The spoils of a hard fought battle

[Rylan Kordel]

Sometime in the hours following the liberation and defense of the people of Manda, Rylan had found himself a trophy in the helmet of one of the three clones who had tried to upend everything that the CIS had come to do for the planet and it's people, he stared at his reflection in the cracked visor, a slight smile on his face at the days work. Walking away, the Sith whistled a tune to himself, most of the mop up had been taken care of, that left the rebuild, which he was less than interested in being a part of, so he went in search of the bar, it didn't take long, he stumbled upon one, or the remains of one at least, the front wall having been collapsed from some kind of blast, or weak craftsmanship perhaps?​

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Placing his trophy on one of the tables, he started to dig around in all of the bottles behind the bar, finally settling on a bottle of Corellian brandy, a glass and a cigar, he joined his helmet, feet on the table, cigar in his teeth, and the drink in hand, the spoils of another successful operation he grinned, lighting the cigar.​

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Of course this did leave him questioning why he bothered staying, but the force had told him that there was something here to wait for, so he watched and waited in silence, drinking and smoking, because why not.​

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[member="Alora Fae"]​

 

[Saraya Arenais]

Manda was liberated and Alora was basking in the glow of her first successful mission. The streets she traipsed through seemed very different to the one's they had been fighting in only a hour or so ago. Though it had all seemed to pass by in a blur she could remember every second of it. Although the CIS had been victorious it seemed some of the city was destroyed in the process. They had done their best to clear most of the mess by debris and rubble still crunched under foot as she curiously explored the semi-destroyed capital.

Just as she turned the corner a sweet, whistled song drifted in to her ears, which caused her cheeks to flair up in a soft blush. The fiery redhead couldn't help but be curious. Even if she hadn't been her feet were already carrying her toward the noise. Who else would stay behind in the ruins of a city after a battle had been won?

When she approached the source of the whistle she wasn't surprised to find it belonged to a man, though she was surprised to realize she knew him. Not well, of course, but they had shared a drink or two once before. He was sitting in the remains of what used to be a bar, feet on the table, drink in hand and something foul smelling perched between his lips. Alora wasn't exactly quiet about her approach, she felt it best to make at least some noise, considering she was coming from behind him.

She approached the bar with a nervous attitude. Most people in the CIS were friendly and he had been when they had first met, but you could never tell. When she reached his stool she offered him a smile that was awkward and slightly uncomfortable, though the latter came from her unfamiliarity with the expression.

'I can join you, yes?'

[member=Rylan Kordel]

 

[Rylan Kordel]

Sensing a presence he'd felt before, Rylan's glance traveled about his surrounding for a moment to glance at the red head who had entered the bar, and he raised a glass to her. They'd shared drinks some weeks ago, but he hadn't really gotten to knowing her name or who she was as a person, and he knew she was planet side, he had seen her among the others during their after action report.​

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"Yeah, feel free, no point drinkin' alone..."​

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A grin cracked across his face as he put out the cigar, then sent it flying across the room into a garbage can, a look of satisfaction on his face at the successful attempt, his eyes moving back to the red head, studying her face for a moment in silent contemplation. She didn't have the look of a soldier, more an assassin, and he was one to speak when thinking about it, he pretended to be a soldier more times than he could count, when in reality he was much more of warlord, and a force of recklessness and dangerous intent when he was in the field.​

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"...Alora, correct?"​

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[member="Alora Fae"]​

 

[Saraya Arenais]

'Not Alora Correct, Alora Fae.' She nodded to both herself and the man at the bar. A small smile curled the corners of her lips up as she slipped into a seat beside him, not realizing he had asked her if he was correct in thinking her name was Alora. She was quite proud of herself for understanding what he meant, or at least thinking she did. 'And you are who is known as Rylan, I am thinking?' As she asked her question she waved toward the bottle he had been sipping on, her way of asking if he minded, but she didn't want for a response. Alora lifted the smooth glass from the polished bar with a flourish. For some reason most members of the Confederacy didn't seem to mind sharing a drink or two with a complete stranger, much to Alora's delight.

