Let Me Tell Ya Something

[Theodosia Acatia]

Adventuring on Outer Rim planets was apparently Theodosia’s new hobby. Tatooine was one of the last places she honestly wanted to go. It was busy, full of vile people and scum, it was hot and sandy. But, like any other adventure she had had, it started with a gut feeling.

This gut feeling could have been a state of mind or a hankering or along the lines of a hunch. Theodosia never knew how to describe it without sounding miraculously naive. And the planet of Tatooine was not the place to be naive. The Pantoran, dressed in a light brown cloak that was over a pale green bodysuit, still felt the arid weather. Kriff, at least hot jungle planets offered shade, humidity, and interesting things to keep you occupied that the sweat was pouring down your neck. She needed somewhere to rest, but a cantina was often too noisy or busy. The Pantoran liked to keep a low profile, as those with blue skin was high-profile enough.

She saw a port for the ships going in and out. “Is this where you would like me to be?” She asked aloud, to the Force, but quietly to herself. Her hood of her cloak was up. She continued to babble to herself while walking the edges of the port. Theo told herself this was supposed to be a trading things, obviously she is not.

@Zay

 

[Crix Dolan (TL8)]

A hazy low-lit glow illuminated soft silhouettes of patrons minding their own in a cozy little cantina. Crix reclined in a booth drinking in the atmosphere. He loved places like this, they were some of the only places in the galaxy he felt home. The city of Mos Espa was rife with criminal activity. More than one Cartel maintained a presence here and they were always looking for fresh recruits. He flagged down a server and ordered a drink. He was at cross roads. He could try to get recruited by a cartel, but that would put him in someone else's pocket...

Crix tossed credits to the droid and picked up the Corellian brandy. He took a sip and went over his options always returning to the same two choices. Stay Independent, or dive in. Ultimately, Crix knew he'd have to make a choice soon, he just couldn't. He'd basically worked his whole life to get to this place and now... he was hesitating. Recently he'd been.. unsettled. He couldn't put words to the experience. The only comparison he could make was underlying unrest. It was like his intuition was pulling him in the opposite direction. So he drank.

The alcohol loosened his mental acuity and the unrest won out. Crix finished his brandy and left the booth. He hung his jacket over his shoulder. The Twin sun's unrelenting gaze continued to scorch the barren deserts of Tatooine. Crix followed the strange call and found himself moving about the city as if it were his hometown. He'd been in the city a few days, but he wasn't so comfortable that he knew every nook and cranny. That's when he walked right into a dead end... Okay, so his sense of urgency was more a general direction and not some suddenly awakened super implant he'd not known about...

He turned back the way he came and made it back to the main street. He allowed the feeling to act as a guide, and he attempted to follow. He had no idea what he was doing. Crix just hoped he wasn't doing something stupid.

@Iridescence

 

[Theodosia Acatia]

The gut feeling was still unhappy with Theodosia and her location. She was still new to this whole thing, although knowing about it her entire life. To help, she personified it. The Force tugged her every which way today, and Theodosia figured it wasn’t going to stop until something had happened, but she was still knew to this. So what had to happen?

Listen, she thought, if you would help in, I do not know---someway to accomplish whatever, I could get it done. But forcing me to feel like this is quite unnecessary. Theodosia couldn’t tell if she was mouthing these words or not. She seemed to bump into everyone possible, but nothing seemed to appease this feeling.

“Well, kriff,” Theodosia blurted out, exasperated. Where did all of these people come from? On the bright side, the feeling seemed to fade once she began to follow it again. She was back on the main street in this hub of Outer Rim. Then, someone bumped into her hard. It wasn’t even that hard, but Theodosia almost fell backwards. When she looked up it was a tall male, species unknown, but human-looking. “Exc-” then Theodosia noticed something, or a lack of something. “Excuse me.” Theodosia repeated, sounding more certain, her eyes darting across his features.

@Zay

 

[Crix Dolan (TL8)]

Crix continued to follow the pull for a few more paces. He came to a market square and the smell of cooked meat and spices made his stomach growl. He started to wonder if he'd actually been following his stomach the entire time.

That'd be more believable than some weird power... he thought sardonically.

Crix gave in to his hunger and bought a kabab from the nearest purveyor. The meat was cooked perfectly and he suddenly found himself thanking the mysterious force for leading him to the wonderful food stall. He inhaled the kabab and with his hunger and that pesky urge in his gut gone he decided to take a look around the bazaar. A myriad of beings sold wears in the square. Crix wasn't looking for anything in particular and he slipped into his own thoughts as he navigated the small square.

