"Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed]
((OOC: The events of this thread take place before A New Haven, just to make the timeline easier to follow.))
Alema had spent the last half hour pan-frying a few battered fish fillets, and despite eating two herself... there were still two left over. She frowned and kept back a sigh. The twi'lek hadn't gotten used to cooking for one again, but now that Savin had been hit with the full weight of his new responsibilities, that's exactly what she'd been doing.
There just didn't seem to be much point. When she'd lived on her own she used to go weeks without really cooking anything. If she was the only person eating, it didn't make any difference whether she sauteed pasta in red wine or opened a can of rations. Now here she was again, cooking for herself.
She scraped a pile of red beans and rice onto a plate with the remaining two fillets. There was no way he was going to leave her to eat alone again, only to come sniffing around the galley later for leftovers. He was going to eat his dinner when it was hot, and he was going to enjoy it, if she had to bolt him down to his chair.
Barbaric and low-tech, she thought. I like it.
Stretching a piece of plastic over the top of the plate, Alema dropped a napkin on top of it and poured a glass of Corellian ale to go with the food. She stared down at the little newly-packaged meal and shook her head. Why was she doing this?
That wasn't a hard question. She missed him. That was enough, wasn't it? Besides. The fish wouldn't be nearly as good reheated. Batter would get all mushy.
She managed to make it through the hall without being accosted by any crewmembers hoping for a free dinner, and stood pensively in front of Savin's door for a few anxious seconds. Maybe she could just drop the plate off and leave. He'd bring it back later.
Thus resolved, she rapped on the door with the backs of her knuckles. "Savin? It's Alema. You... missed dinner."
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(10/2/07 6:17 pm) Reply
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed
There was a loud report from the opposite side of the mercenary known to the drew of the CFR as Savin's door. In fact, there where three such reports that seemed to come one after another. The sound of metal. Metal pounding metal.
Then there was another report, louder than the previous trio. It would be obvious, at this point, that a hammer or similar instrument was involved. If not for the banging, the loud yell that echoed inside the bunk would have been a tipoff.
There was a silence that might have made the comms officer wonder if the Mando had even heard her knocking. A question that would soon be answered as the sound of the thick, Durasteel door before her unlocking could be heard, probably down the hall.
Proceeded by the groan of old metal grinding against itself, the D'xun's shirtless visage would appear in the aperture, wearing a look of confused curiosity. He wasn't expecting any visitors. What would someone want to come rapping on -his- door of all people. His confusion mounted as he noted, not only, Alema..But, the warm package she carried. His head cantered to the side in confusion as his smoky grey gaze blinked down to her.
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed
Alema kept meticulous control over her gaze, carefully only looking up into the shirtless warrior's eyes. "I said. You missed dinner." She gave him an amused, almost mischievous little smirk as she handed over the plate. "And it was going to get cold."
She tilted her head to peer around Savin's shoulder into his room. "What've you been doing in here, anyway? You take up smithing when I wasn't looking?"Edited by: Alema Nilim at: 10/2/07 6:25 pm
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(10/2/07 6:29 pm) Reply
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed
The warrior blinked again as he took the plate and sniffed at the contents. A slight smile eased onto his face as he, appearantly, approved of the aroma he found there.
"Hooh, this smells pretty kandosii. Vor'e, Cobalt." His small smile faded as he realized he was just standing in the doorway with Alema still in the hallway after bringing him food. Of which, he was starting to develop a mighty hunger for.
"Sorry..ah..come on in." He stepped back to allow her entry into his abode. His sanctuary as it seemed of late. There would be times he would have been on and off the ship without nearly a single soul being none the wiser. And as the Twi'lek would find the moment she stepped into the nexu's den, there was good reason. Along his walls where numerous technical readouts, data sheets, various schematics for Republic and Imperial hardware ranging from arms to even a monstrous poster of an AT-AT's blueprint. On a, well-lit, workbench would be found the D'xun's Verpine repeater. He would be in, what seemed like a, trillion parts scattered about the workbench. It would seem like he was about to give it another major upgrade.
