The Roof, the Roof, the Roof is on Fire

[Vex]

Civilization.

He hated it. With supplies for the ship beginning to run dangerously low, they'd been forced to come back to Republic space in order to refill on the necessities. Onderon was close to their destination, but out of the way enough in the Inner Rim that they stood a better chance of remaining unrecognized during this necessary stop. It would have been an understatement to say that Vex did not like this, whether or not it had to happen. He'd been quite...comfortable... over the past months with just Aunna as company. He'd never been much for the crush of society. Being surrounded by people in the slums of Coruscant and never having space for yourself or privacy had marked him at an early age. Even after he'd gone to the Temple, they'd still shared much because of the practice of being open and unattached to belongings or space. Once he'd fallen, he'd taken solace in his solitude, protecting it vehemently. In the scheme of things, Aunna herself wasn't aware of just how unusual it was that he'd actively sought out her company.

Now, however, she was a fugitive. It only took one wayward glance or attentive soul seeking to make a credit for her to be identified and have the authorities brought against her. This was the reason his mood was blacker than normal, his aura a seething mass of aggravation and disquiet. With their time in near solitude, he'd not spent as much effort seeking to bind his emotions or his aura and had, instead, allowed it to be freer. It had helped with some of her training and was also another sign of the relaxation and peace that he felt with her around, unspoken though it may be.

Once she'd touched down and began running through the power down process, he had exited the cockpit. Grabbing the few items he often carried with him, he put them in their specific place and then drew on his cloak, flipping the hood over his head. He hadn't wasted any time in getting to the ramp...and for good reason as it had barely opened and he saw it was men seeking to solicit them.

With a darkly wolfish grin, Vex moved down the ramp to intercept them. As the closest one neared and began to read off his speech, the Dark Jedi reached out and grasped him by the collar of his throat. Dragging him close, he let those dark, space black eyes and stared into the man's eyes. "Leave...now. I will kill you and bury the remains someplace on this godforsaken planet that won't be found until the sun dies and the planet cracks in half. I know what your intentions are and the only reason I'm not ending your lives right now is because I don't want to deal with explaining it to the woman I'm with." Pushing the man away, he stared them down while subtly tweaking their minds to relax the subconscious control on their bodily functions. A healthy dose of fear and bewildered shame had them stumbling over each other to get away and disappear.

While he was subtle with her and gave her more privacy, he had hardly treated anyone else with such respect. To him, the rest of humanity and intelligence life was little more than dirt beneath his heel. The men had intended to rob them blind as soon as they'd been out and away from the ship.

Pulling that fading, threadbare cloak around himself as he made his way to the bottom of the ramp, letting that gaze flow around him to the sights around them and taking in Onderon. The press of consciousness, of sentience around him was almost maddening after the solitude that he'd enjoyed previously. It was going to take some getting used to.

He had no intention of getting used to anything.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

As much as she hated to admit it, Aunna was troubled.

She’d been keeping daily track of the supplies for the Consul lately and they were in need of a resupply, and some time away from Dxun. The pests on that moon, as well as the climate and where they’d settled down, were dangerous to any ship…especially over long periods of time. That wasn’t what had her troubled, however…not directly. While those things were a concern, they could be remedied. Vex was the troubling part. She’d made arrangements with a supply company on Onderon ahead of time so leaving the ship wasn’t a necessity. Aunna may have been new enough at being an outlaw, but she wasn’t new at dealing with them…or any other number of ‘outlaws’, like the crooks and scavengers who meandered the platforms looking for easy pickings…so she had no intent of leaving the ship unattended for long.

Though, her actions had more reasons behind them than that…

Vex, for as much as she had come to care for the man, was a problem. People would be able to pick him out of a crowd more easily than herself if both of them weren’t careful, and while Vex was always careful…she didn’t like the idea of taking chances right now. The fewer people they was around the less protective he would be of her and the fewer chances there would be of someone getting hurt or trouble being stirred up. Still, there were just some supplies that couldn’t be gotten through any stocking company, and so they would have to venture from the Consul eventually.

The thought made her cringe a bit every time she considered it.

As the ship touched down on their designated landing pad, green eyes (already covered by those contact lenses) flickered over as Vex made his way from the cockpit. Eressea, who’d been curled up on the back seat quietly, glanced over from her game as he went and shook her head, shutting the program down. With an affected stretch, she ran a swift scan of the immediate area and turned her head in the direction of the outside, thermal imaging flashing on to see the figures approaching. Aunna, however, either didn’t notice or didn’t care as she continued shutting the systems down.

”You realize he’s going to confront…”

”I know. I’m not too horribly worried at this point, Eressea. I only just got confirmation that the restock is on its way, so it can’t be them. Let me know if it looks like he’s going to kill someone and then I’ll be worried.”

”Yes, but are you sure it’s a good idea to encourage…” pausing, she sighed and shook her head, leaping from her seat to the copilot’s, her translucent wings just barely shading a hue of simplistic tan. Her form of a mental shrug. ”Never mind. It likely wouldn’t make a difference anyway.”

Aunna couldn’t help but chuckle softly and smirk. ”Not likely…though…every time he goes scaring someone off it’s going to raise some suspicion about this ship.” Unclipping her harness, she stood and pulled her hair up, twisting it around into a bun and slipping the band from around her wrist to hold it that way. ”Well, come on then and let’s see what he’s up to.” Holding out an arm, she let Eressea clamber up it to her shoulder before heading back toward the loading ramp. It wasn’t difficult to spot him standing there in that patchwork cloak, the swiftly retreating backs of the group of men …or the damp footprints. Narrowing her eyes at him, she took a calming breath and tried not to guess about what might have transpired.

