Getting Acquainted

[Crix Dolan (TL8)]

Getting

Acquainted

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A mess of wires lay splayed across the floor of The Highwind's cockpit. Crix was dressed in black mechanics coveralls with the sleeves tied around his waist. He was covered in grease and dirt, the white tunic he'd been wearing was smeared with various mottled shades of grey. The smuggler wasn't expecting visitors and his white tunic hung loosely on his frame exposing the inky purple-black tendrils across his chest. Remnants of an experience he wished he could forget. Normally he'd be sure to keep his chest covered, but with a whole day of basic ship maintenance ahead of him the smuggler wasn't really concerned about running into someone. He held a flashlight in his mouth as he lifted a clump of wires up, and began sorting them.

Peetwo rolled in and whistled a greeting. Crix grunted but didn't take his eyes off his task at hand. Peetwo rocked back then forward. Crix ignored him. The little droid sighed rolling back an inch and then rolling forward. Making a repetitive little whirring noise.

Crix responded with a sigh of his own removing the flashlight from his mouth and giving the droid a side-eyed glare. "Bud, I told you I was working on the ship today. I promise I'm going to upgrade you." Peetwo chittered with a little more attitude than Crix felt he deserved. Offended, The Smuggler snapped, "Hey, pal, I'm doing the best I can right now. I don't know if you've noticed but we're kind of members of a rebellion at the moment." The little Astromech wasn't having his excuses though.

Peetwo grunted a warble that was probably a droid obscenity and rolled out of the room. Crix tossed the wires he was sorting down in frustration as he watched the little droid leave. The Smuggler felt bad. He'd promised the little guy some upgrades once they joined the rebellion, but Crix hadn't kept up his end of the deal. He blew out a frustrated breath and then began cleaning up. Crix finished his wire work and stowed the cords back into the consols framing.

As he slid the last slat into place he heard a noise behind him and turned to see what it was. He didn't see anything behind him. He frowned, listening for the sound again.

Taptaptap.

The Smuggler's brow furrowed as he walked toward the tapping noise. He moved into the main hold and then heard it again. It was coming from the boarding ramp. Crix grabbed his blaster and tucked it into the back of his coveralls as he approached the blastdoor. He opened the door and cocked an eyebrow in confusion. A woman stood before him with an equally estranged expression.

"Uh, can I help you?" A familiar whistles came from behind her and Crix spotted Peetwo.

The Smuggler's eyes widened in fear, and he hoped the droid hadn't gotten into any trouble, he ran a hand through his hair flashing a pre-emptive apologetic smile in her direction.

@Logan

 

[Vesper T'Rahmmmmmmmmmmm]

____________

Truth be told, Vesper sort of hated being the person in the group showing up at the other person's house. She liked being the leader, the one sitting in the lair making the plans. She wanted to be the one that ominously said "Come in," when her door was knocked on. It was a position of power, even if it was just a small one, and it set her mind at ease. Unfortunately in this situation, Vesper was the green one and Crix - the man who she was meeting up with - had the experience and sat in the driver's seat. It was his contact they were meeting, his ship they were using, so Vesper guessed it was only natural. She still hated it though - so, so much.

She wasn't quite sure what exactly they were going to be doing or where they were going to be doing it - or hell, who they were going to be doing it with. Vesper figured all of those details would be revealed once she finally got to Crix's ship and they started talking, but she had to make a few choices before leaving her apartment where that information could have probably helped. Namely - what she was supposed to wear.

Without really knowing what would be best, Vesper opted for some straightforward and normal clothes for now. She had some other stuff tucked away in her backpack in case she needed it - a dress in case they needed to blend in somewhere highbrow, other shoes, sunglasses - stuff like that. Of course she also had her gear inside - some spare power packs, datapad, and some slicing stuff.

When Vesper saw Crix's ship, she stopped and straightened up her appearance before approaching its ramp. Good first impressions and all that. After a quick minute, she walked right on up and started knocking.

