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Oct 28, 2012 4:54:29 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Oct 28, 2012 4:54:29 GMT -5
Tashra Gly yelped as the hood of the speeder slammed down on her hand, and she promptly pried it up off her, noticing with misty eyes that there was a long red mark from the impact, quickly taking on a purple color.
"Ouchouchouchouch..." The Togruta teenager said as she shook the wounded hand in pain, the repeated words blurring together like the mantra of a very impatient mystic.
'Sparky,' as she had been christened years ago by a pair of mechanics, wiped the tears out of her eyes with the back of her uninjured hand, miraculously not transferring any grime onto her face. Well, not any more than was already present on her orange-skinned visage.
Her face was round and innocent, with a 'cute' nose she hated, and full lips. The markings on her face were a bizarre and surreal-looking combination of lines and swirls. It was like someone with an imagination had scrawled on it with a marker. And at the moment it was in a wincing look of pain.
"Sparky, what's the matter?" A human mechanic called out. He was a newcomer to the Garage, dumped onto Tatooine by his crew when he ran out of use. He'd managed to adapt though, and he was really a pretty nice guy. His name was Lorik or Lerik or Leroy. Or something.
Regardless of his name, Tashra presented him with the injured hand and he reached out to touch it, asking if it hurt when he touched it in various locations.
The answer was in various "ouchs," "ows," and "oofs." However somehow the human came to the conclusion nothing was broken, and instead pulled out a bandage and wrapped it up nice and tight, advising her to keep the gash neat and clean, and to avoid using it.
A little hard since she was right-handed.
He advised her to take the rest of the day off, and Tashra tearily nodded and meandered out the door with Perry in tow, her boots kicking up dust as she walked through the streets, keeping to the patches of shade along the side of the street. She made her way to a cantina and unceremoniously flopped down in a both, resting her sore hand on the tabletop.
Perry had remained outside.
The Togruta girl sighed and tried to ignore the throbbing in her hand as she perused the rather ratty-looking menu already resting there. Despite the fact she was hungry, nothing really sounded appealing. Besides, she'd have to eat it one handed.
She settled on the 'chicken strips,' some kind of poultry she thought. Birds were tasty. And even though breaded and fried wasn't really good or desirable for her digestive system, it was pretty tasty. Especially with honey mustard.
Granted she had no idea what any of this was for sure. They could have served human flesh for all she knew, washed down with Force-only-knew what.
Tashra sighed shoved away the menu, looking around for the server. She wasn't exactly expecting company.
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Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
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...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
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Oct 28, 2012 22:40:34 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Oct 28, 2012 22:40:34 GMT -5
Vance hadn't expected to get so many glaring looks on Tatooine. Sure, Jedi weren't exactly loved by everyone, but he'd never been singled out for his lifestyle before. Still, most of the eyes that squinted at him felt more like his own; curious and wary. Few people dressed in cloaks and robes, after all (though considering the heat, Vance was beginning to wish he'd gone with something a bit cooler, even with the lighter fabrics).
But he supposed he should have expected it. When he and Tal had been flying to the desert planet, she had told him to expect something unlike Coruscant. He supposed that he hadn't taken her literally enough. Even still, the short hunt they'd gone on for an elusive criminal had been relatively short; only a few days. When they'd finally found the culprit, he'd stolen a man's speeder and tried to escape. Naturally, it had been a void effort, but as they had another day until departure, Vance had volunteered to help the victim of the theft try and fix the vehicle (which had ultimately slammed into a wall).
With a sigh, the padawan wiped his hands on his cloak as he entered a small cantina, pulling down his hood. His fingers were coated with grime and dirt; the tell-tale sign of a mechanical work. Between him and the owner, they'd been able to figure out which parts needed fixing or replacing, but the problem was that they were both foreign to the planet, meaning neither of them had any idea of where to find a mechanic. So, Vance had gone out looking for a good hour now, and after finding nothing but a few slavers and droid shops, he'd thrown in the towel and vouched for some lunch.
Slumping down on a stool at the bar, the bartender approached the padawan with the same glare he'd been getting all day. Vance payed it no mind and asked for some water, and after a small payment (which he expected was Jedi specific), he was sipping his cold drink quickly, trying to think of some other way of finding a repair shop.