Alora lifted the clear glass bottle to her lips and took a healthy swig for a woman her size. Almost immediately after it had slipped down her throat her face contorted into something akin to disgust, her pink tongue poking from her lips a fraction of an inch. In actual fact it was surprise at the bitter taste of the amber liquid. Most of the drink back home and been cider pressed and made from a sour fruit, everything she tried away from home seemed to have an explosion of new, undiscovered flavours. She was rather like a child in that regard, eager to explore the Galaxy not just with her eyes but with her tongue as well. 'Blergh...' Her sweet voice rose in pitch as teh whiskey danced across her taste buds. 'That is some kind of strange.' She took another quick sip, her brows furrowing gently as she smacked her lips together. 'I have like for it.'

[member=Rylan Kordel]

 

[Rylan Kordel]

A chuckle escaped his lips at her response to his asking of her name, a small shrug escaping his shoulders and his face giving a slight apology, despite he knew she hadn't realized his meaning. With her own question, he had found himself nodding in response, slightly surprised she remembered his name, after all it had been a few weeks, and he wasn't exactly someone would pay much attention too.​

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"I am, Rylan Kordel, Sith warrior and Obsidian Knight."​

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He did wonder how literally she would take his name, and the rest of his title. His attention soon snapped to her taking the bottle and trying the drink, her reaction to it giving him a good laugh, her tongue sticking out was a nice addition to the disgusted look on her face, but her words caused an amused expression to form on his own face, pondering on her reaction some more.​

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"It can be, I myself enjoy the bitterness, reminds me I'm still alive. Reminds me that life isn't always as sweet as we have a horrible tendency to try and pretend it to be."​

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Realizing his horribly sober sounding comment, Rylan chuckled and toasted Alora​

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"Here's to a well fought battle."​

 

[Saraya Arenais]

Alora let her brows furrow a fraction of an inch, if you weren't watching close enough it would have skipped you by completely. She didn't quite understand the purpose of his laugh. Nothing she had said so far had been funny, had it? The thought passed her by quickly, overshadowed by a small celebration at the fact that she had recalled his name correctly. It had been a long time since they had bumped into each other in a bar and shared a drink, rather like they were doing today. There had been more people around then though. 'I am having pleasure at meeting you again!' The fingers on her left hand splayed out and, in an almost imperceptible motion, she tapped her middle finger against her thumb.

Another confusing statement reeled from his throat, Alora was more taken aback by this one though. 'What is this that you are saying? Bitter? Sweet?' Neither word rang a bell, nobody had thought to tell her the words for different flavors. Perhaps because she had never inquired before. Was it fear of sounding unaware or naive to the world that kept her from asking? Maybe, but for some reason Rylan seemed like he wouldn't mind the laborious task of explaining everything to her.

She clinked the heavy bottle against his glass and nodded in agreement. By her side her left hand clenched and her forefinger flicked quickly back and forth a few times. 'To victory and freedom for people who have a home here.'

[member=Rylan Kordel]

 

[Rylan Kordel]

Nodding a little, he smiled at Alora "The pleasure is all mine, Miss Fae." he raised his glass to her once more, before once again taking a swig on the liquid in his glass, his eyes studying her face, amusement in them at her reactions to things said and done. "I say life is bitter, because it's not always good, bad things happen, mostly to test us and our resolve. Most people, especially those hypocritical Jedi try to pretend everything is sweet, or basically good." he looked into his glass as he talked, not much about him had changed, but his eyes got a little darker, a little more cold as he thought about what he said, then he shrugged it off.

"Cheers, to freedom, and home." he raised his glass again, smiling at her, though maybe this time he seemed a little more distant? Somehow the words of home always rang hollow to him, maybe it was because he didn't like the idea of home anymore, or because he felt like home was a lost cause, after all, not like he had a real family till finding the Confederacy, but he was still one of thousands, he mattered little, even as a Sith Lord he barely cared to count himself among those ranks. "So what brings you to bombed out bars, to drink with brooding strangers?"

