Session export: The Shame Corner: 002

The Shame Corner. It was a charming little place, with a charming little name. The first time Erinyes had visited, she hadn’t been able to explore the station, being tied up with delivering cargoes for the store. This time… well, she was still delivering cargoes, but not as many. Plus, she was meeting company. Zuza was scheduled to join her, and judging by how the new Consul had been zooming while sitting still, she could use a break from whatever was happening on Selen.

So, Erinyes bopped along with her becoming-a-trademark snack cart. She waved to Avalon as she came through the front door, loaded up with fudge, jerky, and all sorts of other foods of questionable nutritional value. “Hey, lady!”

The pair chatted idly for a minute or so, until Erinyes’ datapad beeped with an incoming message. That was probably Zuza. She retrieved the device from her belt to check–

–and laughed out loud when she saw Zuza’s ship’s IFF.

In fact, she was still chuckling when the shorter brunette moseyed in a few minutes later. The laugh even permeated the first actual words out of Erinyes’ mouth when the Arconan Consul came into earshot.

“The Friend Ship? Really?”

Zuza’s expression quickly turned into a slightly sheepish grin. Barely. Mostly mischief. “I think it’s accurate.”

Frond plodded along after her, a large boi that having only reached his first year, would only be getting bigger. The maroon Cythraul was already bumping his head against Zuza’s thigh without needing to raise off of four paws.

Zuza shrugged, any sheepishness leaving her expression, “Come ooon. It’s great. You love it.”

“It’s wonderful. I wish I’d thought of it for the Emissary yacht.” She reached down to scritch the cythraul’s shoulders. “And who’s this good boy? You didn’t tell me you have a pup.”

“Weeell it was already taken. The friend yacht doesn’t have the same ring to it either.” Zuza chuckled. “This is Frond. I’ve had him a while now but… well. I didn’t bring him out too much when he was a puppy. It’s karking dangerous, never mind for just a little thing but he’s not so little anymore. He started trying to chew a door hand in protest of me leaving last night as well so…” She trailed off, giving Frond something of a side glance.

However if he noticed it, he didn’t care. For he was getting scritches. Frond leaned into them, panting away happily.

The Gra'tua exited hyperspace well away from the station. The maiden voyage of the salvaged Crusader-Class Corvette was going well. It had pained Vynn to part with the Verda'Kyr as it had been Korvis personal ship but he needed more fire power in his search for vengeance on his former mentors killers. He had made a few upgrades to the ship but it was not fully prepared for the rigors of what lay ahead. He looked out the viewport at the front of the bridge as the Shame Corner came into view.

“Hold her here.” He ordered, “I will take the shuttle in the rest of the way.”

While the ship was his he was not skilled at piloting something this massive. A shuttle or a fighter, and he was forced to be reckoned with. Though he wouldn’t need that here. Just a short sub light ride into the station to see if he could gather any Intel and Nerf Jerky.

“Oh, you’re a troublemaker, are you? I bet you keep Zuza on her toes.” Erinyes booped Frond, as one does, then stood back up to her full height. “If you two’d like to explore a bit while I put this stuff away, I’ll catch up shortly. I think there’s a pet play area around here.”

Frond did a small borf, seemingly agreeing with Erinyes.

Zuza looked up at her boss yet… well no still her boss. Being Consul made it weird but the Arconan nodded along, “I’ll see if I can find it. Or a box. He’ll happily just sit in a box. You going to be snack carting all day or..?” She trailed off.

“Nah, it’ll just take me a little bit. I’ll comm you when I’m done.” Knowing Zuza, she and Frond would’ve zoomed to the other side of the station and back by then.

“Sweet!” Zuza did a mediocre salute before tapping her thigh and getting Frond back to her heel. For how goofy he was, he still obeyed her command and was there in a moment, tail wagging all the way.

Zuza headed off to see if she could find the pet play area, or anyone on the way to say hi too.

The ruddy brown rump of the young mott bumped into a solid wall behind him. A second later, Alk was being picked up by one long furred arm and tucked against the hip of a black furred wookiee with very distinct white stripes on her face and an ashy mane. The creature still held the robe in his mouth, so the sudden change in elevation lifted the purple hybrid on the floor up onto his knees.

“Aaawrwrw, rrrh.”

The blunt rumbling command, corrected to Rue’s attempt, saw to the robe’s tie release. It fell to the floor, unharmed save the mott drool soaking it. A sole amber eye flicked to the man, then Alk, and back to Rue. A internal debate on whether releasing the trouble maker and aiding her ward or keeping the young beast in “air jail.” Hunyi elected for the later.

“Gwrro?” she asked, a simple ‘okay’ and a check on his well being.

The ex-mercenary had left him to check the bulletin board for any news or jobs, when the next shuttle left and anything else of use. Usually, Alk was manageable but those were more open spaces and she should have realized this place was tempting for him. A glance down at the robe and the nearby surroundings conveyed her hope no one of the establishment had seen that. And if they did? Well, Rue would have a new robe.

Sigh.

The Lady’s Flower set down expertly within its allocated parking space, a demonstration of superior piloting skill that is found only in a droidbrain. Or at least that’s what Diy let L4-C1A believe. The faux-Zelosian didn’t rereclaim control from the program when they neared the station. She found stroking the droidbrain’s ego once in awhile to be the key of diplomacy within the ship and as amusing at times it was to let L4-C1A rant, she did have company on board.

The KST-100 Kestrel’s hatch dropped to reveal the vast swath of open space half taken up by parked vehicles, junk, and a collection of buildings. Diyrian strolled down the ramp with her thin burgundy jacket rustling in the light breeze of another ship landing nearby. Underneath she wore a white top that ended at the midriff, just above form fitting green slacks. Her forest colored curls were pulled back into a bushy bun with a couple small braids framing her face. Sliding a pair of sunvisors on top of her head, Diy’s blue-green gaze fixed on the large multi-marketed main building of the space stop.

“I haven’t been to a Shame Corner in ages, used to love stoppin’ as a teen. ‘course back then might’ve been fudgin’ the age a bit,” Diy mused with a wink to her two companions, Matcha and Luka. She halted and rested a hand on her hip as she regarded the latter. “Right, so, ya said yer ship should be done? Babes, my offer still stands. We could scrap it and pick ya up something a bit more…reliable?”

Fluid footfalls carried the towering Sephi-Devaronian hybrid across the polished floors of the Shame Corner. Dressed immaculately in robes tailored by his very own hands, whose midnight black and cream-white hues complemented the cool undertones of his navy-blue skin, Baan Veluehk strolled into the establishment with his hands folded comfortably in wide-cuffed sleeves. Pointed ears like daggers and two horns that rose from his forehead like twisted spires were sure to capture the attention of many a passerby, who invariably opted to give the man a wide berth as he walked–seemingly gliding–across the floor. The baleful aura in the Force that surrounded him assured that.

Baan approached one of the sentients whom he assumed was an employee and stopped once he was about an arm’s length away from them.

“Excuse me,” he began, speaking with a lilting and unhurried voice, “I’m looking for fabrics. Could you point me in the right direction?”

<@244244163002892288>

A Human wearing layered robes of brown and black stepped off the ramp behind Diyrian. Luka cracked a smile at their friend’s suggestion that they junk their ship. “It’s gotten me from point A to B just fine. But I can’t say the thought hasn’t come across my mind.” The Human carded their fingers through their dark curls and leaned against the side of the ship. “Just feels a shame to get rid of the thing when it can still fly.”

They knew they wouldn’t be able to hold off on that final decision forever. There was only so much patching their Scyk fighter could handle before they had replaced just about everything on the ship. Luka’s last trip to the Shame Corner had been little better than a crash landing. Old Reliable’s days were definitely numbered.

“At any rate, I don’t have the creds to afford much better. Maybe in another year.” They pushed off the side of the ship and walked a few steps ahead of Diyrian before turning to look back at her. “And before you suggest it, no – I’m not asking for a loan. That ship’s my beauty. Even if it… isn’t.” They offered up a shrug.

Matcha brushed off a bit of dust from her cropped purple jacket, having just put it back on after relaxing a bit during the flight. Underneath, she wore an equally cropped light gray shirt with some light gray pants to match. Her pants, although tight, flared out enough at the bottom to accompany some black boots with a subtle heel to them. She had forgone any sort of headband that day, so her soft white tresses fell loosely around her head,

The Mirialan walked along with the pair and stopped when they had. “I just visited one recently with Jemel, but we were in a bit of a hurry, so this should be fun.” She said before turning to regard a bit of a more pressing issue, “It might be nice to fly, but a loan is a whole lot more fun than dying.” <@244244400488710155>

Baan made no effort to hide his disappointment on his face when the man told him there were in fact, no fabrics to be found in the Shame Corner’s inventory.

“I make my own clothes,” he noted, reaching out to pluck a pen from the table so he could twirl it between his fingers. “Might I trouble you to check in the back? Fleuréline weave is preferred but not strictly required.”

“Can’t be helped, I suppose,” he replied with a light shrug of the shoulders. “If it isn’t too much trouble, if you could tell me the name of the retailer you mentioned? And what is this … fudge, you speak of?”

“You know, I hadn’t considered that,” he replied, raising the pen to tap it gently on his chin. “It would help my creations reach more people, but my designs are tailored to each customer. I fear the mass production required to make it in a large retail business would diminish their appeal.”

