lady Luck would take care of the rest.

"So, you say yer from Alderaan? Nice place, but do ya ever get out, or is this your first time off world?"
She really did not like hearing about how 'mighty' her race is/was. As far as she was concerned, she was part of the race, but not part of the culture. With a sister like hers, perfect, respected, she knew the best she could have ever hoped for was maybe to survive in her shadows. So she threw away that 'dream' all together. She could do two things well. She could fight and she could play cards. In her life, that was all she needed.

 

[Carbon]

How Emberli had come to be here was something he couldn't quite recall. What had drawn him here made even less sense. Since becoming Mandalore, and keeping his real name so quiet no one knew it, he'd spent drastically less time at cantinas than he had long ago.

He spent even less time chasing skirts, too.

But he knew one thing; someone hear was speaking Mandoa, and his helmet clued him in as to who it was. So, the two meter tall slab of muscle known as Mand'alor stood from his table at the back of the bar.

With no introduction and gruffness bordering on rude, Emberli interjects as he crosses the bar. Speaking the Mandalorian language to test something out, he barely cared if the Echani knew it or not.

"Arumi, is it? You're a bit far from home. Closer to Echani space than ours."

 

[Arumi Zy]

“ Zandra isn't to bad of a name, could be worse you could have been called Leia or Samantha or something along that line” he said as he listened to her. She was different then any of the Echani he had met, an outcast maybe not so much into the culture. She had something in common with the Mandalorian sith then, except he had been abandoned by his people , a forgotten Dar'manda because he refused an order from Mand'alor the Tamer to slaughter a group of jedi younglings. Even he had his boundaries and even he had his own moral compass, perhaps it was his upbringing or perhaps it was a spark on the light side that resided in him.
But the sith were not truly evil per say, at least his philosophy prevented it. They were creatures of emotion and of passion, beings of chaos and disorder but evil only so if that sith chose to be. Perhaps that was his down fall those centuries ago he wasn't sadistic and malicious enough. But he prefered his own way, using guile and subtlety unless his hand was forced into brute tactics of strength. He enjoyed the brute force approach but in his era there were only two sith and thousands of jedi to contend with, it was often more advamtagues to stick to the shadows lest ye find yourself standing before dozens of jedi masters locked in mortal combat that you would not return from.

He chuckled at her as she asked about Aldeeran if only she had known the truth his next joke might have been more impact “ I used to get out much more then I have for a while, you can almost say I was trapped in my job”. “ So Zandra what brings one such as yourself to such a dreary Cantina, there are more luxurious spots to throw cards and more credits to be collected then a dingy, little hole like this?”
He spun quickly to face the new comer, a hulking brute of flesh and what he could only assume was iron infused muscle clad in Beskar'gam. His hand was beneath his trench close to one of the hilts of his light sabers, his hand slowly moved away from it as he assessed him. The guy could be a problem if he wanted to become one, but he would have to be careful for now not to reveal himself.

He nodded at him and switched to Mando'a “Once it was home, once a great Mand'alor ruled only to be usurped by a coward. Thats been many, many years ago" he said as he took another drink “Perhaps it is time to return home, to reclaim the homestead” he said as he looked down at the table mostly saying it to himself as if trying to find a reason not to. " Maybe i should return home, i havn't seen Mandalore or Ordo or any other Mandalorian hold in far to long, or visited my mothers grave" he sat his drink down then turned his full attention back towards the brute “ I didn't catch your name Ori'vod, I am Arumi Zy of Clan Bralor”.

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

The girl tilted her head back to drain her cup while the guy talked. She was listening still, of course. Would be rude not to. She asked him a question after all.
Then he asked her one. She opened her mouth to say that she was here because here was where she happened to end up that day. She was about to explain that she preferred not to play at a nice fancy casino because people accused her of cheating when she managed to beat the house six or twelve times in a row and they really didn't like losing credits to her anymore. She was about to say that, but someone interrupted them speaking a language she was going to pretend not to understand. And true, she didn't understand much, but she caught bits and pieces here.
"Well, well, well, who's yer friend?" she asked cutting into the conversation, "Speak Basic? It's rude ya know, ta ignore a Lady like this."

 

[Carbon]

"And what manner of weapon were you clutching...?", the figure acts neutrally, keeping himself standing near the pair instead of taking a seat or something of the like. A weapon defined an individual as much as gender and heritage; a pistol for a smuggler or assassin, an assault rifle for a soldier, perhaps a saber for a Sith or Jedi. Who knew.

