Ask Onderon The Conquering Heroes

[Kliedden Raxx]

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The estate had improved greatly since his last visit. Klied stood at the opened gateway to his Iziz home, for once dressed like an actual lord. He wore a vibrant blue shirt and long black cape, attire appropriated from his recently acquired corvette. As usual, his trusty Westar remained holstered at his side. Beside him stood the flabbergasted ex-slave he had 'rescued' from Mataou just a few days ago, Tegan Keel. The people he had hired since his last visit to the manor had gone to work in earnest. The worst sections of the estate were covered in scaffolding for renovations. A new coat of paint was being put up, the grass and hedges were pristinely cut and a new stone walkway was being laid down.

"You make this much bounty hunting?" His young apprentice suddenly piped up, mouth agape as bright eyes scanned over the ancient building. Klied chuckled.

"No, of course not." He answered. "This is a family heirloom." He looked at the boy. "Survive long enough and you might be able to retire to a place like this though. If you're smart."

"You better teach me damn well then..." The boy replied absently as he continued to gawk at the scenery. Klied smirked before turning his attention to the security droids.

"I'm expecting three more guests." He informed them as he handed holos to one of the machines. "Mr. Sauvage, Ms. Ryun and Ms. Tila. Please admit anyone else they request entry for and direct them to the trophy room." The droids obediently replied with a simultaneous Yes my Lord. Before allowing them to pass and retaking their positions guarding the entrance. Outside there was a small crowd of journalists taking pictures and shouting questions. Klied ignored them outright, not even sparing a glance in their direction. Of course, the Raxx estate was busy for the first time in ages. The head of the household, who many thought was dead, was strutting about and making all kinds of sudden changes. Curiosity abounded. But the hunter had no interest in feeding the buzzards, let them wonder.

The hired servants greeted him humbly as he made his way towards the manor house, drawing a slight scowl from Tegan. They boy had made it abundantly clear he didn't much care to see people groveling before others, even if they were paid workers and not slaves. Klied didn't say anything to him, instead politely replying to each of the men and women they passed and trying to keep moving. In truth he didn't much care for the formalities either, but things worked a certain way on Onderon and that wasn't about to change just for him. Just as outside the staff had brought new life to the manor's interior. Klied hadn't seen it so beautiful in years. He could actually see his reflection on the floor of the mansion's foyer. Together they made their way down one of the numerous halls to a high ceilinged room. a series of tall windows along one wall let bright rays of sunlight fall upon the wooden floor. Comfortable furniture and polished tables cluttered the interior, rugs made from various animal pelts beneath their legs. On the other three walls of the room, covering almost the entire surface, were both portraits of various Raxx family members beside their kills, and the stuffed heads of countless beasts. Large and small, carnivore and herbivore, ranging from wild cats to wampas and much, much larger. The center piece of the trophy room, towards which all the furniture was facing, was the head of a lesser Krayt Dragon. Directly beneath it on a pedestal rested a pristinely polished dragon pearl. While Tegan stopped again to gawk Klied walked over to a luxurious chair and fell backwards into it, putting his feet up on the painstakingly cleaned table as he looked around at both his own and his predecessors' handiwork.

"Best make yourself at home kid." He said to the teenager as he leaned back into the excessively cushioned seat and closed his eyes. "We might be waiting for a while. And there's a lot of ground to cover once the gang is all here..."

@Isen @Tulos @Bex

 

[Poffo Sauvage]

Poffo's new ship was probably the slowest of the three in the group's newly earned fleet, so he would be a few days behind Klied anyway. Besides all that, once he got to Onderon, he had to spend at least one night to celebrate with a night of hard drinking in one of the Iziz cantinas. With his huge personality and an amazing sequined jacket which used primarily baby and navy blue with white accents, finding new friends was no issue. There was even this amazing dancing orange Twi'lek that....well, Poffo had a good night.

Poogulgua basically drank and drank and drank on Poffo's credit line and never got drunk. He was surprised to find that people enjoyed his company as well in the cantina, despite roasting everyone that sat next to him at the bar. It became a bit of entertainment. His insults were so delightfully true and honest, people would actually come up and ask the Dug to insult them. He would, and everyone would get a merry laugh from it. The Dug then would shoot back with insults to those that were laughing which could create even more laughter from the group.

But, despite it all, both were headed to Klied's the next morning. The Dug apparently could drink like a fish with no real repercussions, and Poffo had a lifetime of living with hangovers. They both were right as the rain. The Twi'lek asked if she could keep Poffo's jacket to remember him by as she left for the morning, and the Dug had the good sense to insult her saying that if lekku were brains, she would look like a Rodian.

But they arrived that day about mid-morning. As they got to the gate of the estate, Poffo could see that Klied was starting to spruce the place back up. Maybe he was going to take this nobleman thing more seriously now. As Poffo hit the security protocol to get entry access, Poogulga said, "You're friend's loaded, uh?"

"Ooooh, yeah," Poffo said. "Loaded like a rotary blaster, yeah. Yeah, he is."