He clearly had a lot to think about. But that would have to wait for that. There was a supposedly delectable treat known as “fudge” that he needed to try.

“Would you mind accompanying me and showing me which ones are particularly … fudgy?” The selphi-devaronian hybrid’s lips stretched to reveal a toothy grin which looked as if he was trying too hard. He clearly wasn’t used to smiling much.

It was like they’ve had this conversation before. Diy closed her mouth with a small shrug, then nodded to the both of them. “Fair, really, and honestly I can’t talk. First ship was just as slap together. But like seriously, ya welcome to take The Lady of ya need sometime. As long as ya don’t mind L4-C1A, she can pilot for you even.”

She hummed as they walked, thoughtfully thanking of something else to talk about. “Remind me, what kind of things they got here. You two been here recently.”

<@227960499948486666>

Something internal tightened at hearing Shyriiwook from Rue. She inhaled and focused on listening to his gradually quickening words, especially once he switched to Galactic Basic, watching the way his face lit up as he went. His attention turned to his bag that was bulging.

Oh no.

Her gaze flicked around as he dumped it, concerned someone will notice him putting items in his bag, only meeting some stares she shot down with a glare. No angry staff in sight. A sigh. Hunyi looked back to Rue and noted what he gestured at. Sulla and Lektra. They sounded like children from what the man spoke of them. The eyes pinch again. Papers and pens. Goggles for man-she-need-talk-too.

Boots for Alk?

She blinked. Never thought about something like that. The mott likely would kick them off. They’re impractical. But…the wookiee looked down at the green bandana tired around the creature’s neck. It would not hurt to let him and the dock work payed well. Her musings interrupted by the can of HONEY. It took her a long moment to garner the connection and to pronounce the word in her head, how she thought people would speak it. Honey, Hunyi. There were similarities…and it was sweet, him thinking of her.

Hunyi cleared her throat and crouched, setting Alk down to sit between her legs. She rumbled to Rue, fingers brushing together like ruffling paper, gesturing creds – more self designed gestures than sign language. ‘You buy?’

“Okay, okay.” Leena paused, straightening Hekate’s lapel. “We can get flight snacks, but…” She sighed, looking down before wagging a finger in the droid’s face, “No more of whatever that spicy fermented pickle-leaf whatever-it-was nonsense. You stank up the whole cabin last time, and it’s not like we can run the lanes with the windows open.”

Hekate bowed its head for a moment, the optical sensors dimming before returning to their usual bright purple. “But it’s just soooo good…”

Leena froze in place, her finger pointing menacingly as her lekku jabbed into her back, her lips pursed. Hekate let their shoulders collapse a degree, then slowly nodded. “Remember, we’re just here for a bit. Cup of caf. Maybe see if someone has any leads on that prototype compensator that Towerslee lost.” Leena relaxed her finger as she spoke, then straightened her back. The Shame Corner was starting to become a regular stop on her runs, and she wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about that. She sighed as they cleared the hangar, the final set of doors sliding open as they moved forward, a rush of cool air flowing across their faces.

Luka smiled at Matcha’s comment and glanced to Diy. Yes, they had had this exact conversation many times about their old ship. That ship was the first that Luka had purchased with their own money. It was their freedom. Not something to be replaced so easily, despite their friend’s insistence to do so. With the circles they’ve talked through, the invitation to take The Lady’s Flower out for their escapades was a surprise.

“You’d trust me with her?” they said with a raised brow. They walked backward in pace with Matcha as they focused their attention on the faux-Zelosian. “Maybe I should take out a loan, if you are that worried for my safety.” However, their tone held no hint if any intention to do so.

As they moved on to the station proper, Luka shifted their focus towards the doors to ensure they would not stumble into someone leaving. “Let’s see… I remember there was a bar…” They had sampled the bar the last time they had visited. The rest of the evening had been spent making introductions and sleeping in the booth. Nothing disastrous, at least. “To be honest, I didn’t wander much while I was here,” they added with a shrug.

<@301514304845381632>

Matcha was fooled for only a moment when Luka insinuated they might actually take a loan, but the Mirialan quickly realized they weren’t being truthful. With a sigh, she just followed the pair along towards the main entrance to The Shame Corner. She appreciated Luka’s stubbornness, but it wasn’t worth dying over, especially a death as tragic as a starship just failing.

“Last time I was here with Jemel, we just bought some chocolates and left. It was already pushing it, trying to get him in the doors, let alone stick around for anything more than a quick look…” She sighed, obviously a little disappointed by it. “But! The last thing I want to do is make him uncomfortable. Looks like you’ll be the one taking the lead, Luka.” Matcha made a mental note to get Jemel something cute for his desk while they were there since she didn’t get the chance to the first time around. <@244244400488710155>

Baan peered through the glass case intently, scanning each row of “the fudges” while making note of their names.

“This is quite the large selection,” he noted, sounding somewhat astounded at all the options. “I’m not sure which one I should try first. Do you have any recommendations?”

“Where to? The bar? Or should we wander a little down the aisles?” Upon entering the building, their gaze was drawn to the central area designated as Fudge Central. No wonder that had been the majority of Matcha’s last visit. Luka would need some time to choose as well. “We will have to get chocolates before we leave, though.” <@244244400488710155>

Indeed the snacks were dissatisfying. There wasn’t anything that seemed worthwhile to drop a small lump some of credits on. The price of convenience was always higher.

Chasing down low profile fugitives made her tired and hungry. Even the pay made her question if it was worth it.

Emere’s dark eyes landed on the speaking Echani she was certain she saw roaming around her previous visit. The slight crease in her brow never faded as she nodded once.

“The Golden Griddle any good?” Her head gestured in the direction of the diner.

The smell of freshly brewed caf wafted over them, a spark of hope bursting into blazing optimism behind violet eyes. She had only had one cup, and that seemed like hours ago. Those little canned and chilled sugary ones didn’t count. As far as the sparkling ones… well, the less said about those, the better. Hot and fresh was the real deal, and if she remembered correctly the last time, they took the black stuff pretty seriously. Leena nudged Hekate as they paused to look at the sandals that were made to look like aquatic creatures yet again. “I neeeeeeeed caaaaaaaaffffffffffff.”

Hekate grunted in acknowledgement, turning from the rack, some of the lit sectors of their optical sensors turned off in what almost passed for a confused expression on their face. It was an elegant solution that Leena had worked up years ago, when the digital eyebrows were an abject failure, if she was speaking plainly. She dismissed the thought, following the scent with her nose, her left lekku all but twitching in excitement as she pulled it to rest over her shoulder, fingers grazing the long scar gently.

The cafe was only a few steps away, the bustling workers tending to the cacophany of clanging plates and flatware when Hekate stopped, dead in their tracks. A half pace later, Leena recognized, picoting to look at them, quizzically.

“I get it now.” Hekate’s voice sounded like three women talking at once. It was smoother than most synthetic speech, Leena having put more processing power behind the vocabulator while she was trying to solve that particular glitch, but it persisted. Hekate dimmed her light sensors to a tiny upward curve and started to laugh.

“Get what?”

“They’re…fish-flops.”

The devaronian-sephi hybrid remained quiet for a moment, considering his options. Ruby Rose sounded especially good, but he didn’t want to ruin his taste for the original by trying something more advanced first.

“The original fudge will do, for now. And then I would like to try each one of these flavors,” he intoned.

This was not Vynn’s first time at the Shame Corner and he figured it would become a regular stop when he was out this way. The smells alone were almost worth stopping for. His go to snacks were the Nerf Jerky in various flavors, and there were a lot to choose from. Another that he always grabbed were the Kashyyykews. They were freshly roasted with a cinnamon and sugar coating.

A sign above the fudge station caught his eye this time however. A new flavor had been introduced and he knew he had to try it. “Peanut Butter Bacon” sounded intriguing and he was always down for the staples of cookie and cream and chocolate. Vynn got in the queue to await his turn at the counter where the employees were cutting and packing up the boxes.

The trip on the transport was long, tiring, but that’s just how fare on long-term transports was. You shut up, sat in a corner, and listened to an audioholo and hoped someone didn’t try to grope you. From one of the transports decended a figure in a sand-brown cloak and rust-red armor. Her hair was black as the night and her skin was pale, marked only by destinct Pantorran golden markings; one dot below each eye and a single band breaking the continuity of her peach colored lips.

The Jedi pushed back the hood of her cloak and observed her surroundings for a moment, watching as people milled in and out of the Shame Corner. A few looked grumpy, a few tired, a couple of individuals looks like children in a candy store. Sonyo had been to a few Shame Corners in the last year or so– they were one of the cleanlier places to hold up when she got tired of wandering.

“Caf… I need caf.”

She made her way into the building and towards one of the shelves that held pre-chilled caf in glass bottles. While there were definitely better cups of caf out therein the galaxy, the Pantorran-echani had become very fond of the Shame Corner brand of bottled lattes. Maybe she had drank so many of them it had killed off the part of a sapien’s brain that screamed ‘don’t consume this’.

Carefully manicured fingers plucked a Corellian Vanilla Latte bottle from the Cryo. Glorious glorious caffeine.

