Private The Grand Phaaree Cavern Convor Mosaic

[Efret Farr]

Nirrah was getting a lot of attention and Efret was making slow progress as they moved through the streets of Corvala, the capital of Shili, towards the teahouse the master had suggested as a meeting spot. Efret was equally excited to see what holistic remedies for addressing the ails of space travel they offered and, if they did, to gauge Aaaine's reaction to traditional togruti medicine. The master hoped, perhaps against her better judgement, that the doctor would be open-minded to it, at least for this trip.

She could almost see her lips saying in the near future something to the effect of, "Surely you don't believe it, Efret. It is nothing but placebo." Instead of frustrating her, the possible response that she judged to be very in-character brought some strange comfort. Even a Jedi could stand to tease a friend.

But for now, Efret was busy responding to the many passing togruta who stopped her to admire Nirrah. They didn't faun over her like strangers elsewhere sometimes did, complimenting her feathers and long tail and wide eyes. To them, she was not a pet but the vessel of an ancestral spirit. As such, not one asked to pet her, which took away the burden on Efret to explain what a guide animal was and why it shouldn't be touched when working. Still, she responded to exclamations of awe and prayers of reverence.

She couldn't hold back a sigh of relief when she finally made it to the teahouse, let herself in, and found it mostly empty.

That meant she had some time to wait. Good. Hopefully it was enough to recover a bit from the excitement she had already endured. She picked a table for four in a particularly cozy corner of the room, sat, and began to peruse the turu-grass-bound drink menu.

Aaaine​

 

[Aaaine]

Location: Corvala, Shili
Time: 1200 hours
Outfit: Explorers
Tags: Efret Farr

“Excuse me! Can…can anyone please point me in the direction of..” A pause, long enough to look down at her datapad, adjusting the silver rimmed glasses on her nose to be able to better see under the bright sun. “The..Baijhet Leh? Does anyone know where the Baijhet Leh is?” Scarlet red eyes turned upward to see if someone, anyone had heard her calls for help and was willing to point her in the right direction. Unfortunately, all she got was odd looks at her pronunciation of the foreign language and practically nothing else. She was, very clearly, left to her own devises.

Fighting off the urge to let a pout paint her lips, the Chiss pulled to the side of the extremely busy street and began reassess her options. Pulling the brim of her hat low and over the top of her eyes, she started to look over the invitation from the jedi she was here to meet. Supposedly, if she could just find this blasted tea house!

A huff of frustration escaped her, realizing the Efret’s and her’s last few communications were going to give her very little in the way to find this place they were supposed to meet, outside a few coordinates. Something that she probably should’ve mentioned to the Jedi was that her pathfinding skills were lacking. To say the least.

Suddenly, a word caught her attention, shooting her eyes up to find the Togruta had said it. It was practically the only word she could understand, but ‘kee’tch’, bird, was plenty enough context when the Togruta that spoke it could be seen patting her shoulder. “Efret.” Aaaine looked in the direction where the onlooker had pointed, picking herself up off the wall and immediately heading in that direction.

It took a bit longer, but eventually she was able to find what looked like the tea shop. Removing her hat as she entered, it look little more than a cursory glance to find Efret in the corner of the little store. A deep blue handtowel was pulled from her belt. Quick, dotting dabs across her forehead to remove any remnants of sweat was the last action she took before coming over to the jedi. It barely dawned on her to feel silly over the gesture, knowing Efret couldn’t exactly see it.

Tapping the jedi lightly on her free shoulder, Aaaine quickly moved to take a seat on the jedi’s side of the table. “Plenty easy place to find, I’d say.” Flashing a smile that she hoped hid her lie, Aaaine placed her hat on the table.

 

[Efret Farr]

If Aaaine's lie did not serve its purpose, which it probably didn't, Efret's smile didn't let on after she glanced up.

"Who hid your lab coat, Esabii or Alecari?" she asked, a small interpretation device clipped to high up on the neckline of her tunic speaking for her in a femininely-programmed voice for her as she signed and it scanned a grid of green light over her hands. Though the voice was relatively monotone, Efret's facial expressions suggested that she was teasing.

She then gestured to one of the chairs across the table from her. "Sit, please. I chose a larger table because I thought one of them would be joining us." The Red Coat, specifically, had been the one on her mind, given her holomessages back and forth with the doctor.

Aaaine​

 

[Aaaine]

Location: Corvala, Shili
Time: 1200 hours
Outfit: Explorers

Aaaine’s smile broke through her tiredness upon hearing Efret’s translated voice. Even with the monotone response, she could still tell the humor that was coming from the jedi was meant to break the ice between the pair. She shrugged as she took a seat next to the jedi. “Esabii. Conveniently made sure that all my coats were sent to the cleaners the morning before I left, leaving this old thing.” Gesturing to herself, she let the smallest of laughs escape her lips. “It’s been a long time since I wore this. I used to go out into the field a lot more, but time necessities at the lab has cut that time off.”

Crimson eyes glanced to the free seat across from the pair, mind beginning to register what Efret was getting at. Her gaze raised to look around the little shop. Eventually, after a few moments of searching, a familiar green twilek caught her gaze, having already been sitting in the corner staring at the scientist and her friend. Specs gave her a small, mocking, two finger salute before settling into her chair. Aaaine gave a small nod, returning her attention back to the Jedi.

“No..i don’t believe we’ll have anyone else joining us here. It’s just us for now.” Another smile, one holding a bit more excitement for today’s events. Glancing at the menu once more, still failing to understand the vast majority of it, she turned her attention back to Efret. “So, what is your plan for today? Grab a few drinks then go and visit this witch doctor of yours?” Her tone was jovial, hoping that Efret would hear the teasing nature of the words and not be too offended. While the doctor was skeptical of what they were able to see, at least she’d see something new and interesting.

And she’d be able to spend a little time with Efret as well.

| Efret Farr |​

 

[Efret Farr]

Efret did not know Spec, but also did not notice that they motioned at Aaaine.

She smiled at the mention that no one would be joining them. "Not yet. With how pretty you look, maybe we'll find you a nice togruta..." Mischief rose her brows quickly before they dropped again in favor of hands raised in proactive mock surrender. "Sorry, sorry."

It was easy to understand the doctor's mood from her body language. "We're not visiting a witch doctor," Efret corrected lightheartedly. "We're going to see a mosaic down in the Phaaree valley of a togruti mythological story. I remember the way from the last time I was here." It was some time ago, but the artwork had left such a deep impression on her that she was confident that she would take to the path again as if she walked it every day.

She added with a nod, "We'll hike out after having some drinks here. I've been here before too." She slid the menu open in front of her over so Aaaine might see. "These are the teas for sale. You order one and the components come: hot water, mug, fresh herbs, a mortar and pestle depending. It's very fun to make your own tea. Does anything look tasty to you?"

Aaaine​