The Shoes that You're Wearing

[Riamah]

Coruscant, the home Ra thought she had grown up on. It was wrong, her memory was faulty and the truth was written out on paper in front of her. Approximately six years ago, she had been found on the doorstep of this orphanage and taken in by them. They had take care of her while she was sick and her thanks had been her leaving when she woke up. They didn't know where she had come from or even her name. In her sleep, she had kept speaking 'raamah numare" so that is what they named her. Nothing they were familiar with and when Ra had left that was her only real memory of this home.

Now she was just one confused young woman. Not lost since she had spent some time on the planet, she was lost in another way though. Wanting to toss in things, she headed to one of the cantinas she had frequented when she did live here. The life she had known was gone.

Letting out a sigh, she sat down on a stool at the bar. Her back to the door and lost in her thoughts. When the tender droid came over to take her order, she grunted and ordered her favorite drink that was called a Twi'lek Surprise. She knew she wouldn't feel the drink until moving to stand up, allowing her to at least pretend she was sober until then.

While waiting for the drink, she looked around her. There was one other empty stool, but most of the tables had somebody at them. Shrugging her shoulders, she just stayed put at the bar. Looking down at the counter, she didn't even look up when the drink arrived.

[member="Myles Velum"]

 

[Myles Velum]

Myles had been standing near the back of the cantina with his back against the wall. Although he'd already been gone from home for a few months now, it was still a difficult notion to take in. He'd left home before, and it's not like Coruscant is very far from Corellia, but he'd always come back. This time, forever, he was leaving for good. The young man was still growing out of his teenage years, but still managed to get a pass into a few cantinas. This spot on Coruscant was one of the few that would even let him in... Not like they really cared otherwise.

He stood upright from his position, eyeing the bar stools with somewhat of an intent. Myles wasn't much of a drinker. In fact, he didn't really like alcohol. But if it was one thing he'd drink regardless, it was the sweet nectar of his home planet. Taking a seat at the only available stool, he didn't pay much mind to his surroundings. To his right sat a drunk Rodian, nearly passed out on the bar table. When the bartender refused him another drink, he was almost too drunk to care. The droid then came to Myles, taking his order.

"Corellian ale."

Myles leaned into the table, sighing as he wondered what laid in store for him; for his future. The reminiscence of memories from home had all but caught up with him. Deciding not to get stuck in his own thoughts, he looked around him. By now the Rodian to his right was dragged off by his drinking buddies, and to his left sat a young woman just a few years older than him. She had sort of a somber look about her, as if she was stuck droning in her own mind about troubles, just as he had been doing.

Finally, his drink had arrived. a tall glass of Corellian ale. Unlike most cantina-goers, Myles would only drink his beverage in gulps, instead of chugging down pints of beer and other alcoholic beverages. He kept an eye on the woman beside him. To others it might seem like he were actually checking her out, and perhaps he was. Such a thing was common in these parts of town, but to him it was merely out of boredom rather than interest. Taking a quick swig, he spilled a small droplet of ale on his shoes.

Damn...

[member="Ra'a'mah"]

 

[Riamah]

As Ra sat in thought about what had been revealed to her just hours ago, somebody wearing expensive looking dark brown boots sat down next to her. Why she noticed the shoes was because she looking down in that direction. They were well made and while worn were of high quality, following them up, her eyes continued until she met the look of a young man a few years younger than herself.

His hair color matched his boots and that brought a little of a half smile to her face. It was better than what she had felt since leaving that orphanage. When she looked at him, it appeared to her he had spilled a bit of his drink on his boots, which caused her to glance at them again and back up at him.

"It'll dry."

Picking up her own drink to take a sip of it, she saw he hadn't taken much of his own when he did drink it.

He appeared more bored than anything else and Ra wondered what had brought him here. Perhaps it was just to have a drink, much like herself.

"Call me Ra."

It wasn't her whole name​, but they had just met and it was easier to remember than her whole name. It wasn't like he was prospective client, just a chance run in.

[member="Myles Velum"]

 

[Myles Velum]

Myles brought his eyes back up to the attention of the woman beside him. Ra, was her name. The look on Myles' face wasn't exactly one of disjoint as one would seem to have when spilling beer on a pair of expensive shoes. No, it was moreso a minor nuisance to him- As if he had too much money to care about a simple pair of shoes, or perhaps the shoes weren't as valuable as they seemed. In actuality, these shoes were indeed pricey, but Myles wasn't the type of man to have money to throw around. Only he'd know that the shoes were in fact stolen.

