Open Coruscant Down and Out

Casany Praxor

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Those daredevils, those wayward souls who saw space and saw stars... Where others saw empty space, they saw the stars glittering. Funny, then, given that Cas saw much the same as she dared to open her eyes from the floor of a spaceport. “Here for the bounty,” she had boldly declared. “You three run along now—my beef is with your boss.”

They were tough. Or were they? Surely, to best her beskar'gam. She tried to picture their faces. Human? Bothan? Twi’lek? Yes. Zabrak? Droid? Gamorrean? Maybe. She was too dazed and confused to recall with accuracy. Cas just lay there on her back in the spaceport of Coruscant, blinking into reality just enough to make out the presently empty corridor. Hers had been a fresh fall, as far as she could recall. Had she blacked out? She doubted it—not for too long, at least. The local authorities would have dragged her away by now, so that was promising; promising, because, her attackers must also not be too far away.

For now, it was all she could do to lay there in her suit of red and gold beskar. She raised her head—it hurt. A helmet was upon it—it didn’t help. Return… Her thoughts drifted. Return, you bastards… Come back… Or I’ll find you… Either way, you’ll suffer the same... And worse...
 
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Vahn Berand

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“That didn’t quite go to plan, huh?” A voice mused from down the corridor.

Vahn sat on a low built storage crate tucked to the side of a wall just behind the possibly concussed Mando. Just over average height, the dark bearded human was dressed simply, grey-white traveling clothes that wouldn’t raise a suspicion on any spacer port. His legs were crossed, one weathered leather boot bouncing in the air to some unseen beat while he sipped from a cup that looked older and more beaten up than he was.

“I made sure no one nicked your stuff. At least after all was said and done; can’t say whoever you had a tiff with didn’t run off with anything before I got close, however,” Vahn said, sipping softly once more. Faint amusement glinted in those deep blue eyes, a lopsided grin curling the corner of his mouth.

“Oh; sorry. Yes, would you like some?” He asked, raising a canister that sloshed dully with some liquid. “It’s just tea. The hutts seem to like this blend but for the life of me I can’t tell why. Tastes like smoked Sibian hound treats. Does tend to wake you up tho; might do something for the mild brain damage you’re probably nursing.”

He seemed contemplative for a moment, before tipping the cup to the side, splashing the amber-red substance onto the concrete at his feet and screwing it back onto the cannister. Awful stuff really. Boots met the ground, and in moments he’d crossed over to the fallen Mandalorian, one hand offered to help her back onto her feet.

"Let's hope you didn't take too bad of a beating. I'd hate to have to carry you on my back to the nearest med-station," he said wryly.
 

Casany Praxor

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In any other scenario, Cas might have whipped her pistol from her thigh and trained it at the voice. She had the urge to do so, just not quite the strength. That was particularly bothersome given that her immediate assumption was that the speaker was one of her attackers here to mock her. The mocking part was kind of correct; the attacker part, well, perhaps not. She didn’t recognize the bearded face. Human. Bothan. Zabrak. She just then remembered that she remembered nothing.

At the offer of a drink, she also remembered how dry her mouth was. The headache would not heal on its own anytime soon, not of such magnitude, but the thirst could be quenched in a heartbeat. Though...if this guy’s one of them...probably poisoned… She wanted to voice her refusal out loud but speaking suddenly sounded like something she did not want to do as much as shake her head.

When the man approached, Cas stiffened. Her hand squeezed the handle beneath her hip just as his hand floated above her. She was a tad apprehensive of that gesture but, all things considered, probably worse off if she did not accept it. So the woman’s hand grasped the man’s and he pulled her to her feet. “Th-Thanks,” she gave weakly before staggering backward into a wall.

Cas rested against it, hand on helm as though it would keep her from seeing stars. They faded. “I’m...I’m fine… Just need to get my bearings…” And dull the pain. With that, she took her helmet off and set it upon a crate. From her belt was withdrawn a medpac, and from that two painkiller pills. “Hey,” she nodded at the man’s canister. “I’ll take some of that to wash this down…” She afforded a smile. “I’ve had dog food before. I’ll survive the taste.”



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Laeonas Tannaras

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Sidetracks were sidetracks, but sometimes Laeonas wondered as to whether or not he was actually trying to avoid going home.

He'd traveled most areas of the galaxy since he'd escaped his non-voluntary-vacation to Dantooine-- the Perlemean, The Hydian, The Gamor-- any possible direction, even the ways that led home.

Yet here he was, on a planet that resembled his world in all the ways that he enjoyed. He'd even gone to
Chandrila-- a planet so close to his home world that one of the brightest stars in the sky was the one he still thought of when anyone mentioned "the sun."

WHY, why was Laeonas Tannaras-- bastard of a Brentaali nobleman, son of a Brentaali peasant girl, grandson of a man from Brentaal who turned durasteel into combat plating for a living-- WHY was he on Coruscant?

Traveling along the catwalk, Laeo wandered. A bottle was grasped in his hand. He'd bring it to his lips-- only to find it empty.


"Kriffinnghhhh..." he began, slurring towards the end as he tossed the bottle into the chasm to his side. He was pretty sure there was a fine for that. He was completely sure that if anyone tried to charge him, they'd be tossed down to.

Glancing to his side as he turned a corner, Laeo noticed what looked like... people?