Leena sidled up to the server stand, Hekate’s laugh having dimmed to a persistent chuckle as they moved. The golden furred hostess looked up abruptly at Leena, her left Lekku twitching involuntarily. “Two please.” She paused, putting a couple credits down, her mind reaching for the name of the server with the electrifying personality. “If you don’t mind, for Ray. He’s a great server, but…” Leena jabbed a thumb over her shoulder at Hekate before continuing. “He’s a bit much for her life support systems…”

“Why would I hate it?” The human asked bluntly, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Mikhail kept his head down as the flood of passengers got off the ship. He clutched his bag under one arm, the other supporting it but tensed, as if ready to react to anything.

Not that there was much to react to, right?

He followed the flow of people past the entrance to the station and eventually broke off in the direction of the diner. He wasn’t hungry, there was no way he was going to swallow down food at the moment. But a warm drink might help sooth frayed nerves. Tea helped hydrate, and hydration healed bruises.

At least that’s what his mother taught him.

He slipped into the diner, quickly finding a booth the could back himself into, pressing against the wall and the cushion. His bag was tossed on the table infront of him, a not-so-closed zipper allowed the corner of his journal to peak through. He stared at it for a few moments before tugging it all the way out. Perhaps, he could find it in him to work.

Work would keep him moving.

Movement will keep his mind off the coming meeting.

Tea will heal his bruises.

Emere accepted her answer with one nod. She looked between the griddle and the bar, reminded that she really had no business going to a bar though there were times she missed the atmosphere. Without uttering another word to the Echani, she strolled over to the Golden Griddle. She took her seat at a booth that gave her the best view of the diner and the entrance. Satisfied with her study of her environment, she began to look over the menu.

Mikhail was pressed back against the wall as Rue made contact. It wasn’t a heavy impact, more of a press. Instantly, the Arkanian flushed, feeling the Saint practically laying across him and the rest of the booth, nuzzling into his neck and against his cheek. What worried, feverish paranoia that gripped him shattered. Replaced by a stuttering engine trying to process the Hybrid’s sudden appearance, and near instant presence on top of him.

His stunned demeanor only lessened when the purring against him haltered, and the Saint began doting on him. He shook his head twice, trying to ease the worry. He gently held Rue’s wrist, but did not stop him from moving. “It is.. unnecessary. Only minor, I’m fine.” He muttered to the rainbow infront of him, offer a slight reassuring smile that faded after a moment.

“You are.. here. How? Why?” Eyebrows furrowed, but the Arkanian made no attempt to move the man off him.

Mikhail’s eyes closed, flinching slightly as Rue leaned in. Their foreheads touched, and he slowly released the tension in his shoulders. Warmth scattered around his body, gathering where his bruises ached. Small patches of warm sunlight upon his skin.

His eyes opened as Rue pulled away. “A gift? That’s.. and it’s nothing, really. I’m fine, Rue. Just.. a bit banged up.”

Emere had just finished deciding her order as the pale-skinned server approached. “A black caf and a double bantha burger. Rare. Fritzle fries for the side.”

Baan gave Tsuyoku a thankful nod before shifting his attention to the utensils. “Thank you,” he began, “Now, then, let’s see if this fudge is as good as you say it is.”

The hybrid didn’t move his hands from within his sleeves; instead, he took hold of both the tiny box and the fork with the Force, causing it to float in front of him while he willed the utensil to skewer the chocolate square so he could pop it into his mouth. Baan chewed slowly, scrunching his face a bit as he adjusted to the texture of the confection. Its taste, though, made his eyes light up.

“Absolutely extraordinary,” he said, smiling with a closed mouth, “So rich. So sweet. With just a hint of salt! You’ve given me a gift today …”

He narrowed his eyes to pinpoint the words written on the man’s nametag. “… tsu-yo-ku. Thank you for your suggestion! Bring on more of the fudge.”

Mikhail swallowed and turned his head towards the table, glaring down at it as if it had insulted him in some way. “No, Rue. It was my family. It’s.. complicated.”

Suddenly realization struck the Arkanian, and an icy chill slipped down his spine as he sat up away from the wall. “You need to go somewhere, Is Hunyi here? I’m meeting people, you shouldn’t be here for that. They are not kind.”

It was a glorious mullet. Leena blinked once then nodded quickly, following the man as he grabbed laminated menus from the stand and led them into the seating area. A couple steps later, he gestured at a booth and stepped out of the way. She slid past him, squeaking along the cushioned seat as Hekate all but crawled into the seat across from her.

“Anything to drink?” He looked at Leena expectantly, her lekku slipping from her shoulder onto the back of the booth.

She looked up at him, smiling. “Two cups of caf, please. And a straw.” He squinted briefly, then looked at Hekate again before nodding and walking away.

Leena leaned forward, speaking with hushed tones. “Okay, I don’t remember you making a mess, but the manager did, so try not to make a …”

“That wasn’t me!” Hekate interrupted, their voices harmonizing for a moment as she insisted. “That mando broke his mug…”

Leena twisted her mouth and shifted her eyes for a second. “Why would he…oh.” That actually made a sort of sense. “Still, they think it was you, so prove them wrong.”

“I’m frankly insulted.” Hekate flicked a hand up, rolling a spoon across metallic knuckles before flipping it into the air and grabbing it with their other hand, just as the server returned with a couple of ceramic mugs and a pot of hot black liquid. Hekate and Leena both leaned back in their seats as he set them down and poured out the steaming liquid. Leena wrapped a hand around the mug quickly, letting the warmth seep into her skin as she looked at the menu. Hekate poured no small measure of crystallized sweetener into her cup and stirred it with a dainty movement, all but glowering at her.

Hekate lifted the mug to their faceplate, tilting their head in sync with the mug, the stream of liquid pouring into a slot that opened slightly wider with a quiet creak, then closed as they set the mug down. One optical sensor glowed brighter than the other as they realized that the server was still standing there, watching them. “Oh, I’m sorry, I think we’ll need a few moments to look at the menu please.”

“Rue..” His face twisted. Worry, fear, sadness, all crossing his face before his jaw clenched. Everything fell away from his face, leaving a cold, blank stone behind. His gaze drifted over Rue’s mess of color to the door of the diner, then deeper into the station.

“Ok. I need you to sit on the other side of the booth, across from me. And choose something to order, I’ll pay.” His voice almost sounded different, the imperial accent mixing into something more foreign, more Arkanian. They were here.

“You’re quite right, Tsuyoku,” answered Baan while savoring the last of the chocolate. Once he was finished, he used the Force to guide the utensils and empty box into the nearest recycler. After that, he returned his attention to Tsuyoku.

“You’ve done me a great service. I’d like to create something for you, as a gift.”

One of these days, I’ll buy a ship Elly thought to herself as she walked through the Shame Corner doors. It was always a little awkward for her when she asked someone to bring her to a fueling station as opposed to an actual planet or station, but it was always worth the reward. She strolled over to the wall to take a look at what new flavors she might force herself to try this time since she had a tendency to just get the same kind over and over again.

Looking over the grand wall of delicacies forced a grumble from the Firrerreo’s stomach, another reminder as to why she needed to buy so much at a time. Her appetite might’ve been annoying at times, but it’s what fueled her body and allowed her to look as good as she did, so she couldn’t complain too much.

Last time she was here, she remembered that the lovely bartender that was serving her told her about a diner that this station also had. So, she decided to wander about until she found it (which was pretty easy, given her sensitive nose catching on to something obnoxiously delicious smelling and all).

She walked through the entrance of the Golden Griddle and near immediately spotted Rue seated along with one Mikhail. She was more than happy to see the former but didn’t quite know how to feel about the latter after their encounter in Tranquility. She made her way over and stood before them at the end of their table.

“Hey, you two.” She said with a smile, “Didn’t expect to see either of you in a place like this, you especially, Rue.”

Spindly fingers the color of midnight uncurled from the hybrid’s palm as he lifted a hand, waving it to dismiss Tsuyoku’s denial of his offer.

“Please, I insist. We’ll need to exchange contact information, if you’re okay with that sort of thing. There’s no one in the galaxy with greater skill with a loom, I assure you.”

Koda Kendis landed the Bastion at a refueling point and secured his vessel. The white, red, and gold paint has been scorched and battle damaged from years of fights and numerous…accidental “caretakers”. Koda stepped down from the landing ramp and made his way into The Shame Corner for supplies. He left his helmet inside the ship hit continued inside dawned in his full suit of Beskar. The black armor was adorned with midnight blue accents and trimmed with gold striping. Around his neck was a decorative fur pelt and around his waist was a kama made from the red scales of some kind of lizard. He ran a hand through his hair to part it from his face as he wandered the store for miscellaneous supplies as his ship was refueled by maintenance droids.

“Of course it has,” Baan replied, “I’ll be leaving you all a stellar review on the holonet. Thank you again for the service. I’ll begin making your gift posthaste.”

The towering hybrid bowed his head in appreciation. It didn’t take one of the other employees long to bring the boxes of chocolates he’d ordered, which he promptly paid for with his credit chip before heading on his way. As he glided toward the exit, he lifted his hand again to wave goodbye. “Until next time, Tsuyoku,” he intoned, reaching out with the Force to pluck one of the business cards from the table as he went.

