Corellian Rum [open]

[Reisier]

“I’m pretty damn sure there are some near-humans that don’t.” She had met some before, of that, Amaris was sure. Not all of them were necessarily pleasant, as was the case with Fondorians – sneaky bastards that always seemed to get the upper hand in things. They cheated people out of their money, added loopholes within loopholes, all around a pain in the neck, it didn’t surprise the Zelosian to find out that their home planet, Fondor, was one of the richest planets in the Galaxy.

But, then again, Kira couldn’t blame her for the misunderstanding. It wasn’t like she had come across that many Tholodians before. Aside from the Jedi that sat across from her, Amaris had only met one more – a male bounty hunter, who happened to have shaved off every sign of hair. And, well, even if there was any, Amaris had been far too busy with other things to be paying attention to such petty things. Amaris clicked her tongue, emerald orbs glancing to the side. She wondered what the hell had happened last time she had seen him. Maybe on her next visit to Nal Hutta she should try to reach the male, there were certainly a lot of catching-up the two could do.

Amaris watched with clear amusement as Kira shook her head, playfully flipping and pulling on her tresses as if to accentuate the fact. She giggled slightly at the sight, but quickly became distracted by the thought. It was a true pity they had stopped talking, she could barely remember why too. All she could remember was visiting the barren planet one day, a simple job to drop-off things, and she had – oh. Yeah. That.

Yeah – catching up with him was definitely out of the question.

Last time they had seen each other he had tried blowing her out of the sky and, in turn, the Zelosian had destroyed his reputation – stolen a couple of merchandize from under his nose and let them go. Not a good break-up at all. Definitely not an ex you could remain friends with. Amaris grimaced and shook her head, returning to the Tholothian that now held onto her headdress with a gentle smile, as if reliving the many memories that the item brought.

She seemed so happy.

Amaris gaze softened slightly, a small laugh crossing her lips. “That was really nice of her,” She added gently, “…she seems to really care about you.” The smuggler’s head dropped slightly, her brow furrowed in thought, as the topic of Kira’s family was touched. “Are you…” She was very careful with the words she used, knowing by experience that it could be a tricky subject to engage upon, “…are you allowed to see them again? Your mom and grandmother, that is.”

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Kira avoided eye contact when the subject of her family was raised in detail. Her expression could be summed up easily as 'guilty,' like a child caught reaching into a jar of sweets that were expressly off-limits. The reasons behind such a reaction were not exactly self-evident however.

Truth be told, the Tholothian girl had a reason to feel guilty. Despite the Jedi Order's strict policy against family attachments, she had been in secret communication with her mother ever since the fall of Rhen Var and a hectic escape back to New Holstice.

While it was a distinctly un-Jedi thing to do, which made Kira feel guilty, she wasn't convinced it was wrong necessarily. In her opinion, it might have been the worse of two evils to leave her mother unknowing. When she covertly sent her a letter each month, she didn't feel guilty. Instead she thought of it as a way to pour her heart out to someone who really cared.

Not to imply that Daria didn't care. The rather stern Miraluka woman did care, but she wasn't her mother. Kira's mother was special, and the Jedi could still remember her finding time after work to sew up a Jedi costume for her to wear to costume parties.

There were some good memories there. And next time Kira was on New Holstice, she'd make more.

"I'm not allowed to see them," Kira said truthfully. "We're not supposed to have attachments, because they can be dangerous."

In a slightly more cheerful tone, the Tholothian girl decided to stay more on the positive side.

"But I have a lot of good memories from growing up. I came late to the Jedi Order. Most of the others came in around birth, and I was six years old."

[Reisier]

“Hey, you alright? You don’t look so good.”

It was strange how the Tholothian’s expression changed, the cheerfulness that had once graced her features replaced by something else. It was a darker expression, a sour look, as if tasting some form of remorse. It was a curious sight, one that made Amaris furrow her brow, gaze softening at the Tholodian. Amaris didn’t understand, however, why the woman seemed to reflect such struggles; truth be told, she found little to nothing that she should feel particularly embarrassed by. But Kira probably had her reasons for acting like that – everyone did.

