Time for a break?

[William Pike]

The two hunters had just finished their last job on this planet and were preparing to leave. William did not yet know where they were heading yet, just that it was time to leave. Anastasia would ask him to wait for her at the ship and so he would, as he always did as she asked of him. William believed that as Anastasia essentially brought him back from the dead, he owed her every breath he drew. As such, he had spent the past for years of his life serving this person who would grow into a close friend. Though they were more of partners than master and servant, not that it mattered to William what they were called, as long as he continued to fulfill his life debt.

As William sat in the hanger bay where their ship was docked, he pondered where their next job might take them. He would however, not be waiting long before his partners arrival at their rendezvous location. "I take it you're ready to leave then Ana?" The man would ask before heading onto the ship ahead of his partner. "We've done quite a few jobs lately, got a bit of a savings. DO you think we should take some R&D time for ourselves? Take some time off? If not the holonet is still buzzing with more work to be done, plenty of bad guys out there in need of some justice." William would ask his partner as he took his seat at the helm of the ship, awaiting her word so that he might head out to their next objective.

[member="Anastasia Snow"]

 

[Anastasia Snow]

As Anastasia followed William into the ship she pondered the options that William had given her. Taking time off meant giving someone else a job, it meant relying on the money they had, it also meant that there was a possibility of failing their adventures and having to return to Anastasia's tiny village on Yavin 4. Then again, taking time away from blood shed and jobs meant that they could travel to a planet and just enjoy it; look at shops, meet new people, see beautiful sights. Things Anastasia's old life did not permit.

After a short pause Anastasia turned to her partners gaze and optimistically replied, "Well Will, I've been weighing our options and I believe you deserve a break! We've both worked so hard recently and it's never a bad idea to take a sabbatical." As she took her seat she turned to the man sitting opposite of her and noticed that he was waiting for more of a location than an idea. "How about we set our sights on the nearest planet and hit a big city! Let's treat ourselves to some fun!"

[member="William Pike"]

 

[William Pike]

"The nearest planet it is then." Their current location did not have much in the way of relaxation, so going somewhere else would be the best option for optimal time away from jobs. William would then take the ship out of the bay, and then out of orbit before putting in the coordinates for their next location and setting the auto-pilot on and stepping away from the console. "I'm sure you're already aware, but the Galactic Republic is rebuilding itself. I was wondering if you thought about joining up? Governments usually pay better than private investors, plus we could keep doing the galaxy some good." As he spoke William was heading away from the cockpit of the ship and towards the makeshift kitchen they had made for themselves. Though it hardly seemed makeshift anymore, after so long using it, it was just their kitchen area of the ship.

[member="Anastasia Snow"]

 

[Anastasia Snow]

"Rebuilding how? I think working for the government might be a hard transition, our lifestyle doesn't exactly scream 'I'm a professional who gets paid a living wage.'" As Anastasia said this she looked at her surrounding that mainly consisted of wrappers to various snacks and other trash. Mostly her trash but she would never admit that. "What kind of work do you think they'd have for us? Do you think its a good idea?" She knew the answer to that last question didn't matter since she was the one who would decide for both of them.

Anastasia then moved herself to the cute little kitchen that William helped her build. She loved the little pieces of the ship that she had a hand in personalizing, it felt more like her home than a place she ran to to escape her planet. When she finally made her way to the small table and chair set they had purchased from a second hand store, she sat down and watched as William took his time cooking them a meal. He was a better cook than her so it was no surprise that she watched while he worked. Anastasia couldn't help but fall into her thoughts about the prospect of working for the government.

 

[William Pike]

"Simply put some bad things happened and now they're trying to regain standing in the galaxy. As far as transition goes, it's not like we're joining the army, we'd just do jobs when they need someone. At least that's my understanding of it. And for work, I'm sure people who are trying to start up a government have plenty of jobs in the way of body guard/ escorts. I think it'd suit us just fine, but as always, it's up to you." As he spoke he had been prepping the kitchen for their next meal.

After a short time, William would place a bowl in front of Anastasia. Inside the bowl was a hearty soup full of carbs and proteins, he had always preferred savory foods and had recently started cooking healthy meals so that they could more easily stay in shape for jobs. William would place another bowl of soup on the table opposite of his partner, allowing it to cool as he cleaned up a little bit around the ship. "I'm not asking for an answer yet, but have you thought it over Ana?'

[member="Anastasia Snow"]

 

[Anastasia Snow]

"Bad things" Anastasia chuckled at the thought of the faction in her mind falling out over someone stealing some food. She knew it was more serious than that but although she was 23 she still was alittle immature. "Willie, I think that's a great idea. We could use the money and we could use the time to hone our combat skills."

Anastasia took to her bowl of soup with a huge spoonful even though she knew it'd be far too hot. She was so hungry that she just scooped it up and inhaled as much as the spoon could hold, instantly she regretted it when she noticed her mouth scalding from the delicious broth. When William turned around she internalized the pain so he wouldn't say anything about it. Honestly the only thing she could think about was how entering the Galactic Republic, she had never imagined being apart of something like it and couldn't see herself worthy of the task. She then looked to William and with a cheery tone in her voice squeaked out, "Where do we head then? Who do we talk to and how do we find them!"

[member="William Pike"]

 

[William Pike]

William couldn't help but notice that Anastasia had burned her mouth on the meal, though he would pretend not to as it was clear she was trying to hide it. They had gotten to know each other very well over the past few years and it would be hard to not notice such things now. It was nice however to hear her happily talk about joining up. While his moral compass was lacking, William knew that Anastasia was a good person at heart, so the opportunity to do some good in the galaxy would be good for her, which made it in turn good for him as well. "I'll take care of that, we'll talk more on it when I have more information. For now though, lets try and get some rest before we arrive." They still had some time before their arrival and so William would head to his bunk and lay down, so that he might get a nap in before they were back to boots on ground. Even though they were headed to relax, a body can never be too rested, and you never know what might happen when you go to a new place.

[member="Anastasia Snow"]

 

[Anastasia Snow]

When William got up from the table and headed towards the bunks Anastasia decided that before she do anything she should finish her meal. To her a good meal should never go wasted and although her mouth still hurt from the burning soup she pushed down the rest before cleaning the small mess left from the kitchen. After finishing the cleaning Anastasia reached for a small shelf above the kitchen counter where they kept a small collection of books; all of the books were of no particular genre and they were torn around the edges and a one or two had a few pages missing probably from a child who loved those pages or maybe someone who found a liking for the passages found on those pages. She grabbed a large book with an action title and fierce looking man with a barrage of guns on the front.

Anastasia went back to her seat in the cockpit and curled up with her book, she removed her shoes and started to read the book. After two or three chapters she noticed herself drifting off to sleep but before she completely let herself fall asleep she put the book down next to her shoes on the floor. Subconsciously she knew she should get up and go to her bed but her body couldn't muster the strength.