Private To Seek Passage

[Artur (Γ013)]

Tea and hot chocolate? Now he was being positively spoiled. He glanced away again as he saw the captain stretching and reaching as far as she could—better not to look than to have to deal with any intrusive thoughts again—while he quickly thought about what to take. Really, though, there wasn't a lot of thought he needed to put in the matter. "I'll take the caf," he answered. It would be easiest, after all, given it's what she was already making. No need to put more water on to boil just for a cup or two of something else when there'd be an entire pot of caf ready to go.

He took the mug once she passed it over to him, no thought given towards adding anything else to it. He did think about getting up to go and retrieve it from her, but the space was small enough, combined with the constant movement that she seemed to exist with, that he didn't have much of an opportunity to let the thought register before the cup was handed over. He blew on it to cool, lifted it to his lips, and took a small sip...

Yes. Definitely bitter.

To his credit, or perhaps a testament to what had passed for 'food' or 'rations' among what he'd gotten used to eating, he didn't make any expression at the taste. No matter how unpleasant he actually found it. Trillions of beings in the galaxy drank it straight, and probably stronger and darker roasted than this; he'd be able to get through the mug with no complaints. Beyond that, its warmth did feel nice against his hand, even if the captain seemed to think the space was uncomfortably hot. "Thank you."

Kalyn Shif

 

[Kalyn Shif]

He settled on the caf', but since she was already poking around on the top shelf she took the time to pull down some of the cocoa and the tea to an easier to reach shelf. Then she realized that it probably didn't matter much where she left it, given how towering he was, and she was only really helping herself.​

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It'd make it easier to make hot chocolate later, if she still had that craving to spare.​

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"Well, feel free to help yourself to whatever" she reiterated, building upon her earlier statement when it came to food and the like. Soon enough she had two mugs ready, and then only one to contend with as he took hers.​

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"Sugar, milk, all that stuff, over yonder," she made a vague gesture, then stepped over to sit in the stool again, giving him full control over the lounge space. ​

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She sipped at her caf' around the time his thanks came, and after swallowing the near-scalding substance she shook her head and chuckled, "Ain't no thanks necessary, pal," she told him, "It's just caf'."​

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Artur (Γ013) ​

 

[Artur (Γ013)]

Once again she was proving herself hospitable beyond what he'd normally expect from...any freighter pilot, really, but especially one in her position. "Not just for the caf," he replied, wondering just how much further she'd go in her efforts to be a good hostess. Sure, he was paying her to transport him, and that almost always included food costs, but to share a bunk with her on the miniature ship, rather than having to claim space in the cargo hold? Essentially being given the all-you-can-eat pass for the gluk machine (though he wasn't foolish enough to actually take that up), making caf for him and offering more besides, trying to make conversation instead of just completely separating and leaving each to their own devices?

Even as much as interaction of this sort left him feeling like he was struggling to keep afloat in a wind-tossed sea, he had to appreciate the effort to make him feel welcome. Of course, by this point he was already rapidly running out of things to keep saying or even energy to continue conversation with; still, he at least had to put some effort in to match what the captain was giving. Easier, probably, than trying to convince her that she deserved to be thanked, not the least for being so willing to avoid any planets he didn't feel comfortable visiting.

"Why do so many people make caf only to add so much to it?" he asked, nodding at her mug. "Is it to mask the flavour? Supplement it?" As much as he didn't find the taste of caf particularly palatable, the purpose of making it just to change it so much seemed counterproductive to him. Why not just make a different drink, then? "It's never made much sense for me." Neither did drinking caf in the first place, but—

Oh. I wonder if my phrasing made it obvious I don't drink caf.