Eressea, however, was analyzing everything, red targeting circles appearing here and there across her vision as it zoomed in and out on the visible evidence. Those wings shimmered through a vague rainbow of colors as she made a fairly educated guess about what had happened. ”I’m unsure of if I should actually approve of your methods or not, Vex. Nor am I certain of if I should be as amused as I am.”

Aunna gave the droid a sidelong look and folded her arms. ”What was this about not encouraging him?”

[Vex]

Dark eyes flickered back as he felt Aunna's presence nearing. It washed over him before the sound of her footsteps could be heard on the ship floor or the ramp itself. Bemused, he saw the suffering patience she tried to draw in with that breath and the way those eyes narrowed at him. To himself, privately, he would admit that he found her quite.... fetching. Perhaps it was because it was at those moments that he saw the fire of her soul manifest itself into the physical world. Behind that mask, his grin only widened.

Hearing the droid speak, it was his turn to narrow his gaze as he let it be turned upon her. He watched that flickering rainbow move over those wings and listened to her words with a lifted brow. Despite himself, however, he couldn't summon the drive to bite viciously with his words when Eressea offered him a veiled compliment. His expression could only further lighten when he heard Aunna's response to that compliment. Clearly they'd had a discussion about this while he'd left to deal with the interlopers. He should not have been surprised.

"Aren't you the one keeps saying how I should be more lenient and less prone to extreme measures? I felt it a great feat of moderation to limit myself by not ending their miserable existences here and now. I was being far more moderate by giving them a chance to live and recognize the error of their ways so they might correct it. Sometimes, an accute application of shame and fear is necessary to divert a person from a self-destructive course. I felt it was quite...enlightened..." The corners of his eyes could be seen tightening with the dark mirth that flittered through him.

Moving toward them, he took a few deep breaths from that mask and then pulled it from his face. Pulling it off, he carefully settled the mask in the carrier he held at his belt and bound up the tubes required for it's use. The mask was too easily remembered. While it had worked well for running off the thieves, it would not be good for continued interaction here. The pair of men were criminals, unlikely ones to go to the security forces. Other citizens might not have such self-serving reasons to stay away from authority if they recognized him.

"Where are we off to? I'd like to be finished with this errand as soon as possible so that we may put this planet to our sublights again."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

That dark amusement of his had her uncertain of if she wanted (or was capable) of remaining frustrated with him. Damned man didn’t think he’d done anything wrong. Well at least he didn’t kill anyone. Shaking her head a bit, she joined him at the bottom of the ramp as he spoke. The more he said, the less she was certain if she was annoyed with him or amused by him. Still, despite her annoyance at his actions she found herself smirking and chuckling once silently. Eressea shifted, creeping across the back of Aunna’s shoulders to get a better look at the area around them, wings glinting a neutral ‘clear’ with hints of tan.

”Eharl jeti…”

The half muttered comment was…amused…but not entirely pleased as he stowed his mask away and spoke again. Shrugging slightly she was happy enough for the fact that most of what they had to do out in the city could wait the hour or two until the ship had been primarily restocked. ”For now we are ‘off to’ nowhere. The primary restock is coming to us…food, water, air…it’s coming through one of the stocking companies. We just have to be here when they arrive, which shouldn’t be long. Maybe an hour to refill everything…go into the city so I can get a few things we can’t through the company, so not long for that…and then I need to spend some time checking on the corrosion from Dxun. The creatures didn’t do too much damage, but…better to make sure now, while we’re able to have a good look.”

Eressea perked up a bit at this information, wings barely tinting a pleased green as she shifted her perch on Aunna’s shoulder. Maintenance she could handle…or at least much of the diagnosis of it, as well as assistance in repairs. Phae had been quite helpful in that regard back at Familiar. ”I can begin running diagnostics and scanning for hull damage or weaknesses that may become a problem while the ship is being stocked. Hephaestus assisted in some additional programming for me in that regard before I joined you.” With a swift flutter of those holographic wings and a bright green shading of her visor, those repulsors kicked on with a wash of air and energy as she lept off of the woman’s shoulder and magnetized herself to the hull of the Consul upon reaching it, swiftly vanishing beneath to get to work.

Chuckling, she shook her head. What an odd little ‘family’ she was building up around her…a mischievous and protective dark jedi, a level headed droid with (she swore) a fiery side and a gun for a tail, her Imperial rear-admiral brother who was doubling as a republic spy, and then there was Samantha. Her talk with the woman had been short, but fruitful. With another person, one with inside information on Vinay’s antics and someone she could trust, on her side…inside familiar…and still with some military and Corellian connections, things were beginning to look up. Once this deal with the jedi master was done, the cathar dead, and Vex got his information from the temple…well, it would very likely be time to take action on the matter.

That meant contacting Rook.

The thought made her sigh as those green-contact covered eyes followed the descent of a decently sized cargo transport toward their landing platform, the words ‘Journey 1 Shipping & Stocking” emblazoned in white and yellow along the sides. ”That’s them…please try not to be too foreboding? Last thing we need is to get people riled up around here…” If she was anxious Aunna certainly didn’t show it. The truth was that she was a little anxious...nervous…but it would do to let any of that seep through the exterior. If anyone (Vex aside) picked up on it suspicions could be raised and more attention paid to appearances. Knowing Vex, if a threat was perceived action would be taken and that just wouldn’t do.

