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Sports were never really Jonyna's interest. Not that she was unaware of them, but she never really got sports. She preferred a night at the club, or a day on the town. She never really showed it, but one could definitely pin the term 'girly' on her if they wanted to.
She did have one soft spot though, but there was always a bit of a taboo behind mentioning it.
So, to sit in a sports bar, watching Shockboxing on the holoscreens, it felt...odd to her. But, she had agreed to this. Connell Vanagor, someone she had only been vaguely familiar with, had wanted to meet her here. Jonyna really did want to find some new friends, and become a friendly, familiar face within the order. Being a jedi master had a level of expectation of community to her.
It reminded her of her role back home as Sage. Everyone knew it, but she rarely showed how much she cared for the kids back home.
Alright Jonyna, get out of your own head. Sports. Sports and beer. Beer and Sports and food.
She could do this. She could talk about sports! About throwing the ball around and then punching your opponent in the face!
Why was he being summoned by the Council to a Sports Bar? Sure, he liked going there, grab some greasy food and a drink and watching some gravboxing, or some Huttball, but he was to meet a Council member there? No, this wasn’t going to be awkward, not at all. He took a deep breath and walked through the door. He scanned the room and spotted the Council member in the corner. He smiled and waved, then made his way over, ready to hear what the Council had to say.
Master Si. While I must say that I am surprised to be summoned here I am ready for whatever you may need from me.
She was a Council Member, no doubt this wasn’t a social call.
”Social Call” and “Connel Vanagor” unfortunately aren’t allowed in the same sentence.
He stood next to a barstool at the table where they were. Connel would not simply invite himself to sit down.
TAG: Connel Vanagor "Huh?" Jonyna questioned, looking to the man. "Oh, I just wanted to...ya know...hang out. Trying to get to know everyone in the order, this just felt like somewhere we could meet. Get some drinks, some burgers, and watch some..." She paused, tilting her head at the Huttball on the screen. "...Sports..."
Maybe she was overstepping using her position to call Connell on a social call. But she needed to put herself out there, as Val said. "Oh, and...it's just Jonyna. I don't wanna be your Master, I'm trying to be your friend, yeah?"
A Council Member wanted to hang out with him? This was a drawback to Father’s training of him, Connel was taught to respect a Jedi’s station and this was throwing a wrench in it. This sort of dynamic was not allowing him to loosen up. It was a shame too as Connel clearly wanted friends, not a negative reflection on his upbringing, but yeah. Still standing next to the stool, he gestured as if asking for permission to “sit” and finally doing so (she would have said “no” by now, right?). Alright, what are we watching? Oh, Huttball.
He was still stiff, not entirely convinced that this was all social. Then she mentioned Master Noble, and the anxiety in him rose to the surface. After all, most don't seem to want him around at all, let alone to hang out with. No doubt the Cathar Master was wanting to get a bead on him. Disappointing, especially since he was "fortune telling" and well aware of it . Oh well, he could play along… he was hungry anyway.
Then she outright said she wanted to be his friend. Okay.
Alright.
She was a Council Member, a leader… the second rule of leadership is “be friendly, not friends…”.
Jonyna stared at the screen for a moment, before finally voicing her confusion. "So...when does the punching start?"
She wasn't ignorant of the man's discomfort with the idea. She knew he was going through some things, but...
She couldn't be the person he thought she was being. She wouldn't, and wasn't capable of. The person she was, simply wanted some friends. Inviting a man over for drinks and to watch sports, she figured was the best bet. Which, to be fair, she hadn't really mentioned this as a council thing. She just...asked him to meet her here.
Whatever she was looking for out of him, she probably wasn’t going to get at this rate. Connel was too stiff right now, half expecting something to happen once he let his guard down. SO he didn’t. He kept this what it was, a meal. Giving his order to the server, Connel was caught off guard by her question.Huh? Oh, no hitting… at least not like that, it’s Huttball.
