Sleepless Nights

[Marse Pana]

Verros walked along the quiet street lost in thought. He'd just completed a rather well paying job, enough credits to stash away for the week, and still have some left over to help pay for a new visor. But for now, his mind was elsewhere. Thinking back to the times before. He wanted to get out, to get away from this planet. But it was the only place he felt...safe. It was easy to hide from the Sith here. And still being a neutral planet was always a plus.

Verros paused in front of a rather large building, an apartment complex of sorts. He smiled faintly as he recognized it. Home. He glanced around, realizing he'd wandered into the older part of the city. Not as nice as it had been during his childhood. But that didn't matter to him. Home was somewhere else now. Had been ever since he'd left for the academy. Most of the folks that lived here now were...like him, now that he thought about it. On the run from something. Wanting to stay low...off the radar.

Verros adjusted his backpack on his shoulder, and sighed quietly, squinting at the building before him. He couldn't tell if the paint was starting to wear, or if his visor was really that far gone. Probably both. He turned, and began walking down the street again. It was getting late. Cantinas would be closing soon, and he'd best be on his way, lest they all close before he had the chance for a bite to eat. All told, he couldn't really complain about his newfound nomadic lifestyle. He just wished he could find some better paying jobs...

[member="Juniper Weiss"]

 

[Juniper Weiss]

Wearing: [xXx]
Tag: [member="Verros"]


The idea had not been to stay away this long. Get away from Dal’Bor, not say anything about it, and not look back, fine. That was all fine. Accepting the invitation to the cruise that she had gone on, that was fine too. With everything that had happened with her best friend, Juniper had needed to get away. She couldn’t remain in Dal’Bor, she couldn’t keep going to work where she would see him, and her new friend had offered her a solution once he had gotten her to open up and say that she was upset. Not who she was upset with, just that she was upset.

And so she had gone on the cruise, and it had been a good time for sure. Afterwards she was supposed to go home. And yet now here she was on Nar Shadda. How did that happen? Hell even Juniper didn’t remember. She didn’t even recall making the last minute decision to switch her transport until she arrived here, and now it was too late to change her mind.

A fact that made her stomach twist uncomfortably. It didn’t take the mint haired woman long to get herself turned around and utterly lost. And it took even less time for some unsavory types to take notice. How many blocks had she gone with the heckling, the wolf whistles, and the jeering comments following along behind her? She couldn’t recall, and soon enough it looked as if she had been herded in a large circle. Four bodies, three men and a woman, and Jun had no idea what the species were at the moment. However, she could read their minds all perfectly clear.

Jun had made herself an easy target, and boy did they like to play with their easy targets.

The unwanted information only flustered Jun, which of course only made matters that much worse for her. She had no control over the pheromones at the best of times, much less when she was flustered, upset, or any mixture of emotions for that matter. And that drove these mouthy unsavory types to not only back Jun into a corner, but get immediately handsy with her too. The half-Zeltron didn’t take it, she was a scrappy thing after all. But they outnumbered her, and each of them outweighed her, even the woman. It didn’t stop Juniper from struggling, nor from yelling and shouting obscenities in both protest and frustration. But in this place? No one else had even stopped to give the situation a second glance.

 

[Marse Pana]

Verros was almost home when he heard it. A shout. Then another. He looked up, It was coming from a nearby alley. Someone getting mugged, from the sound of it. Hmph. Not his problem. Just keep walking. Not his concern. Just keep walking. Not...his... Verros sighed, pausing at the end of the alley. He glanced down, the woman's bright green hair clearly visible even to him. His left hand clutched his knapsack to him. It wasn't his problem. But he knew...deep down...If he'd been here, the girl's attackers would have been dead already. Verros pulled the knapsack from his shoulder, and his right hand plunged within, a well practiced motion that revealed a blaster pistol to the world.

