Things Uncommon in Mind

[Kay-Larr]

Twin Canyon Mines - Outside Chasin City- Commenor

Spoiler

Kay had been on a tour of the Twin Canyon mines. Though she wasn't quite dressed for a trek inside of a series of caves and tunnels, it was an official visit, so she had to dress the part. Even though she wore a dress, it didn't mean that she wasn't capable of protecting herself. Her abilities were still not out in the open. Only those that were Force Sensitive themselves, or knew what to look for, would be able to figure it out. Even the yellow speckles in her dark eyes could easily be explained as fancy contact lenses. But in truth that revealed her descent into Darkness.

Guards were posted on either side of one of the tunnels. She wanted to go alone in this stretch, had insisted on it, regardless of the precautions given by her guards. She was their Queen. They had to obey whether they agreed or not.

Was she unarmed? It appeared so, though there was a small blaster concealed in one of her boots. The sound of dripping water could be heard as Kay walked through the pathway. There were boardwalks, staircases, all evidence of the work done there in the past and beginning again for Commenor's future.

Her hands gripped the railing as she paused in her walk, looking at the view. There were chrysopaz gemstones here, plenty of them that could be used for lightsabers. And she could also use them for a new crown, new jewelry. She smiled as she imagined just what they would look like. They needed to only be unearthed, polished and cut.

The sound of a few loose pebbles being kicked or falling caught her attention. Was she not alone? Her eyes darted around the area, looking for moving shadows or anything of the sort to indicate that she wasn't alone. She shrunk her Force signature down to that of a small tree nut, just in case, remaining perfectly still so that her own movements wouldn't catch anyone's eye.

Then she waited for someone to make their move.

 

[Wolfgang]

Twin Canyon Mines...that's what the locals of Commenor called this place. The intel he had received from other Seekers and Keepers stated that the mines were ripe with a type of gemstone or crystal. Normally the Order would send a Keeper to check it out, but Wolfgang wanted to scout it out first. A constant ​'Drip, Drip, Drip.' ​Could be heard, it was constant and kept the Guardian Wolf on guard.

The tattooed teen wore all black, from his tight fitting shirt to his combat boots. A quiver of razor sharp barbed arrows sat harnessed to his back along with his bow, on his belt sat a Vibroknife sharpened and ready to be pulled at a moment's notice. So far the cave had been fairly easy to navigate. He had to admit, it was very beautiful almost breathtaking. He reached for one of his red winged arrows and latched it to the bow's string. He had to be safe for anything, who knew what lurked in the caverns.

He was crouched and slowly making his way along an upper path, he wasn't careful and he kicked a pile of pebbles causing them to fall to a level below. ​"Chit..." ​The teen would whisper before jumping down to the lower level. As soon as he hit the ground he would see a Woman in a stunning dress. He would slowly rise and look to the woman.

He pulled his bow taut aiming directly at her.

​"Odd place for a woman in a dress." ​​The teen said as he kept the arrow trained on her.

[member="Lady Kay"]
[member="Crix Halcorr"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

There was more than one entrance into the mines. The canyon was filled with an extensive labyrinth of tunnels both manmade and not which delved over 30,000 feet below the surface. Not only that, but they held emergency shelters accessed underneath Chasin City and the Royal Palace itself in case of natural disasters or if the planet came under attack. So it came to little surprise that a wanderer and come into her midst.

Kay watched as [member="Wolfgang"] landed 30 feet away from her on the path. So that was who caused the noise. She raised a brow as he stood up straight, aiming an arrow at her. Both were a threat to eachother, yet at the moment they were playing a chess game. Or at least she was.

She turned her body slowly, keeping her hands to her sides. "Odd place for a boy and a bow and arrow. If you are looking for a pack of Red Barons to hunt, they don't come to this side of the canyon. You'll have better luck towards the mountains." Did she really believe that he was out hunting for a trophy? No. But it gave her more time to assess the situation a little better.

"Now do you mind lowering your weapon? Clearly I haven't got one trained on you. Unless of course, you are intimidated by a mere woman in a dress." For all she knew, he could be.

 

[Khrelan Arke]

Soft footfalls marked his presence in the mines, one calloused hand grazing over the almost artistically designed rock formations made from years of water.

Khrelan turned.