"I quit," Poogulga said without missing a beat. "I'm going to work for your friend."

Poffo couldn't tell if he was kidding or not, but elected to ignore it. The pair just needed someone on the inside to give the droids guarding the gate to allow them entry.

@Reyn @Tulos @Bex

 

[Aska Ryun]

”I must insist that foul girl face retribution for her actions! I still feel a catch in my neck rotors!”

As the group made their way through the streets of Iziz, Aska donning her hood fully over her head in an attempt to keep her identity concealed from the authorities of the city, the clone simply allowed herself a hollow chuckle. The events of Coruscant and Mataou still plagued her mind but in time, it would pass. Her mental fortitude was one thing she could credit Trench for. He had spent much of her youth shaping her to be a cold blooded killer, something that wound up being his own downfall, but she just needed time to recover. What she didn’t need, however, was Kayto’s continual complaining.

”You should just be happy that they took the time to fix you. Had it been my call, you’d have been tossed on a junk heap. Now keep quiet,” she responded, turning her head to face Ali and offering her a playful smirk. ”Next time,” she added with a wink.

Onderon. Of all the worlds she had visited since originally departing the lab on Coruscant, Onderon was easily her favorite. The stunning architecture, the planet-wide jungles beyond the city's walls, even the people here seemed more polite than those of the core worlds. She wouldn’t get a chance to enjoy much of the ambience, however. Her last trip to Onderon had resulted in a minor scuffle between the Security Forces who were bought off by the late Rodian named Boola and while she wasn’t convinced there was a warrant for her arrest, it was not a theory she was eager to test. A couple years had passed, however, so it was likely that unless she found herself in a set of stun cuffs for some reason or another that she would need to deal with it.

Finally, the group would see the massive gates that led into the Raxx estate, leaving the clone in awe. Aska didn’t know much about Klied’s past other than the fact that he was raised by an Uncle to hunt but she wasn’t one to judge. Everyone had secrets, some darker than others. If his hidden wealth was one such secret, then so be it. As they grew closer, the unmistakable form of the Coruscanti brawler became clear. And he had a new friend, it seemed.

”What’s up, Shithead?” Aska called out as she approached the man from behind before pulling her right hand back and slapping his plasti-cheeks. ”The Neanderthal know we’re here yet or what?” she continued as she surveyed the durasteel gate as well as the droid and servants beyond.

@Bex @Reyn @Isen​

 

[Alisaah Tila]

Following their time apart, Ali was relieved and glad to once again be reunited with her mistress. The fear and anxieties in her mind had greatly reduced for the time being and walking through Iziz with the people she cared for most made the Togruta feel the best she had done for some time. On approaching Onderon, Ali had a slight moment of panic, noticing that the planet surface was covered by sprawling jungle, but after searching her feelings, the slave's gut told her that this was not the place she had seen in the holocron's vision. The place she remembered was a wild planet with no apparent signs of civilisation. Surprisingly, the Togruta actually had a feeling that quite the opposite might be true of Onderon. Rather than being a place of misery and grief, her feelings indicated that this place might just become somewhere significant for more positive reasons. After all, Mr. Klied lived here and from what little she knew of him already, the man seemed to be kind and honorable.

After knocking Kayto's head off in a fit of anger on Bespin, the security droid had not stopped complaining since Teela had reattached it. As he whined to Aska, Ali started to wring her hands again, looking ashamed. She truly felt bad for what had happened, Kayto was her friend, but it did not appear the droid had forgiven her. Her mistress however, seemed to have gotten a lot of enjoyment out of Kayto's anguish and had not punished Ali in the way she thought she might. Had this happened whilst serving other masters, the slave may well have found herself beaten for her disobedience. The clone told Kayto to keep quiet and turned to give Ali a little smirk and a wink. The Togruta blushed as she was still embarrassed that she was the cause of all Kayto's complaining, but it was these little kindnesses from Aska that had resulted in the Togruta caring much more about her mistress than any of her previous owners. It was a refreshing change of pace for a girl who had suffered nothing but abuse and exploitation her entire life.

"I... I did tell Kayto I was sorry mistress..." she said timidly. Having known Aska for a while at this point the slave knew the clone didn't mind, but Ali felt she should at least say something to display her remorse.

"Now now ma chérie, we know you didn't mean it. Besides, if Kayto wants to complain about his neck rotors, perhaps he should take it up with his surgeon, hm?" said Meela, putting a comforting arm around Ali and giving Kayto the stink eye. Teela, who was rolling along the street next to Kayto started beeping as if to say "<Yeah! You saying I did a bad job?!>" The astromech then used one of her manipulator arms to smack Kayto in the leg, causing a loud clashing noise.