It took a minute before someone finally answered, a rather disheveled and greasy looking man in work coveralls. She couldn't help but raise a semi-judgemental eyebrow. Clearly whoever this was hadn't been expecting her.. which was odd, considering he should have totally been expecting her. Or maybe that's just what he looked like all the time, which would be seven kinds of even more unfortunate.

"Yeah, I think so," She said, flashing a smile that would hopefully cover up whatever weird face she had just been making. "I'm looking for a guy named Crix. You him?" Hopefully she hadn't made a mistake and gone to the wrong ship, otherwise she was about to be woefully late. But then on the other hand, maybe if she was in the wrong place Criz wouldn't be some grease monkey who didn't even have the decency to wash his hands before opening the door.

@Zay

 

[Crix Dolan (TL8)]

The grease coated smuggler returned the woman's expression with an equally judgmental eyebrow. He glanced down at the ruined veins laying open and exposed under his half-open tunic and he quickly covered up, hoping she'd not seen his chest. Of course, he didn't really know this chick so if she asked him anything he didn't want answer he could always ignore her. He'd picked that one up from Raz and considered himself a master at ghosting people.

As he covered himself up she continued. "Yeah, I think so,"

Crix frowned at her indecision as he felt a small tickle on his wrist. He glanced down to see his wristcom was lit up. He lifted it reading the notification as she spoke. oh shit

"I'm looking for a guy named Crix. You him?"

Crix looked to her as she finished her question, and said, "Yep, c'mon in."

The message scrolling across his wrist said, REMINDER: Mission to Lothal today, be ready by 1300. It was 1330... When he set the reminder, he'd accidentally set it thirty minutes late. I've gotta stop setting my alarm drunk... he berated himself as he turned into his XS-100. The ship looked ancient. He'd bought the ship used, and rather than springing for a new one like most of his rebel comrades, Crix had decided to put as much TLC into the ship as possible. The Highwind didn't look like a badass flying machine, but that was the point wasn't it.

Peetwo wheeled off toward the cockpit and soon after the ships main engines turned on. As they walked down the first hallway he snatched his datapad off the counter and skimmed the mission briefing.

"So you're Vesper, nice to meet you." his tone was as enthused as her initial expression, but be bulldozed through the intros like a Rancor in a china shop. "You already know my name. The cute little droid getting the ship going is Peetwo. He's awesome," He came to a stop outside of the passengers quarters and turned to face Vesper for the first time since entering the ship.

"This'll be your room for the mission." He said, with a casual smile. Her quarters would be sufficient for one person, it wasn't the biggest space, but it was better than not having a private room.

He started to offer her a hand in greeting then realized he was still covered in grease and retracted his offer.

"Er, Sorry. I'm going to get cleaned up real quick. Feel free to get settled and check out the ship." Crix opened the door for her and then made his way to his quarters. As he passed Peetwo he stopped saying.

"You were reminding me about the mission earlier, huh?" The droid bobbed it's dome and Crix sighed, "Sorry, bud. I'm still a little messed up about everything that went down on Nar." The droid warbled affectionately and Crix patted the droids head. As he walked away he said, "I don't know what I'd do without you, Peetwo."

The Smuggler quickly jumped into the refresher and washed away the day's work. He caught sight of his chest in the mirror and stared at it. The veins crisscrossing his chest were varying shades of purple, black, and indigo. He frowned remembering the being that put them there with a hatred so fierce he nearly broke the sink he was holding on to. Shaking off the bad memories, he dried off and stepped into his room. He dressed comfortably, replacing the loose white tunic with an athletic fit black one. He hopped into a pair of Navy trousers and then pulled on his boots. Finally, he slid into his trusty jacket and clipped his gunbelt to his waist.

Satisfied with his transformation Crix emerged from his room and then made for the cockpit. He took a seat in his captain's chair and a small smile tugged at his lips. There was nothing better than sitting in his seat. His skilled hands went to work jumping in exactly where they were needed in the take-off process. Crix had done this so many times he could get this ship up and running in his sleep. Peetwo warbled an affirmative as he initiated the repulsors. The ship lifted from the ground and took to the air.

