The first steps...(KT)

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Arkania was, surprisingly, not what she'd expected.

It was freezing...

Sihara reminded herself once again that she'd been here for a reason. Her job had gone well, she'd been paid, and now she had the resources to get herself some leather armor and get herself back home to Shili.

Shili...it hadn't always been her home.

She'd left the temple only a week ago and already she was beginning to get a feel for this new life. The sleek togruta woman had gotten herself a weapon, made her way to Shili and settled in with the tribe she'd lived with during her short stay in her first year of knighthood. After that it had been a task to get a job...though, it seemed that with her training as a jedi and the fact that she'd left the order in good standing...people were fairly willing to hire her.

That was why she found herself here on Arkania. A geneticist/cyberbiologist had hired her to protect him for the length of a week while he transferred his research to one of his superiors on Arkania. Once the files were handed over, Sihara had been paid and free to go on her way. As things stood now, she was simply prepared to find a warm meal. Despite the city being built to keep out the cold of Arkania's tundras and icy terrain, the chill still seemed to seep into her skin more easily after her time on Shili.

Walking casually down the streets, the red hued woman began her search for someplace to eat.

[kt]

Arkania first and foremost, was cold, VERY cold infact. What had possessed Xander to come here in the first place? Most likely the fact that nobody he knew was here, it was a planet in which he could just get away and almost pretend not to be the sad lonely wreck he had become. Upon landing on the frozen planet, Xander payed for a room at the ports local inn and had immediatly hit the pub/restaurant that was next door, the smell of rich food coupled with a light hint of tobacco filled the cozy building and helped ease the zeltron of his stress.

With a knock on the bar, the bartender slid a glass full of whiskey into Xander's hand, who, immediatly downed it. The bartender had discovered recently that the man infront of him was a very good customer, good meaning rich, and rich meaning...well....even better things. With a smile, he slid Xander another, who, in turn, downed that as well.

"Keep em coming barkeep...."

The zeltron grunted out, wiping away a bit of stray whiskey from his now stubble ridden chin. Tired bloodshot eyes moved around the room, searching for....anything really, anything that would possibly distract him from that damned Lanara, she was the bane of his existance at this point and probably didn't care that she had crushed him.

"Time to take off..." Thought Xander as he scooted off the bar stool, payed for his drinks, and headed for the door, sliding his jacket and gloves on before opening the door to the frozen cold on the other side.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Food.

She could smell it wafting out of a particularly comfortable looking pub and had made her was directly for it. If there was meat to be had in there she would most certainly be one very happy togruta. It had been a treat to get meat when she'd been at the temple...what with being frugal with her credit allotment for her missions, but since she'd left it had been a bit more difficult. She'd had to buy a weapon, then pay for her transportation to Shili, then pay to get her information into the pool of body guards for hire, then pay again to get transportation to Ralltiir so she could meet up with her contractor. Add to that the need for more civilian clothing and food while off Shili...it took a toll on the small compensation the Temple had gifted her with upon her departure.

She was, of course, used to dealing with very little, so it wasn't bad according to what she was used to, but for those who weren't used to such things the two days she'd gone without food (ending today), it might have seemed quite a bad situation. As it was, however, Sihara was about to greatly enjoy her meal, no matter what it consisted of...just so long as it was more than bread and water, anyway. Trailing a hand along her front lekku, Sihara was about to open the door when she bounded backward to avoid being hit by the person who was about to exit.

As the door opened, all Sihara could do was blink, mildly dumbfounded. Certainly she'd thought the presence had felt vaguely familiar, but...she certainly hadn't expected to see HIM again.

Xander?

The scent of food called to her through the open doorway, the warmth and smells of any typicaly pub flowing out from behind him as she took in his appearance. He certainly wasn't how she remembered him looking, and she pondered the possibility of if it really was him. The presence seemed the same, but...this certainly wasn't the annoyingly happy, dreadfully horny, and exceedingly clean cut man she'd met on Coruscant.

