A Jedi walked into a bar...

[Dread]

Blythe felt an honest smile crack the side of her cheeks. His reaction to her comment about him being a gentlemen was rather cute, at least she thought so. Although, the smile quickly faded away. Being warm and friendly wasn't exactly how she pictured herself. Most of the time she smiled for a lot different reasons. As much as her former master Jord had believed she'd like him after awhile, he was wrong. She'd certainly smile over his corps...but now her thoughts had wandered away. Blythe found herself staring at the counter like a loon, unable to recall if she had been doing so for a moment, a minute, or more...

She promptly cleared her throat, biting her bottom lip as some sort of way to punish herself for loosing her focus, and tried to recall what he had last said. Oh, right, the taozins and where she had learned about them. His question was to be expected, but nevertheless, it felt like he was prying.

Swirling the drink on the counter she cocked an eyebrow then returned her gaze to his. "In a library." She answered plainly, then went onto a bit more detail before he could ask, as uncomfortable as she was doing so, "I know about quite a few force anomalies, for the reason I had last stated; their uses in crafting. It's a hobby of mine, nothing thrilling to most people."

 

[Saint]

"I know about quite a few force anomalies, for the reason I had last stated; their uses in crafting. It's a hobby of mine, nothing thrilling to most people." Deacon was even more impressed now by this free admitannce of her skills in crafting armor that could withstand strikes from a lightsaber. His face (at least the part that wasn't metallic) probably gave it away as well as his good eye widened at the remark.

He couldn't tell if his mouth had dropped open or not but he quickly ensured his lips were closed before licking his tongue lightly over them, collecting his thoughts before he continued on with his inquiry. Looking over his shoulder, he noted the time as a thought came to him. Quirking an eyebrow, he asked, "You hungry? It's on me s'long as we can talk a bit more about this hobby a'yours."

Laying a hand over one of his bracers, he went on, "Y'see, I'd very much like to have a pair a'these that could effectively withstand the strike of a lightsaber." Turning his arm a bit awkwardly to further examine the bracer, he added, "Perhaps with a couple or few spikes t'catch their blades in more of a parryin' move." He gestured a bit as he did so, demonstrating the technique.

With two fingers, he caught the attention of a Twi'lek waitress and made some kind of funky sign language that was meant to be a request for menus. Apparently the Rutian had caught it because it wasn't but a few moments later and she appeared tableside with two in hand, laying them before both Blythe and Deacon both. "My apologies," she said, "here you are folks. Might I get you something else?"

Deacon shook his head lightly as he gave Blythe a questioning look. They'd need a couple of minutes to look over the menus before ordering. Gesturing towards her drink that she'd been nursing, Deacon inquired, "Y'good on yer drink fer now there Blythe?" He still had the drink she gave him and the last bit of his own Starshine Surprise to go. He was good.

Mentally, he noted the continued presence of the two Jedi in his peripheral vision. Still just sitting there, conversing away. Huh...

 

[Malz]

The young Jedi Knight laughed, "Oh, no, don't be silly. I know enough about death sticks to know just how unhealthy they are. I wouldn't dream of taking some for myself. And I rarely use mind tricks at all, typically only with rowdy patients. I find that just being nice to them and treating them as normal people typically helps with the process. Most who turn to drug abuse don't have anyone to support them. I try to fill that role."

Yet again he found himself low on water. Jeez, he was really guzzling it down tonight. He politely excused himself from the table for a moment, telling Rehni he'd be right back. He approached the bar, coincidentally stepping up right next to Blythe and Deacon, and asked the bartender for another glass of water, as well as if he sold canteens. An innocent exchange, though Malz couldn't help but feel like he was missing something. While the bartender was begrudgingly getting another glass for the Knight, Malz took a look around. He knew better than to tap into everyone's emotions in a crowded bar; he'd be overloaded with information. But still, something was out of place, as if there were an emotion that shouldn't occur in a bar.