There were usually crowds wherever you went on Coruscant, but deep midlevels far from any traffic, and mostly dominated by storage space.
"Might be int'restin,'" he thought to himself, wandering over. He was a bit drunk, but that had never stopped Laeonas before, or his name wasn't Tannaras... which it technically wasn't.

"Oi! Either of ya fine peoples happen to have fermented drinks on ya?"



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Vahn Berand

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Vahn grinned and eagerly offered up the canister of Huttese tea. Finally! A kindred spirit willing to drink whatever brewed swill he found interesting that day! He thrust the weathered metal into the Mandalorian’s hands with almost too much enthusiasm.

Even as she cracked open the med pack, he turned his gaze one side, and then the other. With her helmet off Vahn could look at the injuries beneath. Nothing too severe but...

“You took a pretty bad thumping,” he said, raising a hand, and pausing mid air. “Do you mind? I know a few tricks that could help.” he asked, before moving with clinical impudence to quickly tugging a lock of hair back where he thought he saw some blood. Or at least, that’s what he wanted it to seem to look like.

“Spent some time traveling among some Teras Kasi folk, learned a few things. There are certain pressure points that can relieve pain and...there we go” he lied while pressing his thumb in near the Mando woman's temple, and drew in a fragment of The Force, just enough to take the edge off of that headache, and certainly not enough to tip It could not have been a pressure point. Maybe.

“Now what did you do to piss off those fine fellows that left you in this state?” Vahn asked, dusting his gloved hands off. It was then that his attention was drawn. A flickering of life and motion side down the alley that he and the Mando were residing in. His gaze turned towards the newcomer. Visibly inebriated, no visible weapons. Not a threat.

Fermented drinks?

“I have some fermented Ryloth kombei back on my ship. Probably isn’t what you mean, though,” Vahn suggested to Laeonas, before looking back to the Mandalorian. “Looks like we might be heading somewhere that we can get just that however. Want to get a drink, see if we can solve whatever mess you’ve gotten yourself into?”


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Casany Praxor

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Cas guzzled back from the canister with a grimace. The tea tasted terrible but washed the pills back and would help keep her awake. The man’s hand raised again. What tricks could he know? Massage therapy? She would find out with a simple nod, permitting his fingers as they touched a tender skull. She winced as much for not recalling the words “Teras Kasi” though as her mind worked its way into clarity she might just come to know what this guy was talking about.

Whoever they were they must be wizards because what this one did was quite a trick. Cas had sensed it the moment he had drawn it from him to her; a kind of feeling that had come to her before and here it was again. No question about it. Though now I have one. What are you?

He didn’t appear to be Sith. Jedi was the likely answer. Either way, he clearly did not want to give it away so she tabled it. What mattered right now was that her head was beginning to feel whole again. As she tried to remember faces another figure entered the scene. This other guy looked like he was feeling the better version of what she was. Not a face I recognize except the face of a drunk. Not a bad idea...

At her healer's offer, Cas smiled. He could read minds too it seemed. “Sounds like a plan.” At that, she gulped back more tea before passing the canister back. “Something more stiff and less Sibian is more my cup of tea… Name’s Cas, by the way.” She allowed a moment for the others to exchange names before turning her smile on Laeonas. “First round’s on you?”



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Laeonas Tannaras

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Wandering into the orbit of the only other two people close by, Laeo found himself leaning on the nearest bit of support-- at least he thought he was about to, but nothing was present. Stumbling, Laeonas fell to his side, landing with a thud. Groaning, the boy pulled himself back up, shaking himself off before he addressed the other two.

"Ai'm, eh, not in a mess, Ai think... less you were talking to the one holding a, uh, bucket helm." He loudly stated, laughing to himself at the unfunny comment. "Er, joking, joking. Anywaayyyy... Ai think Ai can pay fer our drinks, yea, got some credit chips..." He said, addressing the meat of the matter.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of chips-- mostly five or twenty unit chips-- a whole fist-full in his coat pocket.
"Ai didn't rob anyone, don't worry, Ai just broke open a money changer." The boy slurred, seemingly not processing that he had just self incriminated.

"Is...isn't bad! 'e was owned by a scammer, saw 'im chargin' loans at stupid rates. Yeah, prick. Took his credits, feelin' good."

Despite appearances, Laeonas was still... thinking. His focus on his own internal thoughts definitely didn't help him in his currently drunken state, at least not in the realm of "walking in a straight line" or "Speaking comprehensible basic," although he wasn't the greatest at that to begin with.

Instead, Laeonas' thoughts dwelt on his mother, and on home. He'd always hated Brentaal; he'd known from a young age that the world was important, but it somehow managed to be terrible for billions of inhabitants. It had always puzzled him, about how much wealth came through this system, how much of it was taxed, and how seemingly none of it went to help his people.

He'd learned that plenty of worlds weren't like that. Sure, Coruscant still had untold trillions in desperate straights, but trillions more lived decent, amazing lives. On his world, a good 40% of the population lived in absolute poverty.

He'd come to terms with the fact that life wasn't fair... but that didn't mean his world had to be so absurdly horrible to most of it's people that most live in slums.

He turned to face the bearded man, stumbling a bit as he did.
"You... know where we're goin'?" He asked, though he wasn't really paying attention to the answer. He'd returned to his thoughts, and he began to think about his reluctance; than, he blurted it out.

