Private Suspicious Samaritan

[Ara Sheridan]

CORUSCANT | TEMPLE HANGAR
EVENING | CLEAR SKIES
TAGS: Zoar

---

If there was one thing Ara was incredibly protective of, above all else in her meager collection of belongings, it was her podracer. The Whizzing Arrow was not only a childhood dream, it was a vessel that helped her learn to open up to others. It was far more than just another flying death trap.

Which was why she was hiding among a stack of crates and old ship parts in the hangar in the dead of night. She should have been asleep already, but signs of repeated tampering had the Zabrak angry to no end. The most curious thing, however, was that there was no sign of damage or vandalism. In fact it was the contrary, with the pod's performance not only enhanced, but worn parts also replaced to help keep her baby running at peak levels. Whoever was tampering with her pod was actively helping her in improving it.

It was a nice gesture, and it helped her to save up some credits for other things she needed, but the principle didn't change just because some stranger was helping her out.

She was dead quiet, her force signature masked to help keep a low profile. Her green eyes peered through a gap at her pod while she listened for any movement. It had been a few hours, she was struggling to stay awake through the whole stakeout. She had purposefully fiddled with the fuel system the day before to give the stranger reason to come back. Nothing sloppy or obvious, just enough for them to take note and draw them in.

She thought about who it could potentially be, but not a single name popped up for her. Everyone who knew her knew to leave her ride alone. Once she heard faint sounds of movement, she slowed her breathing and kept her eyes pealed for the stranger.

 

[Zoar]

HANGAR BAY, JEDI TEMPLE,
CORUSCANT
​

Zoar had only planned on fixing the dent.

It had been late at night, one of the only times Zoar felt comfortable walking the halls outside his armor. The diminutive Miln had been on his way to a secluded workbench, to tinker with an idea for a new jet propulsion system for his mech, when he'd noticed a lonely-looking podracer, with the tiniest of dents along it's chassis.

The little mechanic had tried to ignore it, he really had, but that little dent kept nagging at him. He'd looked left, right, then left again, and snuck over. It had taken him a long time, meticulously molding the metal back into place. He'd been at it an hour before he was satisfied with his work. And he would have left, if he hadn't noticed a rusting pulley in the engine.

Walk away. Walk away now.

So, he walked away. All the way away to a pile of spare parts, where he fished out a new pulley, brought it to a workbench to resize it, and replace the old one. It wasn't like the owner would notice one new part. Then, of course, while arm-deep in the engine, he noticed a leaking seal...

---

Fast forward a few days, and checking up on the podracer had become a nightly ritual for the Miln. Dressed in simple working clothes, the white-and-grey furred rodentoid approached the vehicle, an excited skip in his step as his cybernetics flashed a happy magenta.

"Helllllllo, friend~!" Zoar practically sang the words, excited to see the racer there. "What seems to be the problem today?"

He held out a hand, closing his black eyes a moment. Then, he opened them, reacting as if the pod had spoken to him. "Kink in the fuel line? No worries, I gotcha." He climbed underneath the pod, long tail lashing back and forth as he crammed himself under the hunk of machinery, his voice muffled.

"You should be more careful. This sort of thing can start fires in your engine, and there isn't any coming back from that, no-sir-ee."

- Ara Sheridan -

 

[Ara Sheridan]

The perpetrator finally showed their face, just as Ara had hoped, although she was rather taken back by the appearance. A giant rat with some form of cybernetic implants... and a chipper tone that had Ara frown hard. The nerve of him, to casually mess with her pod without any hesitation as if it were his own.

She waited for him to get comfortable and focused on his work before she quietly climbed out of her hiding spot. The Zabrak carefully snuck over and came to a halt a few feet away from him. She wasn't sure how to confront him over something like this. A few years ago she would have yanked him out by his tail and likely gotten physical.

She had come a long way since then.

With a deep breath she calmed herself and instead picked up a wrench. A hoverboard idly sat close by, allowing her to quietly lay down and slide right in next to the talking rodent. The wrench was pressed up against his chin as her green eyes glared at him. "You know, the last time a rat clambered around in my engine, it got caught in the power coupling. Made for a rather tasty snack." She spoke with a low, fuming voice. Just because she wasn't going to hurt him, didn't mean she wasn't absolutely ticked off.