 

[Dread]

She watched his expression, blinking once. His interest was a little more then she expected, which lead her to her own questions...who was this guy? Why was he so interested in outfitting himself with lightsaber resistant gear? The taozin was resistant to blaster bolts as well, but he hadn't said anything about that. Not that it was that surprising, but it said something about him either way.

The concern she had disappeared for a moment as the menu was placed in front of her, and then when he about her drink. Blythe shook her head to the offer, "I'm not sure if I'll have another after this one." She brought the drink to the air, taking another sip, "But I'll think about the meal."

After half-looking over the menu and half-thinking about his request she turned to look over him, then leaned forward and went to place her hand on his bracer. If he freaked out, or pulled away, she would pull her hand back immediately, but she hoped that wouldn't be the case. Everything she did was hands on, so she wanted to get a feel of the bracer.

"Oh, there's a few rare substances in the galaxy that resists lightsabers...Phrik, Cortosis, etc, but the real trick is getting ahold of them, and seeing if it's possible to make a workable design with them. Not to say all of them are as good as each other, with enough strikes cortosis gives in...for example." After a moment she looked at the ground then back up, and sat back in her seat. "I'm not sure I should be chatting away about this exactly, to a stranger." It was a valid point, giving her knowledge freely away to a complete stranger was, well, not exactly the best of ideas. "I..."

Then she felt the force sensitive she had felt before, moving through the cantina, and then right behind her. Blythe froze, her expression and posture regaining the rigidity from before.

 

[Saint]

Deacon addressed the Rutian Twi'lek in an aside, his voice somewhat quieted as he kept his gaze focused intently on Blythe, "I think we're good for now miss. It'll be a few minutes before we d'cide upon a meal. Thanks." She smiled politely as she parted, stating that it was no problem and that she'd be back to check on them. At that, he gave her a light wave, still without averting his attention from the teen before him.

When she went to touch his bracer, he didn't pull back or anything, but instead, let her hand roam freely over the armor, even turning his arm with her inspection of the piece, ensuring that she knew just what she was dealing with and what would be expected. It wasn't like she was putting the moves on him; and her touch wasn't exactly seductive in nature, not even making contact with his skin.

As she went on about the different substances that were resistant to lightsabers, Deacon knew that her knowledge had to be more than just from recreational reading in the library. Perhaps his interest was betrayed by the look on his face, maybe not, either way, she seemed to suddenly seened to regret speaking so freely. They were both hiding back secrets from each other, this much was clear.

Her form further stiffened at the approach of one of the Jedi that Deacon had been keeping idle watch over. Shoot, even Deacon hadn't noted his approach, having been too engrossed in the knowledge that Blythe was sharing with him. He gave the younger human, assumably in his early twenties, a curious look and noted that his right ear seemed to have been... bitten? A piece of it was certainly missing. Curious.

Deacon had been told before that his amulet only protected the wearer, and that it did not project any sort of nullifying sphere about it. Too bad, that might've served Blythe well if it could've. Didn't seem that she was responding too well to the close proximity of the Jedi here. All sorts of crazy thoughts and ideas about why bombarded his mind. Questions of 'why' and wonderings of her past... but he soon pushed those thoughts away.

Straightening his attire as he took in a deep breath before addressing the Jedi (Malz), "So... what's a Jedi like you doin' in a place like this, eh?" He offered a warm, sincere-enough smile while his gaze rested on the young man. He didn't appear to be much of a threat, but then again, he was a Jedi, possessing the ability to touch the Force. That was an incredible weapon in and of itself. How did fate even choose who to bless with that ability?

Regardless, perhaps his inquiry and attention on the Jedi would afford Blythe a moment or two to collect herself and relax. Perhaps.

 

[Malz]

Malz perked at the question, actually taking notice to the ones he stood beside. The girl seemed tense, as if she were afraid of him. That's odd; sure, he's had people afraid of a shot, or just afraid of doctors in general, but not like this. Then he sensed it. Visions. Subtle, barely distinguishable, but enough to get that she wasn't exactly the most friendly of beings. He didn't want to pry, even though he felt a bit of Force sensitivity as well. This was a bar, and this wasn't the time to start a confrontation. Instead, all he did was smile warmly at her to show he meant no harm.