"Mae ma is on mae homeworld, could 'undred laightyears from 'ere. Ai wanna g'ome to 'er, but Ai... can't bring maeself ta go back." He wondered aloud, the boy suddenly belching.

"Ah, kriff'it, let's get drunk...er."



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Vahn Berand

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“Sounds like your cup of tea, isn’t exactly a cup of tea at all,”
Vahn said, grinning to himself at his own “wit”.

“The name is Vahn,” he said, quickly squeezing Cas’ hand in a friendly shake. His grip was firm, but precise. No more pressure than needed, no lingering presence. There wasn’t any ego, or competition; just an earnest representation of himself in that simple moment.

“Well, I’d never turn down a free drink or two,” He said, retrieving his canister of tea and screwing the cap back on before depositing it back at his belt. There was briefly a flash of another silver chromed object, long and smooth with textured grips, tucked just behind his traveling robe. It could have been a lightsaber; but maybe not. Maybe it was just a torch.

“And it’s not really stealing if someone else was stealing it first, right?” Vahn queried, the corner of his lip curled in a smirk.

“I know of a place nearby. Nice little spacer's bar. Very intimate. Everyone minds their own business. I was just heading there myself to try and get some more info on a….topic I was curious about. Maybe you might have something you can learn there yourself with your...problem, Cas,” Vahn suggested, already turning to make his way down the alleyway onto the nearby skywalk. “Though, I’m sure you know plenty of places to get information, if you’d prefer.”

He paused in his stride. The newcomer’s words struck a chord. The inability to face a past was something that he was all too familiar with. This was partly why he had found himself on Coruscant. He had loose ends from his past, one in particular that he needed to follow up on after returning from the boundaries of galactic civilization all too recently.

“Maybe I’ll buy you a drink instead. Sounds like you have a story to tell all of your own. What’s your name, kid?”


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Casany Praxor

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Bucket helm. Cas grinned. Mandalorians could murder for those two words but she could only stifle a chuckle. They had come from a guy so drunk he stumbled in his speech as much as his stride. Faced with the wrong kind of Jedi and he might just have found himself being taken into custody.

Jedi… The word took shape in Cas’ own internal thoughts. Vahn’s handshake was merely a distraction for the Mandalorian to look to his belt, spotting the silver something. There was no mistaking the lightsaber hilt. And I’ll be a Rancor’s pet monkey-lizard if its blade is red. She blinked away as Vahn addressed the drunk, giving Cas another reason to keep her lips spread. She was beginning to like this not-a-Jedi.

“Spacer’s bar, eh?” She nodded. “Sounds like your kind of bar is my kind of bar.” A place where everyone minded their own business was exactly what she needed in order to find her own business.

Upon stepping forward from the wall she had squeezed her skull, the sudden movement leading to a throb of pain. Still, between Vahn’s ‘trick’, the painkiller and the tea, Cas was already beginning to feel like herself again and started to walk it off.

She used the time to keep quiet, waiting for the drunk’s name as requested by Vahn. The former might just pass out by the time he bought himself and everyone else a drink but, well, Cas could live with that. She was alive, after all. Whoever did this to me...not for long.



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Laeonas Tannaras

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Drinks? Yeah, that's what he wanted. He was thirsty, both in the literal sense , and the "Ai wanna empty tha contents o'e'ery bottle Ai get mae'ands on" sort. The man's request was met by Laeonas with a nod of approval at the mention of drinks, followed by a slurred, "Laeo... Laeonas, er, Tannaras. Yeah, O's open, bye tha way. Don't let tha'ccent fool ya."

Perhaps it was the friendly mannerisms of the girl in armor and the bearded man, but Laeo felt oddly comfortable around the both of them. Rather than a sense of apprehension that might come with meeting strangers in a lightly treaded area of Coruscant's sublevels, the boy was more than willing to continue along with the both of them.

Maybe that was because his inhibitions had been weakened by a very high BAC content, but even through the fog of an alcohol induced dulling of the senses, the boy's force abilities were still present-- although, Laeonas would probably struggle to focus on any of his abilities if things got serious.

What else did he say? Stories? Yeah, he had stories! He could tell him-- and the lady, for that matter-- just about anything and everything he wanted to tell anyone!


"A bar's a bar, a bar's... bar? Yeah, a bar's a bar, th'at's what Ai meant." Laeonas stated loudly, finally reaching the other two. Under closer inspection, both seemed older than him-- "Fer kriff's sake, tha one in armor's got a beard-- wait, nah, that's tha'o'ther guy." He muttered, head cocking to one side, than rolling back and around before he continued walking.

"Guy, guy, guy's in a robe, yeah. Seen robes like that, not to fancy. Nice robes, Long robes, prob'ly comfy robes. Ossus, yeah, that's where. Pretty-- nah, not pretty." He continued, correcting himself, and idly slipping out a comment about his own travels. Apparently the boy couldn't connect the dots between the clear use of the force from earlier, the metal hilt on his belt, and the robes all to similar to Rishe's own attire to figure out that he was a Jedi.

"So so, er, what were tha two of ya up ta'for Ai got'ere? Ya didn't look like ya were 'avin fun, Ai'll say th'at, and youuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..." Laeonas tried to choke out, first referring to the armored woman and than to the bearded man, "Ya'o'ffered me some, er, drinks, and Ai'm laike, a total stranger. Ai only do that shite when Ai'm tryin' ta laike, take someone 'ome, or rob someone. Yer not uh, er... either?"


