Out of the Blue [FZ]

[Mara]

(((This takes into consideration that at Rodia Ina invites Shine to her Coruscant Senate office to thank him more appropriately without the chaos of battle around, but she's not there when he arrives, so he moves on...)))


[...from A Toe-stomping Good Time]

At the moment the senator from Arkania was doing the farthest thing from what her job usually entailed. And hopefully that's where thoughts of politics would stay until the morning. After a long day of trying and failing for the umpteenth time to get her point across, she needed some time to de-stress and relax. She needed something to take her mind off of everything and focus on something else to work out the kinks from her political back. Irrina Icharus was doing this in the best way she knew how: sculpting.

A lump of red, moist clay sat on a table between her pale white hands as she sat on a stool in her studio in the Senate district of Coruscant.. Really, it was the guest bedroom of her apartment that she had turned into her own little private artist's work area. Most senators would have preferred large, spacious apartments, penthouses, that were more like mansion that they could spread out in, not something like her modest 2-bedroom. And even if they had, they would have used this space as an office or a child's room. But Ina had no notions of bringing her work home with her, nor even a small blink of a thought of having children. So instead of leaving it to hold storage boxes, it was her own private little world to get away from it all.

Ina rubbed her thumbs against the mound of clay, slowly working out the stresses of the day against the material. She usually would have preferred to be in the other corner of the room at her easel, but today had been especially stressful for her, and this clay was helping her in ways that pounding a paintbrush on a canvas couldn't. This was something she could feel between her fingers. As she worked, the worries of the day fell off along with her progress on the piece. The Offshoot smiled to herself as she worked, bent over the clay, her white hair tied up against her head to avoid it getting in her way. She was liking the way the clay was shaping up to be as she squeezed a bit here, pressed a bit there. It was nowhere near being near done; it would probably take a few more days. But it was gradually taking shape. A shape that she let the clay tell her it wanted, directing her fingers where to go, not the other way around. She preferred to let the material speak to her instead of forcing it into something predetermined.

In the common area of the apartment, her friend Ofi, the AER-05 droid, was studying the vidscreen. She was supposed to be watching newscasts for the latest reports to take back to Ina, but she had come across an interesting holodrama and had gotten caught up in it. There were only so many droll newscasters one could watch surgically picking apart long-dead stories and topics before one went insane. And though Ofi was a droid, she figured that if she saw enough of it, she could go insane too, just like an organic. And it wasn't that she was trying to take advantage of her friend; Ina was deaf and would have no idea what she was watching. Ofi knew that she also needed a break from time to time. She watched sappy holodramas; Ina worked in her studio.

During a particularly thickly cheesy scene, Ofi let her optical receptors wander from the vidscreen to the rest of the apartment. To the right of the screen were a couple of chairs, beyond them, the small foyer and the doorway. Directly across from where the melodrama was playing out sat Ofi on a plush white couch adorned with a couple of Ina's paintings on the wall behind it. To the left lay the dining area and the kitchen and hallway leading to the living quarters, giving the space an open concept, perfect for entertaining. Of course, Ofi knew that Ina rarely used the space for that purpose, not having the time, for one, and secondly, not having the inclination. She had gotten the place for its oasis of space within the claustrophobic confines of Coruscant, not to host dinner parties every night.

The droid turned her eyes back to the vidscreen to continue watching. This show was just so addicting and so much more relaxing than watching newsvids for Ina's thoughts and takes on them later. They would inevitably replay, or if not, be found on the Holonet. Ina could not begrudge her friend some free time. There would be plenty of time later to discuss politics and news. But for now, Ofi was curious on whether these two organics--they appeared to be Zeltrons--onscreen would finally realize their love for each other or continuing lying to themselves. A glance at the chrono on the wall told her that it would have to happen soon, if at all. The program was scheduled to end in a half-hour. Ofi settled farther into the couch and watched with rapt attention.

Back in her studio, Ina was just starting to think about what to do for dinner. But at the same time, she just wanted to do one more thing to this emerging work of art. And after each time she thought that, it ended up being one more, five more, ten more, and the minutes kept ticking by. Her excitement in the project having replaced her want of relaxation and de-stressing herself overshadowed her hungriness. Ina wiped her hands against her apron to get off some of the excess before returning them to the project. Her white fingers danced across the red clay, not unlike the way they did in the air while signing to Ofi, maneuvering the piece slowly into something distinguished only to Ina's blue eyes.




(((This was take two, so it'll be a bit less polished than I had hoped, but it's still decent.)))

[Jazen]

"My lord, you just have to have the cutest eyes I've seen in a long time. Crystal clear blue....goes well with your outfit. And don't tell, don't tell me.....is that Lovett's number five that I smell coming off that beautiful form of yours?"

The secretary that stood watch over Irrina's office couldn't help but giggle at the man perched over her desk, his golden eyes locked on her like a hawk watched it's prey. When she giggled, Shine smiled and moved closer, daring to slide a piece of her hair back behind her ear. Normally, when a random man walked into the office, asked if a senator was about and then asked about where he could find her since she wasn't around, stating that he knew her and had an appointment, security would be called.

But Shine wasn't just anyone and if he had one good skill to call on today, it was knowing what to say to get a lady to feel flattered and appreciated. Luckily, he knew a thing or two about the world of a woman, mostly from experience with a little bit of accumulated knowledge. He could tell the secretary liked being commented on about her image, that her perfume was one that was meant to bring people to look her way to locate the source of that smell. Not that she needed that, any man with half a mind would double take this woman. It would be a small wonder if she didn't have a partner already.

"Oh, your just too much. Buuuut....I really can't give out my bosses home address. I mean...your cute and all....but bad people can still be cute and have evil intentions. I'll...have to decline."

"Oh, don't worry about it. Your just doing your job, and a respectful job at that. I, personally, would have had security haul me out by my ankles the second I asked where she lived. But really, its a shame she didn't leave a note or something. She told me to come by during this week for a visit. I called in advance to, so that she would completely forget about it....I'm a little hurt I think.

But...if she's not around, I guess I'll just come back tomorrow. Swing by for a quick hello before I leave the planet for a bit....such a shame." With a long sigh, he slid off the desk and turned to walk from the office. He didn't get more then a few steps before the woman called out to him to stop, the sound of papers being shuffled around suddenly dominating the location he'd just vacated. Smiling, he turned back to the woman and stepped back to the desk, to be met with the woman producing a written message written quickly on a piece of paper.

"You were sitting on it, so I didn't notice till you got up. Seems she was expecting you...I'm so sorry for not believing you."

Shine waved off her words and leaned over the desk, patting her shoulder. "Just like I said, you did what your job entitled. I respect that. Surprise surprise that I almost cost myself my meeting with her by having the message stuck to my....well, a lady is present, so I'll just keep the words to myself." Grinning, he lifted her hand and lightly kissed the back of it, watching her giggle nervously. "Maybe another day I can return to take you for a trip instead. So...about that address....."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Half an hour later, Shine was cruising the speeder he'd rented through the many air roads that made up Coruscants skies. His location was coming up quickly on the destination GPS in the ride, which gave Shine just enough time to remember why he was here. Okay, there were plenty of reasons for why he was back on Corsucant, parts and possible jobs being key among them. He'd already run into a few possible jobs and acquired a fair amount of the parts he had intended to collect during the day. But the key reason, at least for today, that he was rolling about the planet....was because he had a date to keep and a promise made not long ago that he intended to fufill.

It wasn't long ago that he had found himself on Rodia, visiting an old friend and contact for a job. He's rejected the job when it didn't sit right with him and had been on his way out to freedom among the stars when terrorists had picked that day to assault the embassy. Most of the people were rounded up by the extremists...but Shine and several others had managed to avoid getting caught up. And while they had been all over the board in their outlook on the matter, they had ultimately banded together to save the day. Among them was an Arkanian senator, Irrina Icharus. And while she wasn't as skilled in terms of fighting and shooting and all that fun stuff, she had helped them in achieving a victory over the terrorists to free the embassy.

And after that ordeal, Irrina had asked Shine to come visit her one day, so she could thank him better then the nod and quick thanks she had to give him when he'd left after. Seeing as Shine was the one who stuck his neck out to make sure she stayed safe when the others worried how she would cripple the group....well, it was logical.

The GPS pinged suddenly, awaking him from his thoughts. The address was just ahead. Bringing the speeder into the correct lanes, Shine easily guided it down towards the apartment complex and into one of the many empty stalls in its parking lot. He'd opted to bring Vis with him, although the small droid had spent most the trip recharging his power cells. Prodding the small mammal like machine, Vis slowly booted to life before turning his eyes towards Shine, the droid version of blinking away sleep shown when he powered those receptors on and off a few times.

"Have we arrived at her place of residence?....Scratch that, my sensors are indicating that 05...Ofi...is within this building. So my question is answered before it even really began." Offering his arm to Vis, the small droid crawled its way up to his shoulder, finding that sweet spot that was not a burden to the man.

"Doesn't mean you can't ask the question Vis. Now, look sharp. As gentlemen, we have to be outstanding guests for our hosts. And if me and the senator ask from some private time to speak, play nice with your cousin. I don't wanna be putting you in a time out corner for foul behavior." The droid was about to ask what the corner was and what Shine meant by foul behavior, but Shine made a motion that told him to leave it be. Patting his droid companion on his little metal head, Shine double checked the room number her secretary had given him again before heading into the structure.

A few minutes later, he was standing before the door to her apartment. He hoped. Taking a breath and adjusting his clothing a little, he rose one arm up and knocked firmly on the door. He knew she wouldn't hear it...but luckily, if Ofi was indeed there, she'd hear it. And notice that her fellow Familiar was waiting just on the other side of it.

[Mara]

She had paused in her work a moment, lending an analytical eye to her emerging sculpture, trying to figure out in which way it was going. This early, it was hard to say, but she could wager a few guesses. Sitting back on her stool, she moved the piece around via the wood board the clay rested on so as not to damage her art table. It looked vaguely avian, though an antithesis to her friend Ofi; it was tall and slender, not short and compact. But from a different angle it looked a bit more like a feline with a bit of imagination.

All in all, though, it didn't really matter what she thought it looked like. It was just a curiosity of hers, to see where it was headed. Ina would find out what it was when she felt it was finished. For now she would just cover it up to retain moisture and see about dinner, now that she had gotten to a fairly good stopping point.

Cleaning out what little there was from her sculpting session, she absently pushed a stray strand of hair off her face, leaving behind a smudge of red clay across her forehead. She considered her options for what to do about a bite to eat. Sometimes she would cook, but it was a rare thing as of late and something she generally did if she had a lot of time to spare. Right now she was just too hungry to wait that long. And so the real question would be which takeout place to order from. The new place around the corner from her building, a couple of levels down, sprang to her mind, memories of tasty nerf steak brightening her eyes. Ina hung up her apron and flicked off the light panel, her mind now completely focused away from her art and on more pressing matters.

Entering the main living area Ina found Ofi on the couch, the vidscreen tuned to one of the many news feeds. From just a cursory glance, the current story appeared to be one featuring a recent discussion in the Senate. Ina turned away; it was one she remembered and didn't wish to relive the stances of her idiotic fellow senators once again putting her own ideals in the very small minority.

Knowing she was still quite possibly a bit dirty from her clay escapades--the apron didn't protect everything--she refrained from sitting down next to her friend, opting just to stand nearby. << Ofi, I was thinking about getting something tonight from that new place I like. That Corellian or Chandrilan or--you know which one. I think we went there last week. >> Ina signed to her friend using Galactic Basic Sign Language, her only way of communicating short of using datapad or flimsi and pencil.

The avian droid had turned to Ina upon hearing her enter the room, immediately enacting the protocol to use the vidscreen to portray her responses to her friend. Generally she would wirelessly transmit to the Offshoot Arkanian's datapad, but Ina didn't always carry it with her, not while she was walking around doing various tasks. And especially not after working in her studio. Ofi didn't mind; this way was generally more convenient, plus just easier to read. She muted the feed on the vidscreen and overshadowed the image with the scrolling words of her reply, which she spoke out loud also, out of habit. "Way ahead of you, Ina. I put in an order a few minutes ago, anticipating your decision." The droid didn't bother adding that she did so after her holodrama was done, almost forgetting about it when the program ended.

Ina read the words with a smile, finally allowing herself to look back at the vidscreen now that the hideous two-faced senators were covered by the text block. It was a result of them having been together so long. Ofi seemed to be able to almost always read her mind. For some beings that would be uncomfortable and unsettling, but for Ina it was quite reassuring. Her life was so much more seamless with Ofi around. Much of the time she didn't have to waste too much time trying to explain herself to her friend; she already knew. Except for the sessions in Senate, her life was fairly routine and ran like a well-engineered chrono.

