A Different Kind of Date

[Stacker01]

It was getting somewhat late, the sun setting over the local city-scape of Corruscant, and Ragien Daour was close to his mark. She was in a kind of park or courtyard headed to meet someone at an obviously predesignated location and Daour was going to intercept her there. She had been a personal target of his for weeks, hunting her down and tracking her to this spot. It had taken a lot of work to get her there. He kept his presence in the Force as concealed as possible so he could get closer to her when the time came.

He had followed her towards a bench in a somewhat secluded area, a flower placed on it in a way as to call attention to whoever would be looking. He glanced about, checking the area. No-one was in site. Now or never, he thought. He wondered if she would know his old name, but it did not matter. He had to strike now or lose his chance.

He walked up behind her quickly, but without urgency so as to not suprise her and...walked around to see her face-to-face, using the Force to move the small flower to float right in front of her. "Well, hello there, beautiful. I was beginning to wonder if you had decoded my little invitation," he said with a playful grin. It was an odd way to start a date, but at least he knew they were safe. His life made paranoia a part of everything, including social and personal events. However, he would not let his paranoia grip this any further than had already been done. It was time to be a person again.

 

[Padmé]

Four days the Jedi Knight, Haloburner Lamb, felt a presences tugging behind her and her son. The presence grew stronger as she and her son spent quality time, away from her normal duties, at their favorite park on Coruscant. Today, however, Lamb left her son at behind.

Adorned in her favorite attire (green pants, cream colored tight top, a matching vest and hidden saber) Halo approached the hang out spot. The sun bright Coruscanti sun was now beginning to set. A melodious symphony, emanating from the birds, filled the area. Even so, something seemed off. Lamb sensed a faint presence. The faintness, however, diminished as she approached her usual spot.

Ever cautious, the Jedi Knight tapped into the Force while pulling her blade. These were after all trying times for Jedi. Not with the loss of two major wars and pending diaspora...

Shortly upon approaching the spot, Lamb's suspensions were confirmed. A Zabrak walked around to see her face-to-face, at which point Haloburner pulled out her hidden blade. The blade was later on retrieved back as Lamb realized the Zabrak was none other than Ragien Daour.

The Zabrak, who Lamb knew as Ragien Daour, for days showered her with notes. Love notes to be more precise. It flattered Lamb, but she never made the effort to respond to Daour's letters... until two days ago. Ragien's tenacity in pursuing Halo eventually removed every shroud of unrequited affections she'd felt towards the man.

Her favorite flower, yellow daffodil, now dangling in front of her, the Jedi Knight watched as her date's face changed into a playful grin while speaking.
"Well, hello there, beautiful. I was beginning to wonder if you had decoded my little invitation."

Haloburner not a tad amused finally broke her silence.
"Don't do that again, unless you want a body part chopped off."

Pulling her blade back she added,
"...But I'll take the daffodil thank you."

With that, the red haired Jedi Force pulled the yellow daffodil towards her nose. Seconds later, she inhaled the beautiful fragrant flower, appreciating the efforts her date took to find the exclusive flower.

 

[Stacker01]

Ragien hadn't flinched when he saw the lightsaber, although he did wonder for a second if he was about to lose an arm. Ragien was, however, surprised by her verbal response. He couldn't decide if he should laugh or make a smart-alic comment, but he was quiet for a moment as he watched her put away her saber and take the daffodil. He had been surprised at how hard it could be to get a hold of one, but this was Corruscant after-all. "Right, no sneaky business. Note to self: next time lay across the bench with the flower between my teeth so as not to lose an arm." He tensed ever so slightly, used to being punched for his humor. "I do apologize for startling you, however." Though he had decided to make a 'joke' his features stayed soft. He was glad the daffodil pleased her and that his efforts, as simple as they were, were working.

He looked her over quickly, memorizing her visually all over again. His simple garb would surely seem boorish compared to her, seeing as how he was wearing regular civilian clothing that helped him blend in more than anything. He wasn't dressed-down by any means, though, wearing dark blue pants with a yellow undershirt and light green over-shirt, all of which was fitted enough to be comfortable loose but not baggy. It was somewhat bright but it happened to be regular garb here. He did, however, appreciate the way the young Haloburner Lamb dressed tonight. It was obviously a favored set of clothing for her, having a seemingly special care taken of it.