Kalyn Shif

 

[Kalyn Shif]

Kalyn shrugged. "Nice to have company every once in a while," she stated in order to brush the whole thing off. As much as she'd initially been dreading the idea of bringing another passenger onboard, she couldn't deny it livened the place up a little. Only so much solo roaming one could take before cabin fever took a hold. Besides, she'd been pretty aimless prior to this. Between jobs. If nothing else it gave her something to focus on.​

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Not that he needed to be told any of that.​

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As for talks of caf'...​

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"Dunno. I drink it 'cause it keeps me awake. I add in all this other chit because I don't actually like the bitterness of drinkin' it straight. If I'd realized there was cocoa up there I'd probably have reached for it, and been wired on sugar instead. Seemed a shame to waste the pot, though."​

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She gave him a suspicious glance for a moment, eyes narrowing though there wasn't anything malicious beneath it. If anything just slightly curious. "You ain't much of a fan? There's other options, man, you don't gotta just suck it up and drink the first thing handed to you. It's alright to be picky, you know?"​

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With a sigh, she slipped out of her stool and made her way right back to the kitchenette. Regardless of what he might say in response, she reached into the cupboards and pulled down two fresh mugs as well as a couple of sachets of instant hot chocolate. Water was boiling soon after. ​

​

What exactly had come over her since taking him onboard she didn't rightly know, she'd never usually be this pushy with passengers when she'd have them in the past. But something about Artur just... felt... different. As much as he looked as though he could handle himself, certainly had that soldier build, beneath the surface he just seemed so...​

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Lost. Confused. Out of place. It would have been easy to look at him and dismiss him as just a quiet man, but he gave off more child-like vibes than anything. Clearly he'd been pushed into adulthood far too quickly. Call it the Shif intuition...​

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Soon she was plucking the mug of caf' out of his hands, and handing him the cocoa instead. Might be he'd find it too sweet, where the caf' had been too bitter, but still.​

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"Here. I'm gonna sip mine and read for a bit. Refresher's free to use whenever you want." No doubt she'd find herself in her bunk soon enough, cocoa had a way of making her sleepy even with the aforementioned sugar buzz in mind.​

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Artur (Γ013) ​

 

[Artur (Γ013)]

Making it, drinking it, but adding in so much to change the taste before drinking it. His thought was right, and it was just as counter-productive as he originally imagined. He took another sip, willing himself to get used to the bitterness, before noticing the captain's eyes narrow at him just over the rim of the mug, and she spoke up, rightfully calling him out on not actually liking caf. He looked down into the mug to conceal his widening eyes, swallowing quickly. He didn't expect to get caught quite that easily.

As she started to rise, he began to speak up in response, "It's what you were...already...making..." Either his words were unnoticed or simply disregarded, as she dug out more mugs, the hot chocolate, and started more water to boil. His attempt to make the choice that would be simplest, the least trouble for either him or host, had instead led to more being created, subject to the whims of this mercurial captain. Foolishness. As nice as she was being, he couldn't help but wonder if it might not have been easier for all involved if he had just tried to book passage on a shuttle, and figured out some way to deal with his luggage without having too many questions asked.

With the captain waiting for the water to boil, Artur just sank deeper into the sofa, eyes still downcast. By this point, where he was at in his reading was almost completely forgotten, the holobook existing more as something to stare at that wasn't Captain Mara or any of the other things around that might drag him into more uncomfortable interactions. He barely even gave a glance as the captain came his way again, exchanging the half-drank cup of caf for one full of hot cocoa without any resistance from his slack fingers. "Thank you," he mumbled again, quietly, still striving to at least be polite.

If he could have, though, he would've disappeared between the cushions entirely. He couldn't help but feel like he'd done something wrong. Sure, she wasn't bothered at him, with him, not directly, but Artur could tell that she was bothered because of him. A fact that did nothing to ease his mind; all it did was make him think back, analyze how he'd been speaking, what among his phrasing had been bringing her to such a mood. Luckily, that spiral of over-contemplation was quickly interrupted with her speaking up again, informing him of her plans for the rest of the evening. "Understood."

The fewer words the better, probably. At least his chances of avoiding saying anything to agitate her further would go up.