That was when he noticed a young Togruta over at one of the booths had an amount of grime on her herself. He raised an eyebrow, considering. If she wasn't a mechanic herself, perhaps she'd be able to tell him where one was, or they could at least be empathetic in their mechanical escapades.
Finishing his water, Vance strode over to the table, cloak still on, hood still down. He smiled slightly as he approached, waiting until he was at the edge of the table before saying warmly, "Good afternoon. I couldn't help but notice the grime on your hand there. You wouldn't happen to be a mechanic, would you?" He reached out with the Force, feeling her presence with his own in a habit that was now pretty well cemented thanks to his teachings.
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last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
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Oct 28, 2012 23:15:20 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Oct 28, 2012 23:15:20 GMT -5
Tashra looked up at person she sensed near her. The whole ultrasonic spatial awareness thing was pretty cool in her book, though she still found a way to bump into things now and again anyway. She didn't have an excuse for it and...
He was a human, and he was wearing a really heavy-looking cloak. That confused her, as she had no idea why anyone would wear such clothing on Tatooine of all places. What also caught her attention was that he was big, a burly guy. In fact, he reminded her of Tye, her old mentor from the first garage.
Of course she couldn't see how long that funny stuff on his head was. Hair. Or what color it was. And she didn't see enough skin to tell if he had any tattoos. But he still reminded her of him, and she grinned a little, a silly smile revealing her fangs.
"Yeah," Tashra said a little dreamily. "I'm a mechanic..."
Blinking her amber eyes she snapped out of her little nostalgia trip and turned on her bubbly personality, becoming the cheerful Togruta who haunted garages like an orange ghost.
"My name is Tashra, but people call me Sparky. Are you a mechanic too? Oh- You could, like sit down, I mean if you want to. I'm not doing anything or anything, so... You know."
Yup. Super articulate. Classy, smooth, refined. Truly winning charm and charisma that would help her catch the eye of men.
The girl reached up to scratch her forehead and left a large smear of grease right between her eyes before lowering her hand back down to the table and cocking her head as she looked at the human expectantly, hoping he'd sit down.
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Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
1,616 posts
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...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
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last online Jun 22, 2023 19:35:57 GMT -5
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Oct 29, 2012 14:15:02 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Oct 29, 2012 14:15:02 GMT -5
Vance couldn't help but smile wider at the response he got. There was something about sticking out like a sore thumb and being judged all day that made a simple, happy grin from someone new that much more enjoyable. Her vocal stumble was lost on him, as he was paying to much attention to her presence. She was indeed bubbly, and quite young. To be honest, she seemed about his age: 17. That made him run his hand through his afro as he sat, trying to wipe some of the stray locks of hair hanging down on his forehead back into the mass.
"Thanks. I'm Vance," he said, equaling their field of information. He would never say it aloud, but the more he looked at her, the more he found Tashra to be quite cute. Her facial expression, that happy smirk with her fangs revealed, was enough to make him laugh a little. The smear of grease she put on her forehead only made it harder not to simply laugh outright. After containing himself, Vance tapped his own forehead, claiming, "You've got a little something on your head there." He spoke unusually warmly; he liked Tashra already.
"And since you're a mechanic, I don't suppose you could tell me where I could find some speeder parts?" Vance stuck one of his dirty hands into his pocket, feeling the small parts he'd taken with him until he found the correct one, bringing it to rest on the table atop his open hand. He tried to remember the specifications of the speeder. "I need a few things for a... Hiker 570 Swoop." He nodded when he stopped talking. That name sounded right, or at least he'd gotten the brand correct. Either way, he hoped it would suffice, looking at her with his steely-blue eyes, calm and curious, trying to both observe her and relay his happiness at finding someone not blatantly against him.
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last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
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Oct 29, 2012 16:13:08 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Oct 29, 2012 16:13:08 GMT -5
"Huh? Oh," Tashra said as it registered, and she pulled out her shirt and lifted it up to wipe the smudge of grease off from her forehead and onto the baby blue shirt. In the process she revealed a rather trim midriff and the bottom of a bra that covered up small breasts, that were hardly anything to write home about.