Verros took a step, bringing his left arm up to hold the knapsack near his right shoulder, and resting his right arm in the crook of his left elbow. He couldn't see that well, especially not in the dim light. But the Force was with him. He had faith that he'd find his mark. Four shots rang out. The first marked Verros's slow advance towards the group. The smallest of the creatures fell. Not a lethal shot. Verros wasn't that cruel. The second shot found its mark in the shoulder of the largest being. The next two whizzed by harmlessly. Both were warning shots, even if one was unintentional. The group scattered, leaving the green haired woman laying in the dust at Verros's feet. He stood at attention for a moment longer, scanning the shadows for more threats.

He dropped his left arm before he lowered the blaster, noting that his hand was shaking slightly. He shoved the blaster back into his backpack, and held his now free hand out towards the green haired woman. "You don't travel much, do you? Rule number one of being a tourist, never stray from the marked path after dark. Not when you're by yourself." His head tilted to the side, and his brow furrowed as he squinted through his visor at the girl. For some reason, He didn't seem affected by the Zeltron. Not visibly anyways. "Especially not on Nar Shadda. Never know when the slaver gangs are patrolling."

[member="Juniper Weiss"]

 

[Juniper Weiss]

The sound of gunfire caused Juniper to gasp, and the shots fired afterwards caused her to wince, and then duck and cover. In this environment, she had no idea if she was being shot at or not, and she wasn’t about to take that risk. It seemed however that she was indeed not the target, and it caused the mint haired woman to peek upwards as her assailants fled the area to the best of their ability.

It took her a moment to acknowledge the fact that she was not only being spoken to, but there was a hand being offered to her in assistance. For a moment, Jun stared at the offered appendage, and then she hesitantly reached out to take the offer. “No, I don’t travel often at all.” She answered as she got up carefully. She could still feel those grubby hands on her, and could also feel where she was going to be sore or even bruise from the rough handling.

She took a moment to dust herself off, or at least as best as she could, and she sighed heavily through her nose. “I didn’t intent to wander off of any sort of path, it just sort of happened.” She stated before finally looking up at this stranger again. “I got lost, and I’m sure you know just how friendly people are around here, and because of that I couldn’t get any directions.” Again Jun sighed, more deeply this time, but she managed a tight smile. “Thank you by the way, for your help. I definitely didn’t expect anyone to come along any time soon…if ever…”

Oh yeah, Juniper recognized that she was most definitely way out of her league here.


[member="Verros"]

 

[Marse Pana]

Verros regarded the woman silently for a moment, as she did him. Verros was practically the definition of grungy. Mop of hair hanging down around his head, black and unkempt. His stubble verged on beard, and his clothes were old and ragged. But in spite of this, Verros was..clean. Neither he, nor his clothes, smelled bad, he simply looked the part. Another lost soul stuck in the cesspool that was Nar Shadda. And yet...there was something about him. The way he stood, the way he held himself. Deep down, there was something about him. Something Noble. He certainly wasn't born into these shadows.

Verros was about to speak, when his stomach reminded him of his pressing mission. He slung the pack over his shoulder, and gestured towards the end of the alley from which he had come. "I'm heading towards the main drag. If you follow me, you'll be able to find your way back to the spaceport." Verros offered one last look down the alley, before turning to look at Juniper. She was young. About his own age, if he had to guess. "And don't sweat the help. Folk have got to look out for each other." For some reason, the words sounded...hollow. There was a certain edge to his voice. Exhaustion, maybe? The way his shoulders sagged suggested this was a man that life had beat down plenty of times. And each time he was having to think more and more if it was worth getting back up. He offered her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, not that she would know with the visor obstructing them.

He took a step back, then turned on his heel, beginning to trudge back the way he came. Cantina was gonna be closed by the time he got there, he realized. But she probably wouldn't know that. Why was he helping her? He had his own problems to deal with. Hopefully she had the money to make it off world. Verros had enough to help her out, but it'd set him back a ways. He sighed quietly to himself. Next time, he should just keep his head down...

