Fancy Meeting You Here... (Dr. Jake)

[Rugs]

Tsubasa’s first steps onto Af’El werestrange. But then again, he supposed, the world itself was strange. The Defel, the world’s strange native species, built their cities underground, away from the dangerous sunlight that made the world’s surface near uninhabitable. It was understandable, given their circumstance—who’d want to live on the surface of a world with an ozone?—but maneuvering the Vagabond to dock in an underground space port with the added complication of high gravity…

Well, simply put, it’d been one of Tsubasa’s more eventful landings.

But the ship was in one piece and unharmed and he was fine. So he landed, relayed his ship’s ifnromation and refueling request to the docking authority, and decided to take a trip out into the small underground city to see what there was to see.

The world’s simple existence, with its high gravity, made moving about an interesting thing. Tsubasa supposed he had his training to thank for being strong enough to move about without too much additional trouble, but the difference was noticeable. It was like moving around with his weights on, except he had no weights on.

“No wonder no one ever comes here,” he muttered as he walked down the ship’s ramp, waited to allow to close behind him. “Miserable place, and I’ve only just arrived.”

“Well, we did not have much choice, Tsubasa,” said Ifrit, the small droid that was fashioned after a dragon that rode on Tsubasa’s shoulder. “We desperately needed to refuel the ship.”

“Yeah, I know,” Tsu muttered, stretching as he shuffled along. “Not saying I like it, is all.

He was dressed simply, for this should, if everything went well, be a simple stop. A dark blue sleeveless shirt and wide, loose grey pants with some sandals on his feet. He carried only his wan-shan, folded neatly at the small of his back.

He noticed another ship unloading as he walked along and huffed a laugh. “At least we aren’t the only ones stuck here, eh? Come on. Guess we should find some place to grab food or something.”

[Dr. Jake]

(My first post in a loooong time, wish me luck)

Simply put, Runa knew she was in trouble. As soon as she felt the familiar pull of gravity, which was stronger than she remembered, the Twi'lek realized that the freighter had begun its descent. A resounding thud a half hour later confirmed it.  Runa was, of course, a stowaway. Her "quarters" were actually just an empty container in the cargo hold, and the conditions were far from comfortable. For the majority of the journey, she had to sit in the dark, half-crouched and silent. Though she had packed provisions, they ran out the day before.

So now she sat there waiting. Runa hadn't really thought this part of the plan through, as her departure from Ylesia was extremely hurried. All she knew when she boarded the ship was that it was leaving Hutt Space, and that was all that mattered.  Unsure what sort of danger she would be in when discovered, and the Twi'lek knew she was going to be discovered, she held her lightsaber tightly in her right hand.  Though she couldn't sense anyone approaching, it never hurt to be prepared.

An hour passed, and Runa's mind began to wander.  What planet was she on?  What if it was even worse than Ylesia?  No, that was impossible.  Only Nar Shadaa was worse than Ylesia.  From the duration of the voyage, she guessed that the planet they were currently on was not far from Hutt Space.  Still, that could be a lot of worlds.

Suddenly Runa sensed two crewmen approaching her adobe.  Expecting the worse, she prepared herself to leap out of the crate and fall into a Shien pose.  They just passed her up, however.  Breathing a sight of relief, Runa remained vigilant.  She was again startled a few minutes later when the cargo bay doors opened and she heard a series of scraping noises.  She listened intently for a moment and decided that it was the sound of various containers being moved out of the ship.  Not long after she realized this, the Twi'lek's crate lurched forward.  Her forehead hit the plasteel container with a dull thud.  She mouthed a curse, but remained silent as she anxiously anticipated what would happen next.  As each second went by, Runa became more and more restless, expecting light to pour into her dwelling at any moment.

It never happened.  A long time passed before she was moved again, and again.  Finally, the crate stopped moving.  She waited, and still it did not move.  Content that she was not going to be moving around again, Runa reached out with the force and felt her surroundings.  She sensed a few people but they were somewhat distant.  Pressing her ear-cone against the crate, she could hear faint conversation and laughter. The Twi'lek also caught a whiff of what smelled like whiskey.