As anyone who looked at her could attest, the Togruta girl was not bosomy. She was slender, and had nice legs. Of course she was rather oblivious to her good attributes, and she was only vaguely aware of the fact she had small breasts, and that small breasts were not desirable.
She was also only peripherally cognizant of the plethora of smudges and smears on her arms, and one on her bare knee, as she was wearing a pair of brown short shorts in addition to the SoroSuub shirt she was wearing. Those didn't really matter though. She was a mechanic, so it was normal, right?
"Oh, Hiker 570? Those are brand new, and it's hard to find brand new stuff on Tatooine. It's not like we've got a dealership with brand new swoops. Maybe you could put some old Hiker parts into the new swoop and get it to work that way."
The serving droid ambled over, and asked in a mechanical voice what the couple would like to order.
"Uh, chicken... strips... With honey mustard. And iced tea," Tashra said hesitantly, as she wasn't sure if chicken was the right word or not. And it came in strips. Or was it nuggets? She looked back at Vance and blurted out a few more words.
"Oh yeah, what do you want Vance? I'd feel all weird if I'm eating and you're not."
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Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
1,616 posts
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...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
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last online Jun 22, 2023 19:35:57 GMT -5
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Oct 29, 2012 17:03:24 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Oct 29, 2012 17:03:24 GMT -5
Vance couldn't help but notice the bottom lining of Tashra's bra as she lifted her shirt slightly to wipe his forehead. He only glanced quickly, immediately focusing on a small discoloration on the table until she was finished and her shirt was back in its proper position.
She was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too cute... He tried to shrug off his line of thinking, instead smiling again when she claimed that they could probably make do with older Hiker parts. "That's what I suspected," He responded, playing with the piece in his hand. It was just as grimy as his hands, which he noticed again. Pulling a napkin from the dispenser, he tried to wipe some of the dirt off, continuing. "Any idea where I could find some in the course of the next few hours?"
A service droid moved over and asked them both what they wanted to eat. Tashra, rather confused by the sound of it, opted for chicken strips and mustard. She then asked him to eat as well, saying it would be odd for her to dine alone.
"Uhhhh..." Vance weighed his options. He still needed to know where he could find parts before he could leave. Beyond that, however, he really was pretty hungry, and the thought of a nice lunch (though he had a suspicion that chicken on a planet like Tatooine wasn't really chicken) with a nice girl actually sounded pretty appealing. Beyond that still, he was really coming to like Tashra.
"... I'll have the same, please." The droid rattled off a generic thank you before returning to the kitchen, and Vance looked back at Tashra, half waiting for an answer, half trying not to glance at her body again. His figure was pretty well hidden beneath his cloak and robes, though his shoulders stood out despite the conservative clothing and it was still blatantly obvious that he was a big guy.
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last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
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Oct 29, 2012 20:52:58 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Oct 29, 2012 20:52:58 GMT -5
"You might try the scrapyards, they've got a lot of material. But it could take you a long time to find what you need. Over in the southeast corner they've got some shops though, one of them might have some Hiker parts. I'll help you look after lunch. Or is it dinner? I lost track of time again."
Tashra had a habit of being a chatterbox, though she wasn't particularly verbose or wordy. She was just bubbly, and a very happy soul. Her hardships were few and far between, and though life wasn't luxurious, she got by pretty well.
To be honest, she was amazed she was doing so well talking to a boy, or at least one she found attractive. He reminded her of Tye all right, and that was a good thing. But this one was her age maybe? He seemed young, so maybe she stood a chance of-
Perhaps... Perhaps he was some secret member of nobility in disguise, fleeing from dangerous Sith assassins. Or maybe he was a secret agent on a mission, or a dashing smuggler. The Togruta girl had to admit none of those options were likely, but maybe he was a nice guy, and maybe he could ask her out on a real date. They could go somewhere exciting, and maybe he'd let her wear his coat, and-
Wait. They were in a restaurant, sharing a meal. Was this a date?
