Ask Silence Means Nothing

[Crix Aran]

One of the few things in the Galaxy that could hold Crix's undivided attention for any real length of time was engineering, machinery, at work. Usually it was just himself tinkering with his droids but sometimes he got the chance to see more. He remembered a mission with Hans where he had seen a droid factory at work and it had inspired him. While he wasn't actually inside the starship factory, he was rather excited to see the inside of the place from where he stood outside a bar nearby.

The entire station was built around work, living and enjoying time off work. There wasn't anything pretty about the place, it was grimy and ugly but he rather enjoyed the atmosphere of people working hard and enjoying the fruits of their labor. That those same fruits were destructive was the only thing that had the young Jedi willing to do something about it.

He wasn't about to ruin an employer for shrak and giggles.

Dressed in casual clothes, including a dark leather jacket, Crix didn't look like the Jedi had was on the road to becoming. Instead he had his pistol holstered openly on his upper right leg and his lightsaber hidden away within a hidden pocket within his leather jacket. He had taken the chance to disguise himself as well, using some black make-up to paint his face black, something that some of his species were known to do but Crix Aran himself was not. Equally, he had filed his horns differently, giving them a much sharper tip as though he was looking to gore someone.

Also?

Smoking.

Smoking sucked, he found, but it did give him a reason to be standing outside the local bar rather than inside. They had anti-smoking laws, who knew? Still, he was waiting for someone, someone who had him actually quickly checking his reflection in the window to make sure he didn't have any of the dark make-up on his teeth or something.

@Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

For being Jedi Shadow, Sevrin truly did spend a lot of time in his Jedi robes. Today he was completely undercover, and a padawan would see him on the job. He had various personas he adopted to venture into enemy space and collect intelligence and sabotage operations.

He could spot Crix from a distance, though he didn’t entirely approve of the smoking habit. It dismayed him to see young padawans picking up such an ugly practice. Nonetheless, that wasn’t Sevrin’s problem right now.

A speeder bike pulled up near Crix with a very tall man swinging a leg over to get off and take his helmet off. He was dressed in a black leather jacket, white shirt underneath and black form fitting pants. Chains hung from the sides of his pants with boots to accompany. It was a persona he adopted years back to operate in certain Sith circles. His hair was neatly tied back, and no one would ever be able to tell he was a Jedi.

Sevrin gazed at him with his usual icy look that was never intended to be as piercing as it came across. He ran his fingers through his hair to slick it back just so. His gaze briefly flicked to the cigarra but then back to meet Crix’s eyes.

“Ready?”

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

Huh.

Crix eyed the speeder, noting that it was a fairly decent model. He had worked on faster back of Coruscant but it was a sleeker model than any of those, built to be a mix of style and substance if he had to guess. Though the leather jacket completed the look, it still took him a moment to get past the initial first impression of a swoop biker to see that it was Sevrin.

To be fair, the guy managed to pull it off with an effortless air that made Crix jealous of his ability to blend in.

He stared as Sevrin removed the helmet, blinking a few times as he did so. How… how did his hair even do that? Sure it was tied up but how did it stay so neat when wearing a helmet like that? Still, his eyes tracked Sev’s hand as it ran over his hair. Crix didn’t really know why such an simple movement caught and held his eye but it did, making him think about what it would feel like if he did that actually.

Distracted enough that the cigarette burned his finger a little bit as he let it burn down too far. Cursing briefly, he tossed the cigarette away in disgust with his cheeks beginning to heat up. Did he really just burn his own fingers with a cigarette in front of the older knight?

Yes… yes he had.

Kark this was off to a GREAT start.

“Y-yeah I’m ready.” He assured Sevrin, his mouth suddenly a little bit dry before he pushed himself ahead, “Some of the guys in the bar work for the place – they’ve just gotten off work and haven’t changed. I thought we could see if we could lift a pass from them.”

It was the beginnings of a plan but Crix would be the first to admit that he often worked best without a firm ‘plan’ so much as a vague idea and an objective. Karking hells he hoped he wasn’t just continuing to make an arse out of himself around Sevrin. Since their trip to the planet with the cannibals, Crix had been thinking more and more about the man.

And his hair… what was it with Crix and hair these days?

@Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sevrin was a very observant man by nature, and the series of things he saw play out before him was almost theatrical. The Sephi calmly watched as Crix first stared at him as if he had three heads. Then he dramatically reacted to his own cigarra which began to burn him and he flicked as if he had never handled one before. This was followed by fumbling his words and being over the top tense.

The tall Sephi watched this all play out without any real change in expression, simply blinking every so often. After Crix finished fumbling his words, Sevrin finally spoke, “Everything all right?” He asked, a slight hint of genuine concern in his tone, "I know this may be intimidating, but I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you," He worked with enough padawans to sense nervousness. He assumed that Crix was simply not used to covert operations and was silently panicking.

His gaze flicked towards the bar, “I will talk. You nab the passes,” He said flatly before he strode in without another word. However, this was only after Sevrin picked up the tossed cigarra and properly disposed of it in a bin. This would be the last bit of him being himself before he blended into the disguise.

The bar was seedy as expected, music thumping as patrons packed the room. Sevrin towered over most of the people there, and he knew he would draw some form of attention. He addressed Crix without turning towards him, his voice resounding in the half Zabrak’s mind, “Who are the workers?” He would wait for Crix to describe them before he made his move.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

And now Sevrin was concerned about him, in an earnest kind of way that Crix couldn’t even get mad at him about either. If the guy had been an arsehole it would have been SO much simpler to try and operate with the crush he could feel building on the guy. If he was an arse he would be able to settle for just admiring his body while hating on his personality.

But no!

The guy had to be Nice underneath that stupid, calm, cool and collected sexy exterior and that just made it worse. Hells, it was even slightly reassuring even when Sevrin was the source of the problem in the first place. Kark it, if he was the problem he might as well be the solution.

“Ah it’s nothing don’t worry about it.” He assured the Knight with a cocky grin, “You don’t need to worry about me Sev – I can handle anything you throw my way.”

Kark he’d made that an innuendo without meaning to, though hopefully it went over Sevrin’s head so he didn’t have to explain it. There was a joke about talented fingers he could make when asked to steal the passes but, quite frankly, even flustered it was beneath him to reach for such low-hanging fruit like that.

His restraint extended to not looking when Sevrin bent to pick up the cigarette he’d dropped too, though mostly because he was trying to not let his blush extend from having his lack of cool brought up like that. Everyone knew that the cool and sexy kids could smoke.

He made sure to focus on the task at hand as Sevrin walked into the bar ahead of him, making sure to keep his eyes up as he surveyed the bar. The patrons were rough as a sandpaper handshake and that was something Crix had expected. His time on Corellia had forced him to get used to dealing with the type so he didn’t so much as bat an eye.

Crix did something that he wasn’t sure he’d be able to do again on command; he ignored Sevrin. Or, well, he pretended to, walking past the large man to head toward the bar. Making it look like they weren’t actually together.

The touch of the other man against his mind had Crix instinctively freezing up, however. Even if it was only for a few seconds before he relaxed, it would be very noticeable for Sevrin.

Walls slammed down at the touch, light as it had been, against his mind.

It hadn’t be expected so he reacted on instinct, on the memory of uninvited voices in his mind before. Willing himself to calm down, he paid for a bottle of the local beer with a few credits and opened the line of communication himself. This time more cautious, guarded.

“Bright yellow visibility jackets. Over by the pool table there’s a group of them.”

There were, indeed, a small group of men playing pool and drinking. They were dressed in typical worker’s attire but unlike some of the others in the bar they still wore their high visibility vests, garishly yellow to stand out even in space.

@Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sevrin paused for a moment to regard Crix when he spoke before they entered the bar.

“Riv is my name here,” He replied quietly, “And it’s Master Valtiere otherwise,” Sevrin said, gaze lingering on Crix a moment before he continued.

---​

Sevrin quickly scanned the crowd and spotted the targets in question at once. He slipped into his persona easily enough, almost rudely and carelessly bumping past any patron to make his way over. It was alarmingly out of character for the normally polite Sephi.

He took a look at each of them before spotting two especially rough looking men drinking in the corner. Sevrin walked towards them, ‘accidentally’ bumping into one. Immediately the man gruffly turned around and grabbed a hold of his collar. Sevrin remained calm, holding his hands up, “Look man, I ain’t trying to start trouble. I’m just here to..” He looked around shiftily, “Offload some rocks to any paying customers.”