A few moments later they were in space and Crix was shifting the ship into sublight when he heard Vesper approach from behind.

"Peetwo, run the calculations for me. We're jumping to Lothal." Turning in his chair to face her he said, "Looks like you made an acquisition request. Got a ship you're upgrading?"


@Logan

 

[Vesper T'Rahmmmmmmmmmmm]

____________

Vesper followed Crix into his ship, unable to keep her eyes from darting around judgmentally desperate though she tried. She could admit there was some merit to the whole "scoundrel chic" thing that Crix seemed to have going on, but to her his ship came across as far more "old and rusty" than it did "rusty gold." When they stopped by what was to be her cabin, Vesper was actually pretty relieved. She hadn't expected to get a private room on someone else's ship. Nice touch.

Giving Crix a thumbs up in response to him saying he was going to get freshened up, Vesper went into her room and tossed her backpack onto an open chair. Despite how extra she could seem on the outside, Vesper was more than happy with the relatively humble accommodations. She had grown up on Nar Shaddaa for force's sake, so any room that didn't also contain spice addicts and thugs was a good enough room for her.

Deciding she didn't feel like lingering, Vesper exited the room almost as soon as she had entered it. Much more interested in exploring Crix's ship, she set off in the same direction the smuggler had gone, lagging a little behind. She stopped when she heard voices, or at least one voice - Crix talking to Peetwo. She hadn't caught everything they had said, but she did distinctly hear one important bit. "Sorry, bud. I'm still a little messed up about everything that went down on Nar."

She filed it away for later, maybe when they both got to know each other a little better and it wouldn't come across as weird that Vesper had been eavesdropping a little bit. Deciding that maybe it would be better than skulking about, Vesper went back to her room to get some of her things more situated. When she felt the ship lift off, she made her way to the cockpit figuring it would be kind of weird if she just sat alone until they arrived.

No, I'm looking for smuggling compartments so my jeans can finally have pockets. she said sarcastically, a coy smile betraying Vesper's attempt at seriousness for humor. But yeah, an old XR-1200. Looking to get it some much needed upgrades. Need to get it a new facelift with a paint job too, but you'd be surprised how hard it is to find a decent color purple.

She looked around the cockpit a bit, trying to ignore the fact that Crix cleaned up really well and he was actually kind of cute. Today was not the day for cute boys. Today was the day for serious business. So what kind of ship is this? She asked, trying to keep the topic on something Crix might actually be interested in. It definitely has an uh.. homey feel to it. Not my cup of blue milk personally, but I can see the appeal in it.

Vesper sat down in the co-pilot's seat next to Crix. How long's it take to get to Lothal anyway?"

@Zay

 

[Crix Dolan (TL8)]

Crix smiled wryly as he reclined in his seat putting both hands behind his head. "Oh, you're gonna be like that the whole time, huh?" He shot back with a playful smirk. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad.

The Smuggler unclasped his hands from behind his head and slid them into his pockets. "Hey, I'm just here to help you get what you need. If it's pockets you want it's pockets you'll get." He chuckled.

Vesper humored his lame joke and continued. Crix's eyebrows rose in surprise when she mentioned her ship model. "The 1200fp? Nice."

The Smuggler was a fan of anything made by Corellian Engineering, and The XR-1200pf was a slick ship. Vesper teased about needing some cosmetic upgrades and Crix played along, "Yeah, purple's tough, but I know a guy on Rishi who does that kinda thing," A charming smile played on his lips as he spoke, "I mean, if we survive this mission of course."

Alright, she was fun.

"So what kind of ship is this?" Crix glanced around the cockpit warmly. "Eh, it's just an XS-100." He loved his ship, it'd recently been upgraded with a new powercore and since the enhancement, his ship's systems had been running like brand new. To most, it'd just look like a bucket of rusty bolts, but to Crix it was home.

"Blue milk drinker, huh? Didn't take you for the hard liquor type." He teased before elaborating, "It feels homey because I live here."

Crix sat up in his seat returning his attention to the console as he admired the instrumentation, "She's old, but The Highwind's never failed me." He patted the yokes affectionately and looked back flashing her a smirk.