Striding forward as the transport settled onto its struts, Aunna pulled a data pad from her belt and paused near the side of it, eyes flickering back and forth over the hull as she carefully monitored herself and her thoughts, one hand resting on the butt of the blaster pistol on her belt. She’d gotten stronger over the months with Vex, albeit in increments, and she could tell the difference. It wasn’t anything great…or even good at points…but she was making steady progress, especially in shielding herself from allowing her thoughts to drift outward unwanted. In the time that the Kellick had been around she was more able to differentiate between Vex’s presence and another person’s as well…something that she was much more aware of now that there were so many pressing against her new senses. It was like being back on Coruscant…except for being slightly more shielded from them all.

A hatch on the side of the transport popped open loudly, calling her attention in that direction. As a short series of steps folded down, she watched as a rather built looking Bothan appeared and hopped swiftly down them before they’d even touched the ground. “This the Consul?” Glancing at the large pad in his hand, then to the ship, he nodded to himself then looked back at the woman before him, holding out a hand to shake. “Rufus Dom…you must be Miss. Raelyn Krill.” With a nod, Aunna took his hand, shaking it and beaming a smile.

”That I am. A pleasure Mr. Dom. I have the information and the receipt code here on my datapad for you so you can get started. Afraid my partner and I are on a bit of a time crunch.” The confirmation information was just about the only thing she had on this particular data pad, in fact. An extra precaution against force only knew what. Handing the pad over, she watched him connect the two and tap in a few commands as he hummed pleasantly to himself. It made her chuckle just slightly…never before had she met anyone so happy with their job doing ship restocking. It was a pleasant change.

"Alrighty, ma'am...all set and checked out. We'll hop to so you can get goin'..."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Smirking at her muttered phrase, he shrugged slightly. "Trickster or dark...take your pick." There were some advantages to reading minds and having a neophyte learner who was still working on her defenses. It meant never having to wonder about translations when she muttered imprecations to him in her old dialects. He took a look up at the ship then while she spoke about the potential for some damage from Dxun as well as Eressea's apparent willingness to help in that regard. Grunting slightly, he shrugged while she flittered off with a leap onto the hull and disappeared. "Well, perhaps it's not completely useless. Maybe it will make a halfway decent astromech droid."

Turning those dark eyes back toward their surroundings, his own attention fell upon the transport coming in their direction and he stepped toward her closer. He, of course, was still able to pick up on her anxiety. "You're leaking like an emotional sieve, Aunna. You're better than that. Calm and center yourself. You have nothing to worry about...I'm the picture of civility." Flashing her a predatory smile, he kept in step with her as she moved forward, his movements in time with hers, almost as though they were moving perfectly in sync, up until she reached for the data pad. When the man greeted her, Vex crossed his arms over his chest, sizing him up while he hummed. It finally caused Rufus Dom to look up, holding out his hand as well. "Pardon my manners, Sir, but I didn't catch your name."

Vex stepped forward then, flashing a surprisingly amiable smile and taking the man's hand in return. When he spoke he let his tones roll in a subtle drawl to match the unexpected quirk in his expression. "Quite all right, Mr. Dom, no worries now. We all know the little lady's running the show around here and I'm just second fiddle to make sure things don't go south with the ship." Nodding over to Aunna, he would then lean forward and continue in a stage whisper. "She can get a mite ornery and intractable if things don't go smooth. Had to dodge a flying hydrospanner not half a day ago." Laughing lightly, he settled a bit. "Name's Winsley Eneryn. Pleasure to meet you. Please though, dun let me hold ya up from your work. Rather not wake the sleeping Krayt Dragon, after all." Raising those dark brows in mock horror, he'd step back away while the pair shared a laugh. His smile was just barely, perceptibly, smug as he waited to feel and see her reaction to that.

---

"An astromech, huh?" A tolerating sigh was given and a shake of her head, even as he spoke again. "Forgive me for being anxious. There's any number of variables and you're not the least of them." Still, she managed to settle herself...mostly. Certainly well enough to be amiable with Rufus. A flicker of her eyes was given to Vex's posture, green orbs flickering back to the bothan as he looked up and apologized, holding out a hand. What she witnessed next had her quirking a half smile to hide her utter surprise.

Quite the actor Vex was, she'd known (to a degree) that he was...but -this- was just...the whole thing had her having to stifle her utterly amused confusion. Putting on a good stage face, she put a hand on her hip and managed a half hearted frown. It was obvious, act or not, that it was all fun and teasing...and she topped it off with a light backhanded slap to his upper shoulder. "I'll give you ornery and Krayt dragon, Winsley. Sheesh..."

--Couldn't come up with something better on the fly, huh?—

Still, she couldn't stifle it any longer...she grinned, and laughed a bit, shaking her head. Rufus, more than amused, nodded and held up a hand. "Oh trust me, I know. The Missus is the same way. I feel like second fiddle to 'er too!" With another chuckle he shook his head and handed back the datapad to Aunna. "Welp, Miss Krill...you're all green. I'll get the boys to stock ya up nice'n swift like so's you can go about your day."