He'd picked up on whispers of this mine and, when the shadows of the tunnel descended over his head, he almost felt a traveler's heartache when his eyes were greeted with the wash of varying colors casted across the formations. The underworld of Coruscant was far too..dirty a place to be talking of this. But, hey, who was he to judge?

If there was one thing the smuggler learned across the years, it was that beauty always held danger and these dark tunnels which branched out from the main no doubt produced a possible threat. His dominant hand casually rested on one of his hidden holders slipped beneath his slightly dirtied tan coat.

A pair of voices, one selectively hushed and the other holding an edge to it.

He, too, wondered: why on Hoth was a woman in a dress doing here?

He stilled and carefully slinked to the jagged walls, pressing himself comfortably against it.

[member="Wolfgang"] [member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Wolfgang]

Wolfgang had no clue what a Red Baron was, but by the looks of it, the woman didn't want to fight. Her hands were at her side and she turned her body a bit. The Order had taught the tattooed boy a bit of how to read people's body language. Apparently the Red Baron packs were in the mountains on the other side of the canyon.

The young Templar listened as the woman asked him to lower his weapon, seeing that she certainly did not have a weapon trained on him, he complied. He released the tension in the bowstring and removed the arrow, setting it gently back in it's quiver. He stepped forward and slung his bow over his shoulder.

"Me Intimidated...Perish the thought....so what is a woman with a beautiful dress doing in this set of caves?" He asked with a mock grin

[member="Lady Kay"]
[member="Khrelan Arke"]

(Longer post next time, computer acting up)

 

[Kay-Larr]

(No worries. You're good)

With all of her attention on [member="Wolfgang"] , Kay hadn't yet picked up on [member="Khrelan Arke"] moving with great care nearby.

As Wolfgang did what she asked of him, she smiled a little, folding her arms across her chest. Good. He follows orders without question. No doubt he's had some training. Though of what type, she wasn't certain just yet. She smirked at his comment on her dress. "Clearly you are not Commenori, or you wouldn't even be asking that question." Her head tilted to the side a bit while she studied him, not yet answering his question. Instead she just posed another one of her own. "What brings you here to the mines? Sightseeing?" If he wanted to work there, she could easily arrange it, though he wouldn't like the conditions that she'd put him through if she had to.

 

[Khrelan Arke]

The smuggler could practically hear the grin in the boy's words.

From what he could tell, a man, no, a boy flaunting around a set of bow and arrows –who even carried them these days?– threatened woman in a fancy dress with his toy. While the weapon did propose danger, it was nothing compared to a good ol' blaster. It took around two seconds, maybe one for an experienced archer, to nock, aim and fire the sharp projectile.

Khrelan tapped a silent rhythm with his fingers. It was a habit he took to when bored or while in thinking mode and he wasn't sure which one this time.

Not a Commenori. That was obvious, wasn't it? He nearly snorted but kept silent to remain hidden. He shifted his weight to one leg as he listened, bending his knee to bring one foot up to connect the bottom with the wall, and folded his arms over his chest.

So the Commenori regularly wore dresses to the mines? Interesting.

In a moment, he would make his presence known, hopefully before he was found. Otherwise, there might be a bit of explaining to do on his end.

[member="Wolfgang"] [member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Wolfgang]

Oh how the Seeker hated when people smirked at him, especially when he barely knew them. She knew that Wolfgang was not native to the planet, and commented that if she did he wouldn't be asking such a question. The Templar frowned as he shoved one of his hands into his pocket. She continued to speak, but instead of answering his original question the traditional way, she answered it with another question.

It was funny and annoying. Back and forth with the questions like the woman and he were stuck in an elaborate waltz of a sort. This question asked what he was doing in the mines. This caused Wolfgang to give a faint smile. 'Oh so that's what you're getting at... Trying to prod me for info of my business. The teen would think.

"Commenori, no I am not...I myself am Alderaanian." He'd say as he ran his free hand through his hair. He decided that it would be best not to throw the Order of the Righteous Flame's name around, just in case she was force user. He would let out a barely audible sigh.

"Simply looking for the perfect gift for my dear Romeo...How he loves the way the sun reflects off the gemstones." The tattooed teen would joke, information was not going to be that easily obtained.

[member="Lady Kay"] and [member="Khrelan Arke"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

The fact that she was a Commenori was not the reason that she worse a dress on this particular outing. It was expected. She was the Queen afterall, and had the boy been a Commenori himself, or even someone that had paid attention to the holo-news, he might have recognized her face. But as such, [member="Wolfgang"] was a typical youth. Ill informed.

