First Reply Time to get those land legs

[Reina Daival]

"...They coulda at least came wit' me ter to the planet...but no! Damned blowhards."

Reina grumbled to herself as she walked out of the spaceport of Fondor and took a look at the bright Capital. The only expression she wore was a small wrinkle across her face. The stench was the worst. Being around so many people, intermingling. She felt like she was all packed in with the people around her in a tinned can. At least it wasn't Coruscant. She had heard how much worse that planet had been. It was probably worse than she had heard of considering the war. That wasn't important to her though. What was important was finding a place to stay for a while. Taking her rucksack and throwing it over her shoulder, the lass headed out into the streets to see what she could find.

There were so many different species she had never seen before. 'Course her crew hadn't all been fully human. There had been a human or two, but Skipper was a Nautolan. Plus the chef was a Mon Calamari. They were the reason Reina even knew how to cook for herself, and she even knew a few bits of their language. It was a strange experience, going from somewhere she could understand everyone perfectly to here. Dozens of different languages being spoken all around her. It wouldn't be too far off to say that Reina felt like a fish out of water.

"Breathe, Wee Wind. Focus."

The Skipper's voice echoed in her mind as Reina moved off to the side of the street. Focusing on her breathing as she tried to calm herself down. Asking for help was always an option. Of course, who she was meant to ask for help, she had no clue. She just had to focus. So that's what she did. Turning her attention to the one companion that hadn't left. It wasn't a physical companion, nor something she could physically see. It was something she could always feel. Nudging her in different directions or comforting her when she felt alone. Whenever she spoke to the crew about it, some of them would always say it was the Spirit of the Waves. Others would say that it was a type of Force. Either way, Reina focused on it. Asking for its guidance.

With that, it was almost like the sea had came to her. The scent wafting past her face, twisting and turning through the streets to guide Reina. And so, she followed it. Weaving through various groups of people or sliding past them to stay on the move, lest she be left behind by the smell. The smell that would lead her to a small, relatively empty cantina. Well, it wasn't a bad place to start to get some advice. She just needed to find someone who stood out...

 

[Laphisto]

Laphisto had come to fondor in hopes of securing some deal with the local corporations. Movements of the sith empire stretching acrossed the mid-rim and growing ever closer to the home system of the Lilaste order had him preparing. For what? A total system evacuation? Folks aboard Aurora station had made it their home. It was the central hub for the entire order as a whole. He couldn't pull himself to leave it behind. If anything, they needed to get some type of hyperdrive aboard the station. But that was just the surface of the problem. A solution he didn't want to have to prepare for, but one that had come from necessity.

Shaking his head, he rumbled to himself. His wings rustling slightly upon his back as he hunched forwards in the cantina. His worries and uncertainties could wait. For now, he focused on the one thing he knew for certain, and that was how hungry he had gotten since his arrival. With a rumble, he called the waiter over and ordered a dish at random. It didn't really mater what it was food was food after all he had been in situations where the food couldn't even be called food, so what's the worst that could be served here?

Shaking his head somewhat at the thought, he chuckled, grunting lightly as he tried to find a comfortable position on the seat he sat upon. his tail brushing against the floor. And while he was distracted, he stopped feeling something through the force and then looked straight over towards Reina Daival . And immediately his eyes shifted from their green draganoid slited eyes. As a flash of teal ran over his iris, giving them a blue luminary glow. it was more out of instinct than anything as he used his Force Sight peering into the girl. Poking and prodding at her alignment to the force with a raised brow.

 

[Reina Daival]

The ground was still too stable for her. Reina frowned to herself, glancing down towards her feet every so often. She was used to the ground swaying beneath her, and standing still felt so alien to her. Either way, she hurried her way over towards the diner counter to try and get someone's attention whilst the workstaff moved amongst all of the tables, placing down various plates amongst them all. Patience wasn't a virtue for her however. If she was stood still, it just meant there was something she could be doing instead as she started to tap her foot against the floor impatiently.