Eventually the group approached a set of large gates leading up to an estate. Ali understood them to be visiting Klied's house, but this place looked like it would put some palaces to shame. Ali and Meela looked at each other at the same time, both with a shocked expression on their faces, but on realising they had both done the same thing started giggling. Ali's laughter stopped however when she saw the large figure of Poffo Sauvage standing by the gate. The last time she had seen him he was in an awful state having had emergency surgery to remove both buttocks to prevent AMS infection. That was however, not the only horrific thing the Togruta had seen from him that day. She yelped and seemingly tried to hide behind Meela. The Twi'lek scowled at Poffo and when Aska had finished slapping the Coruscanti's cheeks in greeting, said "I expect you to keep your hands to yourself and keep that thing in your pants this time. I heard about you flashing poor Ali in that lab. If you're not careful it'll be more than just your ass cheeks that need replacing this time, if you can dig it, Macho Man." Towards the end of her sentence, Meela started impersonating the voice and speech pattern of Poffo, presumably in an attempt to communicate with him in his own language.

@Reyn @Isen @Tulos

 

[Kliedden Raxx]

The new arrivals to the mansion's gates, especially Poffo, certainly stood out from the crowd. As the security droids made no attempts to remove them from the premises the journalists realized that they were actually meant to be there and promptly swarmed them. Poffo, Aska, Ali, Meela and Poogulga would find cameras and microphones shoved into their faces, bombarded with questions as to who they were and what their relation to the Raxx family was. While one of the security droids vainly tried to push them back and give the gang some space, the other spoke directly to them.

"Mr. Sauvage, Ms. Ryun and Ms. Tila, Lord Raxx is expecting you. He has requested your presence in the trophy room. Please proceed to the main building." As the droid explained this it would turn and point to the front entrance of the estate. "After entering the foyer take the left hall. You will find the master of the household behind the fifth door on your left. Please enjoy your stay." They would open the gates and allow the group entry, but quickly close them again to keep the rest of the crowd out.

The servants working on the grounds in front of the main building were certainly confused by their appearance, but made no comments. Instead they would silently go about their work unless a request was made of them. They would receive the same greeting inside, as the workers remained very busy going about the cleaning and renovations.

While waiting for the others to arrive Klied continued to relax in his chair, eyes closed. Even if he didn't have a great deal of affection for the excessive comforts of this lifestyle, it was nice to enjoy them once in a while. Especially after an extended trip with multiple near-death experiences. Even he needed a break from time to time. Tegan on the other hand was exploring the trophy room, standing in front of the heads of the various beasts and inspecting them from different angles, occasionally baring his teeth or making snarling faces to match their unchanging expressions. "You kill all these guys?" He asked as he stood on his toes and curiously stuck his face in the yawning maw of a Doashim's mounted head.

"Some of them." Klied answered, eyes still closed as he reclined in his seat. "My family dates back to the first settlers of Onderon. We were all hunters back then before we started getting fat and lazy. I have a lot of ancestors that helped fill this room." The kid didn't answer, instead wandering over to the pedestal with the dragon pearl and reaching out to poke it. "Don't touch anything you're not prepared to replace." The Onderonian commented without opening his eyes, causing Tegan to timidly take a step back.

@Isen @Tulos @Bex

 

[Poffo Sauvage]

He was accustomed to Aska calling him Shithead, so he simply nodded...not so simply, really. It was in Poffo fashion so it was fairly exaggerated. Aska was an acquired taste, but she knew how to blow stuff up and killed all the right things. In this business, that was good enough for Poffo.

Then Ali and that old Twi'lek hag showed up and the latter started berating him. Talking about flashing this and what she's going to make Poffo replace and then some awful imitation of one his signature lines. Mr. Macho sunk a little, bending at the knees, extending his arms out quickly and finger-flourishing to both sides while looking at her. He gave the old Twi-leKaren a finger point and said, "Oooh, yeaaaah! I'll tell you what, I think someone's jealous, yeah...Yeah, I do. I think Ali here went home and gave you some grade-A descriptions, yeah!" He finger-flourished across his face. His eyes were opened wide, crazy, but they couldn't be seen because of his massive sunglasses. "Yeah, and I think you went to bed dreaming about the man and the equipment that you didn't know existed, yeah! You thoug..."

Then the droids started talking and told them they were all cleared to enter and where to find Klied. Poffo stopped mid-sentence, and said, "I could use a cold one, yeah..." He immediately turned from the group and went in search of a cold brewski.

@Reyn @Bex @Tulos

 

[Aska Ryun]

While Aska understood both the frustration and irritation with Poffo that Meela and Ali harbored, she couldn’t fully abide the Twi’lek’s words. The man had, after all, been infected and was faced with little choice in that moment but to bare his privates. Could he have been a bit less…. well, Poffo? Probably. But when you’re in a panicked state, logic and reasoning are rarely on the table. The only thing she could say with absolute certainty was that it had deeply bothered the Togrutan despite the severity of the situation. She had bigger concerns of her own however as the cameras and reporters started their approach and began to hassle the group, risking her identity being shown on the planetary networks. After everything that had taken place she simply wanted rest, not to be hounded for arriving at her friend’s door step nor did she want the local authorities beating down Klied’s gate with an arrest warrant.