"And..I am a weaponsmith, actually. I'm just relaxing a bit. Taking a break from work. I needed a certain part for my weapon that I don't have. So, I'm just fabricating the part I need."
He looked down at the plate of food in his hand as if he had a sudden revelation about it. "Wait.." Said he, glancing over to her. "...Where's yours?"
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed
She chuckled a bit at his sudden concern. "I already ate. I ate in the galley since I didn't know whether you'd be dropping by or not." If she'd been Savin, that statement might have made her feel a little guilty. Fortunately there were a lot of things Savin didn't know about the situation, and that meant she didn't have to be as wary about it. "When I'd had enough time to cook dinner and eat it, it occurred to me you might not be coming, so I thought I'd drop off a plate for you."
His room looked like an engineer had been locked inside it during a long, slow descent into insanity. Alema glanced around for any readouts she'd recognize, but Savin's specialties clearly lay in other areas. She clicked her tongue in mock disapproval at the mess and murmured, "You sesk'vati and your weapons. Anyway," she snapped out of her brief musing. "That's all I wanted. Can't have you starving to death trapped in here with your paperwork. Just... go ahead and bring back the plate whenever you're done."
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(10/2/07 6:33 pm) Reply
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed
The Mando set his plate down as she spoke only to place a had on his bald scalp, biting his lip sheepishly.
"Osik. Was I supposed to meet you down there? N'eparavu takisit, Alema. I didn't mean to leave you hanging like that." The warrior would sigh deeply as he rubbed his hand over his face and sat on the chair in front of his workbench, betraying the fatigue he had been attempting to hide. He finally allowed himself to look as tired as he felt. Mainly because he was too winded to keep it up.
His weary grey eyes looked up to her as she mentioned leaving him to his devices. Or rather, that was what she meant. She had only come by to drop off some food to him as if he was some kind of shut in that would not eat otherwise.
But, with how little he had seen any of his friends on the ship, how could he argue with that assessment? The fact was, he was glad she came by. Not just because he missed her cooking. He missed her company. Having someone to just goorar te gi with over a black ale and a home-cooked meal. She probably had no idea how much he missed that. But, she had way more important things to do than be bothered with him, he was certain. He was rather good at his attempt at hiding his disappointment when he spoke.
"Oh. Alright. I'll bring it by tomorrow, promise. Wash it and everything, I will."
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed
Alema put her hands on her hips and looked down at the Mando, studying him briefly. He was making it impossible for her to tell herself honestly that he didn't need her around and didn't want her there either. After all, she'd made him dinner hadn't she? What else could he want?
Though it was equally true that something was clearly wrong and she was the only person here. Even if he hadn't asked her to stay, it bothered her that he might need it. Didn't he have someone to sit and drink with, or spar with, or... or something?
She took another step inside and closed the door behind her. She crouched down on her heels in front of him, resting her forearms on her knees. "Don't worry about it. Only reason I thought you might come by is that you used to do it a lot. I wasn't going to wait forever, so I came to see what you were up to."
That wasn't enough somehow. It was tricky, expressing interest without letting on how important it was. Asking about his life without asking to be part of it. Alema wondered, in a brief moment of doubt in her abilities, if she was up to the task.
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(10/3/07 11:14 am) Reply
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed"I'm good. Just really busy, you know?" His grey gaze faltered for a brief moment, leaving her brown orbs for less than a second. It was a telling gesture. He didn't even think about it when he told her that lie. It just slipped out. But, then again, he didn't want her to worry anymore than it seemed she was.
"Just...busy." He followed that last bit with a shrug. as he pulled the plastic off the fish meal that she had delivered to him.
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed
Alema dipped her shoulders and tilted her head in overstated disapproval. "Savin," she began. The smile on her face and warm tone of her voice belied the chiding words. "Savin, don't lie to me. It'd take an expert, and you've never been one."