Then to the man who was more like a machine. He extended his smile to him, then his focus snapped to attention. That's what's wrong. It wasn't that he was sensing something wrong in the bar, it's that he was sensing nothing. Nothing came from this man. He wasn't a droid, despite the appearance, and he didn't seem like he was Force sensitive. He knew taht some people underwent training to clear their minds, but this man didn't seem like the type to meditate on a cold mountain. There's something very...wrong about all this. And that clashing smile didn't help much either. Still, again, he wasn't here to make enemies.

"Oh, just here for a drink is all. I set up a healing booth earlier today, and I just now finished my duties. I'm afraid I'm a tad low on supplies at the moment, so if you require healing, please stop by...probably next week, if I'm not assigned to anything." He gave a bow, and when the bartender finally arrived with Malz's order, he nodded kindly again and went back to the table.

He stared at Rehni for a moment and smiled, "What a lovely night this is, hm?" In his mind he prayed that she didn't sense the other two with him.

 

[Kuran]

Juisk had absoloutley no idea why he was here.

Well that wasn't really true. He knew why he was here, he had walked, and walking generally led somewhere. What he didn't know was what had posessed him to come....here.

Technicaly, he wasn't really supposed to be wandering around in the city...well....was he? It wasn't against the rules to leave the temple and go for a walk, but being in this sort of area was...frowned upon. But, he reasoned as he saw the bright sign for a bar, the Outlander Club, wasn't a large part of his study as a padawan to experience the galaxy? And he was strictly speaking experiencing it right now.

This thought process led him through the doors of the club, and he was instantly thankful that he hadn't worn his robes. He had his tunic on, true, and he had a training lightsaber hooked to his belt, but the robes would have been a nightmare in the heat of this place.

He casually scanned the crowd as he made his way up to the bar, both with his eyes and with the force, just to see what the people around him were thinking of him, if anything.

Taking a seat at the bar, the 18 year old was somewhat surprised that he wasn't asked for identification, but then again, he hadn't ordered alcohol. A Alderranian sunrise was a mixture of fruit juices mostly, with a few dashes of other things thrown in.

He took a measured sip of the drink as he looked casually around once more. He thought he could feel something odd about some of the patrons...but he couldn't tell which ones...

[OOC: Closed to avoid overflow of members (Currently: 5). Sorry to those who wanted to hop in!] (Am I okay being here then? It was open when I posted:( ))

 

[Raider]

*Seger Goran lifted up one finger to signal the bartender for another drink. He didn't often come to the Core Regions. Let alone the capital of the Republic. The Republic didn't do much business when it came to soldiers of fortune. His line of work was conducted further out where Republic authority didn't exist or only existed in name. Seger took the glass of Kuati Whiskey and shallowed half of the drink in one gulp. He glanced to his left as some kid took the stool next to him. His eyes had already started to move back to his drink when his mind registered the lightsaber hanging on the kid's belt. They flickered to the lightsaber and then up toward the kid's face.*

"Here on business Jedi?"

 

[Malz]

[You're one of the 5 Kuran so you're fine (I closed it after you posted anyway), but Raider I closed the thread before you posted. I'm sorry. :( I just don't want things to get too confusing for the others if there are too many characters. If nobody has any objections though, it would be ok.]

 

[Dread]

((OOC: I don't mind.))

Blythe stayed quiet for the short conversation between Deacon and the Jedi. It only occurred to her that she should at least turn look at the Jedi, so her behavior wasn't so suspicious, by the time the Jedi was leaving.

Of course she already knew the Jedi sensed her, as she sensed him, that was a mutual understanding of sorts, but it was Deacon she was more cautious about, at least for the time being. His interest in the armor she had proposed had put her on alert. Not that she felt that threatened from either him or the Jedi, but she wasn't going to put herself on the spot if she didn't need too. Although, there was a rare chance this man could be as much as a ally as he could a enemy, if anything at all. Time would only tell.