As he rounded a corner he heard a voice calling out to him. “Exc- Excuse me.”

The voice brought him out of his daydream and he looked around and spotted a pantoran looking up to a humanoid. He began moving in their direction. The feeling in his gut returning and growing in intensity. His hand hovered close to his blaster, as he moved closer to the pair. He stopped a few paces away and covered his uneasy with a smile asking, "Everything alright over here?"

@Iridescence

 

[Theodosia Acatia]

“...uh, sorry,” she said briskly, her eyes scanning his face. What now, dingus? Theodosia made eye contact with the person, narrowing her eyes. He stared blankly back, as if expecting some elaborate apology. He was obviously offended. When the Pantoran was still silent, he moved again, stalking off. The feeling returned. Nope, not him. Somebody else walked up. Another human. Before she could tell this guy to kriff off, he asked if everything was okay.


“Oh, yeah. Just people are rude,” Theodosia said loudly, looking back at the man she bumped into. She looked back at the stranger, “I appreciate it, however.” Her eyes darted down and she noticed the man’s hand poised gently over his blaster, and she glanced around. “Is pulling a blaster immediately normal for this side of the Galaxy?” She asked. Great, now the feeling was almost nonexistent, but also existing. It was hard to tell.

@Zay

 

[Crix Dolan (TL8)]

Crix nearly scoffed at her question, of course it was. She was on Tatooine in the outer rim. This wasn't some upper echelon core world. Beings in the seedier areas of this planet were extremely dangerous and not being prepared for that was a huge mistake. However, rather than hitting the pantoren with a sarcastic quip, he stifled his cynicism and responded.

"Sorry, just a bad habit of mine," he said with a smile relaxing his hand and resting it on his belt. His eyes met hers and there was a stirring in his intuition. His brow furrowed as he studied her. Suddenly, realizing how creepy that had to look he panicked and quickly turned on his heels heading back in the direction he'd come.

"Er-uh, alright then, have a good one," he said face flushed with embarrassment as he attempted to flee. He really needed to get a grip on his feelings. He couldn't explain the sensation he was experiencing. It was urgent and persistent, like the feeling he got when he needed to do something immediately. The only issue was he had no idea what he needed to do which made this FEELING incredibly frustrating.

@Iridescence

 

[Theodosia Acatia]

She saw his face at the response of the blaster question and shrugged. Theodosia was a Pantoran farmer that has barely seen other sentient species. The only other living creatures she saw were her goats.

Theodosia noticed the guy staring at her. She returned the stare, wide-eyed. Could she go out and ask if he was sensitive to the Force? Does he believe in the Force? She narrowed her eyes, trying to form a question. Her mouth moved but nothing came out. Could this have gone any more awkwardly?

Funnily enough, the feeling was there. Is it him? She narrowed her eyes again. “Wait, don’t leave. Thanks for the--erm--help,” Theodosia said, it was really more of a question. She reached out to grab his shoulder before he turned to go away, her blue hand extending and her golden tattoos glittering. She needed an answer. "Where are you from?"

@Zay

 

[Crix Dolan (TL8)]

The smuggler stopped in his tracks when she called out. He took a deep breath and gave up. This compulsion wouldn’t cease until this meeting concluded and Crix wasn’t sure how he knew that...

Reluctantly, he turned to face her and she asked him where he was from. The question caught him off guard, but he recovered quickly.

“How about we start with names?” He said with a smirk, “I’m Crix, what’s your name?”

He waited for her to respond and then answered her initial question teasingly, “Can’t go telling people where you're from without knowing their name! It’s not decent.” He joked before saying, “I’m from Coruscant.” He eyed her for a moment and returned the question.

The smuggler's deductive process figured her for Pantoran, but that didn't explain her naivety about the dangers of the outer rim. Even with the Galactic Alliances occupation, Tatooine was still known as a den for miscreants and scum. Hell, it's why he was here.

“Alright if we’re playing twenty questions it’s my turn.” Said Crix. He cupped his chin in his palm as he considered what to ask Theodosia. The usual suspects of casual conversation flooded his mind but for this strange occasion, he wanted to ask something equally appropriate for the circumstance.

Crix didn’t believe in the force. He’d heard plenty of street preacher proclaiming the end while calling a reformation to the light, but none of their fire and brimstone held weight with him. The smuggler knew the Sith utilized the force. The Sith controlled the galaxy and they terrorized any under their control. Memories of terror filled sleepless nights in the Undercity of Coruscant sent a shiver down his spine. He’d never be like the Sith...

As his mind wandered from his dower musings a small notion occurred to him and he decided to follow it.

“Why’re you on Tatooine?”

@Iridescence