How long's it take to get to Lothal anyway?"

"Ya know you ask a lot of questions, Kid." He said with an indignant grin coloring his expression. Peetwo chittered something and Crix turned to face the little guy. "Yikes, that long?" He said with a surprised frown. He kept the act up a moment longer to annoy Vesper and then said, "Peetwo estimates somewhere between 48-72 hrs."

The operation was a little more barebones than Crix liked. He knew his contact was trustworthy, but the secrecy surrounding it told him there would be trouble. The gunslinger wondered how much training the girl had. Crix had lived a hard life. His time outside the rebellion was one big desperate fight for survival, and since joining... not much had changed. He'd been tested more times than he could count, he just needed to figure out if she was on the same page.

During their chat The Highwind had broken atmosphere and the darkness of space permeated the cockpit only held at bay by the flickering lights of the surrounding instrumentation.

With a smirk, he turned back to Vesper and asked, "Like this color purple? Just making mental notes."

The illuminated instrumentation cast red and blue light across the cabin, bathing the trio in a swath of purple as reds and blues coalesced in the space between them. A wide smile spread across his face as he turned back to look out the viewport.

"This is my favorite part, you ready Peetwo?" The droid warbled an affirmative. Crix threw the throttle forward and the starscape spread out before them stretched into elongated starlines before collapsing into the undulating mottled blue miasma of Hyperspace. With the jump completed the first part of the mission was basically done. Crix stood from his seat and stretched.

With a yawn, he turned to Vesper and asked, "Wanna grab a drink?"

Crix followed Peetwo out of the cockpit and hung a left making for The Highwind's lounge. Over the course of his tenure as a smuggler, The Scoundrel had picked up a taste for exotic alcohol and his ships wet bar had everything from Ithorian Gin, to Dantooine Brandy. He stepped behind the bar and grabbed a bottle of Dantoinne Cognac and placed a single whiskey rock into a cup before pouring his drink.

Crix would offer Vesper free reign, there were a plethora of non-alcoholic choices as well, needed mixers of course.

"Sorry, we're fresh out of blue milk." He teased as he took a seat at in the booth beside the bar. "So, you an aspiring smuggler?" He asked, mostly shirking his duties, and procrastinating from anything that resembled instructions he had to follow. Yes, he could just look at the datapad in his jacket pocket, but that was creepy and he still needed to gauge her capabilities. His Jedi training was nearly complete and even though he didn't act anything like one, Crix was nearly a knight. He pulled is presence into himself, diminishing his presence in the force.

Then he waited. It wasn't anything big, but sometimes detecting danger meant noticing what was missing not what was right in front of you. Crix lounged in the booth lifting his glass to Vesper, "Cheers."

@Logan

 

[Vesper T'Rahmmmmmmmmmmm]

____________

Vesper couldn't help but scoff at Crix's insinuation that they wouldn't survive the mission, even if it was jokingly. It was probably just her ego talking, but she knew for sure that even if they dove headfirst into a flaming dumpster filled with bantha poodoo, she'd probably still be fine. She'd lived for like seventeen years on Nar Shaddaa, there was pretty much nothing out there that gave Vesper pause. Whether or not that was positive was a whole other conversation.

It's gonna take this rust bucket two or three days to get to Lothal? Are we flying in hyperspeed or are you letting your grandma drive us there ten miles under with her blinker on? She was only partly joking. Hopefully Crix was the kind of person that was able to tell when someone was just being a cheeky bastard and not being actually mean. Otherwise the mission was going to be super, super awkward.

Nodding graciously at the offer of a drink, Vesper followed Crix to the Highwind's lounge. She wondered what kind of stuff Crix would have on board, Vesper mostly used to drinking wellspring rat piss herself. The local bars around her old stomping grounds on Nar Shaddaa definitely were not known for stocking the best stuff. Kind of understandable when most of your clientele was broke as a joke, but it gave her some inexperience in ordering drinks in places ranked above dive-bar.