A gentle breeze brushed against the back of her neck however as she stood there, turning her head around to glance around the diner in confusion. Her eyes scanning over the people in the diner. It felt like something was watching her...but she couldn't quite figure out who it was. Meanwhile said observer, Laphisto would notice an alignment that was...completely grey. Perhaps there was a tinge of blue every now and then in the swirling mess but nothing concrete. It didn't lean towards one colour or the other. She had no reason to be aligned to one side or the other anyway. She had little reason to care about helping people nor harming them.

"...What do I 'ave to do round 'ere to get someone to talk to me? Yer all more pointless than a compass with no direction!"
That's not to say she couldn't have a temper. Swinging her head back to look at the counter, frowning as a staff member finally came over to deal with her. Thank the waves. Reina rolled her eyes as she prepared to speak, though as soon as she opened her mouth, the staff member interuptted her.

"Take a seat. We'll serve you."

"But I ain't wantin' to be served! I want direct-"

"Take a seat. We'll serve you."

The server responded once again. Staring directly at Reina who was staring daggers straight back. And it stayed like that for a few seconds...before she threw her hands up into the air with a groan.

"Fine! Yer worse than a damned bucket of bolts!"

 

[Laphisto]

laphisto raised at Reina Daival 's outburst, shaking his head somewhat. To a degree, it reminded him of when he was still a padawan on ossus always itching for real training to use his blade and get some action instead of meditating all day every day. His old master always told him that he needed patience and battles are not won with hast decisions. Patience is a virtue had become a phrase he heard all too often. In which laphisto usually responded with Patience is a virtue, but only when it serves purpose.

When he noticed the girls' neutral alignment, he raised another brow, shifting slightly yin his chair, causing his Armor to creak, and inadvertently exposing the hilt of what looked to be a broken Vibro Blade. The remark about droids gave him a small chuckle. Maybe one that was a bit too loud. Which caused him to clear his throat. The teal flash fading from his eyes as he spoke," hey now, that's offensive to the bucket. At least a bucket has a better use than a droid"

laphisto held his own distaste for droids. So much so that the order didn't even have a functional droid model in service, save for the sentinel droids that were found on aurora station during its recovery. laphisto had his own reasons for his distrust of droids. Mostly because he couldn't see the damned things being mostly blind and relient on the force to see had its.. disadvantages.

 

[Reina Daival]

"I was talkin' 'bout droids! Y'know! They're metal buckets. Filled with bolts and nuts!"

Reina spun around on the heel of her foot, keeping a frown on her face as she took in the sight of the person speaking to her...and narrowed her eyes at the sight of what seemed to be a broken vibro-blade. She knew that you don't carry around a broken item with you unless it was usable in someway. And she wasn't sure if she wanted to risk anything with it. Sighing to herself as she folded her arms along her front trying to keep her annoyance under control. Breathe. In and then out. Though then she focused on the man who had spoke to her, blinking a few times.

"...Ye've got 'orns. I ain't ever seen a person with 'orns."

Fish. Sure. She had seen plenty of horns on fish. Some of them used them as defensive mechanisms. She wondered if Laphisto used them as weapons...Which caused the inevitable image in her mind of him headbutting something and stabbing them with the horns. Though thinking about horns made Reina realise how much she missed having a harpoon in her hand. Hunting down creatures of the sea was so much better than talking people...but she was stuck like this for now.