She forced his head to turn and look at her as she glared daggers through him. "I don't know if anyone has told you this, but messing with other people's rides ain't really cool."

She removed the wrench from his chin and gestured for him to get out from underneath the engine, sliding back with the hoverboard to do the same. "You better have a really good reason for kriffing around in my pod without my say-so, shortstack." She rested one hand on her hip, pinching a belt loop on her jumpsuit, while the other idly tapped the wrench against her leg.

Zoar

 

[Zoar]

As a new figure joined him on the underside of the Arrow, Zoar continued to blather to the machine, speaking as if it had ears. "So, what gave you this one? Probably a race, right? Exciting. I've never..." The midnight mechanic's ears perked up at the sound of a moving hoverboard, and a sudden chill overcame him as he felt something cold touch his chin.

An undignified squeak erupted from his throat as he listened to a new voice at his ear, his heart pounding at his tiny ribcage, as if demanding to be let out. He couldn't even focus on what she was saying, as a true and instinctual fear, verging on mindless panic, overtook him. His chin was turned towards the angry pod-owner.

A crown of horns, a fierce expression, eyes that could burn through him... a predator.

"You better have a really good reason for kriffing around in my pod without my say-so, shortstack."

There was a breath of pause, as he stayed entirely still. Then, he disappeared underneath the pod, and darted out the other side, running as quickly as he could towards the temple proper. Zoar's quick escape had jostled something in the Arrow, which burst as he made his exit, covering the Miln, and likely the other padawan, in oil.

As he dashed away, he shouted over his shoulder. "SORRY! Sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry..."

- Ara Sheridan -

 

[Ara Sheridan]

The reaction Ara received from the small padawan was a lot more severe than she anticipated. He scrambled out from underneath the pod's engine, ripping open a line in the process that sprayed Ara full of oil. "Kark!" She shouted as she slid out and got up, crashing into the floor from the puddle beneath her feet.

"Get back here!" She called out as the rodent ran off, leaving her in the puddle of oil that grew bigger with each passing second.

She glanced at the engine, then to where the stranger disappeared. She wanted to pursue, but the damage to her pod was far more important in the moment. "Karkin' hell, this is gonna be a pain." She grumbled, trying to slide away from the puddle without crashing down again.

With a mixture of anger and worry, Ara followed the tedious and lengthy procedure to put up warning signs and clean up the enormous mess around her pod. The rodent was likely gone entirely, leaving her to fix the problem on her own. "Typical. Kark with my stuff, break it then kark off to let me fix the karkin' problem..." She muttered, mopping up another spot of oil underneath the engine. She wasn't going to get any sleep.

"The karkin' nerve. As if sorry's gonna fix my karkin' pod." When the last splash of oil was safely cleaned up and disposed of, Ara hooked up a hoist and lifted the engine up to see the extent of the damage.

The sight had her heart sink. The damage wasn't significant, but fabricating a new linkage for the busted lines, as well as replacing the lines themselves, were going to take a while. "I'm gonna miss the race..." She brushed her hair back as a heavy sigh escaped her. "You karkin' coward!" She shouted at where the padawan disappeared, trying desperately to get her temper in check. "I'm gonna miss it. For kriff's sake." She sat on the hoverboard as she stared at the engine, trying to think of how she can replace the finicky parts in time.

Zoar

 

[Zoar]

As soon as he turned a corner, Zoar pressed his back to a wall, one clawed hand holding his heaving chest. She wasn't chasing him, a relief, to be sure. He could almost forget the fact he was covered in black sludge, or that he had been caught red-pawed by the scary...

...entirely justified owner of the pod.

"You karkin' coward! I'm gonna miss it. For kriff's sake."

The little mechanic winced at the Zabrak's raised voice and swears, debating whether or not to book it to the nearest access tunnel. Forget the whole event, crawl back to his room in the Padawan wing.