Taking a look at the various bottles Crix had, Vesper shrugged and picked the darkest looking one. She had never had a super bad experience drinking dark liquor - not to mention her mother had always told her clear liquor was for rich women on diets - and she figured it would taste better than the jetfuel she was used to so it should be fine. She poured herself a glass without ice and went to sit with Crix.

I suppose aspiring is a good word for it, Vesper said with a smile, taking a swig from her drink. It felt spicy and hot as it went down her throat, settling in her belly and giving Vesper that comforting feeling only alcohol could provide. I grew up on Nar Shaddaa, so I've been smuggling-adjacent for a long time. Anymore it's hard to find time for personal ventures with all the Jedi stuff I've usually got on my plate, though.

Vesper wasn't afraid to admit her allegiance to Crix. He was a fellow member of the GA after all, and she wouldn't be surprised if he had already known that she was a Jedi and not just another rebel looking to do hoodrat stuff.

So what's a guy like you get out of being in the GA? You strike me as the kind that likes to make his own rules, Hugo doesn't seem like he's super into employing mavericks. Truth be told Vesper didn't know shit about Hugo Ion outside that he was an ugly Duros. But pretending to know things can sometimes give you the opportunity to learn things people wouldn't normally tell you if they knew you were talking out of your ass.

And if that didn't work, there was always the option of actually showing them your ass but Vesper hadn't needed to do that in quite some time - and wasn't particularly keen on starting it up again. At least not until she learned whether or not Crix knew stuff worth finding out. And truth be told, she didn't even really know what she was fishing for, but fishing came natural to Vesper. Maybe she could convince Crix to let loose some of his contacts to her, but that would probably take some time.

Vesper didn't mind trust building though, it was always good to have people you could depend on when shit hit the fan. Only time would tell if Crix was that kind of friend, she supposed.

@Zay

 

[Crix Dolan (TL8)]

Crix tipped back his cup indulging in the brandy in his cup. Vesper was quickly working her way into his favorite members of the Alliance list. He appreciated her constant sarcasm and enjoyed the playful shots they seemed to endlessly fire off at one another. It was like meeting an old friend and the smile on his face was genuine for the first time in a long time.

"I suppose aspiring is a good word for it," Crix arched an inquisitive eyebrow as he listened to Vesper give a little run down on her upbringing. He wondered if her home had been affected by the recent Hutta strike, but he wasn't sure he wanted to hear that answer. War was messy, and at the end of the day it wasn't two sides against one another, it was the innocent verse the calamity that was war. Vesper questioned his membership in the Alliance after casually revealing her connection to the Jedi, and Crix couldn't help by laugh.

"Yeah, I'm uh... well connected," He said with a mischievous smile. He wasn't lying or being coy, Crix had found himself in a pretty interesting position. He was discovered and trained by Leah Reach and was the former pilot/bestie of Raz Solus, but Vesper didn't need to know everything about him. Crix was slow to trust and while he didn't think Vesper was trying to actively gather dirt on him, he couldn't shake the paranoia that had kept him safe his entire life as an orphan in Coruscant.

Deciding to humor her a little he leaned forward as if to tell her a secret and said, "I'm a Jedi too." He doubted she'd believe him, he'd purposefully pulled his connection inward. His manipulation of the force had become second nature as he finally adapted to the use of space wizard magic.

Clear disbelief still on her face, Crix reached out telepathically, I'm a little hurt you didn't believe me."

He took a sip from his cup as he sent the message mimicking the bit commonly used by ventriloquists. He nearly spit out his brandy as he stifled a laugh.

"I was trained by Jedi Master Leah Reach. If I could reel in my "Maverick"-ness I'd probably be a Knight. At least that's what Leah says." He shrugged absently, his mind lingering on the Jedi master a moment, they'd not seen one another since the shit show that was the Nar Shadda celebration.

Crix stowed his emotional baggage. Something that had become increasingly easier since actually implementing his Jedi training. He eyed his drink then feeling bored he said, "Wanna make a bet?"