Her fingers flew again in her hands as she turned back to Ofi. << Thank you. That was very thoughtful of you. I don't know what I would do without you. >> It was the true; Ina really had no idea what she would have done in the past ten years without the beloved droid by her side. But she could guess, imagining for a moment a life stuck back on Arkania, house-bound and living with her father. Not much of a life, to be sure. << I'll get some credits out and go clean up, then. >> She smiled again, turning to look for her purse.

"Oh, lost without me, I'm sure." answered Ofi needlessly. She hopped up to the edge of the couch she had been sitting on, preparing to fly over to retrieve the credits from Ina once she had removed them from her pocketbook. After she had done so, Ofi soared over to where Ina had laid them down and clutched them in her avian droid feet.

It was then, as Ina was halfway down the hallway to her quarters and Ofi was about to fly back to the couch to wait, that Ina's pendant vibrated, alerting her to the combination that meant someone was at the door. At the same time knocking was heard coming from the same direction. Ofi glanced over at Ina, seeing that she had gotten the same confirmation and had turned back around to look at the door. << That was quick... >>

"Yes. They had said it would be at least 20 minutes. Odd." Still, Ofi flew in the other direction, perching on the chair closest to the door with coins in talon. It wasn't quite unheard of for an order to come before its scheduled time. Perhaps this time of night, an hour or two past the normal dining area, at least for the senators of the district, the place hadn't been so busy. Of course, this was Coruscant, and Ofi would had wagered a large sum on the fact that no one in this place slept; quite a few establishments were all-day, all-night, never closing.

Ofi tilted her head before wirelessly triggering the release to open the door. There was something familiar... and it didn't have to do with the takeout joint and its comforting aroma. Her head straightened back, having figured out who was at the door, heavily confused as to why. But she knew Ina must be waiting, thinking it was her food, and so she opened the door, revealing a figure that was very much not the delivery being.

Over on the other side of the living area, Ina's bright blue eyes widened in shock. At first she had wondered why Ofi hadn't immediately flown over to pay for the food. But now she saw why. It was Shine, the man from Rodia, the incident she had tried to forget, and even earlier, briefer, on Kuat. For a second she wondered what he was doing here until everything swam back into focus, and she remembered inviting him to Coruscant. But was supposed to be at her office, not at... her home. The Offshoot was rooted to the floor, staring across the room, immovable except for her eyes and her mind.

[Jazen]

While he waited, hopefully, for someone to answer the door, Shine took to glancing around the hallway he was in. There wasn't much else to do after all. He admitted, for a small apartment building, they certainty had spared no expense in making it look as lush as it did. The walls were colored an almost sky blue, even though the outside had been black in color. Made the place look brighter and thinking it over, more cheery and comforting he guessed. This hallway didn't have any windows, but there were small holo's lining the wall, usually of simple things like flowers.

His place didn't look half as good as this place tried to be. But then again, that was the outside view. The inside at least didn't appear in shambles and the quarters he rented, while small, were homely enough. For someone that was often living out of his ship and away on trips of work that is. So it actually made sense, thinking it over a second time, that someone like Ina would only have a small hideaway like this. If her visit to Rodia was any measure of what her job entailed, then she was likely away from this place as much as Shine was.

Keeping it simple and yet making it home. At least there was maybe something they had in common.

Vis, for all his quiet, was far from bored. He'd long ago tapped into that link between himself and his brothers/sisters/cousins in an attempt to make sure that they were indeed at the right place. Ofi was one of his cousins, from the first line of Familiars, so it had taken him an extra microsecond to retrace and find her identifying code, then correctly ping her to confirm her location. A ping that returned almost instantly from the room before them.

"Shine, I've managed to confirm that..."

He didn't even get a chance to finish his statement as they both heard the sound of the door release. The door slid open effortlessly before them, leaving them staring into the mechanical eyes of Ofi, who seemed to just...stare at them. In surprise perhaps....the credit chits in her hand suggested she had been waiting for someone else to arrive, maybe a food carrier. Shine let out a nervous chuckle in the awkward silence that followed, his eyes drifting from Ofi to spy Ina, who was further back in the room, staring in equal surprise. And for another moment or two, Vis calculated it to be approximately sixteen point nine seconds, it remained that way.

Almost by luck, the food they ordered was making its way towards them at that very moment, a human carrying the order in a small bag. As he came upon the door, he stopped in surprise at the scene, double checking which room he was to deliver to. Yep, this was the right one. "Uh.....I got an order here for a...Irrina Icharus....is this the right place?"

That broke the dull silence that had wrapped and absorbed them, Shine tilting his head to the man. "Ah, yes it is. Here...how much is that?" The man glanced at the order, then simply repeated what he saw there to Shine. Grabbing a few chits from his pocket, he handed them to the man while he took the order with his other." Here..keep the change." He waited for an extra moment to let the man nod and wander off before turning back to Ofi and Ina, letting a smile line his face as he stepped into the doorway to keep the door from closing.

"I apologize for showing up like this at this late hour...but you weren't there when I poked my head in. Anyway, your secretary gave me this address and said to try you here...so..here I am. Also...I brought dinner.

May I...come in?"

[Mara]

Ina stood there another minute or two more unable to move. She wasn’t sure if she was more surprised with the fact that Shine had actually taken her up on her offer, that he was standing in her doorway, or that she was dressed entirely inappropriately for a meeting such as this. The invitation had been a bit of a polite formality after all the… business on Rodia had ended, and they all had prepared to leave, her to her Republic-appointed ship and to Coruscant, him to wherever he needed to be. She was a senator after all, and believed it was her duty to do something for the man who had kept her alive besides just hollow spoken thanks. If she was honest, Ina hadn’t even thought of Shine since that time.

But then there was that small part in the back of her mind, tickling her, telling her that perhaps it hadn’t just been an invite made out of obligation. Yes, that was most of it, but… had there been another, smaller, second reason? Ina tossed away the silly thought again, just as she had back then on Rodia. Even if there were ever a remote possibility of that, it would be completely fruitless. She knew that. Not because of who they were, their stations in life—a strong proponent of equality, Ina would never have considered that—but because anything besides friendship or acquaintances was never forefront in her life goals.

Meantime, Ofi was just sitting there, still staring at Shine and Vis, she believed. She neither cared nor wanted to commit the other Familiars’ designations and names to her memory. That life was past her now. The droid waited for a response from Ina, not wanting to completely overstep her bounds. She was Ina’s friend, not her butler. Her head swiveled around to look at her friend then, wondering what was going through her mind, why she was just standing there. In her experience, Ina got over surprises fairly easily, a lot more quickly than she was right now. The droid didn’t understand; she had invited the man over—against her own advice. Why would she be surprised that he was here now? Though having spent a good decade in the company of Ina and other organics, Ofi still wasn’t sure she understood all the subtleties of their minds and personalities. It would be something to discuss with Ina once they were alone again.

The senator finally came alive then, noticing Ofi’s red eyes on her, wiping all the surprise from her face. Any and all thoughts that had been swirling in her mind about ulterior purposes to this invited meeting were washed away. She couldn’t let the fact that this was happening at her home instead of her office defeat her in any way. It was time to put on her gracious senatorial and hostess airs. She had a guest, a rarity, yes, but still a guest. Ina needed to make him feel comfortable.

For the moment she had forgotten about the ordered food, the money in Ofi’s claws, and started thinking about what refreshments she had available to offer. Then a glance in a nearby mirror to check her appearance before starting toward the door horrified her. Not only was she still dressed in her apron and smock, there was a huge smear of clay across her forehead. She licked a pale finger and tried to work it free, all the while hoping that Shine hadn’t noticed. Ina knew she would have to go change, not only because of etiquette, and not because she needed to impress the man, but because it was the right thing to do, and she should be able to sit on her own furniture.

Conflicted on what to do—whether to invite him in, then go to change, or just have Ofi invite him in—she stood there a moment, unsure about which action would be the least impolite. But thankfully at the same time she was gathering herself together Shine had turned away, speaking to someone in the hallway. At any other time she might have found it rude that a guest had ignored her so quickly for someone else, but Ina was grateful for the extra moments to decide what to do. Ina came to a conclusion, the best one she could think of in the current situation. It would be best to just let Shine come in and excuse herself for a moment.

Gaining Ofi’s attention, Ina realized it would be her only option. Out of the corner of her blue eyes she noticed Shine had turned back to her then and come through the doorway a bag in his hand. Wanting a better look, she paused Ofi with an upturned hand and studied the bag: her food. Now she was even more horrified that Shine had paid for her food, but this time didn’t let it show on her features. She merely just smiled back and looked to the vidscreen for his words, trying not to think about the smudge of clay on her face.

Quickly she read the words, confused briefly about the mention of a secretary. There was a lot she could say, but she had to make it quick and excuse herself for a change and a cleanup. Re-garnering Ofi’s attention, she began signing, using her best diplomatic and senatorial language that she could muster at the time. << No need to apologize. It is I who needs to apologize. I’m sorry, but I need to leave you here a moment with Ofi. >> She indicated her clay-covered apron. << You’ve caught me at a bit of an awkward time. Please, make yourself at home. Excuse me. >> Ina smiled at him again before turning and heading back down the hallway towards her living quarters.

Instead of repeating Ina’s words out loud to Shine, Ofi had decided to just transmit them below his own words on the vidscreen. In case he didn’t get the idea, Ofi indicated the text with a loud beep from the ‘screen’s speakers. Normally she just would let Ina talk, and then translate a summary to her guests or the senators in session. And though she didn’t particularly care for this Shine fellow and any of his motives for being here in her apartment, it was an informal meeting after all. There was no need for her to speak aloud what Ina had just signed to her. They would most likely be talking more after Ina returned, and Ofi assumed it would just be more comfortable for Shine to read Ina’s words than to hear them coming from her droid’s mouth.

Ofi flew back to the side table where Ina had left her pocketbook and purse, and dropped the credits she had in her talons down. They were unnecessary now. Turning her red eyes back to Shine, purposely ignoring his own droid, she used a wing to indicate the kitchen. “I’m sure Ina won’t mind if you got out a couple plates.” It was a subtle command that meant her friend wouldn’t want to eat out of a greasy bag in front of a guest, nor on her nice furniture. Plus, Ina had said that Shine should make himself at home. The man may as well start with something. Besides, Ofi was there to watch over his every move, her red optics glued to him. The droid took to the air again, this time settling back on he previous perch in the middle of the couch. “There should be something to drink in the cooler as well.” Shine wouldn’t know this, but Ofi was testing him. Her future like or dislike of the man rested on his next moves.

[Jazen]

Awkward silences.

The kind of silence that arrives after someone says they would never want kids, only to have their girlfriend say at that moment that shes pregnant. Or having cooked up an amazing dinner only for someone at the party to tell you they're allergic to something that was used on almost every dish. Or the classic "hey, that person is cute, you should introduce me to him" only for you to reply with "that's my father." Yes, awkward silences were one of the things that many people never wanted to experience, yet they would be forced sooner or later to experience just the one. Shine, in some awesome feat of luck, had managed to avoid facing down too many of them in his lifetime.....but he'd seen enough to loathe setting up one of those situations.

As luck would have it though, that silence didn't last more then a few minutes. A few "long" minutes as it were, but no one was in the hallway other then him, so at least he didn't get any strange glances or glares. Oh, he could imagine the looks of anyone else passing by, this man standing in an open door with a Senator standing there in a dirty set of clothes with food in his hand and a light smile on his face. It was, truth me told, both amusing...and a little disturbing.

Vis, on the other hand, had been staring at Ofi, his eyes...well, what counted as his eyes, were wide with what Shine could only guess was curiosity and a little bit of awe. If what Vis had told him was true, Ofi was one of the first Familiars off the line; Vis was several generations younger. So it wasn't a stretch to say that Ofi was, more or less, like a bigger sister to Vis, someone who would have seen much more then his adolescent eyes. And more importantly, the little droid knew, stories that might be told. His whiskers flickered green at the thought, his body rocking back and forth every so lightly on his little paws, and what doubled as a smile across his mechanical head. Now, if only she would stop ignoring him and at least give him the benefit of a hello, then he might be able to ask.....

Ina finally came alive before Shine, her eyes first falling on Ofi, then glancing off to the side at something Shine's position did not allow him to see. And then, with the slightest hint of red in her cheeks, she licked one of her fingers and began rubbing at the clay smear Shine had noticed across her brow. That prompted a small chuckle from him; she had likely been in the middle of something when he'd arrived and caught her by surprise. Not that he minded of course.