Tashra accidentally let a quizzical look leak out onto her face as she wondered. She'd never been out on a date before, so this was a first. Most of the kids in Anchorhead didn't really associate with the weird alien girl. Besides, she was usually too busy tinkering or reading a romance novel to do anything. And she was always covered in grease and grime, and never really looked pretty. And no one wanted a girl who wasn't pretty.
Maybe someone would come along who thought she was pretty despite the engine grease, and without makeup or pretty clothes. Or maybe someone would like her for what was inside, just like in her books...
The Togruta teenager's heart hovered up to her throat and hung there for a minute as she tried to figure out what to say to Vance, something that wouldn't sound pathetic or desperate.
All right Sparky. Be smooth, be casual.
"So, where are you from Vance? Do you like Tatooine? Are you seeing anyone?"
Tashra's amber eyes widened to the size of saucers as she realized the question she'd just asked before she cringed and raised the palm of her hand directly to her face, the blue of her montrals and headtails flaring a vivid blue that indicated she was embarrassed.
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Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
1,616 posts
628 likes
...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
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last online Jun 22, 2023 19:35:57 GMT -5
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Nov 1, 2012 8:12:13 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Nov 1, 2012 8:12:13 GMT -5
Vance succeeded to a degree in cleaning his hands with the napkin. His palms were still grey with Force-knew-what, but his fingers were at least clean enough to the degree that he would be able to use them to eat. Tashra gave him a quizzical look then, and he bit back a sigh.
It seemed his profession was a great focus on this planet.
Just as he was about to admit his occupation, Tashra asked him, surprisingly, a small string of unrelated questions. As she asked them, they sank in slowly as he analyzed and responded to them.
"I'm from Coruscant. I like Tatooine to a degree, but I've always been a cold-weather type of person. Well, that and people have been shooting me glances all day because of these." He plucked at his robes to show her what he meant.
"And what do you me- oh." The last question sank in just in time to interrupt his own. He immediately stared at the table again, trying not to look at Tashra. Vance wasn't shy, but the topic was totally alien to him and quite frankly made him terribly uncomfortable, like sitting in a seat made of wrought durasteel.
Vance had no idea how to "deal" with women. The Jedi taught him a lot of things, but that particular subject had been left out of the curriculum. Jedi were taught to avoid that line of thinking so as to avoid attachments and therefore avoid the Dark Side.
That's what they taught, of course. Did Vance believe it? Not exactly. While he certainly wasn't on the market, the padawan couldn't help but feel such blatant avoidance of basic sentient emotions was a bit foolish. After all, if it was so terrible to have these emotions, why did every living thing in the galaxy have them?
Struggling slightly, Vance looked up and smiled at Tashra for a moment, trying to think of some clever way to avoid the topic. It wasn't that he himself was disinterested in her, but more that his logic told him it would be a poor decision. They'd known each other for what, 3 minutes?
"Well, I'm seeing a few guys over there at the counter sipping drinks, and," he peered around the back of the booth, "I'm seeing a couple a Duros sitting a few booths down, aaaaaaaaaaaaand..." When he couldn't add anything else to the list, he smiled at her again, hoping his joke wasn't too corny or half-witted. "I'm seeing you, now aren't I?"
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last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
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Nov 2, 2012 22:12:15 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Nov 2, 2012 22:12:15 GMT -5
Tashra stared down at the table with her wide amber eyes, the markings on her headtails still a vibrant electric blue. She was hugely embarrassed, and the fact that Vance was making a big joke out of her faux pas was even more... Humiliating.
Her cheeks burned with mortification, as if she'd been outside at double noon. The Togruta teen was despairing. Her foot was completely in her mouth, and she'd made an ass out of herself, and now he was making fun. And- And.
The girl stared down at the empty table, her heart pounding in her throat. Silence did not become her, and her glum embarrassment was painfully easy to read, like scrutinizing a naive child for lies. There was no denying what was etched onto her face.
Way to ruin it Tashra, the girl rebuked herself as she stared at the plastic tabletop.
That didn't help, so she squeezed her golden eyes tightly shut and tried to focus on breathing as she delivered herself the world's worst pep talk inside her mind.
You can do it Sparky. If it's meant to be, then this can't stop it. Never mind that you just made a total fool out of yourself in front of the first nice guy you've talked to in four months...