Just as she began pushing against the container's lid, Runa suddenly felt a stronger presence in the force.  It was faint at first but brighter than the others, and it was approaching.  Perhaps it was one of the Jedi Daro had taught her so much about, or worse; a dark-sider.  The idea scared, so she took a deep breath and did her best to shrink her force aura.

[Rugs]

Tsubasa’s footsteps — or perhaps his empty stomach — took him to a small cantina about 100 meters away from the spaceport. It was a quiet little place, carved into a little nook in towering rock wall that stretched up to shadow before the lights along the cavernous city’s ceiling gave light again.

The Matukai wasn’t really one for drink and revelry, especially on what he hoped would be a short layover. But, after a perusing the menu for a few moments — pointedly ignoring hungry stares from some woman sitting on the other side of the bar — he decided that the food descriptions sounded edible enough and ordered something.

“Hmm…” He leaned with his forearms on the finely-rough stone bartop and looked around the cantina, amber eyes focused on finding something. Ifrit skittered down his arm, much to the barkeep’s surprise, and sat down, looking at Tsubasa.

“Is something the matter, Tsubasa?”

“No… I don’t think so,” Tsu muttered. The place seemed neat well kept enough. Whoever designed it took the ‘underground city’ theme to heart. Near everything, from the booths, to benches in the waiting area, to some of the tables and even the bar itself, was either carved into the grey rock or otherwise made form rock.

The patrons looked respectable enough. Most seemed to be travelers, like himself, and except for the woman, minded their own business. Still, Tsubasa frowned slightly and furrowed his brow as some men came in with a box. He recognized them as the two he’d passed while leaving the spaceport.

“Just this nagging feeling I that something’s different here,” he said, turning back to the little draconic droid. The bartkeep set a cup—of neatly cut stone, naturally—of water down for Tsubasa, who nodded in thanks. “Almost like someone’s looking over my shoulder or something, but I dunno.:

Ifrit lifted his head to look at Tsu, then climbed to stand vigilantly on a hard shoulder. “There is no one watching you, Tsubsa. “

Tsubasa sighed. He heard the crate being set down elsewhere. “Thanks Ifrit. What would I do without you?”

“I do not know, Tsubsa,” the droid chirped as he hopped back down to the table. “But I do believe your life would be less exciting in my absence.”

“Can’t argue that,” Tsu mumbled with a shake of his head as he raised his glass. He took a sip of clear, cool water, then shrugged. “Whatever it was, it’s gone now anyway-“

“’Ey! You ain’t no drinks! It’s a girl.”

Tsubsa’s head, and that of every other patron in the bar, turned to the shouting. One of the dockhands who brought the crate in stood, gripping the top in whitened knuckles. His eyes looked like they were about to bulge out of his skull.

Tsubasa stood to get a better look at what was causing the commotion, and sure enough, a grey Twi’lek crouched in the crate.

“No wonder it felt so heavy!” the other dockhand yelled. He pointed an accusatory finger at his partern. “I told you, ‘twas too damned heave t’ be some bottles, but y’wouldn’t listen t’ me!”

“How was I supposed to know?!” The accused shot back, holding the crate top in front of him like a shield. “When was the last time there was just a girl in one’a the crates?”

While they screamed at each other, Tsu moved a bit closer to the crate, watching.

What an odd bar…

[Dr. Jake]

[Quality is poor-ish, but I'm sort of pressed for time, hopefully it will improve as I get back in the groove]

Runa hated surprises. She liked to know things, to anticipate them. Spontaneity made her...uncomfortable to say the least. Usually, this wasn't a problem due to her force sensitivity, as she could sense things just before they happened and prepare herself accordingly. This time, however, she failed to do just that.

When the crate's lid was removed, Runa was blinded for a few moments. Her eyes simply hadn't seen the light of day for well, days. When she regained her vision, she was faced with two figures bickering and looking at her. She just stared back at them, mouth slightly parted in disbelief. Her focus was gone, as was the shroud that had covered her force presence.