He almost did, before stopping himself. Jedi didn't let their fear dictate their actions. They were brave. The least Zoar could do was pretend to be brave.

"H-hey!" He had to try the word a few times before he could work up the bravery to shout, still safely behind the corner. "D-d-d-d-d..." He groaned at himself, wringing his hands nervously. "D-do you n-n-n-need help?"

- Ara Sheridan -

 

[Ara Sheridan]

Ara lifted her head as the stranger's voice called out from the hangar door. She pondered over how the hell she was supposed to answer a question like that. Of course she wanted help... but did she want help from the skug that put her in this position in the first place? If anything, it could give her a chance to confront him and figure out what he wanted in the first place. Did he hope to take it for a joyride sometime? Did he just want to fix some stuff up? She had a few ideas on what the reasons could be.

"Well, you broke my pod... so yeah, some help would be nice!" She called out to him as she crossed her arms. When he finally emerged, Ara could get a proper look at him. She hadn't seen his kind before, so hearing and seeing a talking rat was a bit of an adjustment. He was splattered with oil, just like her, but what had her watching him with curiosity was the amount of fear from him. She was familiar with that feeling from people. A few years ago, it was common to feel that from a number of other padawans. She thought it was a good thing back then, it kept the people that really cared close and it pushed the rest away.

She knew now just how stupid that thinking was. How much damage it did.

"The name's Ara, by the way." She spoke once he got close enough. "You got a name? Or is 'junk rat' gonna have to make do?" She cringed internally at the question. Not exactly a way to help the situation. "What was the big deal? Why'd you fiddle with my pod?" She asked with a far more relaxed voice, making sure that she kept herself in check.

Zoar

 

[Zoar]

Slowly, painfully slowly, Zoar stepped out from the hallway, padding quietly into the hangar again.

Wearing a now oil-stained jacket, smudged goggles resting on his forehead, and clasping one fidgeting hand with another, the Miln didn't look much like a Jedi, not even carrying his lightsaber. The only giveaway was the Force, developed to the point of a new padawan, buried under mountains of fear.

Her angry gaze practically scalded him as he got closer. The little mechanic's mouth was dry, his eyes finding anywhere but Ara as she introduced herself. "Zoar," he said with some difficulty. He had to take a moment to regulate his breathing.

In for four, hold for four, out for four, hold for four.

"I... just wanted to be helpful." He sounded like he was on the verge of tears, as the little Miln hid himself underneath the pod once more. "I d-d-didn't mean to do so much..." A stream of barely organized consciousness erupted from the padawan's mouth.

"It was only like one thing at first, but I kept seeing little things, so I kept going, and got into the flow a little bit, and every time I came back, there was something new wrong with it, and I didn't want to just leave it there broken, so I kinda just fixed it up! And, like, there's usually only ships in the hangar, so it was reallycoolseeinganactualpodracerhere, so... I got carried away."

- Ara Sheridan -

 

[Ara Sheridan]

The more she watched him, the more he spoke, her anger began to fade. Instead, a stream of sympathy began to set in as a faint smile formed. He cowered underneath the pod once again as the whole story came flooding out of him. When he finally finished, Ara sighed and heaved herself up to squat in front if where he disappeared. "Hey, come on out there." She muttered with a calm voice as she stood up and backed off.

"I'm sorry if I scared ya. I'm... I'm just... really protective over my baby. It ain't just a pod to me." She admitted softly as she stroked the panel of the busted engine. "I gotta say, you did a hell of a job. Spotted some stuff that I never noticed before. I take it that snazzy chrome of yours help out a bit?" She gestured to the cybernetics adorned around his head as she spoke, sitting back down again.

After a few moments of thinking, the Zabrak finally gave a nod. "Well, Zoar... you wanna help me get her back up and running? I got a competition on Tatooine comin' up this weekend and I need the Arrow in tip top shape. Could definitely use your help in some of those nooks and crannies." She flashed a warm smile as she gave Zoar a gentle nudge against his shoulder. It wasn't often that someone was shorter than her. The only person she knew that was shorter than her, was some other little green Jedi Master... whose stature didn't reflect her age or capability at all.