She rocked backward and seamlessly lowered herself to the floor and crossed her legs. Courtesan's trick. Even the most mundane gestures must be executed with grace and complete control. "I'm not doing anything of any relevance. I really lead a much more boring life than any pirate I've ever heard of. So," she said firmly. "What aren't you telling me?"
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(10/3/07 11:23 am) Reply
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed"It's..."
This was a first. Savin hesitated and seemed to have no satisfactory reply to give her. A far cry from the, sometimes, crass mercenary who -always- had something to say about everything. The trained courtesan would note well all the tell tale signs of embarrassment. He was not used to lying, let alone being caught in one.
The Mando turned his head to glance, almost glare, at the AT-AT diagram on the far wall as if it had all the answers scribed on it's surface. Of course, he found none.
"N'eparavu takisit....I didn't mean to do that. I.." The Mando'ad's shoulders drooped a bit as he looked back to the disassembled mess that was his prized firearm. "..I never thought I would become Mandalore. It's not the kind of thing that I dreamed about as a lad...you know?" His handsome visage took on a solemn calm about it. Not unlike the look of a man who is staring into the depths of the Maw for the first time.
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed
She nodded slowly, knowingly. Alema herself had been raised to assume that her fate, her wellbeing, her success, was completely dependent on other people. She knew how hard it would have hit her if she were suddenly responsible for the wellbeing of her people.
"Understatement to say that it's a lot to handle," she offered. "Suddenly having all that responsibility, all that trust laid on you. So many people to take care of, to look out for." Hard to imagine that many people looking to her for protection, guidance, and most of all an example of what it meant to be a good person.
This was going to be dangerous. This was clearly eating at him, and if she couldn't find some way to help what good was she? Just some stupid slave who didn't understand responsibility.
She had the knowledge and the training to tell him the right things, things that might help him share the confidence others placed in him. Just the same... he couldn't learn to depend on her. Most of all, he couldn't come to identify with her, which meant that she couldn't tell him anything. There was so much he couldn't know, and Alema wasn't sure whether she could avoid telling him.
"Sometimes that happens. From what I hear, this time it happened because people who knew you saw something they appreciated. That they trusted." Important not to say too much, but this next sentence felt like chewing glass. "A lot of people depend on you because you've already proven that you're a safe bet."
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(10/9/07 5:58 pm) Reply
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed
He sat there silent a moment, allowing her words to hang in the air like a thick fog over a still, cold lake. Somewhere within that silent pause, the look on his face hardened as his visage took on a dark countenance about it.
"..In Mando'ade culture.." Began he, suddenly. "....when the current Mandalore is seen as weak or unfit by his fellows. They have the right to challenge the Mandalore for the title and all the responsibilities that come with it..."
He set his plate of food down on a smaller table next to his workbench as he continued. "When one steps up to challenge the Madnalore, it is a serious thing. It's not done lightly. And it's not done for personal gain. It's done because you think you can do a better job than the other guy.."
Savin's eyes never left a small, cylindrical component of his weapon that that stood nearest to him on the bench. Picking it up, one could see that it was the recipient of the pounding the Comms officer heard before entering. One end of it was oddly bent and askew as compared to the rest of the components on the table.
"....At least that's what I thought when I made the challenge." He rolled the piece in his fingers as he spoke. "We enter the circle...do honorable combat..the strongest of us becomes the Mandalore. Simple enough..." It was at this that the warrior shoulders drooped again.
"...He was wounded. He knew he had no chance against me like that. He -knew- it. But, he fought me anyway. I would have given him a day..I -did- give him a day...he fought me anyway." His hand clamped down on the piece, his fist balled so tight that it would be a sure thing that if he was holding someone's hand, he would have crushed nearly every bone in it.
"...I 'won'. But, I don't know I was supposed to be the one who did..."
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [ClosedWarriors, she thought.
Still sitting on the floor she looked up at him as he confessed his doubt. She took a long, slow breath before she spoke. "Savin... why would he do that?" The twi'lek held up a hand. "I'm not doubting that it's possible. You know better than I do on that count. But try to think about why he might have done that."