”Cut the shit, you two,” Aska hissed as she pulled the hood of her jacket further forward to hide her face before ushering them inside. ”Save it for when we’re not on the kriffin’ news!”

Once they crossed the threshold of Raxx Manor, the gate sealed shut behind them, the woman finally could breathe a heavy sigh of relief. Waiting to enter the palace before removing her hood, the sensation of the ice cold air conditioning was a drastic improvement of the humidity of Iziz. As Poffo and his Dug companion departed the group in search of a couple bevvies and possibly to put some space between himself and Meela, Aska couldn’t help but admit it did sound utterly fantastic. As much as she loved Onderon, it was a bit warmer than what she was accustomed.

”Bring enough for all of us, yea? We’ll go find our resident ‘lord’ in the meantime,” she called out after him with a smirk, raising both her hands to form air quotations around the very real title of their friend. Following the droid’s directions and entering the fifth door on the left, and the group finally found Lord Kliedon Raxx himself, along with…

”As if! You actually kept the kid you blasted?!” Aska said with a hearty laugh. The irony wasn’t lost on her, of course. Ali and her had been brought together by somewhat similar circumstances. Hunters, mercenaries, cage fighters, slaves. This group was growing at an exponential rate and was certainly not picky of where’ it’s members came from it seemed. As she approached Tegan, Aska wrapped an arm around his neck and lifted his tunic without his consent to see the healing wound. ”You’re lucky, y’know. Chicks dig scars. Just don’t mention you were running for your life when you got it, yea?” she chuckled with a wink before releasing her hold of the boy and turned back to Klied. Taking a dramatic bow, she then stood tall and pulled a seat away from the ornate table and plopped down into it, kicking her feet up onto the it’s surface as she plucked a cigarra from her jacket. ”A lord, hey? Nice little tidbit of info you’ve failed to mention, Caveman,” she chuckled as she lit the smoke, not waiting for confirmation from the home owner on whether he saw it as acceptable.

@Bex @Reyn @Isen​

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[Alisaah Tila]

The Twi'lek's intentions to make sure Ali felt comfortable had backfired. The stand off between Meela and the Coruscanti only made the girl feel worse. Poffo's reaction caused Meela to switch from annoyed to angry and Aska, spotting that the crowd around them was filming them for the Holonet News, was forced to intervene telling them both to cut it out before the droids guarding the gate allowed them all inside.

Ali and the others accompanied Aska to the trophy room whilst Poffo and Poogulga went off in search of beer. Inside they found the lord of the manor, Klied, with someone that Ali had not seen before. It was a young boy in his teens; a human with short black hair and blue eyes. He did not look like Klied, so couldn't possibly be his son. Upon entering the room Aska had let out a hearty laugh. Apparently Klied had previously shot this boy. Ali furrowed her brow, confused, because Klied had always seemed an honorable man - why would he have shot at a young boy? And what did Aska mean by keeping him? Was he a slave too?

The Togruta walked further into the room whilst Aska was admiring Tegan's scar. The room they were in was unlike any she had seen before and was a little unnerving. The heads of many beasts were mounted on the walls, their dead eyes felt like they were staring into Ali's soul. Teela seemed not to be bothered by them in the slightest, rolling up to the biggest and ugliest one and letting out one long beep that sounded like a whistle. Clearly the astromech was impressed. Watching the droid, Meela let out a little chuckle before she and Ali turned their attention back towards Klied and Aska.

"Thank you for inviting us to your home Mr. Klied" said Ali, politely, "It's..." She paused for a second, glancing towards the head of a particularly scary looking beast, "... very nice."

@Reyn @Isen @Tulos

 

[Kliedden Raxx]

Tegan's face turned beet red as Aska got a little too close for comfort and pulled up his shirt, the boy immediately shoving the woman off and scrambling to fix his clothes. "Nobody's keeping me." The boy snapped at her indignantly, fixing her with a defiant gaze. "I'm not a slave anymore. The old man is training me to be a bounty hunter."

As the boy shoved his hands in his pockets and put some space between himself and Aska, Klied leaned forward in his chair and grinned. "Kind of like failing to mention you're a clone huh?" He asked her slyly as she mentioned him hiding information. He then turned his attention to Ali, his expression becoming a bit softer and less mocking. "You're very welcome." He replied with a nod. "Aska, Ali, Meela, this is Tegan." He introduced them all to each other, then looked to the Togruta and Twi'lek to explain further. "We picked him up on Mataou. I accidently hit the kid in a crossfire."

"Crossfire?" Tegan said with a scoff. "There was a rotting acklay bearing down on you and you thought it was a smarter idea to shoot at a bunch of fleeing slaves you jackass."

"For which I have apologized... Extensively." Klied remarked, looking towards Tegan with a slightly annoyed glare. The boy just smirked in response. Again he turned to look towards Ali and Teela. To someone who wasn't there that must have sounded bad... Well, it was bad, but the full context made him seem slightly less awful.