As the shuttle bearing the sigil of the Chamber of Justice became a spec in the distance, the Neti sighed. Sure, it’d been handy to have an official vessel to perform his duties as Right Hand of Justice. At least they could have taken him back to his own ship. But no, the second the news had arrived that a new Right Hand had taken office and he was now Left Hand, the pilot had dropped him off on the nearest place potentially capable of supporting life. No time to lose it seemed to head back to Arx to get new orders and be informed where to pick up the Mandalorian Hand.

Casting a look behind him, the old Arconan looked at the flickering neon lights, ‘The Shame Corner huh, wonder if they’ve got a comm array so I can call someone to come pick me up.’

“HAMMAR!”

The cheer came from Erinyes, who was stocking snack shelves an aisle over from Koda.

Koda cocked an eyebrow and turned to see Erinyes, surprised to see her stocking shelves at what is essentially just a pit stop. “Didn’t expect to see someone such as yourself here. I’m just refueling for a while, how have things been since our wonderful ‘mission’.” He chuckled.

“Oh, you know, like any other new job. I stop in here every so often to post jobs for the Envoys and restock the snack bar.” She gestured to the now-empty handcart. “How about you? How are things on Elysia?”

“As of today I have officially resigned as Governor and I don’t have to deal with those responsibilities anymore. Was a temporary position that went on longer than planned.”

“And you decided to come… here?”

Kark.

Mikhail turned his face up towards the woman, not a scrap of recognition or emotion shown to her. He bit his tongue, glancing down past Rue again while his nails dug into his knee under the table.

“If you wish to sit, you are free to. But please do not cause trouble.” As he spoke, he seemed to be tracking someone entering the diner. A Shaevalian, wearing simple yet high quality clothing approached the counter, taking a stool without even casting a glance towards their table. Mikhail watched her for a few moments, then returned his gaze to the entrance.

“I’m refueling my ship, grabbing supplies, and then heading out to explore the outer rim for a while.”

“Sounds like an excursion. Don’t forget to stock up on fudge.” She pointed towards the Kendis-sized confectionary display by the entrance.

The woman remained quiet for a few moments, looking towards the menu as if she was thinking. Then, a voice more akin to a whisper spoke. “Sandwich. Shredded meat. No sauce.”

Her silver eyes surrounded by black sclera raised to the dog. “Utensils.”

“A friend from Taldryan.”

The questions seemed to intrigue the woman, who’s eyes narrowed slightly as her head tilted forward. “Beef, raw, cubed small. Two egg yolks, raw. Shallot minced finely with pepper and Wistrix sauce. Mushrooms finely chopped in mustard with capers. Toasted buns.”

Her fingers slowly tapped the counter, one after the other in quick succession. She had a strange light in her eye, waiting to see the Canine’s reaction.

The slightest of twitches at the corner of her mouth came right before her whisper. Each syllable sharp enough to puncture durasteel “Then. Mix. it.” The drumming stopped, as if the woman had reach some sort of strange crescendo with her order.

Koda shook his hand “Kendis. Koda Kendis. I’m just here to pick up some general supplies, not much of a fan for fudge so I will have to pass on that offer.”

“Stirred. Glass bowl. Spoon.” Her painted lips pursed slightly, aiding her narrowed eyes to show a veiled displeasure at the idea of blending the mixture.

While she waited, the dark eyed woman tuned her ears to pickup the conversations behind her. She remained seated facing forward, fingers once more drumming as she located the voice of her target.

All she had to do was wait.

Elly could tell something was up and normally would leave and go somewhere to listen in but it seemed she was joining in this time. She sat down next to Mikhail and settled in “What’s up?” She asked, concerned

The Human examined her plate. It was a delight the eyes and nose. The dark caf showing steam stemming up from it.

“No,” Emere replied, meeting his gaze. Seeing that he paused for a moment too long, she added, “Thanks.”

There were two lines of thinking the Firrerreo could go down. Either what Rue was saying was true and Mikhail was actually in danger, or the hybrid had misunderstood something Misha had said and took it as danger. Elly wasn’t in the mood to potentially risk it so she took a more serious demeanor and looked to Mikhail and very harshly whispered “What did you get him into?” <@160141735354171394>

“You don’t like fudge?” Erinyes fixed Koda with an incredulous stare, then shrugged. “Oh, well. More for me. You’re probably more of a nerf-jerky-and-energy-drinks guy, aren’t you.”

“Depends on the jerky and I prefer to have working kidneys, thank you.” Koda chuckled, “My diet and preferences are an enigma to most.”

“I-” He starts, then stops, eyes flicking to the woman at the counter before back out the door. He swallows and turns to Elly, unreadable eyes glaring through her.

“He found me. I did not bring him here.” His words were short, quiet, but biting. He sat as still as possible, turning his head forward towards Rue. “No more questions, they are coming.”

“Despite common belief, the hammer is not as simle as it looks. But that’s a philosophy topic for another day.”

The meal looked wonderful, fresh hot and just greasy enough to give that authentic Diner vibe. Emere discovered it tasted just as wonderful when she began to eat, plucking a few crispy fries before lifting the burger take a bite.

Unfortunately for her, as she bit into the burger, her eagle eyes locked onto a Hapan man entering the Diner. He was loud, despite not talking. His clothes, hair, and attitude was nearly screaming as he swaggered in. Earbuds blared music into his ears, but upon his bright Hazel cybernetic eyes Meeting Emeres, he pulled one out -

And began to make his way over

He closed the distance quickly, and before the woman could swallow and make any protest, Nash Slid into the booth across from her. His face was glowing, a massive smile across it as he settled in, nearling laying across his side of the booth with his boots kicked up onto the seat. His arm moved, snagging a golden fried starch stick from her plate as he winked at her “Hey, how’s it going?” His tone was smooth, and almost sickeningly sweet with an innocent teasing air about hiM as he popped the fry into his mouth

There was nothing inviting about her appearance or demeanor that would indicate her booth was there for anyone to just take. Yet this whelp saw fit to ruin her day. The Hapan set up like it was his house, casually removing one of her fries. His words were a garbled mess in her head. She took the knife from her issued utensils, and at speeds too fast for the eye to catch and drove the sharp side of it into the table betwixt his middle fingers. She missed on purpose. Maybe he was a lucky young fool that managed not to choke on his own tongue this far.

“Don’t *ever *do that again.” Emere’s gaze was fiery and her lips were lifted into a slight sneer. “What do you want?”

Nash froze for a beat, but very quickly shook it off. He moved his hand back, then gently flicked the knife, causing a metallic twang as his cybernetic finger made it ring. “Hey my bad, just a fry though.” He flashed another confidently handsome smile and relaxed back, finger brushing perpendicularly against the knife blade.

“Oh, nothing really, just looking for a quick bite and some company.” He had an almost worryingly laid back vibe for almost catching a blade through the hand. Would the diner owners get angry about the new hole? He shrugged the thought off

His flippant attitude made the signature crease in her forehead more pronounced. Being young and stupid wasn’t an excuse for outright thievery. She knew people who got their hands cut off for less. With no desire to entertain him, Emere snatched the knife back, laying it next to her plate.

“The bar is over there,” she said flatly and jammed her thumb in the direction of the bar. That would be far more sociable. Maybe he was lost. The woman picked up her burger again and took another bite. She was determined not to let this imbecile ruin her dinner.

Elly tensed even further before letting out a small sigh and forcing herself to relax. She had no idea what she had just walked in on but she’d be damned if she let Rue go through it with only Mikhail for support. She shot the Arkainian a look that screamed disappointment <@160141735354171394>

The Hapan’s boots wiggled back and forth as he lounged. His hair bounced and shifted as his head shook. “Nah. Bars full of a few types of people; The sad looking for escape, The Boring who think they’ve got stories worth telling, and the ones who’ve got stories to tell but are too far up their own that they’re more likely to split yer lip then work theirs.” He flashed a finger up off the table for each example, then drummed them back down.

“I find meeting people like this Far more interesting. Break the standard, shatter the social template of Hey how are you? Fine you? Good but Weathers been rough.” his voice shifted, mocking different tones and voices. “Put someone on their back foot and you’re more likely to learn something about em. Take you as a good looking example. You like your own bubble, hate people stepping on your toes, and might have a thing for knives.”

The final point was accentuated with a single finger taping the freshly marked table, while Nash chuckled.

“Uh huh.” Out of nowhere, Erinyes’ stomach gurgled. Downsides of the Zeltron metabolism. “I’m gonna grab a couple things, then head over to the Griddle. You’re welcome to join me or meet me there or whatever.”

At least all his talking gave her time to eat. Her gaze followed a few people moving about. She promised the next person that tried the same stunt as this jack-wad was getting a hot cup of caf to the face.

His mannerisms, speech, and attire made her think about her daughter. If she ever brought someone like this home, she was shooting them. On sight. Morra would just have to hate her.

When he finished talking, Emere continued to eat her gaze only shifting to catch movements within the diner. Her desire to engage with the bold fool was more than underwhelming.

“You had half a brain to realize I like my own space and chose to enter it? Moe’pi.” The Ilohan insulted him in her native tongue. “Find someone else to play your stupid game with.”

“No no no, Only learned you didn’t like it when I did it” Another smile flashed at her, and he seemed to laugh at the insult.

“I’ll have you know i haven’t done that since i was At least 15.” perhaps a bit of self depreciative humor would soften her up?