With a grin, the bothan pulled off his cap, tipping it to both of them before striding along to the back of the ship and giving it a good solid few thumps with the side of his fist. "C'mon boys! Work's up!"

---

--You haven't heard yourself snore. Might make a Krayt think twice...—

If he was anything, he was a method actor. While, normally, he may not be a very easy-going or amiable person...he had an advantage to that stage presence that no holo star could match: he could feel and see how another person's mindset was. Over the years, as his telepathy prowess had grown, he'd been able to examine and research how others were thinking and felt...and how that in turn made them seem. If you couldn't make it...fake it...and he could fake with the best of them, just by stepping into their shoes and emulating what he'd "observed" from others. It went so far as to color the very presence of him in the Force...like a spice changing the taste of a dish into something new. He was still there, but it was different and unique as well...that aura swirling and struck through with alternate colors of warmth, quite vibrant against the usual shadows and blood.

Feigning a cringe at the swat she gave him, he looked almost sheepish as he shrugged and looked back at her before back to the bothan. Finally nodding his head again, he clapped the furred male on the shoulder. "We sure do appreciate it, Mr. Dom. We'll just stay out of your way so we don't wind up underfoot."

Stepping back, he let his hand slip around Aunna's waist, a teasing flirtation as he pulled her hip up against his and drew her back so that they wouldn't get in the way while Dom and his group got to their work. Shifting a bit more, his chin came to rest on the crown of her hair. It was the look of two starry eyed lovers as Vex dipped his head to whisper unheard words into her ear, cementing an impression on the mind of the man and his fellows that would overlook something like the patched cloak or his features. Emotional reactions were always so much more vivid that logical ones.

It's what made eye witness testimony surprisingly unreliable.

"Happy enough, Miss Krill?"

--Does this good behavior work for you?—

---

--Yes...I think it does. You're quite the actor.—

She certainly didn't mind the affectionate show from him...not that it was exactly...typical. Maybe that's why she enjoyed it. Who knew...she certainly didn't. Still, she was wary of the situation. While he may have been well versed in blending in and reading others and acting anything other than what he was, she wasn't. Well, not in this way. Blending in with nobles felt different, and even that was uncomfortable and unpleasant.

Even so, all she could do now was trust him that everything would be alright. "I'm surprised at you though, I'll admit, larel." She couldn't help but chuckle as she adjusted her own hold on him as she watched the four men (and a woman) work on moving the supplies and hooking into the proper ports on the Consul to refill the air and water tanks.

---

--I am whatever the situation requires me to be...amiable spacer, serene Jedi, or something else, Aunna. It is what kept me alive and fed as a child and what kept me progressing in the Temple. It's what has kept me alive. That...and insane Corellian women that bring vibroblades to lightsaber duels.—

His mouth dipped, nibbling lightly on the junction of her throat and neck. He felt her anxiety and the fact that she wasn't as at ease in adapting to situations in this way. His actions now helped play on that by making it seem as though she was somewhat shy about the public displays of affection. At her words, he chuckled slightly, the breath warm on her skin before he pulled his head up a bit, glancing at her sideways over her shoulder. "There are still many things you do not yet know about me, little one. That is to be expected."

---

Alright, so...she couldn't quite help but chuckle at his quip about insane Corellian women, earning a mild shrug of her shoulders as well. --Oh yes...what would the galaxy be without those insane Corellian women and their trusty vibroblades. But I'll have you know I also had a blaster pistol.— As if that had made any difference in the long run other than distraction. Still, she saw the use in this ability he'd developed. She may not have been comfortable being anyone but herself, but she certainly saw the use in it.

As he nibbled on her neck, she squirmed just slightly and attempted to shy away. As unexpected as it was, the action caught her in just the right way that it ended up tickling her more than anything else. One hand came up and was about to push him away playfully when he chuckled and spoke.

"Oh I suppose that's true enough...but not for lack of trying. And for force sake, that tickled!" Huffing a chuckle she rubbed the spot on her skin that he'd been nibbling on. Stepping away from him, she turned and put her hands on her hips, huffing at him this time. Still, a smirk tugged at her lips as she poked his chest with an index finger playfully.

"Just you watch it Mr. Eneryn...or so help me I will make a krayt dragon look tame in comparison." He could take that as he would. Even so, there were a suppressed couple of chuckles from behind them as one of the team that had been passing by caught the words. Not a word or glance was given to the two by him, but the smirk he was valiantly trying to suppress said it all as he hefted one of the crates into the ship to be put with the others.

---

"I'm afraid that I'm not quaking in my boots nearly as much as I should be..." He allowed her to slip out of his grasp and watched as she put on that show of consternation pointed i his direction. Shrugging slightly, he seemed to shoulder that playful ire without any complaint, even with that mock threat of hers. "I have a feeling your growling is worth than your gnawing, Ms. Krill"

He let his eyes flash over to the worker that had seen their exchange. A part of him wanted to lash out, even though the display was having exactly the desired effect. He wasn't fond of company, crowds, or spectators. Vex was careful to keep it reigned in, however, as the reaction he was getting was as wanted. Pacing back toward her, he'd let his arm wrap loosely around her shoulder as he turned to better watch the crew. The time seemed to travel incredibly slow for him, despite the fact that the group moved with laudable speed and professionalism. He was getting edgier by the moment, though only someone who knew him would be able to tell. "I'm looking forward to being able to get out and stretch my legs..."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Smirking a bit the woman simply shook her head at her lover. This was just too odd, this banter with him. It was a refreshing change, this very fragile semblance of ‘normalcy’…whatever that might be. Huffing a chuckle she couldn’t even feign annoyance, even for play or cover. Still, Vex was Vex and as such she could see (and feel) how thin and fragile the mask really was. She didn’t even need the force for it…she just knew him better than those around. Well, she likely knew him better than anyone else alive except for himself.