Kalyn Shif

 

[Kalyn Shif]

Though she had every intention of heading off to read, the sight of him shrunken against the sofa gave her pause. Had she said something wrong? Done something she shouldn't have? The boy looked as though he wished he could outright disappear, and his sentences had gotten shorter too. Short as they could be, reduced to just single words.​

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Sipping on her cocoa, she eyed him for a moment longer before sighing to herself.​

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"Where you from, kid?" she asked, pulling up a chair rather than scurrying off to the cockpit where some of her favourite holobooks lay. "They full'a rules and chit, your folks?" Another sip, as she pondered the situation in its entirety for a little while. "You know I ain't annoyed with ya, right? If I'm comin' off a lil strong I apologize, I just... Ya seem like yer on eggshells or sumin'."​

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Was this her doing? Maybe she shouldn't have said anything at all, maybe she shouldn't have undermined his decision to just have the caf' he didn't like and make him something else instead, but she'd been in similar situations before, and she wouldn't put someone else through that. Feeling like a burden or less than. Nah, that wasn't right.​

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Artur (Γ013) ​

 

[Artur (Γ013)]

"Dantooine," he replied when asked where he was from. The question about his parents went unanswered; he was loathe to outright lie about anything, but to broach that subject would prove too much. He barely even remembered his parents, and even if he'd wanted to there was no way he could go and look them up to try and strengthen what little memories remained. Much of his identity, taken from him...and the rest erased, or at least removed from access, with the fall of the Sith Empire. Not Artur anything, just Artur.

His fingers flexed against the mug with the rest of her words, a bit of the apprehension being supplanted with frustration. That was a sentiment that was nearly impossible to give a good answer to; what sort of reaction would she have if he was to start off with how he'd already been feeling like more trouble than his credits were worth since the moment he asked if she could ferry him along? Certainly nothing good, he doubted calling attention to her reactions like that would do anything but make her as hyper-conscious of her actions and reactions as he was of his own. He'd clearly already led to enough trouble in that respect multiple times over in this single conversation.

"I just, I do not think—I'm not, not..."

A quiet, grumbling growl of dissatisfaction came out where words wouldn't for a moment.

"...Not good with people."

Kalyn Shif

 

[Kalyn Shif]

Dantooine.​

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Kalyn couldn't rightly say she'd ever been to Dantooine before. Maybe once with Killian and the crew, but even that felt like a stretch. She did take note of how he avoided part of her query, but given all the pestering and prying she'd already done she figured it was probably best to let sleeping hounds lie.​

​

She could sense his frustration rather readily, see it partially writ upon his expression. Evidently she was fraying his nerves, and she couldn't help but wonder if maybe she was unintentionally playing with fire here.​

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Still his words seemed a little more flustered than anything else.​

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Resisting the urge to sigh, Kalyn nodded her head once in response. There was more she wanted to say, more she could have said, but seemed like he was two seconds away from fleeing into the cargo hold or worse opting to take his chances with the void itself. She wouldn't be responsible for either, so instead she took a step back from the situation.​

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"They close, by the way," she said, hoping to deescalate matters, "The bunks, I mean, they close. For privacy. Not the most spacious place, but uh... Warmer, comfier, than the hold." She swiped her mug of cocoa back off the counter where she'd temporarily placed it to talk to him, and then turned toward the cockpit. She paused before she could cross the threshold to the other side. "Sorry," she muttered, "For pushing I mean."​

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Then she was gone, off to read some novella or another.​

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Artur (Γ013) ​

 

[Artur (Γ013)]

Artur nodded as she switched topics to the bunks, eyes still downcast. That was at least slightly less awkward than he'd originally thought it could be, and helped explain why she had been willing to take him on as a passenger despite the overall lack of space. Not that it made him feel any less ridiculous after everything that had led up to this point, where she was even apologizing to him for nothing more than trying to be nice. He sighed as she disappeared into the cockpit, rubbing at his eyes with one hand.

If he hadn't already been tired, he certainly was now. At least the hot chocolate was nice.

He returned to trying to read, although after the day's troubles it ultimately became more of a way to occupy his eyes as his mind wound down, and not long after he finished his drink he just slumped over, asleep, on the couch, with the holobook shutting itself off in a few minutes.