There was only one possibility on Alema's mind, but she didn't know if it would make Savin feel better or worse. "If anyone there had a stake in seeing the previous Mandalore stay Mandalore... it's the man himself. If there were nothing but strength to determine who made the best leader, don't you think he'd have waited until his was greater? Don't you think he'd have waited until he could prevent you from stepping up and taking his place?"
She laced her fingers together and rested her hands on her ankles where they were crossed on the floor. She stared down at them for a moment, feigning hesitation and uncertainty she didn't feel. All Savin needed was this, and it didn't take that much thought. Just say the correct things with the correct pauses, inflection, and timing, and he'd walk away a happier man. Wasn't that worth it?
"I don't mean to devalue the way Mandalorians decide things. I think you'd question a lot of what goes on with people on Ryloth, so I'm just trying to give you another perspective." She looked up again. "There's more to gaining the confidence of your kin than putting your fist through another man's face to prove your arm is stronger. You need their confidence to lead, and has it never once occurred to you that you had their confidence already? Before you challenged the previous warrior?"
Alema's subsequent shrug and the casual tone of her voice belied the gravity of her words. "You must have made a heck of an impression to convince the Mandalore that his people were better off with you than with him. One heck of a good impression. But then... you do that all the time, whether you realize it or not."
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(10/9/07 6:12 pm) Reply
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed
His bald head shook in disagreement. "...I haven't been tested." His gaze was transfixed on the unusable component in his, now, open hand.
"The battle circle isn't just a pair of Mandos beating on each other. It's about more than that. The trial.." Savin stood at this, staring down at the useless component the sat in the palm of his great hand. "..is about a pair of peers. Two Mando's looking each other in the eyes and expressing their differences thought combat. Part of the test is strength of body, yes. But, it's also about strength of character. How long can you last while you body is broken down? Can you keep you wits about you? Can you rise to your feet....Even when your body is screaming at you to just stay down? It's about cunning. Can you out think the other guy? Can you press your advantage without losing your own?"
Savin's hand clenched over the component. "But, he wasn't strong enough to test me as I should have been. Without that...." The Mando sat before his workbench and set the broken component down, picking up a pair of gun parts sliding them together with some effort. "I have to be strong.."
"..I have to be cunning..to bring my people together.." More, seemingly mismatched, parts came to find their homes with an incredible speed and practiced skill.
"..I have to have endurance..to see the task through.." The outline of the weapon could be made out as he continued.
"..I have to have skill..to be able to aim my people to our destiny.." The verpine repeater would have looked a bit larger than the last time she saw it. The Mandalore hoisted his completed weapon and aimed it at the posted of the AT-AT.
"..And I have to have the will to strike when it is time..." <CLACK>The Mando pulled the trigger to a loud report that echoed through the bunk but resulted in no projectile being launched. Nothing but an empty click. He slowly set his rifle down on the workbench and picked up the worthless piece again.
"If one component is off....then the 'weapon' is useless. If I'm not up to the task..I could get a lot of people killed, Alem'ika..." His grey gaze finally fell on her brown eyes, conveying far more than -any- word he had said could have. Savin had never been so worried and unsure in his life.
"..I can't shab this up, Blue. I just can't. But...I don't know if I am where I'm supposed to be." He leaned back in his chair, smoothing his hand over his hairless scalp. "I'm the sole leader of a entire culture. Me. Sav'ika...the backwoods boy from the north. I have to bring together the Mando'ade. Scattered by Siitse and Jetiise. Cloned and exploited by the Republic. Hunted by the Empire. Killed by our own kind...and I thought I could bring us together? I can't even fix this frelling gun!"
The component in his hand went sailing across the room to ricochet off the far wall to land somewhere under his bed.
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed
Alema brought one hand up and rested her chin on her curled fingers as she examined her friend. She knew what she needed to say to make him understand that she understood. She knew what he needed to learn to know that she wasn't simply blindly supporting him, that she knew exactly what she was saying.