Now that was something to consider.

Either way, she planted a light kiss to his cheek as he wrapped his arm around her once more. --Soon, larel, soon. They’re almost done.-- Nodding to his comment, she watched as the last of the crates was placed aboard the Consul and the men began unhooking and sealing off the air and water tanks, reeling the long tubes back into their vehicle. The chatter and shouting between the members of the crew had picked up as they checked that everything had been taken care of and that their individual tasks had been completed. All-in-all Aunna was actually feeling a bit more comfortable. So far so good…maybe I was on edge more than I should have been. Green eyes watched calmly as Rufus approached them once more, pausing before them with a pleasantly satisfied smile…another good job done.

“Welp, there ya go Mr. Eneryn, Miss. Krill. All set and ready ta go. You folks have a good day, now!” With a grin and a nod, he headed off toward the vehicle they’d come in, letting out a sharp whistle and waving the last two men to lock up the back and get in. Aunna couldn’t help but chuckle and smile back, returning his nod and wishing him a good day in return before he left. Once they were all climbing back into their transport she turned and headed back toward the Consul, cycling up the ramp and tapping in the lock sequence as Eressea could be heard clicking and clacking around the bottom of the hull. Not a moment later half of her appeared, then the full of her, tan wings traced lightly with green.

”They were quite efficient. I told you they had good reviews.” The draconic little familiar seemed quite pleased with herself, it was obvious in the ‘tone’ of her voice. ”Also, there isn’t much structural damage, certainly nothing even close to critical. Even so, I wouldn’t recommend going back to Dxun for the sake of hull integrity.”

Aunna simply nodded.

”Well, that’s good anyway. See if you can find any other suitable planets, then, and Vex and I can discuss it later. For now…” She turned to look at the dark maned man with her. ”I trust you’re ready to go?”

[Vex]

Vex nodded, letting one last smile curl across his lips while he offered the man a jaunty two-fingered salute with his left hand before watching the man walk off. "Good day to you...and thanks again!" He watched them pack up and finally trundle off back along their merry. He had to admit, the droid had made a good recommendation. The crew had been quite pleasant and thorough.

Not that he was likely to ever say that to the droid's face, however.

Once the vehicle had dipped from sight and his own probing of their surroundings confirmed that they were alone, he mentally shrugged. Even with her limited senses into the Force, she would feel the change in him as he all but threw off that mantle of a person from around him. Mentally, he was like a dog, shaking to get the unwanted sensation off of him.

The truth of the matter was, as draining as it had been, he'd actually found a sort of comfort in it. The persona was easier to hold than he would have expected. That realization had discomfited him to no end.

Now he was back to his usual, churlish self, however, that aura of shadow wrapping around him possessively and spiking with angry, bloody crimson. His arm didn't move from around her until she slipped from it in order to cycle the ramp and lock up the ship while they were gone.

He heard the clanking and saw the little droid pop its head out from under the ship. "Don't be too pleased with yourself, droid. A simple programming daemon could compare ratings and reviews in order to pick out a decent stocking service. If you couldn't manage that, I'd be quite worried about the state of 'cutting edge' technology."

When Aunna turned back toward him and queried his readiness, he inclined his head. He drew out that rebreather, fitting it back over his face and taking a few deep breaths of the purified air. Gesturing away from the ship, he'd shrug. "After you, Ms. Krill..."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

The change that came over his presence as the area was vacated by all others but themselves was immediate and, while expected, a bit frustrating. As much as she’d come to love the man for who he was, the change of pace had been…nice. Not that she’d ever admit that to him. The man was simply a handful, no matter if they were alone or around others, and sometimes that frustrated her. Not to mention it had been a good long time since she’d been around other people (with good reason) and so she was feeling a bit…socially deprived. Well, I’m not a hermit by nature like some people, she admitted to herself as Vex did his best to insult Eressea.

She didn’t seem to be taking the bait.

”In that case, I’ll allow you to use your own programs to find a suitable service, Mr. Praetor, so that I may focus completely on tasks more befitting my abilities. I trust that would be to your satisfaction?”

Aunna could only chuckle once and then sigh. The two did like to bait each other, it seemed, and as she let the little REA leap lightly from the hull to her shoulder Aunna simply shook her head and hoped for the best as she started walking toward the lift that would take them down to the main level of the tiered landing structures and toward the main portion of the city. As the lift chimed open she stepped inside and checked her blaster (again) as well as the collapsed pike hidden under her jacket.

”I’m considering finding someone who can forge a good ident-chip. It’s dangerous enough walking around in public, but doing so without something that can pass a security check if anyone starts asking questions is twice as foolish.” She paused a moment, considering her own words as she watched the world rush up past them outside the lift. ”I know that you’re good at keeping people unsuspecting, but I’d feel better taking extra precautions…” She just, was uncertain on where to start.