Seconds ticked by as Amaris looked about the room, given the Jedi enough time to come to her senses. Soon enough, the Tholothian reacted, slow words rolling from her lips. The answer, the Zelosian admitted, was just as curious as Kira’s previous reaction. She had heard that the Jedi had a strict code of sorts, one which they lived by, abided by, for the rest of their lives, but Amaris was unaware that this also included severing all relationships. Amaris’ heart dropped a little, fists clenching her pants, “Must be hard.” She knew the feeling, though under very circumstances, having someone torn away without any possible say. To not be able to see them, talk to them – to only have their memories to comfort one by, if only for a second. Every minute, every day, their figure becoming less and less clear, their voices forgotten, diminishing into the recesses of their head.

A sad smile crossed Amaris’ face, her gentle features pained. But as quickly as the expression had come over the Zelosian, it disappeared. Amaris gave a small smile, hands resting on her knees, “I’m glad to hear you have good memories.” Her sighed, groaning as she pulled herself to a stand, “A lot of people chose to forget the good and remember the bad -” Eyes flicked towards the Tholothian and she gave a smile. “It’s a good trait, you should keep it.” Certainly, it’s something that the Zelosian should do well to remember. But, saying that was like asking the sun not to shine – it wasn’t going to happen, and Amaris was well aware of that.

She rubbed her neck, suddenly twisting her neck to the right, producing a loud ‘crack.’ Amaris sighed contently, the kink coming out, “So how young are you anyways? Hell, you seem younger than my siblings.”

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Kira laughed. She was used to being called young, but by Masters three times her age with wrinkles and crow's feet. It was a little funny to have someone probably not that much older than herself telling her she seemed so young.

"I'm 24. Jedi Knight and everything. Normally I'm used to being called the old one by kids. You have siblings though? How old are they? In fact, how old are you? I've never met a Zelosian before, do you age differently?"

Kira's voice was earnest, and her hazel eyes shone brightly, inquisitive and alive. It was very hard to believe she'd been shot by a blaster and tied up a few hours ago.

One thing at least could be said for Kira. She bounced back fast.

If another could be said, it was that she really had a tendency to be adorable. Or adorkable. Her curiosity and childlike demeanor were strong aspects of her personality, and certainly the most visible. It was no wonder some didn't take her seriously.

Knight Jeseledai wasn't exactly oblivious to that, but she didn't like reacting to it. They could have whatever opinion they liked, though she always tried to be on her best behavior.

She did care what Amaris thought. Part of that was because Amaris had been so helpful, and then there was the fact that she was very beautiful. And it was hard to not care about what beautiful people thought of you.

[Reisier]

Well, that was definitely unexpected. “Huh… you definitely don’t look it. You look younger actually.” Well, she acted younger at the very least.

Amaris had been convinced that Kira was in her later teens, a twenty-two year old at most; but the Tholothian was slightly older, twenty-four to be precise, and a full-fledged Jedi Knight. The Zelosian stood, completely perplexed, watching as Kira fell into another giggle fit. She definitely did not fit the Jedi stereotype, did she? Kira was happy and peppy – a free spirited sort. One that did not seem preoccupied by the evils of this world; she was still too innocent. Amaris crossed her arms in amusement, watching as the laughing continued for a few minutes more.

The Zelosian clicked her tongue as she gave a slight nod, fiery strands slithering past her shoulders, “Yep, have three siblings…” She shifted her weight, “…they’re triplets; actually, they’re the same age as you.” Which reminded her, their birthday was coming up soon. She should try dropping by if given the chance – or give them a call at the very least. It had been years since she had last seen them face-to-face, so that little gesture would be appreciated.

She glanced at Kira as the topic of age was reached, making the Zelosian rub the back of her neck. “Twenty-six,” Yeah, that seemed about right; honestly, the woman rarely kept track. She didn’t celebrate her birthdays, didn’t feel particular need to do so anyways, so it mostly went unnoticed by the Zelosian. Sure, her family would call, so would her friends, but the calls generally came as a surprise – the days were starting to look alike.