 

[Saraya Arenais]

She grinned. This time it felt more natural. Strong spirits seemed to affect her more quickly than the thick black stuff she'd had her first night away from home. In fact, she could feel the affects taking hold already. The tell tale tingling in the tips of her fingers and the slow numbing sensation spreading over her face. 'Please, only Alora.' Almost in sync, she raised the bottle with him and took another extremely large swig of the amber liquid. 'Yes. I am agreeing with you. Life is bad and good. But I think it is how you are reacting to this bad and good that makes it so.' Alora nodded her head firmly, as if reassuring herself that she entirely understood what he had meant. 'But what is bitter? What is sweet? How you say...' Her lips stopped moving and for a split second her mouth hung open dumbly. There was nothing more frustrating than having the word on the tip of your tongue and not quite being able to grasp it. 'DEFINE! What is definition of these words?' She visibly relaxed at her success, taking another quick swing of her drink.

Alora watched him carefully as he made the toast. His face gave something away, but she was completely oblivious as to what. Emotions often passed her by anyway, never mind the complicated ones that had hidden meanings and delicate subtleties. His question jolted her back into reality, and she found herself blushing slightly at the fact that she had been staring. 'Exploring. This is first mission, first time away from Metus. Maybe it is celebration in some way. You and drink are just happy addition. And you?'

[member=Rylan Kordel]

 

[Rylan Kordel]

"Alright Alora." he smiled a little, nodding as he set his glass down. He just watched, and listened as she talked, nodding in agreement to her statement about how people chose to take things in life, apparently she was wiser than he would have given her credit for a first. When she was stumbling on her words, he chuckled a little, it was kinda cute, when she found her words he nodded a bit "Well sweet... would be like the drink you ordered the first time we met. When applied to life, I'd say something really good and positive happened. Bitter... think of a sour fruit, that tart it leaves when you bite into it. Now think of your worst day, it's bitter."

Rylan looked amused, mulling over what he just had to explain to Alora with definitions, at first he'd have thought maybe there was something sheltered and strange about the woman, but it donned on him that her culture was probably one not used to the words and phrases of most of the rest of the Galaxy. Her next line of commentary proved exactly what he had suspected, and then her line about Metus surprised him a small bit "You're one of his apprentices?" a brow raised, slightly shocked, he wasn't exactly one to be seen mingling with most of the higher ups of the faction. "I'm sort of a loner of sorts to be honest, I go where I'm needed, kill who needs to be killed, move on to the next operation. Wash and repeat basically. the galaxy doesn't have much use for washed up rogues..."

[member="Alora Fae"]

 

[Saraya Arenais]

Her nose crinkled lightly at the second chuckle he made. She would have to remember to ask him why he kept doing that, but for now she would drown her confusion in the bottom of the bottle. Once she had finished her sip she placed the bottle back onto the counter and listened to him intently. It wasn't often people genuinely took the time to explain what words meant, she lapped up every chance she got. It was a wonder she remembered it all. 'So sweet is like... sweet is like flower smell. Sour is like anything that grows on home.' She nodded, pleased with the simplified explanation she had come up with in order to show she understood. Of course, Rylan wouldn't know anything about the type of food that came from Ochota, but that didn't matter much. The context was there.

Alora lent back casually against the bar stool, draping one bright blood red arm over the edge. Her cool green eyes found Rylan's face, and though her expression didn't show it there was a hint of a smile in them. Inspecting him closely she found his facial structure to be rather... pleasing. She couldn't quite put her finger on why but she wanted to know him, deeper than she had wanted to know anyone she had met thus far. 'Yes.' She nodded in response to his question, thick fiery hair falling wildly about her face. 'Many of these people have been asking same question in same...' A brief pause as she considered the word to use. 'Voice? Way of word?' Alora shrugged. Hopefully he would catch her meaning. 'Why is this? Me and him together is not so unbelieving, yes?'

Her head cocked slightly, like a parrot mimicking it's owner. It was a look she had copied from an animal that her Master had called a 'dog', in Ochotan they called it a Nkita. She had thought of it as a curious, inquisitive look. A look a person might use to show they're interested. When Rylan finished she nodded her head, leaving a gap in the conversation for her thoughts to gather. 'Lonely is not good for heart. Waiting for Galaxy to have use for you is eleghi anya. Not possible. Never going to happen. Make you useful to Galaxy. Fight for place here, defend and honour it and it will do same for you. It is ulo. Home.' She had slipped into Ochotin without even realising. Her lips had been loosened by the alcohol and egged on by the rush of a new found friendship. She knew Rylan wouldn't mind.