"I know about proving you can stand pain. I know about cunning. They aren't things I like to talk about, but I know them. That's not the most important thing I can offer you, though."
Was she going to do this? It seemed so silly to mention it, and sillier still to choke back the fear that always drove her to lie about her past.
"All we learned about leadership," she chose not to clarify which group she identified with. "...was how to tell when you had a good person giving you orders, and how to tell when they were bad. Not that you could do anything about it."
She shrugged. "If they were good, you counted your blessings. If they were bad you endured it. You stayed and you survived until you either changed hands or you died. Those were the only ways out. The only acceptable ways, anyway," she finished with a note of distaste.
"But I have a point with all this. You need to understand that the Mandalorians have a choice. They're not like us." Again undefined. "And if they're following you, if they respect you, it's because you've proven something to them whether you realize it or not. You haven't just spilled the requisite amount of blood to buy their servitude. You're in charge but..." she sighed. "...but if they don't see how much you love them and how much of yourself you're dedicating to them..." She shrugged yet again, at a loss for words for once.
Then they don't know what they've got. They don't know how lucky they are to have what nearly every subject wishes they had and never get. Someone who sees them. ...Someone who cares, she finished silently.
"They do see it, though. In the end that's what matters, that they want you right where you are. Sure, it's possible that they're all wrong. But I've seen how far you're willing to go for a voice on the radio you've never even met. Who didn't even know who you were."
It seemed that it would be best for dramatic effect if she stood here, to punctuate her words with an exit. Leave him something to think about. Alema was surprised to note that she didn't want to go.
"I haven't forgotten that. That's one reason among many that, whatever else happens, I know you won't let them down. Not when you're trying so hard and demanding so much of yourself."
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(10/10/07 2:08 am) Reply
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed
The D'xun-born Mando just sat there, his grey gaze never leaving her cerulean form. When she mentioned 'us' there was a noticeable change in his demeanor. He leaned back into his chair again, visibly relaxing as he listened to her words, nodding sagely ever now and again as if she was making all the sense in the world.
"It's no ori deal, Cobalt. There was no way I was gonna leave you to face all that alone. No way in haran. You saved -my- life and the lives of my crew. That's not something I just overlook, ya know?" He smiled slightly as he nodded to her matter-of-factly. His face seemed brighter as he looked at her. It didn't take a Jedi to notice that he was feeling a bit better.
"Hrmh..sounds like you had it rough, though. That stint you had must have been a real kick in the sheb.. Shoulda' known that about you though, Cobalt. It's pretty obvious, now that I think about it. You're just too good at what you do to be any less than a pro."
He nodded again as he stroked the light stubble goatee he sported. He gave her a very knowing glance as he spoke, as if he had -all- the answers and everything made sense now.
"So, where did you serve? I heard there was a crew lookin for a slicer on Sullust a couple a' years back. Some ori'shabla deal about a military coup on the Outer Rim. That's a osikla place to work, it is. I know what your talking about. Did a few tours out there, myself."
"But, even then..your squad-lead sounds like he was a real slave driver." The mercenary shook his head as he picked up his plate and began to pick at the fish and beans, forgoing the inconvenience of using silverware. "If that guy pulled that with me or Gel or any of my old mates, really.....well, -we- woulda fragged him, first chance we got. Did you frag the guy? If you didn't, you -shoulda-. Mmh, this is really kandosii, Blue. Mmmh. Anyway, I lost track of that bit o' honey a few weeks later. Was that -your- crew? Man, I wished I coulda' went. I heard the payout was supposed to be -insane-. How'd that caper turn out anyway? That how you bought your ship?"
It was obvious that the Mando liked to talk shop. Mercenary shop....