The sudden outburst of musical tones from Ina did surprise him though, even if what she was doing was not directed at him. Instead, the words coming from her were directed towards Ofi, the small droid's attention keen to Ina as she sang...or at least, that's what it sounded like she was doing. And if he had to guess....in her native language at that. After a moment, she stopped, gave him a light smile and then disappeared into a room down the hallway.

For a moment, Shine wasn't sure what to make of it...until a beep from Ofi caught his attention. Turning to her, Shine's eyes fell on the small screen the droid was near. Words were displayed neatly across it and with a quick study, Shine's smile grew just a bit wider as he nodded his understanding.

"Ah, I see. Well, I did catch her off guard a bit, so it makes sense at least. For that I should at least apologize; I probably should have gotten a number to call as well and let you know I was coming.

Though that reaction was almost worth it working out this way. Any who...come on Vis. Remember to clack your paws off so we don't track anything on her floor."

Nodding to Ofi, Shine took the few steps to enter the apartment and carefully closed the door behind him. Setting the bag down gently on a small table, Shine squatted down and removed his boots, placing them just off to the side where he could see a small space laid out for just such a task. With that all done...and Vis carefully clacking his feet together over the same space, Shine took a few more steps into the room and gave it a quick once over. Simple, cozy, that homey touch evident in the little bits of placement and select items here and there.....not what you'd expect when visiting the home of a Senator but then again.....this normal looking place just served as a reminder that Senators were people too.

A noise made Shine turn to Ofi again, her wing pointing up towards a small kitchen just off to the side. "Ah, that would be true. And some napkins perhaps so we can clean our hands off after as well." Walking into the small kitchen, Shine carefully glanced around then looked back to Ofi, who pointed at a small cabinet to his left. Opening it up, Shine found a small assortment of plates and cups of various sizes. Grabbing two plates and medium sized cups, he returned to the living area and carefully placed them on the table there before moving back to stand near Ofi.

"I'm sure there is Ofi. I think I'll grab us something simple, like a juice or something like that. I know better then to go digging into someone's personal supply of the finer drinks without asking permission first after all." As he quickly did that and returned to the same spot, pouring half glasses of some juice he had found, Vis had made his way to the end of the couch, perching there as he turned his eyes towards Ofi. Silent but still itching to ask, his own personal wish finally broke through and he slightly bounded his way closer to her.

"I believe Shine and Irrina will be speaking to themselves soon. May I....may I ask if we can do the same 05? I mean, if its not too much of a nuisance, I would like to hear some...stories of what kind of things you've done while you've been in active service. You surely must have one or two good ones...right?"

Chuckling, Shine folded his arms and settled against the side of the couch, waiting patiently for Ina to return. "Might as well just agree to it Ofi. Otherwise he'll be asking the whole time and staring as well."

[Mara]

(((Haha, Ina singing...
And again, I wrote way too much... whoops...)))



Once inside her room, with the door closed, Ina paused and pressed her head against the cool surface and closed her eyes. She had to get control of herself and of the situation. Letting Shine’s unexpected arrival rattle her wouldn’t do any good. Without Ofi here with her, she probably would have made everything even more awkward, her surprise getting the best of her. But now that he was here, she couldn’t change anything about it and had to just roll with it as graciously as she could. It would be rude to just invite him in, chat a moment, give him the thank you gift she had made, and then send him on his way. No, he would have to stay, at least for a while. As long as etiquette required.

Ina took a deep breath then and stepped away from her door. Now that she had things settled in her mind for this impromptu informal meeting, it was time to get herself ready. There wouldn’t be enough time for a quick sanisteam, not with guests waiting, so she just stripped off her clothes and put on a robe; she had put away her apron, passing the workroom on her way. A quick wipe down, especially on her face, with a damp cloth in the refresher would have to do. And thankfully, though not attached to her own room, the ‘fresher’s doorway wasn’t visible from the hallway. Plus, hopefully Shine was busy with Ofi and not looking toward this end of the apartment.

Back in her room, Ina surveyed her closet, wondering what she could wear that spoke informality but also that she was a senator thanking a rescuer. She didn’t want to give off any false vibes, making this meeting anything more than it should be. Despite what the tiny little voice in the back of her head was saying. Forgoing any of her dresses and gowns and especially her business attire, Ina settled on something simple yet elegant—her specialty. She quickly dressed and did some fixing to her makeup and hair in a small mirror in her room. With no time to wash it out, she had left her pale white hair pulled back and piled on her head, instead of letting it fall down her shoulders.

Looking at herself, she wasn’t wholly impressed, but it would have to do. There was no telling what interrogation Ofi was running now with Shine. The mirror’s image showed Ina dressed in simple black flats with matching snugly fit leggings. Her tunic was long, coming a generous way past her waist. The billowy and somewhat shapeless fabric was done in a deep blue that set off her eyes and was contained with a wide belt the same color as her shoes. As always, her silver pendant hung around her neck, but it was her only adornment today. Ina hadn’t wanted to be too pretentious for this unexpected little dinner with Shine, and she thought she had accomplished that. She looked casual but not too casual.

Another deep breath and she exited, heading back down the hallway to the living areas. Passing in sight of the great room, she saw that Shine’s back was to her and sighed in relief. However, his droid looked to be settled on the couch near Ofi, the two of them surrounding her, in a way. Her return wouldn’t be secret for long. She walked on, passing the kitchen and the dining area, which now was laid with plates and glasses, along with her bag of food. Ina allowed a small smile before going to join the others. She had said to make himself at home, and apparently Shine had run with the suggestion.

Seeing that the vidscreen, placed across from the couch on the opposite wall, was actively scrolling some words, she remained quiet. Ina didn’t want to interrupt whatever conversation was going on. Plus, she had to admit she was curious what they had been talking about while she was gone. She scanned the ‘screen; it looked like Shine’s droid was talking to Ofi, and Ina had to avoid rolling her eyes. Trying to get Ofi to talk about her past would be a fruitless task. Even Ina couldn’t get the droid to talk about her time before coming into her service. She felt sorry for the little droid, Vis she thought Shine called him.

Ofi had noticed the arrival of Ina but had more important things to deal with at the moment. First and foremost was this annoying little… weasel droid that Shine had brought with him. And she couldn’t help but think the two ‘guests’ were trying to fence her in, with Shine standing off to the dining room side of the cough and this Vis having hopped onto her couch on the other. The weasel was too close for comfort, but Ofi didn’t bother moving. It was never a good idea to show your enemy—for that’s how she saw the droid, for he wasn’t a friend--your discomfort.

“Ask all you want, but you won’t get any answers.” The bird-like droid finally answered, figuring if she just kept ignoring him, he would just get more annoying. Better to shut him up now while she still could. This little meeting was not a little P.F family reunion here. It was for Ina and Shine and for Ina to do whatever she had planned on doing with Shine by inviting him to Coruscant. Ofi would do what she always did when Ina spoke to someone—sit as unobtrusively as she could, helping out when needed. Ina was the hostess, not Ofi. She would not be a playmate for an immature little electronic weasel.

“Now, if you would excuse me…” Ofi tilted her head towards Ina. “I have some work to do.” With that, Ofi took flight, leaving her perch on the couch and retreating to the chair near the door. From there she would still be able to hear and see clearly what Ina and Shine were saying and transmit wirelessly to the vidscreen and yet stay out of the way. It should make Ina’s guest feel more comfortable without Ofi so visibly translating for Ina, making the situation as normal as possible.

Thinking it was a good time to step in and diffuse the situation, Ina stepped in more closely, signing to Shine, her words scrolling across the vidscreen. << I’m so sorry for Ofi. She should really apologize. >> She looked at her friend, not harshly, but not kindly either. Ina made a mental note to really talk to Ofi one of these days. It was odd for her to be rude to anyone, and especially to another droid that was ostensibly her sibling in a way. But she also knew she couldn’t do anything about it now. Best to just move on and leave it in the past for the moment. There were guests to take care of first. << But she just hasn’t been the same since Kuat, and I have no idea why. >> Ina shrugged.

Then she smiled at Shine. << Now, shall we eat? I don’t want the food to get too cold. There should be enough for both of us; Ofi tends to order too much. In case I snack later. >> At this she smiled again, her eyes joining in on the laughter. She moved towards the small dining table and chairs, indicating Shine to sit where he would still be able to see the large vidscreen. << Come. There’s nerf steak wraps and some of those little fried tubers. Let’s let those two over there try to work out their differences without us hovering around. >>

[Jazen]

The whiskers on Vis seemed to slump at Ofi's words, their colors flicking to a deep blue. The sign that he was sad. Turning his eyes back towards Shine, those photoreceptors blinked in confusion as to this hostility, to which Shine did the only thing he could do. Shrugging his shoulders, Shine gave him a little wave to call him back over to his side. He heard a sound from behind him, likely Ina moving around as she got freshened up. But for now, the focus was on the two droids in front of him.

Vis watched Ofi for a moment longer, then hopped to the floor before launching himself back up to the opposite position he had been at before. Settling himself before Shine, Vis turned his head back towards Ofi, sitting up on his back paws and running through the database about his Familiar cousins. There were specs on the other types, a list of which of them were active and their partners in case they were ever to meet. Ofi's active time was much greater then some of the others but other then that, Vis didn't look any farther. What was the point, after all, of learning that way when learning from the being firsthand was much more exciting.

"Then as Shine has taught me, I shall wait and ask again later. Perhaps you might be willing to speak of them then. Till then, though, I would prefer to talk about anything so that Shine and Ina might have a night to themselves."

Patting Vis on the head, Shine chuckled lightly. "Well, that's very kind of you Vis. And...Ofi right? No need to be so hostile, he's always like this. His personality quirk, as it were. I mean, he'll settle down for a while but soon enough he'll ask again.

Don't take it personally, it's just how he works I guess." Noticing that Ofi had tilted her head towards something off to the side, Shine followed her eyes to what they rested upon. Smiling as he noticed Ina standing there, he got up from the couch and tipped his head respectfully towards her. Her brief time away to change had been that, brief, but she seemed to have made the best of it. Stepping around the couch as Ina approached, Shine gave a small whistle of appreciation.

"Wow, you look wonderful. I'll be honest with you, I would have been fine dining with you as you were earlier. But this is nice too." Her hands move in a small flurry as she used, what was it called, sign language? to speak her words for her. Remembering the big screen the words had scrolled across earlier, Shine quickly glanced over at it and read what was there before chuckling and turning back. "Don't worry about it; I'm sure Ofi has her reasons. Vistal will get over it eventually...or pester Ofi enough that she gives him something just to sedate him. I should be apologizing for him actually."

He smiled in return at her next "words", making a small gesture with his hands to let her lead the way. "Yes, let's. I've been hiding it well, but I haven't eaten all day and the smell of fresh food is starting to make my stomach protest against me." Following her into the dining area, Shine took the seat that she suggested, the one that would allow him to see the vidscreen still and her as well. With a tip of the head towards Vis, who was starting to move to follow, Shine motioned back towards the living area. For a moment, Vis simply blinked at this, then as realization set in, nodded and bounded back into the living area. And sat at the base of the chair Ofi was sitting in.

"Indeed, let's hope they do. I mean, in a way, aren't they all family? Can't be good for family to be that negative towards each other.

Anyway, they'll work it out, I'm sure. In the meantime, this is a nice home you've got. To be honest, I expected a massive place and was a bit nervous about being in the home of an upstanding senator like yourself. This simplistic home...well, let's just say it's calmed my nerves a bit. Not that having this place isn't a bad thing, just never what I pictured someone of the upper class to be happy with.

Moving from that though, I hope you've been well since our last meeting?"

Back in the living area, Vistal sat for a moment more in silence, listening to Shine and Ina talk in the dining area before turning his attention on Ofi, his small body swaying back and forth lightly. Finally, his curiosity could stand it no longer, so he decided to try asking Ofi again."Have I done something wrong to earn your ire cousin? I wouldn't want you to be mad at me so if there is something I can do to correct that, I'm more then happy to try and solve the issue."

[Mara]

(((I think I’ll just do a little divide between Ina/Shine and Ofi/Vis… just to keep things more organized… At least until they’re all together again.
Which is why this post is a bit longer than I had hoped... ;p)))


Before settling down at the table herself, Ina pulled the takeout bag towards her and began disgorging its contents. There were five of the wraps and two orders of the fried tubers. She hoped it would be enough. Shine had just said he was famished, and her mind spun towards what she had available in the pantry in case the ordered food disappeared too quickly. Ina thought that there might still be some frozen Alderaanian custard, trying to remember whether she had finished it earlier in the week. But for now, she pushed it from her mind; it wouldn’t do to think too much ahead, or to think too much of this little meeting. She placed one box of the tubers and one wrap on each plate, leaving the other three servings in their takeout box.

