You Again? (Owain)

[Juwiela Melec]

Nar Shaddaa. Known as the Smuggler’s Moon, the Vertical City and Little Coruscant among other, less favorable monikers, there was one thing salient about the moon above all else: it was where the less savory beings of the galaxy congregated, or where those who didn’t want to be found hid. And sometimes, where those from the more major factions of the galaxy came when they needed time away from the hustle and bustle of the war.
That was the case with the Miraluka and Human hybrid who sat in a back booth of another nameless cantina, a simple glass of water in front of her. She’d deemed for a non-alcoholic beverage, knowing she had the flight back to concern herself with, among worrying about the less than respectable beings that frequented such places.
Juwiela had lowered the hood of her outfit, something uncommon for her, as she usually deigned to leave it raised so as to draw less attention to herself. With her lack of eyes and coverings where they should have been she did plenty enough of that as it were.
But here she was anyway, and questioning her decision more and more with each passing moment as she observed the scenes playing out before her through the Force and her way of seeing through the mystical energy field. Thus far nothing worth noting had transpired, but as the night wore on she could feel the tension gradually building by the minute, though she wasn't sure what the reason was just yet.
No matter. The reason would reveal itself soon enough. In the meantime, it was her opportunity to relax, and she intended to take it.

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

"Alright then my boy, you remember your training?" Elliot asked his nephew with a lopsided grin.

"How could I forget?" Owain shot back, his grin more feral.

"Well then, good luck!" his uncle said, grabbing the scruff of his neck and hurling him at the braggart who had been getting far too loud for their tastes.

Owain swung his head down to add further momentum to the headbutt, smashing his forehead into the man's face and sending him crashing to the floor. His mates were already starting towards the youth.

This was what the pair did as a fmaily bonding excercise. Elliot had made it his duty to ensure Owain ahd all the experiences a man should have before hitting his eighteenth birthday. That was why they had come to Nar Shaddaa, a relaitvely lawless jewel to indulge in a few vices. Underage dirnking had been one. A tiny amount of spice had been another. Things the army hadn't seen fit to indulge him in. His uncle however believed that he owed it to himself to try a little bit of everything and learn what he liked, and how to control any associated urges. Tonight's lesson on drinking had turned to adrenaline and blood lust. When Elliot Banrabus learned his nephew had never even been in a brawl, he had deemed it an urgent matter to be immeidately resolved.

Which was how he found himself in a mess of limbs and bodies, dodging and weaving between staggering blows like his instructors had taught him. These drunken fools were no match ofr a cadet of Korriban. It was almost laughable. A gamorran tried to swing a fist at the back of his head, but was distracted by a fleying glass bottle imapcting against his face. Owain smirked and shot a thankful nod at his uncle before losing sight of him in the swirling melee. Oh this was fun! He could understnad why his uncle had warned him of developing an addiction to such thrills.

[member="Juwiela Melec"]

 

[Juwiela Melec]

Another drunken fight. Well, it was more of a free-for-all, truth be told, with little distinction between the mess of bodies that were entangled with each other, some in various throes of pain while others were too drunk or too stupid to care. It was nothing new, certainly, and the young pilot had witnessed many other similar brawls in her lifetime.
So what made this one so special?
Well, there was the multitude of individuals involved, for one. Though it was common for many in the facility to get involved, it seemed like half of the planet had congregated. But still, that could be considered typical for a place such as this, especially on a planet like Nar Shaddaa. Beyond the number of patrons there was one Force signature that stood out to her. It wasn't the man's sensitivity to the Force, but rather the way he moved with a practiced efficiency, disabling his adversaries quickly, sometimes with a single motion, before moving on to the next. That was something to marvel at, certainly, but also to be cautious about. Those with such a high amount of training were usually affiliated with a military of some sort, and current situation considered she deigned to exercise extra caution.
If there was anything she'd learned from her short time with the Alliance it was observation over action, and ninety-nine percent of the time it was the correct approach. The other one percent, well...either way, she got out unscathed, so it didn't really matter to her what occurred.
Let them drink, fight and wake up unaware of what happened the next day. So be it. As long as she was left relatively to her own devices, she was content to let the current events continue as it were.
But still, there was something about him...