Clearing the back of her throat she returned her attention to Deacon, waiting for a response now that the Jedi had moved on.

 

[GABA]

Rehni nodded, Malz got up and left the table and stood at the bar for another glass of water. She watched him for a moment, then he begun conversation with a large male and the Knight turned her attention to the large projectors displaying pod-racing and what-not. She grinned at the fools who yelled out in angst as their credits were lost. She always guessed it would be cheating if a Jedi were to ever gamble.

Malz turned her attention as he returned to the table, she could tell he had something on his mind, but didn't think too much of it. She smiled at his comment, "For Courscant, Yessing, it ising." she replied then felt a smack in her gut. Her eyes shot to the entrance of the club, the knight let out a sigh and frown, "Glads he ising notting my padawan, elses he woulds being ins so much trouble." she said standing up from the table and begun moving towards the bar where the padawan had just taken a seat. So much for a relaxing evening, now she had to play babysitter. The Knight laid a hand on the padawan's shoulder, turning him around on his stool.

She shot her eyes an older man who mentioned something to the padawan but her glare returned to kid, "Highly Frowned upon." she spoke slowly, "Letting us go now. Beforing your Masters realize you ising missing from the temple's grounds." she laid some credits down for his drink and nodded her head towards the door for him to starting marching.

((Raider can stay.))

 

[Malz]

Malz was indeed hiding a thought. If Rehni knew that there were some awfully suspicious characters by the bar then, especially for a fighter, it might be hard to control oneself. He knew he should report any Force Sensitives he finds that are not in the Order, but he liked to think that not everyone wanted to be press-ganged into the Jedi.

He was about to reply to her comment when she already got up and went over to the Padawan. Funny, Malz hadn't noticed him. Perhaps he was too focused on the other two. He sighed and cleared his mind again, something that's starting to become difficult as the night progressed. He got up as well and walked over to the Jedi. He put his hands on both their shoulders and smiled as he tried to redirect them to the table.

"Now Rehni, it's true that he shouldn't be here, but come on let's give him a break, hm? As of now he is with two adult Jedi Knights; I see no problem here so long as he doesn't drink anything alcoholic. When I was his age...well I didn't go into bars, but I tried to have as much fun as I could before I got any older!" He smiled at Juisk, "Come, sit with us! We'd love your company!" He nodded to Goran too, "You're welcome to join us as well, of course."

 

[Kuran]

Juisk looked sideways at the man who had spoken to him and set his drink down.

"Not buisness sir, no. Merely out and about, observing, taking a look around as it were. No reason not to know what sort of world exists right outside the temple, to my mind."

He felt the slight recognition of the sentient behind him, and winced inwardly. No, it wasn't technical against the rules to be here....but it was frowned upon he supposed. He felt the strong hand on his shoulder as he was turned around to face the Knight, feeling very much like a scolded schoolchild.

"Highly Frowned upon. Letting us go now. Beforing your Masters realize you ising missing from the temple's grounds."

"Bu...yes master, i'll return now."

He bowed his head somewhat and stepped off the stool, but was stopped before he could take a step by a man, clearly another knight. He raised an eyebrow, unsure of what to do, caught between two orders and not wishing to disobey either one. He did want to stay though..

 

[GABA]

Rehni scratched her head and sighed, both fists sat then sat on her hips, "Alrights," she sent you-lucked-out look to the padawan, "Coming joins us." she nodded her head towards their table that still remained empty. She sent a slightly defeated look to Malz, "Highly frowning upon." she told him.

 

[Kuran]

Juisk had the good sense to look somewhat guilty as he got a stern look from the first Knight,but followed the other one to the table they had been sitting at, waiting for the other two to sit before he did so. He took his drink with him, held it in his hand before looking back at the two knights and giving a respectful bow.

"Padawan Juisk, at your service masters."

It wasn't that he had any desire to disobey orders or cause any disagreement between the two knights, but he was naturally curious, and wanted to experience as much as he could of the galaxy.