He was released at once, the man suddenly eyeing him curiously, “...What you got?”

Sevrin led the two men away to a less conspicuous corner. He pulled out a bag of ‘spice’ and looked around nervously as he allowed them to sniff it, “Prime offworld goods, gentlemen, and it can be yours for a mere two hundred credits.”

“Two hundred? For a bag this small? Come on!”

And so began the bartering. This would keep the men thoroughly distracted enough for Crix to come nab their passes. While mindricking was always an option, there were too many Sith in the area to be able to pick up on active Force use.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

Master Valtiere... much as he was coming to like Sevrin, the dude had another thing coming if he thought Crix was going to start calling him that. Hans still got a nickname and the dude had done right by him for months at this point! If Sev wanted him to call him 'Master' it was gonna require a lot more than the Sephi was probably willing to bargain for.

Crix was certain it would be fun to watch him try though.

Even though he wasn't actually old enough to drink in some systems, he didn't encounter any problems when it came to buying the drinks. Still, he didn't get carded simply because this area of the Galaxy was rough enough that it was always unlikely he would get carded. Taking the two drinks, Crix moved in, taking a drink of one of the beers as he approached.

On the way down he snagged the ring of the pass with his pinky finger, palming it between the bottle and his hand.

Unfortunately for him, for added misdirection he knocked into one of the men Sevrin had been talking to. The man, already slightly on edge buying drugs in the open bar, rounded on Crix. Crix acted startled very well because he honestly didn't expect to be grabbed by his jacket collar and pressed up against a wall.

"Watch where you're going you lil shrakheel - gimme one good reason why I shouldn't teach you some manners?"

Crix employed a trick he'd seen work before... he played drunk.

"Hey sorree buggy - floor won' stop movin!"

Scowling, the man tossed him to one side and Crix caught himself against a table with his left hand. His hand currently holding a bottle of beer that shattered on impact, glass shards embedding into his hand. Grunting, he played the role. Too drunk to properly feel so he just took another swig and staggered off to lean by the window, the pass now in his pocket safely. Gingerly he hid his left hand from sight and started pulling out shards of glass.

@Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

It was a credit to Sevrin’s strict measure of self control that he didn’t immediately jump to his Jedi ways and rush to Crix’s rescue. He watched the other man slam Crix against a wall and he had to keep from using the Force to fling him away. The Sephi instead focused on how Crix rapidly adapted to the situation and never blew his cover. He then observed as shards of glass pierced his hand, and still he didn’t break character.

Sevrin casually moved up near the group, taking another pass off a man while everyone was distracted by the commotion. He shoved his way past the other men, “Ugh, you always do this man!” He shouted at Crix, looking back at the others apologetically as he used this as an excuse to get out of selling the very fake spice he had on him.

The Sephi slinked away through the crowds, the two men attempting to follow but blocked by a crowd. Their buddies began to argue with them about having left the game of pool.

Sevrin found Crix and quickly guided him away from the bar and out the exit. He looked around to ensure no one was around before addressing him in a nearby alley.

“Well that could have gone smoother,” He remarked, no anger or disappointment in his tone. He simply took Crix’s hand in his, using the Force to gingerly pluck out any remaining shards. Once that was done, he concentrated on the hand to apply the effects of healing. It would be a warm and soothing sensation that would alleviate the pain significantly and reduce the damage. Sevrin kept his gaze focused on the hand, standing quite close to the padawan.

“But you never broke character,” He remarked quietly, “The most crucial trait for covert ops,” Silver gaze flicked up briefly to meet Crix’s. He released his hand a moment later and spun on his heel to make his way towards the factory.

“We don’t have the uniforms so we’ll have to say we were called in for some emergency off hours maintenance.”

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

With the pass secure and his cover still intact, Crix made some grumbles as Sevrin came to 'collect' him, as though he were a surly drunk who didn't want to go home. Thankfully the only people who were paying them much attention had no reason to suspect he wasn't drunk - if the bartender had given half a thought it might have fallen undone. But Crix knew one thing above all others about bartenders and the like; people in the service industry put up with too much shrak for too little in the way of credits to really give a damn.