She shifted her head slightly, turning it to the side to gaze at him from the corner of one eye, her headdress jangling lightly as she moved. From this view, her predatory angles were more visible, the slant and sharp shape of her eyes, the proud and swept back forehead adorned by curved montals and sleek lekku, the high cheek bones, and long elegant neck with sharp collar bones. Of the scars that crossed her body in places, the ends of two of them shown over her shoulder and a newer, more vivid, discoloration of her skin over the area where her heart was...an unwanted reminder of her battle against Vex Praetor.

[kt]

Xander had contemplated getting one last drink for the road as he grasped the handle of the door at the front, deciding on a no as he opened and almost walked into a young togruta woman. With a few blinks and many apologies, Xander's eyes widened very very slightly at the familiar face.

"Well....hey there Sihara....been awhile...:

Xander croaked in a very almost unsurprised voice as he got fully out of the doorway and stood beside the beautiful Togruta woman.

"So uh......um.....what are you doing here? It's not exactly warm here ya know, not like Shili or Coruscant." Mild curiousity peaked through the scruffy zeltron's voice as he hugged himself to keep warm. "So....i should reeally get going but....um....well i suppose i could spare a while longer to talk to a friend."

With that, Xander turned around and opened the door once more, holding it open to allow Sihara in, closing it behind himself. He then took a seat at a nearby table and took his jacket off once more, now fully looking at Sihara, brushing a stray bit of messy hair out of his eyes, looking at her clothing before looking her in the eyes again.

"........Why aren't you in robes...?"

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Sihara blinked again, still surprised that he was here. At his first inquiry, she gave a light smile, remaining silent for a moment as she debated how to reply. It wasn't long until he started speaking again and she kept her answer to herself. Golden emerald eyes gazed steadily at his not so dissimilarly colored ones. His, however, were bloodshot...showing the effects of alcohol and sleep deprivation. As he opened the door for her, Sihara wondered silently why he looked so scruffy...what had he gone through to make him change so much? Nodding once as he waited for her to enter, she passed through and followed him to a table.

No, it certainly isn't warm here, but...I'll make due. I am here on Arkania because I was on a job. It's completed now, so I have a bit of money and time before I need to return to Shili...so I decided to eat something.

The droid server toddled up then, asking for a drink order. A simple water would do for her at this point...no need to spend more money when she would be ordering food as well. Speaking of food, she ordered a nice dish of meat stew. It served her purposes well enough...heat, vegetables, meat and bread...a balanced and hearty enough meal to see her through until she could return to Shili. As the droid toddled off again, she returned her eyes to Xander.

As for why I'm not in my robes...the simple answer is that I am no longer a jedi of the Order.

A light shrug of her shoulders belied the pang of loss that stung her from behind emotional barriers. She tilted her head to the side slightly as she gently probed the air around the zeltron across from her.

And you, Xander? What of you? I don't believe that you've had a good time of life lately...

[kt]

Xander raised an eyebrow as he watched Sihara order her meager meal. With a weak smile, Xander stared at Sihara for a moment and then down to her bowl of stew and water. "Waiter, two glasses of juma juice please." The droid then came back a moment later with two wide glasses full of a gold liquid. "You can have one now can't you?" Xander asked gruffly as he slid one of the glasses infront of the togruta.

"I'm sorry to hear that...I won't ask you to elaborate for that wouldn't be my place." He sloshed his drink around in his glass a bit before taking a drink from it. "As for me....well, there really isn't much to say i guess.... would you believe me if i said it was girl trouble?" A somewhat dark laugh bubbled from the zeltron's lips as he took another sip of his drink.

"So what kind of work do you do now?" Curiousity was still mildly interwoven with his voice.

This little unexpected run in with Sihara was exactly the thing that could take Xander's mind off of his other problems, she had been very soothing to him in the past and the same feeling was still there now as he spoke to her, it was nice.

"And if you ever....well....ya know....need anything... just ask i guess." Odd as it sounded to him, it was something that needed to be said as he had neglected to make the offer to her during their past encounter.