“I don’t think we age differently,” she scrunched up her nose, trying to figure out if she had heard anything before, but nothing came to mind. “…if we do, I really don’t remember it at all.”

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

So Zelosians didn't age any differently. Kira would have to write that down somewhere. And by write down she meant remember, and by somewhere she meant her brain. It wasn't exactly filled by dark recesses, but it was hazy at times. What she remembered fluctuated wildly, and some of it was rather useless information.

No one really needed to know the name of the one Youngling in her class on Rhen Var who was always sniffing, or about the mating habits of hawkbats that she'd once read up on. That was precisely the sort of bilge that hogged up the space between Kira Jeseledai's ears.

Nevertheless, she was still smiling and happy about adding more to it.

The triplets thing sounded really interesting to the Tholothian girl, for understandable reasons that she made clear in her usual carefree tone.

"That sounds really interesting. I was an only child, which was probably good. My mom would have been too busy all by herself to take care of four of us. And I do know what you mean about age. Everyone thinks I'm younger than I actually am. I guess when you spend so much time around kids they rub off on you a bit."

A wide grin revealing pearly teeth, not perfectly straight but still rather charming, dimples forming on her dark caramel cheeks.

"I'm fine with that though. I'd rather people think I'm young now. Then when I'm old, just imagine how young I'll still look."

Hardly scientific reasoning, but good enough for Kira. Of course her conversational skills were a little lacking, and she decided to punctuate it by reaching out to her bundle of belongings and grabbing a sketchpad and a pencil, casually starting to sketch out the Zelosian woman without asking.

"I hope you don't mind if I draw you. And me maybe. Like, maybe standing together?"

[Reisier]

The woman listened on, a small smile on her lips as she tried to make sense of what she said – at first, Amaris wasn’t entirely sure she understood Kira; she talked fast, energetically, reminding her highly of a hummingbird. Quick, unusual little things that seemed unable to keep still for more than a couple of seconds. She did try her very best to hold-unto everything the woman said, hanging unto every word, every phrase. But more than once Amaris would get lost, left standing with a dumb smile etched across her lips. So, instead, she would smile politely and give little nods. Hopefully, she wouldn’t catch unto the Zelosian’s ploy – and, if she did, for whatever reason, that she wouldn’t feel insulted, that wasn’t her intention at all.

Her eyes glistened as she watched the Tholothian continue, cheeks perking up as she gave something of a little laugh. “Yeah, guess looking young does have its privileges.” Whatever those were. Granted, if the Zelosian was asked what she thought about old, she would ask in a heartbeat that she’d age proudly – taking every wrinkle, every speckle of gray as her own. Each year had been a test and every mark a badge attesting to their completion. Of course, many women would disagree with the Zelosian’s opinion, but she didn’t mind; she had never paid particular interest what others thought, especially after the hate many shared towards the woman and her family shortly after her father’s arrest. She grimaced, if only momentarily, before shaking her head. Her fiery red hair fell, as a loose mess; trickling down her shoulders in a wild cascade of spirals and curls. No matter, no use in focusing on what had once been.

She wiggled her toes inside her brown boots. Amaris shuddered visibly, bumps forming quickly underneath her skin. Her eyes darted discreetly to the woman standing before her, curious to see what was on her mind. However, what she found was a curious sight – the Jedi holding a pad and pencil in hand, hand moving quickly across the white page. Amaris was confused, a little puzzled. Curiosity got the better of her as she stared at Kira with wonder, the woman working relentlessly on the page. Was she taking notes, or something?

Amaris opened her mouth, trying to formulate the most polite question she could muster – hopefully one that didn’t include a curse or two; but, before she got the words out, Kira’s words caught her attention. Oh. She was drawing. “Oh, yeah, that’s fine.” She responded absentmindedly, almost unsure at what the Jedi had first asked.