Allowing himself to be directed away from the bar, he staggered and his head flopped around as he did so. Able to catch sight of the bar from the corner of his eye, he was confident no one was following them so he straightened up and his steps became more uniform again as he started walking rather than faking a stumble. Groaning a little bit, Crix wanted to rub at his horns but it was a nervous tick he was learning to ignore.

"You're telling me." he muttered in agreement, surprised when Sevrin took his hand in his, "Hey I can... um..."

Huh.

He could have done it himself but Crix wasn't going to say he wasn't happy with how it turned out instead. The healing was lovely, like having his hand dipped in warm water and he noticed something about Sevrin's hand. Not only were his fingers longer than Crix had thought but something else. Crix smiled ever so slightly, a very faint heat to his cheeks as he couldn't help but speak his thought aloud.

"Your hands are a lot softer than I thought they'd be." he admitted before shrugging a little bit and turning his head away before Sevrin could see his blush deepen, not removing his hand but letting Sevrin be the one to let go instead, "Y-yeah well... undercover work suits me I guess... picked it up here and there or whatever..."

Honest to the Gods, Crix was one moment away from twisting his foot in the dirt bashfully. Instead he grabbed onto the change of topic with both hands, nodding in agreement. Eyeing the security check point with its slightly distracted guard (looked to be reading a datapad), Crix eyed the side entrance to the factory as they approached.

"Should we announce ourselves at the gate? Try and get in 'officially' or try and bypass?"

He could think of pros for both entries and part of him wanted to try talking their way in. Crix might understand that violence was often needed but he was the son of a Ranger - if there were ways to get what you wanted without violence or overly complicated plans, it was probably best to do things that way.

@Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sevrin quirked a single eyebrow as Crix mentioned his hands being soft. He glanced down at his very calloused fingers from years of training and wielding weapons as he considered the….compliment? The Sephi didn’t question it, deciding this was simply a flustered padawan that had the jitters. This one’s face also appeared to change colors quite often. Perhaps he was sick.

The Sephi kept walking towards the factory, pondering the question, “We announce only when requested. We’d rouse even more suspicion if we don’t walk in as if it’s just another day at the office,” He explained as they kept walking.

The entryway only had a few droids standing around. They didn’t bother looking up as the two scanned their badges. Sevrin entered the facility and looked around, noticing how everyone and their cousin had vests on. A few people glanced their way.

“On second thought...we may need to procure some vests,” He muttered with distaste.

Sevrin turned to look at Crix, “We need to split up. Can you go to the bay where the ships ready for delivery are housed? You’ll need to clear anyone there from the area. Then you’ll need to sabotage the ships so they’re faulty,” He knew about Crix’s engineering and droid studies background. If there was anyone that could do this, it would be him, “I’m going to try and find some schematics. Comm me if anything goes ugly.”

The Sephi’s lips twitched just faintly towards an almost smile, “May the Force be with you,” He whispered softly before he turned away.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

The way Sevrin was looking at him when he complimented his hands on their softness was not what he was expecting. It felt like he was barely even aware of how embarrassing he was being. Hopefully it was because he actually wasn't being as bad as he thought but with his cheeks still a level of rose they never normally were, he doubted it. Equally he really hoped that it might be the other reason why he didn't seem to have an issue with the compliment... but that was a thought he should stop right there if he wanted to eventually cool his cheeks down.

Taking a deep breath, Crix nodded to the other man's idea as he tried to take a second to calm himself down. His hearts were both beating a little bit quicker than usual and he needed them calm. It was the first time he actually envied Sevrin for his naturally cool, calm and collected demeanor rather than just finding it intriguing.

"Just two guys clocking in to do some overtime." he agreed as they started walking into the factory, noting that they were the only ones without vests, "Well damn it."

He had hoped to avoid the vest but needs must.

Sabotage was probably not what his engineering course instructors had thought he'd use their teachings for but he would be damned if he was going to just let the Sith arm themselves. Already he could tell what direction the delivery bay was in and he was thinking of ways to try and get the area clear. He grinned at Sevrin and gave the Knight a nod, finding that just before he walked away, just before they put themselves in danger he found the confidence to flirt more overtly.

"Your eyes shine brighter when you smile, did you know that? I like it." he declared before grinning wider, "May the Force be with you, Master Valtiere."