One of the men, a stout Human, grabbed her by the arm and she instinctively jerked away. He quickly caught her again however, this time with an iron grip. Desperate and afraid, Runa looked around the room. She frantically searched for anything that she could use to escape. Finally, the Twi'lek spotted several empty bottles situated on a shelf behind the men. With little other choice, Runa reached out with the force and took hold of one of them. A half-second later, it collided with the back of her assailant's head. The impact caused him to loosen his grip just enough for Runa to slip out of it.

A moment later, she was in an alleyway. She wasn't thinking anymore. Dodging the occasional pedestrian, Runa ran as fast as she could, knowing that she would be caught in the next second. After what seemed like an instant, she was out of breath, leaning against a stone wall for support.

Runa didn't know if she'd been pursued, so she reached for her lightsaber just in case. It was only then that she realized that she had left it in the crate. A sharp cocktail of disbelief and horror hit her. How could she have been so stupid?
So careless?

If the Twi'lek wasn't lost, desperate, and afraid before, she certainly was now.

[Rugs]

[sorry for the wait! Been a bit hectic lately]

By all observations, there was, in fact, a girl curled up in one of the crates. Tsubasa kept creeping forward while the two dockhands were busy slinging halfwitted accusations at each other and took a look. She was a Twi’lek with smoke-grey skin. Short, as far as he could tell; she was still crouching, body tense in surprise from being discovered…

Tsu blinked in surprise as the Force suddenly came flooding out from the girl. He was certain he hadn’t felt the usual resonance of a Force user within her a moment ago, otherwise this whole situation would be a notch less surprising. Where did that come from?

His wondering was cut short as one of the dockhands reached to the box and grabbed the stowaway girl. In a moment of panic or blind desire to escape, she hurled an empty bottle at the back of the man’s head, then darted away when he recoiled from the shock.

In all, the encounter couldn’t have taken more than fifteen or twenty seconds. Yet it commanded the attention of every person in the small cantina. The normal murmur of conversation was gone as all eyes watched the empty box near the dockhand who was rubbing the back of his head. Only the music still made sound, bass thumping quietly along, oblivious to what’d happened.

Tsubasa wasn’t really quite certain what’d happened himself.

Still, his creeping forward had put him within arm’s reach of the boxes and he’d heard something clanking around before the girl bolted out the door. He peeked in and saw a lightsaber, laying forgotten in the bottom of the crate.

“Of course,” he said, grinning in spite of himself at the absurdity of everything. “Why wouldn’t there be one of those?”

“Eh?” The dockhand who’d been hit with the bottle was still rubbing the back of his head as he regarded Tsu through one half-open eye. “Hey what’re you reachin’ for in there? Don’t be causin’ any troub-“

“Relax,” Tsu said. He stood up again, holding the lightsaber. “Just finishing some business. Don’t have to worry about me.” He gave the man a friendly pat on the shoulder and smiled. “At least you’ll have a good story to tell your friends now, eh?”

The Matukai turned and left the cantina, thoughts now on finding the girl.

“That was a rather odd happening, don’t you think, Tsubasa?” Ifrit asked.

“Yeah…” Tsubasa said. “Yeah it was, Ifrit.”

It took a few minutes of searching to find her, but he did. She was in an alleyway, leaning against a wall for support and apparently winded.

“Hey,” Tsubasa called from a few paces away to let her know he was coming. “I uh… think you left this behind.”

His hand extended, lightsaber offered back to her.

[Dr. Jake]

Af'el's unusually cumbersome gravity had taken its toll on Runa, due in no small part to her animalistic behavior in the past few minutes.  It took her a good two minutes to catch her breath, and even then she felt fatigued and a bit sore.  Once she stood up properly, she noticed a few suspicious glances from several passer-bys.  The Twi'lek was no xenophobe by any means, but the appearance of the Defel made her a little uneasy.