The Hapan then sat up, looking across at the tattoos inked on her arms. “Nice! Looks clean. What’s it for?” he gestured the the ink with his own tattooed hand

Mikhail returned a blank look, showing nothing as a young man approached.

He walked with a strange gait, aided by a crutch tucked under his left shoulder. He seemed of Average build, up until his face. His facial structure was similar to Mikhail’s, the Raven black hair that was tucked under a red cap giving away their shared heritage. Though as if mirroring Mikhail, this Kadnikov had a horrendous scar crawling across the left side of their face. The faint red line disappear under his hairline and cap, and even crawl down his throat a ways.

Empty white eyes met Crystal blue as the man stood at the end of the table. He seemed to scan over the others for a few moments, hesitating on Elly before his bleached glare returned to Mikhail. “Твои друзья?” despite his youthful appearance, his voice was gravelly and uneven. “Нам придется освободить место”

He used the crutch to tap against the seat next to Rue and his nearly spilt over pack, then spoke in Basic. “Clean this mess.”

“Griddle?” Koda thought about it, “A proper meal wouldn’t hurt.”

Bottled latte secured, the Jedi made her way through the cryos and grabbed a few other things– namely a fruit parfait in a plastic cup and a prewrapped sandwich. She sat there for a few moments trying to decide if she wanted to tempt fate with the Deli Nuna sandwich or if she was just going to play it safe with the Ham sandwich instead.

Decisions, decisions.

“Am, Stram, Gram… Pic et pic et…” She mumbled to herself, pointing to each sandwich in turn then repeating, letting fate decide whether or not she was going to get sick today.

She finished mumbling the elimination ryhme to herself and her finger landed on the Ham and Mayo sandwich, and she sent out a silent prayer of thanks to the Force.

“Ham it is.” With that she collected her belongings and made her way to the checkout line. Once she was finished here she would get on the next transport out on it’s way to Kiast

Elly had to take a large calming breath to stop herself from snapping at the newcomer. Hearing Rue so quickly revert back to his subservient ways made her blood boil.

“Did your mother never teach you manners?” She snapped <@244244163002892288>

The man looked down at Elly, seemingly unbothered by the words. “No. She had nothing useful to teach me.”

Meanwhile, Mikhail’s nails dug into his knee even harder while he watched Rue. His jaw clenched, eyes turning to the now empty seat, waiting. What he was waiting for became clear moments later as another man approached the table, this one dressed in an impeccably high class suite, the lapel of which bore insignia matching the one on Mikhail’s collar. His hair was once black, now obviously greyed. He wore thin round glasses, and an ever disgusted look as he took in the diner and the inhabitants within.

The older man scowled at the State of Rue and the overall crowd around the table. Still, he elegantly slid into the booth besides the Hybrid. With a tilted head, his blank eyes narrowed suspiciously at Mikhail. “Это твоя защита, хм? Бесполезные обрывки.”

He then swapped to Basic, offering a smile to the table that made no Effort to hide his utter disdain. “It is So good to see our dear Petrovich making friends all the way out here. He had quite the hard time branching out back home.”

Emere’s brow lifted as he understood her native tongue. If she noticed his failed attempt at humor, she had no reaction.

Since there seemed to be nothing she could say to dissuade the Hapan from pestering her further, she humored him. “Tata’u. Family tradition from Iloh.”

That was partially true. Traditionally women didn’t have large tattoos, they usually were more discreet or delicate. The real reason she got them remained veiled to the eccentric stranger.

He nodded, seemingly genuine in his interest. “Fun! Mine are..” he pauses for a moment, looking down at the back of both of his mechanical hands. something flickered across his face before he continued “Homage, to my first band.”

His fingers again drum against the table, tapping out a quick beat as he continues eying her. “Ever been to a concert?”

Emere nodded and then took a sip of her caf, her dark eyes flitting around her surroundings. Again. Her expression was stern as she leaned forward, studying the young Hapan. It was the first time she showed any intrigue in the intruder of her space.

“Seen a few small performances. Sometimes I pick up a few cheap gigs to play guitar at local bars.” Her eyes tracked figure moving in the background briefly before snapping back to the stranger.

Somehow, the Hapan’s face brightened even more. “Oh? You can play?” His mind immediately started working overdrive, plans being tossed together

“I play gigs like that too, sometimes I branch and play some pretty big ones. But I’m always interested in local talent, it’s how I fill out my shows. Each place has it’s own atmosphere and the local talent knows how to strike it.” He seems to almost be vibrating on his side of the booth with energy. “Maybe you’d consider working together sometime? Or we could meet up again and you could try out my guitar? All else fails, I could get you tickets to a concert of mine”

Elly looked to their server and grumpy grumbled “Don’t worry, him and I” she pointed to Rue “Are just leaving. There’s gonna be plenty of space for everyone to sit then.” Elly took a gander at Mikhail and then the graying newcomer. If she could get Rue out of this, she’d be happy. But if not, well, she travels with brass knuckles for a reason.

“Splendid. Get whatever you need, and I’ll meet you up front shortly.” Still a bit incredulous at Koda’s disdain for fudge, Erinyes started sifting through the packets. Classic chocolate, of course. Ruby Rose. Maple walnut. Peanut butter. Mocha. And… wait, chocolate cheese? What kind of maniac invented that?

Well, it was worth a shot.

More snacks for the trip back to Arx. Jerky, chips, a veggie tray, maybe a sandwich—no, no sandwich, she was about to have actual food. One armload was enough, anyway. She headed for the checkout line, handcart in tow, both to wait for Koda and so as to not cut in front of Sonyo. After all, even Sith have standards.

Emere let him rattle off all his questions, even taking another sip of her caf while he spoke.

“I work alone,” she said dryly after a moment, shielding herself from any kind of cooperative musical thing. “But. If you can get me two tickets, call it a deal.”

Once in the checkout line, she waved to Avalon and Tsuyoku, and made some motions that were intended to communicate “I’ll get hers” about Sonyo’s purchase. <@264959101384130560>

The solid thunk came from the booth behind her, a flash of steel in her peripheral vision. It was almost involuntary, the quickness of Leena’s reaction, the snap of her holster lost in the diner beneath the woman’s terse words. She let the breath out slowly, measuring it as she slid to the side, adjusting the angle of her vision. The tension came to a crescendo between the two, one patently unwelcome, if she didn’t miss some context somehow. Either way, the sudden movement and tension had put her on edge. Or was it the caf? Their conversation meandered for a bit, the guy just not taking the hint. Pretty typical.

“I work alone,” the woman said, verbally parrying away the man’s advance. Leena was back to back with her, and she opened her mouth to offer quiet assistance as she continued. “But. If you can get me two tickets, call it a deal.” Leena closed her mouth slowly, her mind wandering through options. She knew that play well enough, she’d used it herself. She seemed to have him handled, no doubt perfectly capable on her own. But still, knowing that you had backup, that helped.

She managed a low whisper, sliding her head to the side to keep the sound from the man’s notice. “You good?”

He nods slowly, still ever smiling. “Gotcha, you and your significant partner right? I can manage two backstage easy.” He drew his compad, then quickly began tip tapping away on it with his thumbs. After a moment he flipped it around and slid it across the table with a smooth push.

“Just need your info, where to send the links and such.” He relaxed back again, shifting so that once more he was lounging on his side of the booth.

The scarred man reflected the lifeless stare, but did not bother putting on a smile. He simply leaned against the side of the booth, taking pressure off the crutch he had been using.

The older man’s face remained twisted in the false pleasantry, though his eyes show a much different emotion. “Leaving already? I don’t blame you.” He cast a sharp, pointed look at Mikhail, as if blaming him for something.

After the brief glare he looks upwards, forcing every ounce of contempt he could through a smile. “I will take Duck, roasted with honey apple and cowberry. And a glass of Purified water.”

He lowered his gaze to Elly, whom he offered a hand and then tilted it away from the table. “If you must leave, then please do. If not, order so the help can leave.”

“If you’re not going to move out of his way,” she pointed to Rue, making a point of not using either of their names. “Then I suppose I will be staying. If that’s the case,” she looked up to the server “I’ll take the country fried steak.”

The elder man looked down at his hand that was brushed, then raised his attention back up to the servant. He smiled. Wide. His eyes squeezed into a squint, as if he found something to be Oh so funny. “Oh Ho, an accident is all, right? All is fine, surely. Do not touch me.” The last line added on as a flat quick addendum, missable if you weren’t paying direct attention to his words.

Mikhail stared across at Rue for a few moments, a look that was caught by the Elder. With a quick purse of his lips, he spoke again to the table. “Since we’re all going to enjoy a meal, introductions are in order.” He snapped to his side, and the younger of the two lurched forward, away from his leaning position at the priors shoulder. “This is Kadnikov Altirius Malakovich.” The pained, rough voice spoke louder than it was used to, announcing to the table.

Altirius nodded and wove his fingers together In front of him on the table. “You may call me Altirius, Sir, Lord, or any similar derivative.” He added on, then waited patiently for the others.

Elly gave the server a subtle nod in understanding, definitely planning on leaving a hefty tip for their troubles at the end of whatever this might turn out to be. She watched the interaction with tense muscles, just waiting for an excuse to retaliate in some way. But no such opportunity came.

She barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes when Alt forced the broken man who stood beside him to announce his presence like he was royalty when he was eating in a diner located inside a fueling station.