Then he gave a quick explanation about how Huttball was a dangerous sport that was popular on Nar Shaddaa during the Old Republic era originally. A sport played in the Huttball arena on Vespaara which involves a ball and a club. Daq Dragus introduced a shorten version of Huttball to the Gauntlet, a battlefield in the Grand Arena of the Hunters of the Outer Rim competition. The Hunter Grozz was a professional Huttballer before he joined the Hunters of the Outer Rim.The game pitted two randomly selected teams against one another in a no-holds-barred attempt to gain possession of the ball and bring it into the opposing team's camp. Violence and cheating were encouraged in Huttball. Sponsored by the famed Giradda the Hutt, Huttball pitted some of the most powerful heroes in the galaxy in a contest with fame and fortune at stake.
This explanation actually took his mind off of things a little bit and as his food was brought out (which was enough for three people), Connel seemed loose…
"I never really liked the Hutts. Worked for one, he was kinda a jackass." Jonyna figured, ordering a pair of chicken legs. "What about you? Ever been to the Mid-rim?"
Connel couldn't hold back a laugh, but he stopped himself. He couldn't help but wonder if she had met his father, probably not. I've never worked for a Hutt myself, but I've heard they can be pretty ruthless. My father… he could tell some stories ..
As for the Mid-rim, I've been there a few times. It's definitely a different vibe compared to the Outer Rim. My mother and father took me everywhere to engulf me in cultures. Have you had any interesting experiences there? Eating a handful of fries, he asked for a refill.
Repli Implants that would be for the limbs Bonemer enhancements to strengthen structure of the body Muscle enhancements. Hemo enhancements for blood flow Hawkeye implants for eyes Advanced Medical Implant
[URL='https://www.starwarsrp.net/threads/scentzy.181689/'
]Scentzy[/URL]
TAG: Connel Vanagor
Jonyna couldn't help but snort at that question. Had she had any experiences there? Oh, the stories she could tell. "Ran into a rogue padawan there. Ended up dating him. Good guy, turned into a bit of a nerd. Got too focused on studying history for my liking. More power to him, I just...I needed a battle buddy, not a scholar to teach me." She rolled her hand, "No hard feelings there though. We used to work out of Ryloth. This one time, we had to break into cantina to take down some sort of real estate scheme. I pitched the idea of me dressing up as a dancer, but..." She let out a giggle. "Instead we rammed a speeder into the side wall and went in grenade primed."
Connel actually smiled at her recollection of events. It was a good experience as he hadn’t smiled outside of being around family in a long time. Then a couple of drunk Weequay stumbled into their table, mainly Connel. He was more than willing to let it slide and let them be on their way, but the two idiots seemed to want to keep things going. “What do we have here?” Asked one of them rhetorically.
The other seemed more interested in using his fists than his words. “A puny little human and a hot little kitty cathar. What? You taking your pet out to eat.”
Connel just looked up with a stone cold stare. Jonyna could handle herself, but this fight seemed to be his.Walk away… now… Connel went to take a drink when the smaller Weequay slapped the stein out of his hand.
“We’re talkin’ to you! You don’t disrespect us like that!” Bouncers and the Cooler showed up ready to escort them away, but Connel just held up a steady hand, he had this. Standing erect and eye to eye with the big one, he locked eyes while talking to the smaller one.
You owe me a Goldeneye Smoothie.
“Hah! Who says?” The drunk was laughing hard as he grabbed a couple of Connel’s fries and threw them at him.
Ask your friend. His control of the Force brought the environment around the larger Weequay into an altered state. Soon the larger drunk was experiencing his worst fears and all at once. Every fear, every embarrassment the drunk was experiencing was not only bringing him to his knees but making him sick..
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” The huge Weequay was becoming a quivering mess, he would be fine, as soon as he was escorted out.
“Hey, we… we was only kiddn’ around. Hey! Get this man a refill on me!” Both of them were soon being walked out as Connel sat back down. He knew that Jonyna would know what he was doing, and was half-expecting to get a dressing down for it, but hey… he could have beat them up, right?
Thank you for this. I originally only came because I thought this was some “downlow” way of yelling at me for something… but this has been fun so far. The entire bar was now cheering for a goal.
Jonyna watched as Connell dealt with some rowdy drunks. She knew this was a possibility, but seemed to have it handled.
Then he came back, and took her off guard.