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed
It took every ounce of strength borne of years and years of training, betrayal, servitude, and suffering... to keep Alema from laughing. She couldn't puzzle out whether she was amused at the idea of herself as a mercenary, or overwhelmed with relief that Savin hadn't really learned anything about her. There should have been a flicker of guilt that she had no intention of correcting him, that he was going to continue operating under deeply-mistaken assumptions about who she was and what her background had been before they'd met.
But this seemed to make him happy. Whatever it was he'd decided about her, it must have been giving him some comfort. That was as good an excuse as any to continue hiding the truth. Now it became the same old game. How long could she discuss her past and in how much depth... without actually lying?
"I served... on Coruscant," she replied. "Worked for a... family there years ago. Very wealthy to afford me, after all." The more she talked the more bizarre it became to her, how similar the terminology was between a group of people who sold their services, and a group of people who just plain got sold.
"I didn't kill him myself. But after he died, I..." There was no euphemism for it. "...left. With the guy who used to own the Koahiko. That's how I ended up with it."
This might be the most vague conversation she'd had in years, but in many senses it was the first opportunity to talk about her past that she'd had since Theo. That at least was worth something.
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(10/10/07 10:42 am) Reply
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed
"Huunh..Musta been a hell of an assignment." The Mando mercenary nodded again as he scooped up some beans and rice into his mouth, maintaining his protest of rampant silverware usage.
"I hope the pay was at least good. Oh, hey! That reminds me. Did I ever tell you about the first caper I did with Taggart and her crew? It was at Triple Zero too. I used to -hate- the place before I had a good reason to stick around for more than a day." He smiled a bit at that, thinking of a pair of crimson eyes that he was starting to miss.
"It's not so bad. But, it's -still- too big." Another scoop of beans and a bite of fish later. "MmmMh. Anyway, I was working for this guy, Renze. He's a former Rep Commando. Not a Jango clone, if that's what your thinkin'. Nah, he was a different strain. Used to be on the crew till he tried his hand at building a merc army. In fact, he was runnin' support for us at the Myrkr job. Anyway, see, we're headin to this building to get some data cards or something, right? Well it was a trap!" The D'xun gestured dramatically as he spoke, adding life to the story. "The local constabulary was waitin on us, and they had their knickers in a twist because they -just- lost Skip Lone. As -if- they could catch him anyway, heh. But, ya, Renze.." The Mando merc rolled his eyes, chuckling as he attempted to continue. "..Ok, this guy, the leader of this detachment I think, he says..'I expected -more- from a commando'.." Savin made certain to change his voice to produce the most pompous tone his rumbling accent would allow. "..and Renze he, get this..he says, without missing a beat, 'Ex-commado'. And then the crazy di'kut drops a pair of flash bangs... from his armpits! HAHAHAH!" The Mando was actually, slapping his knee with deep, genuine laughter. "If I wasn't so worried about the twitchy trigger fingers those blue boys had, I would have lost it right there! Haha! Oh, it was so perfect." If nothing else, Savin was a master at telling an energetic story. He made certain to pantomime every relevant and important motion as he told it. He took a moment to scoop more of the delicious concoction into his mouth before gesturing to her.
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed
Alema pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her arms on them while she listened to her friend's story. It was so good to hear him laughing and telling stories. It was good to hear him happy again. If she could help with that, her problems weren't as important. He didn't need to know about her problems to make her smile.
"Wow," she said, laughing and shaking her head. "I hate to disappoint, but I haven't done anything all that exciting. I tend to meet a lot of people by getting into more trouble than I can handle myself, honestly. I met Saede when I got attacked by... I think we decided they were slavers, I met you after getting shot by a Crimson Guardsman, I me--" Her mouth snapped shut. How could she be so stupid? The next words out of her mouth had almost been about Theo.
She recovered quickly. "When we were young and my second cousin Firith'nilim was helping with my lessons, he used to play pranks on the other girls, and I always had to cover for him. One time when we were out hunting scorpions, he stuffed a couple of them in his pocket and I had to distract his older brother until he could hide them. I didn't find out where until we went home for dinner and his mother turned on the fungus lanterns on the table and found the poor little things inside. Of course, when she turned them on the scorpions went scrambling across the table, even onto our plates."