Emberli's eyes narrowed at the clan name, but again, nothing Aru could see, and Emberli was so good at locking down his emotions that if Aru were a Force User - which Em couldn't figure out yet - he'd not truly know what he was feeling. "I've no name any longer - I am Mand'alor, and that is all I have been for some time."

Well, that was likely the last thing anyone expected to hear.

Blinking, he turns to the lady and switches back over to Basic. "My apologies; I just wanted to see if I'd get a response from him in kind." The man's voice was quiet, a near whisper, weighted with authority and rumbling like a distant avalanche; but still, there was a genial quality to it.

It was almost like he considered most people friends from the outset.

 

[Gridlock]

Grid fetches a data recorder from his his pocket. Tilts his glass his glass to eye level.

"Half full, haha. I guess it is a good day."

The crowd has left an open seat one each side of him.

*Presses the record button*

"This bar has shifted. Maybe it is the blood or the fact I slept next to the garbage outside the last bar. Who cares? I got another day on this ride and it is off to the next planet. I'll start over, a new beginning a more promising place to find them. This town I find is a bit strange, everybody walks a important path, well a paved important path. No one want to have stick crunching, grass cutting, knee scraping, swinging from trees, dangerous ole' time. It is all a pissing contest out here. Sith seem cool, the few run ins I had with them, but I slowly am beginning to hate people, as well as myself. These drinks do help and so does hope, that they are still out there. Am I crazy? I must be. People are looking at me talk into this recorder alone, without shame. Hah! Let them think they are the gift, the big gigantic present under the tree for celebration, but I know when that box is opened there is I. A beaten soul, self inflicted cuts, organs beginning to rot, but for some reason that soul is still kickin'. So, yeah! Dress yourself up as the galaxy's badass and spout out the trite, flavorless, pretentious slew of words you hear day in and day out. You know who you are.

*chugs his drink*

Well, it was fun. My eyes are begging to drag, heavier and the blackness is rushing through my veins like an infection. Slowly, losing it. These people aren't real and neither are you."

 

[Arumi Zy]

“ Forgive me Zandra, I have been rude to you in order to not be rude to him. And one does not cheat when luck or the force is behind them. Both are fickle and both of them can leave you in a bad predicament faster then a wookie on Trandosha” he said with a smile as he waved to the bartender. “ Another round for Miss Zandra and the Mand'alor” he said as he slid another credit chip onto the bar.

He took a drink of his own drink as his posture fully relaxed “ No disrepsect Mand'alor, but to reveal ones hand puts him at a disadvantage. But to answer, in short let us hope you are never in a position to find out. But to alieve your suspicions i know when to kill and when not to kill, i know both how to kill and how to deliver an effective message to those who will listen to no other reason.” he said as he sat the empty bottle down and slid a new one towards himself. “ If the term still applies, it has been a while since I have been in touch with other manda'yim , I believe I would be considered Dar'manda still” he said as he took big swig from his bottle.
“ And forgive me for not showing the respect and reverence deserving one who wears the Mantle of Mand'alor but the last Mand'alor I served under was true swine. A beast more then a man who would have the sith proud, a man who feasted and grew fat while our sons and daughters shed blood on distant worlds all to pad his pocket book, but he did teach a good lesson respect is earned and not given. No doubt you have proven your worth a thousand times over, and if what the holofeeds are saying you have more then earned your station while rebuilding our lost Empire” he sat the half full bottle down and sighed to himself..

“ Tell me Mand'alor how bodes Clan Bralor, I have heard no news of them and I have seen few Mando'ade to fill me in if you would do a service to a Dar'manda. I respect if you can not for fear of releasing intel”
he turned his gaze back towards the other new comer. It amazed him at how lowly some sentients were, how they could sink into the hovels of filth and wallow in their own... stink. “ I believe you may have had one two many drinks and are in desperate need of a bath, or maybe three or four of them. If you need a credit or two to pay for one I would more then be willing to front it to you before you stink away everyone in here who has not had the luxury of spending time around a sarlac pit”.

 

[Carbon]

"Clans have faded in importance. They're far less a political entity now. After the plague most of the galaxy's population was devastated, as you know - Mandalorians suffered too, no different than anyone else. Due to the smaller population now, most realize a need to push for the same goals as opposed to the goals of their own clan." There's a bit of a warmth to the voice now that he was getting comfortable talking.

Truthfully, he was glad the man would admit to being Dar'Manda, as if he was it simply made the whole process easier. Some liked to be Dar'Manda but play towards being a true Mandalorian; it was those people he truly loathed.