It was a simple drawing of them, it really wasn’t anything odd.

Amaris stared at the Jedi with unwavering eyes, unsure at first at what had been asked. Yet, it took a minute before the Zelosian processed the thought, “Wait, what?” A drawing. The Tholothian wanted to, for whatever reason, draw her. To draw them. “You want to draw us?” She felt her face getting hotter and she quickly looked at her feet. Her mouth ran dry, a bulge appearing in her throat. Alright, so maybe the request was a little bit odd. Hell, in all her life she had never gotten a request like that. She tried to brush it off as best as she could, clearing her throat as she gave a smile.

Well, she had already agreed, no use in backing out. "Though, can I ask why?"

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Amaris was flustered, and that made Kira flustered. She blushed wildly, her caramel cheeks taking on a pink tinge as she avoided eye contact. Her mouth felt dry and her heart was in her throat, making speaking very hard.

"I just, I mean- I thought it might be, you know, nice to make a drawing to help remember my experiences here today, but..."

The Tholothian Jedi stared down at the floor, hugely embarrassed and incredibly awkward. She nibbled her fingernails for a few seconds before she spoke again, a hint of dejection in her voice. She was obviously trying to play down her nervousness, her embarrassment, and the disappointment she felt at the words she was saying.

"It's silly. It's just dumb."

Kira placed the beginnings of her sketch onto the table, looking away from it at the wall and utterly unable to think of anything besides the obvious.

Smooth move Kira. You're so classy...

Her own mind turned sarcasm against her, which was something she rarely to never spoke. Instead it remained inside her mind, sealed safely away where it couldn't harm anyone.

The blush stayed on Kira's cheeks and she didn't say anything else, her hazel eyes remaining rooted to the floor, the walls, the ceiling, and everything except Amaris.

[Reisier]

The Zelosian felt a tugging on her heart that made her shift uncomfortably. She had been too harsh; somehow, she had made the Tholothian feel bad – even if she had not meant it at all. Amaris pursed her lips, hand rubbing furiously at the back of her neck. This isn’t exactly what the woman had planned out at all; she had been hoping for an answer – a simple reply that could put her questions to rest. Instead, she had made the Tholothian uncomfortable – a wild blush spreading across the Jedi’s cheeks which further increased the Zelosian’s unrest.

“Look…” She started slowly, looking for the best possible way to approach this whole apology thing. But, so far, everything seemed ridiculous. Sure, she could simply tell the Jedi to suck it up, that she had meant no insult by her words, but something told Amaris that wasn’t the way to go. Kira was, in her experience that night, somewhat delicate – harsh words would only make the situation worse. Amaris chewed on her lip, brow furrowed in clear distaste. She cursed, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m sorry.” She grumbled, though perhaps it came out as more as a hiss, her eyes snapping away and settling instead on the notepad the Jedi had held.

Minutes dragged by, the Zelosian’s attempt to appease the situation clearly failing. If anything, it seemed as if things were becoming worse. Finally, Amaris sighed, her posture relaxing as her arms fell to her side. She glanced back at Kira, the uneasy expression in her face, before she decided to speak up again, “See, it’s not dumb…” Per se. “…but, I was just curious why you wanted to draw us.” After all, it wasn’t every day that a client had asked the Zelosian to have her picture drawn, especially to remember experiences that could easily be described as stressful. The smuggler’s eyes traveled to the Tholothian, who still looked rather uncomfortable, but not horribly so.

Amaris scratched her cheek, shifting her weight as she leaned slightly forward, hand reaching out towards the pad. She picked up the leather bound book, studying the rough, off-white pages that had been scribbled on. The once pristine pages were now disrupted, gentle lines stretched across it, beginning to give life to a portrait of two. The faces were still unrecognizable, making the Zelosian click her tongue and give an audible, ‘Huh…’ Still, even in its roughness, it was still clear that the sketch could turn out beautifully. The Zelosian chuckled, holding up the notebook for the Tholothian to take.