With Shine sitting at the head of the small table—though more square than rectangular, there really wasn’t a head—Ina took the only other seat available to her where she would be able to read Shine’s words. She supposed if she wasn’t deaf, she would have just sat across from him, but as her situation wasn’t so easy, she found herself seated next to him, on his left, just the corner of the table dividing them. The trick would be to not let any awkwardness show. The senator had been in plenty of situations where she had not had the advantage of the space provided by the Senate chamber. This would be just like a committee meeting, except she was meeting with an acquaintance, not pouring over boring documents with boring senators.

Assuming that Shine had been talking to her while she was setting out the food, she glanced up at the vidscreen, where Ofi had increased the size of the text. Though in view, the ‘screen was still a fair distance away, and it would be easier to read, especially if they were looking back and forth between it and each other and their food. His comment about the two droids being family hit her inside, turning her bright eyes sad for a moment. It had been quite some time since she had seen her father. Talking to him over the small comm station in the corner of the room just wasn’t the same. But she kept reading, and her moment of introspection left her features almost as quickly as it had arrived.

She blushed at his next words, just as she had earlier at his compliments when she had first returned from switching out her clothes; even as soft as it was, it stood out starkly against her pale cheeks. Ina was glad that she was focused on the screen and not Shine, and her face was in partial profile. To think that she would be living in an opulent penthouse somewhere, or even a mansion, was just, to her, a bit ridiculous. Plus, despite her father’s position on Arkania, she had never thought of herself as upper class or even remotely rich. But apparently Shine had thought that all senators lived that way. Briefly, she wondered about his upbringing, what influenced his view of the galaxy.

Instead of asking, she looked back at him, once again in control of her features and her emotions, and signed a response, Ofi watching her hands from across the room. << Thank you. I’ve tried to make it simple but comfortable. >> She smiled at him before continuing. << I just didn’t feel a need for such lavish quarters. It is only Ofi and myself living here. Also… it doesn’t feel right for me to live that way when so many beings on Arkania and elsewhere cannot. >> Reaching for one of the packets of sweet dressing she had laid next to the remaining wraps, she paused her hands. Finished adding the condiment to her wrap, she continued signing. << And I’m rather low on the senatorial ladder, being as I was just elected a couple months earlier. >> Ina smiled again, this time a bit more wryly.

Taking a bite of her wrap, after letting Shine dress his own with one of the three dressings that came in the bag and dig into his own, Ina settled into a companionable silence for a moment before turning to Shine’s question. She knew it could be construed as rude, but it would also be rude to let the food get cold before her guest could eat, especially a starving guest. Having enjoyed the first swallow—the nerf steak was especially crisp this time, matching the texture of the greens—she put down her food, replying with her hands. << Yes. I’ve been well. I can’t complain. >> Her blue eyes flickered to the table near the vidscreen where she had lain her purse, and her briefcase from work, before she turned back to Shine. << The only things keeping me from being even better are these disgusting senators, and their unwillingness to listen to change and ideas. It’s just… >> She stopped and smiled. << Now, you’re not here for a discussion of the Senate’s activities. You can get much better information from the newsvids. How have you been? >> Ina deftly steered the conversation back to Shine, removing her outburst about the Republic Senate.

* * *

Ofi was keeping only part of her attention on the conversation happening between Shine and Ina. She wasn’t really eavesdropping; her job was to listen and transmit the words and sign language into text on the vidscreen. Her transmissions and translations just appeared, almost like second nature or an involuntary action. No hardship for her processors. However, it was no question that Ofi would be keeping some extra juice from her power cells focused on Shine. There would be plenty of time later for Ofi to dissect what the two, away from the company of their droids, had said, especially Shine. Obviously Ina didn’t seem worried about the unexpected visitor, and Ofi shouldn’t be either, but she didn’t really know the man and wouldn’t relax completely until she was 100% sure he wouldn’t harm her friend in any way. Essentially, Shine was on Ofi’s probation.

With her wireless running in the background, aiding Ina and Shine’s conversation, Ofi, rather begrudgingly, was focusing on the little weasel droid in the foreground and his words. She had chosen to ignore him for the majority of the time he had been here, giving only short responses, hoping to diffuse him. But it hadn’t worked. Even after she had thought the conversation was over and flew to the far side of the room, with her mentioning she had work to attend to, the thing had still pestered her. It thought if it just changed the conversation, Ofi might be willing to later return to the topic of her ‘grand adventures.’ Ofi wanted to laugh at the naïve and clueless little droid.

Apparently its master, Shine, had doing the stupid thing of teaching the metal weasel to be so persistent it was like chalk on an old-fashioned board. Ofi had had half a mind to tell Shine that he should teach the droid patience instead, or better yet, the proper time to just shut the kriff up. Especially after the man defended his droid, explaining it was just how he worked. The droid, Vis, couldn’t help it. Well, this was how Ofi worked—quietly and without interruption, saving her energy. And she couldn’t help that.

For a few extra moments, she had actually paid full attention to Shine’s words, before setting about her task of transmitting and then figuring out how to deal with the other droid. Ofi was sure if she had been organic, she would have gagged at Shine’s attempt at a compliment. Telling her she was good-looking even covered in clay? It just didn’t compute for Ofi. But she did appreciate his later words. Perhaps she would consider sedating the little weasel. Though, it was confusing that in front of Ofi, he defended the droid, but to Ina, he was apologizing for it. Odd, indeed…

And now Ofi had to deal with the droid once again. It was sitting there in front of the chair she was perched on, almost vibrating visibly with excitement. If she could have, Ofi would have rolled her eyes. She didn’t understand why this Vis was so eager to talk to her. So what if they were both droids and happened to have similar origins. Ofi had put that life behind her long ago. P.F. was no longer an integral part of her; she had other duties to attend to now. She was a senator’s translator, confidante, and friend. She had no secret agenda from some mysterious ‘higher power.’ She was no obligated to talk to this weasel, or even explain herself to it. But maybe if she did, it would finally shut up and leave her alone.

She stared down at this Vis for a few minutes, counting out exactly four minutes and 25 seconds before responding. No particular reason for that amount; it just felt… right. “Not you, specifically.” Ofi left it at that, letting the weasel come up with its own explanation. “Now, if you’re not careful, your power cells will die right there. And wouldn’t that disappoint your master? There’s a window there with a bit of sunlight yet. Have a nap.” It was a bit more than she had said to the droid so far, but Ofi hadn’t meant it to be entirely friendly, despite the length. And maybe the word about Shine would give the droid some pause, and Ofi could finally sit there in peace, helping out Ina and resting her own power cells.

[Jazen]

Shine waited calmly as Ina went about sorting the food from the bag, leaning back in his seat and folding his arms to watch. His smile never faltered or faded, as he knew just how awkward this must have been for her. Keeping the mood light and happy, that’s what would make sure this trip turned out well. She quickly handled that task, dispensing an order of the tubers and a wrap onto both of their plates, something he responded to with a quick mention of thanks before waiting for her to seat herself as well. Out in the Fringe on his own or in the company of less upstanding people, he might have just dug right in. But he hadn’t been raised as a barbarian, and in the company of one of the better members of society, manners were needed.

He was a bit surprised that she chose the seat next to him rather then across, something most people would have done in this situation, them not being that close or anything of the sort. But as his mind worked, the answer to that came just as quickly. She just wasn’t most people and her situation was different then theirs, being deaf and all. She was sitting close so she could “hear” what he was saying, as it were, through the screen in the other room.

His eyes glanced back into the small living area where Ofi and Vis still resided, pondering to himself whether or not he should call Vis back into the room to give Ofi some piece of mind. The bird like familiar didn’t seem to want to talk…or rather have anything to do with his cousin from a different mother and part of Shine worried what Ofi might do should Vis annoy her beyond the point of no return. Shine had seen first hand what Ofi could do and Vis, as quick and creative as the little guy was, wasn’t anywhere near Ofi in that area of expertise. For a few moments, his mouth tried to find the air to call him……and then Shine silenced the thought and focused back on Ina. Vis would be Vis and Ofi would be Ofi; hopefully letting them be together would help the disconnection between them. Hopefully.

With that placed to the back of his mind, he brought the conversation with Ina to the front. He calmly watched her hands move as she used her sign language to answer him, the movements watched by Ofi from the room over he noticed, then moved his eyes to the screen to see what the movements would translate into. Lifting one of the tubers from his plate, he nibbled on it a bit, chuckling to her words.

”Well, it is most certainly both. Reminds me of the place I rent out here whenever I’m sitting on the wait list for a job. Which is nice because its familiar to me and not this massive mansion that has more bathrooms then it has people.” Laughing a little bit at his hopefully somewhat funny statement to her, he gulped down a piece of the tuber. ”But its nice to see your thinking about the people back home; most senators from a planet like that would try to live in the most pricey place possible. That puts you up a notch in my book and hopefully the books of others.

Hey, don’t knock being low on the ladder. You’re on it and I’m sure you’ll climb it eventually. And through the right means, not means that are at the expense of others, if I’m any good at judging character.”

Lifting the wrap from his plate now, Shine took a careful bite of it, making sure to chew properly and as cleanly as possible. Not hard considering he did it most the time anyway, but again, higher class of guest meant higher class of manners. A satisfied moan to the taste of the food made him smile as he licked some of the excess from his lips, clearing his throat to reply to her next words of conversation.

”Well, good to hear that then. I can’t imagine politics are any fun, my parents always said that politics were the one thing no one wanted to deal with but yet had to deal with anyway. I’m just glad it’s someone like you and not me dealing with those kind of things. My approach would likely be…less diplomatic.

And I’ve been quite well, thank you for asking. Running here and there, earning the credit to keep food on the table and my ship running, dodging trouble as best I can. Luckily, it appears that fortune has been kind enough to keep anything as bad as the incident that brought us here from happening again, though not for the little messes it likes to throw my way instead.

As you said, we’re here to talk about things we can’t get from anywhere else. So then, let me ask you this; who are you? Like….what can you tell me about yourself that I’m only going to learn from you. In the short terms I guess, I’d like to know more about you; where you grew up, what kind of things you like, how you got your position, those kind of things.” He wouldn’t press her for details, that would be besides the point. Whatever she wanted to tell him, he would listen and make do with that; anything else would just be bad.

____________________________

Vis watched Shine and Ina converse from his perch near Ofi for a few moments as the female familiar again remained silent to his requests. For the life of him, Vis could not understand why Ofi was so against speaking to him or even acknowledging his existence. Flitch had never done this to him, nor had Diana or any of the other Familiars that he’d had the chance to meet in person. Then again, he had never met any of the familiars from Ofi’s generation, the AER’s, before either, save Sender briefly when Shine had acquired him.

And even Sender had not been this hostile. Sighing to himself, Vis tilted his eyes to Ofi again, watching for any sign that she was going to reply to him this time. To his amazement, she finally replied to him, four minutes and twenty five seconds after his words had stopped being produced. Perhaps she was merely doing that thing Shine did, drawing out the time between responses to make the other get edgy as they waited for it. Drawing out the moment or something like that, building suspense, that was what he called it! Vis clung to every word, despite their nature being not of the kind he had been hoping for. It was the best response Ofi had given him yet and that was something at least.

”Oh, I understand. I think. Your issue lies not with me as an individual but rather us as a whole perhaps? In that case, I offer my apologies for whatever is causing your service board a malfunction. Or as Shine would say, whatever is causing you to find fault with us.

I thank you for your concern about my power levels though. I fully charged them while Shine was in the city however, so I should be okay for a fair amount of time still; according to my calculations, that amount of time is six hours, thirty seven minutes and forty five seconds. At least. As for it disappointing Shine, he would simply say everyone makes mistakes and that I should learn from it, so as long as I remember to charge or power down before I run low on power, I should be fine. But I will take that perch.”

Shifting his position, Vis crawled over to the window and with a powerful leap of his small body, jumped and clung to the windowsill. Pulling himself up, he circled around once, twice, then settled while facing his head towards Ofi and his back to the window. Small reflective solar panels were waiting there, the light of the sun creeping through making them glisten in the light. Shaking to show his enjoyment of it, Vis turned his words back to Ofi.

”If I’m being trouble, I’m really sorry about that. Its just that you’ve been active a lot longer then I have and, through your adventures, I’d hoped to learn about things I might come across in the future that having prior knowledge of may help to avoid complications with them.

I guess in a sense, I’m looking to learn from your experience and knowledge in order to be the best I can be to Shine and to his comrades and to my fellow Familiar. Diana would call it…learning from my elder siblings. So…if there’s any advice you might be willing to give me, I would appreciate that.”

[Mara]

(((So sorry it's so long... I got carried away...)))