Laphisto

 

[Laphisto]

he half frowned as the girl didnt quite cath onto his joke. about the aspect of a bucket having better uses that a droid ever would. and how calling a droid a bucket of bolts was insulting to teh bucket. though he shook his head of the thoughts and at the mention of his horns he reached up grabbing at the end of one of the battered appendages and running an armored hand along its surface, " aye, so it seems I do. I half forget I have them sometimes, I take it you have never met a zabraak then. Though I'm unsure if you would consider those horns"

Gesturing towards the seat in front of him laphisto leaned back in his chair slightly. As his food soon found its way to his table, the waiter set down the stew and a few pieces of bread, " Your Fondorian Shipyard Stew sir, enjoy your meal." laphistos eyes flicked over the meal with a questioned look. Almost as if he didn't even know what he had ordered. Which, in fact, was as close to the truth as possible. He couldn't exactly read galactic common. Or any language for that manner. Wasn't exactly something he tried learning, never truly saw a purpose of it, and now it's just something he deals with. What's the point of trying to read if you can't even see the words.

glancing back to the girl he raised a brow softly " you seem an awfully long way from home. names Laphisto Gix " he extended a hand out her way, the other began to stir his stew seemingly picking out the vegetables and setting them on the plate with the bread deciding to forgo his titles at this time, it just didnt feel like the proper moment for such things

Reina Daival

 

[Reina Daival]

"Naw. Ain't ever 'eard of Zabby. Only really know 'bout Mon Calamari, Nautolans, Selkath, Quarrens...Met a Karkarodon as well, but 'e ate through all our supplies and jumped ship. Damned shark men."

Reina rambled for a little bit about her experiences with different aquatic species. None of them that she could think of had horns. Tentacles, maybe. Sharp teeth, sure. But horns? Nah. It wasn't something she ever believed people could have. So colour her surprised that she had managed to meet someone with horns. She also forgot the proper name for Zabraks. Zabby was close enough. Though her eyes narrowed at the mentioning of her being far from home and she folded her arms along her front instead of shaking Laphisto's hand.

"'Ome is where I am. Always 'as been. Reina Daival needs no 'ouse to call a 'ome."

Perhaps she was being far too defensive. But it had felt like an insult to her. Like she was some kind of guppy! She ain't a guppy!...Not anymore at least! Though before she could on a long winded rant, her eyes narrowed down at what Laphisto was doing with his food, tilting her to the side.

"...Why ya separatin' it all for? It's a stew. Meant to be all together. The flavours are meant to all mix together."

Laphisto

 

[Laphisto]

laphisto had some knowledge of mon cala and the quarrens, through his aid with the Empire of the lost and their invasion of Mon cala. Never seen a karkarodon though, in fact, he never even heard of that species before, so the word made him look up at the girl with a quizzical look. Before pulling his hand back, sensing the small bit of hostility he tried to pull back and better explain himself " i mean the way you seem to be standing. and your posture gave me the impression you are not from these parts, i meant no offense in my words lass."

pulling his attention back to the stew and her next queshtion he raised a brow and shook his hed gently " right. so iv come to see. if i had known it was a stew i might have requested extra meat. my people are carnivourus, cant digest tooka greens." laphisto gave a small chuckle at his choice of words before grabbing a spoon full of the stew, checking it over for any missed greens and then taking the bite into his mouth " so what brings you this way exactly?"

Reina Daival

 

[Reina Daival]

"Directions. I need a place to stay. But I ain't got a clue where anythin' is around this place."

Reina waved her arms around the diner. Obviously she didn't mean the diner was what she didn't have a clue about but she needed to move about in some way. Standing still was something she was never great with. Always ready and rearing to go! The only issue she had was that she had no direction right now. Hm...She shook her head, just turning her attention back to Laphisto, tilting her head at the mentioning of him being carnivorus.

"Whats that? It ain't a word I've ever heard of before."

The lack of an education could do that to someone. It also didn't help that the crew Reina served with just ate what they were given. If there was some kind of dietary needs, she had never been told. She understood how the food cycle worked though. The bigger thing ate the smaller thing. Fish ate plants or plankton, bigger fish ate those fish, and she ate those fish. Of course, she also knew that there were other types of meat than fish...but she couldn't think of any that she had ate before.

Laphisto

 

[Laphisto]

"this is a rather big planet. im sure its easy to get lost. Any place in particular that you are looking for. Name of a building or a certain location?"