[SIZE=13.3333px][member="Rylan Kordel"][/SIZE]

 

[Rylan Kordel]

He nodded, listening to her response of the difference between sweet and sour, he could understand the reference even if he didn't experience her life lessons. When she asked about his reaction to who her master was, he chuckled lightly "I'd say the tone would be curious, and it's not so much a surprise that you're an apprentice, just surprised to see you so far from your masters side in this case.", why that surprised him he wasn't sure, he didn't even know the Vicelord or the man's on goings, he wasn't even sure if he appeared on the man's radar, and planned to stay off it as long as possible.

The look Alora had given him, gave Rylan pause. No one usually showed interest in the wanderer's life, and here she was showing such, and it was strange, when she talked, he blinked once or twice, but smiled a little, "My heart has never been a consideration for me or anyone else really. I've been a weapon as long as I can remember, used by the powers that be in different conflicts over the galaxy. It's all I know." he frowned a little, looking at the ember liquid in his glass, swirling it, a dark look on his face as he thought, "Home doesn't mean a lot when you don't know what that is. It lost it's meaning a long time ago." his eyes moved up to look at her, the darkness in them showing how lost he felt at the concept.

"At this point, death, chaos, and destruction are my home. Hence sitting in a bombed out bar."

 

[Saraya Arenais]

A small spark of understanding graced her expression for a brief second. As she spoke she reached for the bottle once more. 'He is busy man. Many things to do.' Alora shrugged her leather clad shoulders as she took a sip of the tangy liquid. 'I am thinking he is having enough trust for being on my own.' She listened intently after that, both deeply interested and attempting to keep up with him.

Her nose crinkled, spreading thin lines across her milk bottle skin. There was confusion in her eyes at first, but it quickly died down into something more collected, followed by the slightest shift of her eyebrow. 'I will not say sorry for you or the past. I will say that in my home we have saying. Very jagged translation to your language is meaning if you have no hope you have already lost.' Her weight shifted in the chair, bringing her torso a fraction of an inch closer. A thin curtain of fiery red hair slipped from behind her ear, shielding her face from the rising sun. 'You have not lost yet. With no hope and no want to find it is terrible thing, I have seen it. It breaks great men and even greater women, but you are not broken like them. In you there is hope, somewhere. Maybe you have not found strength to call it but it is there.'

Green eyes flicked, breaking her intense gaze as she filled Rylan's glass to the brim again. 'I will help you find it.'

[member=Rylan Kordel]

 

[Rylan Kordel]

He raised a brow at the girl, downing what was left of his drink before reaching out to grab the bottle and top off his glass again, "What would make you want to do that?" he finished pouring the drink and placed the bottle down, eyes still studing the pretty features of the redhead and almost getting lost in her eyes before shaking his head a little and shrugging, "I can't stop you if that's what you really want, you'd probably end up everywhere Metus sends me to kill someone anyways."

The Sith moved his gaze from Alora to the trophy he liberated from the battle, the burned and broken helmet of the clone who tried to kill so many of the CIS layed there, cracked visor staring at the man, between his reflection and the words his companion shared, he came to realize how broken he was, but it causd him to wonder how she'd know if he had hope or not, when even he himself, had no idea anymore. This gave him pause, and caused him to think on her words again, once more feeling confused why a stranger would want to put time and effort into him, he was nothing more than a weapon, he accepted that.

 

[Saraya Arenais]

Alora shrugged her shoulders, making the leather wrapped tightly around them creak and groan. In the minutes gone by she had asked that same question of herself, but she couldn't really find an answer that made sense. 'I have no knowing of why.' Once she spoke the silence seemed to creep up quickly. After a moment or two of it she broke the tension by taking a sip of her drink and looking up to face Rylan once again.

'I ask you question. Would you want to stop me, if you were having power to?' She watched him carefully after that. It sounded like a simple question on paper but his answer would be the defining point in the conversation. Alora knew there was hope in him, it was just a matter of whether he was willing to admit it or not.

[SIZE=13.3333px][member="Rylan Kordel"][/SIZE]