His words didn't entirely make sense towards the end, but the inebriated boys questions were clear enough to anyone who wasn't either unable to speak basic, or very, very drunk.


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Vahn Berand

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“When you’ve travelled as far as I have, there really isn’t anything better than a spacer’s bar. And this one is better than most; cheap drinks and food, but by the Nabooan gates of Hell you’ve never had such good tikktikk stew. Just...don’t ask me what exactly a tikktikk is, I’ve been trying to figure it out for years. I think it’s a vegetable...maybe?”
Vahn said, scrubbing a hand at the back of his neck.

The aimless nature of Laeonas’ stream of consciousness Vahn paused, and slowed his pace till he could rest his hand on Laeonas’s back. “Have you eaten, kid?” Vahn asked. The words tweaked the recesses of his memory. Vahn’s brow tensed contemplatively as the lad rambled. Robes? Ossus? Not too many people had been to Ossus.

Vahn breathed in, and drew in a small glimmer of The Force. He was starting to get curious about Laeonas. He focused on the boy, extending a thread of his will through the force into him to heal just the edge off of that intoxicated state. Just enough to make sure the lad wasn’t going to wind up passing out on them. Vahn *still* didn’t want to carry someone to a med station. He chuckled as the lad kept on his rant.

“No, no. You’re not my type, and you’ve barely got two credits to scrape together. Just enjoy the free meal and drink. And maybe answer some of my questions when they come up; and then you can consider us square, eh?” he said.

Vahn lead the way, stepping out onto the pedestrian tunnels of the skyway before them and, making sure Cas wasn’t far behind. The journey wasn’t far, and before long he was guiding the three of them down a damp durasteel stair well cut into the side of the tunnel that opened up into a low ceilinged bar. The decor was curious, with the tables, seats and other furniture all reminiscent of what you would find on any civilian freighter making cargo runs. There were even a few old control panels from a handful of old starships fixed to the walls alongside a dizzying array of tokens and knickknacks from what seemed like a lifetime of galactic travel and exploration.

“Vahn! It’s been ages!” a Rodian woman dressed in an apron and work clothing stopped wiping one of the several circular tables down in the dim room and called out to Vahn as he entered.

“Naygei, looking as radiant as always,” Vahn commended, before pausing just before exiting the shallow foyer.

“Captain! Permission to enter?” Vahn shouted aloud, his hands held up in mock supplication. A gruff, squat Toydarian fluttering in the back of the bar grunted in response.

Vahn looked over his shoulder at his two fellows. “That’s a yes, of course. Beegn loves me. He’s gotta because he hasn’t shot me yet! Oh, excuse me, CAPTAIN Beegn,” There was another grunt and a muttering in some non-Basic language.

He then entered the spacer’s bar, and turned neatly on his heel to approach a solitary table tucked away in a dark corner of the room; far, far away from the scattering of patrons who currently resided in the bar. He appeared fully comfortable in this moment; like he’d made this short trip a thousand times before as he slipped into the semicircular seat wrapped around the table.

“What’ll you all have today?” Naygei asked, already pulling a datapad and a stylus from her apron.

“I think you could start us off with a couple pitchers of ale, and a round of raava for all of us.” Vahn said, gesturing in a circle. “Oh, and a few bowls of the tikktikk stew.”

Naygei paused with her writing. “Gonna try it again?”

Vahn rapped his hands across the smooth tabletop, and pursed his lips.

“Tikktikk….it’s the root of a flower, right? Right?”

The rodian woman shook her head and kept writing. “Paying for your dinner again, Vahn.” he cursed and slumped back against his seat as she retreated into the back room.

“Make sure the kid gets a double portion!” Vahn called out, cupping one hand against the side of his mouth.

“Now, what exactly caused your little incident back in that alley. Maybe we can help each other out,” Vahn said as he settled into his seat, steepling his hands atop the circular tabletop.
 

Casany Praxor

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Tikk...tikk...stew..? Cas blinked and oh boy was the boy a whole kind of dizzying kind of drunk. Cas struggled to make sense of two-thirds of what he was saying and one half of what he said made less sense than whatever that meant. Beard? In armor? Did he mean her or the other guy..?

At that point, Vahn stepped in to calm the fool (a fool who reminded Cas how foolish she herself must be when at his level of inebriation, and at his age). What Vahn did...yes, no denying that either; the way he placed his hand, breathed in, looked at Lae. At this point, she needed little more evidence of Vahn’s career choice.

“Nnnnno.” Cas shook her head as politely as she could at the notion that Laeonas and her might ever take each other. No, she was surely more likely to rob him and let someone else take him, whatever that meant. “I’m a Mandalorian, kid.” She stared long and hard. “You couldn’t handle me even if I let you.” One wink later and the three were off to the bar.


Said bar was more like a starship. She ogled the chairs and tables, photos and paintings, ship parts on display like ornaments alongside what must have been a laser cannon hanging above the door. It was quite a sight and quite a scene, the cantina, and oddly fitting given that space catered to all sorts of strangers and here three said strangers were strolling in to a spacer's bar as one.