Zoar

 

[Zoar]

After a moment of waiting, Zoar inched out from the shadows of the machinery, his tail cradled in both hands. His eyes were turned down, studying the hangar's floor.

But instead of yelling, as Zoar expected her to do, Ara apologized. That was enough to get the mousy mechanic to look up, making eye contact for only a second, before staring down at the floor again. "D-don't worry about it. Everything scares me."

Her continued line of question, talking about his implants, got him to relax a little more. "Um... yeah, it helps a little. B-but I mostly just replaced old parts. Had to fabricate a few from scratch, but... it wasn't that hard."

Upon hearing that Ara would be racing with the pod in a few days, Zoar's eyes widened, shooting back up towards the Zabrak. His tail escaped his grasp, held up curiously behind him. He flinched a little as Ara pushed him, but it was quickly forgotten. "I'd love to help! I mean, if that's okay. I-it's okay if it's not okay. But it is okay, because you just said it's okay..."

"Okay." He shut his mouth, forcing himself to stop jabbering. Then, he opened his mouth again, giving a curious once over at the Arrow.

"It's not just a pod to you? What's it's story?"

- Ara Sheridan -

 

[Ara Sheridan]

Zoar's nervous demeanor was nothing short of a spectacle to watch. Going from extremely nervous to incredibly excited in the span of a few seconds had Ara chuckling as she gestured for him to follow. However, she paused at his question over the pod. "It's... I'll explain while we work." She muttered, walking off to find an engine hoist.

The busted engine was lifted up, some lights were set around them and a toolbox was handy along with a few spare parts she could immediately notice. After a few seconds of studying the situation, Ara unclipped her lightsaber and flicked it over to its wrench setting to start removing a bunch of panels. "The Whizzing Arrow is basically... well... it helped me to connect with people. Especially my mom." She started after a few moments. "We both grew up on level twelve-thirteen, here on Coruscant. Deep in Underworld. She had a rough life, joined a swoop gang, met some hot shot Zabrak... then ended up with me at sixteen. She was forced to give me away when I was born and eventually she forgot about me. Fast forward thirteen years and I finally got out of Underworld. I had nowhere else to go so I hopped from planet to planet until I found her living in Silver Rest on Kashyyyk." Her wrenching paused as she stared off into a corner.

"I hated her. With every aspect of my being, I hated her guts for what she did to me. I hated everything and everyone else as well, but I hated her the most." Her wrenching started up again as she focused on the broken pod engine. "The Arrow started as a project between me and a friend I made. He's a good friend of my mom's too. After a while, we needed my mom's help, 'cause getting X-wing and TIE parts to work right together was a pain in the ass. I gave in and asked her to help. From there, we began to click." She flashed Zoar a bright smile as she tapped the engine.

"I wouldn't have my mom if it wasn't for this baby. It brought me and her together." She concluded, tossing the ripped fluid lines aside. With Zoar's help, the fitting and crimping of new lines went a lot quicker, especially when it came to installing them in the difficult spaces. What would have taken her a few days shrunk down to a few hours.

When it was all said and done, Ara sat back on a crate with a tired sigh and held a cloth out for Zoar to get rid of some oil marks. "Ya know... you're real good with all of this. I got a race on Tatooine this weekend. I might need a hand in the pits, to keep an eye on the readings. You up for something like that?" She offered with a warm smile.

Zoar

 

[Zoar]

While still maintaining a healthy distance between himself and Ara, Zoar was enthusiastic to get to work, folding out a custom-sized cloth-wrapped toolset from his work clothes.

As they began to remove panels from around the engine block, so too did Ara explain what the pod meant to her. The more she talked, the more guilt crept into the Miln's face. The Arrow was a project of love, between mother and daughter. It's history was important to Ara, and he'd just... started messing with it. The realization made his ears fold against his head demurely.

"Sorry... For... y'know, working on it without asking. IknowIalreadysaidthat, but... I was given up after I was born as well. If I'd reconnected with my family on a project, and someone else butted in like they owned it, I'd be mad, too."