He felt an awkward knot well up in his gut, embarrassment just waiting to show itself. He had gone through this effort, spent six days tracking her, learning about her, and had planned an entire 'operation' to get this done - the kind of thing he did on a near-daily basis. But he had failed to actually come up with a dating idea. He had enough to get her here, but with his ignorance on dating he was thoroughly unprepared for the world he was stepping into tonight. "I hoped you would enjoy the daffodil. Hopefully it will make up for the fact that I don't know what I'm doing." His confidence had slipped a little at this point, showing some of the embarrassment at the fact that he knew not what to do through a slightly more awkwardly formed smile that had transformed on his face. His idea of a good date would be a challenge at the shooting range, a sparing match (whether full-contact or not), or something else that's more ridiculous than it is extravagant - ideas he knew wasn't the typical 'date' scenario and certainly could break a relationship right there. But he wasn't too dismayed with himself. At least making this attempt, doing all this work just so far, had to give him some points, right?

 

[Padmé]

Daffodil still suspended in front of her nose, Lamb concluded placing her weapon back in its hiding place. The sweet fragrance from the flower made her heart sing. Not in a romantic way, but a different kind of way. Although Ragien had given Lamb a fright, she was pleased to know that he’d gone the extra mile to make a first time good impression.

Now smiling, the red haired Jedi paced in place while her date spoke.
“That’s right, no sneaky/funny business, Daour”

Haloburner’s words were merely a bluff for she knew Ragien’s melee capabilities, never mind the stark age/size gap. Even so, Lamb wouldn’t let him think for a moment that she would give a fair fight. Assuming it came to that- though she had a feeling it wouldn’t.

“And nice floral selection, I say. Yellow daffodils are my all time favorite flowers. Not to mention I have not held one since leaving Naboo. There used to be a flower field not too far from my folk’s place. The owner of the field didn’t like it when we cut through his field, but you know, we did it any way.”

The fond memories of her homeworld brought feelings of joy and sadness simultaneously. Joy because of her friendships she made, but saddens because of her loss. Her smile will turn into a frown at the thought of her family, the sheer amount of rejection she went through…and then the murder scene. Interestingly enough, Lamb pulled through it all. In lieu of wallowing in her misfortune, she took each stumbling block life threw at her with grace. In the end, her tenacity and passion to excel in life compelled her to push herself.

Soon, a small stick came flying down on Lamb’s shoulder, causing her to cease from her short mental rabbit trail.

“Well, whatcha got planned for us? I hope we’ll not spend the time standing here like a bunch of manikins.”

 

[Stacker01]

Ragien chuckled quietly at the young woman's response about his sneaking about. She was certainly one to find humor easily, which would work well with him. But this turned into a the smallest amount of worry when he could sense her thoughts changing. Memories were not a category of fun for either of them in some ways, it would appear. But he simply waited. While he didn't consider himself wise, and neither did many of his contemporaries, he at least understood this would be a passing moment. But he would try to coax her from it at least. Looking up he saw a bird that was carrying a stick. With a simple flick of his finger the stick was pulled away and the bird hovered for a second before leaving, almost angrily. The stick had hit her shoulder, which was good enough for him as he sensed another change in thoughts.

With her mind back in place she asked him that oh-so-wonderful question he didn't have an answer to just yet, “Well, whatcha got planned for us? I hope we’ll not spend the time standing here like a bunch of manikins.”

Oddly enough, an idea came to mind. It was certainly a strange one but he had an idea that it would at least be entertaining enough to keep her interested. "Well, I assume you'd like something different from the fancy expensive dinner so I thought I'd throw a curve-ball into the thought; how about a dinner in the lower city? There's always something entertaining going on down there, and if nothing else standing around like mannequins in that area could make things very fun. Unless, of course, you've got something better in mind." His brow had popped up on one side, conveying a somewhat goofy, sarcastic look as though to say 'yeah, cause I have any clue what goes on on this planet'. It was actually a fact that Daour himself didn't really know Corruscant aside from easy ways to keep a cover, safehouse opportunities, and the things that had more to do with his job. Must come with be in a massively secluded organization, Ragien thought to himself.

He raised an arm as though to say 'after you', beckoning her to walk with him. At the very least, even if she did have a better idea, they would be moving rather than simply standing still.

 

[Padmé]

The man was right on one account- fancy dinners. Lamb loathes anything fancy. Given her background on Naboo, and having to work her way up to the top, life never really afforded her he luxury of anything fancy. The closest the red hair came was her short tenure working as a project manager for one of Coruscant’s top businessmen. But that was years ago.

“Oh spare me anything fancy. I can’t stand the snobby arrogance that most fancy dinners exuded.”
The young woman finally said while smiling. Her date pointed the way out, and Halo followed while still speaking.

“Dinner at the lower city sounds splendid.”
Lamb said while still fiddling with her shoulder. The very spot the random stick hit.