The Togruta girl groaned and dropped her forehead down onto the tabletop, producing a dull thud. Then she simply kept her head down and waited for the humiliation to be over, to wait for him to get up and walk away from the huge loser.
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Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
1,616 posts
628 likes
...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
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last online Jun 22, 2023 19:35:57 GMT -5
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Nov 2, 2012 22:30:17 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Nov 2, 2012 22:30:17 GMT -5
Vance immediately killed his smile as soon as Tashra began staring at the table. He didn't even have to feel her presence to see how uncomfortable he'd just made her, and his guilt began to spread like wild-fire. As she smacked her head into the table, he was quite visibly in a silent panic.
Great going Asano! What have you done?! He'd spoken, what, 4 sentences, and he'd already upset this nice girl. She didn't deserve that. She was kind and cute and had been willing to help him. Then he'd had to go and be a jerk and make her sad.
FORCE, I suck... Vance looked at her sadly, awkwardly reaching out a hand to pat her shoulder. He decided against it though, his logic telling him to just leave her alone. Oh, how much of an ass he was. He wished he could kick himself, and kick himself hard. Even then he'd still be such a stupid, arrogant...
"H-Hey..." Vance said awkwardly, obviously sad. His expression was soft, and his voice relayed his shame quite obviously. "Don't be sad. I was just being stupid. I was just trying to... I mean I was just..." His logic forced his mouth closed at that point, scolding him mentally for being such an awful person. Why did he even try? Why couldn't he just be normal? He had friends in the Order; why was it that he couldn't just speak normally and not make nice, cute Togruta girl who offered to help him cry?
Huh? Why Asano?
Vance sighed sadly, drawing his cloak a little tighter around him. Despite the blazing temperature, he was suddenly feeling very, very cold.
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last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
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Nov 2, 2012 23:00:49 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Nov 2, 2012 23:00:49 GMT -5
Tashra looked up from the table, a quizzical expression on her face.
"YOU'RE the one being stupid?" She asked incredulously, straightening and becoming vertical once more.
The Togruta leaned back against the booth and rubbed her forehead with both hands, leaving a smudged area of grease all across her brow in the process. When she spoke, it was with the embarrassment of before mingled with an apologetic tone.
"It's all my fault, I just see a nice guy, and I start getting ideas, and then I just start talking and I don't know what I'm saying, and then- Stuff. Stuff happens. Stuff always happens."
Tashra stared up at the ceiling and groaned again.
"Way to make a first impression Sparky..."
Why was it that she never seemed capable of talking to men she thought were attractive? Never since puberty had she been able to do this. Every single time she opened her mouth and stuffed her foot straight into it when she'd been hoping to say something that made her look desirable.
Instead she was a bumbling misfit with a tongue of lead, incapable of even carrying out a simple conversation.
"Ugh," She said dejectedly and lowered her head down onto the tabletop with a firm thud. Luckily she had a thick skull.
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Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
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...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
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last online Jun 22, 2023 19:35:57 GMT -5
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Nov 2, 2012 23:20:28 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Nov 2, 2012 23:20:28 GMT -5
Vance listened to Tashra degrade herself a bit with raised eyebrows. She was upset with herself? He hadn't been a total jerk? Somehow he had trouble believing that last part, but he listened anyway, looking at her with a surprised expression as she lowered her head on to the table again.
"... I'm sorry, but... what?" He looked at her confused, with one eyebrow higher than the other in a questioning look of perplexity.
What the heck is she talking about?
"Um..." Vance's mental cogs turned as the service droid returned to their table with two baskets of chicken fingers and two glasses of iced tea. It placed the food on the edge of the table, and then generically asked them both if they would care for anything more. Vance ignored it, too focused on the odd matter at hand.
"Stuff hasn't happened," he said, still looking a little perplexed at both the wording of his sentence and the entire scenario. She thought he was nice and couldn't talk to him? Why? If anything it should have been reversed. Vance wasn't showing it perfectly, but this was totally new territory for him. The last time he'd spoken to a girl outside of the Order had been 3 years ago when Shon-tul had taken him out to a restaurant on Coruscant and he'd thought the waitress was pretty.