He was willing to lend some help if he could, though he was curious about this unknown force user and exactly her purpose for being all the way out here was. Some bounty hunter? No, she didn't exactly.. Fit the bill so to speak, nor did she look like a mercenary. Freelance tradesmen maybe? Though what trade he couldn't tell something to do with water he assumed, considering her choice of words and assumed aquatic knowledge. he half guessed she faired from one of the water worlds, maybe mon cala or manaan. he leaned more towards thatm planet considering his face was posted up all over mon cala after the invasion for his assistance in reclaiming the world as the EOTL called it.

his thoughts were intupted however when she asked him what carnivourus meant which caused him to raise a curious brow looking at her half confused before trying to think of an easy way to explain the word to her. " its a definitive term, often used to describe a species that only eats meat."

it seems the curious keeps getting more curious. Waving a waiter over, he gestured towards Reina Daival " my compatriate here has yet to be served, could we get a menu for her. place it on my tab" nodding softly towards the server he then turned his attention back to her " tell me what do you know of the force?, jedi sith and all that mumbo jumbo"

 

[Reina Daival]

"Yes. A place called a 'otel."

Reina said, rather bluntly. She wanted a place to stay. That wasn't too hard to figure out, was it? A place to stay meant for a place to stay. A place for her to sleep. She'd rather not sleep out on the streets. They were too open. Though with all of her complaining, she actually paid attention when Laphisto explained that there were only species that ate meat. That sounded dumb to her. You eat what you can. Why would you be picky about it all? She didn't necessarily understand the dietary requirements that certain species needed.

Though then Laphisto mentioned a word that was familiar to her. And two words that weren't as familiar. And then another word that she was very familiar with...but probably for not the reasons Laphisto thought of. The menu could wait for now as she went to go through the different terms and words that the man had mentioned.

"The Force? You mean the Spirit of the Waves? It's my companion. It helps me when I need it ta. It warns me when I'm in danger. And 'course I know what a Jedi is. Those are those people with the laser swords that fight for the Alliance. And the Sith are the people with the laser swords that fight against the Alliance."

She waved her arm around, pretending that it was a lightsaber, making a few buzzing noises. As much as she liked to act like she was all mature and adult like, Reina was still a child at heart in a way. Mature in some ways and immature in others.

"And Mumbo Jumbo? I ain't heard of those, but I've heard of Gumbo. Powdah used to make loads of Gumbo. Do you serve Gumbo?"

Her eyes went straight to the server who stared back at Reina...Sighing at the girl before pushing a menu onto the table for her to look at.

"...Guess that's a no."

Laphisto

 

[Laphisto]

he should have expected her reaction to his well rather vague question, but it was meant more so as a conversational piece, and wasnt truly the core of what he wanted to ask her, and to his surprise she knew of the force. And even more surprising, she knew that she was force sensitive. at least in her own way. and she knew of sith and jedi. or the idea of them. as she began to wave her hands around like a lightsaber, he shook his head with a stifled laugh. the soft teal glow fading from his eyes and they returned to thier normal green color, causing him to wince visibly before rubbing the bridge of his nose for a moment followed by a shake of his head. Before then glaring? Or perhaps he was squinting? At her.

the conversation and derailment of the topic to gumbo was the nail in the coffin, and drew out the laugh that he had been trying to keep under wraps since the arm waving reenactment. Clearing his throat and regaining his composure, he straightened up taking another bite of his meal before continuing.

"then perhaps you know that there is more to the force than just simple companionship? The force is one of the greatest gifts, some would say. " Reaching out with one hand, laphisto moved to lift one of the pieces of bread off the plate and levitated it between the two of them , letting it spin around and float aimlessly. and almost effortlessly. as if the simple gesture was as easy as blinking. Setting the bread back down, he gestured towards her curiously, " What can you do with this gift?"