Crix rose from the booth and stepped into his room. He opened the hidden compartment on his bed and pulled out his Lightsaber, and his seeker droid. Returning to his lounge he held up the deactivated droid and tossed it to her.

"I can tell you've still got a million questions." A smile spread across his face, "With every level you beat, I'll answer one question."

His training with Leah had been relatively lonely. His active initiation in the GA meant he'd been forced to learn through holovids followed by immediate practical assessments with the Jedi Master when they had a chance to actually work together. Crix clipped his lightsaber to his belt and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Let's see what you've got, kid."

@Logan

 

[Vesper T'Rahmmmmmmmmmmm]

____________

Vesper raised an inquisitive eyebrow as Crix started talking again, a well-connected person was exactly the kind of person that she wanted to know. It also helped that the smuggler seemed like a nice enough person, Vesper able to see them as possible friends even if Crix didn't have and know things that Vesper so desperately wanted. She had used people a lot back on Nar Shaddaa, and it was a behavior she didn't want to fall back into now that she was a Jedi. People had worth beyond what they could offer, and Vesper did her best to remember this.

Although her inquisitive look swiftly changed to a judgemental, "nerf herder plz" type of thing when Crix mentioned that he was a Jedi too. Vesper was just about to voice her lack of belief when she heard Crix's voice pang inside her head, the use of telepathy all but proving his claim. If her mouth wasn't already hanging open in disbelief, it sure as shit was when Crix mentioned Leah Reach. You're kriffing kidding, She said, not even bothering to mask the admiration and small tinge of jealousy in her voice. That's insane! I would have never assumed you were a Jedi too. Especially one someone like Master Reach would train!

A playful smile creased Vesper's lips when Crix mentioned a bet. Of course she would take a bet, Vesper was competitive as all get out and she rarely lost something like a bet or a contest. Crix didn't know who he was dealing with. When he returned holding a lightsaber and a droid, Vesper stood up excitedly - ready to win whatever it was that this droid was going to do. Catching the droid as Crix tossed it to her, Vesper took out one of her own lightsabers. She ignited its blade which was a deep and bold color of sapphire and activated the droid.

The droid hovered for a moment before orienting itself. It then moved on to explain how the training worked, that Vesper would be tasked with blocking the blaster shots that it levied towards her. The difficulty of succeeding would increase with each level of training completed, up until the hardest level of 10. Vesper didn't think she had ten questions to ask Crix, but she was confident that she'd be able to beat the droid's training regiment anyway.

After a few seconds, the droid initiated the first level. It fired off several shots towards Vesper, mostly towards her middle which would be the easiest place to block them. They didn't come particularly rapidly, which Vesper figured would be the case with the easiest level.

First level, first question, she said playfully, her lightsaber staying ignited. What's your last name? Vesper figured since it was an easy level she'd start with an easy question. She wanted to know more about Crix, so getting with his full name seemed like a good place to start.

Crix had no idea the kind of trouble he'd just gotten himself into, Vesper was a prying machine and he'd given her - with terms and conditions - free reign to ask whatever she wanted. It was going to be a good flight.

@Zay

 

[Crix Dolan (TL8)]

The seeker droid hissed into the air suddenly then hovered slowly undulating as if suspended in water. Small puffs of air punctuated its movements as it oriented during boot up. Vesper's deep cerulean blade burst forth casting the lounge in an iridescent hue and as if responding to the arrival of her weapon the little droid went into motion.

Crix watched carefully as the droid shifted back and forth awaiting the fated first shot. The seeker fired. Crix frowned as he watched the little shit aim for her center. Bearly trying to shake up it's movements and following an easy to spot firing pattern. He glanced down at the controller and sighed. In his genius, he'd forgotten to set the level and Vesper had just won a free question...

"First level, first question," excitement in her tone as she asked, "What's your last name?"

"Really?" He chuckled surprised by her question. Unbeknownst to Vesper, Crix had no idea what his last name was. He'd grown up in the underbelly of Coruscant and until he was ten he wasn't called anything other various expletives. The name Crix had been his reward for completing his initiation into a vicious undercity gang. Even now, that was one of his proudest moments. He'd finally meant enough to someone to earn a name. That moment had been his rebirth. He wasn't just some scrum rat. Some sewer feeder. He was Crix.