Beyond that? He was up a creek without a paddle. Oh, and the boat was sinking. Fast.
"You've made a great impression. So far you've been really nice... and helpful..." Vance brought a hand up to his chin, trying to think of other things she'd been...
"... and cheery... and... cute..."
Wait, what?! CRAP! Vance immediately shut his mouth again, wishing he could rip out his own tongue. Great, he'd gone from being an ass to an idiot in the course of a few seconds. At this rate he'd be public enemy number one by dinner.
The padawan groaned, leaning his own head back, slamming it into the seat behind him. That prompted a nice thud of his own as he wished she'd pick up his saber and just stab him. After all, he couldn't be an idiot if he was dead...
... hopefully. At this rate he'd find a way.
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last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
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Nov 2, 2012 23:45:52 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Nov 2, 2012 23:45:52 GMT -5
Tashra perked up for a second at the word cute, and then her eyes narrowed a little as she realized there was need for clarification.
The term 'cute' was a little ambiguous, with a variety of meanings. If an old woman called her cute, it meant something wholly different than if someone with amorous intent used it. For that reason, other words might have been superior. 'Cute' had to be questioned, to find out what the true intention was.
"Do you mean cute like, that's a cute puppy, or do you mean cute as in..." Tashra's voice took on a dreamy quality, "Pretty?"
She was strongly hoping it was the latter. No one ever called her pretty, and if he meant pretty when he said cute, he was basically calling her pretty, and that would be a first. And if it was a first, she was excited for it.
Besides, here was her big chance to meet a romantic stranger. Well, at least she hoped he was romantic. Well, he was her age, and probably single, and she thought he was handsome. So that was pretty much everything she needed.
The Togruta was getting hopeful again. If he called her pretty, didn't that mean he liked her? And if he liked her, and she liked him... Then wasn't that enough to have a relationship? Maybe he'd come and give her flowers, or take her for walks at night, hand her his jacket when she was cold...
Tashra wanted that in a bad way.
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Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
1,616 posts
628 likes
...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
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last online Jun 22, 2023 19:35:57 GMT -5
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Nov 3, 2012 0:00:56 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Nov 3, 2012 0:00:56 GMT -5
Vance's eyes widened a bit as Tashra actually asked him what he meant. He swallowed rather audibly, cursing his ability to speak on the whole. He eyed the food in a bid to distract himself, but his apetite quickly left him, leaving him alone with nothing but the urge to vomit.
Ohhhhhh, this is bad. Bad, bad, bad, bad. Vance tugged at the upper edges of his cloak and robes. Tatooine had been hot to begin with, and the clothes hadn't helped, but beyond those two he was beginning to feel very warm.
What did he mean? Vance found Tashra to be very, very attractive. Sure she wasn't going to be featured in any magazines any time soon, but Vance still thought she was one of the prettiest girls he'd ever met and been able to think about in this capacity... this capacity being, of course, sexual.
Beyond that, however, was the fact that she had been very charming and nice. Vance considered her a bit naive, but then again he was in no position to judge, considering he was having trouble swallowing at the moment because the lump forming in his throat was so big. Speaking of which, he took a sip of his iced tea, trying to unclog his wind-pipe and cool off.
Neither symptom was relieved.
"Well, I, uh..." He stopped himself when he realized he wasn't thinking again. His logic hollered at him to calm down, though he did only to a degree, unsure of what to he could do on the whole. What a mess he'd gotten himself into...
"You're... uh... certainly... an enjoyable person," The answer was vague and all-around dodging the question, but Vance hoped beyond all hope that it would at least relay the idea that he liked her and wasn't particularly equipped to describe it.
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last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
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Nov 3, 2012 0:12:57 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Nov 3, 2012 0:12:57 GMT -5
"Oh," Tashra said, visibly deflating.
The Togruta girl stared into her iced tea and frowned, her heart sinking down inside her, and the feeling she'd just been rejected growing in her uncontrollably.
"Okay," She said glumly. "I just thought maybe you thought I was pretty."
And that made me happy.
"I mean, it's OK if you don't think so."
Even though it makes me sad.