Eressea shifted slightly on Aunna’s shoulder, her processors already scanning the lists she had of people with known criminal records last seen on Onderon. If you wanted to find someone decent at forging it was a good idea to start by looking at criminals who might need one, people attempting to escape political dangers, or people who were trying to get citizenship on the planet the easy way…people who needed a good forgery. Those people would know the fraudster, or at least the middleman. Any fraudster worth their salt wouldn’t likely have been caught, so she hardly bothered even looking in those files.

[Vex]

"That might require you to find tasks for which your abilities are actually useful."

He followed along with her as she swept around and moved away from the ship. He followed along in her wake, a half step behind and to her left for a long moment, a dark and malicious shadow following in her wake.

Vex had been in a strange and unexpected sort of peace these last few months. It wasn't until they had arrived here, now, on Onderon that he even realized it himself. He had spent well over a decade focusing on hiding himself...always in control, always concealing his presence in the Force and his movements through the galaxy. His life had been tightly reined in with mental shackling.

Aunna had, in many ways, upset this carefully balanced control. If he'd known just how badly she would upset things...like a kath hound in a china shop, he probably would have never gotten her involved in his life. For his own peace of mind.

But he had opened the door and invited the kath hound inside his carefully organized reality. It led them down the path to where they were now. While she found herself feeling socially deprived over the last few months he'd found himself...liberated. Vex hadn't needed to hide. He hadn't needed to control himself or keep himself bottled up and under wraps. It had had been an unexpected experience that he couldn't fully appreciate until now.

He'd left himself more open to allow her to train, to focus her senses and her control during their training. Now that he was back to his original status quo, he found it was like an old suit. He could wear it just fine...but it didn't feel quite right...didn't fit like it should.

Stepping into the lift behind her, his aura spiked and roiled with its normal umbra, fog, and blood...interspersed now with threads of shivering cobalt. As the doors closed around them and the lift began to carry them down with such alacrity, his presence wrapped around her and his hand came to rest on the small of her back.

He chuckled a bit at her words, shaking his head. "Half of keeping people unsuspecting is having the appropriate items with which to sell your legitimacy. I have contacts for credentials and ident-chips...but most of them are in Coruscant. They may be able to point us in the direction of a good local contact once we find a holo-link that can't be traced."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

”My abilities have been useful in ways I don’t believe you understand yet,” came the simple reply. Eressea had been more than just a companion, whether Vex knew it or not. As far as she was concerned he didn’t need to know all the ways she’d been assisting Aunna in getting into contact with people who could assist her, like Samantha, or the fact that she kept herself busy by performing the regular repairs on the Consul that had kept it from sustaining as much damage as it could have while on Dxun. She also didn’t feel the need to mention the constant pest control she performed. Blasted cannoks eat everything…they’d even tried, once or twice, to chew on her.

At the easy banter between the two Aunna simply shook her head and sighed tolerantly. It was actually amusing, sometimes, listening to the two of them try to annoy or one-up each other…other times it was simply frustrating. Luckily this was more the former and much less the latter. Tapping the end of Eressea’s metallic snout with a forefinger Aunna glanced at both. ”Alright you two…enough for now, hmm?” That final, questioning, sound ended with a hint of confusion as she felt his presence wrap around her in an odd show of affection. Her confusion was only heightened as one of his hands came to rest on against her back. It actually earned him a baffled blink of her eyes and a slight tilt of her head before she managed to shake the confusion off…well, most of it…it wasn’t exactly expected, having him act this way in ‘public’ (using the term lightly) without some sort of prompting.

Not that it wasn’t welcome…

As he spoke, she nodded a bit. It made sense, really, considering how he tended to work. She was learning swiftly that there was only so much one could do with the force no matter your talent with it, so having documents or other items to cover any potential gaps was both intelligent and necessary. It certainly gave her a clearer understanding of how he’d managed to stay under the radar, so to speak, for so many years. She had to stifle a chuckle and her emotions as she felt an upsurge of both amusement and respect for the man. Her amusement was at the simple fact that, somehow, she hadn’t considered it before…or if she had, she hadn’t been in the mindset to respect him for it. Of course, she was also amused at the thought of how he’d react to her new outlook coming so late. Best to let him wonder, if he catches anything from me, than stroke his ego and give him a reason to poke fun, she decided.

”If it’s a secure connection that you need, I can provide that. This projector is good for more than just my wings, after all.”

Aunna’s green-tinted eyes shifted to look back up at Vex again. ”She’s got a point.” For a moment she paused, considering the situation, as the lift slowed near the bottom. ”We should consider it, at least, while we’re here.” As the doors opened again and she stepped out, the sight and sound of bustling people was everywhere…right into her own mind. ”I think I understand why you’re not fond of crowds, now,” she muttered to him as he stepped out beside her. It wasn’t this bad near the ship…I suppose it’s proximity related. With a little smile, she nodded in the direction they were headed before starting off again. Really, though…she didn’t remember this…sensation?...being so strong, ever.

[Vex]

He was about to say something else when Aunna came up with that admonishment for them both. At her look, he refrained from making any further comments...though that hardly made any look of guilt show in his eyes. He would bide his time, for now, until the droid did something else that he deemed to need correction. Vex was quite certain that it wouldn't take very long for that eventuality to occur.