Cas blinked some more as she observed the exchange between Vahn and his friends. Was the Jedi a well established patron? Or did he simply know these individuals outside of bar business? Such was more trivial than the other questions she had. Vahn appeared to agree.

At their table in the corner, she was still trying to figure out what the hell tikktikk stew was. It was written up in the menu as a vague blurb: ‘Delicious and nutritious, take your tikktikk to your tongue and taste the tastiest stew of all time and then some!’ O...kay…

Whatever, Cas let Vahn do the ordering and sat staring into the cantina as he posed her question. She hesitated to answer, not out of reservation to reveal information but simply because she did not have the complete answer and that frustrated her. “I’m a bounty hunter,” she sighed. “I came to Coruscant in pursuit of my latest job: A Twi’lek named Lib Anulla. Smuggler.” Yeah, that much was sure, she was sure. “Tailed him down that corridor you found me in. Got jumped by...by…” She shook her head. Why was this part so hard? “...Aliens… A handful. Human? Bothan? Gamorrean? No, there was a droid...I think…”




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Laeonas Tannaras

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Laeo's mind was an open door, and the force, which usually swirled around his non-physical presence in the universe, moved more like a small gust rather than a whirling gale. The lack of alertness made it easy for the Jedi to slip in and start curing the boy's alcohol poisoning, the midichlorians of his cells refusing to actually absorb it into his system.

It didn't exactly cure him; there was still a high amount of alcohol in his blood, but now, the only place it had to go was... out. That'd be a problem for later, and one the boy couldn't perceive as his steps grew a bit more steady, and he found himself able to stand a bit taller.

He was assured by the man that his intentions weren't carnal or hostile, which was enough to dull the little bit of suspicion that made it past his weakened walls of inhibition. Laeo was about to comment when the mando spoke up. Her words, surprisingly enough, seemed to prompt a blush from the boy's face, pale turning a tinge of pink.


"Now, uh, Ai didn't mean anythin' by that," He began, blinking a bit as he found himself much more capable at speaking. Discarding his previous words, the boy glanced around, and reached within himself to figure out what had happened.

"...Ai felt a lot more...loose, a second ago." He stated, a bit puzzled as he looked at the both of them.


Between the Jedi's generous attitude, the joking demeanor of the Mandalorian, and laeo's now decidedly less drunk self, the boy was now more confused than inebriated. As the three slipped into the bar, the situation didn't improve, as the rather isolated alley was replaced with a bustling room full of different sites and sounds and smells.

Glancing to his sides, it seemed the bearded man had slipped into conversation, at first with a rodian who looked to be the owner, and than with the Mandalorian woman. He sat, listening in on the idle conversation due to having nothing better to do. The man with the beard had ordered food and drinks for the boy; and soon enough, the order made it's way to their table in a surprisingly short bit of time.

The stew tasted... fine. It was better than most everything he was able to scrounge back on his homeworld, and it tasted like more than charred flesh, which was essentially all the boy ate for nearly five years while stranded on Dantooine.

The ale, he didn't touch. His desire for more alcohol seemed to wane a bit as he continued listening in on the conversations of the other two he was with, as Laeonas now wanted to actually be capable of paying attention to what they said.

Thinking back to what the bearded man had said outside, Laeonas piped up, "Whaddya, laike, even want ta'ask me?" a curious tone to his voice. "Ai don't go'round askin' questions about strangers Ai meet... most'tha time anyhow. People wh'o tend ta seem ta want shite from me."


Continuing on, Laeo pursed his lips as he continued. The Mando's story rubbed him the wrong way, but he wasn't about to go prying without an explicit desire to speak to him. "Ai... can't gather what it is ya want, so could ya spit it out? Is it gonna cost me anything?" He asked, ready to leave if necessary; though, still drunk, he might have a problem with that if the bearded man decided he didn't want to let him leave.


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Vahn reclined in his seat, relaxing into a wide, relaxed stance with one arm draped over the back of the booth. He was silent, royal blue eyes observant as he listened to his two new dining guests. What seemed like a million thoughts swirled around behind those ocean-deep blue eyes.

“Twi’lek, Lib Anulla, Smuggler. Got it,” Vahn said, stroking a gloved hand over his short cropped beard.

He left his stew, and the ale untouched for the moment with his brow furrowed in thought.

“Who else knew you took this job? It’d be awfully convenient for this smuggler to just randomly have a pack of thugs ready and able to jump a Mandalorian,” he rapped a knuckle thoughtfully against the tabletop. “For that matter, how did they sneak up on you in the first place? How far back before the attack can you remember? Taking that thumping on your head can induce memory loss but… there are other ways to mess with someone’s head," Vahn looked askance. When he had healed Cas earlier he hadn't sensed any unusual drugs or poisons; but that didn't mean there was some sort of exotic substance present that he couldn't detect.

“No, no cost. And besides, I felt like something was pushing me to help you. Something powerful and deep….I tend to trust these feelings,” Vahn said, shrugging helplessly. There was something strange about the boy. Something that was drawing his attention and he couldn’t put his finger on it quite yet.

“Why don’t you tell me about that planet you mentioned, the one where you saw the robes?” Vahn asked Laeonas. He rifled through his traveling clothes briefly, retrieving a sabacc deck which he set about idly fidgeting with, turning the deck in his hands, idly shuffling as he listened to the response.