She turned back to her food for a quick bite before looking back to the vidscreen for Shine’s response. It was an awkward conversation, compared to most. With her signing, Ina sometimes got carried away and replied to many things without waiting for the other being to interject, wanting to get everything out while she thought of it. And so in return Shine had done the same, giving her a lot to read, even past swallowing the bit of her wrap. The senator resolved then to try to slow down and focus on the conversation. Not only would things move more smoothly, but also the both of them wouldn’t have so much to read at once.

Including things that only hindered her from tucking away her blush of earlier. She wasn’t used to other beings--besides her father, Mrs Willox, and her friend Riqi--giving her compliments. All throughout her childhood it had been the opposite. If not always outright mean, the other students did purposely ignore her or send her unkind stares. And here was Shine, who barely knew her, saying how much he admired her. It was quite odd, indeed. Not having anything to say in response, Ina just kept her face turned towards the ‘screen, hoping he wouldn’t notice how his words were affecting her, and hoping she would find something to eventually respond to with more than just a reddening of her pale face.

Unbidden, however, a smile did cross her features, merging with the growing redness, at his mention of his parents’ view of politics and his own views on what his own approach would be to the stubborn senators she had mentioned. Again, it made her wonder about Shine’s upbringing. From what he had said earlier, she had inferred that it hadn’t been an altogether monetarily rich one, but having two parents, she had to envy him. For Ina, that was the biggest prize of all. As much as she loved her father and had loved Mrs Willox while she had been alive, she would never know who her real parents were. And for most of her life, she hadn’t wanted to. From what her father had known about the circumstances surrounding her adoption, it hadn’t sounded like anything too cheerful. But there were moments, like this, that she found herself thinking about how her life would have been different if Dr Rand Icharus hadn’t entered her life.

Shine’s words kept on, now answering her question after she had steered away the conversation from politics. That train of thought also led her back to his comparison of her apartment with his own and his mention of his job. She was curious what exactly this job was; there hadn’t been much time for Q&A back on Rodia. Ina inwardly hoped it was nothing illegal, unsure why she had even thought it might be. It wouldn’t go well for her if any of the other senators found whom she was socializing with. Her motions in the senate would just be ignored further, and she might even lose the few supporters she had painstakingly gained. Quickly, she shoved those thoughts away. She would just have to deal with that if, when, it came.

Ina nodded at his next words, agreeing once again that this was not the place nor the company to be discussing the intricacies of the Senate. In fact, he had run with the idea and started asking her questions. The blush was soon replaced by a bit of surprise on her face. She wasn’t sure why she would be so taken aback at him wanting to know more about her. It was her own doing that she had steered the topic back to more mundane things. Perhaps it was just the demons of her childhood refusing to acknowledge that someone who knew her so little would care to know anything more about her, especially after her deafness was already out in the open. But it would be only fair; he was her guest after all. And maybe it would just soften things enough that she could assuage her own curiosity about Shine’s background.

Trying to lighten the mood and dissipate any embarrassment or surprise from her face, she started with a response to something he had said earlier. It was no longer visible on the screen, but she had remembered it, because it had almost made her laugh. She set down her half-eaten wrap and began signing. << Well, sometimes I wish I could be less diplomatic myself when it comes to the more stubborn senators. >> Ina smiled at Shine, her blue eyes joining in on the mirth.

Her gaze turned away then as she tried to think about how best to answer his questions. She didn’t want to dodge them, but she didn’t think Shine was asking for her autobiography either. The laughter from her eyes settled as she thought again of her father back on Arkania, her earlier thoughts of her coming to live with him back in the forefront of her mind. Not wanting to get too sentimental, she decided to keep it simple, starting with the obvious and moving from there.

Looking back to the words on the vidscreen from time to time, she moved her hands in response, her food now forgotten. << Well, I grew up in Adascapolis, the capital city of Arkania. My father’s a scientist and works in the field of medical research and development. He’s actually a doctor, though not the medical kind. The droid I had before Ofi was something he built for me, to help me out while he was in his lab. And he made this as well. >> Ina briefly pressed a hand to her neck where the silver pendant hung. She wasn’t sure why she was going into such silly details, but the words just flowed from her fingers without much thought from her head. The senator feared that perhaps she would fail in her mission to not say so much, but at the same time couldn’t stop herself.

<< I had no mother, not one I knew anyway. And my father, he adopted me when I was very young. But he raised me the best way he could, along with help from Mrs Willox, a tutor he hired for me. I wouldn’t have imagined it any other way. Or wanted anything else. I never felt that I lacked anything the other kids had. >> She felt the need to add, feeling that the question would come up sooner or later, and it would help explain why she had decided to become a senator, in a way.

<< But later knowing the story of how I had come to be with my father… I think that’s partly what steeled me to where I am today. He took an awful risk taking me in, as not a pure Arkanian, and he one of them. >> Her eyes moved back to Shine finally, no tears showing in them, but there was a small degree of sadness there, mixed with resolve. << I became a senator to help my people, my fellow Offshoots, and every other species that is treated unfairly, to finally be respected and treated as equals, to end the slavery that still runs rampant in the galaxy. >>

Somewhat embarrassed about going on so, she turned a wry smile on Shine. << I’m sorry. I don’t think that was quite the answer you were looking for. I didn’t mean to get sentimental on you. >> Ina shrugged and let her hands drop into her lap. She moved her eyes back down to her plate but stared through the food, looking beyond. Part of her wondered if she had just scared away Shine, and part of her hoped she had. Another part, a smaller but stronger part, hoped she hadn’t.

* * *

Assuming her words would finally have the desired effect, Ofi had turned away from the weasel droid and decided to power down to standby mode. She would still be able to help out Ina’s conversation—she could do that with a tenth of the power she was currently using—but would also have a chance to end the dialogue between her and the other droid. Her feet settled more comfortably on the chair back, and she ruffled her ‘feathers,’ briefly showing off the deadly weapons that lay within. Ofi’s red eyes dimmed, another outward appearance that she was conserving power and not actively engaged in anything. If for whatever reason the weasel droid didn’t get the hint, just looking at her should stop it from continuing. Hopefully.

Unfortunately her posture of tranquility didn’t last very long. The droid Vis began speaking almost right afterwards, replying to her suggestion—in more polite language--that he just bugger off and leave her alone. Ofi briefly wondered if the droid have been in Shine’s company too long and was picking up bad habits. Or maybe it just had left P.F. before it was ready and had had all the appropriate programs downloaded. Or… or maybe all the droids were like this, and Ofi was the only sensible one now that she had severed ties. She calculated and decided this was the best answer.

She let the droid’s words come at her processors but didn’t bother processing them. It wasn’t like she was planning on responding to them, let alone listen. Her silence would indubitably be a sign of agreement to the droid’s first question. Though, Ofi did have a vague notion that the weasel Vis had acquiesced to her mention that he let his cells power up. There was the sound of its metal body parts moving near the window. Thinking that she could finally return to peace, she let out a small, quiet electronic sigh. Now she could down to the task of going through the data from Shine and Ina’s conversation so far, and check for any signs of danger coming from the man.

But when Vis spoke again, her serenity was interrupted again. And the slant of his words woke up her back up to 100% power. Ofi’s eyes brightened, and she sat up straighter, turning those red orbs towards the weasel sitting in the window nearby. How dare he think that he or any of the other stupid Familiar droids would ever have a life similar to hers. Or that he could learn anything from her own experiences to help Shine. It was unconceivable. She was so disturbed that she broke her code of silence towards Vis, despite how short it had been, trying to put as much coldness into her voice as she could. It wasn’t much; her electronic female droid vocals not allowing for much inflection. “Unless Shine suddenly suffers deafness, there is nothing you can learn from me.” At that, Ofi turned away from the other droid and settled back into her standby mode.

[Jazen]

In all his life, Shine had never seen someone turn as red as Ina seemed to be shading. True, none of them had the ghostly white skin that Ina had, which only accented her blush greater, but even still, it almost seemed that every time Shine gave her a compliment, that red burned deeper. He supposed that he was giving her a lot of compliments and that could attribute to her constant red cheeks….but it was more like she wasn’t used to this kind of attention and as such, was unable to keep herself from blushing. He backed up this theory by comparing her reaction to that of Sam, someone else he tended to compliment often. Sam rarely, if ever, seemed to shade to red when he complimented her, unless it was a good one. It backed his idea up, if only with circumstantial evidence.

That was good in any case. Shine didn’t want Ina to think of him as rude or to be considered unwelcome company. And at least everything he said was the honest truth, for the most part. No lies there for malicious purposes or to achieve a goal that would benefit only him.

Taking another bite of his dinner, Shine cast a glance towards the screen. Ina’s hand was a rapid blur Ofi’s eyes visibly on her even from here in order to translate the movements into words.. The scrolling words across the screen made him smile, and he waited for her to finish before choosing to reply. ”I’m sure every Senator wishes that now and again. At least you have the patience to pull through the hard moments; me, I’d probably be done in about five minutes. Good thing I’m not in there.”

With that said, Shine folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair a bit to listen…or rather read, Ina’s reply to his more prodding question. In all honestly, he didn’t expect her to answer as she did, at least not to a person she had only met once. He had expected many a quick reply about where she had come from or maybe he interests. Not the story about her life that she signed away in a flurry, her words flying across the screen as Ofi translated in record time. So Shine settled in to listen, letting every word that slid across the screen burn into his memory, his eyes watched Ina as much as he watched the screen that held her tale. He combined her words with her body language, a skill he’d picked up from his parents and more so when he became a smuggler. It backed her story with emotion and he could see what parts she was proud of and what parts stung her. Her eyes were strong….but he could see near the end that she was on the verge of breaking.

Shine had seen this plenty of times, from friends and family and foe alike. It wasn’t easy talking about your past, especially when it was a painful memory, but those that could were stronger for it. Nodding in silence as she finished, he waited a moment for her to try and shrug off what she had told him. Slowly, controlled, he smiled at her and dared a motion to put his hand on her shoulder. She was close enough after all and provided she didn’t panic, he would give it an understanding squeeze.
”Your right Ina, it wasn’t what I was expecting. It was more then I ever expected to get from a first meeting like this. But I’m still glad you trust me enough to tell me.

I can’t say I know the exact pain your feeling, but I know pain like that myself. So don’t worry about getting emotional when I’m around; I’m a good shoulder to cry on should you need to let something off your chest. In any case, you did answer my question and rather well actually. I feel like I’m seeing a much better picture of you now.”

Something brushing his leg made him look down and at the sight of Vis curling around his leg, he rose an eyebrow and nudged the small droid. Glancing up to him, Vis’s eyes almost seemed to convey sadness. His whiskers did that instead and before Shine could answer, Vis made a motion that looked like he was shrugging his shoulders. ”Ofi doesn’t want to talk to me. She seems angry that I would ask for advice or tales that might benefit me later. So for now, I believe leaving her alone would be for the best. Maybe later she’ll be more open to talk.” Having said that, Vis crawled under the chair and curled into a small ball before powering down to rest.

With a frown, Shine glanced up to Ina, then back to Ofi for a moment. Sighing, he chuckled slightly before turning back to Ina. ”Not very sociable, is she? Oh well, if she wants to be left alone, best respect the lady’s wishes. Alright Ina, your turn to prod for answers. Ask away.”

[Mara]

(((I tried not to get too long-winded this time... ;p)))


The touch was unexpected yet familiar. Ina didn’t jerk away from Shine’s hand. Instead, she reflexively moved one of her own to squeeze back briefly, showing that she understood and was grateful for it. It was a gesture that her father had taken to using whenever she had had a particularly disappointing day at school. Even if her father had had the right reassuring words to say to her to make it all better, the small contact said all he needed to. Probably if Ina hadn’t been deaf, the doctor would have used the same tactic anyway. Sometimes all the words in the galaxy couldn’t remotely compare to a personal touch.

She lifted her head then and signed a quick ‘thank you’ before turning her eyes to the vidscreen again. Ina had felt the slight movement of air nearby and had supposed that Shine was saying something to her. Apparently he needed more than just the small contact to get across any reassurance about what she had said to him, that she had been rambling or not. His words mentioned trust, and Ina wasn’t entirely sure if that had been the reason that she had spoken aloud about her upbringing, briefly though she did. But she also couldn’t put a finger on a correct reason, so perhaps it was trust in some subconscious way. Or maybe she just was happy to have someone to talk to besides Ofi. With Riqi away, her droid friend was all she had.