Families. Her cousin's family had been a little poorer than hers, and they'd had little hope of rising above their station. They'd never seemed worried about it. "She was so startled she screamed but his little sister took a fork and stabbed it right down into the scorpion on her gruuvan shaal." She pressed her fingertips to her eyelids. "And before you ask..." She shrugged. "Yes. We ate them."
That was one of the last times she'd been over to her cousin's house to visit her friends. Not long after that her training started taking more and more of her time, and soon her older cousin had been called on to assist. After that things weren't quite the same, and as the years flew by... the time came when she left home to meet the Coruscanti man who'd purchased her.
"So if you ever find any hostile poisonous arachnids...." she said, pointing at his plate. "They're even better with red beans and rice than fish is. Just for future reference," she finished with a wink.
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(10/10/07 12:39 pm) Reply
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed"HAH! That's great! Hahaha." The Mando was grinning ear to ear at this point. -This- was precisely what the D'xun country-boy needed. Swapping some old stories like he and the old crew he used to roll with did during their 'glory days'.
"That reminds me of this one time on Felucia...I was on patrol for this crew out of Correlia. I -still- don't know what in haran they where looking for or thought they'd find, but they paid me top dollar to keep their six o' clocks clear. So, They pony up my fee and a big bonus if all their sensor kit survived. But, I'm thinkin' 'This is frelling -Felucia-, here. They'd be lucky to make it out -alive- what with all the Aklays tippidy toeing about', right? So, I... "
The Mando found himself snickering uncontrollably at this point. "I...*Snnnnicker*..you'll love this..*Snnniiiker*..I find a female and I take her down, right? I do a quick search on the database to figure out where her musk gland is. I snatch this thing out of her and I...*Snnniker*..I dump it... all of it...on their shuttle." The Mando's eyes started to water from barely repressed laughter as he pictured the sight in his mind's eye. He stood up and crossed the room to face a wall.
"All of their kit made it, alright. They paid me the bonus on the spot. Good thing too..because.." More snikering. "..when they got back to -their- shuttle.." *Sniker * "Three bull Aklays where mounting the frelling thing!" Savin then proceeds to hump the wall pantomiming and doing his best impression of an Aklay. Complete with sex-crazed baying and clawing, making sure to thump his knee into the wall to even give the impression of the sound an undersexed Aklay bull makes when it mounts a shuttle. All in all, he was making an a$$ of himself. But, that was sort of the point.
"BrruuOOOOOOUU<BlangBlangBlang>BerruUOOOOUUU<BlangBlangBlang> HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!" The Mando couldn't stand it any longer. He fell back on his bed, clutching his gut. Laughing deeply and heartily at the very image in his head...
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed
Alema listened open-mouthed as Savin described the absurd plan he'd put together. She watched Savin as he moved to deliver his story near the wall of his room, and at the sight of the Mandalore sexually assaulting the wall of his bedroom, she buried her face in her hands and laughed until she could hardly breathe.
Even as they laughed and carried on, some corner of her mind that was still keeping score noted with satisfaction that she was succeeding in her aim, that she hadn't lost the ability to make people feel however she wanted them to feel. Still... as far as manipulation went this was fairly benign.
She managed to catch her breath a little before Savin did, and it gave her a moment to watch her friend collapsed under the weight of his own good humor. She smiled and shook her head. "I... have no idea how to follow that one, Savin. Wow." She chuckled again.
"Honestly, Firith was always the one getting into trouble, so any of the good stories are really his to tell. I was the one who covered for him and made sure he didn't get caught, but when it came to actually doing it I was always too scared."
"He was the one who'd paint lyleks on the cavern walls with glowfungus, or fill his neighbor's mailslot with termites--which wasn't so bad if you consider everything's made of rock anyway--or glue credit coins to the ground so that people would go crazy trying to pick them up... Oh. He stole our living room table once. The whole thing. We came home from my lessons and he'd taken the table cloth and everything else and put them all back the way they were. On the floor. The next morning he'd brought it back." She shook her head and chuckled. "We never did find out where he'd hidden it the whole time."