“You like drawing, I’m guessing?”

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Kira's blush slowly faded as Amaris apologized, only to reappear when the Zelosian actually looked at the artwork, which wasn't finished. Naturally she protested, albeit a little feebly.

"It's not finished yet, you probably won't think it's any good."

The Tholothian gently reached out and took back the sketchpad, returning to her drawing tentatively, now that she was reasonably sure that Amaris wasn't going to protest.

Dark-skinned hands held the pencil firmly as she sketched out the contours, filling in the faces first. Faces were always her favorite part of people. Eyes especially. There always so unique and vivid. Plus, faces were the place where smiles were found. Happiness was always important to her.

"I mean, I think it's good. Usually they turn out all right. I can make a copy of it, and give it to you. Or you can have the original."

Kira was pretty flexible about such things.

[Reisier]

Amaris blinked, starting blankly across the room and to the Tholothian once more. It was a bit funny how easy it was to appease Kira – all she needed was a halfhearted apology and everything was became fine and dandy, as they would say. In fact, now that the Zelosian thought about it, this was the most calm she had seen the woman before. She wasn’t bouncing or grinning, or looking like a little kid – she was calm and collected; pencil between her hands as she continued her sketching. Amaris rubbed her face wearily, unsure of what to do – was she even allowed to move? The Zelosian had never really been drawn before, so the whole courtesy behind it was completely unknown to the woman. The scribbling continued, the distinct sound of pencil against paper filling the otherwise quiet room.

“I believe you,” She waved the Jedi’s statement off; there was no reason for the smuggler to doubt her. Actually, there really was no need for her to receive an image; quite frankly, it would probably get lost. Not because the Zelosian didn’t care for it, no, she was actually flattered in a weird way; but, truth be told, when one traveled for a living, things tended to get lost. Hell, she could only predict how many comlinks she had lost or datapads she had misplaced. Actualy, now that she thought about it, worst case came when she lost a whole spice case. That had not been fun; thankfully, somehow the blame was shifted to someone else and the Zelosian was let off unharmed – a couple of credits short, but she couldn’t complain. But, quite honestly, aside from that little mishap her deliveries went well.

“Eh, a copy will do. It’s your drawing, so you keep the original.”

Seemed like a pretty good reasoning to her. Besides, it looked like the Jedi took an odd sense of pride from her drawings, a passion that she could indulge in. Why would the Zelosian take it away from her? Sure, Kira sounded fine when she offered the Smuggler the original, but the woman couldn’t accept it. Actually, she wouldn’t accept it, even if the Tholothian begged. She didn’t need an image to remember the day by, the ordeal experienced was strong enough to last her a lifetime.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Kira glanced between her pad and the Zelosian from time to time, wetting her lips with her tongue and chewing on the inside of her cheek from time to time as she erased spots and touched up others, painstakingly yet swiftly transforming the sketch into a work of art.

It was a far cry from the stick figures she'd drawn as a Youngling, but she'd had a while to work on the skill. They said practice made perfect, and while she was far from perfect, she was doing all right.

At long last, after too much silence in her estimation, Kira turned the pad around and held up the fruits of her labor, showing it with pride as she provided a description of what was pretty self-evident.

"Done! I'm on the right and you're on the left. Rolly is in between us. We're kind of back to back, because I know you had my back, and I was looking out for you to. I think we're actually pretty good partners."

It was true. They'd made a pretty fantastic team all things considered, and that wasn't something Kira had been expecting. To be fully honest, she'd expected it would have just been her and Daria like always, just like when she'd been a Padawan.

Things had changed though. Now she had independence. Luckily she knew enough people to avoid being lonely, and by knew enough she meant made friends easily enough. It was a rare occasion when Kira Jeseledai entered a new venue and didn't walk out on friendly terms with at least one person.

That pretty much only happened at the annual Sith Lord convention, or the Hutt family reunion.

"Anyway, I hope you enjoy it," Kira concluded with a smile.