The rest of his words were a bit of a shock, though. She couldn’t think of any man, any male, who had ever given her such an offer. Not her university friends, not even her father. Dr Rand had always been there for her, yes, but he was also a very busy man. He had been there to listen if she needed it, but he had never really gone out and said it in quite that way. Ina wasn’t quite sure how to take Shine’s response, literally wondering if she needed to read between the lines, if there was indeed anything there. Dozens of possibilities whirled in her head, none of which she was sure she liked, all involving some kind of ulterior motive. All she could for the moment was simply look back at him and nod, her fingers silent.

Shine turned away then, looking down. Ina was grateful for the distraction from her swirling thoughts brought on by Shine’s words. He wasn’t talking but appeared to be listening to something. Confused, she glanced at the vidscreen, but Ofi hadn’t added any new words. She shot a look at Ofi, her blue eyes finding the droid at the other end of the room, near the door. The senator raised an eyebrow and slightly tilted her head towards her companion. Ofi didn’t move and no new words popped up until Shine looked back at her, letting her be the inquisition for the moment. Not wanting to be rude in front of her guest, Ina left it alone but resolved to get to the bottom of things with her friend, sooner rather than later.

Any confusion or hardness that had been across her pale features from staring at Ofi was gone when she turned her blue eyes back towards Shine. She wasn’t all that used to interrogations, but Shine had given her permission to let loose. Ina lifted her hands, considering what she wanted to ask .There were so many things she wanted to know, was curious about, but yet, she wanted to remain professional and polite. Her answer had made the conversation grow a bit sentimental and sad, and Ina didn’t want it to stay that way. As much as she wanted to know about his family, what it was like to have two biological parents, she wasn’t sure wanted to go back to that road, not yet anyway. Best to try to keep things light.

Ina smiled. << Well… I do admit I’m a bit curious about what you do. It sounds as if you travel a lot? >> There, an innocent question about his employment. It was only fair, she thought, since he already knew how she was employed. Plus, it would allow her to figure out whether this should be her only conversation with Shine—as if there were even a possibility of another. A senator had to be careful about who she associated with. Though, there was still that small nagging part of her that was saying she didn’t care one way or another, but it was at present overshadowed by a larger, more sensible part.

[Jazen]

To Shine’s surprise, Ina didn’t jerk away from the light squeeze her gave her shoulder, even as every voice in his head screamed that she’d likely take the action the wrong way. What made it surprising, however, was that even if Ina herself didn’t jerk away consciously, he had expected her to jerk away instinctively to the unfamiliar feeling of a strangers hand on her shoulder. It was a curious fact and the only possible explanation Shine could think of was that the act of placing a hand on her shoulder was one she had “become” familiar with, making her body less likely to shy away from the move. Someone from the past has always been there to comfort her most likely. Well, that’s good at least.

He smiled politely when she lifted her hand, though he couldn’t keep the surprise from his face this time when she placed her hand over his and gently squeezed back. Again, it might have all been from reflex, reacting to an act she had known to be one of comfort and reassurance, but even with that, reacting to someone she barely knew like that spoke galaxies about how much she felt safe in his presence.

After a moment, she removed her hand and his followed quick in tow. Shine didn’t need to guess what she was signing, though he read the words clear as day on the screen anyway. He gave her a slight nod and mouthed “your welcome” before reaching down to pick up a piece of his food again to gently nibble on it. This, in all honestly, was the strangest situation he had been in in a long time..and that was counting all those intense missions as of late on random worlds. Strangest wasn’t the best word for it though…awkward would fit more snuggly. This situation was awkward for him. Not because it was unfamiliar, not at all. Rather, it was because it was with someone that wasn’t part of his world, someone that was in an upstanding position rather then in the outcast element that smugglers were cast in. If she knew that, she might not be so trusting of him at this moment. Shine decided to save that for later when he felt she could accept it, if that moment ever came.

Ina didn’t say anything towards Ofi, though he did catch her glaring at the small droid from across the room. If Ofi noticed or cared, she gave no indication of such.. She merely continued to translate the words he spoke or Ina signed and if not for that, Shine would have sworn she had powered down. Shine frowned for a moment, then shrugged it off. Whatever problem Ofi was having with Vis seemed to be a problem that she preferred to keep to herself; as long as it didn’t cause trouble, Shine would just let it be. It seemed like a personal matter anyway and since it was personal, it would be between Ina and Ofi to correct it themselves. Putting that to the back of his mind, he turned his attention towards answering Ina’s question.

”Ah, that’s a pretty good question to start with. I’m in the transport business, in a manner of speaking. I basically haul whatever is asked of me; supplies, equipment, people themselves, to wherever the client needs them to go or be brought to My motto is basically “Any fare, I’ll get it there! Ahem…its not fancy or anything like that, but it pays the bills and lets me see a lot of different places. I’ve been to, oh, at least a dozen planets in the last month or so at least. Tatooine, Alderaan, you already know I’ve been to Rodia. And that’s just the tip of he iceberg really. TO answer a question before it gets asked, I own my own ship. Bought it myself after I left home and, being the pilot that I am, redesigned and rebuilt her to serve my needs. She’s not always the prettiest thing but my vessel has it where it counts and that’s all that matters to me.

Maybe one day, if you’re ever free and all, I’m be happy to take you someplace on her or give you a tour of what’s basically my home away from home. She’s nowhere near as fancy as I’m sure your diplomatic shuttles are, but she’s comfy and warm and I think that’s more then enough. And she’s fast. Really fast.” Shine didn’t let it show on his face that he was worried he’d given her enough information to put two and two together, but he did let the pride he felt about his ship shine through on his features. The Cat was, after all, one of his biggest sources of pride.

”Anyway, that’s what I do and I do it well. Right, you got the next questions since you earned it with that much deeper explanation of yourself then I expected. Please, ask away.”.

[Mara]

(((I'm so sorry it got so long.... but on the good side, you can probably ignore most of it. ;p)))


She listened quietly—though, how else could she listen?—and read Shine’s response on the vidscreen, deeply curious as to what his answer would be. There was a big block of text, and it took her a little while to get through it all, as Ofi slowly scrolled them up. The transport business… so he was some kind of freight hauler, it seemed. It made sense with all the traveling he had said he did. And it was even a reason for him having been at the embassy on Rodia. They would obviously get supplies from all over. Ina nodded in understanding as she read. The pieces were starting to come together, though she couldn’t see the image yet.

Ina wondered if he was independently contracted or worked for a company. She assumed the former, since, in the short time she had actually know him, she didn’t think Shine the type to work strict hours. And the Rodians, for example, probably wouldn’t want to pay the higher price of more official hauler. This was confirmed as she read further that he had his own ship. If he worked for a company, they would presumably provide transport for their employees. And it would give Shine more flexibility about which cargoes he carried, which clients he’d work for.

The whole time, though she couldn’t directly see his face as she read, Ina had the feeling that Shine’s answer wasn’t the full story. She couldn’t really put a finger on it as to why; perhaps it was just her brief experience with politicians that made her a little suspicious. Her face showed no trace of her thoughts as she kept them to herself. Ina thought his description of what he did to earn a living was a nice, hard-working one and didn’t think he would have any reason to be embarrassed about it or not tell her all the details. But still, there it was… that tickling in the back of her mind that Shine was holding back something. Ina decided to let it go, figuring that she could be completely wrong about her feeling—she was knew to this business after all—and if she wasn’t, that he would tell her if he wanted her to know.

As her blue eyes got to the next part of the text, they widened, and she glanced at Shine before turning to finish reading. Ina was so surprised, she didn’t even think about what he had said, comparing her own modes of transport to his freighter. She tried not to swallow her surprise too loudly as she tried to figure out a response to his offer. They barely knew each other, and here he was suggesting a tour of his ship or even a trip somewhere. Her mind rapidly shuffled through any ulterior motives that could be behind the proposal. It was entirely possible it was just an innocent suggestion, but Ina wasn’t sure whether it was. She had met enough beings in her life who seemed pleasant on the outside, but once she got to know them inside, they were different.

Of course, they were currently conversing in her own apartment, but that hadn’t been her idea. She had mentioned, as a courtesy, that Shine could stop by her office if he ever had the chance. Ina hadn’t the time back on Rodia to properly thank him, having wanted to get out of that situation as quickly as possible. It wasn’t her fault that he had come at a time when she wasn’t in the Senate building, and he had taken the initiative to somehow figure out her address. Perhaps he was just being fair, offering her the same courtesy. But the thought of Shine as an uncompleted puzzle came at her again, reminding her that she didn’t know the whole story. She decided to be cautious but still polite in regards to his suggestion.

<< Thank you. I will consider it, if I’m ever in need of a fast ship. >> She smiled warmly as she signed, hoping that her answer would be taken in good faith. Ina did generally use the Republic transports for use of the Senate for anything official and doubted that it would be seen in very good eyes to arrive at a political meeting in a freighter. But there was always the small chance that she would eventually take a vacation or want to visit her father and having a friend to take her would be helpful. So she wasn’t exactly wholeheartedly accepting his offer, but she wasn’t completely turning it down either.

And then, thankfully, the conversation moved on, though Shine had kept the spotlight on her. She sat in her chair, wondering what to broach next. Ina was still a bit unsettled about her earlier feeling that he hadn’t been telling her the whole truth about his job, but she also didn’t think she wanted to get into that now. He would if he wanted to. She didn’t want to press him. Perhaps this was the time to ask about something else that she had been curious about. There seemed to be sufficient enough friendliness between them now, especially after that offer Shine made to her, and she hoped he wouldn’t get offended.

Gathering her hands out of her lap, she just forged ahead, her hands growing steadily as she went. << I… Earlier you mentioned your parents. I admit I don’t know where you are from or anything else. You know I’m from Arkania, of course. >> She smiled wryly, thinking to herself, And a whole lot more… Ina thought perhaps Shine would be willing to open up about his past, especially after she had gone on about her own. If he wasn’t willing to come up with all the details concerning his way of making a living, at least perhaps she could fill in some other pieces of his puzzle.

Plus, she was always curious about other beings’ backgrounds, in comparison to her own. If they had had happy childhoods, either or both of their parents, a brother or a sister. Or if they had been orphaned like herself, later tortured by school kids. As if knowing theirs would make her own upbringing not seem so odd. She sometimes imagined how her life could have been different, if it had been like another being’s. << Do you have any siblings? What did you do for fun? What do your parents do? How—sorry. I should let you answer. >> A little redness came back into her cheeks, embarrassed that she started rambling, so much was her curiosity, and Ina folded her hands back in her lap.

[Jazen]

While Ina read his response to her, Shine relaxed a little more into his seat, nibbling absently away at the remains of his food. Soon enough the meal would be gone and then perhaps they could move into the living area, where reading those words would not mean Ina had to look completely away from him to do as such. That was, of course, if Ina didn't mind moving to such a setting. Even Shine wasn't against letting his mind wander now and then...and he'd had flashes of what could come of this night. He'd avoid it if such an act would be inappropriate without question...but if it happened....

No, best not to think about things like that. Focus on the moment now, worry about the later when you had a better understanding of the situation later. Glancing up from his musing, Shine managed to catch Ina shooting a surprised look his way for the briefest of moments before she went back to staring at the screen. Now, Shine couldn't know for sure what the look was for, but if he had to hazard an educated guess, it was likely in response to his offer. The fact that it had caught her by surprise made him smile. She was quick to reply to it as well, Shine's eyes darting to the screen before he made his reply.

"And whenever you need it, I'll make sure its there to fufill that need. Unless I'm in the middle of a job of course, but if you make the call, I'll do everything in my power to get back as soon as possible. Thanks for considering it."

It wasn't a no, but it wasn't a yes either. Still, a maybe was better then outright rejection, so he'd take it for now. Still, he did want to take her down some time soon to let her see the Cat at least. That shouldn't be too much to ask and with any luck, be something that could be done soon without conflicting with her schedule. Something to ask for later perhaps. The thought kept him smiling and he settled forward on the table as he waited for Ina to field the next question for him to answer.

Shine could barely keep the surprise from his face at her choice of question, though his body did sit back suddenly without him wanting it too. Not because he was embarrassed about his past, save for...that incident. No, it was because it wasn't a thing most people asked him. He couldn't even remember the last time someone had probed him about his background, either being more concerned about the present or about things not that far back into his life. The where he came from question was usually answered by his mannerisms and way of speaking and he rarely had to tell someone where he was from. Just goes to show you, there's always someone who can throw something your way that you were not remotely prepared for. Realizing that his quick stance change might have startled Ina, Shine gave a light chuckle and sigh all in one, then laced his hands together on the table in front of him for a moment, pondering his answer.

It came to him rather easily, but glancing at the small amount of food left on their plates, he decided to change the scene for his answer. "Ah, good questions, good questions. But before I answer, let's move to a more comfortable setting, shall we?" Getting up from his seat, he moved around to her side of the table and offered his hand to her to assist her in getting up before moving towards the small area where the screen was. Settling himself there, he waited till Ina was seated, either near to him or away, it didn't matter at this point, before he leaned forward to answer.