He felt the confusion coming from her, radiating slightly as she blinked and turned her head a bit as she looked at him. He arched a dark brow in return at her look, curious as to what might of caused that confusion, not even noticing what his own actions were. He still had some work to do with her in order to help her shield herself, her thoughts, and her emotions from those with the sense to be able to pick up on it...if the amusement and upwelling of respect he suddenly felt was any indication. "Yes, I've lived a dastardly and roguish life...try not to faint." He quipped the words lightly as he watched the lift begin to slow as they neared the bottom.

Turning to the droid, he considered what it had to say. "Well...astromech and overpriced comm link. You are certainly moving up in the world, aren't you, droid? That may actually prove useful."

Being more attuned to the life around him, he'd felt the press of sentience far sooner against his own defenses. Hearing her words, he'd shrug a bit as he guided her out with the touch to the small of her back. "It only gets worse the more attuned you are with the Force. Once you learn to develop your defenses better, you can buffer much of it...but never all. My talents make me particularly sensitive to them."

There was something nagging at him in the Force. He didn't know what it was, but it had him slightly on edge. He'd spread that presence about her a bit more, letting it act as a filter to help buffer some of what she was feeling. Defenses and shielding were definitely high on their syllabus in the near future. Reaching out like that forced his own sense to expand somewhat....which made him feel that something was off. It wasn't danger or a burgeoning threat, per se.. He knew what that felt like. This was...different.

"I have a bad feeling about this..."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

“Yes, I’ve lived a dastardly and roguish life…try not to faint.”

Of course, she had to immediately resist the urge to feign doing just that. Instead, she chuckled her amusement and gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. ”I make no promises,” was the simple reply. She did have to wonder, though, what had gotten him into such a good mood. When they’d come she’d expected him to be in a foul and brooding mood, and while he certainly wasn’t roses and sunshine, neither was he outwardly malignant. That was a good thing, surprising, but good.

“Well…astromech and overpriced comm. link. You are certainly moving up in the world, aren’t you, droid?”

Aunna sighed tolerantly.

“That may actually prove useful.”

Eressea didn’t take the bait. Proving herself useful to him was only a secondary concern in proving useful to Aunna, who was the person that really mattered to the familiar. As they exited the lift Eressea’s vision flickered to life with readouts once again as she scanned the crowd moving through the space port and out into the city. Each highlighted figure was scanned and swiftly filtered through her lists of known bounty hunters and Republic agents as Aunna and her…companion…started into the throng. The woman could simply sigh at Vex’s reply to her comment.

”Yes, I sort of thought that would be the case…it’s the same with learning music. Once you learn to tell when things are out of tune, you pick it up more easily and more often. The better you get the more noticeable those sort of things are when listening to any sort of music. When you become good enough, you learn to listen past the flaws and enjoy the music again, but until then you tend to get caught up in the mistakes you hear.”

Aunna considered her own words quietly for a few moments as Vex’s presence wrapped further around her, helping block out some of the overwhelming…information…that came from the people around them as they walked. Maybe there was a clue in those words, some bit of wisdom she could use that she hadn’t considered before. The more she considered, learned about and felt the force consciously the more she had come to realize that it often had a similar effect on her as music did. She couldn’t describe it if she tried, and she was certain that if she ever did it would sound absolutely absurd, but it was a truth she accepted as her reality for the time being. Everything was different and had its own, unique…sensation? sound? emotional evocation?...that she could only like to music. Visually things could appear similar, or identical, but each sound, each voice, each combination of notes and rhythms was different…maybe subtly, but always different.

With music there were infinite variables and possibilities and arrangements, each leading to a different emotional and mental reaction in the listener depending on their views, preferences and even experiences…maybe, if the force was so much like a sort of ethereal ‘music’ than what she had said really could help her in the long run. Right now she was simply having to learn to pick apart the different pieces of the vast orchestration and getting lost in the full press of it. With more practice and training she would much more easily be able to pick out what she wanted to hear, but other things would be much more likely to garner her attention as well and without her wanting them to. Eventually, however, she would learn to dim enough of it to not be bothered by the many details and either pick out what she was ‘listening’ for or enjoy the whole. That made a lot of sense to her, actually, and so she consciously made the attempt to focus on a single point in order to help start learning to block out the rest.

The easiest focus was Vex.

“I have a bad feeling about this…”

She blinked, caught off guard by his words between her own thoughts and her new attempt to focus on him and block out the majority of the rest of the city-wide symphony. ”What?”

Furrowing her brow at him, she glanced around a moment and discovered just how difficult multi-tasking with the force could be. She would have to be careful about that so she didn’t end up walking into trouble because she was focused on something else. ”You don’t mean that you’re already thinking we’re in danger?” That, of course, was a question with two meanings: the obvious and the underlying question of ‘does that mean we should leave?’

[Vex]

"You would understand that far better than I. Music, while enjoyable, has never been more than a passing fancy for me. The Temple rarely dealt with music. While it can be calming...it can also incite emotion. As for after I left...well, being a bane to civilization limits one's free time of musical enjoyment."

He'd spoken that before the sense had overcome him. Distantly, he heard her words, but he held up a hand, lifting a finger to get her to settle and be quiet for a moment. His head tilted the way one would if they were trying to focus and listen to an elusive, but persistent sound. Only she would know that there was no such thing. He wasn't listening to anything tangible to anyone but him.

