On a Wish and a Whim ((open - Aiaru planet))

((open to all the typical residents of Aiaru. Also, the coat is nearly the same design/cut as This Link))

The sprawling and beautiful terrain she caught glimpses of through the viewport almost fell on blind eyes. Aunna could never fully turn a blind eye to a sight like that…it reminded her too much of Corellia. That may bring the questions: why was she here in the first place? Why the ‘blind eyes’ comment? What about Sam and Kuat and all of her plans? Well, quite honestly, those three questions had one answer…more or less…and that answer was one word: Vex.

The man was noticeably absent from the Consul.

…it was a fact she was having extreme difficulty adjusting to. Eressea, the REA sitting in the seat beside her, had noticed the change immediately. It was like a spark had begun to flicker and die in the woman since he’d left. A lot had happened in the span of time between when they’d landed on Dxun and their arrival here, more than either woman or droid cared to admit, but Aunna…she was taking things poorly. She put on a good face and struggled against what she was feeling, but it was still obvious, even to the REA. Now here they were, after quite a bit of single-minded research, on a planet that was outside of Republic control and (supposedly) home to a group of force users called ‘Mythics.’

Sweeping over the vast fields, then a small ring of mountains, blue eyes caught on a striking white tower set in the center of it. What is it with force users and building large temple-buildings? Shaking her head, a sigh escaped her and she kept her heading toward the coordinates she’d been given to the capital city.

”Don’t you believe that’s the place, Aunna? Why continue if these ‘Mythics’ are right there below us?”

”Because we don’t know for sure that’s them. If I knew, without a doubt, that was where they…well I suppose they live together like the Jedi…then yes, that’s where I’d go instead of Demas. Until we know for sure, however…”

The answer seemed to satiate the little droid since she gave a silent nod of her head and settled back in seat for the rest of the flight to the city. That flight really didn’t take long and soon enough the Consul had settled down on niche of a landing pad, the engines dulling to a purr before going silent as she continued to work at the controls and make sure everything was shut down. Taking a few moments to put in the contacts that would color her eyes green, Aunna checked that she had everything before scooping up Eressea, who had clambered up to the back of the copilot seat, and settling the droid on her shoulder, then heading out into the new city.

If she hadn’t been so out of sorts and single minded in her quest for information, she may have been more in awe of the city itself as she stepped down the ramp. Eressea certainly appreciated the flowing and curving alabaster architecture. Aunna, however, felt out of place. Her clothing was fine for blending in with the throngs of people in places like Coruscant, Corellia…even Dxun and Onderon…but this place had a different feel from the people she’d seen already. ”It looks like I'm going to have to do a bit of shopping to blend in a bit more here…” she said quietly, pulling off the few bits of armor she’d ‘procured’ on Dxun from some unlucky mercenaries. Considering these pieces had stood up to Vex’s saber and her pike, she decided it might be best to keep them…so she had. Heading back up the ramp, she tossed the shoulder pads and elbow guards into their…her…room. Left only with the shin guards and gauntlets, she headed back out.

Most of the day was spent looking through shops and striking up casual conversations with people, slowly gathering information of the planet from the people who lived there as well as looking for something to not only help her blend in more, but cover her pike. Collapsed as it may have been, it wasn’t small…certainly not as small as a lightsaber hilt; not unless it was a very long hilt. Then again, she’d never seen a dual bladed lightsaber hilt before. She had just about given up for the day (despite the nagging feeling in the force that she was missing something still), and was going to go get some food when she saw it…that Corellian green and 2nd-class bloodstripe gold catching her eye easily through the shop window. Eressea noticed the change in her partner’s stance and looked in the same direction, just as Aunna started moving.

The shop owner had just come to the door and started to turn the lock when he noticed Aunna, eyes momentarily latched onto the coat, before she looked at him. He couldn’t help but chuckle and open the door as she arrived.

“Hello there, young lady…see something you like, did you?”

