Private Starlin and Tenn's Up in Smoke

[Starlin Rand]

Recreation lounge aboard the Bright Knight

“I dunno, man,” Starlin muttered, taking another drag from his blunt. “Sounds kinda paranoid to me.”

“Psh.” Rhys sighed, his voice sounding slightly tinny coming through the speakers on Starlin’s datapad. Maybe it was a bad connection on his end. Or maybe it was all the smoke in the Rutian's noticeably foggy room. “It’s the year 900 ABY. The word ‘paranoid’ is more overdue for retirement than Darth Carnifex.”

Starlin laughed, then started coughing, a cloud of marcan herb-scented smoke spewing from his mouth. The stuff was strong—it had to be, since Starlin’s Balosar blood would filter out most of it. “You really think ‘Glup Shitto’ isn’t just some crazy conspiracy theory?”

“Call it a conspiracy theory all you want, but these days the only thing that makes me genuinely paranoid are the ones who keep saying ‘Stop being paranoid!’.” Rhys shook his head. “Some people can drop acid in the middle of the wallpaper department at Gudnem’s and still not see a pattern...”

Another burst of giggles issued from Starlin, only to fade when he caught a glimpse of the chrono. “Awww, chit. Hang on a sec, I gotta air this place out before my Padawan gets back from class…”

Tenn Kalos​

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn was coming back from a healing class, which meant Tenn was feeling particularly high-strung. He wasn't all that good at it, and the prospect was plenty stressful as is. At this rate, Force forbid anybody ever rely on his healing talents to save their life. Shep was currently napping over in the temple gardens, and the padawan figured it best not to disturb him from his peace. The hound could always find him when he woke up.

Instead Tenn was heading to his master's ship for some advice, and perhaps a chance to vent. But when he arrived outside of it, he could already smell the odor leading from inside. The padawan raised an eyebrow curiously, noticing it from his master's ship. He recognized it from his pre-Jedi days, "Pft." He sputtered, approaching the entryway, and knocking on the hull door, "Master? It's Tenn."

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Oh crap.” Starlin leaped to his feet, scrambling to hide his drug paraphernalia. “Rhys, I gotta go.”

Rhys had started cracking up the moment he heard Tenn knocking, and showed no signs of stopping. “Okay, smell ya later,” he sputtered, before his laughter was abruptly cut off by Starlin ending the holo call.

Starlin turned up the air vents and even waved an Atrisian fan around to try and dissipate the smoke. “Uh, just a sec!” he called out to Tenn. The fan wasn’t doing much. He tossed it behind the couch and ran out, skidding to a stop at the top of the loading ramp.

“Sorry about the smell,” he said, clearing his throat. “There was uh, a problem with the engine. Filled the place up with smoke.”

Tenn Kalos​

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn waited impatiently, listening through the door as Starlin was stomping around, no doubt trying to air out the place. Finally, the door opened, and the scent immediately became stronger. Tenn grimaced, and stepped in, looking at the inside of the ship as if investigating the source. "Uh huh," The padawan said.

After taking a few steps in, he turned around to face Starlin, "Master, I lived in the Courscant undercity for like, eight years. I know marcan when I smell it." Tenn sniffed, shaking his head as it inundated his senses. He felt like he was getting secondhand high just from standing here. How much was this guy puffing? "Do the Jedi let you do stuff like that?"

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Tenn saw right through him. Starlin winced, fearing the worst. He personally didn’t consider marcan to be the worst drug out there, but he knew from experience how people reacted to it, and he didn’t want to set a bad example for his Padawan.

"Do the Jedi let you do stuff like that?"

“No. So uh, please don’t tell anyone.” He trailed after Tenn, leaving the ramp open. The ship still needed to be aired out. “I sealed your room off, so none of your stuff should reek. It takes a pretty potent dose for me to feel anything, y’know?” In fact, he still wasn't nearly high enough. His speech was too coherent.

Tenn Kalos​

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn didn't really react much to Starlin's admission, walking into the ship and choking down the smell. It was nice to know he wouldn't head to his next class reeking of the devaronian's lettuce, at least. "Dang, you that desensitized?" Maybe there was another reason he needed a lot, but Tenn just assumed it meant Starlin smoked so much he was getting diminishing returns.

"To be honest I don't really care if you smoke it. Marcan is cool. As long as it doesn't ever leave me without a master," He shrugged, telling Starlin to keep it on the downlow, lest he get caught, "Then it's whatever." He looked around casually, "Where'd you uh, get this stuff anyway?"

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Less desensitized and more just naturally resistant.”

"To be honest I don't really care if you smoke it. Marcan is cool. As long as it doesn't ever leave me without a master."

“Awww.” Starlin was touched. “My friend Rhys grows it and sells it.” A beat passed before he scrambled to add, “It’s, uh, medical grade. Completely legit.”

He considered it very lucky that Rhys didn’t continue on the career path of a drug dealer. Back in their younger days, he had gotten them all in a lot of trouble messing with gangsters. An unfathomable amount of trouble… Starlin exhaled a sigh at the memory. The Rutian had no idea what would happen. That made forgiving him easier.

So did the weed. Starlin’s thoughts drifted away from bad memories as the high finally arrived, settling over his mind like a warm blanket. “I’m really hungry,” he muttered. “I’m gonna go get tacos. You want anything?”

Tenn Kalos​

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn looked at his master more closely, trying to piece together the source of his natural resistance. Oh, right: Balosar. That was probably it. Sometimes it was easy to forget. Starlin's aww received a smirk, "It would be pretty embarrassing if my mentor got canned for toking up, y'know?" He nodded along to the explanation, not entirely sure if he believed the above board justification or not, "Sure."

“I’m really hungry,” he muttered. “I’m gonna go get tacos. You want anything?”

The munchies had set in. "Uh, yeah?" Tenn replied quickly. Tacos sounded pretty good right about now, "Where from?"

Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

"It would be pretty embarrassing if my mentor got canned for toking up, y'know?"

“Would be pretty hypocritical, too. All those Jedi Masters on the Council? I don’t know how they cope with all the BS, but I’m willing to bet they smoke a lot of grass.” At the very least, nearly all of them were addicted to caffeine.

Tenn wanted tacos too. “From the taco stand,” Starlin answered vaguely, waving his hand. He went to grab his wallet and keys. “Just across the street from the Jedi Temple. Name’s, uh, Taco Umbrella? Nice and cheap. How many you want?” He was planning on getting four for himself. No, six.

Tenn Kalos​

 

[Tenn Kalos]

Tenn snorted audibly, "You might be projecting master. But— It wouldn't surprise me either." Those big time Jedi types always seemed so laid back. Sure, controlling emotions was their whole shtick, but he couldn't help but wonder if it was within the Jedi code to use some… supplements to help achieve that.

Taco Umbrella was not a stand Tenn had heard of before, but he wasn't really out prowling for tacos much either. It sounded pretty good. Cheap greasy street food usually was. "Four," Tenn answered quickly. He was hungry, and since becoming a Jedi he pretty much always ate piggishly, as if he would never get the chance to eat more than scraps ever again, "Shep will probably be jealous, but I'm not sure he needs it anyway." The padawan motioned around his waist, "Ever since coming here, he's getting a bit fatter. Too much fatter, that is."

Starlin Rand​