Dark brows furrowed as he tried to make more sense of what exactly it was that he was sensing. It didn't become clearer, however...and at last he shook his head. "I do not know what it is. It does not seem like danger, insofar as we are used to. Just...a weight of gravity...of something that will happen. I cannot explain it."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

She couldn’t help but huff at his words, mildly amused, and begin to retort…before he held up his hand. Furrowing her brow a bit she stopped herself from saying anything further and paused with him, watching him appear to listen for something. In this crowd it was unlikely it was anything audible and much more likely to be something in the force that he was attempting to latch onto. Probably whatever quasi(?) threat he’s been feeling, she mused, and attempted to even get a slight inclination of what it was he felt. Trying to discover the source of it, she knew, was not going to be within her capabilities so she didn’t bother attempting it.

She may as well have been trying to feel a touch of frost on this jungle planet for all the good her own attempts did her…there was just too much going on around them.

Eressea had paused in her observation of the crowd to observe the two with her instead. Particularly Vex. Her readings of the man had fluxuated slightly but she had gotten so used to it that she didn’t even take notice. No, it was the way he was standing, seeming to try and listen to something. For a moment she tinkered with her audio sensors and processors in an attempt to discover what he was listening to, but it all seemed like white noise to her. Finally, after running through a list of possibilities, she decided that the most likely option was that he was attempting to ‘hear’ something in the force. Whatever it was he was attempting, however, didn’t seem to provide any substantial information since he simply shook his head a moment later.

”A weight of gravity? Now that’s new…” For a moment Aunna thought on that before shrugging mildly. ”Well, we’ll just have to keep an eye and an ear open. If we’re meant to deal with it then we’ll do just that. If not…better for us, right?” With that she’d lead him to one of the near by stores. It wasn’t more than a small shop with a variety of daily-needs goods. There were a couple of people picking up what few items they needed but everyone seemed interested in their own affairs, which was most certainly the best thing for everyone.

Pausing at the door she’d look up at Vex and smirk impishly. ”I know exactly what I need, and I’m pretty sure I can look out for myself for a few moments, so I’ll be right back.” With a chuckle she headed further into the shop and got the items she needed. It wasn’t much and didn’t take long, actually. Still, she only dared getting half of her ‘cover’ here. Hair color was important if she wasn’t going to let the natural light-brown show through…but buying color contacts at the same place? Maybe it was paranoia, but Aunna just wasn’t willing to do that. Plenty of women bought hair color, plenty more bought color contacts, but both together sometimes risked questions being asked.

After paying for what she needed, she found Vex once more and gave him a smile. ”Glad to see you didn’t wander too far. One more stop and we can get out of here.”

[Vex]

"If we weren't meant to deal with it, I wouldn't be feeling the resonance of whatever the impending situation is." His words chided her lightly. The Force rarely ever gave indications of something that did not somehow impact the user feeling it. The only times that he'd ever heard of such happening were in times of great tragedy or in the proximity of great power.

As she led him to the store and made her case for him to allow her to shop by herself, he simply waved her off to do as she wished. He was still focusing on the Force...trying to find some clarity for what he was feeling or at least a better idea of when it would happen so he had some chance to prepare.

If he'd learned anything from his time with Aunna... it was all but impossible to try and change some things, especially when she was involved.

While she and the droid went inside, he paced slowly back and forth. He stopped when he had the feeling of eyes upon him. Dark eyes looked up and scanned around, seeing that he was near an alley, peering within. There, he saw big eyes under dirty, matted hair and tattered, threadbare. It took a moment for Vex to realize that the child he was looking at was a boy. It was evident in the child's aura more than anything...dirty and a lack of upkeep and hygiene made it harder to tell simply from looking.

Looking at that child shuffling forward and holding up a cup, it brought back vivid, long-buried memories of his past.

He picked his way through the debris and the trash in the Undercity...following that special sense of his toward the small treasures and trinkets that allowed his family to stay fed. The only reason they managed to stay fed. Even though dawn and dusk meant nothing here, far below the towering city overhead, he did his best to spend as much time as possible away from home...away from his Father. Picking through the trash, he caught a glint of a reflection from one of the few still functional lights in this part of the warrens. Climbing over some refuse, he made his way to that point, finally reaching it.

Digging and moving away the debris, he found a small, simple mirror. It wasn't much more than a stylized handle of durasteel and faux-electrum plating...but it was in surprisingly good shape. Picking it up, he used the edge of his sleeve to polish that surface before bringing it up. In the reflection he saw large, dark eyes within a pale, gaunt face and tousled, matted black hair.

Blinking, Vex looked at the child again...knowing the look and the feeling within those eyes all too well. He also recognized the small spikes of power tracing from his aura. Kneeling down, he reached into his robes. Pulling out a credit chit, he keyed in a substantial enough amount to help the child for a good, long while. Enough to make for a comfortable trip, at any rate. "You should leave here...take a trip...go to Coruscant. You have questions...they can give you answers...give you someplace to belong. Find Rufus Dom...tell him that Winsley Eneryn asks for him to help you make the trip there...that he will be compensated."

Taking the child's hand, he curled it around the chit before gesturing toward direction of the lift they'd used to depart the spaceport. The child didn't say much...looking to Vex, then to the lift and back again, finally, he'd nod. Quick fingers had the chit gone from sight in a moment.

Standing, Vex nodded in return, watching the child disappear and get lost amongst the crowd on his way to the lift. He paced his way back towards the shop just in time to catch her coming out and granting him a smile and those playful words. He let a small, bemused smile curl his lips before shrugging. "Good...I think it is best for us to put this world behind us as soon as possible."