Upon second glance, the rest of Myles' outfit doesn't seem like one any rich person would wear. It was more practical, while still retaining some sort of stylish-ness to it. Not that Myles really cared for fashion. But he did enjoy a nice pair of shoes.

"People call me 'Spacer'."

He spoke somewhat quietly, but audible enough. His voice was sort of dark or deep, but a hint of a young boy still lingered behind it. Myles also strayed away from eye-contact. This was something he often did talking to strangers. Instead, he glanced at the woman before staring thoughtfully into his drink, swishing it around the glass.

"So, Ra... You seem out of place. What brings you to a place like this?"

It was perhaps the most cliche line ever, but there was a sort of blandness in his tone, questioning yet neutral. Normally Myles could tell why people visited cantinas, seeing as there were usually only two reasons. But this time, he merely sat keeping to himself. Maybe this Ra woman could relate in some way. After all, he could at least tell something was troubling her, just as something was troubling him. Whatever the case, a little conversation wouldn't hurt.

[member="Ra'a'mah"]

 

[Riamah]

In her frame of mind right now, Ra did not really notice Myles' clothing. He provided a name to be called and it was one she could relate to.

"Sounds like we could get along. You see, I got a small business. Just myself and my ship, providing transport or carrying cargo."

Picking up her glass after speaking, she finished it off quickly. One drink won't affect her, but more than three and she would be feeling it later. Motioning to the tender to get her another, she turned her attention back to Myles.

"Out of place? Nah, you see I lived here for a few years. Almost thought it was home. As to what brings me here. I want to drink my day away. What about you?"

Being a young and in business for herself, she had taken lessons on keeping things polite and she did that with Myles. Her voice was curious, but also contained that same sort of neutral tone. Only her eyes may have indicated something was troubling her.

[member="Myles Velum"]

 

[Myles Velum]

He took another sip of his ale. Almost empty. His expression almost turned to one of disappointment, had he not really cared for alcohol. Myles arched his back, still leaning in toward the table with his elbows rested in front of him. See, he wasn't really the type to drown his stress in a few vices... At least he didn't think he was. Maybe he was exactly that type.

"Yeah, I guess that's what most people come here to do. I'm just here to kill some time, talk to the locals..."

As he says this, he gestures an eye toward Ra. Usually when he came to these bars, he'd strike up a conversation with someone. Other than that he'd always keep to himself. But it wasn't too often that one of these 'bar-talks' would actually be somewhat interesting.

"Anyway. Business, huh? So you work cargo... Sounds exciting."

There is a hint of sarcasm in his tone as he takes another sip of his ale. This time, a smaller one to savor the taste. The dark-purplish drink reminded him of home. It was probably the only thing he'd ever drink at these cantinas.

"I guess you could say I'm in the same line of work." he spoke ambiguously. "So... What is it that's got you down?"

Myles now seemed slightly more chipper, or at least a bit energetic compared to his demeanor before. He straightened his back as he repositioned in his seat, turning his head slightly to actually look at Ra.

[member="Ra'a'mah"]

 

[Riamah]

The young woman wasn't actually much of a drinker so would probably call it quits after only having two drinks. It was just in her nature to be on a more conservative side than anything else. This would be the second time in her life doing something like this. As she thought about, it had been in this same place right about three years ago.

"Talking to the locals. Where are you from? Your accent is from a Core World, but not this one."

He did look in her direction, but he didn't look in her eyes. That was fine with her for now. When he brought up her job, she shook her head. The way she had phrased it might lead him to think she was a smuggler, but she wasn't.

Then he asked what had her down. That was tricky to answer and not come across sounding like a fruitcake.

"If I told you, you would probably think I'm crazy."

[member="Myles Velum"]

 

[Myles Velum]

"Corellia."

He said this bluntly, and his expression seemed almost... regretful, or at least reminiscent. He turned back slightly toward the bar table, swishing around the purple ale in his glass.

"Bartender, top me off..."

It wasn't much longer until the droid returned, taking his glass and filling it from the tap. One could probably tell what drink this was, as its signature purple color and sweet aroma only come from one planet- Corellia. That's why it was called Corellian ale. It was probably the only drink Myles would ever throw down the hatch, at least the only alcoholic one. He took another swig; this time two larger gulps that emptied about a quarter of the pint. A short wince escaped his eyes. It was clear he wasn't exactly a heavy drinker.