Even if he had mentioned the Order, she wouldn't of recognized it. But Alderaan. That was a sore spot for her. Back when she was a Senator for the Republic, she was part of the team set up to negotiate with them and the Mandalorians, but that negotiation was a failure for the most part. And she lost her seat in government soon after, moving to exile for a time until she was needed on the planet that she once represented.

That bad memory was apparent on her features for a moment before he started speaking again. "So, instead of going to a shop or market like any normal person, you decide to come here and steal from me instead. Is that right?"

For now [member="Khrelan Arke"] was still hidden from them. Because Kay had shrunk down her Force signature, she wasn't fully aware of how many people were in that cavern. She just trusted her eyes.

 

[Khrelan Arke]

Steal from me instead...

It made sense now why the Commenori wore a dress into the earthy tunnels. It seemed she was a woman of power and powerful people had a tendency to do strange things, he found, such as in this situation. But the identity of this woman, he had to step out into the open.

Khrelan let his dust clad boots kick into one of the puddles, large droplets splashing onto the well worn leather of his boots and the dry caked dirt to announce his presence. Then he purposely let his feet make a slight scruff scruff as he turned the corner. The back of the woman faced him and instantly, she struck him as someone who was not pampered and doted on all through the her life. She knew how the Galaxy worked, if he couldn't tell by her words.

A flash of unfamiliar recognition passed his suddenly warm and friendly features as he flung up his hands in mock surrender, passing on the side. "Don't mind me. Just heard about the beauty of this place and decided to check it out."

The boy, however, looked too young to be holding a gruesome weapon but, he could be wrong.

 

[Wolfgang]

The woman's face seemed to be painted with pain, but only for a split second. Wolfgang went silent as the woman spoke and asked him why he didn't go to a market or a shop like a 'normal boy.' to get the gems he wanted instead of attempting to steal tyem from...Her? the Guardian Wolf tilted his head and confusion plastered his face. She must've been the person who owned the mines.

"Alas all the markets were closed...Dear Romeo couldn't wait." He continued his joke with a smile spreading across his face. He didn't steal anything, not yet, but there were rumours of special gems that was crucial in the construction of lightsabres...That smile went out like a match in the middle of a hurricane. The sound of someone walking, feet scraping the ground. Soon [member="Khrelan Arke"] would make an appearance, his hands up in fake surrender.

The boy spoke in an obvious nonchalant tone. Wolfgang's hand itched, he wanted to draw his bow, but he kept his hands stayed at the respect of the woman's request. He had been taught by the Order to respect people and serve as protectors to the people. She didn't seem to be a force user, but there was always room for suspicion.

He glared to the boy then to the woman. He decided to play along.

"Marvelous the walls painted with various glows and colours." He said with a mock grin. His calm tone breaking.

He made his free hand into a fist as he looked between the two.

[member="Lady Kay"]
[member="Khrelan Arke"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

The markets were closed. A likely excuse. Kay smirked again, remaining still and poised. "I think that your dear Romeo can wait another day. Otherwise, I'm afraid that he won't be seeing you for quite some time. Stealing from a Queen is a capital offence."

She waited to judge [member="Wolfgang"] 's reaction. But the sound of another approaching had changed her mind. Kay raised a brow with many questions running through her mind as [member="Khrelan Arke"] walked passed them. She didn't trust him immediately. The casual tone and mannerisms that he displayed indicated that he was a con man. Those sorts were never up to any good, yet they hardly showed themselves in the mines.

"These mines are no longer open to the general public. They will be operational soon and I would hate it anyone got hurt....or killed." Perhaps there were things going on in some of the old mines that people had been unaware of. That will change today when she orders soldiers to search them all. It will take weeks, but such a task is clearly required.

 

[Khrelan Arke]

"This mine is marvelous alright," the smuggler chuckled, amusement splitting his face in a short grin.

Khrelan met the glare with a friendly gaze though there was a dark glint in those deep blue that told [member="Wolfgang"] should he get dirty, he wasn't afraid to give him a fight. Dropping his hands to his sides with an audible slap of palms against thighs, he turned on the balls of his feet to give the queen a dip of his head.