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

"Ha-HA! Who's next?" he yelled vicotriously before being cuaght on the chin by an Ithorians fist. He heard his uncle laugh at that as he was sent flying across the cantina before smashing into a table. He glanced up, catching sight of a fiarly pretty miraluka - at least she looked somewhat pretty from his current upside down vnatage - and smiled. "Sorry about that!" he muttered, rolling off the remians of the table and dusting himself off. Luckily nothing felt broken or out of place. His luck was still holding.

[member="Juwiela Melec"]

 

[Juwiela Melec]

A quiet curse as Juwiela stood just before the table was smashed, taking her glass of water along with it. Instead of offering a hand to help him up she just watched him, and closely at that. "That makes two of us," she breathed, running a hand through her short, auburn hair. He wasn't Force sensitive, that much was obvious. He would have seen the punch coming had he been, or at the very least felt something. She had a feeling this was only the beginning of things. And with a quiet sigh she relented herself to the events of the night. So much for relaxing.
"I'd ice that later, if I were you. It'll leave a nasty bruise as it is, but the ice should keep the swelling down. I only say that because most of you military types know next to nothing about taking care of yourselves. Shoot, fight, kill, and that's where it ends. Someone your age is likely no exception." A faint smile found her lips. "Oh, pardon me. I haven't even introduced myself yet, and here I am giving you medical advice. Juwiela Melec. Charmed."

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

Now that he got a better look at her, he had to admit, she wasn't pretty in the classic sense. Nah, she was too exotic for that. The whole lack of eyes was always a little bit off-putting when it came to Miraluka. Still he put on his most charming smile as he ducked another durnken blow and punched his assailant in the gut, before botting him in the chest back into the melee. "I'll be fine, always am," he replied with a wink. "Charmed indeed Miss Melec, I am Owain Barnabus, at your service." He threw in a mock bow whilst at it.

[member="Juwiela Melec"]

 

[Juwiela Melec]

Had she been able to roll her eyes she would have. In traveling with her parents as a child she'd witnessed many who were seemingly just as arrogant, and things never ended well for them by any means. It was either death by taking on a task they were less than qualified to do, or...something like this. Another fight in some nameless cantina on another backwater planet that would land them in the medbay or worse. Keeping that in mind, she spoke, "You're what, fifteen, sixteen at best? Military if I had to guess by the precision of your blows, and just out of training by your overconfidence."
Juwiela elbowed a man in the stomach when he got too close, taking his arm as he grabbed at her and twisting it until she heard the snap of a bone breaking, only then releasing him.
"As I was saying, you're a bit young to be here by yourself, and starting a fight like this nonetheless. I have to assume you didn't come alone. A kid like you needs adult supervision every once in awhile, after all. Especially in such a dangerous environment." There was more than a hint of sarcasm as she spoke; her natural defense mechanism against, well...people like this, among other things.

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

His smile froze in place for a moment, his eyes flashing in annoynace before he could mask his feelings. "You can talk, you're what, twenty at best?" he countered accusingly, dropping into a crouch to aovid another punch aimed at his neck, lashing out backwards with a foot to strike the man in the groin and send him falling to the floor in whimpers. "You got some moves though," he grudgingly admitted, nodding at the brokan arm she had just inflicted. Subtle. SHe felt threatened enough by him to try to warn him off. Cute. He laughed slightly. "How accurate. You one of those space wizards? It's a uncle/nephew bonding trip actually," he shrugged, glancing over his shoulder to see his uncle keeping an eye on him with a wry grin. Dammit old man, stop ruining all my chances!

[member="Juwiela Melec"]

 

[Juwiela Melec]

"A Jedi? Hardly. If I wanted to join the Order we wouldn't be having this conversation. No, I'm a pilot, and I like to think a decent one at that, but I know my boundaries." At his look she flashed a half grin, shaking her head. "Miraluka doesn't mean Jedi, nor does someone being a Force sensitive. Just like arrogant doesn't mean skilled, though I have to admit that you know what you're doing."
Reaching out with the Force she studied the other presence briefly, noting the similarity to the one in front of him, raising an eyebrow. "Moves, sure. I've learned enough to defend myself, sure, but I prefer to be up in the air above all else. You could say it's my speciality." She watched with a raised eyebrow at the brawl that continued to unfold, noting the confident ease with which he spoke, apparently unfazed by the imminent danger, though a few drunks were nothing to worry about, provided they knew their place. But this man, it seemed, didn't. Oh, joy.