And then he did his best to make sure he left at speed without running. The stupid little grin on his face from having taken Hans' advice was there to stay even as he grabbed a vest off a nearby hook and shrugged it on. Wandering into the delivery bay like he owned the place, like he belonged there, Crix picked up a datapad and started pretending to be ticking something off a list. What better way to sabotage something than by pretending to be quality control?

@Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sevrin was caught off guard by the compliment from Crix. There were no ifs and buts about it that time, that was a straight up bold compliment, perhaps even outright flirting. The Sephi’s face betrayed his surprise, eyes widening slightly and expression softening from the rigid stoic. Sevrin’s lips parted slightly as if he would say something, but he was mercifully spared by Crix simply turning to walk away.

The Sephi quickly had to put the encounter aside as he shifted back into work mode. His first stop was to flash his badge and walk towards some of the emptier maintenance areas. Once there, he caught a lone worker there staring at his datapad and watching funny lothcat videos. Sevrin looked around before approaching him, a casual wave of the hand giving him the man’s vest.

Within moments he was on his way towards the office. He expected there to be quite a bit of resistance around such a crucial area, but the path was almost entirely clear. Sevrin looked around himself, spotting a camera ahead of the office. He used the Force to conveniently point it another way.

He made his way towards the office as he spotted someone exiting it. Thankfully, there was no one else nearby and Sevrin walked over to start a conversation about when the next shipments were scheduled. At some point, mindtrick was used and the man handed his keycard over before walking away.

Sevrin used the card to get into the office, the badge giving him access to the data he needed as he accessed a terminal. He quickly pulled up his comlink to contact Crix, “How’s it going?”

Dice: 15/20

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

Kark he was still riding high from having actually managed to get a proper compliment out for Sevrin, right to his face. The fact that he didn't have to wait and watch for a reaction though? That was the only reason he was able to pluck up the nerve to do it. Most people would probably find it strange that someone as openly flirtatious as Crix would find a simple compliment difficult but, well, Crix did to.

It felt different and he wasn't sure why or if he was happy that it was different or concerned.

Of course his dopey little grin as he started working on one of the engine panels of the closest ship was what caught the attention of the other workers. He didn't actually have a good plan for clearing out an entire section of the factory without using some kind of alarm. Posing as quality control had been his way of gaining access without looking suspicious when he started opening up the ships.

"Hey kid! What do you think you're doing?"

Kark.

A foreman came wandering over with an ugly frown on his, admittedly, rather ugly face. Crix raised one of his eyebrow ridges but didn't stop tapping at the screen of the datapad.

"My job."

It was short, simple and not overly complicated. Crix wanted to come across as someone who didn't have to come up with any long-winded explanations because he was just telling 'the truth'. The Foreman looked a little taken aback by it as well.

"Like hells - what even is your job?"

Crix barely glanced at the man as he hooked the datapad to the ship he was currently working on. The foreman seemed to want to make something of it before deciding against it.

"Quality control, sent by the big heads up top. Something about making sure the Sith don't come and Denon our arses for selling them bad goods."

It was the mention of the Sith, the mention of "Doing a Denon", that got the Foreman to lay off and back away to go back to doing his own job. Crix started earnestly working away at the ship he was working on. Specifically he was loosening a connection between the fuel line and the rest of the ship so that the fuel would slowly corrode the fuel line seal. When outside the safety of the connection, the fuel would get hot and then explode.

And the adjustments he was making with the datapad?

Meant that the on-board computers would not read that there was a fuel line connection error. The safety feature was entirely removed - like the company had never bothered to put it in there at all. Replying to his comlink, he did so quietly as he closed the ship back up to move on.

"A foreman saw me and got a little suspicious - he's more afraid of the Sith buyers coming here if he doesn't let me do my 'Quality Assurance' work but he might be a problem later. Your end?"

They were both decidedly not going to mention the flirting he imagined.

@Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sevrin accessed the terminal easily enough, and he hooked it up to a datapad he found at a desk. Since it wasn’t a foreign device, it wasn’t flagged as the schematics and data began to download to the datapad. The Sephi heard Crix’s voice come in and it caused a slight grimace, “All good on my end, we just need to make a discreet exit.”

He heard a beep as the files were finished downloading, and he unplugged the datapad and stashed it away. Sevrin had little trouble making his way from the office and taking whatever he needed. As far as covert ops went, this one was relatively stress free.