He recognized her now from her appearances in the holo-net, the few moments he spared to watch at least, and it was crystal clear the woman could be very dangerous if she wanted to be. Catching the woman's untrustworthy look, he returned it with an unreadable expression. He knew people like him weren't favored in most parts of the galaxy.

"Of course," he took the apparent threat casually with a quirk of his lips, eyes dancing from [member="Lady Kay"] to the boy then back to her. Did he feel threatened? No, he was fully capable of defending himself. "I won't venture far, don't worry. But, maybe if I had an escort who knows a lot about these exquisite mines, I'd be able to appreciate them even better. And what better guide than the Queen of Commenor, Lady Kay?"

 

[Wolfgang]

There was that Maker forsaken smirk again. The teen loathed it, she went on to say that his dear Romeo would have to wait, and that stealing from the queen was a capital offense. The tattooed teen's breath hitched and his eyes darted around, then straight to the ground, he had no clue who he was talking to and he he regretted it a bit.

"Uh...Um" he paused as he cleared his throat. He had offended a queen, his focus had broke for a moment and he dropped his suspicion of the woman being a force user for the moment at least.

"Deepest apologies um ma'am..." He said softly, though he was sorry, he wasn't about to tell her he was joking because honestly he was looking for a gem...But as a side mission type thing. [member="Khrelan Arke"] then began to speak. Saying how he would love it if the queen herself escorted him around the mines.

The tattooed boy gritted his teeth. As he watched the blonde boy, what was he really doing there...The Queen intrigued the tattooed boy.

"So Queen...What kind of queen enters a dangerous mine alone..." He wondered aloud. He definitely wasn't going to trust her word. His mind cleared and he reverted back to himself.





[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Khrelan Arke"] seemed to know who she was, at least. One point for him. "What better escort indeed...." Of course Kay knew where the hidden depots were, where some of the raw gems were stashed for storage, but it wasn't as though she'd tell them that. It wasn't as though she planned on taking the two anywhere further within the mine.

A brow was raised as her attention turned to [member="Wolfgang"] while he seemed at a loss for words. And then he posed a question that anyone would ask. But she didn't answer it. Instead she posed another of her own. "I think that the better question would be, what are the two of you doing tresspassing on my property and who are you to think that you could do so without reprecussions?"

(Short post. Out on the road )

 

[Khrelan Arke]

The tattooed boy asked the question Khrelan was wondering himself and he side glanced at the queen. If she kept to her style of conversation, she'd return the question with one of her own instead and it would be better for all of them if [member="Wolfgang"] kept his mouth shut in the first place.

This turned out to be undoubtedly true and Khrelan's smile fell into a respectfully polite one. The Lady's question was reasonable and he knew how to deal with it, as long as other people don't interfere.

His eyes flitted to the boy's for a split second, dropping his delicately kept expressions into a flat look that said shut-up-and-let-me-handle-this though there was a voice at the back of his mind doubting the kid would listen.

"Ma'am, [member="Lady Kay"] , I personally didn't know the mines were currently closed and I don't think he did either," he made a small gesture towards the boy, "I've done no harm here and I don't think he has either. Hell, if I didn't know any better, I'd say he got lost and accidentally wandered in. If you don't believe me, feel free to check our pockets. We've stolen nothing. Promise."

He paused a second.

"If you'd forgive this intrusion, we'll never come back again. I know you can easily dish out repercussions, but, I'm honestly just a simple explorer who happened on this place and he's just a kid. So, we cool?"

 

[Wolfgang]

Wolfgang hated dancing, so the question game began to annoy him. The waltz continued and The Guardian Wolf despised it. He was about to speak only to be interpreted by the blonde nonchalant boy. His once pristine expressions turned cold in a face that told Wolfgang not to speak. The tattooed teen's facial expression dropped from a content look to that of a disgusted look as the blonde spoke.

It was in a kiss up way, and to Wolfgang it was like a boat in the middle of a desert... stupid. The Templar let the teen continue his little rant finishing it off with a plea, asking if the queen would forgive them, they'd never come back again. This made Wolfgang's face light up with a smile. Did the blonde boy actually think the woman would buy that?

He would clear his throat and change his footing, finally taking his hand out of his pocket and crossing his arms.

"I'd rather not have you check my pockets." He said loudly for both of them to hear.

The nerve of the kid, not letting Wolfgang say a single word. He would clear his throat yet again and look to Lady Kay.