The Miln seemed happy to leave it at that, crawling underneath the pod once more to get at it's narrow underbelly.

Zoar didn't realize how much he would enjoy working with someone else. Fixing the ride was twice as gratifying, as they traded ideas and passed work between them. After everything was said and done, the Miln hoisted himself up on a crate, giving Ara only the briefest of nervous looks, before accepting the cloth, attempting to rub the black splotches from his fur.

"I might need a hand in the pits, to keep an eye on the readings. You up for something like that?"

"Like... an actual podrace?" He'd only ever watched holos of races. They seemed exciting. And jam-packed with spectators. Zoar dabbed his neck with the towel. "Like... with a crowd and everything?"

"I-I... I don't like p-people, very much." He tried to put on a brave face, tail twitching ever so slightly. "B-but I've always wanted to see a real-life podrace! So... sure!"

- Ara Sheridan -

 

[Ara Sheridan]

A warm, gentle smile formed at Zoar's confession. She understood where he was coming from, or at least she began to understand more as he spoke. A hand gently laid on his shoulder as she looked down at him. "Hey... look on the bright side. You're still meeting someone. That's what this pod is good at doing. Connecting with people always happens around this thing." She remarked.

She let him continue with his work and once they were done, he joined her by the nearby crates for a rest. From the nervous look he gave her, he really wasn't good with people. "Hell yeah, an actual pod race. Crowds, drivers, gamblers, drinks, the whole nine yards. I gotta get my practice in." She quipped, leaning back as she watched him.

Giving him a light nudge, Ara flashed him a bright grin. "Hey, don't worry about it. You'll probably be in the pits for the most part, only droids down there for us. Besides, tellin' some cartel thugs to kark off is a real solid way to get the blood pumping if they come looking for trouble." She snickered, hopping off the crates to slot in the last few engine panels. "I'll send you the details tomorrow, gotta find out some last minute stuff. In the meantime, I dunno about you, but I could really use a shower." She clipped her lightsaber to her belt and tidied up the area before she faced him again.

Her toothy grin returned as she held a fist out towards him to bump. "Be seein' ya, Slick. Thanks for the help today." With that, she made her way to her room with a tired breath.

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful. Aside from some more inspection and adjustments on her pod, there really wasn't much going on. But the day finally came for her and Zoar to make their way to Tatooine. Her pod was loaded up in a freighter while she waited for him by the boarding ramp. Ara casually played with the zipper of her leather jacket as she looked around for the Miln. "Luckily he sticks out pretty decent." She remarked to herself.

Zoar

 

[Zoar]

Zoar accepted the physical contact of Ara's hand on his shoulder. But he didn't say anything, instead getting straight to work, thinking about what she had said.

In short order, after they were finished with the lion's share of the work, Ara explained what would be awaiting them. Crowds and drivers and gamblers and drinks? Oh my. Usually the last things he would want to be around.

But it was for a podrace! Sure, it was scary. But maybe that's what made it kinda cool, too.

"Oh, I'm worrying about it," he returned, trying and failing not to flinch as Ara gently nudged him. "A-and I'd rather keep my blood flowing at a nice, gentle pace. But... It sounds like fun."

Ara held out her fist. After only a second of thought, Zoar bumped it daintily, his paw dwarfed by the Zabrak's hand. "See ya, Ara. Thanks for... just thanks, I guess." With that, the two Padawans went their seperate ways, Zoar stepping down from the box, and padding his way quietly down the temple halls, a new spring in his step.

"Luckily he sticks out pretty decent."

Yes, he did. Though perhaps not in the way Ara was expecting.

A titanic, durasteel plated machine stepped into the temple hanger, each step accompanied by the sounds of whirring servos and booming footsteps. The big metallic being turned it's head slowly, to regard it's surroundings, the only indication it wasn't a load-lifter droid being the greatsaber hanging freely from it's hip.