"What?! No. I just...really needed an excuse to hang out. My boyfriend disappeared a while back and..." She blushed. "I realized I don't have a lot of friends in the NJO, despite me being here for almost 3 years now."
The thought of “Let’s go find him!” Raced through his surface thoughts and onto his face. However this was not the time or place for it. Besides, he still had half of his second burger and the rest of his fries to eat. He pushed the thought aside and continued to eat. He knew that he would have plenty of time to find him later. For now, he had to focus on the task at hand and that was to enjoy his meal while catching up on the game.
While I wouldn’t know, or want to know what it is like to be a Council Member, not that this is a bad thing, just not for me, I know what it’s like to not have friends. Taking a huge bite so as not to have to immediately answer any question this might have brought on, he tried to figure out what the cooks did to make this nerfburger taste so burnt rather than smokey.
So many Jedi are either awestruck about my dad, or want to learn something from my dad through me, or intimidated by my dad or weirded out because of my dad. I tell you… I love him, I respect the daylights out of him, but sometimes I wish I wasn’t a “Vanagor”, I could be “awkward” and “alone” on my own merits. He clearly wasn’t looking for sympathy, just expanding on her conversation.
TAG: Connel Vanagor "It's exhausting, I'll tell you that." Jonyna chuckled in reference to her new job position. Then he brought up his dad...
"...when I returned home for the first time in 900 years, my people had already carved a mural of me into the side of the tree I grew up on. They started calling me sage, a position normally reserved for elders who've worked with the tribes all their lives. I was given it because they saw me as a legend. But...I took it in stride." She chuckled. "Normalcy isn't something people like us are afforded. Just gotta roll with what life gives you, ya know?"
The comment about how long it took her to go home clearly threw him for a loop.
”900 years”? How old are youuAAAnd that came out wrong. I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. I’m used to my parents, and maybe one or two others being from around that time. I guess it proves I don’t have much time around Cathar…
Taking in some fries, not wanting to dig the hole any deeper than it was that he was in, He watched some more Huttball for a few moments.
My father… he embraces the “Silent Guardian” line of work. I don’t know, it just suits him. Don’t get me wrong, around my mother and I, he’s great. I just see him out in the field and he fits the mold, you know? I want different for himself, but I’m just going about it wrong.. With a shrug, his eyes lit up at the Huttball player scoring. He mumbled “That was cool…”
Maybe I’m just not meant for this line of work. He shrugged again, clearly it sounded like he had thought about this but only now finding the courage to bring it up among others.
"Oh, Cathar aren't like that. I'm just a special case. Fought a witch, got turned into a glacier for 900 years. Only got out after the witch..." She paused.
She never really did figure out what happened there.
"...either way, yeah, I'm 930. I still remember Order 66, so don't you sass me, youngin'." She chuckled, "But I get it. Not feeling like you fit in. When I first joined, I really clashed with the Council on how I went about things. Got a bounty on my head because I tried to kill a member of the Imperial Council over in the EOTL. Eventually captured him after I challenged him to a duel. Don't worry, you'll find your place. Just don't focus too much on it, ya know?"
Taking a drink of his new milkshake as so male Cathars were giving him the eye.
Okay, that makes sense, my mother was put in stasis against her will and my father was shot down over the planet Rhen Var trying to get her out. He ended up buried in a cavern, Ignoring the two Cathars who did not seem to have an issue with Jonyna, only him, he continued what he was saying. I guess you could say “the romantic part” of it all was that they found each other in the same restaurant, or at least the grounds of it, some 900 years ago. There wasn’t a lot of stories that warmed his heart but that was one of them.
He didn’t want to come out and say anything, but she didn’t seem to want to let up. Not a problem, but still.
Naw. I’ve been thinking about this for awhile. I’m going to slowly phase out of it. With another shrug, he caught those two Cathars staring at him, now they were making threatening moves. A yawn was the wrong thing to do as they moved in on him.
“You need to get away from our people… HUMAN.”
Then something in Connel changed, he was clearly looking more aggressive, feral, like he wanted a serious fight. First of all, what is going on here is none of your business. Secondly, she invited me. Third, there is nothing going on here. Lastly, the best thing you could do is walk away.