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Casany Praxor

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Cas let the stew sit as she stewed her thoughts, a daring ordeal aided by a glass of alcohol. She couldn’t even tell whether it tasted good or not as she stared off into the distance; or, specifically, at that Human and this Bothan, this droid and that Zabrak, and then those ones over here and these ones over there.

She listened intently to Vahn’s questions. She was grateful to have the man at her table; an outsider looking in who could prompt her muddled mind into taking certain directions to climb out of her defeat. “Just my handler.” Cas finally answered after Laeo did. “Handed me enough jobs to know he wants this one completed so not worried about him.” She mused along with the music and the sips. “I...can’t remember how they clocked me… I mean, I can’t even remember who exactly did, and that’s unfortunate.” Droid? Human? Gamorrean?

“Clearly, though, whoever did it wasn’t interested in my armor or anything else. I didn’t get jumped for my wallet. Has to be Lib’s doing, that damned smuggler.” She gulped back what was left in her glass and waved the waiter over for another round. Then, while looking around the cantina and thinking on Vahn’s other question, it all began to click.

“I...was in a cantina…” Cas turned in her seat to face the Jedi this time. “It was a cantina in the spaceport. Shit, what was it called? The Hub. Yeah. That’s where I picked up the trail...” She crossed her brows, struggling to remember. “Lib never made me though, at least I don’t think...but...to tail him I had to find his trail and if I did that in The Hub...then…” A full glass was placed before her face just then. She stared through it. “...Was he there or…” Human. Gamorrean. Zabrak. Zabrak. Zabrak. “Zabrak!” Cas slammed a fist on the table. Her drink almost jumped. “The infobroker! He was a Zabrak! Gave me Lib’s location and off I went!” She blinked at her glass. “...And he also...bought me a...drink…”



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Laeonas Tannaras

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Perhaps it was his odd behavior or wording, but suspicion had started to fill Laeonas' gut when the bearded man looked for more answers. It was an ironic turn of events; here was a boy whose appearance fit the archetype of the scheming criminal, hungry for information and secrets. Long and near unkempt black hair, an outfit consisting almost entirely of various shades of black, and an uncharacteristically pale face for most humans.

Ofcourse, the boy's personality didn't match at all; criminal he was, but massive liar?

...maybe not.

It was this logic that had caused Laeonas' suspicions to contract a bit, but not enough to immediately warrant a reply. He pretended to ignore the man's words, instead focusing on the stew. Grinding the plant matter between his teeth in a bizarre attempt to finish the meal slower, he kept his eyes on the man, but let his other senses wander.

The (self asserted) mandalorian's recounting of her experiences had gotten Laeo interested in what it was these two... did. A force sensitive gangster, an apparently skilled hunter, and... a bearded guy who wanted to learn what made them tick?

Perhaps something else was going on. He couldn't pick up anything obviously off about the both of them. Nothing odd had happened, and Laeonas started to let his guard slip a bit further, when a thought drifted into his mind
"Yer able'ta notice; where'd yer stupor go?"

Blinking, the boy stopped suddenly-- almost choking on his meal before abruptly swallowing the mouthful of stew in his mouth. He was less drunk; and how was that? He'd gone through nearly two dozen rounds at the bar he'd previously found himself in, and if he'd gone any further, he would've passed out on the spot-- and if it weren't for the massive effort of his midichlorians, his own organs would be failing.

He... didn't know that, at all, but it was still obvious to the boy that his stupor should've still been large enough to keep his speech slurred, walking unsteady, and hands to wobbly to even bring the spoon to his lips.

It was at that moment that Laeonas suddenly stood up, stepping out from the table in a rush.
"Refresher," He mumbled, shuffling away from the other two in a hurry.

Bursting through the refresher's doors, Laeonas turned on a faucet quickly pushed his head beneath. The ice cold water poured over him, jump starting his senses a bit. Drawing in the force, he'd concentrate, the vast life of Coruscant opening up to him. Focusing in on the restaurant, and finally their table, Laeonas searched for any indication of something... off. Ill intentions?

He'd stop abruptly when he realized that there was nothing to find; either because something was blocking him, because he was still to drunk, or because there was nothing there. It was plainly obvious that the Mandalorian wasn't a threat-- but the man with the beard? His motivations were still completely unclear.

Blinking, the boy looked down at himself; and frowned.

What would the intentions of an obvious criminal running away from a conversation appear to be? That was something he didn't have to think about for long; it obviously looked bad.

Thinking back, Laeonas remembered the bearded man's question-- which would have to be answered with an admission of knowledge about the Jedi. Either he could anticipate that, or he couldn't; but if he could, that would imply quite a bit. Specifically, what the bearded man might actually be.

It was at this point that Laeonas began to feel himself actually needing to use the refresher, as his body prepared to remove the toxins that came with everything he had drank in the past few hours.

Standing still after concluding his business, the boy was lost on what to do. It was only after another minute of consideration that he exited and started to make his way back to the table; for better, or for worse.



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Vahn Berand

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He cocked a brow at Laeon’s silence, his attention torn between observing the boy before him and the Mandalorian woman as she struggled to recount her previous few hours. He seemed briefly surprised as the boy suddenly shouted, and then hurried off back to the washrooms in the back of the bar.

“You need to hold the lever down for the tubes to clear out! I’m betting the Captain hasn’t sprung for a sanitation tech to come fix his piping!” Vahn shouted after Laeon as he rushed off. The Toydarian grunted in response once again.