Kalyn Shif

 

[Kalyn Shif]

Kalyn took her time, sipping on her cocoa and reading through the trashy novel she'd pulled from the pile. Every now and then the view beyond the viewing port would steal her attention and she'd just sit and watch it for a while before drifting back to the story.​

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Eventually though she found her lids a little difficult to keep open. "Yell at me if anything's amiss" she said to the droid up top, before uncurling herself from the pilot's seat and turning to exit out into the lounge. She expected to find him reading still, or for his bunk to be closed over. Imagine her surprise to find neither was the case.​

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A soft sigh left her lips, quiet enough to go unheard, and then she made her way to the bunks. She removed the blanket from his, and as gently as she could so as not to rouse him she slipped it over him, though not before removing the holobook. Both of their mugs were replaced to the countertop in the kitchenette, and only then did she clamber on up in to the top bunk. Closed it over, for both of their sakes, and drifted into a sleep of her own soon after.​

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Artur (Γ013) ​

 

[Artur (Γ013)]

Luckily for Artur, his sleep was often dreamless; whether it was a result of the modifications that were done within his brain, or some sort of subconscious defense mechanism against all that he'd been subjected to through the years, he wasn't sure, but he welcomed it all the same. The few times he did have dreams were far from pleasant, especially over the last three or four years. He'd certainly had his fill of waking up, drenched in a cold sweat and struggling to clear his mind of whatever it had imagined up, multiple times over.

He'd also never been a particularly deep sleeper, so when he did wake up, he was surprised to find a blanket had been laid over him without his notice, the holobook had been set somewhere else, and the top bunk was closed over. Had he truly managed to sleep through all of that? Evidently, he had, and it was likely lucky for both of them. No doubt the captain would've felt bad for waking him, he already felt annoyed that he'd left himself in such a position, after all of last night, that she'd felt compelled to take care of him...it would've been nothing but more awkwardness.

He glanced at the chrono along one wall, where it lightly glowed in the now-darkened ship's interior; as he expected, it was fairly early in the morning. He wasn't sure when Captain Mara would awaken, but he doubted it would be for another hour at least; thus, it was time to spare himself some potential future awkwardness come breakfast. He lifted the blanket off of himself and slipped out of the couch, as quiet as a Defel or a Maalraas, and made his way to where he'd stowed his things in the cargo hold, withdrawing some clothes.

The shower in the refresher had been quiet enough—at least, compared to the ambient noise the ship made in use, especially having the hyperdrive so near the main crew compartment—that he doubted it would wake the captain up, so that was the first thing in his plans for the morning. Luckily for him, it was a fairly tall shower, designed as it was to fit an Ithorian.

Take a quick shower, hopefully be out before she awoke. Maybe help tidy up the crew space a bit, if he could. How could it possibly go wrong?

Kalyn Shif

 

[Kalyn Shif]

She had a decent enough rest, but as with all good things it eventually came to an end.​

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Still she didn't leave her bunk immediately. Instead she lay there staring up at the ceiling wondering how things had gone so weird the day before. So... Awkwardly. Might be simply he was introverted and didn't much like to be around people at the best of times, but then why had he still agreed to travel with her despite knowing about all of this? ​

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Were the other ships really charging so much? Might be she needed to up her prices a little... She hadn't changed them in a few years, after all.​

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With a huff she rolled over and thumbed the button to release the door. It slid up and out of the way, allowing her to slip out of the bunk and down to the floor below; Kalyn landed with a soft thud, socks against durasteel.​

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Artur was nowhere to be found, though she could hear running water and could quickly add two and two together. She used the quiet time to quickly replace his blanket back to his bunk, then she stepped toward the kitchenette and dumped the mugs from the night before into the sink itself.​

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Thoughts turned to breakfast. Typically she'd skip it, but she didn't want him to feel like he couldn't eat too. Besides, she was hungry. Her stomach always hated her for neglecting the first meal of the day, but more often than not she was just a little... busy.​