[Reisier]

Amaris Sataj fidgeted. Her thumbs were rolled, eyes flickering across the empty recesses of the still moving shuttle; it was clear that the Zelosian was uncomfortable. There was nothing to do – nothing to say, nothing to mess around with. All she could do was sit and wait for the Jedi to finish her drawing.

The smuggler frowned, clicked her tongue as she crossed her legs, pushing back slightly as she hap hazardously balanced herself on the hind legs of her chair. Although she would never admit it, doing nothing honestly bugged Amaris – a lot. She liked moving about, talking her annoying talk, maybe shooting a stupid comment or two – hell, even a friendly argument was alright by the Zelosian’s book. But, at the moment, there was nothing – that is, nothing besides sitting quietly and staring at the enthralling wall – a metal slab that was dented in a place or two.

Sure, she amused herself by counting – counting the boxes and medical crates that swayed lazily on the corner, as well as the flecks of dust that had become encrusted on the shuttle’s walls. After a while of staring – and partial counting – her brain seemed to overwork itself making her grow if a little dizzy; she started seeing purple dots spiraling and twisting to and fro. Needless to say, she decides to do something else. Soon enough, Amaris settled by pressing her thumbs together as hard as she could.

It wasn’t much longer after that the Jedi’s voice suddenly broke the silence that had settled in the room. Amaris’ head rolled in direction of the woman. Her eyes studied the Tholothian’s face for a second, before Amaris eyes snaked down and towards the sketchpad Kira held in her hands. Amaris blinked, eyes adjusting to the black and white depiction of three familiar figures: The Jedi, the boy, and the smuggler herself. The Zelosian reached to the pad, hesitantly taking it in her hands as she studied it further.

“Heh…”

It was a bit funny and oddly sweet – ‘course you would never catch the Zelosian admitting to the second – how much thought the Jedi had placed into this simple picture. There they stood, the three of them, posing as if in the poster of an action movie – Kira and Amaris back-to-back, almost as if fighting someone off in the distance. Rolly stood between them, smiling as usual, rescued by the fantastic duo. Amaris grinned, holding back a laugh, truly amused by the drawing. She studied the image, her smile becoming wider, before emerald orbs flashed towards Kira’s own.

“Hey, that’s a nice picture.”

Hilarious as well and something the Zelosian would definitely try to keep safe. Maybe she would try to frame it – or place it between a book where it wouldn’t get battered. It was definitely something that would make her smile whenever she had a craptastic day. Hell, if anything, she could probably show it off to some of her friends – Yasu would definitely get a kick out of it. After all, how many people could say they were featured in an action poster of sorts. Amaris handed the pad back to the Tholothian, a clear smile still present in her lips.

“It’s awesome. Thanks.”

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Kira was breathless and nervous as Amaris took the sketchpad and examined it, quickly resorting to biting her nails as her hazel eyes locked onto Amaris, scrutinizing her features for any sign of whether she loved it or she hated it.

The Tholothian Jedi was as worried as she'd ever been over this simple matter. It was funny that she worried in nearly equal amounts over something that was completely irrelevant as she did about something that was dramatically dangerous.

Well actually, come to think of it, she'd proven a lot more decisive when things actually were on the line. In Rhen Var when she'd helped Younglings escape, and now here, when she'd stayed behind to let Amaris and Rolly escape. That was something she could do, though it was still really hard to think of herself as some kind of hero.

But putting her art down before an unknown critic? That was something else, and it was guaranteed to make Kira Jeseledai nervous as could be.

Amaris's eyes met Kira's, and the Zelosian expressed her approval before handing back the sketchpad.

Kira let out a held breath, and the tense look on her caramel face turned into a broad and relieved grin as she took back the pad and looked at it one more time with the newfound knowledge someone besides her thought it was good.

"I could go and make you a copy now. Or if you prefer I could make a colored version later and send you a copy wherever it is you live. You do live here though right? I mean, on Nar Shada... da... dada da?"