"I wasn't really myself in that moment," He tried to defend his actions. "I was angry, and I was trying to shoot the man who tricked us into walking into that death trap and then tried to use us as a diversion while he fled. I didn't mean to hurt anyone else." He sighed. "I'd rather we just leave it there. There are other things I'd like to discuss..." He looked between the gathered women. "Where's Poffo?"

@Isen @Tulos @Bex

 

[Poffo Sauvage]

Where was Poffo? The truth of the matter was, he didn't know. He had gotten lost in the vast estate of Klied's. It started with Poffo telling his new Dug pilot that "The bar is over in this wing, yeah..." He mumbled, "I think" after that. Mentioned the selection was solid, but antiquated. He turned into a hall that he had never been in been in before and just stopped.

"You're lost, uh?" Poogulga asked. He was a real smartass.

Poffo spun around and finger flourished up to the sky before pointing at his pilot. "Yeah, yeah I am as a matter of fact. Buuuuuuuuuut, let me drop a little knowledge on you. Yeah, let me wise you up a little. If I'm lost, and you're with me, what does that make you? You think about that? I didn't think so!"

"What does it make me, uh?" Poogulga asked. "It makes me thirsty. That's what it make me. You promised me beer."

"Yeah, and Mr. Macho is a man of his word, yes he is." He looked around and sighed. He didn't know which way to go or to turn back from where he came from. "But, I am also a man of solutions, yeah. If you got a problem, yo, I'll solve it. Check out the hook, yeah!"

Poogulga clicked his mouth several times as Dugs are prone to do. "What the kriff are you talking about. Solutions...I'll believe it when I see it."

"Bruthaaaaaa, you can't gonna see it. You're going to hear it, yeah!" Poffo stepped out into the middle of the long hall and yelled at the top of his lungs, "KLLLIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEED!!!!!!!! WE'RE LOST IN HERE!" He would start repeating, "KLIIIIIIIEEED" over and over until someone came to help him. Poogulga started grumbling, cussing Poffo under his breath.

@Reyn @Tulos @Bex

 

[Aska Ryun]

For the first time in days, Aska finally felt like things were starting to return to normal, whatever normal even was at any rate. Leaning back in her chair as she took a drag off her cigarra, Aska could only flash Klied a forced half smirk as she flipped him her middle finger for referencing the fact that she had kept her identity as a clone a secret. He was right, of course. Everyone kept secrets but the lothcat was out of the bag for nearly everyone at this point. Then, as the slave boy turned apprentice started to take a verbal jab at Klied for the actions that had brought him here, a chuckle escaped the woman.

”I like this kid,” she said with amusement while ashing the cigarra on the table surface. Mataou and Coruscant had been nothing short of a nightmare for the collective group, even Ali and Meela having their own misadventures on Bespin in the meantime, but it seemed like they could finally put it all behind them and start looking to the future; a future Aska had begun considering since she started her journey to Onderon and it seemed she wasn’t alone in that aspect.

”That oversized ball of grease?” Aska began to reply as she scanned the many beast mounts that lined the room, admiring them and pondering the stories that must have come with each claimed kill. ”Knowing him, he’s probably ‘stroking the madness’ in a bathroom somewhere with that Dug buddy of his lending a… hand? Foot? I dunno,” she shrugged. Dugs were a weird species. ”He’s supposed to be fetching us drinks. That said, have you ever considered getting him into a nice little maid outfit? Y’know, lace and apron, maybe a bonnet and all that? He’s not much to look at but it seems like you could use a few more hired hands around here,” she finished, her grin widening.

As much as Aska liked to poke some fun at Poffo’s expense, his attendance was required for what they had all come together for and the sooner he arrived, the better.

”If there’s business you want to discuss, let’s hear it. Poffo can get caught up when h-” That was when the Coruscanti’s pleading bellows echoed through the halls and in through the door in his absence. Hanging her head, Aska turned to face Ali and chuckled. ”Looks like the man-child needs his dad to come pick him up, huh?”

@Bex @Reyn @Isen
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[Alisaah Tila]

Klied looked over and responded to Ali with his usual, calm and kind demeanor. Though she hadn't known the hunter for long, he was very endearing and the Togruta felt reassured somehow by his presence. He seemed like a man who could be trusted and relied upon, even when the going got tough. She blushed a little when the Onderonian introduced her, alongside Aska and Meela, to the black-haired boy. It had become clear through Klied's explanation that he had not intended to harm Tegan (it was simply an accident) and that the boy had been a slave that the hunter had freed and taken on as an apprentice. In that room alone there were two former slaves in Meela and Tegan, and Ali, who remained in servitude though not for Aska's lack of trying to free her.

Meela found it difficult not to at least crack a smile at Aska's comments about Poffo and his dug acquaintance. The Twi'lek found the mental imagery of the Coruscanti in a maid outfit a little too much to bare however.