“I think I’ll stick with Altirius,” Ellisyn said with a fake smile, barely covering her breaking heart upon hearing Rue address himself in such a way.

Alt’s head moved, turning slowly towards Rue. His neck shifted, snakelike, tilting his head downwards as the first, genuine smile slowly curled from his lips, the twisted, hungry smile only faded when Elly spoke. He turned to face her, the fading hunger only seen for a moment as he regards her.

Before he could speak, Mikhail opened his mouth. Words seemingly falling out of him. “You invited me here for a meeting, not a chat. We have business, your reveling can wait.” If it weren’t for his pants, he would have drawn blood by now, surely. His nails may bruise by how hard he dug them into himself, trying to distract from all that Rue was. Prey.

Alt looked amused, somehow, by Mikhail snapping at him. He chose to not answer however, instead letting a long silence play out as the older man sat back, made minor adjustments in his suit, drew a handkerchief from a breast pocket to wipe a few forgotten crumbs off the table and onto the scarred man’s shoes - who promptly backs up once more. Alt rolls his neck, then shoulders, eyes focused on Mikhail. Every moment, drawn out and savored, letting the young Arkanian Stew in his doubt.

Finally, his burning gaze relented, and he looked to Elly. “Forgive me, I must have not heard you. What would be the most appropriate name to call you? Are you also and experiment?”

The Firrerreo watched Alt’s movements with a bit of curiosity as to why the hell he was taking so long between both sentences and movements themselves. It had almost begun to feel awkward with how long the lulls seemed to be, and she nearly found herself feeling grateful that he broke the silence with a question directed at her.

Elly wasn’t a stranger to hiding who she was. Hell, for her first few months on Kasiya, she went by an entirely different last name. So, she did what her aunt once did and assumed the name of a woman long dead. “Lyra,” she said. You can call me Lyra. And I am not an experiment, I can assure you of that.”

“Lyra. Quite a delicate name, for, well.” He turned his head, smiling kindly to Mikhail now. “Indeed, we have business. You know, your father has been waiting to hear from you for a while. He’s been expecting that gift you promised him.” He shook a finger subtly in Mikhail’s direction.

“Not to mention, Ana has been wondering where her cousin has been. She wanted me to request you send a personal post card.” The ever sadistic smile stretched even wider. “I have news on your Natasha, by the way. Care to hear?”

The almost teasing tone would have caused Mikhail’s ears to bleed, if it could. He shook in his seat, subtly. “No. I have all the information from her that I need.”

“A shame.” Alt slowly folded his handkerchief up slowly, eyes downturning to watch it before that sickening smile returned. “I’ll tell her you’re too busy for the wedding then.”

Mikhail could not grow more pale. The grip he held on his knee loosened until his hand fell limp and cramped. Nothing passed across his face as his gaze disappeared into the tabletop. It seemed, for a few moments, he was a statue. Unmoving, unbreathing, unblinking, incapable of emotion.

“Perhaps I’ll send Nikita in your stead, hmm?” Alt glanced over his shoulder towards the man who seemed to be clutching his crutch as if it would slip from his grip somehow.

The woman was already on edge, so when he decided to go and insult her, she had to take yet another deep breath to keep herself from snapping at him. Not only was he being unkind to her and Rue, but now he was making Mikhail wildly uncomfortable. Which, in most cases, would’ve been upsetting to Elly. However, here she was rather curious about what was going on. She had many suspicions about Mikhail but never set aside the time to investigate any of them, choosing instead to focus on her life on Selen. She was quickly regretting that choice.

Mikhail hardly reacted to the squeeze. All he could do was slightly wiggle his foot, flexing the ankle that was grabbed. He swallowed, and in a dry voice managed. “Perhaps you should.”

Alt smirked and leaned back in his seat, glancing at the others as he still addressed Mikhail. “Interesting friends you have. But I do hope they do not keep you too long. You know how long I will be here and it would be much more convenient for everyone if you handed off the gift and card to me personally before I set off. The less time I spend here, the more pleasant my attitude will remain.”

Mikhail only nodded, then cleared his throat and spoke. “I’ve.. already reached out to… purchase the gift. I just need time. I will get it to you.”

“You will indeed. I see too that you’re healing well from your fall. Nothing too badly broken I hear?” Again, Mikhail nodded, eyes still focused on the table. “A shame. It’s important to learn your lessons when doing stupid things like that.” Poison pooled in Alt’s cloud white eyes.

The whisper tingled Emere’s ear, catching her slightly off guard. With a slight turn of her head she inconspicuously, scratched her ear with her shoulder and whispered back, “Fine.”

Her attention was back on the young Hapan who was pulling up something on his compad. She was damned if she would tell a stranger about her daughter. “Someone significant, yeah.”

She entered generic information into the datapad, even skipping her first name. She slid the pad back over to him at a rapid speed, a bit haphazard, not concerned if he caught or not.

<@160141735354171394>

Kal Arias stepped off the ship, using his flute-like nose to whistle softly to a droid that was perched on his shoulder before switching to Basic, sticking with hushed tones. The droid bobbed up and down, almost as if nodding. The Ryn and his friend made their way inside the station known colloquially as the Shame Corner. Despite having been told what to expect, no amount of warning could have prepared him for what he saw as the doors parted. The place was huge. Granted, it even looked big from space, but it was different being in the middle of it all. There was branded merchandise everywhere, in almost any form imaginable. Knickknacks and trinkets of all kinds lined shelves and hung from racks The smells of food reached his nostrils, and those of sweets as well. It made his stomach rumble, even if he had eaten already. A glance ahead revealed a stand selling fudge, with flavors aplenty.

“Oh, we’re definitely stopping there before we leave, Circuit,” he murmured excitedly to his droid passenger. The droid’s photoreceptor brightened and swelled before returning to normal, perhaps in a strange approximation of a pupil dilating as it picked up on Kal’s mood and tried to mimic it in whatever way it could. It issued a short, high pitched trill. Kal gave the droid’s head a pat, smiling as they ventured further inside.

Leena nodded slowly in recognition, her hand finding its way back above the table and to the menu. She raised an eyebrow at Hekate, then darted her eyes to the side twice until her photreceptors blinked in understanding. Leena leaned back, locking eye contact with the droid, her voice a little bit louder than it normally would have been if she was just adressing her companion. “If you want to change your order, let me know.”

Hekate tilted their head a bit, pushing the hood of their robe back, joining in. “I do love roasted meat. We could get enough for all of us.”

Leena narrowed her eyes at the droid, a slight tinge of confusion on her lips as she opened her hand wide, palm facing down and lowering it. Hekate blinked as she understand the signal, then tilted their head back to normal, continuing in a quieter volume. “What?”

The woman at the bar was not unaware of the sudden gathering. She didn’t do much to show it besides an occasional cursory glance around the room, eyes drifting from table to table. He eyes caught and tracked the server with food headed to the table with the Kadnikovs.

At the table, Nikita choked out a quiet “Food.” At Alt’s shoulder. Giving the elder enough time to lean back, allowing the servant plenty of room to deliver the meal to the table. His eyes however were turned upon Rue, tight lips still slightly quirked in a smile. “Oh, you know something of being Lesser, do you? You claim I lie, and how interesting that is. You who’d know nothing. You served better in silence, существо.”

With a roll of his eyes, he turned to the plate before him. The smile returned to his face, eyes gaining that slight squint again as he looked towards the servant. “Oh would you look at it. It looks absolutely.” He ended the sentence there and clapped his hands together once.

“Unfortunately, I am beyond my caloric intake for this hour. Perhaps Petrovich would like it? I noticed you haven’t ordered. And what would your mother say, going all day without lunch?” He used the folded handkerchief to push the plate a few inches in the direction of Mikhail before he slipped it back into his pocket. He then swiveled his hips, and stood smoothly, running a hand over his front to straighten himself out. His eyes met Mikhail’s again, words slathered in poison as he spoke. “I am sure you will do everything in your power to do as you were asked, for the good of the Family. до свидания” he nodded to the table then strutted past the servant, offering one final smile and a not so heartfelt “Thank you so much, Roy.” Before brushing past towards the exit.

Elly was almost sure the strangers would seek out some form of retribution, leaving her surprised when they left without a fuss. She saw Ira taking their picture and getting stuff settled on a managerial front while Ray came over to check up on the trio. She was grateful for the concern, especially for their concern over Rue, but had to assure them that she was okay.

With the strangers gone, Elly very quickly left her beautiful steak, that she was 100% coming back for, and slid into the booth across from her so she could scoop Rue into a quick little hug and said the same thing she said when he had disagreed with her the first time “I’m so proud of you,”

Mikhail was motionless for a few moments, but shifted when Rue scrabbled to climb onto the seat with him. He reach down, gently helping to lift him and setting his hand on the top of his head so it didn’t bonk. He accepted the embrace, blinking rapidly a few times before swallowing. “Rue. There’s.. still one here.” He spoke quietly, eyes meeting briefly with the dark eyed woman across the room.

“Right…” Elly sighed. There wasn’t any helping it. Rue thought the world of Mikhail, and there wouldn’t be any way to change his mind. She looked at Mikhail with some concern and suspicion. “You’ve got some explaining to do here, Mikhail.” She said. Not for a moment did she believe that Rue was there by accident. That was just too convenient.