"Now let's see....yea, I did mention my parents. Probably wouldn't be the man I am today without them honestly. To answer your unspoken question about where I'm from, I honestly would have thought I'd given it away by now. I'm from Corellia, born and bred. Then again, guess that's pretty hard to tell when you can't...well, hear me. Anyway, to answer your others questions, last I was there, I had two siblings. Both older, mind you, a brother and a sister, if my parents have had anymore since then, I wouldn't know.

For fun....heh, well, flying mostly. My father might have said that the need to do justice runs in our family blood, but I'm the odd one out there, to a degree. I still think he's right, but I got the Corellian rocket fuel in my blood more." He also enjoyed spending the time drinking with his friends and the company of ladies who got all giddy over pilots, but no need to tell her that. Then again, he'd been modest back then and didn't actually take advantage of those situations. Didn't exactly mesh well with an honest flyboy. "As for what my parents did....well, pretty much the whole family did, was join up with CorSec. A family of law enforcement is what I come from, which is probably why I'm so intent on doing the right thing a lot of times. Again, I'm the odd one out there really. They stuck to the ground, I preferred the skies."

Settling back against the soft couch he'd taken up, he chuckled and waved his hand as if dismissing an old unwanted memory. "Can't say I don't miss home but then again, I like the freedom flying my own ship grants me. I get to see a lot of new things and meet people my family would never dream of. Heck, they'd probably drop a brick if they knew I'd saved a senator and then was sitting in her apartment having dinner with her. And knowing my brother, he'd be asking when mother and father could be expecting gra....oh, my apologies. I tend to forget that some things my brother would see as amusing might not be good in other circles.

Now, I do believe its my turn. Let me see here...well, since you asked, its only fair. What do you do for fun? I'm curious as to what a senator does to unwind from what is probably the most stressful job in the galaxy. No blasters are being shot at you, but sometimes that's easier to deal with. I mean, do you just come back here for some rest? Maybe a boyfriend that you spend time with to have fun to put the worries of politics behind you for a while?"

He realized as the last words exited his mouth how probing that last question was without him even intending for it to be...but what was said was said. If it was going to far and she acknowledge it, then he'd apologize right quick and likely be prepared to leave. But in that same thought, it was a way of gaining information so that he didn't step on toes later by mistake. If it came to that, of course.

[Mara]

(((Argh… I do believe this got too long again, over 2 pages in Word… but it’s mostly ignorable Ina inner-thought stuff. ;p
So if you write less, I'll write less... hopefully. ;p)))


While waiting for Shine to respond and her chance to look back over at the vidscreen, Ina had been keeping her gaze on the man’s face. Seeing Shine’s reaction to reading her questions just made her curiosity grow and wonder if she was truly finding more pieces to the man’s puzzle or just finding more empty holes. Ina had thought they were fairly innocent ones and wasn’t sure why he would be surprised by them. Yes, they had fairly flowed out of her fingers, almost tumbling over each other, but she doubted the quickness of her questioning was responsible. He hadn’t seemed all that overwhelmed when she had asked about his job and then almost elated while discussing his ship. To her mind, talking about one’s family should be even easier. Ina decided to pay more attention to the details of Shine’s movements, hoping to decipher more; she was almost as well versed in body language as she was in sign language.

To her credit, she had kept her own response to Shine’s quick shift in position mostly to herself. The only thing visible was perhaps a slight brightening of her eyes, a small twitch of a smile, showing brief amusement at his surprise and her own curiosity at such. Ina sat quietly, giving him the time he needed to get over whatever had bothered him and return to the conversation. Just moments after, Shine seemed to gather himself, and she saw both laughter and relief show on his face as he folded his hands on the table. The senator felt her own relief, having already shown a little amusement, that her questions hadn’t been completely off base. Perhaps she had just surprised him with the directness of them, and it wasn’t the content of them at all.

Thinking he was about to respond, she turned her face back to the vidscreen to read the forthcoming text. It came but was nothing that she was expecting. Instead of going directly to answering her inquires, he suggested they move away from the table and back into the living area. Though the change of setting made sense, and she didn’t think it was a tactic to delay in answering, Ina still found herself pausing a few moments before taking Shine’s hand and standing up to move. When she had made known her invitation to Shine to come see her, it had been made with the most formal and distant of intentions. But now he was in her apartment, and they had had dinner together, albeit a simple and rather informal one. She really had no idea what was going on anymore and might as well go with the flow. This whole visit was already taking some strange turns, so what was one more?

Ina smiled at Shine for his chivalrous gesture as she stood and then led him into the small living room. Though she knew some distance would probably be the recommended take in this situation, she also wanted to keep an eye on his body language while they conversed, and so she joined him on the couch, keeping a foot or two away. There had to be some semblance of propriety, even though it was her home, and plus, she had Ofi watching over her. She made herself comfortable, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back, turning her body so that she could easily see both the screen and Shine with just a slight turn of her head.

As she read, when her companion finally started speaking, she chided herself for thinking that maybe Shine was embarrassed about his family or didn’t want to speak about them. Again, she reminded herself that it must have been the manner in which she had asked, and not what had been actually contained in the questions. Seeing all the words, all that he was saying, she knew they couldn’t be coming from a man who didn’t want to speak about his family. And somehow that made Ina feel good inside. Despite all that she yet did not know about him and what he wasn’t saying to her, she could tell that deep down there was some integrity to Shine. And in her life, she had met few beings like that.

His words about his family made Ina smile, and she thought of her own father as she kept reading. She, too, wouldn’t be where she was today without the good doctor, and not just probably but certainly so. Though she knew little details from her father about the situation surrounding her adoption, she did know that her life would have not been like her current one. No hope for the future, no education, no friends, no quality of life. Perhaps she and Shine had more in common that he or she appeared to think. Despite their different lots in life, they had both had a similar upbringing and done similar things with it. At least from a certain point of view, her own.

She did briefly wonder about the fact that he wasn’t sure if he had any more siblings, especially when he went on to explain about the entire family’s involvement with CorSec. Obviously he had not left home at a very young age, and unless his parents had conceived or adopted in their older age, Ina would have thought it obvious that Shine would know about any further brothers or sisters. Unless, of course, he had lost contact with them after leaving Corellia. And that was something she found hard to believe, considering how highly he spoke of his parents and family now and earlier in their conversation. She had thought him the type to keep up on family matters, contacting them from time to time. But maybe that was where the similarities ended between him and her.

Though her smile had left, she was still reading intently and watching his face almost as intently at the same time, looking for some added insight or meaning behind his words. She was curious as to the reason he left CorSec and turned towards his current business of independent transport of goods, but Shine didn’t appear to want or need to elaborate on the subject for the time being, waving it off. Which she shouldn’t be surprised about, since she hadn’t exactly asked that anyway. Maybe something had happened with between him and his family, giving him the reason to leave and lose contact. Or loving flying, his joy came from wanting to see more than just the Corellian orbit. Perhaps they were even inter-linked. She set the imaginary puzzle piece closer to the half-finished image of Shine in her head, unsure whether it actually fit anywhere.

This possible answer, in addition to her newly granted knowledge of Shine’s past, meant that she wasn’t entirely troubled by his joking words. If he had stayed behind in law enforcement, Ina would imagine that his family shouldn’t be surprised that he had saved her from danger on Rodia. But since, she surmised, they hadn’t spoken in quite some time and hadn’t an idea what their son was up to, it could come as very unexpected news. Perhaps his name had never been mentioned in the various reports on the holonews networks. Or his family didn’t pay attention to such programs. But still, Ina felt a little sad that Shine’s family couldn’t be proud of him for his more recent actions.

Before she could figure out what Shine had meant to say when he had stopped himself, the words kept scrolling up. Something that started with “gra.” Ina made a mental note to talk to Ofi about it later and read over that part of the conversation again more carefully, hoping to be able to glean something about the surrounding context. But for now, though, the man had turned the conversation back on to her. She read the words over a couple times, pondering her answer before looking back at Shine and picking up her hands from her lap. Some of his inquiry was expected, considering her own of him, but other parts of it surprised her a little. Though what surprised her the most was how much she actually revealed, when it was really a simple question or two.

Trying to remain polite, she decided to comment on what he had told her before going into her answer, smiling as she did so. << Your family sound like good people. And surely, it must have been a fun and interesting childhood. >> Her fingers paused a moment as she picked her next words more carefully. << You’re right to think that being a senator can get quite stressful at times. And I could do a whole host of things to relieve it or relax it away, but I’ve found that my hobby, one of the few things I can say I enjoy more than my job, despite the stresses, helps the most.

Every since I was young, I’ve always enjoyed being creative. Mostly painting but lately I’ve gotten into sculpting as well. None of this fancy holo stuff, but with the old-fashioned brushes and paints. In my childhood it was a way to express myself or pass the time, and now it’s also become a way to vent my frustrations. >> Ina smiled wryly before moving on; she would have laughed if she could have. << It’s generally better for everyone if I punch a ball of clay instead of another senator’s face. >>

The question about a boyfriend had surprised her a bit, and she wondered if Shine was merely truly curious, wondering what she did in her spare time, or if he had some other reason to ask. No matter his motives or the unexpected nature of the inquiry, Ina needn’t think long to answer it. She shook her head before continuing on. << No, I don’t have a boyfriend. Nor do I really have any friends here on Coruscant besides Ofi here and perhaps a couple work-related relationships with a senator or two. My schedule doesn’t really allow that much time for a social life. And even if it did… >> She stopped, unsure whether to continue, but before she had much of a chance to stop them, the words came out anyway, a slight sadness coming into her eyes.

<< I would probably still be alone. Most beings don’t know how to handle my deafness, seeing it as some kind of hindrance or deformity. It’s painful, but true. The other school kids avoided me, and now most of the senators only deal with me if they need to. The diversity of university life allowed a few beings to ignore my difference and get to know the real me, but my best friend Riqi is back on her home planet right now. All I have now is Ofi. >>

Ina looked over at the bird-like droid who was still easily transmitting to the vidscreen, though no movement was visible, and then looked away at a spot on the wall, unable to meet Shine’s eyes. << And I do love her. I don’t know what I would do without her. But… she still is only a droid. All sense of equal rights aside, she just cannot offer some things that organic beings can. >> She sighed quietly, her breath moving in and out. Her fingers moved back to her lap, but she couldn’t keep them still, twisting them around each other nervously. Ina was afraid that she had said too much yet again, but at the same time knew she couldn’t have said anything else.

[Jazen]

Shine hadn’t expected Ina to take his offered hand, even if it was just a gesture of goodwill and chivalry. Still, that didn’t mean he wasn’t happy she did, her hands both soft to the touch, yet slightly rough just over the exterior. More then likely, that roughness came from that whatever task she had been doing when he’d arrived that had left clay stitched across her forehead. Shine didn’t mind; the softness and gentle way she took his hand overweighed that slight discretion.

She again surprised him when they’d moved to the living area at his suggestion. Shine had guessed from her mannerisms and the way Ina seemed easily flustered that she’d take the seat across from him; not beside him. Maybe there was a reason for her choice, but Shine barely managed to stifle his surprise with a light smile as he settled back into the couch. The distance between them didn’t matter. It wasn’t like either of them was likely to attempt anything outlandish at such a random visit. She probably just wanted to be able to see his expressions while reading what Ofi translated onto the screen. A good plan actually; that meant he could see Ina’s expressions as he read too.

As Shine answered her questions without limit, he watched her reaction to them. She smiled, she frowned, and she had a look that sometimes betrayed nothing of what she might be thinking. But he could see in those eyes of hers that she was thinking hard, absorbing every word he said and working them over. Not dumb was this one, not like some senators he’d heard or seen. It was both an amusing and frightening thought all at once. He would have to tread carefully.

As she replied to his story, Shine glanced over his shoulder to watch the words scroll across the screen and when they stopped for a moment, he replied quickly. ”Oh, it was interesting alright. If you thought your parents could ground you for getting into trouble, you’d be surprised at how much more evil mine were at it. After all, they were cops. They knew had to make you regret being naughty.” She couldn’t hear his tone, he knew, but hopefully the words betrayed enough to make it known that he was joking. With that being said, Ina started signing again, this time to answer his question. Smiling, he settled back a bit more and watched the words appear en masse, turning from them whenever there was a pause to watch Ina herself.

It didn’t take her long to confirm what he’d been thinking about the roughness to her hands. She liked to sculpt with clay, a hobby Shine didn’t hear of often nor known anyone that found it entertaining. But Ina was of a higher class then most the people Shine knew and with that higher class came a different kind of enjoyment. Though he didn’t understand it himself, he could see maybe how sitting in a room and playing with putty could calm one down. That and clay would take a punch better then any living being would. And without all the repercussions too. A good plan.