"There's billions of crazy people in this galaxy, uh, Ra... Not that some random guy at a cantina would bother to judge you."

Or maybe he would.

[member="Ra'a'mah"]

 

[Riamah]

She had heard what had happened on Corellia and nodded. The reason for his tone was obvious for her. The Netherworld event. The tearing apart and destruction of his home. The fact it could be rebuilt though should be known.

"I see."

Nodding was all she did ​before taking a sip of her drink as he ordered his to be topped off. It appeared they both liked sweet drinks, but Ra had never had Corellian Ale before. It looked and smelled interesting. Maybe next time she would try it.

Chuckling even though her life had just been shattered, she had to agree with the point Myles made.

"Ok here, take a read at this and I'll tell you a story."

Handing him the information she had from her file, it would state what little they had on her. It was all she knew of herself now, not what she had thought at all.

"Now those seventeen years are gone. I don't know who I am or where I'm from. Thinking all these years I had grown up here."

Motioning in the broad sense to indicate Coruscant.
​
"Now tell me that doesn't make me sound crazy?"

[member="Myles Velum"]

 

[Myles Velum]

"A little bit, maybe."

He took a sip of his drink- this time back to smaller tastes of home. He briefly looked over the file she handed to him. He could only imagine what it was like being told everything you ever knew was a lie. It almost made him sad, a short moment of sympathy washed over him as he continued with his small gulps.

"But I think that you do know who you are. I mean, maybe you don't know your past but you know your present. And that's all that really matters, isn't it? Hell, it might be good that you don't know anything about your past. Gives you the opportunity for a fresh start."

Myles handed the paper back to her before turning back to face the table. His eyes went back to the center of his glass, staring down his drink as if there were something inside of it. Perhaps there was nothing literally inside the purple liquid, but metaphorically it was as if he were speaking to himself instead of Ra. He allowed a brief moment of silence before he continued his monologue.

"I think it's the now that matters more than the then. You may not have grown up here, but well, you're here, aren't you? Maybe whatever you thought wasn't real, but you can always make it real. You can make it a part of you. It's not like what you think really matters in the grand scheme of things, does it? What I'm trying to say, is..."

He paused. All this time he'd still been staring into a purple puddle without actually looking the person he was talking to in the eyes. His own monologue sort of made sense to him, but maybe it didn't make so much sense out loud. Myles could tell he was sort of rambling by now, and part of him started to feel like he was talking to feel like he was just projecting his own frustrations out on some random chick at a bar. Perhaps that was exactly what he was doing- but hopefully some of what he said resonated with her and at least made some sense.

"...Well, maybe I don't know what I'm trying to say."

Myles cleared his throat, letting everything sink in for a moment.
"Anyway..." he took another swig. "That's just my two credits. Not that I'd really know anything though."

[member="Ra'a'mah"]

 

[Riamah]

Tipping her glass in his direction slightly when he agreed that maybe it did make her sound like she was at least a little bit crazy, she took a drink of it after.

"See, told you. What if I'm some sort of princess that's been missing for the last four years? Maybe some heir to a great throne or something...Yeah I wish. I was probably going to be some sort of civil servant or something. Lowest rung of the ladder. I mean at seventeen or eighteen one can't be much yet. What if I was meant to be more than a simple pilot?"

Taking the information back, Ra replaced it into her pocket.

"How can I make it real? In a way you seem wiser for somebody that is so young. Eh, maybe you're older and just wear a young face or something."

Now she was the one rambling on and not making any real sense.
​
"You know as much as do actually."

[member="Myles Velum"]

 

[Myles Velum]

He smirked when she mentioned him being "wise", and even laughed a little when she suggested that she might be a princess.

"Nobody's really entitled to be anything. If you wanna be a princess, go be a princess."

In a way, it seemed like his last words held some sort of a deeper meaning. Perhaps they could be interpreted in some other way, but Myles didn't seem to think anything of it.

"Listen, I gotta jet. All I can say is- if you want it to be real, then let it be real. If not, then go do something else."

He was already up and standing from his seat. Digging through his pockets, he fished out a handful of credits which made a clinking sound as they hit the table.

"Here- lemme pay for your drink. Good luck on finding out who you are. I'll see you 'round."

Before she could refuse his money, it was already on the table in front of her, and he was already turning to leave.

[member="Ra'a'mah"]