Reina Daival

 

[Reina Daival]

What had she said that was so funny? Reina had no clue. And she wasn't sure if it was necessarily a good thing. She hadn't purposefully been trying to make someone laugh. She just flipped her way through the menu, squinting at the text as she read. Reading was one thing she could do at least, as she flipped. And flipped. And flipped. They had nothing good in this place! There was the stew but she wasn't in the mood for stew. Eh. If she could find a lay of the land, she might be able to find a store to make her own gumbo...But for now, she had to focus on Laphisto's use of the force, tilting her head as he floated a piece of bread.

"Neat."

Without a further more of a word, she snatched the bread from the table and started to eat away at it. If Laphisto wasn't going to eat it, she was. Bread was good for you. It wasn't too tacky or hard if she was being honest to herself. It was strange having fresher food than normal. Of course, she wasn't stuck with rock hard food like some people on boats might have been but they usually waited until their rations were getting low before they got anything fresh...

"I don't need it to do more. Having it by my side is more than enough. Wanting it to do more for me is just plain greedy. I can't do anythin' with it anyway. Why would I make it do anythin'? I ain't a good friend if I'm makin' it do somethin' it don't want to."

Perhaps she didn't...fully understand the Force. Or maybe she did in her own way. It was a living being to her. Why would she make it do something? It should always have the freedom to do what it wanted. Like how she wished she could have the freedom to just go back to fishing.

Laphisto

 

[Laphisto]

when she snatched the bread he slid the rest of the plate her way, including the greens he had picked out of his stew,. He certainly wasn't going to eat them considering his dietary restrictions. so he figured it would be best not to let it go to waste, and he figured she could use the food. Considering how quickly she dug into the meal presented to her


taking in her words, he raised a brow, thinking for a moment. Her concept of the force as a living being wasn't entirely off code for most organizations. Even within the Lilaste order, there were some litigations that the force was its own sentient being. But her perception of making the force do something it didn't want to, was in a place of humility and respect for it." The Force is not a servant, nor is it separate from us. It flows through all things, through you, me and everyone else in this establishment. And it acts as much as it is acted upon. To ask it for guidance, to work alongside it, is not greed, it is trust."


laphisto leaned forwards as he spoke, gesturing to the bread he had given her. with a small nod her way pulling a hand towards his armored chest plate then out towards her again" like me, the Force gives willingly, and it also grows through those who accept its gifts. it isn't about making it do anything, but rather learning to listen and letting it show you what it's capable of doing through you. and even you could one day lift a simple loaf of bread. with enough trainign that is."

Reina Daival

 

[Reina Daival]

"Yeah. I know the whole thing about the Spirit of the Sea flowing all around us."

That was basic knowledge to her. The Sea graced everyone who was willing to listen to it. Not everyone had the ability to listen to it. So not everyone would be graced by its guidance and aid. But she frowned slightly at Laphisto's words as he spoke. Her eyes narrowing in thought at some of his words. Was he trying to compare himself to the Sea? This was far more complex thinking than she was used to. Folding her arms along her front once she had finished the food.

"I don't need to train to lift bread. That is laziness, and I would never use the gift and aid that the Spirit of the Sea gives me for something that I can simply do myself. I trust it to aid me in my time of need. In the same way that it must trust me to only need it when I do. It has given me air when I need it. Warmth when I need it. Using its gift like a cheap parlour trick is an insult."

Of course, she knew that Laphisto didn't mean that she would only be able to levitate bread. That there were possibly many paths and powers available to her if she was willing to learn how to use it. But in her eyes, it was greed. Gaining more power than she needed was greed. Wasteful. You used what you needed, not anymore. You ate what you could, you spent what you could. Being able to use the Spirit of the Sea, or well the Force whenever she wanted would have been more useful...but she was fine with where she was. It triggered off her instincts. Like she had said, when she had nearly drowned during a fishing incident, she had instinctively used Breath Control, before she had been rescued.

"...It sounds like you're looking for a student."