Spotting Ara, the mech made a beeline towards her, holding up a manipulator in greeting. A familiar, slightly-scrambled voice escaped from the speakers. //Hey! Hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long.//

//Oh, it's me. Uh... Zoar. Hi.//

- Ara Sheridan -

 

[Ara Sheridan]

Ara didn't think about it too much when an enormous droid approached her by the shuttle. She casually waved it off as she continued to look for Zoar. "It's all good, big guy, stuff's loaded up already." She casually spoke, sparing the machine a glance. It was only when the voice came through it's annunciator that Ara stared with wide eyes for what was probably a few seconds too long.

"Oh... Zoar... um, wasn't expecting a karkin' demolition droid, I gotta say." She quipped as she faced him fully. "Shuttle's pretty cramped, you're gonna wanna leave the suit with the pod while we're onboard." She made her way into the ship and waited for him to board as well before closing it all up. A few moments later, the two Jedi were out of atmosphere and into hyperspace, allowing Ara to sit back and glance at Zoar.

"What's with that, by the way? The bigass suit? Can't imagine it's all that flexible for Jedi training." She remarked idly as she got up from the pilot's seat, letting the autopilot do its thing. "Dunno about you, but I could kill for breakfast right now..." Gesturing for him to follow, Ara dug around the kitchen area to prepare some grilled sandwiches for the two of them.

Zoar

 

[Zoar]

Oh. The suit would be a bit of a cramped fit, wouldn't it?

That made sense, although it's sensibility wasn't all that comforting. Zoar's voice was obviously crestfallen, but understanding through the suit. //Yeah. Th-that's probably... for the best. Yeah.//

In short order, Ara's ship blasted into hyperspace, leaving Coruscant far behind. Zoar sat uncomfortably in a chair far too big for him, his power armor resting somewhere in the cargo space. Of course, Ara took the moment to ask him about the suit. Who wouldn't, right?

"It's... mmm... foooor protection, I guess," he offered. When that answer didn't feel as satisfactory as he would have liked, he elaborated. "I n-need it. To... function normally in society. Jedi are supposed to be able to manage their fear, and... the suit helps me do that." Zoar looked away, distracting himself with the blue streaks of light outside, before food was mentioned. The Miln pushed himself out of the chair.

"Yeah. I could eat." He found the tiniest of smiles. "And, yes, before you ask, I do like cheese."

"What model ship is this? Pretty good hyperdrive rating?"

- Ara Sheridan -

 

[Ara Sheridan]

Ara couldn't help but feel sorry for the nervous Miln. Even all alone in a ship flying through hyperspace, he still seems a few seconds away from a catastrophic breakdown. "Can see the use in a suit like that." She admitted with a soft smile. Making her way to the kitchen, however, Ara burst out with a laugh as she glanced at Zoar. "I was genuinely wondering about that, no jokes!" She snickered.

While she got to work on some grilled sandwiches, he asked about the model of the ship. Ara looked around them for a moment before giving a shrug. "Just a simple mynock freighter. Decent enough hyperdrive, but I needed the cargo space for the pod. Fun fact, me and my mom know the owner of the company who makes these." She got back to work on their meals, making a bit of a spectacle as she fried up the contents, flipped them around in the pan and finally set them on the slices of bread. While she grilled the sandwiches, she glanced back at Zoar again.

"I get the suit, though." She admitted. "Had a similar thing going on a few years back. Only got out of that habit a while ago. Nothing as dope as that mech of yours... but same principle." She set the sandwiches on plates then on the table before digging around in the fridge. "What you want? Beer, cola, water... I brought the whole nine yards along."

Zoar

 

[Zoar]

"I was genuinely wondering about that, no jokes!"

"Yeah, sure, suuuure..." The Miln giggled to himself.

Following the Zabrak into the kitchen area, Zoar scrabbled up onto the seat, standing to be eye-level with Ara. It let him lean over the table, watching as she made them food. He wasn't familiar with the model, but... "Maybe if the crowd's too much for me, m-maybe I could come here and do a maintenance check? B-because I'm a little nervous it's gonna be too much, and I don't wanna just sit on my hands if it is..."

Ara's admission that she had a similar device caused the Miln to cant his head to the side, his saucer-like ears at full attention. "Mmm, water's okay."