"You might not like what you find...Make no mistake 'tis not your property nor anything illegal." He would say with a smirk. He would kick the ground beneath his feet.

He turned his head slightly to [member="Khrelan Arke"] and smirked. "A man who can so easily turn out his pockets to show he hides nothing...Is truly hiding something." He'd say

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow, her arms folded across her chest while her fingers drummed on her forearms. They didn't know that the mines were closed? Only a small possibility there, by ways of some of the other passages and entrance ways. But clearly [member="Wolfgang"] knew exactly what could be found in them. [member="Khrelan Arke"] , maybe not so much.

She looked from one to the other while they spoke. Clearly they didn't like eachother, least of all her. And still she did not know who they are.

Her attention then fell on Wolfgang while he basically refused to have her sift through his pockets. Funny thing for a trespasser to say. "Both of you should empty out your pockets, whether you think that I'll like what I see or not. Or...I'll have them emptied out for you. And state your names so that I know who I'm talking to."

There were two guards stationed on either side of the entrance she took, which was just a three minute walk from where she stood. Of course they'd be even quicker if she screamed. But that was a last resort option.

 

[Khrelan Arke]

While what [member="Wolfgang"] said was very true, his philosophical quote only made the teen look bad, as if he were trying very hard to not get patted down because his pockets carried a secrecy of some kind. Khrelan took advantage of that and immediately complied to the queen's request with a nod, easily shrugging his leather satchel only containing the basic necessities –rations, flask, cigs, comlink, tools to unearth the Chrysopaz crystals– to the ground. Ok, so maybe not the basic necessities.

"Ma'am, A.K. at your service." His lips quirked up in a half smile, a habit of his when speaking, eyes remaining calm on hers throughout the whole ordeal.

The bag plopped to the ground with an audible sound, a small billow of dust blowing up around it. He slid back, one foot dragging along the dirt. Knowing the queen would probably want weapons too and probably would figure out he had weapons on him, he unfastened the gun holster and dropped that down as well.

It was best not to upset [member="Lady Kay"] more than they already have. With the position of high power, came guards and they were most likely stationed a minute or two from here and should she scream or do anything stupid, in his opinion, they'd be in a lot more trouble. Though, strange he didn't see any guards on the way but, there were many entrances.

The blonde then turned on his heels to the boy, raising a quick eyebrow at his pile to indicate that he should probably do the same. "So, wanna introduce yourself? It's only polite." Oh, how he knew he was irritating the teen beyond belief, but it was part of his job description. You can't make everyone happy, right? "Nice tattoos by the way."

 

[Wolfgang]

Wolfgang was taken aback by the woman's commanding tone as she told them to empty their pockets willingly and state their names or she'd call guards. The teen furrowed his brows and bit his lip. He had no clue if he wanted to state his name truly or not...But she was a queen and the tattooed boy knew better than to anger royalty.

Wolfgang looked to the boy who referred to himself as Akay, the teen dropped the bag as a small puff of dust along with a thud followed after. Wolfgang was surprised to see that the teen dropped his holster. Fang had no clue why the blonde disarmed, but it was a smart move. Kind of.

The blonde boy turned to Wolfgang and asked him to introduce himself out of politeness. The Templar was about to say a snarky remark and it even formed on his lips, but the blonde stated that his tattoos were nice. He had no clue if A.K was serious but he would take the compliment either way.

"Thanks..." He'd say as he rubbed his neck. His breath hitched as he reached his hands into his front pockets.

"My name is Wolfgang...Some call me Fang or The Guardian Wolf." The Templar would state as he grasped the contents of his pockets. He slowly pulled them out then held them in open hands. A.K had the luxury of keeping things in a satchel whereas Wolfgang just carried loose things.

In one of his hands sat a folded piece of paper which held a drawing of the entrance Wolfgang used to get into the mines. In his other hand sat a handful of credits along with something a bit more embarrassing...A condom. He smiled as he tossed everything to the ground into a small pile. He patted his back pockets which had nothing.

He silently looked at the pile then to his feet, then up to Lady Kay. His face was a little red due to the fact of the ahen protection. But the teen was more worried about the drawing.

"There that's everything I have on me, I hope it's everything you're looking for m'lady he would say mockingly.

[member="Lady Kay"] and [member="Khrelan Arke"]