Laphisto

 

[Laphisto]

while the girl seemed to take his words with a bit more bite than he had intended, it caused him to frown, gripping his chin in thought for a moment that would help her understand that what he was offering. or well more so what she could become had much more potential than mere parlor tricks.
"to use the force of your own will is not lazyness, or greed, or thirst for power. What I mean to say is this lass." he paused for a moment as if to gather his words before grabbing some salt and pouring it into the table, making a makeshift shoreline and using the force to help simulate the rolling of waves against the sandy beach.

"The sea does not flow only to comfort the shore; it shapes the land, brings life to countless creatures, and connects distant worlds. The Spirit has given you a part of itself. By holding back, by refusing to let it move through you fully, you are not protecting its honor, you are denying its nature. To train, to explore what it can do through you, is not selfish. It's trust, a partnership. You let the sea teach you, and in turn, you give it purpose through your actions."

as if trying to further reinforce his point to her, that using the force, or spirit of the sea could be more beneficial and used to unlock both her and its full potential as a symbiotic relationship he would speak again "The wind pushes the sail, not because the sail tries to capture the wind, but so that it may travel. And the sail, in turn, shapes the wind's energy into purpose, guiding the vessel toward its destination. Together, they accomplish what neither could alone—movement, progress, and discovery."

with a small smile he almost frowned, great. he was begining to sound like his old master. the thought sent a small tinge of pride into his heart, which was soon followed by a heart felt strike of guilt and pain. so much so he almost missed her last question, which snapped his attention back towards the girl with a small chuckle.

" I have trained a few individuals since I was freed from carbanite. One has become a great warrior fighting to protect those in need. While the other. " he frowned, remembering his first apprentice. Who had gone missing during the initial upstart to the Lilaste order. when the Dusate pirates first invaded kalinda "Doing well and living peacefully, I hope"

While he didn't specifically answer her question, he left it open. For her to interpret it how she wanted. While it had been some time since he had taken on a student, he wasn't exactly against the idea. Though, he didn't quite know how the girl would fare with the militaristic style of the order. But she seamed like she was strong and capable nonetheless.

Reina Daival

 

[Reina Daival]

Oh boy. Laphisto had picked his words terribly as Reina broke into a small scowl. She was meant to give the Sea purpose? The girl who had lost her own purpose. That sounded like a joke to Reina if she tried to think about it. But she'd rather not think about the fact that she had lost the closest thing she had to a family. It wasn't something she wanted to dwell on. In fact, she wasn't sure if she wanted to carry on with the conversation anymore. She could probably find her own way to a hotel now as Reina pushed herself up to her feet, the scowl still on her face.

"Well. I hope yer great warrior of a student makes ya proud and all that. I need to be headin' off. Daylight is burnin' and all that. Need to find a place before it gets dark."

There was no way she wanted to be Laphisto's student either way. Not necessarily anything against him. Reina just didn't like the idea of being someone's student. She was meant to be looking for independence, not restricting it even more. She just shook her head, brushing herself off for a moment to make sure there weren't any crumbs left.

Laphisto

 

[Laphisto]

Laphisto noticed the hostility in her body language and frowned lightly. He wasn't exactly the best at typical conversation let alone small talk. He had been a soldier for longer than he had been alive. Granted a type of forced servitude to some degree to try and atone for his mistakes to try and redeem himself. And so with a small sigh he shook his head gently.

" Listen what I'm trying to get at is there could be a place out there for you. I'm apart of an organization that is always in need of fresh hands specially some one of your potential. We have plenty of options. From mercenary and freelance work to fill enlistment."

Laphisto chuckled lightly to himself. Logistics that's where he excelled at, he was much better and even more comfortable being more militaristic than he ever was trying to be a Jedi. Though for some reason he always found himself striking back towards those roots specially when it came to trying to give advice or wisdom. Old habits die hard it seems.

Crossing his arms over his chest he leaned back in his chair slightly "pays about the best you can find this way to. I'll toss in free equipment as a sign on bonus."