“Status?” Sevrin said into the comlink as he began to make his way back towards the exit. With his vest, he didn’t look too out of place, though his naturally tall and imposing appearance caught a few glances.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

A discrete exit huh?

Well one thing that could not be said for most Padawans was that they were discrete. Quite a few of his fellow Padawans didn’t know the meaning of the word it seemed. Sevrin was putting an awful lot of trust in him to not kark this whole thing up by getting himself found out and captured. It was unlikely that he would be captured but it was nice that someone (that Sevrin) seemed to be confident in his ability to walk away from this whole thing.

But the simple fact of the matter was that Crix couldn’t be expected to ‘fix’ all the ships in that time-frame, or even a reasonable number of them. The work had to continue without him, which was why he grabbed one of the droids that the factory used for tweak work. Giving the droid a tour of his own ‘improvements’, he sent the little droid along on its way.

It would keep doing the work and no one would bat an eye because it was just a little factory droid doing its job.

“Making myself scarce.”

He took the datapad he had ‘borrowed’ and walked casually into the staff locker rooms. Apparently the staff got changed into their street clothes here and it was where they kept their vests. With a little bit of wiggling with his multi-tool, he was able to slip the datapad into the locker of a random worker, to hide the evidence that there had been any tampering.

Discarding his vest, he exited the building with a group of other workers, all of whom seemed eager to get either back home or back to the pub. Crix didn’t so much follow them as he blended in, chiming in with some off-colour jokes about some celebrities he had vaguely heard of. He fobbed off going the rest of the way to the pub with them at the corner, telling them he was just going to light up a cigarette.

As he did so he tapped the com link.

“Out clear – think I got invited for drinks too actually.”

@Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sevrin had slipped out along one of the side exits after discarding his vest. The Sephi had all the data he needed, and it sounded like Crix had done his part as well. Setting the Sith behind even for a few weeks would be devastating to their war machine and economy, drastically slowing down their invasion efforts. This sabotage would also build distrust and make the higher ups question everything and do inventory at all their other locations.

The Sephi was quite pleased with the outcome, and he was even more impressed at having pulled it off with a padawan.

He fell into a crowd of workers that left the factory, walking alongside a group of tall and burly men. At some point, the other men continued onwards and his keen ears picked up Crix comming him about being invited out for drinks.

“Did you now?” His voice cut in directly next to Crix, revealing that they had been walking side by side the entire time. Sevrin had his hands in his pockets and had blended in with the regular chatter and camaraderie of the group leaving. He couldn’t help the glint of amusement in his eyes.

“You did well in there,” Sevrin said once they were out of earshot, “How did you arrive here? Do you need a ride anywhere?”

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

Holy shrak on a bike - the heck did Sevrin get to be standing beside him like that without him knowing? Crix had been in the middle of his first pull on the cigarette he had lit as a distraction/reason to not go any further when Sevrin announced himself. So, naturally, he inhaled far too much and immediately started coughing, tossing the cigarette away as though it had personally offended him as he did so.

He took the time to get his breathing back under control not for the breathing itself but to try and get his cheeks to stop blushing so damned hard. Embarrassment seemed like a word that was too small to accurately describe his feelings right now. Mortified? Yeah that felt like it fit better.

"Y-yeah well they offered the group so I guess me and... also you too I guess." he stuttered a little bit, growing in confidence in the middle before trailing off slightly at the end, "How the hells did you do that? I had no idea you were in the same group as me."

That?

That right there?

Not fair.

Given Sevrin's ability to basically give him a damned heart attack from a compliment or two, Crix wasn't looking forward to a Galaxy where Sevrin could basically pop out of nowhere. Sure he'd be glad to see the guy but what if he caught him doing something private or stupid or, if he showed some self awareness, both?!

Then Sevrin made it even worse/better - a ride?

"Oh yeah? Thanks I just fiddled with some droids to make it more of an ongoing thing... just what I know, you know?" he awkwardly rubbed at the back of his head before grinning a little bit, "Me? I came on some... local transport, you know, to make myself seem less noteworthy? I'd love a ride back to Dantooine since we're closer to there than Yavin - I left my ship there with my droids."

Mental note: Send a message to Lancer and Scooter to pilot the ship from the docks here to Dantooine.

@Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

If Sevrin had any opinions or reactions to Crix’s very strange and flustered behavior, none of it manifested on his face. The Sephi stood calm as always, silver gaze unwavering and neutral. When asked how he had been discreet, there was a subtle glint in his eye.

“Shadow,” He stated simply, keeping things cryptic. In truth, he wanted Crix to be curious enough to become one himself. The path of a Shadow was not easy, and it often put Jedi at highest risk for Dark Side corruption. It took extensive training to temper and calm the mind enough to become an unrelenting force in the face of the dark side’s temptations.

Sevrin stood in silence as Crix fumbled and took the scenic route to arriving at a simple ‘yes’ to his second question. Mercifully, there was a lot of patience from the man and he politely waited for Crix to gather himself.

“Very well,” He said curtly, motioning for Crix to follow. Sevrin led the way back towards the parked speeder bike. He swung a leg over and took a seat, jutting a chin for Crix to get on, “Please hold on to me,” He stated flatly as he switched on the speeder bike. He paused to hand Crix a second helmet, though it would be a bit uncomfortable with the horns.

Once he was certain that Crix was securely on, Sevrin would kick off and speed towards the docks where his ship was parked.

@Nefieslab

 

[Crix Aran]

Shadow, huh?

Both a mildly infuriating non-answer and also something that made an awful lot of sense given what he had been learning from Hans. Still, he was going to have to try keeping his guard up a little longer if he was going to keep doing missions like this with people so naturally sneaky.

He didn’t think Sevrin would accept the mental image/idea he had of putting a choker on the elfin man with a bell on it.

Shame really, the black leather of a choker and the silver of the bell would go well with that little spark in his eyes. Crix didn’t have a hope of knowing what that look actually meant yet, considering he hadn’t spent that long around Sevrin, but he chose to believe it was amusement. Hopefully laughing with him rather than at him too.

“Of course…”

Was his droll response, a smirk tugging at his lips even as he tried to appear more neutral. He’d leave the stoic looks to Sevrin since he looked so good doing them – Crix was well aware that he was more of a smiler than usual anyway.

Wait…

A speeder bike?

Well kark both of his hearts had skipped a beat with that moment – that Sevrin was asking him to hold onto him (that was a phrase he wasn’t going to be forgetting in a hurry) was just the icing on the cake. Coughing slightly as his cheeks suddenly brightened again, he quickly accepted the helmet, shoving it on quick enough that he was sure his horns had punched into the material at the top actually.

Anything to try and cover his blushing cheeks right now. His newest crush was getting him to grab onto him from behind, he needed to come across as cool gods-dammit! Swinging his leg over the bike, he sat close behind Sevrin before hesitating for a second before deciding to be bold.

His hands gripped the sides of Sevrin’s hips to begin with, his grip firm but ultimately stationary despite his urge to explore. As they picked up speed he would shift forward in his position, resting his chest fully against Sevrin’s upper back as his left arm would wrap around the Knight’s stomach for a more secure fit.

He might have managed to feel the other man’s solid abdominal muscles but that was purely by coincidence and he was going to do his best to Not think about that while pressed up behind Sevrin.

@Sreeya

 

[Sevrin Valtiere]

Sevrin, naturally, was entirely unconcerned by Crix grabbing a hold of him. While Sephi were often detached and especially despised being touched, it was par for the course when it came to dealing with padawans. A lot of Sevrin’s training involved desperate padawans clinging to him because of some nonsense mishap or another.

His posture was entirely relaxed the way back, and Crix would realize he could more or less grab on however he pleased. Sevrin’s hair, on the other hand, was barely contained by a helmet and would likely fly up in the half Zabrak’s face quite a bit.

After the ride, they arrived at a modest ship that Sevrin had borrowed from the temple. He wasn’t in the habit of using the same ship often, and it helped keep any traces off him.

Sevrin rolled the speederbike directly into the ship’s cargo hold before he finally got off. The Sephi took off the helmet and fixed up his hair, punching the button to close the door. He glanced over at Crix, “Make yourself at home. Just don’t dent anything since I’m only borrowing this,” Amusement glinted in his eye for a moment.

He gestured towards the crew quarters for Crix if he needed to before he made his way over to the cockpit. Thoughts of their mission being a success coursed through his mind, and it was one step closer to hamstringing the Sith war machine.

@Nefieslab