"It's Dolan... Ya know, like on the briefing you'd been sent?" He laughed then suddenly curious asked, "Isn't that how you found me?"

His Dantooine Brandy hovered into his hand and he took a sip. Crix watched as she processed the answer. He smiled and on a whim elaborated, "Well, I guess that's what it is according to the Alliance Database."

He shrugged admitting, "Honestly, I don't know it." Sometimes the truth was stranger than fiction. He could have left her in the dark and he could have revealed his plethora of baggage, but it was more fun to elude at his mystery, than display his speeder-wreck of a life.

Crix grinned, he knew Vesper wouldn't let it go so, he set the difficulty to four and with an apologetic smile said, "Sorry, only one question a level."

@Logan

 

[Vesper T'Rahmmmmmmmmmmm]

____________

Vesper figured that Crix would find her first question pretty stupid. The idea for it, though, was to see if he would give her more than what she clearly should have already known - and he did. There were many mysteries surrounding her new friend Crix it seemed, and Vesper found it sort of exciting to be in a position to potentially unravel some of them.

It was pretty obvious to her that Crix had a lot of experience hiding things and dodging personal questions. So did she, and so did most people that she had met from Nar Shadda. Unfortunately for him, Vesper had a lot of experience in dragging info out of people whether they liked it or not - whether it was done with sugar or gasoline was usually up to them.

You got to pick your own last name and you went with something as... blah as 'Dolan'? The teasing tone was back in Vesper's voice, the corners of her lips turning into another coy smile. You should have went with something way more cool.. like Kickass or Jackhammer.

Vesper watched as Crix fiddled with the droid, jacking up its difficulty level a couple notches. She wondered if he just thought she could handle it, or if despite his cool exterior the idea of having so many questions fired off at him was actually making the dashing smuggler uncomfortable. Turn it up to seven, Vesper said confidently. I've only got one more question for ya and it's a doozy. I'll even do it blindfolded to make it the most fair.

Looking around, Vesper spotted one of Crix's bandanas that didn't look like it had too much grease on it. Folding it into the appropriate shape, she pulled it over her eyes and tied it in the back. Fire it up, Chief.

With a long exhale, Vesper let the force swirl around her, folding in and out and calming her center. Despite only being a padawan, Vesper had been training with the force for a little while now and knew that she could trust it more than she could trust even her own eyes. The force would not fail her, she would be able to block the shots from the little droid just as she had done before.

A small beep noise signaled the start of the level. A few rapid shots fired out from the droid all in different locations. Vesper was able to block the first two but the third hit her in the thigh. It stung like a bitch and she let out an audible gasp, but the bolts weren't fully powered and the stinging in her leg did more to fuel her resolve than push her off continuing.

The droid fired more shots this time, all in different locations once again. Acting as if only on instinct, Vesper called her second saber to her hand and ignited it as she brought it up to block. With both sabers she was able to block the shots, and the next volley as well. So in the zone was Vesper that she accidentally deflected two shots back at the droid, hitting it directly and causing it to fall on the ground a little too battered to continue.

The loud clank of the droid hitting the ground made Vesper deactivate her lightsabers and pull off the blindfold. So sorry about that, she said struggling to hold back a laugh. Guess I got a little too into it.

Tucking her sabers back onto her belt, Vesper smiled at Crix. I think that means I won though, so I get one more question. Vesper paused for a moment, looking directly into Crix's eyes before speaking again. She was unsure of what his reaction may be to her question, so she prepared herself for the worst and hoped for the best. After a few moments of silence, she tilted her head to the side slightly and asked What happened to you on Nar Shaddaa?

@Zay

 

[Crix Dolan (TL8)]

Crix sipped his brandy and smiled excitedly as Vesper upped the ante. He agreed immediately, jumping the difficulty to seven. The Seeker droid shit to the left and right, it dropped low and lept high in sporadic movements. The difference in difficulty clear as the droid continued to complete increasingly complex maneuvers while firing off shots.