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Didn't have that excuse today, did she?​

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With that in mind she began to gather up some eggs and the like. Hopefully she'd have a quick scramble ready by the time he left the 'fresher.​

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Artur (Γ013) ​

 

[Artur (Γ013)]

Even over the sound of the shower, the captain's landing on the floor didn't go unnoticed. Artur cursed quietly to himself, hoping he wasn't the cause of her waking up, and finished up fairly quickly; it was only another minute or two before he was pulling on the unthinkingly-short-sleeved shirt he'd grabbed and stepping on out, without much consideration paid to the number of now easily-visible scars covering his arms. Much of the rest of him, as well, although the only hint to that was how they snaked along his arms back under his sleeves.

Despite the awkwardness of the previous day, he did at least manage to adjust somewhat quickly to what was a generally relaxed atmosphere aboard the ship, and where he didn't adjust he'd at least force himself to engage. "Good morning," he said to the captain as soon as he spied her, with the scent of food hitting his nostrils shortly afterwards. "Hope I didn't wake you."

Kalyn Shif

 

[Kalyn Shif]

Well, it wasn't much but it was something...​

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Scrambled eggs, buttered toast, and a tall glass of fruit juice. It was something different to gluk at the very least, not that she would have minded making that her first meal of the day. She just... Knew it wasn't for everyone. Setting both plates down on the table, she turned and hovered before the fridge for a moment.​

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Fruit maybe..?​

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Did she even have any?​

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She stepped over, and was rummaging through it when the 'fresher door opened. "Morning" she replied, over the door of the fridge, "Nope, not at all." Kalyn had never been one for sleeping lengthy amounts. The last time she could recall having such a night's sleep had been back on Lithios, so many moons ago. And that was only because she hadn't been sleeping in a bunk for once, but on a real bed.​

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Ugh, what she'd give for that bed again.​

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A little more searching produced two small Mandalorian oranges from the very bottom drawer. They didn't feel particularly squishy or look too bad, so with a shrug she pulled them out and then approached the table. Set one down for each of them. "Uh, help yourself" she said, gesturing to one of the plates. After a moment more she remembered the utensils and the juice, and hastily turned to bring both to the table too.​

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Artur (Γ013) ​

 

[Artur (Γ013)]

Artur looked at the spread on the table. Sure, it might not have been a lot, or anything particularly special, but compared to what he was used to, it was real food. Distinctly, recognizably, absolutely-real food, unlike any questions that might have been left by the thing making the gluk. Sure, it wouldn't actually be nearly enough to leave him feeling full or anything like that, but it was still far beyond whatever he normally got to have. Or let himself have, as the case may be. Especially the fruit juice, or the actual-fruit in front of him.

Clearly, though, if he started trying to thank her or anything like that, she would just try to brush him off, or look at him oddly for caring so much about being given something so not-normally-considered-special, or anything like that. She'd probably start having questions, again, and he'd rather not have to try and fend off any questions that might come too close to the truth.

So he grabbed the orange and started to peel it while she grabbed their utensils and drinks, suddenly a bit self-conscious about the fact that his sleeves didn't reach his wrists today. "So, no odd dreams or anything like that?" he asked, trying to start some sort of conversation. "No new hauntings to worry about?"

Kalyn Shif

 

[Kalyn Shif]

He joined her at the table without reluctance, and she exhaled a breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding.​

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It was impossible to miss the scars on his newly exposed arms, and the sight of them made a brief flash of rage bounce up within her. For now she didn't speak on it, and did her best to even avoid looking at them. Instead she took a seat at the table, and reached for her glass of juice. A few sips, and her temper began to wane.​

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The questions didn't lessen, though. They just rummaged around through her mind, longing to be answered.​

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"No, no hauntings," she stated with a humoured smile, deftly avoiding the conversation she wanted to start and instead enjoying breakfast for what it was. "How about you? You looked like you were out like a light."​

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As she began to tuck into her food, she faltered and a small frown played over her expression.​