"I'm not sure the shaved Wampa would suit Caveman's tastes, Pixie" she said, taking a seat, "Though I wouldn't mind offering my services if you're looking to take on help. As much as I can't thank you enough Pixie for reuniting me with little Ali here, I think it's perhaps best I don't slow you both down moving forward. This place is wonderful and you'd both be able to find me here if ever you needed me."

Ali came to join her surrogate mother and mistress, seating herself in the space nearest to Aska. The look on the Togruta's face was a little shocked and partially upset by this news. Meela noticed and was quick to address it.

"Don't worry Ali, I'll always be around, but my talents aren't for fighting - I'll leave that in everyone elses capable hands" she said, reassuringly before turning to Klied, "So what do you say Caveman? Do we have a deal? And for the record, if you do need me to wear a maid's uniform, I can fill it out rather well." Meela ended her sentence with a flirty wink to Klied. Ali let out a cough and her face went a deeper shade of red. This was not behaviour she had seen from Meela before.

Aska also had business she wanted to discuss with Klied. She had asked the owner of the estate what it was he had wanted to speak with them all about but was cut off mid-sentence by what sounded like a wounded animal yelling from another part of the building. Everybody there could tell it was Poffo. Aska made a quip about him needing his dad to come find him and chuckled, looking to Ali who giggled in response. Evidently his quest to find alcohol had not gone to plan.

@Reyn @Isen @Tulos

 

[Kliedden Raxx]

Klied scoffed at Aska's joking comments about Poffo. "I think I'd sooner take a walk on the nearest star..." He replied dryly, mortified to have such an image planted in his brain. Then Meela spoke up, suggesting she come to work for him as well. Klied certainly wouldn't mind adding her to the staff if it would give her something less dangerous to do and still allow her contact with her friends. The flirtatious remark caught him off-guard, causing the hunter to blink in surprise. He quickly recovered however, smiling back at the Twi'lek and squinting slightly.

"We'll have to schedule an interview." He replied lightheartedly. Like Ali, Tegan was responding rather awkwardly to the exchange, pursing his lips as he looked in a random direction, pretending to be transfixed on one of the mounted heads.

Aska wanted to get down to business but Poffo's yelling interrupted them. Klied could only sigh in response to the clone's further mocking and raised a hand to rub his eyes. He just wanted to sit down and talk to everyone. He could have just had the servants fetch them drinks...

"We'll walk and talk." The hunter said abruptly as he stood up and started making his way towards the door. "I swear you're all overgrown children." He stepped outside, a scowl now painting his face as he cupped his hands to his mouth while walking down the hall. "Poffo!" He shouted loudly, drawing some awkward stares from the servants moving about the house. "Where the hell are you?"

@Isen @Tulos @Bex

 

[Poffo Sauvage]

Poffo and Poog started making their way through the halls and corridors using sound as their navigation system. As others would yell, they would try to take the correct turns and twists to find them. The pair had just turned a corner and came to face to face with Klied. He couldn't see them because his hands were cupped. "Poffo! Where the hell are you?"

The brawler took a step back and held up a massive hand between. "Easy, easy, easy, bruthhaaa! I'm right here, yeah. Yeah, and meet our newest and most smartass associate named Poogulga. He's a pilot. How good? Yet to be seen," Poffo said. "Yeah, but he makes himself out to be a regular ace, yeah."

Poogulga clicked several times and groaned. "I'm still waiting on that drink," the Dug said looking at Poffo. He turned his attention to Klied who was dressed in the finest fashions, that befitting a nobleman. Poogulga snorted and clicked his mouth several times again. "I'd say nice to meet you, but I don't think you're my type."

Poffo gave consideration to backhanding his pilot, but then he would need to find another pilot and he wasn't interested in posting the job and going through interviews. He turned his attention back to Klied and a single brow rose. "Nice....cape, mmhmmm. Don't mind Poogulga, no, no. Not a lick. Rudeness is his love language, yeah. Hey...you got some booze? We emptied the supply on the new ride already, yeah."

@Reyn @Tulos @Bex

 

[Aska Ryun]

As Aska moved to pull on her cigarra for a final time before butting it out, she found herself forced to cough the smoke from her lungs in surprise as Meela made eyes towards their host. Now that was unexpected and just down right hilarious to the clone. Turning to face Klied, it would be hard to miss the humor she harbored in her eyes. While Ali and Tegan were bashfully put off by the advance, Aska smiled broadly at the Onderonian as she wiggled her eyebrows in his direction. ’You go, buddy!’ she thought to herself but before she could vocalize her opinion, they were soon on the move to track down the missing member of their team.

”Hey, if having a little fun is wrong, I don’t think I ever want to be right. Besides, I’ve got a lifetime of debauchery and back handed comments to catch up on!” Aska retorted jokingly to Klied’s comment, the smile from earlier only diminishing slightly. She had to admit, it was nice being in the company of friends without having blaster fire raining down on them or packs of ravenous undead nipping at their heels. The only thing that could make it any better was a nice stiff drink or maybe some spice to liven everyone up, though she had no doubt that the latter wasn’t something readily available in Raxx Manor nor something her companions would be willing to partake in. Poffo, maybe. The others? She’d never thought such straight edged mercenaries even existed in the galaxy.

