Open Nar Shaddaa On The Fence

[Vara Dramm]

All the details that Vara had obtained from her Jedi companion in such a short time rattled in the back of her mind, with her adrenaline winding down, she now had an opportunity to think on the information a little bit more. She slid her right hand back into her jacket pocket and felt the rings that had caused so much trouble this evening. Vara contemplated her next move for a moment, but she was more focused on Ember.

"Yeah. Uncle is a close friend, practically family, " Vara replied. Drakkett waved the compliment away and groaned before turning his back to his workbench. Vara let out a sigh, considering her next words. She clicked her tongue to get the droids attention. XB looked overand then waddled over the counter to her. "Hey. Need you to hold something for me, yeah?"

The droid chirped, understanding the social queues of the request. The scout droid unveiled a small tray to deposit the item. Vara set the rings into XB's storage mechanism and it chirped again as she pat his head once more. She wasn't certain how familiar Ember was with this process, or if it was even the same on Coruscant during her delinquent years. Vara shrugged, "Too hot to try and fence it. Just have to wait."

Vara in a sudden change of topic brought up one of her questions that came to mind. "How did you become one of the peacekeepers? Do you just sign up or something?" Their conversations made her think of the course she was taking, surely she wouldn't live her whole life as a petty criminal in a rundown system. She decided to hopefully get the peace of mind that there are options out there if she were to change her way.

 

[Ember Blaze]

"I've been there. It sucks when you have good items that you can't sell because no matter how valuable those things are, they don't taste great." Ember said, thinking back on those few nights she had to go hungry before being able to fence her items.

Surprised by the sudden change of topic, Ember took a second before she responded. Drakkett was working on something over there, the sounds of metal on metal was impossible to miss. She paced around the shop, deciding on what she should say. "It's a long story, but I'll keep it short for you." Ember said while inspecting a random droid. Turning back to Vara, Ember said "I killed someone. At least, I thought I did at the time. I had taken someone's life before, several times, but I never killed someone innocent. And then one day, I did." Grief and pain were clear on Ember's face. "The guilt drove me to the Jedi, in a roundabout way. They accepted me and offered me a path to redemption. I took it and here I am today." Ember said, looking away from Vara.

The events that lead to her redemption were still fresh on her mind, and it was still hard to talk about. Looking back at Vara, Ember was curious about how she would react to her answer.

 

[Vara Dramm]

Vara watched as the Jedi looked away from her. She didn't expect to get such a sincere answer. It had honestly caught her off guard. "I. uh. I'm sorry to pry, " she said almost with a tinge of guilt in her tone. Vara looked down at XB again to contemplate what she was just told.

If these Jedi people accepted Ember after that, then maybe when the time came and Vara was ready to move on, that would be an opportunity for her, after she made sure her family was okay. Vara didn't commit crime of that degree, only the occasional pickpocket, slicing job, and maybe a brawl or two on rowdier weekends. She was still a bit shocked to find this out about her Jedi companion.

"It sounds like you found a way to redeem yourself," Vara looked up from XB and flashed a smile to Ember, not certain if Ember was even looking back at her yet. "Everyone does things they feel guilty for, but you took steps and that's hella impressive to me." She sighed, not certain what to say next. She wasn't one to console others. "I don't think I'd be ready to commit to something like that, at least not yet." She said as if she was already being offered something, completely unaware of the Jedi's nature or even what the Force was, "But if you ever need help on Nar Shaddaa, or maybe even a slicer," She shrugged with a slight chuckle, the implication being obvious, "You helped me out, and I'd like to return the favor some day."

 

[Ember Blaze]

It seemed that Ember's words made Vara lose her guard. "It's no trouble." Ember said, hoping to placate the guilt on Vara's face. A strange look fell upon her, one that Ember was unable to place. But there was something else about Vara that Ember was unable to identify.

Before she could think on it further, Vara started talking again. Ember nodded along, agreeing with Vara's words. "Thank you Vara, I will keep that in mind. I am sure one day I will need to call in that favor." Ember said, bowing. "If you ever find yourself out there in the galaxy and in need of a hand, I'll be happy to help you again."

Ember took a few steps back, leaning on a nearby counter. There was something about Vara that Ember felt was familiar. Was it a common background? Or something else? Ember let out a long sigh, unable to find an answer. "It seems like you're safe here, relatively speaking." Ember said, smirking. "Unless there is anything else I can help you with, I think it's time for me to be on my way." Ember paused, waiting for Vara to respond. She had enjoyed her night with Vara, but she did not want to overstay her welcome.

 

[Vara Dramm]

Vara flashed another quick smile to the Jedi, about to speak out when a pop! noise went off in Drakkett's direction, followed by a slight chain reaction of similar pops. The Ugnaught swore in Huttese, and Vara looked over. She knew the sound of a a droid's motherboard capacitor bursting. She shook her head, trying to conceal the laughter from hearing the Huttese expletives. "Heh, I should probably help Uncle out with that I guess, but hold on."

She shooed XB away from the register and reached over to it. She held down a button on the side and it ejected a small slip of receipt tape. Grabbing one of the pens scattered on Drakkett's counter, she scribbled down in rough aurebesh a frequency number. The receipt also had the level and sector of the shop. Vara folded the paper once and handed it to Ember, "The moon is a big place. Hate to have you lose track of this area."

Vara glanced over to the diminutive man at the workbench. "Take care, Miss Ember." Vara, with a bounce in her step then made her way back over to the workbench to help with cleaning up the acidic residue that comes with a popped capacitor.

While the thrill of adventure may have been done for the evening, Vara had some work ahead of her before getting this workplace issue resolved. This also gave her an opportunity to contemplate what happened today, and if perhaps leaving Nar Shaddaa was the right choice.

 

[Ember Blaze]

Ember took the piece of paper, looking at the numbers. "Thank you Vara, I would have hated not being able to get back to this wonderful shop." Ember said, smiling. She took the paper and placed it inside her robes. She then reached into her a small bag tied around her waist. In her hand was a small round device, with a raised button.

Looking at Vara, Ember placed it on the counter between them. "If you ever need the help of a Jedi, use this." Ember slid the device to Vara. "It was nice meeting you Miss Vara." Ember gave one last bow, and was out the door, and gone from view.

(OOC: With this, Ember is out of the thread. Its been fun!)