Vahn then sat back, and quietly shuffled the deck of sabacc cards as he listened. His questions had done their job in jogging Cas’ memory. Now it was time for him to be patient, and listen for the pertinent information to be dredged up like gold.

“Well, sounds like we have someone we need to talk to. That is, if you’re willing to accept some...exotic help,” with that, he flicked a finger and one card was pulled from the deck as if by some unseen hand, and rotated quietly in the air for a moment before it reinserted itself into the deck.

“There’s no real use in hiding it. You’re a Mandalorian. Many of you are trained to identify my kind near from birth. I bet you’ve had me pegged since back at the alley,” Vahn explained. “The people you hang with sound like nasty pieces of work so you don’t have much to worry about Jedi morality getting in the way. I’ve busted plenty of smugglers and gangsters. Don’t worry, you get the full bounty. I’ll just ask a favor in exchange.”

“Just a tick though, I need to check something,”
he stated after a moment when he noticed Laeon approaching.

It had been some time since Rishe had mentioned a boy on Ossus, one who was force sensitive and in need of guidance. The lad before him met the description, but he wanted to be sure. Vahn was never one to discount the possibility of freak circumstances, even if it took a freak circumstance to discount the fact that the very boy that his Padawan learner had spoken to him about needing assistance had turned up right behind him in a random alley half a galaxy away from where she had met him.

“So, Laeon. Want to earn some quick credits? You look like you could use a good place to sleep for a few nights at least. Nothing too weird, we’re going to track down the ones who jumped Cas over here. We could use an extra set of eyes to watch our back. But first I need to see how lucky you are. It’s a….habit of mine.”

Vahn set about shuffling the pazaak deck with more vigor, fanning the cards, quickly shuffling overhand. Maybe he’d spent some time as a gambler or dealer with the speed and precision that he moved. Eventually, he produced three cards, only the worn cardbacks visible to both Laeon and Cas. The Three of Sabers, the Five of Coins, and The Idiot. Vahn grinned at the last one. Of course he’d draw that.

“Which cards am I holding?” Vahn’s eyes caught and held Laeon’s, smoldering in quiet intensity.


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Casany Praxor

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Cas blinked herself out of a daring daze. It wasn’t the drink—she was barely into that—but it was most definitely a blur of memories and an unbridled grasp on realities. The Jedi’s mind trick, the tea, the medicine; all of it helped bring her back up to speed but she was still suffering from gaps in her mind that just would not do.

Realizing she was in danger of stealing the scene, the sound of cards shuffling turned her head and tugged her lips. It was all the Mandalorian could do but sit there, glass in hand, watching Vahn’s face while listening to his speech. He was a speaker, this one; astute. And a looker to boot. She wouldn’t deny it. She knew help when she heard it and handsome when she saw it, even if she might reject both on account of needing neither. But you do, Cas. You need the help. You do. And Vahn seemed willing enough.

“Favor?” She brought her glass to her lips and savored the flavor after finally discovering it. This ‘Jedi’ was not of the average type and that was no mistake. And you appear to have me pegged just as much. “As long as it doesn’t involve any unnatural touching then I guess I can oblige.” The two of them caught onto Laeo’s return just then. The guy looked like Cas did at his age and in a cantina, if with decor sporting more blaster parts than ship parts.

Cas struggled to dance her gaze between Vahn's cards and Laeo’s countenance. She wanted to see the latter convulse but knew it would mean breaking her concentration on the Jedi’s antics. So she paid attention. Cas was no gambler but she had spent enough time with gamblers to know enough tricks. She also knew pazaak as much as she knew sabacc.

Was it a coincidence that Vahn had pulled three cards? Maybe, but there was one hand that bested even the Pure. Idiot’s Array… She took another drink, enjoying the show. She might be far from the mark. Either way, this was not her play; it was Laeo’s. So she let her gaze rest on his face and couldn’t help but grin.




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Laeonas Tannaras

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Laeon? That's what the bearded man had picked? Cocking an eyebrow as he rounded the table, the raven haired human gave an odd look, darting from the man who'd spoken to the Mandalorian. He'd been called all number of nicknames through his life, yet somehow, not one had ever shortened his name in the way that this one had.

Having sat back down, Laeonas watched and listened further, the offer of credits interesting him; and the job offer in question, it seemed, made plenty of sense. Sitting still, and glancing at the card deck, he'd watch as the bearded man drew three, faces pointed away from the young man.


"Ai never laiked cards." He muttered, turning away for a bit with a frown. "Not 'cause Ai'm bad, but 'cause it was easy ta figure out what people were doin'. They made it obvious; never fun." The boy explained, excusing his own lack of enthusiasm. Still, out of the offer of credits, Laeonas would turn, and focus.

Reaching out only a bit, things gradually became clear to him. He'd never been able to see the cards directly; his abilities allowed him instead to simply know what they were. He couldn't explain it-- it was one of the most confusing aspects of the force, at least to him.

Glancing over at the slightly older mandalorian, he noticed the grin-- and turning his gaze back on the man with the cards, the smolder he gave him almost made Laeo flush a bit-- but he suppressed his instinctive reaction, and continued to concentrate.