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"Oh, uh, you don't mind what I made right? Wasn't really sure what you'd even like to be honest." A light shrug of her shoulders. Hopefully he wasn't allergic to anything.​

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Note to self: Next time, ask would be passengers about food allergies before making food.​

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Artur (Γ013) ​

 

[Artur (Γ013)]

"I always sleep easily." One thing he would always be thankful for, though he didn't even know if it was a result of training and augmentation or just natural tendency. Even if it was the former, that was one thing he wouldn't be happy to be rid of. Falling asleep quickly and easily, and staying asleep without being either too easy or difficult to rise, generally avoiding odd dreams...it was one small blessing. One section of the orange rapidly disappeared into his mouth just before she asked her next question.

A question that did merit another confused look from him, at last.

"Not at all," he replied after swallowing the orange slice. "I'm no sort to complain over what's offered to me, sure, but...I think nobody in the galaxy would be out of their mind enough to object outright to eggs and toast. If it was the second or third time you'd made it for them after they told you about it violating some dietary restriction or another, perhaps, but certainly not the first time." He shrugged, tossing in another piece of orange.

"That would just be ridiculous."

Kalyn Shif

 

[Kalyn Shif]

"Lucky."​

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And truly he was. Kalyn often struggled to sleep, though given that most of the time she was drifting through space or adjusting to new planetary timezones it didn't really matter did it? If she fell asleep at 9pm or 5am it didn't truly make a difference.​

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Traveling alone made that doubly so.​

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At talks of eggs and their universality, she couldn't help but nod along. It was true, they were a good go to...​

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"And you don't, right? Uh, have any dietary restrictions..?"​

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Not that she was personally likely to make much more than breakfast eggs and gluk, of course.​

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This wasn't a restaurant. ​

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Artur (Γ013) ​

 

[Artur (Γ013)]

Eat slowly, Artur, don't look like you're starving...

Of course, the orange had already been entirely devoured, and he was getting into the eggs once she spoke up. He glanced up, shaking his head. "None that I know of." Not that it had evern come up given what had passed for rations, but undoubtedly if he'd had some sort of allergic reaction to any reasonably common foodstuff he wouldn't even have been chosen to be augmented and trained to begin with. Anything voluntary...well, he'd never really had any choice, and he'd rather keep trying actual food before deciding to cut any category of it out of his diet.

Thinking of choices...

"Just what inspired you to buy this thing, anyways?...Or for that matter, what do you think inspired the person who made it in the first place?" A helldrive, a bright yellow colour scheme, clearly some sort of salvaged ugly freighter overall, a random philosophy holobook among multiple others, an auto-gluk machine of some sort; it all made for a very strange craft. "It's really starting to seem like they were a lekku short, the more I think about the ship."

Kalyn Shif

 

[Kalyn Shif]

Cool, no known allergies. That made things easier. Kalyn herself had an intolerance to alcohol, but that rarely came up in conversation unless she happened to be frequenting a bar or cantina. As of late that had been happening less and less, she'd taken more to traveling than staying put in any one place. Perhaps that was for the best.​

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She was too caught up in her thoughts to notice how quickly he was eating, and truthfully who was she to speak anyway? She ate as though she hadn't in days, her natural biology causing her to hunger far more frequently than most standard beings. Before she knew it her plate was clear, and she was eyeing up the gluk machine.​

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Later, she promised herself. She'd have two helpings when lunch came around.​

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For now she had a question to respond to.​

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"I have a thing for odd ships" she replied, with a shrug, "Though to be fair, I didn't know about the helldrive. Mostly, I bought it for the salvaging table. A mobile workshop was definitely something I wanted to add to my collection. You should see my Sparkbug. You think this yellow ship is odd, you'll think me crazy for the other."​

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Yeah, the only sane ship purchase she'd made was Solitude, and well... That had been acquired not bought. Everyone needed a starfighter in their life, right?​

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"What about you? What sort of ship would you go for..?"​

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Artur (Γ013) ​