Koda gets all of his supplies and checks out, working on getting it all into a supply crate. “I’m going to take this out to my ship and then grab some grub before taking off.” He heads off to secure his supplies in his ship, checking to see that it’s still fueling, and then makes his way into the diner part of the store.

Elly let out a small sigh. Mikhail could wait. She didn’t want to be interrogating him in front of Rue, especially after such a stressful experience for the three of them. At the very least the lawyer could do some research into the man and his history when she got home.

The day seemed to be filled with the unexpected as her head flicked over to the entrance of the Golden Griddle as familiar armored footfalls rang out through the diner. She watched as her brother strolled on in. “What in the…” She mumbled to herself before sliding out of the booth “Koda?”

Koda cocked an eyebrow has he heard his name and turned to see his sister, “Elly?” He made his way over, his footsteps definetly not having the twang of an old western spur, “I didn’t expect to see you in a place like this. Does this mean you finally got yourself a ship?”

She let him close the gap between the two of them before wrapping her arms around him in a big hug. It lasted mere moments before she pulled away. “No, no, I did not. You know I don’t know how to fly, so what’s the point?” Elly chuckled. “The bigger question is, what are you doing here? You never leave the fort.”

Nash was indeed too busy fiddling with something on his inner wrist, one of the panels was popped open and he had a finger jammed in it, wiggling around. Wether he was trying to adjust something, it was unclear. He almost appeared to be itching his wrist as the pad slid across towards him. He watched it approach, then slowly tip over the edge of the table before it fell, flipping through the air until it landed on his waist.

He clicked the panel closed, and checked the info. “Cool, nice, yeah. I can work with this.” He tapped slid a few things around on the pad before slipped it back into his pocket, flashing yet another smile across at her.

The grin wavered only slightly as Commotion behind him seemed to pick up, something about slave running?

He twisted in his seat, sitting up enough to peak over the back of the booth towards what was going on.

A tear screamed it’s way down the Arkanian’s cheek, dragging with it only inky black feelings that matched the dark streak from the makeup around his eye. Mikhail quickly reached up to touch the wet stain before Rue touched his other hand.

Finally, his attention seemed to center again in the now. He didn’t know where Elly went, and only barely registered Rues weight against him during the hug.

There was fruit.

Two small, timid, organized piles. Like scraps lined out for a mouse.

Was this a normal meal for Rue? He turned his face to the man, glasses unable to hide the dark line that carved its way down his unblemished cheek to his chin. “Thank you. You.. you deserve more than…” he trailed to an end, then slowly lifted a fruit.

Across the room, the dark eyed woman seemed to relax, now that the meeting was over. She busied herself instead with the meal infront of her. It was no means gourmet, but she’d had much, much worse. She carefully lifted some of the raw meat mixture onto a fork, using it in conjunction with a knife to cut a piece of the toasted bun. She carefully created about a dozen bite sized samples of meat and bread, then one by one ate them mechanically. Finishing quite quickly, as there were no breaks between bite, chew, and swallow.

The room had gotten quiet for a tense moment, unless that was just her anxiety amplifying everything. Leena drew her focus together, tuning her earcone slightly. “Slaving isn’t legal here.” She heard the server say, his voice a mixture of concern, annoyance and care. Leena twisted her mond for a second. That was not a random statement, a piece of conversation that established what every sentient should have already known. No, those were always ever reactionary words, which meant…

She decided against snapping her holster shut, trurning her body in the booth to look in the direction of the words, her palms itching to be filled with weaponry. Hekate took another slug of their caf, then noticed her movement and immediately shifted themselves as well, the calculations to how quickly a weapon could be deployed instantly factored.

Leena watched. The server with the electric attitude seemed to be stepping back as the table passed consoling embraces, relieved by a mountain of a woman, a map of scars written in her skin as testament to her willingness to address situations. Good. That meant that they were mostly safe. That didn’t mean it was over, only that they had disengaged. But where? Her eyes scanned the room, violet eyes tracking everyone who was standing or walking away, moving with that pompous gait that only one who would deign to own another always seemed to have. Leena felt Hekate twist, all but vocalizing the question of what her concern was.

Leena’s voice was a low growl, the word slipping out with the venom of hatred between clenched teeth. “Slavers.”

Koda gave her a quick hug back before sighing, “Forts not mine anymore, at least not officially. I resigned, Graham is taking up governorship. I don’t want the responsibility anymore, it was always meant to be temporary.”

“This might not be what you want to hear but I’m glad you finally got out of that place. It was not good for you.” She paused and sighed “Why didn’t you call to tell me? I know things are… Strained… But you could’ve at least reached out”

“You know how I am. I only reach out in the most dire circumstances. I’m still working on fixing my relationship with the rest of the family. Honestly I’m still working on finding myself. I feel like part of me is still out there somewhere, and I’m not taking about my arm.” Koda joked, trying to deflect the situation.

“Well… your nieces miss you. I do, too. Hell… even Mom misses you. Sometimes.” She chuckled softly. Now wasn’t the time to talk too much about her mother, but hopefully, someday soon, they could work on that together. “I’m sure your arm is lost, but your home isn’t. Go visit sometime. You just might find what you’re looking for.”

“I’ll visit soon, Sulla and Lektra that is. I’m not ready to head head back to Heaven yet. Only thing I’ll find there right now is more pain.” Koda said, looking at Elly with tired eyes, but for once she’d see a glimpse of the happy-go-lucky brother she knew. “But enough about our family issues. You always knew the best places to get food, what’s good here?”

The Firrerreo smiled softly as she noticed the small snippet of hope in her brother’s eyes. “I get it, Koda, I do. Take your time. Mom and the others will be there when you’re ready. But Sulla and Lektra are a little less patient than everyone else.” She smirked before continuing

“No clue about the food. It’s my first time eating here,” Elly admitted. “But, the steak I ordered looks kriffing amazing.” The woman grabbed Koda’s hand just as she used to as kids when she was plenty excited and dragged him over to the booth she had been in with Rue and Mikhail. “Oh, also, this is Rue and Mikhail,” she introduced the peeps she was sharing the booth with. Thoughts of the tension filled situation from before have all but left Elly’s mind as she focused on the fact that she was getting to see her brother again.

“Greetings.” Koda nodded, “Not afraid of me because I’m taller than my little sister, are you?” He joked.

“Oh shush,” Elly said to her brother “You’re not even that much taller you jerk.” She giggled just a tad. “Rue, meet my brother, Koda.” <@244244163002892288>

“And you get mad at me for revealing stuff about our family.” Koda snarked to Elly and turned to Rue, “No worries about that, I wouldn’t accept a gift anyways. You seen to know about me, has my sister talked about me before?”

Mikhail kept his face mostly turned from the other two, only occasionally glancing up towards them through black lenses. He was picking at the fruit selection infront of him, eating much slower than Rue was. Gears were turning, some spinning with no catch. He needed something, without any idea what.

Elly returned Rue’s toothy grin, his excitement contagious beyond belief “Rue isn’t a government super power, he’s a singular person.” Elly chided “Very different situations.” She grumbled just a bit “Besides, Rue is one of the good ones. He’d never sell us out.” <@244244163002892288>

“Exactly right, Rue. Slavery is very bad. Everyone deserves to be free and make their own decisions for themselves. And those who seek to strip people of that free will are the worst of all.”

A soft but warm smile filled the hybrids features and she approached the cashier that waved her over. She placed her late and sandwich on the counter.

“Do you know when the next ship to Kiast leaves?”

The golden-eyed server smiled serenely and slid Sonyo’s purchases across the RFID scanner. “The shuttle from Kiast just arrived. It normally takes a standard hour for them to refuel and restock before departing again. If you’re looking to leave right away, I expect they’ll open their doors for passengers in thirty minutes or so. Were you able to find everything you were looking for?”

“I could eat. Anybody have recommendations? I’m feeling something filling and not what some would call particularly healthy.” Koda chuckled and found a place to sit down with everyone in his bulky armor. Possibly pulling up a chair and mantling it like another certain space-fairing bearded lad.

Elly covered her face when Koda grabbed a chair to ostentatiously sit down in, resigning to just slide into the booth across from Rue and Mikhail. She slid her plate over to herself and eyed her steak once again.

“Koda I swear I’m gonna steal that arm of your and never give it back. One of these days.” She sighed and grabbed a knife and fork “Rue, would you like to try anything other than fruit today? Maybe something new?”

“Not like it would be that difficult to. I don’t have a fancy cybernetic one with synthetic flesh. I can take mine off with a specific process without much trouble.”

Koda worked on sliding off his left glove and gauntlet to show off his black, silver, and gold cybernetic forearm. “That is exactly what it is.”

Koda stared kind of blankly, “I’m not all to familiar with those. Do I still feel the ‘normal’ arm? Sometimes. I’ve got an apparatus that the arm fully connects to.” Koda slides his body glove up to where the cybernetic and his upper arm connect. He’s able to press some buttons and twist the cybernetic off, showing just the stumps seal and the connective cybernetics.

Mikhail finally looked up at the ongoing conversation, the talk of prosthetics seemingly rousing him from whatever mental cell Altirius locked him in. “Phantom pains are not.. guaranteed. If they are present, certain therapy can assist in overcoming. If severe, there are medicines.”