"You had to deal with something like... me, before? You seem so confident, though."

- Ara Sheridan

 

[Ara Sheridan]

Ara waved his concerns off as she finished with their snack. She understood where he was coming from, but luckily he was likely just overthinking it. "Hey, don't even flip, chocolate chip. You'll likely be in the pits keepin' an eye on the Arrow. You won't need to talk to the other crews if you don't wanna... probably the only people able to even see you will be the crowd and even that's a stretch." She reassured him with a grin as she joined him by the table.

He went on to ask about what she meant earlier, halting Ara from taking a bite for a moment. She finally shrugged and took a bite anyway before setting her sandwich down. "Flipside of what you have. I didn't have a suit or something. And I wasn't afraid of people... I was afraid of getting hurt. Between my mom, what I went through, even stuff like my ex... I was nasty and aggressive with anyone and everyone that tried to get close to me." She paused as she took another few bites, savouring the cheese, tomato and bacon for a few long moments.

"So I pushed everyone away. I snapped and argued, threw attitude at everyone... and when I joined the Order, I struggled to learn and I could barely read. So throw some self conscious worry in the mix as well." She shrugged, finishing her first slice with one last bite. "I got over it. Met good people, made friends... learned a few hard lessons, almost got killed in the process... even scored a boyfriend somehow." She chuckled, looking up at Zoar with a glimmer in her eyes. "No matter what you do, haters gonna hate. I mean... you probably feel like you're some little speck in the middle of the galaxy. I felt for the longest time that I'm just some half-breed screw up who everyone wants to manipulate and hurt. But... haters gonna hate. And if me and you can save lives, help little guys like us... and flip the bird to the haters... well, that's fine by me." She raised her bottle of beer towards him, waiting for him to toast before taking a long sip.

"But hey... you're cool. Plus that suit's karkin' dope." She quipped, munching away on her last sandwich before setting her plate aside. The trip wouldn't take too long, as long as the lane stayed clear. She was getting curious about if he was even going to be worried about other people once those engines started.

The thought brought a smirk to her face as she sat forward. "Say... you've never seen a podrace in person, yeah? How do you think it sound like? That first start-up?" She asked, her smile growing wider with each passing second.

Zoar

 

[Zoar]

"Hey, don't even flip, chocolate chip."

The turn of phrase got Zoar to chuckle to himself. He'd never heard it before. The work of trying to imagine a little chocolate chip somersaulting was enough for him to relax, just a hair more. "Yeah. No one can see me but the crowd of people. Easy." He accepted a sandwich, taking quick, gnawing bites along one side, pausing a moment to chew at a rapid pace. Then, he smiled from ear to ear. "This is great!"

Zoar listened in attentive silence as Ara explained what she'd meant, his little brain spinning behind expressive, black eyes. She had her own struggles, wholly different from his own, yet... eerily similar. But she'd escaped her shell. He was still, for the most part, completely buried in his.

Haters gonna hate. Zoar'd heard the phrase before, who hadn't, but he'd never stopped to really think about it. The Miln half-smiled, raising his little glass of water to clink with the Zabrak's beer, and sipping it quickly.

As Ara complimented his armor, Zoar sat back in his seat, sandwich back in his hands. "Thanks. It's... kinda cool."

"It sounds like you had armor too." He took another few rapid-fire bites, before elaborating, knees brought close and tail wrapped around him. "You wanted people to see you a certain way, so you changed who you were. Made yourself bigger, so you didn't feel... so small. So then people would see the lie, and think it was you." Maybe their struggles were more similar than either of them thought.

His fellow mechanic Jedi asked him a peculiar question. Zoar thought hard about it a moment, before grinning like a mad lad, hand already pantomiming a throttle. "Well, if I had to guess, it'd go something like... RRRRRRRRRRRRWHOOOOOSHchg-chg-chg-chg-chg-reeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEErrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRR-" he paused, having to take a breath. "-RRRRRRRRRRRBOOM!"

"The 'boom' at the end was one of the pods exploding. Pretty close?"

- Ara Sheridan -