[Reisier]

Amaris shifted, a grin still present across her lips. It never got old – it was still funny as hell to watch the Jedi try to pronounce Nar Shaddaa. Was it that difficult of a name? Hell, she could barely tell anymore. “For the most part,” The smuggler started, eyes lowered to the ground. It was the place she spent most of the time – but it wasn’t her only residence. She lived where the place took her – and sometimes clients required her to stay in other planets for prolonged period of times – cargo issues, so to say.

But Amaris always came back to the Smuggler's Moon; she always came back to Little Coruscant.

“I mean, I do live here.” A home away from home; that is, as much of a home as a studio apartment could be. It wasn’t the small space that bothered the Zelosian per se; it was just so empty. Of course the small open-concept studio apartment was furnished – decorated with knick-knacks she had picked up over the years – but when it came down to company, to someone waiting for the Zelosian to come home, well, the place couldn’t be more vacant. It honestly bothered her. Even after so many years of living on by herself, Amaris still wasn’t used to the idea. She needed company; she needed the noise, and the chaos it would bring. Now that she thought of it, maybe that was the reason why she spent long hours on the tavern – she just wanted the interaction.

“Have a small apartment a few blocks off the cantina where you found me.” The smuggler continued without missing a beat tapping a pale finger on her chin thoughtfully. It was a nice enough area – definitely not the cheapest place around. But it was safe – that is, as safe as one could be in the smuggler moon – and it kept her close to areas she could meet with clients, and it also had Decipio in a fairly accessible hangar, no matter the day or time.

That reminded her.

She still needed to meet with Fosu early in the morning. “Crap.” Honestly, after tonight, she really did not want to deal with that scumbag any time soon. “But the money.” Amaris let out a breath; yeah, she needed the money without a doubt. Otherwise she could kiss her apartment goodbye and find a good spot behind the dumpster. Actually, maybe she should live in a carboard box – it’d be a hell of a lot cheaper.

The smuggler grimaced before looking back at the Jedi, slender arms crossed over her chest. “Actually, hon, it’s your choice.” Amaris shrugged her shoulders, wrinkling her nose as she continued, “I mean, it’s your drawing, and it’s pretty as it is.” Besides, art wasn’t her thing. Sure, she could appreciate it, she could study it for hours without end, but when it came to concept or colors or opinions, to her it was all the same. One was colorful, one was black and white, that was all.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Kira didn't exactly have a home per se. She'd always thought of the Rhen Var enclave as home, but it had fallen to the Sith, and now she lived in the Temple on Coruscant. That didn't feel like home though. Sure she had a room of her own, and sure she knew people there, but it still didn't feel like home.

The Tholothian girl could readily admit that she missed New Holstice more since her illicit return, when she'd visited her mother in violation of the rules. And while she knew she wasn't supposed to, she genuinely couldn't feel sorry over it. She felt like she'd done the right thing, and besides, Daria had taught her well. The Jedi code was the beginning of virtue, not the end. There was room for deviation and still being a good Jedi.

It wasn't like she'd fallen to the Dark Side or hurt anyone before.

"It must be nice to have a home," Kira said softly, looking at her bare feet with hazel eyes, noticing that she was finally dry again.

But Amaris was right. It was her drawing, and she could make the determination. It was precisely the sort of trivial decisive action she had trouble with, as she much preferred creativity without limits. Still, she had to make a decision, and flipping a coin was too arbitrary, so...

"I'll just make a copy of the sketch now."

Kira rose and set the sketch on the table as she picked up the spare pair of robes and once more found nudity embarrassing. It was a little different when someone you registered as pretty was there to look at you naked. And doubly embarrassing when you were incredibly skinny and lacking in feminine curves.

Nevertheless, Kira cast aside her bathrobe as she turned away from Amaris, revealing a long and lean figure with dark caramel skin, which she hurriedly covered up with undergarments, white pants, and tan upper robes. Then she sat back down and pulled on socks before pulling on her trusty reddish brown boots, securing them over her slender calves once more.

Then she set about making a copy of her sketch.