It didn’t take long for the group to reunite with Poffo and his new tail along, Poogulga. Aska had to force herself to keep from making a snide remark about Mr. Shithead associating himself with a man who’s name was built around fecal matter. However, it didn’t take long before the direction of quips was redirected at none other than Klied himself.

”Ha! How the hell did that slip my attention!?” Aska burst out as she reached for the cape that Klied had donned, rubbing the fabric between her thumb and index finger. ”You almost look… respectable!” Releasing the cape, Aska held both hands upward and took a step back, still smirking. Her cheeks were starting to hurt from all this smiling and laughter. ”Oh, beg your pardon, ‘M’lord’,” she added, making air quotations with both hands as she spoke the title. ’This could take some getting used too’

@Bex @Reyn @Isen​

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[Alisaah Tila]

As the group made to leave the trophy room, Klied made a comment about them all being overgrown children. Ali, taking his remark seriously, hung her head a little in shame. "I-I'm sorry Mr. Klied, I'll try harder to be less of a burden..." she said with complete sincerity. Meela, who was once again walking beside her just gave her a comforting pat on the back. The Twi'lek knew the hunter was probably just joking, but the Togrutan slave sometimes had a hard time differentiating those comments from more serious criticisms.

After leaving the room it was not long before they found Poffo and his new Dug friend. He was introduced to Klied as "Poogulga" which Ali thought was a rather unfortunate name. She had wondered why Poffo had been hanging around with a Dug outside the gate, but now it was clear he was a pilot that the Coruscanti had befriended. Even if he was their new associate, he seemed quite surly and Ali was a little scared of him. The snorting and clicking he made was unsettling.

Upon Poffo mentioning Klied's outfit, Aska started inspecting it and making fun. Ali, having another lapse and taking things more literally than she perhaps should have, suddenly exclaimed, "I'm sorry Mr. Klied I didn't know you were a lord!-- I mean, Lord Klied... sir..." The slave even went to bow but Meela grabbed her by the shoulder and yanked her back to a standing position.

"Goodness me Ali, he's not the King of Onderon, he's your friend. Just call him Klied like everyone else" said the Twi'lek, her tone and expression a mix of both amusement and exasperation. She was patient and understanding with Ali, but at times even she despaired over the girl's innocence. The Togruta looked at Meela confused, then started wringing her hands again as she tended to do when she was embarrassed or nervous.

@Reyn @Isen @Tulos

 

[Kliedden Raxx]

Aska's comments were all in good fun, but Ali's genuine apology drew a somewhat vexed expression from the hunter. "Ali you don't need to... Please drop the formalities." With another sigh he kept walking. As they searched the halls Tegan would walk at the same pace as the Togruta, eyeing her suspiciously. Her behavior had drawn curiosity from him, seeing as he more than any of the others would recognize a slave's demeanor. Regardless he made no comment on it, instead releasing an exasperated groan the moment he laid eyes on Poogulga. It seemed the two of them had a history from Mataou.

"Oh God... You survived? Seriously?" The teenager asked with obvious disappointment before shaking his head. "Here I was thinking my luck was starting to change..."

Klied stood between the groups as they gathered and the teasing continued, coming from three directions at once this time. That paired with Ali continuing to make a point of his status left the Onderonian with a blank expression and a thousand yard stare. He was quite done with this. Again he raised a hand to rub his face tiredly. Instead of dignifying Aska's or the dug's remarks with a response he answered Poffo's question. "Yeah, sure. I could use a good drink right about now..." He continued to walk, gesturing for the others to follow.

"I wanted to discuss our plans for the future." He explained, trying to restore some seriousness to the conversation. "I've decided I want to go into business, start a mercenary company." He looked over his shoulder at the others. "We have the resources, and we're quickly gaining the manpower. What do you think?"

@Isen @Tulos @Bex

 

[Poffo Sauvage]

Poogulga was about to respond, but Poffo held up a hand to stop him. "Simmer down before you blow your teapot dome, yeah. I've only know you a short time, yeah, but I have to say...you can be a pain in the ass. I have to admit, sorry to say, yeah- reeeeeeeal sorry, that I do understand where this juvenile is coming from."

"Imagine that. You thinking like a child," Poogugla said back to Poffo which caused the brawler to turn 360 degrees in anger, fingers just a-flourishing. Before Poffo could respond, Poogulga was already addressing the kid. "Don't think just because you got some hotshot nobleman dressing you all pretty that I won't backhand your snot-nosed ass right into the next room." He would bow to Klied, sort of...seing as how Dugs walked on their front arms. "My apologies....My Lord. I shalln't talk ill of your peasant boy any further." He stepped back behind Poffo and started mumbling...sound liked he said "where's the damn beer," or something similar.

Klied tried to move the conversation and the group along. As he did so, he just came right out with it. "I've decided I want to go into business, start a mercenary company. We have the resources, and we're quickly gaining the manpower. What do you think?"