Then she dove into his question about a boyfriend and to Shine’s amazement, she didn’t skirt around the question. Even more surprising was the fact that she “didn’t” have a boyfriend. Surely someone had seen how intelligent this woman was, how she had a beauty that some would literally kill to have. Heck, Shine would even think someone might try to attach himself to her for the simple fact that she was a senator and that meant money and power. Shine wouldn’t wish that kind of partnership on anyone, but it was still always a possibility. Adding to that was that she admitted she had no real friends, only colleagues, with little time in between to work on either of those problems. It was saddening to hear.

As she continued on, Shine watched the words appear for long moments. As each word appeared, Ina’s eyes seemed to drop another step into sadness and he could tell from her body language that she believed what she was saying. It took even ounce of will in his body to fight the urge to pull her to him and comfort her. He never liked seeing people despair, unless of course it was those trying to hurt him or those he cared about. And for her to suffer over something so little? His faith in people dropped a slight notch and he was sorely tempted to go out and punch the first person who thought of Ina like she was saying. With a glance to Ofi, Shine remained in silence, his golden eyes strong and focused on the woman who was bearing her soul to him, She wouldn’t meet his eyes now, as if ashamed to have told him her worries. Glancing down to her hands, Shine finally told his mind what needed to be done and gently took her trembling hands into one of his own. With his other, he reached up and gently touched her cheek to turn her to look at him, to stare right into his eyes with hers.

”This would probably sound better if you could hear my words and not just see them, but I’ll do what I can. Ina, you’re amazing. You’re a senator and I can see it in your eyes that your not one obsessed with power or money; you care about others and your work reflects that. You came here to help people right? That’s a step above most and it makes you all the better for being that way. You’re smart, I can see that in your eyes too and through the way you seem to ask the questions that always gain you the most information. But your kind too; you let me in even when my visit was random and most others would have shooed me away.

Look, my opinion may not count for much, but I’ll give it anyway. Your deafness is not a hindrance or a deformity. Not at all. Sure, it could be problematic at times, but you’ve found away around that problem and there are some things that words cannot express anyway. As for the people who think of it as such, well, they can jump out an airlock. Could they do the same thing in your position and achieve so much despite it? Maybe, but I’m betting on not. What matters Ina is that you believe in yourself and carry that in the way you work, you sign and how you hold yourself. People will see it; I know they will.

And last thing; Ina, no matter what anyone tells you otherwise, your beautiful. With a softness that should melt men’s hearts. I’d be proud and honored to call myself your friend because you’re everything that makes such a friendship worthwhile. And maybe…” Damn, he’d let his emotions take him and now he couldn’t stop what his body was wanting to do. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him, embracing her to still her concerns about never being cared about. And slowly, gently, he brought himself towards her lips, daring to show her that such compassion was possible, ready to stop the minute she should him he should.

[Mara]

(((Firstly... I may have hurried a bit on the ending, since I wanted to finish before heading to work, and try and keep it shorter/less in Ina's mind, so it might not be my best work. ;p
Secondly and related to this, let me know if you can work with the ending, otherwise I can add more to it...)))


Her eyes moved from the spot on the wall near the vidscreen that she had been staring at to down in her lap and hands. She had been waiting for new words to pop up from Shine, but none had come. Obviously he would have needed time to digest all she had said, but Ina had felt the moments tick by and had given up on a response. Though she didn’t regret her words at all, perhaps she had been wrong to let her feelings come spilling out when Shine had only asked a simple question or two. It was something that she had always struggled with; on the rare occasions she had found someone to listen to her, Ina couldn’t contain her enthusiasm and would start to ramble. But now this visit and conversation was spiraling more and more out of her control every minute that passed, and she felt she was past the point of no return.

She was digging through her mind, her fingers pulling at her clothing, trying to find a polite way to suggest to Shine that perhaps it was time for him to go when her sight line was interrupted. It was almost like time slowed for a moment, and she couldn’t focus right away on what was happening, didn’t realize what was happening. A hand reached over and grasped her own, calming them; a small part of her mind told her it had to be Shine’s hand. Yet she just let it happen, feeling a bit disembodied, like she was watching it all happen from above. Ina felt strength there and also softness. Like her father’s hand but different, too.

At the same time his other hand reached up and turned her head to face his. She stared into those strange yellow eyes like she hadn’t seen them before, and in a way, she hadn’t. It was just one of those quirks when a being met another one. Sometimes the little details escaped attention. Ina could sense a wealth of emotions coming from that face, those eyes. Sadness and empathy were there, a little anger, and… something else she couldn’t quite discern. But then just as suddenly as it had come to a halt, time snapped back up to the present, and Ina was again burdened with everything she had just said and could then really feel his hand around hers. And instead of pulling away, she squeezed what part of his hand she could back, one tear sliding down her white cheek, thankful for his touch but not knowing why.

Seeing his lips moving, Ina knew he was speaking to her, but it was hard for her to move her gaze from his. She wanted to get the full effect of his words, but she also knew it would be a lot harder if she had to read everything later. Forcing her blue eyes, no longer bright, to shift over to the vidscreen, she focused on reading what he was saying. Coming from any hearing being, it would have been rude, but she had no other choice but to look away if she wanted to get the message in real time. Ina knew Shine wouldn’t be offended, though; he knew her limitations.

Any of her prior doubts about the character of Shine disappeared as the words scrolled, and she decided she no longer cared about any of the mysteries or unanswered questions, the unfinished puzzle in her mind. Ina knew no being could be perfect; she was a prime example of that. After all, it wasn’t her prerogative to gain every detail about his life. They had been just having a simple casual conversation that had unexpectedly taken a sharp turn, and she had let loose rarely voiced feelings to an almost complete stranger. And instead of shying away from it, of how much she had unexpectedly divulged, he had comforted her with his touch and now with his words and thoughts. She might still be past the point of no return, but perhaps she didn’t want to return. Regrets of that nature were no longer there.

The farther she got with the text translation of Shine’s voice on the vidscreen, the more she wanted to turn and look into his eyes, read the emotion on his face, but she also couldn’t peel her own eyes from the screen as the words kept coming. Throughout, a couple more tears made their way slowly down her face. No being, not even her father, had ever quite expressed feelings like this before to her. There were similarities to what her father had said to her over the years--that she was smart, beautiful, her deafness was not a disability—but coming from someone like Shine, Ina felt it was somehow different and meant more. Whether or not there had been true emotion behind them, her father had had to say such things to her; he was her father and loved her. But Shine had no obligation to her or…

Ina shut the thought away just as quickly as it came to her. Shine was still essentially a stranger to her, and it wasn’t something she should be even remotely considering. She was letting his kind words get to her like a foolish schoolgirl, taking her places she shouldn’t be going. But deep down in her heart, her soul, she was already experiencing things that she hadn’t before, and it frightened her. Fueling them would only lead down a path she wasn’t sure she wanted. A path she wasn’t sure even existed for her. It’d just be more tinder to what Shine’s words were suggesting, already creating.

Pulling in a deep breath, she tried to regain herself, calm her racing heart, to find any kind of response to everything Shine had just said about her, that she’d be also honored to name him as one of her friends. Just something to douse the energy she could feel picking up in the air. Everything that came to her, though, sounded trite or perhaps a trifle rude. But anything she might have eventually said was interrupted and immediately flew away when he used his free hand to pull her close to him in an embrace. It seemed Ina was not the only one getting carried away by the current tone of their chat.

Taken by surprise, Ina wasn’t sure how to react and found herself letting Shine wrap his arm around her, another tear coming, unbidden. The feelings and thoughts she had tried so hard to bury down came up in a rush. He was leaning towards her, his intent unmistakable, and she could feel her body wanting so badly to connect with his. Her head was filled with the possibilities of what was to come, all of them sounding so good. The results of which promised more complications than anything else. Heart and mind clashed in that moment, Ina struggling with which one to listen to. Everything in the galaxy was telling her to go for it, but at the same time, it was also telling her not to.

In the end, conflicting thoughts beating back and forth in her mind, confusing her, she ended up following the advice of both voices without truly meaning to. Ina, feeling far past the point of no return, went with her heart. But at the moment their lips touched, it was like something snapped within her, alarm bells going off in her head. It was something she couldn't really explain, since it seemed contrary to everything she was feeling inside, but through the haze in her mind, it suddenly all felt wrong to her.

Exhibiting all the self-control she could gather to herself, she ducked her head away from Shine’s. Ina squeezed her eyes shut as she moved away, a few last tears leaking past, and disengaged herself from his arm, forcing her composure to return. When after a deep breath, she still felt odd, her breathing still coming quickly, she signed out a response with shaky fingers. << I’m sorry. I just… I’m sorry. >> She lurched up off the couch and hurried out of the room, stepping into the first room she came to, her studio, and closing the door behind her.


* * *


Over on the chair near the door, there was a clicking sound as Ofi’s small blaster shut itself back inside its hidden cavity in the droid’s chest.

[Jazen]

In the back of his mind, Shine was having a small war with himself. Two sides to an argument waging battle, fighting for dominance in a struggle that had two possible endings. Both had their positives and negatives, about equal in the short term, but the long term was what he should be worried about. If he followed what his body and heart were telling him, momentary happiness could follow. If he followed his mind, then that happiness would have to be shunned, pushed aside for the greater good. In both cases, the long term relied on one very crucial factor; would it be right?

Caught in the depth of his emotions, Shine's instinct take control, guiding him to do what he believed needed to be done. Before him was a woman who had risen to the best of her ability, despite a disability that would have crippled others. And yet, for all the hard work she had done, she saw herself as someone not worthy of the respect or love of others, that was beginning to believe that hope would never come for her no matter what she did. It stirred something in him, an immense urge to show her that wasn't the case, that such a thing was possible.

It was, as his brain told him even as he pulled her close, a trip into disaster if he didn't think about it a little more deeply. Showing her would not be enough, it told him, you'd have to be ready to commit to such cause. Would it work out was also foremost in his thoughts; or would his tendency to be pulled towards those women of strength doom such a journey? Was what he feeling honest or spur of the moment? Did he have honest feelings for someone already?

To hell with his mind. Shine felt the warmth of Ina's body against his, her body tense but not unrelenting to his pull. She was nervous and thinking about it too no doubt. But he knew she needed to feel this; she could slap and berate him all she wanted to after. Hell, Ofi could shoot him for all he cared. If through this act he managed to rebuild her self-image of herself, then by the Force he would do it. His lips drew to hers and for a brief, tender, wonderful moment, they met. They were soft, Shine pondered to himself, but warm and sweet and oddly enough, spicy. Different and unique to the woman as much as they were different and unique to the species. He could lose himself against these lips.

As quick as the moment came, it passed. Ina's mind and his own seemed to catch them, hers before his, as she quickly pulled her head away, her face lined with tears, eyes clamped shut. She pulled away from him, not daring to look in his direction as she signed quickly with her still shaking fingers. And then she was up and spinning and bolting out of the main area. Shine held the sound of a door closing quickly, not with malice or anger, but out of a need to escape something one didn't understand. She was afraid of what had just happened and where it could lead. Shine sat there, silent, not even bothering to acknowledge the small click that came from Ofi. Finally, with a sigh, he glanced over at the bird droid and stood.

"That...could have gone better. I shouldn't have done that...Force me, I've probably only made things worse. Ofi, if you're gonna shoot me, do it now. Otherwise, I'm going after her and seeing if I can make this right."

He didn't actually think the bird would shoot him, but he stayed motionless for a moment, simply staring at the droid, his eyes as serious as they could ever get. When nothing happened, Shine turned and stepped out of the room, to the only door closed. It was the door to her studio, if he recalled correctly. With a breath to steady himself, Shine knocked lightly on the door, then gently pushed it open and slowly moved inside.

He had to stop and simply gap for a moment at the room, simple like the rest of her place, but filled with small works of clay art and the like. It was impressive to say the least, but that brief moment of awe was quickly pushed aside. He had come here for a reason and he was going to do it. Turning his head, he focused on Ina, who was likely surprised to see him in here. Without a word, he sat down next to her and simply looked in her eyes, quiet, waiting. For her to be ready. He'd pulled out a small datapad and had it resting in the palm of his hand, held out so that she could take it and read the words on it.

"I'm sorry. I let myself get carried away back there. I hope I didn't do anything greatly to your disliking and if you ask, I'll leave and stay as far away for as long as you want.

But I'll be honest. I don't want to go anywhere at the moment. I want to be here, in your company. If you'll let me."