Eyes narrowing, it might have appeared that he was deep in thought, guessing what the cards might be-- but in truth, he was just waiting for the knowledge to come to him. He almost started to appear bored after a few minutes, reclining backwards. Glancing down, he'd notice that his stew was still present. Reaching for a spoonful, he took it into his mouth-- than, spat it out.


"Cold." He answered, reaching for the mug of ale he hadn't yet touched, and gulped a swig down his throat. Grumbling, the young man sat up again-- and than, it finally clicked.

Idly, he'd answer;
"Idiot... three'f... sabers? Yeah, and than tha' faive of..." Laeonas finally replied, practically sounding out the answer with how slowly he spoke, but he paused.

He didn't know the final card's suite.

"Eh... shite, 'old on." The boy muttered, concentrating a bit longer.

This was... new. He'd never had problems with cards before; he could either always guess what the hands of his opponents were, or other advantages presented themselves. Sometimes in a sabaak game, when someone rolled a chance cube to determine if a card would shift, he'd simply know if it would shift or not. Sometimes in paazak, he'd know which card the dealer would give them, or which his opponent would use. It usually only took a few seconds.

But... he hadn't done that in years, and he was only recently re-training his connection. Laeonas had assumed that the reason it was taking him so long to discern the card's identities was because he wasn't putting in any effort, or that he simply didn't care. The truth, however, was that he was genuinely struggling.

He'd actually have to guess.


"Kriffin'ell, this is ridiculous." He said aloud, obviously dismayed. Not only at himself, but at the bearded man, who seemed very, very interested in "luck" for whatever reason.

But what allowed him to do what he did wasn't luck at all.

And what he'd let slip out-- about Ossus-- wasn't just a random trip.

His eyes widened; quickly, he took another drink to calm his nerves.


"'Ow tha'ell didn't Ai notice this guy?!" Laeonas thought, eyes darting over to the mandalorian. Were they BOTH Jedi? Were these the people who Rishe had contacted?


Looking over at the Mandalorian, he nodded his head towards the one with the beard-- the Jedi-- asking for any confirmation at all. He slowly realized that, with how earnest her story had been, it was highly unlikely that she was a secret Jedi; which, at this point, wasn't much of a secret at all. He was half tempted to stand up and leave, while the other half wanted to start asking every question imaginable.

Still, he'd been given a request, and Laeonas didn't want to disappoint the Jedi, especially if there was an offer of credits involved. Reaching out again, he... had an idea, but wasn't sure.


"...faive of... coins?"



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Vahn Berand

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Vahn grinned towards Cas. “No, no touching. It’d be unseemly to request that as payment!” he teased as Laeonas approached and sat down with the two of them once more. Every word made Vahn increasingly more convinced of the reports he’d received about Laeonas. Rishe had told him much about the encounter she had with the boy. He just needed to confirm the facts at hand for himself.

Vahn’s eyes met Cas’ intensely as Laeonas read the cards. A moment of unspoken communication passed, hinting towards the swelling gravity over the moment as Laeonas read each card. He had one hand draped over his arm, partially obscured from the boy while he worked through the problem. As he read each card, he raised one, then two, then three fingers. Cas could see each subtle movement. Three for three.

“Well. I guess that confirms things. Not sure how lucky you actually are, but you definitely are the kid my Padawan told me about. You met her on Ossus; Rishe,” he explained, before raising a calming hand as if sensing the boy’s inevitable apprehension.

“You probably know this already, but you’re like us. Like me; my Master would say you can Speak to the Force. I’m not going to start preaching at you, about destiny, and fate, and the Force, and whatnot. I mean, not unless you want,” Vahn paused, and took a breath. “I’m from Taris. I know how rough things can be, so I know you likely have more important concerns right now. Like getting food… taking care of the people close to you. We can talk about all of those things. At your pleasure, of course.”

Vahn put the cards back into his tunic, and started rifling through a small pouch at his side. He then jangled a handful of credit chips in his hand before setting them down in front of Laeonas.

“That should get you a few nights of good rest at least. But there’s more for you if you’d accompany us. I would very much like that,” he then spent a few moments pouring himself a glass of ale, before taking a long draw. He then took a few hearty bites of the stew.

“Naygei, we’re heading back out! I’ll be back later tonight to square off my bill,” Vahn called. She appeared from the kitchen in the back.

“You better not stiff me again Vahn Berand. You disappeared for two years last time. Didn’t know whether you were living or dead.” the Rodian woman set her hands on her hips. You wouldn’t think a Rodian would be able to bore through someone with their round, bug-like eyes but somehow she managed.

Vahn winced, and looked away for a moment before scrubbing a hand at the back of his head. “That was a mistake. I’m sorry for that. Truly,” He truly did regret this. In his grief he had practically vanished from the Order, from the Galaxy at large even, for far too long. Vahn bowed his head apologetically, and Naygei waved a dismissive hand.

“Just come back in one piece, where-ever you’re going.” she then said, and turned to walk back into the kitchen.

There was a rustle of cloth and leather as Vahn stood up, and he smoothed out his clothing. There wasn’t any point hiding what he was, and so he reached back, and pulled his lightsaber free from the leathers hiding it, and hooked it proudly to the belt around his hip. It gleamed, polished durasteel and smooth black grips, slightly longer than a normal saber for extra mobility and power.

“Alright then, Cas. Seems like you know where we need to go. Lead the way. Laeon, I’m sure you have questions. Consider me an open book.”


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