Vesper managed to deftly reflect two shots, but the third slipped through. He crossed his arms over his chest, interested to see how she reacted under pressure. The Seeker Droid seemed to smell blood and continued its relentless attack. Her sapphire blade darted back and forth frantically and as the droid moved in for the kill, her second blade came to life. The moment that second lightsaber appeared Crix knew he was screwed. Luckily, her questions seemed to be pretty easy to deal with so he changed gears and began preparing for the inevitable loss.

Crix smiled as Vesper apologized for finishing with a flourish. "I'm sure it's fine." He said knowing the seeker droid was probably dead. RIP little guy. Vesper's question this time around was way better.

"What happened to you on Nar Shaddaa?"

Crix smiled laughing sardonically. She'd heard him talking to Peetwo. He eyed her as if for the first time wondering what she knew. Gathering information was a fickle business, and Crix was greedy with his secrets, but a deal was a deal. Vesper had earned her answer even if it was incredibly embarrassing.

"I found out the woman I had feelings for, had feelings for someone else." It was more than that a lot more, but that was all she needed to know.

His smile was still apparent on his face, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Our reunion was months in the making and before I could find the right time, I walked in at the wrong one."

The Smuggler laughed attempting to cover the embarrassment he felt. He lifted his brandy to his lips and drained the amber liquid from the glass ending with a devious little smirk, "Too bad you don't know who I'm talking about."

In the time of his vague elaboration, he'd slipped into his practiced Pazaak facade refusing to reveal anything more. That night had been the first he'd truly felt alone in a long time. Even now the memory of Raz's warning returned to his mind. He resolved to let it go. There was never anything between him and Leah. The end.

With her question answered Crix moved to refill his glass but got a glass of water instead. This was still a mission he had to be at least a little professional. He leaned on the bar and asked, "So, how'd you become a space wizard?"

@Logan

 

[Vesper T'Rahmmmmmmmmmmm]

____________

Vesper remained quiet as Crix told his story despite being somewhat surprised at its truth. She would have assumed that he'd murdered someone on accident or did something to piss of some crime boss that had a bounty on his head or something - definitely not something so relatable and, honestly, heart breaking as being rebuked by someone you had such feelings for. As Crix continued telling his story Vesper could tell there was more, likely a lot more, that the smuggler was holding back. She probably would have done the same thing in his position. Crix barely knew Vesper from a face in the crowd, not many people would be willing to divulge the entirety of their tragic tale to a complete stranger.

Just as Crix was wrapping up and moving on, Vesper had the sudden compulsion to do something despite being unsure of how it would be received - but she felt like she needed to do it anyway. Without even as much as a word or a warning, Vesper marched right up to Crix and grasped him in a giant hug. She didn't know - or frankly, didn't really care - if he wanted one, but Vesper felt as if there was no other appropriate response to what she had just been told. The hug would last for maybe two or three seconds, Vesper squeezing as tightly as Crix would allow her before backing off again and giving him a sheepish smile.

Moving right along, Vesper answered Crix's question with "I guess now it's my turn to tell you a story. I grew up on Nar Shaddaa funnily enough. My dad ran a local gang and my mom sort of helped. They're who taught me most of the things non-Jedi related that I know, to be honest. When I was a teenager, my dad was murdered by some punk ass kids looking to make a name for themselves by taking him out and starting a rival gang. Turns out, dad was sort of in with the Imperials who came and more or less slaughtered those idiots - pretty much making my dad's death meaningless. Vesper paused for a moment, reflecting on that. She'd never really put it that way out loud before, and doing so sort of put some new sadness in her heart. Shaking it off, she continued. Didn't take long before the gang tore itself up over squabbles about who was the new leader. Me and mom bailed to meet up with one of her old friends who introduced to the GA - and the rest is probably pretty obvious."

Taking Crix's lead, Vesper too grabbed herself a glass of water. Taking a seat, she looked at her chrono and sighed. "So, are we almost there?"

@Zay