After all, he reasoned,how can I serve and protect the galaxy as a whole if I don't know what there is in the galaxy in the first place...right?

 

[Saint]

(Raider's good by me)

Deacon simply watched the Jedi walk away after a -very- brief response. Once he was out of earshot, Deke commented to Blythe, "And here I half-expected him to be going around, looking for death-stick dealers whom he could convince to re-think their lives." Turning a bit to one side, he gestured vaguely with two fingers, "There's a Rodian just a few tables over and a Quarren in the back corner."

That wasn't all, but he wasn't about to point out the dealers that were 'protected' by his boss and associates. Adjusting atop his stool, he looked down briefly at the menu, then suddenly up at Blythe, raising his brow, "Now where were we again? Ah... right... strangers, heh." He took in a small breath as if about to say something, but then the other Jedi from the table came up to the bar, addressing a young padawan who had just snuck in.

His voice quieted as he observed to Blythe, watching the exchange between the Padawan and a female Jedi, "Seems this is the hang-out of choice for the Jedi..." then the other joined them at the bar. The Padawan seemed rather confused as he looked between the two and seemed so very unsure of his own actions. Deacon smirked a bit as he simply looked on, hearing some of what they were saying.

Having finished his own drink a bit ago, Deke raised the glass up to his lips that Blythe had brought with her. As the Jedi departed the bar for their original table, inviting a fourth man with them, he commented to Blythe, "This is good. Wha's it called?" He eyed the changing colors within the glass for a moment, swirling it about some.

He made a note to self that the one Jedi had referred to himself and the female as Jedi Knights, not Masters. It was clear as well that the newcomer was a Padawan; the fourth man though, he hadn't a clue. He appeared to be an older merc. Good for him. Fella had to have wits and wisdom to make it that long in life as a mercenary. Probably not someone to trifle with.

Remarking after a bit of a pause, Deacon spoke softly, "Seems we both are keeping back, withholding a good bit from each other. Most likely some secrets of substance; least on your part." With that, he nodded over towards Blythe and offered a light, simple smile. He really hadn't come here tonite looking to recruit or anything but so far, he found himself at least willing to meet with her again, and this time, on purpose.

 

[Dread]

Yet again Deacon had managed to get a smile out of her. Of course this time it was more natural then before. Any joke about Jedi moral tickled her the right way. But Blythe hadn't failed to take note of how Deacon knew about the two dealers. Maybe he was one himself - he didn't look like a junky - or maybe he was something else. The picture of who he was, was starting to take some shape, at least vaguely.

As the Jedi approached the counter Blythe's body froze yet again. She didn't bother to turn to see what was going on, she didn't have to. The less-than thrilling conflict between the two knights wasn't exactly what someone would call hard to over hear. It only made Blythe happy she no longer belonged to the Jedi Order. The differences between her current Order and the Jedi was painfully obvious.

When Deacon turned and made a remark about the Jedi hanging out in the Cantina, Blythe decided to add in her own, "They swarm like pests." Her voice was hushed, just low enough to reach Deacon's ears, she hoped.

With a few quick sips her glass was finally empty, and she already was starting to feel slightly buzzed. She let the cup lower, resting it back on the counter, this time carefully on top of a coaster. By then Deacon had moved onto his second drink and asked about the name, "Galaxy Rush."

Blythe let her eyes wander aimlessly around the Cantina for a few seconds, until Deacon spoke up again, "Seems we both are keeping back, withholding a good bit from each other. Most likely some secrets of substance; least on your part."

Finally, that was out in the air, but something in her stomach churned after the comment, and her eyes darted away before she spoke up, "Guess I'm just that good of an actor, huh?" Blythe joked nervously, trying to keep the conversation from becoming tense. Her eyes moved back to meet with Deacon's again. That smile of his was back, but it didn't temp her to return one. Her expression didn't change even the smallest amount in reaction, "So what do you propose we do about that?" She was intrigued by Deacon, of course, but wanted him to take lead, if this, whatever they had, was going to go anywhere.