”I…well, yes, actually. It’s a coat I saw…but if you’re closing…”

“Hah…no, it’s no problem, come on in and take a look.”

She didn’t have to be told twice. Slipping past him with a mild smile and a thank you, she immediately went to the coat in question. As she looked at the rack it was obvious that there were others similar to it, but that was the only one of its color and exact design that was left. Now if only it fits…she mused as Eres sidled off her shoulder.

“You’re not from around here, are you?”

Pausing as she took it off the hanger, Aunna shook her head slightly. ”No. I’ve never been here before, but I hear it’s a nice enough place to live.” The man nodded as he leaned against the desk, beginning to straighten out the receipts of the day while Aunna shrugged on the coat. It was certainly a sturdy thing, made of good, weather resistant, material that came all the way down to mid-calf in the back. The sleeves almost couldn’t be called that, as they were more like fabric that hung down over the arms to the wrist, but no matter which way she moved her arms, or how she moved them, they were always covered. Like she’d noticed earlier, the golden material that was sewn over the shoulder and down the front matched the color of the piping along her brown pants almost perfectly. It only zipped from her waist up, but that was just fine…it left the rest open for fluid movement. In fact, the whole thing seemed meant for fluid, easy, unrestricted movement. With a high collar whose material flowed into a hood and the lining on the satiny-looking, green, weather lining and a nearly perfect fit, she had to say this coat seemed like it was meant to keep out any and all kinds of weather in any and all situations. Best of all, it did a wonderful job of concealing both her blaster and her pike.

”You know…I'm not typically one to look for clothes. I don’t even like clothes shopping…but this is one time I have to say that I'm happy I did.”

Eressea could only shake her head, her wings shimmering an amused green through the ‘veins’ of them briefly. The owner seemed to share her amusement as he too chuckled. “Well, it seems to suit you well enough, and it matches that piping on your pants…haven’t been able to sell it to anyone else since I got it in. Guess that’s what the Mythics would say was the work of the Mythos.” Pulling off the coat and walking over to the counter, Aunna would lift an eyebrow slightly as she set the coat down for him to scan the tag.

”Is that so? Yes…it does seem rather fortuitous, doesn’t it? By the way…I’ve been hearing a lot about these ‘Mythics’ and I'm curious about them. You wouldn’t happen to know where I might be able to meet any of them, would you?”

“Oh, they come and go…I’ve heard that they like the etherium lounges…”

”Etherium?”

All the man could do was chuckle and shake his head as he took the payment from her. “Just go find one, Miss, and try not to get too high off the stuff. You’ll see what I mean.” Aunna could only blink at him, then look to Eressea questioningly. The little REA was already a step ahead, looking up the word for any information there might be. “Alrighty, it’s all yours now…lemme get that tag off for you and you can just wear it on out.” Smiling honestly for the first time in nearly a week, she thanked him and pulled the coat back on, zipping it up before letting Eressea climb back up to her shoulder and walking out into the fading daylight.

As it turned out, she didn’t have to search hard for one of these ‘Etherium lounges’…but when she found one, she almost wasn’t sure she wanted to enter or not. The place was filled with a thick sort of incense that, while it wasn’t bad smelling, it wasn’t something she necessarily liked either. Still…if this was where they came, this was the best place to be. As she entered and sat at one of the low tables, Eressea hopped down onto the table and looked up at her.

”Are you sure this is where you want to be? I'm getting some strange readings on the chemical content of the air in here…”

”When on Mandalore…do as the Mandalorians do. Though I doubt I’ll be smoking any of this stuff…the smell alone is strange enough,” she murmured as she watched the servers move around the small lounge serving food or refilling the large ‘community’ pipes that were set up on various tables, the people around them puffing on the snaking tubes that were connected to the large hookah. Yeah…certainly something I'm not going to try if I can help it.

Now...if only she could get some food and hook a Mythic, she might be getting somewhere. It...would be nice to continue her training...even with Vex gone. With that thought she sighed, sat back, and waited.