"Er.....uh......*cough* yeah....." He mumbled after saying his previous words, deciding to just stop talking with a well placed drink of his juma juice.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

I could drink before, Xander...I just chose not to. I don't particularly like the flavors...but I suppose it won't hurt.

She ignored the drink for the moment as she chewed steadily on the meat in the stew, relishing every juicy bite. After a few bites, she set her fork down and gazed at him quietly.

There's no need to be sorry. It was my own choice to leave, and I left in good standing. As for if I would believe it was 'girl trouble'...yes, I would believe that. For as fun and...amusing...as you can be, sometimes you're just a bit much, my friend. Perhaps that is the cause of some of your 'girl trouble'?

The question certainly wasn't intended to be mean, her voice one of simple curiosity and postulation as she presented her theory.

I'm going to try my hand at being a body guard. It's familiar territory for me since I was a guardian for the Order and, at times, had to help guard nobility or senators in their travels or duties. It's legal enough for my tastes and allows me the freedom to utilize my talents in ways that are in keeping with what I was used to doing for the temple.

She shrugged mildly at the end of her reply, and at his comment.

I'm not one to ask for things, Xander. I need to be able to make it on my own. Once I'm certain I can, I may feel more comfortable asking for favors from you.

[kt]

A small frown etched it's way onto Xander's face, replaced quickly with another weak smile, he really should have known that'd she would have turned his offer down.

"Well if the need ever arises, don't hesitate." He croaked quietly before finishing his drink off.

Time passed by in silence as Xander dwelled on the night he had first met the togruta jedi "So, i'm a bit much you say? Yeah.....i can believe that." The first real smile breaking through the barrier of negative emotions he had been covering himself with. "You know.....i've been in a slump as of late....but, i think being in your company has pulled me out of it somewhat and for that, i thank you." The zeltron ordered another drink and when it arrived, he took a hearty gulp of it.

"You haven't changed a bit......i'm glad."

A quick change of subject was in neccissary to keep things from getting potentially akward and so the zeltron switched to whatever he could come up with. "Bodyguard though eh?....yeah, there's good money to be had there, you'll be rich in no time heheheh... I might even call you if i ever need extra protection in some of my business expeditions aaaand no, nothing you would deem dirty" A slightly bigger smile appeared as he used his fingers to do a quoting motion.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

A slight nod of her head was her only reply to his offer, and a smirk was the reply to his question. Yes, he certainly was a bit much to handle…most zeltrons she’d met were. His thanks were unnecessary, however…she hadn’t done anything more than sit there and talk to him a bit. It was certainly less than she could have done, but if he was thankful for that, then she wouldn’t say for him to be otherwise. She disagreed with his statement about her having changed, though…she had changed.

You may not think so, Xander, but I’ve changed. As for being a bodyguard…I’m not looking to be rich, simply to be able to live without having to scrape by, as well as put my talents to some form of good use. It was the most logical choice, though offering my talents as a healer has also appealed to me.

A light snort of amusement had her shaking her head at his smile and his comment.

I doubt you’d need any extra protection, but I’m glad you at least have the common sense to know that I wouldn’t want to be involved in anything “dirty.”

Sihara doubted they had the same meaning to ‘dirty’ in mind, but there was always the possibility. Her definition could go two ways after all.

[kt]

"Sorry hun.....er.....Sihara, i should have expected as much." Xander waved his hands frantically in the air before shoving his drink down his throat. "So...sorry to cut this short but...i really should be heading out." A frown of self dissappointment made it's way clearly onto his face as he slowly got up.

"Keep in touch won't you?" a small smile now replaced the frown as he stood to his full height.

"Sihara i.............nevermind...." He then gave her a great big long hug, finally releasing his grip on her. Xander gave her a swift kiss on the cheek and set down some money on the table before waving goodbye and making his exit.

"I hope she won't be mad at me...." He thought to himself curiously, a big smile on his face as he thought about the 1000 $ credit chip he snuck into her pocket.

With a happy tune and a better outlook on things, the zeltron made his way to his ship and departed to wherever his heart desired, thoughts of the togruta woman still lingering in his mind.