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

"A pilot eh? What brings you ground side then?" Owain asked, keeping the conversation going as he leant against the wall, muscles loose and ready to move if something new presented itself. Huh, her grin was actually not bad, almost lovely in fact. He smirked and nodded at the compliment. "Thanks. Though I'm sure you know a few more tricks than that arm rearrangement," he added, looking at the man now scurriyng away to seek medical help. Poor sod. "Ah of course. Well we all are best at something," he said with a wink and a laugh. "What exactly do you fly? Freighter? Fighter?" he asked, eyeing her up and down. She was lean and athletic, and had recognised his military training. She was military too, he was sure of it.

[member="Juwiela Melec"]

 

[Juwiela Melec]

So it was going to be like that. Juwiela didn't think him stupid enough to try anything, though she wouldn't put it past him. A drink or two loosened tongues, certainly, but provoked violence and more in most. And this one was likely no exception. "Nothing particular, really. Fighting this war gets old after awhile, so I decided to come here. Relax. Take a break. That sort of thing. And I figured there was no better place to do it than some cantina that no one bothers to travel to unless they're looking for something similar. Though it seems trouble found me this time."
She reached out with the Force, pulling two chairs over with the ethereal tendrils, sitting down herself. "There's a chance I might know a few more, certainly. But I'm not keen to reveal them, as it were." She glanced to the man as he stumbled off. "That was deserved, all things considered. He should have known better." With a shake of her head in mock sadness she looked to him once more. "Fighter. What makes you so curious?"

[member="Owain"]

 

[Keter]

Ah, he had been right. Another soldier. Someone on RnR. Understnadable. He smiled at her and nodded along with the words. "That's the thing with toruble, it hardly finds you at a convenient time," he pointed out, glancing at the bar. Maybe he should get another drink, now that the brawl was dying down. Half the participants were on the floor, and security had hauled off some of the more uncontrollable fighters. Still, the woman seemed to be accepting his companionship, otherwise she would have brought over one chair not two...hang on, how had she done that? He looked from the chair to the woman. "Not a space wizard? Sure," he said with a roll of his eyes as he sat down as well, smiling to take the acucsation out of his words.

"And just that. Curiosity. Not really into ships myself. As long as they can carry me between worlds safely, I don't particularly care what I fly in."

[member="Juwiela Melec"]

 

[Juwiela Melec]

At his obvious confusion Juwiela grinned again. "Hey, I said I wasn't a Jedi. That doesn't make me not Force sensitive, or able to pull of little tricks like that. It's nothing too difficult, once you get the hang of it. I have to assume that they don't teach you much on the educational side of things when it comes to training. Of course, at your age, I didn't expect anything different." She would play nice, sure, but not too nice. The last thing she needed was to have someone else along for company. And besides, she hardly trusted him enough as it were.
"Then you haven't been up in the air enough. Flying and dogfighting is much more interesting than any bar fight, no matter how many people are involved. There's usually less drunken idiots for one, and something about it being a real life-or-death situation makes it a bit more fun." Juwiela looked to his uncle again through the Force. "Is he just going to stand there, or..."

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

He shrugged in response to that. "You can do creepy space magic, ergo, you're a space wizard," he said, and that was that. If you could do it, you could, and damn the whole philosophical debate associated with the orders and everything else. "And I learned enough. Actual anti-force tactics was an advnaced course that was only available to graduates," he revealed, though he had picked up a few tricks from his uncle. "I have no need to go in the air, I'm perfectly fine on the ground. Besides, I can't be too perfect now can I?" Owain asked with another easy smile. "Need to leave some room for others to excel in." Otherwise he would always be surrounded by rivals and jealous faces. And who wanted to deal with that hassle all the time?

"He is going to leave this situation alone until it resolves itself, I assume," he shrugged. "SOmething about building character I presume."