[member="Juniper Weiss"]

 

[Juniper Weiss]

If she followed him she could...what? Juniper's expression hardened just a little and she shook her head. "I don't want to go back to the space port." she stated, a little firmly, but that tone wasn't by any means directed at this man who had just saved her life. There was a very good reason as to why she was here, and not on her way home of all places, and she had no desire to up and leave now just because of one bad incident. Was that foolish? Absolutely. But unfortunately, her desire to stay away from her problems was stronger than her sense of self preservation.

A heavy sigh then rushed past her lips, and Jun took a moment to adjust her attire back into all of it's proper place. "But getting back to the main strip is probably a good idea..." she at least conceded, and then she moved away from the wall she had been backed against and started to follow along behind this guy once he had started leading the way.

She watched him as he walked, her brow pulled down a bit in the middle as she observed the way he carried himself. Typically she was pretty good at reading people - when she couldn't get straight access to their thoughts, and not being at work? Jun was doing her best to keep her nose out of other people's heads when she could help it. "People may need to look out for each other, but as you well know that's hardly ever the case." she was quiet only a moment before continuing. "Though that makes me have to ask, are you alright? Not that I mean to pry, but..." she let her words trail off, just in case his reaction was bad to her nosy nature.

Jun's gaze drifted off to the side while they walked. Sort of sight seeing, and sort of just sort that she didn't feel awkward for prying. "Don't worry, I have my own means to get off world when I'm ready to go." she stated a bit dryly, though only because she hadn't been paying attention enough to know that he hadn't said anything out loud about it.


[member="Verros"]

 

[Marse Pana]

Verros shrugged in a gesture of no comment as the girl observed people rarely helped each other. Course his father might have said something different. But that was neither here nor there. Man was dead, after all. His brow furrowed at her next question. Fine? He was alive, wasn't he? How would that constitute anything other than fine? But not every one thought like that. She was young, from the look of her. No older than he was. He paused. Chit. If she wasn't heading to the spaceport...he hoped she had a hotel room at least.

His step faltered as she responded to him. He...hadn't said anything, though. "I...didn't say anything about that. Species trait?" He said it almost conversationally, as if it were something natural. But his emotions were surging. A spike of fear. He was uneasy. She could read his mind. And he was not happy about this. Was she a spy? An assassin? Should he have left her? How did he know it wasn't all a ruse? Calm. Keep calm. He turned, and offered her a small smile. "I'm guessing it's not the Force. I do not feel its aura around you..."

[member="Juniper Weiss"]

 

[Juniper Weiss]

Jun had realized too late that nothing had been said to her aloud. She had felt it in the sudden tension, the emotional change, and almost immediately she attempted to project calming emotions in return. It was a natural response, something her body was trained to do automatically due to her work environment. When patrons got mad, or fearful, or panicked, or hell too drunk, she was there to help diffuse the situations. So it was only natural for her to attempt to do it now without thinking about it. Whether it worked or not, well that was up in the air.

"Uh...yeah, sorry." she answered him honestly, though there was a soft flush to her cheeks in reaction. Surprisingly, there was no rush of pheromones to accentuate her flustered state. At least not yet. "Definitely not attuned to the Force, just a genetic quirk. One that crops up when I don't want it to sometimes." Most of the time, it was useful. Other times, it could become too much for her to handle. "I know it's intrusive...though honestly if you hadn't said anything, I wouldn't have known you hadn't said anything out loud..." She hadn't been looking at him after all, and while he could have curbed his thoughts from there, she would have been non-the-wiser.


[member="Verros"]

 

[Marse Pana]

Verros relaxed a little. Not a lot, but a little. "It's...it's fine. Not everyone can help what they are, after all." Verros could feel the emotional projection from the girl, but once again, it did not seem to register with him. He offered her another weak smile. "Zeltron, then? At least, halfbreed? I can't tell, you seem rather pale, but..." Verros shrugged. "After the damn visor broke, I'm never sure what the hell I'm looking at."