She hadn't seen her cousin in almost a full fifteen years. It was probable he wouldn't even recognize her now, but she couldn't imagine that he'd have forgotten her. "Been a while since I saw him, and Ryma'at help us all if he ever ended up having kids."
TGU Adept
Brutality made flesh
Mand'alor be te Beskar'Marev
Posts: 262
(10/11/07 12:28 pm) Reply
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed"The whole, shabla thing?? HAHA! That's frelling -brilliant-!" The warrior's grey eyes where alight with mirth as he just imagined how completely flabbergasted his parents must have been after such a stunt. "I wish he could have come by D'xun when I was a lad. He would have fallen right in with my mates and I. Oh, the things we used to do to Sanni." The Mando had to chuckle a bit at the thought before sobering suddenly.
"Haven't seen Sanni since he went out on that Maw rescue mission caper. I hope the crazy di'kut's ok. His Mum's a real nice lady. Hate to see her heart broken because Sanni felt like being a hero." At that, Savin rose off the bed and took up the glass of Corellian ale, rising it in a toast.
"To Sanni. Jatnese vode darasuum." With that, he took a long drag of his drink leaving enough to offer down to Alema.
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed"Vahs ka Ryma'at," she responded solemnly, taking the glass. She tipped the glass back and thirstily downed the entire remainder of its contents, as if to remind him that she was fully capable taking back an ale, whether she ever drank around him or not. In some circles it would be considered an act of a rude guest, but she doubted Savin would be disturbed at the sight of a woman drinking.
Alema daintily wiped her thumb across the corner of her mouth and raised her eyebrows as she handed his empty glass back up to him. "What? I can drink for a good cause. This Sanni sounds like a good guy. Let me know if you catch up with him again."
TGU Adept
Brutality made flesh
Mand'alor be te Beskar'Marev
Posts: 263
(10/18/07 3:32 pm) Reply
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed"You're on. You'll get a real kick out of him, I think." The warrior lay back on his bed with a bit of a chuckle as he thought about his friends and all the mischief they used to get into. He found himself thinking not only about old times, but about possibilities. Things that almost was and never were. And worst of all..things that never could be. 'Dangerous thinking' as he father once called it.
-------------------------------
"Be careful with dangerous thinking like that, Sav'ika. It's like drinking speeder fuel. You get a great buzz, sure, but it can hurt you in ways you never see coming."
"How do you know that drinking speeder fuel can do that to y-"
"Nevermind that. Drink your soup.."
------------------------------
Savin blinked as he realized that he had been staring at her for a few moments now, his mind firmly entrenched in the land of 'somewhere else'. A small sigh escaped his lips as he rolled his head to stare at the ceiling in silent contemplation. A stark contrast from his mirthful self a moment ago.
Re: "Don't tell me you're a believer now?" [Closed
Alema watched Savin as his mind wandered and his mood changed. It was interesting how easy he was to read sometimes, when sometimes he was so busy carousing and flirting he hardly seemed like a person at all. Alema had known immediately which she preferred, but it had taken her longer to puzzle out which side of him was closer to the "real" Savin, which side of him was genuine.
She'd never had the luxury of simply... expressing feelings simply because she had them. Saying things simply because she thought them. Seeking out companionship just because she wanted it. There always had to be some other purpose, and even now she was calculating just how much she should share of herself, if she should even do it at all.
Slowly she stood from her place in the middle of his floor. "Savin," she said, trying to bring his attention back around to her. "I'd better not stay here all night. You know how people gossip," she quipped with a grin. "But don't be a stranger, all right? ...Keep in mind there's always a place for you here if you want it."
She pointed toward his dinner dishes. "Let me take your plate," she offered.undefinedEdited by: Alema Nilim at: 10/18/07 7:30 pm
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