[member="Juwiela Melec"]

 

[Juwiela Melec]

Oh, perfect, huh? Juwiela supposed she should have expected something like that from one of his age, especially since he'd graduated training not too long ago. The 'I can never fail' attitude didn't last long once they'd seen real combat outside of their training matches, but it seemed this one hadn't had much chance to do so. People like this were one of the few that managed to irritate her. She'd learned nobody was perfect long ago. "I'd hate to burst your bubble, but you're far from perfect, just like everyone else. I don't know what your uncle's been telling you, but if it's anything like that then you need to find yourself a new teacher."
At his mention of space magic she sighed softly and leaned back, studying him momentarily. "It's the Force, and it just so happens that I have to use this 'creepy space magic' to see, let alone throw things around. They not teach you much in kindergarten, then?"

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

He let his smile vanish. "Mind your language, bat," he hissed. "Besmirch me all you like, but my uncle has not survived four decades of war to be bad-mouthed by some uppity fly-girl," he warned her, eyes flashing in anger. "And all we learned of Miraluka in the Cadet Academy was to disregard our trianing involving blinding targets. Hard to blind someone who is born as such," Owain countered in displeasure, looking away from the woman. Everyonre was quick to blame his uncle, or his family. He would not stnad for that. His family had not raised him. The army did. If they were going to blame someone, Owain was going to make sure they blamed the right people.

[member="Juwiela Melec"]

 

[Juwiela Melec]

Juwiela shrugged. "I wasn't bad mouthing anyone. All I was saying was that if he's where you got your 'I'm perfect and can never fail attitude' then you need to rethink a few things. I have no doubt that he survived four decades of war because he's very skilled in the art of combat. Something that you have yet to experience for real, from the way you've been acting." She only smiled wryly at his calling her blind. "Oh, I'm all the better for being born blind. Just because I can't see like you doesn't mean I can't see at all. And I'm a hybrid, not full-blooded. Not that it matters to you in the least."
She flipped him a credit chip of enough value to buy a drink. "Here. We're at a bar, you might as well get yourself something. Consider it a token of apology for any insults towards you or your family. But understand that if you keep calling me fly-girl we'll get you up in the air and see who's who then. I came here to relax, not to deal with any overconfident youth. Your company is appreciated, certainly, but you should learn your boundaries as well."

@Owain

 

[Owain]

Owain took a deep breath, hand flying up to rub the bridge of his nose. "It's fine," he ground out from grit teeth. "My fault for jumping to conclusions," he nearly spat out. He hated apologising. "And I've had enough training to hold me own. That's why I'm here after all. My uncle said to start with brawls and build up to some mercenary work," he added, letting slip more than he intended. "ANd you're right, it doesn't matter to me," he replied, leaning back in his chair, his mood completely soured by this encounter. He eyed the cred-chip before looking away. "I have no need of your pity," he sniffed, folding his arms across his chest. "Besides, you would beat me in a fighter duel, so where's the fun in that? Try challenging me at something in which I haven't professed a weakness."

[member="Juwiela Melec"]

 

[Juwiela Melec]

With a shrug she pocketed the chip, watching him carefully for a moment. "The fun is improving on your own abilities while learning something of someone elses. But if your focus is going to be on winning all the time, then I suppose you wouldn't be interested in something like that. Force forbid you actually learn something for once. That would be just unseemly." She wasn't exactly irritated by him, but to say she was enjoying their talk would be an overstatement. Before, she'd been testing the waters. Now that she'd gotten an idea of how he really was, things would be different to a degree.
"I have this feeling that you'd be more open to talk if you had someone you actually know around. But of you won't invite your uncle over then I suppose you're stuck with me. For better or for worse, I haven't decided. But if you want to challenge me to something, go right ahead. It was more of a figurative statement from my end, but if you'd like, we might as well get on with it. No sense in waiting around if you're serious about the whole challenge business."

[member="Owain"]

 

[Owain]

Owain sighed and threw his head back, staring at the ceiling as he spoke. "Why challenge someone at something you know you will fail at? Surely the point of a challenge is that it's challenging and not impossible?" he asked, glancing at her as he shifted slightly in his chair. She was qite the enigma, winding her way through the conversation like a serpent. This whole talk was a challenge in truth, one he could see his uncle was enjoying, trying hard not to laugh into his drink. "And isn't winning everything in life?" he asked with a grin. Victory was justification of one's efforts after all.

[member="Juwiela Melec"]