"That being said, I'm sure the family is still around. I'll take a look around for you, see what I dig up. If you're willing to out yourself immediately, I can at least do you a favor in return for your honesty."

Emberli pauses.

"I remember the one you speak of." That meant Emberli was ancient. At least for a human. It wasn't something most were aware of.

"He is the reason I took this position as soon as I felt I was worthy to avoid another of him. Never again will the Mandalorians be used as a personal army to solve personal problems and vendettas. It's not about what the Mandalorians can do for their leader, it's about what he can do for them."

 

[Arumi Zy]

Arumi arched an eyebrow at the Mand'alor, old enough to remember who he speaks of. He didn't believe it was possible for a human , no less one who was not in command of the force to live that long. Then again with the force all things were possible and capable. This man was most definitly more then met the eye.

“ Miss Zandra I fear I am going to be rude for a moment and speak in mando'a. Mandalorian buisness and I doubt it would interest you much”.

He looked over towards the Mand'alor, switching back to Mando'a “ Now I have been a live for a long time and do not doubt the possibility of one other being as old as I. But that would make you well over fifteen hundred years old and far from a normal hum” he said matter of factly “ Or one blessed so much by the force that they might as well be immortal”.

“ For now just know my Clan still exist is enough, I want few enough to know of my existence and who I truly am and I believe at this point you may as well know who I am, or atleast you have figured enough for yourself. I would trust none other then the Mand'alor and his word to keep my indentity secret, my name is indeed Arumi Zy of Bralor, but I have another name Darth Fidelis, a sith of a by gone era when only two sith existed at anyone time. If I have correctly dated the day of my demise it would have been 1000 BBY”

He arched an brow at the Mand'alor “ My existence today must be kept secure, the knowledge I hold is beyond those who would use it wisely and even a sith will break when pushed hard enough”. He didn't reveal everything, but enough that he would know If he could treuly trust this Mand'alor.

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

The Echani took the drink bought for her and waved a hand in response. They were being rude enough as it was. No reason to think they would stop now. As long as he kept buying her drinks, she would be happy enough about it once she was fully intoxicated. She was always happy when she was intoxicated.
And if she didn;t make a big deal about it, they would let her sit and listen and try to translate as best she could.

 

[Jorga the Hutt]

"What is it with you, drink and Mandos?"

With an easy grin, the youngish spacer slipped into the seat next to Zandra. He ignored the Mandos for now. Mandos would be Mandos, after all.

"But this time around, there's no young blood looking to beat up a drunk woman. Sooo...I think I shall get drunk with you, Zandra. Barring any beskar-clad hijinks. I've been pondering a new stanza for my barding. Tell me if this meets the Connory standard. I've got a source high in the Jedi Council, and, well...apparently he's been boinking someone named @[member="Hanna Lissiri"], this ambassador...

"Old Master @[member="Kamon Vondiranach"]

"Has an itch he can never quite scratch

"Loves foreign relations

"To sooth his frustrations

"His celibacy hit a rough patch

"Whatcha think? Too much outside my normal rhythm scheme?"

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

Zandra turned her head to see an old 'friend' pop up again. She almost asked if he was following her, but decided she didn't really mind if he was following her. He was funny, friendly.
And he was right. Every time they've met (which had only been the one time before this, but still...) she was surrounded by Mandos in a cantina. She grinned at him and raised her glass i greeting as he sang her his new verse. She burst out laughing, loud and shrill. happy that she hadn't been trying to drink at that moment.
"Tha' was brilliant, Mista' Connory," she snickered, "Truly a masterpiece!"

 

[Jorga the Hutt]

"What can I say," he said, hugely entertained by the hugeness of her entertainedness. "I am...the best."

He downed the remains of his drink, eyeing the Mandos.

"Zandra, I think I've finally written that verse about you that I promised ya.

"Don't play cards with Zandra Fenni

"And never owe Echani money

"So pure and fresh and wears such white

"Her discipline can last all night.

"Not bad, eh? But not my best. Still working on it."

 

[Zandra Tal'verda]

Oh? A verse for her? Such a romantic gentleman this one was. She'd had weirder guys try to woo her. Not that she actually took much wooing. Unliike her sister, she was the easy one.
"Oh my," she pretended to swoon, "ya really know how to flatter a girl."

She tilted her head back downing the rest of her drink as well. With a smile, she slammed her cup back down, getting the bar tenders attention. A "come hither' motion with her finger was all he needed to see to get her and her new friend another drink.
For the time being, she was going to ignore her new Mando friends.