 

[Raider]

"And the part of the world you chose to become familiar with just happened to be the bar of the nearest cantina."

*The dry sarcasm was evident in Seger's tone. There were many places this kid could have gone to deepen his understanding of the world. The kid could have gone to the slums, the shelters, the Republic Senate, the starports, the trading markets, the black markets, but no. He had chosen a a bar in a cantina and Seger was sure there was a more self-centered reason than just wanting to observe the inside of the cantina. Kid probably wanted to "observe" the dancers employed here too.*

*He would have turned back to his drink after that, but two more young Jedi showed up to talk with the kid and had what to Seger was equivalent of a parents fight. It was funny to watch or maybe the whiskey just made it seem funny. He was surprised when the younger Jedi of the pair invited him to join them over at their table. They could be trying to surround him to take him in for crime he was doubtlessly wanted for on some forshaken planet he'd fought, but why pass up a chance to drink with Jedi?

"Mighty kind of you Jedi. Didn't think Jedi drunk. Never saw one enter a cantina before who wasn't there on some offical Jedi business."

*He slide off the bar stool and started toward the table.*

 

[Saint]

"Galaxy Rush eh?" Deacon half-mumbled to himself, still eyeing the drink he was swirling about, watching the colors change with a light sense of amusement. He'd drank that Starshine Surprise a little too quickly and would have to ensure he took it slower on this one. Some food would help. He picked up his menu and began to look over it, a steak catching his eye.

At her comment about being a good actor, Deacon offered Blythe a warm, friendly smile before bobbing his head lightly. "I suppose though, but as to the why you would act in such a way is a curiousity t'me." Glancing over at the table of Jedi briefly, he made a suggestion to Blythe, "Let's move to a table so they don't walk up on us again, an' we'll enjoy a meal t'gether."

That was it. His fix to allowing them to get deeper into conversation without having to worry about Jedi ears becoming overly curious and sneaking a listen. As he rose from the barstool, he gestured towards an item on the menu, "The grilled nerf steak with melted jerba cheese, grilled Ojomian onions and Felucian glasscap mushrooms looks good t'me. You find anything you like?" Apparently he wasn't too worried about his breath with this choice of meal, though washing it down with alcohol could prove helpful in that regard. That and he didn't plan on drawing -that- close to anybody's face... at least that he wanted to impress.

His gaze studied her for a few moments. She could be hard to read when she wanted to it seemed. Looking for a table that still afforded him a good peripheral view of the Jedi that was open proved a small chore. Moving past a few patrons, he noted to the waitress, "Miss, we'll be movin' to tha' table o'er there."

The table he gestured to was a good distance from the Jedi, but also had a relatively clear shot of them without too much obstruction. A table of tall, slender humanoids (Quermians) was directly between them, but with their long necks, it was easy to see past and around them. With one hand holding his drink and the menu tucked under his arm, Deacon pulled out a chair for Blythe to have a seat, smiling warmly as he dipped his forehead in a tiny bow.

 

[Malz]

"Everything's highly frowned upon. Frowning is highly frowned upon!" Malz muttered to Rehni as they went back to their table. As they sat down Malz chuckled at Seger's comment, "Oh, no, I don't drink alcohol if that's what you mean. Not good for a medic to be intoxicated!" He picked up his glass of water and swished it around innocently to prove his point.

At the Padawan's bow he just rose an eyebrow, "Is your master as stiff as you or do you have some paralytic disease? C'mon, relax. You're with good people here. Er...well, at this table at least." He patted the seat next to his for Juisk to sit. If he were any younger he'd have invited the young one for a game of tag, but he'll have to think of some other more age-appropriate (as if tag was appropriate even when Malz was 20) way of getting the Padawan to enjoy himself.

He noticed out of the corner of his eye the two bar-dwellers from before getting up to move, and he resisted the urge to let a sigh of relief. Good, shouldn't be any trouble tonight. He looked at his group and smiled, "So, what does bring you two here today?"