“You’re threatening US Pipsqueak?”
“You’re like a foot smaller!”
Last chance to walk away, He shrugged again.
“That’s it!” One of them threw his meal to the floor as the other kicked the stool out from under him. Of course Connel had the reflexes to roll with it and remain standing.
“We’re not this weak*ss Weequay! Fight us human!”
“Yeah, you’re so tough?” Throwing a punch was a mistake as Connel used a skill he enjoyed learning the most from his father. Connel put his attacker in Force Stasis and Force pushed the other hard into the wall.
“You’re a Jedi?! You’re not supposed to do this! You’re not supposed to be this way!” Clearly realizing he and his friend were in over their heads, the fear set in.
I gave you a chance to walk away. More than once. You chose to attack me. You wanted a fight. Tell me, why?
“Y… you’re human! She’s Cathar! You don’t belong together.”
Now Connel was mad, not at the observation, but the underlying notion. We’re not, and if we were, that would be between us. It’s sentients like you that are going to be the death of this galaxy. Free your mind. Kinesthetically lifting the huge Cather up to bump his head on the ceiling, Connel dropped his would be foe to the floor with a thud and went back to his shake.
Slowly his demeanor changed, and softened back to the person that the Council Member was talking to with one added oddity. He was confused and looking around as if he had just missed something. Clearly Vanagor looked like he wanted to ask “What just happened?” looking between the two Cathar, but he didn’t.
I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I know that I can do the job, but that’s just it… it’s “just a job” not a “calling” like it is for my father, like it is for Ran Serys
, like it is for Master@Valery Noble, It was that way for Kenobi… Skywalker… before that… happened… Even you… you’re doing right. Everyone is on a path that means something. It doesn’t have that meaning for me anymore. So I’m going to leave it and find what it is.
Another nonchalant shrug, he ate the new order of cheese fries the bar brought out to him to replace what was lost before offering some to her.
Jonyna paused as the two males walked over to them, spouting nonsense.
<Is this what my brothers have become?> She asked in her native tongue to the two. <Get your head out of the canopy and find the soil again. This is a jedi, like me. Respect the warriors who fought off the armored horde and saved out people, you children.> Her tone was like a spear piercing armor, staring daggers at the two. <Your Sage commands it. Go find somewhere else to think on who you have become.>
Cathar had always been a tribal society, and the sage was the highest rank one could hope to hold. Jonyna had become the Sage of Sages, the highest ranking Cathar within the Denik Tribe. A beacon of hope, but also a master of her people.
She paused, looking back to Connell. "Let's go find somewhere else to eat. I know a place with less creeps like this."
Connel was busy eating the cheese fries as Master Si was yelling at her compatriots. These were really good fries, the “cheese” component to them was only on the top. Underneath the fries were LOADED, and obviously a manner of the manager saying “sorry”. In all reality, he wasn’t really looking to leave, and knew that she wasn’t just “looking for another place to eat” but talk about what he just said. He’ll play along, no problem. She might have needed this just as much as he did.
Alright, let me settle up., He shrugged again and walked over to the register. The bill was offered to be “comped” but he would have none of it and paid for both of them..
As they left, Jonyna let out a growl. "I've never seen a brother act like that before. To think, the time away from the homeworld would do that to my kind..." She was clearly frustrated by that. "But...I guess it can't be helped. How are you doing? I guess I should've asked that earlier. And like, I don't mean...well, ya know, but like, what have you been up to outside of jedi work? See any interesting worlds recently?"
Walking out the front door behind Jonyna, after assuring, and reassuring the management that all was fine, he shook his head.
No, I did all of the “touristy” stuff as a kid with my parents. My mother runs an outreach, so we went to a multitude of locations. I learned a lot more when I wasn’t thinking about it than I would if I made an effort.
Feeling a bit awkward about the conversation, he started watching the ground as he walked. Right now I spend most of my time learning how to use that blasted shield. He shrugged again ... and maybe one day get to a point where I don’t get into a panic attack picking up a damn lightsaber. He scoffed, mumbling… Big tough Guardian I wanna be…
Connel Vanagor