The duo neared the main strip, the lights beginning to illuminate the horizon some minutes before their actual arrival. Verros sighed quietly. His stomach rumbled again. Only a couple of the dive bars would be open this late. Was he hungry enough to venture within? Probably being paranoid, but he seemed to have a knack for causing trouble. People always found him an easy target, and he was too tired to deal with anything else tonight. He just wanted food and sleep. "I suppose this is where we part ways. Can you find your way back to where you're staying from here?"

[member="Juniper Weiss"]

 

[Juniper Weiss]

"Zeltron, half. Yes." Juniper nodded her head, though felt a little awkward about it. There weren't very many times she had actually told someone what she was, not that it was a bad thing. She was rather fond of who she was after all. But she could recall on one hand how many people she had actually told about it. Most either figured it out, were oblivious, or didn't care. "It can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but more often than not I get by alright."

The pheromones were the worst part of it all, but she didn't bring that up in the moment. Instead, she continued to follow along. "Your visor is broken?" she questioned, and even picked up her pace a little so that she could walk a little more to his side and see. "Can it be fixed?" She wasn't tech savvy, but she had enough connections to find someone who was...Though of course that was at home....Didn't do her much good here.

Once he had stopped and questioned her, Juni's brow creased and she looked around herself. "Where I'm staying...Right." That was a step she hadn't had the chance to take yet. Would she get a chance to? She wasn't sure how quickly rooms went here. Or where decent ones were for that matter. The tips of Jun's fingers lifted to press against her lips and she made a noise in her throat. Oh yeah, she was lost.


[member="Verros"]

 

[Marse Pana]

Verros sighed quietly, placing his hands on his hips. This definitely wasn't worth missing food over. "Do you have...ANYthing resembling a plan?" He turned to look at the girl, his annoyance clearly visible on his face. "Or did you just say screw it, let's go to Nar Shadda for the weekend cause it'll piss off mommy?" Verros' brow furrowed in anger as he spat the words at her. He was fuming. But only for a moment. Then that same voice wormed its way inside his head. You're one to talk. Verros sighed, hanging his head. He reached up and pulled the visor from his face, and rubbed his eyes with his off hand. Gods above he was tired.

"I'm...sorry, that was mean of me. I...I didn't mean it." His voice was barely more than a whisper. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, a slight shudder running down his spine. He returned the visor to its rightful place on his head. "This time of night, most of the decent places aren't taking new boarders. I've got a little apartment near the Promenade. You're welcome to spend the night there, if you'd like." Verros turned to look at Juniper for a moment, then extended a hand, still speaking in that tired, barely-a-whisper voice. "I'm Verros, by the way. Kyyrin Verros. But you can call me Verros."

[member="Juniper Weiss"]

 

[Juniper Weiss]

It took only an instant for Juniper's expression to flatten, and then a second more for her face to turn scarlet. She looked away and could feel her pulse in her cheeks as she was belittled by someone she didn't even know. And the more flustered and mortified she got, the stronger the pheromones she had no control over became.

"No," she answered, flatly and she made herself look at Verros. "I didn't have any sort of plan, alright? But it's not mommy I'm trying to piss off, or stay away from." her tone hardened the longer she talked. "I didn't even plan to come here until I had realized I was on the wrong transport - which may have even been a subconscious move on my part." Jun huffed, harshly, and shook her head before lifting a hand, palm outward towards him. "Don't breathe for like, ten minutes." she was only half joking, too.

The fact that he apologized didn't help Jun's flustered state any, and once again she shook her head though this time she folded her arms tightly against herself. "Look, I realize it's a serious inconvenience. But it's not like I went looking for trouble just so that I could have someone come along and rescue me. I mean do you really think I enjoy the fact that I'm doing nothing but causing the guy who saved me a headache? Because I don't."

She shifted uncomfortably on her feet, though was looking at his shoes and not her own feet now. "And I'm Jun..."