Poffo did a double-take with his head. A mercenary company? The bounty hunter thing had gotten off to a rocky but successful start. They had certainly taken their share of baddies out in the process, but mercenaries primary gig was fighting small skirmishes with heavy firepower. It was a significantly different job description than bounty hunting, which ideally was done quickly and quietly. Poffo knew they had the skills to be successful taking pucks and cashing them in. Klied could track and shoot. Poffo could handle just about anyone in hand to hand combat, so whether it was a mark that needed to be taken by distance or close up, they had it covered. But mercenaries? Well, that rarely went quietly.

"I don't know brutha," Poffo said. He wasn't going to dismiss it out of hand. "I think I'd like to see a business model, yeah. Have you seen the market in the 3rd quarter for mercs? It ain't pretty, brutha."

@Reyn @Tulos @Bex

 

[Aska Ryun]

Aska could see the irritance in Klied’s eyes and while she didn’t feel any remorse for her part of getting under the Onderonian’s skin, the woman decided that maybe it was best to turn off the sarcasm for a while. He had invited them here to discuss a business proposal and after everything he had done, he at least deserved their collective attention. Besides, he was the one playing host. After a short quipping bout between Poogulga and Tegan, Klied had finally found the opportunity to put forward his concept.

Running her fingers through her hair as she mulled over the idea, Aska couldn’t see anything wrong with it. At least for her part, this was more or less what she had been raised to do. Sure, she had found a great deal of success in utilizing her talents and skills in bringing in bounties from around the Y’Toub system and beyond but the galaxy was in turmoil, which meant there was money to be made as hired guns. However, they needed a concrete plan. Boundaries.

”I can’t believe I’m saying this, but... Poffo’s right,” Aska replied painfully. ”I’m all for danger and you know I’m not afraid to throw myself into the line of fire but we can’t just run out into the galaxy working for anyone with the credits to hire us. Mercs have a tendency to be hired for jobs that people don’t want to risk their own soldiers on. Pick the wrong employer and we’ll be thrown into the sarlacc pit. Or worse, arrested,” Looking to Klied, Aska plucked another cigarra from her jacket pocket. ”I’m on board to work with you on this but I’m not going to get myself tied into any shady ass underworld deals. The last thing I want to add to my resume is hired slaver. Give me your word that you’ll keep us on the right side of things and you’ll have my gun at your disposal,” Between them, they already had numerous ex slaves and one currently in servitude. Aska had little doubts that anyone would disagree with her terms but she also needed to hear that everyone was on the same page. Shooting Ali a side glance to see how she was responding to the concept, the clone also knew that they would need to have a discussion in the near future of their relationship… and that damn collar.

@Bex @Isen @Reyn
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[Alisaah Tila]

Upon realising that even her apologies seemed to be a problem and noticing the look on Klied's face when he asked the Togruta to stop with her formalities, Ali pouted. She had only been trying to do what she had always been told she must do and now she thought she couldn't even get that right. The boy, Tegan, had seemingly taken an interest in her as they walked. He gave her a suspicious look which Ali did not understand the reason for. It did not dawn on her that he might be wondering if she was a slave because as far as the Togruta was concerned, she was quite open about being one. The only thing preventing her from talking about it was that her mistress had instructed her not to bring it up when they visited Free Worlds because it would land her in a lot of trouble. Eventually the boy got distracted by Poogulga, but Ali was left uncertain what his issue was. She hoped she had not done something to offend him.

Talk soon turned to business. Klied explained to those present that he intended to start up his own mercenary company. Not really understanding these matters in much depth, Ali wrongfully assumed that Poffo and Aska would welcome the idea with open arms, since mercenary work seemed to be what they were interested in doing based on the experiences Ali had with them all so far. To her surprise the news was met with some trepidation. Poffo's primary concern seemed to be financial; was setting up a mercenary business viable? Ali had no idea, this was beyond her comprehension. Her mistress on the other hand, was concerned mainly with the types of people they might end up working for and the kind of jobs they would receive. The subject of slavery came up again, and right after the clone finished talking, she had shot a glance at Ali who had merely been listening along to the conversation at that point, not necessarily displaying any sign of emotion one way or the other.

Ali began to wring her hands again bashfully. She knew her mistress was reluctant to own a slave, did not like to think of herself as a slaver, but the Togruta felt unable to leave her servitude. It had been all she'd known her entire life and despite their growing friendship, Ali did not understand that the people she was with in that moment, would not abandon her and force her to make her way in the galaxy alone. She had been conditioned to believe that being freed was almost akin to failure and had no real concept of self-worth. She had been tortured at a young age by Zygerrian slavers who had drilled subservience into her and it would take time and the right approach to undo the damage that had been done at a formative time in her life.

"Is it possible to only pick to work for people you know have good intentions?" she asked naively. It was clear the Togruta was trying to contribute something, thinking it was a venture her mistress would like to be part of, so long as it was done right.

@Reyn @Isen @Tulos