Tashra reached out to take a piece of the poultry, and dipped it into the condiment, carrying it up to her mouth and sinking her fangs into it, devouring a bite and swallowing, yet taking no pleasure in the food. She felt too glum to really enjoy it.
A swallow of iced tea didn't help, though it did cool her down a bit.
The teenager stared down at her plate of food, poking at it with a finger as she contemplated how close she'd been to having a relationship. If he'd just liked her, and she'd just liked him, everything would have fallen into place. But instead...
Dang.
Sparky knew in her heart she'd be a good girlfriend. She could do all kinds of things, and Sinya had even been teaching her to cook. She could make food for a boyfriend, and though she'd never tried it, maybe she'd be good at kissing.
Maybe some day.
But not now.
Tashra sighed.
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Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
1,616 posts
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...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
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last online Jun 22, 2023 19:35:57 GMT -5
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Nov 3, 2012 0:24:32 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Nov 3, 2012 0:24:32 GMT -5
Vance sighed again, gritting his teeth as Tashra deflated. That hadn't been what he'd meant at all, and yet his logic demanded that he seize the opportunity he'd been handed and jump ship. He desperately wanted to blurt out that he thought she was gorgeous, but he knew where that might lead, and quite frankly he wasn't sure he could go there.
So, teeth grit and body deflating a bit as well, Vance simply stayed quiet, reaching out to grab a piece of chicken. He didn't even bother with the mustard as he brought it up to his own lips, taking a small nibble. It tasted pretty good all things considered, but Vance was in too much of a funk to really care, so it had might as well have been a very edible piece of stone.
"I, uh..." Tashra sighed just then, and Vance grit his teeth again, trying not to let his tongue run rampant. Just stay quiet, just stay quiet. Leave it alone, she knows she's pretty, just leave it alone... After a minute of internal struggle, Vance tried to shift their focus onto a more positive note.
"Um, so anyway, where are you from Tashra? Have you always been here on Tatooine?" Vance asked for two reasons. The first and foremost was that he was genuinely interested; Tashra was a very nice person (he bit down the urge to correct himself again), and Vance was rather interested in her. After all, for every nice person was an interesting story.
The other reason was a simple hope to abandon the subject of prettiness and relationships. The sooner they could get away from it, the nicer their day could be and the less Vance would have to sound like an idiot, accidentally saying things he didn't mean and having to hold himself back from correcting them.
Argh, why did she have to be so nice!?
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last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
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Nov 3, 2012 0:39:51 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Nov 3, 2012 0:39:51 GMT -5
"Yeah," Tashra said gloomily. "I've always been here."
Seventeen years of living in Anchorhead. Tatooine might as well have been part of her blood. Sand flowed in there, and she was a desert rat through and through. That wasn't something she really took pride in, seeing as just about everyone else on this planet was as well.
"I'm from Anchorhead."
The Togruta teenager stared at her food, suddenly feeling notably less hungry than she had been on arrival, and not because of eating. It was that feeling you got when you were depressed. Not the kind where you wanted to binge on food, but the kind where you just lost interest in food completely.
Another sigh left her lips, and the girl bit another piece of her food, not taking the pleasure she'd thought she would in it. Another sip of the tea followed it, and further staring at the plate of chicken.
Tashra looked up and made eye contact with the human briefly, a sad and distant look in her amber eyes. She almost asked him where he was from, but a glum voice inside her asked what it mattered. He wasn't interested, there was nothing meaningful between them.
He'd probably get up and leave too soon, and she'd be alone again until the next person came along, and then he'd think she wasn't pretty too. The cycle would repeat forever until she was an old maid.
That merited another glum sigh and another bite of chicken.
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Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
1,616 posts
628 likes
...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
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last online Jun 22, 2023 19:35:57 GMT -5
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Nov 3, 2012 0:54:06 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Nov 3, 2012 0:54:06 GMT -5
Vance managed to stand the glum tone, and he'd even managed to keep strong through the small amount of eye contact, but when Tashra sighed one more time...