In an attempt to avoid extra attention, Runa awkwardly walked toward the street, but before she could get far, she sensed a strong force presence approaching and resumed her position of apparent exhaustion.  Not long after, a near-human man appeared in the corner of her eye.  She could sense a relatively large aura about him, but could tell little more about him.  He wasn't much taller than her, and probably close to her in age.  There was also some sort of tool or weapon on his back, which made her a bit wary.

Once he spoke to her, she tilted her head slightly and cautiously took the silver canister and stuck it in one of her longer pockets.  She was careful not to seem to eager.

"Uhm, yeah, thanks.  I appreciate it."  She replied a little hesitantly while taking it.  "It was a uhm gift from a good friend in Cerea. It's supposed to be some Jedi artifact or something, one of those light-swords."


Though she had kept herself shrouded in the force throughout the whole ordeal, Runa didn't know how capable of a force-user this man was, if he was trained at all.  For all she knew, he could be a Sith Lord or someone else that could easily see through her facade of normalcy.  Of course, anyone found inside a liquor crate and in possession of an exotic weapon was sure to rouse suspicion, or at least interest, in just about anyone.  

Judging from his stance and disposition, Runa didn't think this man was hostile, but he was possibly armed and certainly well-muscled.  As such, she mentally prepared herself to drop into a quick Shien pose, parry, and quickly counterattack.  

[Rugs]

[Quick-n-dirty, but it's something. Just as a note, her dialogue color is a bit difficult to see against the background]

Tsu gladly allowed the girl to take the lightsaber back. “No problem,” he said with a nod.

She it was a gift from a friend, which wasn’t that hard to believe, and that it was some Jedi artifact or something. Tsu lifted a brow slightly at that. He’d thought pretty much everyone knew what a lightsaber was—enough to not think them out of the ordinary. But then again, maybe not.

It did seem an odd thing to say, considering the flash of Force sensitivity he’d felt from her when the dockhands found her in the box.

But maybe she was worried about something or still shaken up from the whole experience in the Cantina. He couldn’t blame her.

She was definitely tense. Tsu wasn’t some body-reader like an Echani, but he knew enough to see when someone wasn’t quite certain if the person they were talking to was a threat or not.

“Ah, well,” he said cheerily, deciding to try and settle her down. “I’d thought it might be yours after… Well that’s not really important.” He smiled and extended a hand to her palm open. “I’m Tsubasa Arus. And this,” he motioned with his head to the droid on his shoulder, “is Ifrit. Can’t say I see people come popping out of boxes everyday, but I guess we all have our ways of getting places, right, Miss... ?"

[Dr. Jake]

[Note taken]

"Ru'Nalani, but Runa will do." She said pleasantly. This Tsubasa seemed to genuinely friendly, so she allowed herself to relax. Besides, there were a half-dozen witnesses if he tried anything. "Good to meet you Tsubasa and Ifrit."

She hadn't paid much attention to the small droid that had been perched on the man's shoulder. Runa didn't no much about droids, but she had never seen one quite like this one before. She certainly hadn't ever met one named Ifrit.

"And yes, I suppose we do." She said with a smile and slight chuckle. "When I fly, I always prefer to fly crate. You save a fortune." She looked around as she thought about what she had just said. "Not that Af'EL is my preferred destination by a long shot."

The Twi'lek discreetly looked him over again.  He wasn't particularly tall, but he was lean.  If his body was any indication, Tsubasa was either a warrior or some kind of athlete, and considering the weapon on his back the former was the more likely reality.  She wondered if he was a Jedi.  He didn't have a lightsaber currently in view, but she didn't suppose Jedi would want to advertise themselves during such dangerous times.

Her curiosity aside, Runa felt obligated to carry on conversation with the man.  He had, after all, returned her most valued possession.  Who knew? He could prove useful to her.

"Can I ask what it is that brings you to this part of the galaxy?"

[Rugs]

"Nice to meet you, Runa," Tsu said with a friendly nod. She seemed to relax, which was good; her at ease meant less chance of an accidental confrontation, though the Matukai didn't think that was particularly likely. He hoped not, anyway.