“Perhaps we’ll run into something interesting while down there.”
The Jedi chuckled.
Her daffodil remained in her left hand as the pair walked towards the eatery.

 

[Stacker01]

Ragien had to agree with Halo about the fancy dinners being so annoying. He wasn't one for them and rarely did he even allow his cover to lead him to one - not to mention how high profile it typically was. Turning, he led the way to the nearest turbo lift so they could go find themselves some lower-city style food and entertainment. Pod races were never his thing, but he knew most cantinas in lower cities had holovids of them. The fighting rings were more his preference of the two but he didn't know if that was the kind of thing his companion would go for. But one way or another there would be something fun to do.

Ragien glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. He thought she was beautiful, perhaps elegant. And her taste in style didn't hurt either. "I have to say, I did wonder at first if such an intelligent and beautiful person as yourself would be interested in going on a date with me," he said, humor again touching his voice. He honestly was amazed, but at the same time he did have to give himself at least a little credit for all the effort he put into it - planning aside. The turbo-lift was just ahead and he nonchalantly turned his hand in somewhat of a wave to press the button that calls the lift through the Force, causing the door to the lift to smoothly. He wasn't in a hurry, but it was becoming habitual in some ways. "And begins our own personal little excursion."

As they stepped into the turbo-lift he noticed that it was taken care of rather well, meaning it was not one that went into the under-city. After pressing the button for the desired level he turned to face Halo directly, admiring her. "So," he started, giving her a goofy grin. "What do you say we make a deal for the night? I won't sing any Corellian drinking songs and dance like a hyper-active Kath Hound pup if you don't." Attempting to break the ice through humor was a typical thing, but he always had some way of twisting things to make it just that much more entertaining.

 

[Padmé]

As gentle as she’d ever encountered a man treat her, the Zabrak led the way to the eatery. Lamb’s peripheral vision caught her date eying her while he called on the turbo lift. Seconds later he spoke, though Lamb herself guessed as much, the man was clearly enjoying the view.

"I have to say, I did wonder at first if such an intelligent and beautiful person as yourself would be interested in going on a date with me,"
Playfully pausing, the red hair Jedi Knight tucked her hands behind her back, while rocking in place as her date spoke.

“It’s simple, Ragien. You asked me- remember?...The daily barrage of sweet notes-”
Her words ceased as several younger teens passed them by. One of the guys amongst the pack gawked down at Haloburner, but she simply moved her gaze on her date’s hands. It was then Lamb noticed Ragien had turned to directly face her. The goofy grin painted on his face was enough to warm Haloburner’s heart and cause the teenagers to move right along. Two pair’s eyes caught, at least Halo’s did. It felt as though time had stopped as Lamb stared at Ragien’s traditional Zabrak facial tattoos…His unmistakable horns….Then finally his deep green eyes…

Moments later (though she wasn’t quite sure how long) Halo’s concentration was once interrupted. This time, it was a welcomed interruption!
"What do you say we make a deal for the night? I won't sing any Corellian drinking songs and dance like a hyper-active Kath Hound pup if you don't."

A short frown would cross the Jedi face as her dates words were uttered. She held her words- pondering on the deal. Either way, it appeared she wouldn’t be able to do the two things she’d hoped they would at least try. Now stepping off the turbo lift, Lamb made a quick turn to face Ragien. Her left hand on her left hip and right hand waving the daffodil in front of her date.

“But what good would a Corellian ale be without the singing?...Not to mention the inevitable dancing that accompanies a stupor!”
The young woman protested, not giving one thought to how silly she sounded/looked.

 

[Stacker01]

Daour was amazed. He was starkly in-love with the woman beside him and he, unfamiliar with what he was doing. As he watched Haloburner's saphire eyes look over his face, then into his own eyes, he had felt a massive sense of elation. Yet only now as he watched her reaction to his question did all of it seem to register, just how he was feeling, a habit to his emotional suppression due to his occupation. He'd have to work on his emotional suppression with her. Then she made somewhat of a sassy pose and responded to him. “But what good would a Corellian ale be without the singing?...Not to mention the inevitable dancing that accompanies a stupor!”

The response seemed pretty silly, though definitely in an adorable way. The only thing that bothered him was that he was never much for drinking. He could hold his own when it came to Corellian Ale, but that was oddly natural for him - not born out of practice. I guess I'll just have to make an exception for her, he thought to himself, too amused to say 'no'. "Oh, alright. We can sing and dance all we want - but we should try to stay off the tables. Cantina owners frown on things like that."