What Is This Feeling?

[Theodosia Acatia]

The stank and smog of Coronet City made the rural Pantoran’s eyes water. She didn’t know why she was doing this to herself. Force Sensitive, in the the Core, Empire agents probably all around. Yeesh. She huddled the pale green cloak closer to her, and her dark wrap tighter around her face. In her bag were broken droid parts that she had to find to copies to fix them. She scanned the current street she was on. Has to be a store around here somewhere.


Theodosia grunted, hating how many people were around here. Was she really introverted or did she just not know how to act? She tried to not bump into people as they made their way by. She felt the sweat building up on the back of her neck and under her arms. The people that looked at her didn’t stare for long, thankfully, and Theo tried her damndest to not make eye contact.


She took a turn. Maybe there was a directory, or a map, or something. Adventures not well thought out had been a usual for her lately. She saw a break in the crowd where a small cantina was. This could work. It looked like it had been there for ages. There was a vintage window and it looked like an older inside. She stepped in. Oh, great. Cloaked people were all around, dark cloaks. She got a nervous, tingling sensation. Theodosia couldn’t step back now. The clammy feeling increased. Approaching the bar, which had only two seats left, she politely asked, “Could I just get a water, please?”

@Nefieslab

 

[Castor Chumeda Volante]

One of the few things to do in Coronet City as an Imperial when off duty was to check out the nightlife. Unfortunately for him, Castor was not much of a dancer and he knew it so nightclubs were nothing but over priced drinks and a chance to score. Since he wasn't really all that interested in that last part, that meant that he would only be in a nightclub for the drinks and even he knew that nightclubs were stupidly overpriced for what they were.

Instead he had grouped up with a lot of other off-duty Imperials and found a cantina that was off the beaten track. They had all just kind of showed up together one night and liked it well enough that they just stayed the night. Ever since then they came back and the cantina had gotten a reputation for being an Imperials only bar.

It wasn't at all but reputations like that stuck.

Hence why Castor was surprised to see a young Pantoran sat at the bar.

The other Imperials were looking at her funny but Castor just shrugged and sat down in the only empty seat - which was right beside her. He didn't mind Pantorans too much he supposed... they tended to look pretty human-like so they had that going for them. Not stuck up like some Xenos either.

"Don't drink the water here." he told her simply, shaking his head, "Water this end of town has run off from the fuel lines."

He shook his head and ordered for her instead.

"May-May-Sunrise."

The drink was bright yellows and oranges and had a fruity smell.

"Meiloorun with a hint of Corellian rum."

@Iridescence

 

[Theodosia Acatia]

Her neck was bristling with sweat and her hair was standing on end. The eyes of the Imperials were burning through her. She noted to never walk into a random place again. It was very hard to not let them get to her. Theodosia acted as if she's done this before.

The woman was feeling awkward enough until someone sat beside her. Even moreso, it was a male. Perfect. The Pantoran never quite felt attached to other Pantorans, let alone opposite genders of other species. Asexual she believes was the term. She grimaced as she heard the man speak. He seemed nice enough, not snobbish like she has observed of some of the Empire's kind or what she has heard. She raised her eyebrows at the comment about the water. Could she be any more of an amateur.


“Thank you for the tip,” Theodosia commented, trying to smile and not show how uncomfortable she was. “And, oh, that won’t be..” She paused after seeing that the drink was already ordered. “..necessary.” Theodosia looked at the drink. She knew not to take drinks from strangers, that was street code 101. But, she did see the bartender make it. But, she also doesn’t drink alcohol. Never liked the fiery sensation. Her blue hands reached out, grabbed the glass and took a minor sip. “You do realize I would have ordered water for a reason, no?” She asked, not trying to come off as rude, but as a friendly snarkiness.


“These are all Imperials, aren’t they?” Theodosia asked softly, whispering. taking another small sip. Her top lip was barely above the glass. She tried not to visibly gag.


@Nefieslab

 

[Castor Chumeda Volante]

Castor had to admit that this young woman looked rather lost and that was probably the only reason he was actually talking to her rather than just kicking her out of the bar or ignoring her. She was making faces at the drink and he couldn't help but chuckle a little bit at that. Normally everything on this side of the spaceport had alcohol in it because the alcohol was needed to kill off something or other that might be harmful.

"I assumed that it was because you were new in town and had a very limited budget." he remarked, raising an eyebrow, "And that beggers couldn't exactly be choosers, I suppose. But maybe they can eh?"

He waved the bartender back over.

"Virgin."

The man nodded before making a virgin version of the cocktail and sliding it along to the young woman. He raised an eyebrow before looking at the other Imperials.

"Yeah - we're all either Imperials or Sith." he admitted, "We're the people who don't got to nightclubs like the rest because we've got reasons to not want to pick up some club skank. Pride, a loving family back home, lack of sexual desire for such things - we're those Imperials."

The ones who wanted to cling to their attachments in peace and quiet.

@Iridescence

 

[Theodosia Acatia]

“I am not a beggar, just a lost blue-skinned woman in the city,” she responded, staring at the glass, then darting her eyes to the new friend at bar. She was almost surprised that the man reordered a virgin glass for her. Theodosia shrugged and looked at the man. “Dumb thinking I could blend in, really,” she sighed, feeling the need to kick herself again. “Thank you,” she added, still feeling the slight bit of alcohol hit her stomach.

She listened to the man talk about, well, his colleagues, watching him intently. That was all she needed to hear. Sith, Imperial, no matter, she was out of there. Theodosia should have trusted her gut. Her gut speaks volumes. A city that was obviously a mistake. Who told her to come here again? All the way to the Core? Talking shit was now out of the question. She kept her thoughts to herself, guarding them. The Imperials surrounded her now. It was now a good note to not enter a bar full of dark cloaks.

“And of those choices, which are you?” The Pantoran asked, wiping her lip, careful not to smudge the indigo paint on her upper lip. While waiting for the acquaintance to answer, she slid herself to the edge of her seat, her toes tapping the metal bottom of the bar. “It was very nice to meet you, if you’re ever in the Outer Rim, my name is Theo. But,” as she spoke, she turned her gaze outside. “It seems to be getting late and my friend might worry where I have gone.” She truly had just wanted to stop and get a break from the hustle and bustle. A Force-sensitive person needed to get up and go if she didn’t want to end up gone. “We’ll uh, meet again,” she waved, “most likely”, and eased herself off the bench.

Without turning her back, and looking in every direction, she backed up towards the door. Theodosia’s eyes never left the Imperial, and in her peripherals she could see any movement a co-worker could make. She got to the door, fumbled with the opening mechanism, and ran.

[OOC: Exit post, bai]

@Nefieslab

 

[Castor Chumeda Volante]

Which of those choices was he huh? He looked at the other Imperials here for a moment before sipping at his own drink, glancing back at Theo as she readied herself to leave.

"I'm not sure." he answered honestly, "But I'd prefer to be here when I found out than inches deep in some kind of trouble named Stardust or something."

And that had happened to more Sith that he probably cared to mention it had to be said. He sipped his drink again and nodded to her as she seemed to have decided she had had enough of this scene. He couldn't really blame her - this scene was kind of excluding to put it mildly after all.

"Have a good night - stay away from the docks and if someone asks if you want a Corellian Special Rum, you say no. It's slang for spice." he told her before turning back to his drink, "If we do I'll try to remember not to buy alcoholic drinks."

And with that done he focused back on his drink.

/Thread End
@Iridescence