He huffed a chuckle at her comment and shrugged, putting an arm behind his head. "Yeah, guess that's true. Can't say I'd fly crate personally, but I've heard it's... an acquired taste."

Tsu turned to glance down the rocky alley, which was, unsurprisingly, still empty, save the two of them. He thought he saw her looking at him from the corner of his eye, but dismissed it as he wondered if she might have pursuers after her. Or if those workers from the Cantina might come thundering by to figure out what was going on with the strange Twi'lek girl in the box. Neither seemed to be likely, at least at the moment.

"Can I ask what it is that brings you to this part of the galaxy?"

"Well," Tsu returned his attention to Runa. "Nothing in particular, really. I just sorta drift around from place to place." He shrugged, a sly little grin touching his lips. "There're worse ways to spend your life, I figure. But as far as Af'El, goes, just happened to be the closest place for a resupply. Never been here before to tell the truth, though I might come back." He lifted himself up onto his toes a few times, almost bouncing like a runner before a race.

"Probably wouldn't make a bad training ground, with this gravity." That genuinely excited him. "Anyway, that and I'm always looking for work as I can find it."

Tsu shrugged, flancing up at Ifrit as the droid adjusted his posture, little metallic claws pricking the bare skin of Tsu's shoulder.

"And you? I can't imagine you... wanted to come here in a crate. And are you just planning to leave in another one?"

[Dr. Jake]

"Not so much acquired as a necessary taste." Runa smiled. Despite only knowing him for five minutes, and under strange circumstances, she liked this Tsubasa character. He seemed genuine, if a bit out of place. She thought it odd how the Force brought people together like this.

"A wanderer then? Perhaps we have more in common than meets the eye Tsubasa." The Twi'lek figured that wasn't such an odd occupation these days.  She didn't know why Tsubasa chose that life, or even if he chose it in the first place.  Whatever the case, she did know how lonely being a wayward traveler.  For this reason, she decided to at least hold a conversation with the man.  Besides, he was kind enough to return her lightsaber.

...I'm always looking for work as I can find it.

"Mhmmm...and what sort of work is that?" She leaned to her side to get a glance of the contraption on his back.  "I'll bet you're some sort of travelling plumber extraordinaire, and that thing back there is your secret unclogging device."  

Runa raised her tattooed eyebrows at her mock assumption.  The device was obviously a weapon of some type, and she was genuinely curious as to his actual profession.  She assumed that he could be a mercenary or bounty hunter, but he certainly didn't seem to be that sort.  The thought still lingered in the back of her mind that he could, potentially, be a Jedi Knight in disguise, and that interested her.  Still, she didn't reason that this was likely because he had mentioned training, and it was her understanding that Jedi typically trained with a master. 

And you? I can't imagine you... wanted to come here in a crate. And are you just planning to leave in another one?

"And me...I am a perpetual tourist of sor..." Runa stopped mid-sentence when she sensed two beings approaching from the direction they had been running.  She immediately scanned the direction they were approaching from, but saw nothing.  Without hesitating she turned in the opposite direction and began walking casually, motioning for Tsubasa to follow.

"I think there's someone coming." she said, just above a whisper.  She didn't realize until after she had spoken that there was no logical way a non-force user would have known that, so if Tsubasa was at all perceptible, which he probably was, then he now pretty much knew if he didn't already.  "You think it could be those men from the cantina?"

[Rugs]

"A wanderer then? Perhaps we have more in common than meets the eye Tsubasa."

Tsubasa nodded deeply, almost chuckling. “That’s the way it usually works out, far as I’ve been able to tell. Never know what qualities you might share ‘til you get to know a person.” Of course, he supposed the same held true for differences, and not always in a pleasant way. But, for what it was worth, he figured that a minor concern for his current company. After all, they’d gotten off to an affable start.