No, no, no! Don't you say it! Don't you say a w-
"You are pretty, you know." Surprisingly the statement came out in a rather calm tone, as if Vance was just stating fact (in his mind he was). His mind was immediately sent into conniptions of anger and outrage, but a cool part of his logic agreed with his action. After all, he didn't want to hurt Tashra's feelings, he hated seeing her sad, and what he had said was merely simple truth.
No harm done... he hoped.
Clearing his throat and smiling warmly again, Vance fully intended to move on. He'd fixed his mistake, Tashra would hopefully perk back up, and with any luck they could become good friends...
... or something mo- No! No Asano! Nuh-uh! Stow it, shut it, and keep talking! Obeying his logic this time, Vance continued quickly, not giving Tashra an immediate chance to respond.
"But tell me, have you always been a mechanic? How long have you been working as one?" He paused, considering, and then decided to spill one of his own cans of beans in hopes of giving her more than she could chew on, totally leaving the older subject behind.
"I know a Jedi who's also somewhat of a mechanic." He wasn't ready to speak about his job quite so openly yet, but his "friend" was totally an open topic. It just so happened that his "friend" was exactly like him.
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last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
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Nov 3, 2012 1:12:58 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Nov 3, 2012 1:12:58 GMT -5
As was the way with so many beings, Tashra had selective hearing in the face of certain words. While due to a lack of them she'd never been told to wash behind her ears, she had routinely ignored many aspects of personal hygiene when commanded. Now she chose to ignore the buk of the statement in favor of the first thing he'd said.
She was pretty?
Why hadn't he said that before? She couldn't understand, was he just saying that because she'd been sad, or did he actually mean it? Tashra was horrible at discerning lies, so she genuinely couldn't tell whether what he said was geared just to make her feel better or rooted in truth.
The Togruta girl opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, reevaluating her word choices. Then she tried again and actually produced something approaching a coherent sentence.
"Do you actually mean that? Or are you just saying that to make me feel better?"
Either way it was nice, either that he was the first person who thought she was pretty or that he wanted her to not feel bad. But still, her heart fell short of her throat, and her romantic aspirations were not kindled into a blaze once more. She was hesitant to get committed now. Tashra wanted it written on the wall that he liked her before she did anything.
"I mean, I think you're handsome. I was a little scared to say that, but you are. I like your face. Why's it so hard to say that to me?"
He really needed to read some romance novels. They could teach him how to be romantic and dashing. Maybe... Oh yes, she had one in her toolbelt.
The Togruta reached out and pulled out the worn paperback, sliding it over to Vance. It was a copy of the Skies of Coruscant, a love story about a Jedi Knight who fell in love with a schoolteacher on Ryloth, and their whirlwind romance, culminating in leaving the Order and living together in marriage.
"Here, you can borrow this."
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Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
1,616 posts
628 likes
...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
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last online Jun 22, 2023 19:35:57 GMT -5
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Nov 7, 2012 20:40:42 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Nov 7, 2012 20:40:42 GMT -5
Vance sighed again as his second attempt to steer the conversation away from this subject was totally and utterly dismissed. Oh well. Might as well deal with it then.
The first question she asked surprised him a bit. "Of course I mean it. Look at yourself." Vance's tone settled back into its calm state as his mind accepted the fact that, like it or not, they were talking about this until all of the cards were on the table. And he did mean it. She was bubbly, and though Vance couldn't say it aloud, he actually found her rather attractive.
The second question's preceding comment made him blush a little. Vance couldn't recall a time when anyone had called him handsome. Coming from an old woman or someone who regarded you as a child, that meant little to nothing about one's looks. But coming from an equally attractive member of the opposite sex and same age...
... he tried not to think about it, preparing to answer the question with yet another sigh. Before he could though, a book was procured and presented to him. Its cover, which held a picture of a robed man looking out at some city-scape with a woman holding each other dearly, read:
The Skies of Coruscant
For a moment, Vance forgot his discomfort and simply picked up the book, turning it around in his hands. Judging from the cover picture and name, he was guessing it was somehow focused around romance. That struck a note in him somewhere, but he ignored the inkling and finished his quick observation of the novel.
He also tried to ignore the suspicion he was already getting about who the robed guy was.
”… my job… means I don’t have much experience with women…” Vance tried to be as vague as possible, but he could only do so well.
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