[member="Verros"]

 

[Marse Pana]

Verros looked away as the girl's gaze dipped to his boots. He dropped his extended hand, in a motion to wave the girl off. "Bah. Just a Pheromone. Mother taught me how to ignore those ages ago..." He snorted quietly, a grin creeping into his face. "Apparently that trick Jedi can use to purge poisons works on other foreign substances. And you're...well...you're not an...inconvenience..." Verros cleared his throat, and gestured down an alley behind him. "Fastest road to my place is this way. It'll be safer than pretty much anywhere else."

He paused for a moment, now staring at the green haired girl. He sighed quietly. "Truth be told...you might be the best thing that's happened to me since I got to this gods forsaken rock. In a...weird and twisted way. First the Sith....Then the Jedi...Now you, Jun." He turned and started walking away, not sure if the girl would even follow. But he had the feeling she would. "Three years of not being able to feel a gods-damned thing, and you show up. Someone in need of help, and for the first time in three years, I felt the desire to help. To look out for someone other than me." He paused, turning to look back at the girl. "So I don't know I'd call it incovenience. More like the kick in the backside I've needed for some years."

[member="Juniper Weiss"]

 

[Juniper Weiss]

Well, at least one good thing out of all of this, Jun had found one more person who could ignore the pheromones that she couldn't control. That at least made her sigh in a little relief, but she tucked her hands against herself as she folded her arms against her body. It was not an ideal way to find out that someone could resist, but at least he had apologized and the pair of them had more or less cleared the bad air that had cropped up.

"I'm not going to come anywhere close to agreeing with you about being the best thing that you've come across, but it is nice to know that I helped reconnect your brain stem..." she was teasing of course, though he had more or less admitted the same thing. Jun sighed, and when he started to walk, she followed along behind him. "Seems we both had a case of right time, right place I guess...Though really these sort of preordained meet ups need to happen under better circumstances, at least once...."


[member="Verros"]

 

[Marse Pana]

Verros snorted audibly. "Force don't work like that sweetheart...I wish it did, but it doesn't." Verros fell quiet, leading the way to a rather dingy looking building. A couple alien beings watched the pair as they approached, but made no move to engage them, making a point to look the other way as Verros gave them a noticeable stare. He led the way inside to a small apartment, still dingy, but kept as clean as could be under the circumstances. Verros unslung his pack and tossed it into a chair, walking around the bar that divided the kitchen from the common area.

"Don't know I've got much in the way of food, but you're welcome to whatever you'd like." Verros straightened up, holding a military food ration. He used it to point at a door opposite the entrance. "Bed's in there. I'll sleep on the couch. Otherwise...what's mine is yours. What...little I actually have anyways..." Verros opened the ration pack and began picking out bits of food, sighing with the weariness of a long day. "So. This person you ARE running from...I don't have to worry about someone knocking at the door in the night, do I?"

[member="Juniper Weiss"]

 

[Juniper Weiss]

Admittedly, Jun didn't know what she was expecting when she was led to Verros' home, but this wasn't it. Not that it was a bad thing, just not what she had been expecting. Though considering the place they were located, she wasn't sure what she should expect. Whatever the case may be, she was somewhere off the crazy streets outside, and that was more than enough for the mint haired woman. Especially since she had come here with no plan in the first place.

Yeah, the more she thought about that, the more stupid she felt.

When she was spoken to, Jun's gaze shifted. She looked towards the door that was gestured to and her head shook. "I don't want to take your bed," she stated. "While I appreciate the gesture, this is your home, and the couch is just fine with me." She made her way to said couch since she wasn't really hungry, and she sat on it with a body deflating sigh. Her head even lulled back against the back of it, but she was far from asleep.

"Oh no," she almost laughed at his inquiry about her problems. "The last thing you have to worry about is him showing up here looking for me." she stated, and while it may be reassuring to him, it was fairly heart wrenching for Juniper.


[member="Verros"]