He swallowed and eyed the seal. “If properly maintained, no further infection should occur. If fit properly, there should be no other irritations.”

Mikhail’s eyebrows furrowed as he met Rue’s gaze. He chewed his tongue for a few moments, debating internally.

He spoke after just a few seconds, words carefully chosen. “You know, Rue, we could develop something that could work for you. I am trained, specialized actually in Prosthesis, Orthotics, General cybernetics. If you’re experiencing pains, they can be treated. It may be.. a lot at first to get used to. But I think it would greatly help you, if you wanted it”

“That’s what I mean” he pauses for a few moments, watching the way he nursed the berry. “I could make one. Custom to you. However you want it to look. Like your skin, dark metal like his, shiny golden, silver or any color you want.”

He picked at a grape vine nervously, not sure how Rue would view being equipped with a prosthetic after his.. experiences. “The medicine is optional, the pains can be taught to go away.”

Elly swallowed a mouthful, “I still don’t like that you two don’t have a roof over your head.”

“I….” Elly paused for a moment “Does the sky fall under the definition of roof? Because it does protect you from the cold expanse of space…” She shrugged “Doesn’t matter, I just want you to have shelter”

Elly bit her tongue and idly poked at the veggies that remained on her plate. She didn’t want to get into this debate again, not when they were supposed to be having fun.

She pushed her plate towards Rue “Want some?”

“it’s very tasty indeed,” Elly smiled, happy to see Rue enjoying himself. But something didn’t add up “Rue, we didn’t meet each other until after the blizzard started.”

“I bet you’d have a blast on Elysia. Once you get used to the cold it’s wonderful. Gazing into the night sky from a hot spring out in the wilds? Snow covered trees? Nothing else like it.”

“Think of it like a naturally occuring hot tub. Geothermal vents heat up water in the area, some are comfortable enough to relax in while others can reach their boiling point. Just gotta find a spot others haven’t so you can enjoy it peacefully alone.”

“Look at you,” Elly nudged her brother, “Making friends without even trying. It’s a miracle what can happen when you go out into the galaxy and live a real life.”

“I governed a moon, I socialized plenty.” Koda nudged her back, “How do you think I got so good at it?”

“Appeasing the wealthy and arguing with diplomats isn’t exactly what I’d call socializing.”

After paying for her fudge, Erinyes wandered towards the Golden Griddle for the aforementioned actual food. On her way over, she spotted a familiar-looking… tree? Not what she expected to see on an asteroid.

Regardless, she waved to the Neti as she approached. “Hey, you’re… Ood, right? I think I’ve seen you around Arx.”

<@575750161243045889>

“I wasn’t appeasing the wealthy and arguing. I mostly stood there and listened to them bicker and gave neutral affirmations. Most people of noble status don’t know what needs to be done, so I simply nod my head most of the time and then delegated what actually needed to be done. But I got tired of hosting parties and dealing with people who thought they owned the place. Now I just get to deal with me, myself, and my ship.”

Reiden stretched slightly as he walked down the ramp and tapped a button on his computer gauntlet to retract it and seal the ship, heading into the station proper. He hadn’t expected to find himself on the Hydian way again so soon, but as luck would have it, there he was. Once again visiting the Shame Corner and refueling. Except this time, he wouldn’t be leaving empty-handed. He had been called away by an emergency on his previous visit, not allowing him a moment to purchase any gifts for his nephews. But now he had a mission.

His eyes scanned the various wares on display, hoping something would spark interest. He knew he wanted to get one of the plush tailrings, the cute mascot of the station. But he had three nephews to consider and it was hardly fair to get something for only one of them, even if it was for the one he hadn’t met yet. Besides, his parents had always told him to bring a gift, however small, when visiting someone.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a blanket. He turned and walked over, nodding to himself. Dark blue and with a multi-colored swirl pattern, it reminded him of images of galaxies. It was perfect. What baby didn’t need an assortment of blankets to choose from? He found one that seemed an appropriate size and deposited it into a basket he had picked up on his way in. Next up was the plush tailring, which he found easily enough since they seemed to be everywhere he looked. Once again, he had to decide on the size he wanted. While a giant one might be amusing, it just didn’t seem all that practical to him, and he wasn’t sure what the boys’ mother would say about it either, so he opted for one that seemed more normal, at least on a Human scale. The toy seemed to ride the fine line between not too big but also not too small, though perhaps leaning more toward the former.

Elly knew she shouldn’t speak for Rue, it wasn’t her place, but she couldn’t help it. “We’d love some hot chocolate, thank you.” The lawyer said with a smile, making sure Rue got the first cup out of all of them. “And could we get some dino nuggies for my brother here?” She asked with a bit of mischief in her voice.

Ellisyn’s heart swelled in response to Rue’s elated chirp. It didn’t matter how many times she had heard the chirp since meeting him, each and every time was a miracle in and of itself. She giggled softly as she just watched him enjoy his hot drink, taking in every expression and movement he made in response to the warmth it brought him. Rue’s words brought her out of her stupor, and she smiled. “They’re considered a kids food for the most part, but they taste really really good. I’m sure Koda would be okay with you trying one of his once they arrive.”

She looked to Ray, “Yes, thank you. I appreciate it.”

Mikhail seem to refocus at the noise Rue made. He watched, almost distantly as the drinks were passed out. Rue dipped down towards his and Mikhail shifted in reaction, carefully brushing the man’s hair back and out of his face so it didn’t drag through the creamy pile the hybrid was devouring. He didn’t seem to even really notice that he was doing it, but he carefully tucked the hair away behind large ears with a slight look of concern. Were the “Nuggies” meat? Were they going to bother him? No, he ate fish before, right?

Looking up, the old Neti smiled warmly. “Indeed you may have. Although my duties have taken me away from the home systems for quite some time now.”

Sketching a basic bow to the Emissary without getting up, Ood wondered how much their duties overlapped in places. Both travelling far and wide to look in to new members, her to recruit, him to destroy cloning facilities. One day, the Chamber would find out who was behind all these small scale clone facilities and why they were so keen to insert their “products” into the Brotherhood….

… Then again, not his problem anymore, the mandalorian could now deal with that duty, “Though I’m hoping to be able to spend much more time there from now on.”

“Well, nice to finally meet you.” She shook the Neti’s hand. “I don’t want to interrupt if you’re busy with something, but if you’re returning to Arx after whatever you’ve got going on here, you’re welcome to join me on the Aidana. It’s probably nicer than whatever transport Kamjin would send for you.”

“Hmm, thank you for the offer. I gladly accept.” With an twinkle of delight in his black beadish eyes, the Neti quickly cancelled his request for transportation. “I hope you know this means that I will one day attempt to reciprocate by hosting you aboard "The Wildgrowth II.”

Mikhail’s hand didn’t move away, instead it let Rue lean into it so he could slowly comb through a bit more of the man’s wild hair. He couldn’t do much with his fingers, but something had to be done about the loose and tangled strands. “I will try a piece if you do.” He finally spoke, voice quite dry as he glanced to Rue’s mug. He nodded then, glad the drink was satisfactory to the Saint.

Elly was content to watch Rue and enjoy the company of her brother in silence, not needing to constantly be active and talking to be enjoying herself. She relaxed back into her seat and just sighed happily. Maybe things could be okay. She just had to make sure Rue would be safe around the danger he was sitting next to.

With the food and coloring sheets delivered, Elly smiled up at Ray. “Thank you again. And sorry for earlier.” She reached into her pocket and, pulled out a few extra credits and handed them over.

After Ray left, Elly slid a kids menue to Rue and made sure Koda got his. “Hey look, they’ve even got a fun little menu for you, Koda” she chided before turning her focus to Rue for a moment. “They’re dino nuggies. Sulla loves them. Nobody really knows what they’re made of or how they’re made, just that they taste really good.”

The woman at the bar finally stood, having finished her meal a few minutes ago. She reached into a pocket in her jacket and withdrew a few cred sticks. She sorted them for a moment, stacking them neatly in her palm before setting two 50 Credit marked sticks down. The rest were neatly packed away again as she turned on her heal. With a last look around the room she started off towards the exit. She had to catch up to the others if they wanted to leave. And they all certainly wanted to leave.

Koda enjoyed some nuggets, “I don’t care if they’re kids food. I didn’t order them, so that means you’re paying for them, sis.” He pats her in the back

<@301514304845381632>

“Hmm, some clean water and maybe a window seat? I don’t need much more.” Ood smiled as he got up and followed Erinyes to a table.

Looking over the items on a shelf, Reiden spotted another plush tailring, this one a dark green. Having failed to come up with another gift idea, he grabbed that one as well and added it to his basket. He looked at the items and nodded to himself.

I think the boys will like these and now hopefully they won’t have to fight over who gets a turn with the tailring. And the blanket seems perfect for Sorin…but what will he think of me?

He sighed softly and shook the thought from his mind, looking around to take in his surroundings. The station was so huge that it was easy to get turned around. His eyes finally found the checkout area and he made his way over, smiling at the attendant. He paid for his things and thanked them before heading back to his ship, satisfied with the outcome of his outing and grateful that he didn’t get called away like last time.

Mikhail took the glasses, a red hue crosses his cheeks from the man’s words. He pulled his glasses off, then pushed the new pair on.

They were indeed blue.

“Thank you, Rue.” He offered, looking at the Saint through the large blue lenses.