He lifted a brow as she called attention to his wan shen, wondering what it was. “Oh this?” he asked, pulling it from its clip and holding it out before her. The shaft, even collapsed, was metal of the purest, gleaming white, with gold etching carved along it. The blade’s blackened metal gleamed in the dim subterranean light. It took some considerable effort to keep his chest from puffing out with pride. “This is my wan shen. It’s the weapon of my order, the Matukai.” He paused, trying to think of a similar example, when one smacked him in the face. “Like that lightsaber would be for a Jedi.”

Tsu put the weapon back on its clip again and, winked, adding “It can even stand up to a lightsaber. Though that’s usually not something I have to worry about.”

He folded his arms across his chest, shifting his weight from one leg to the other as Runa began to talk. But she abruptly cut off as something called her attention. She was hastily moving before Tsu could say anything, motioning for him to follow. He did, brow knitted and glancing back over his shoulder.

"I think there's someone coming,” she said, and Tsu glanced over his shoulder again, brow knitted further. He could feel a few presences drifting toward them, now that he put his mind to feeling for them. Though how she knew that without being a Force user, as she claimed…

I knew I wasn’t crazy, he thought, thinking back to that brief flash of power he’d felt from her when the men in the cantina first opened up that box.

"You think it could be those men from the cantina?"

“It could be,” Tsu said slowly, “though even if they are, there’s not anything to worry about.” A silence followed, as Tsu pondered his question. “Tough, how’d you know they’re coming this way?”

[Dr. Jake]

Realizing her folly was up, Runa decided to drop the act all together.  In spite of the situation, she laughed her little laugh, which was not so much an outburst of amusement as a snide chuckle of self appreciation, or in this case, concession. This Tsubasa man didn't seem to have bad intentions, so what would it hurt if she confirmed what he already likely expected?  He wasn't, or at least didn't seem to be, an idiot and had likely figured it out anyway.  Besides, she could defend herself if he turned out to be malignant.

"How do you think?" She paused, "I'm like you.  Not you in particular that is, but a force sensitive.  Those are my words for it anyway."  All at once, Runa cast of the shroud hiding her force presence so he could know that she was indeed like him

Once she had made her confession, Runa glanced over her shoulder to see if anyone was actively pursuing them.  Seeing none, the Twi'lek felt more than a little stupid.  She blamed her nerves.  Considering recent events, Runa felt that she deserved to be a little anxious.  Hitchhiking across the galaxy in a plasteel crate in search of the only parental figures one had ever known was no walk in the park.

"I suppose I owe you an apology for not being as honest with you as you were with me.  People like you and I have to be careful in a galaxy like this." She continued walking alongside him for a moment before stopping.  "I can't at all tell what time it is on this cursed rock, but would you want to get a drink?  Force knows I could use it after that ordeal."

[Rugs]

[Weeeeeeelcome back :3]

Tsubasa nodded as Runa revealed her Force sensitivity, confirming his suspicions. She was like him, as she said, though a world (or worlds) of difference probably separated their backgrounds. Still, cocksure he might have been, but Tsubasa was open to other people and their beliefs—or lack thereof—and traditions.

“I don’t think you owe me an apology,” he started with a gentle shaking of his head. He shifted his weight from his right foot to his left, folding his sinewy arms across his chest. “But I guess I appreciate the thought anyway. I had wondered…” Tsubasa paused, brow knitting ever so slightly as he thought back to that moment in the bar, when Runa’s unfortunate hiding spot was discovered. “But confirmation is good.”

He abruptly shook himself back to the present. Runa asked if he wanted to get a drink somewhere. He didn’t see the harm in it. After all, he’d been more or less doing the same thing when he bumped into her. “That’s fine,” he said, “though I’m not much of a drinker most of the time, to tell the truth.

“But,” he added, stretching the word out thoughtfully as he scratched at the back of his head, “I’ve got some time to burn, so…” He motioned for her to go, and would fall in alongside her as she did. “So what were you doing in that… crate, if it’s not prying too much? Way I see it, people who do that are either tryin’ to get somewhere they couldn’t otherwise, or running away from something.”