So This is How it Ends?

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Time period: 1 year previous
Location: Iziz, Onderon
Participants: Halcyon: Cuir / Talau: Italia
Other Info: Set about 12 days after This Thread

Well the hunt certainly hadn’t gone what she would call “smoothly” but it sure as hell could have gone worse. They’d barely caught their basilisk in time to get back to the Star and keep Daryn out of a world of trouble. Why? Simple really…a rather pissy Falleen male who held a grudge against Cuir and a pretty blue twi’lek slave girl who’d led her former masters right to the ship. Of course…she hadn’t MEANT to lead them to the ship…but that had been the outcome. The two mandos had come barreling back toward the ship in a hijacked speeder with their basilisk bounty to find a small swarm of thugs attempting to break in, kill the occupants (namely Daryn and simply take the twi’lek back to sell on the market again), and then blast the ship to smithereens. Well, Lia wouldn’t have any of that, and so the two armored hunters had burst in and cleaned house. Daryn had done pretty well by himself, she’d had to admit, but there was only so much a stun bolt could do for a person in that situation.

That left them heading back to Iziz with their prize and turning him over to the Republic military on Onderon and collecting the bounty. As promised, she’d split it three ways and let the two men go on their own ways with the knowledge that she was leaving in four days time…if they wanted to stay on with her, the offer was open and they could negotiate terms, if not it had been good working with them and she wished them luck in their endeavors. Daryn had seemed…interested…but with Cuir around Lia had gotten the feeling that the flashy flyboy wasn’t going to stick around. Cuir, however, seemed just as interested and more than willing to stay. In fact, when she’d gone back to the Ghost Star that evening, she’d found Cuir there and, well…that had been a fun night. That had been about two days ago. Daryn had come, gotten his things and then, presumably, gone back to his baby…his baby being his ship. That had been yesterday, and he hadn’t seemed pleased at all to find Cuir there on the Star still. Hints of jealousy? Lia thought so…but she wasn’t about to say anything about it.

This morning she woke up curled up against the larger form of Cuir, head resting against his chest comfortably as she slowly came back to consciousness. A muffled groan and yawn was given as she stretched slightly and settled back in against him. That was about the time her datapad binged its alarm to notify her of an in coming message…or was that the high bounty alert? Still half asleep she couldn’t quite distinguish between the two and grumbled a few curses in mando’a as she reached over and grabbed for the source of her current annoyance. Finally catching hold of it, she gazed at it blurrily and sighed. A message from her buir…she’d answer it later…like when she was actually awake. Farmers and their stupid “up at the crack of dawn” philosophy…bah. Putting it back down, she huffed and settled in once more.

[Halcyon]

Cuir had been awake for a bit now, and had been watching Lia while she slept. Careful not to move to wake her up. She seemed so peaceful and content, something she hadn't seemed when he had first met her. It was times like this that he saw the private side of her that no one else did. He absentmindedly stroked her arm. For the first time in his life, he felt much like Lia herself now looked. It had been a few days since Daryn had left, and that didn't really bother Cuir in the least. Nothing against Daryn but he had rubbed Cuir the wrong way from the beginning. Maybe it was just Daryn being the cocky flyboy type. Or maybe it was simply Cuir being the jealous and protective type. It was possible as for once Cuir had something to be jealous and possessive over. Not that he considered Lia a possession, not at all.

It was just a new feeling for him. One he hoped to hold on to for as long as he could. He just hoped that nothing would end it. Lia yawned and stretched slightly before laying back down when her datapad had gone off. Irritating things they were. Sometimes he wished that he lived in a world where he wasn't in touch with everyone at any given time. But it was how it was. Obviously it wasn't important if Lia had just thrown the datapad back down with her typical curses and curled back up next to him. He wasn't going to ask. She'd tell him if he needed to know.

That was a new sensation too, trust. Cuir hadn't trusted anyone in a long time, at least not since his father. The Mando wasn't sure what to do with these new revelations, but for now he was simply going to sit here and enjoy the few minutes of solitude he had with her. He leaned forward and gently kissed her on the forehead, and laid back with a small smile tugging the corners of his mouth, as he idly wishing they could just lie here and enjoy each other's company for as long as possible.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

The kiss to her forehead told her that Cuir was awake. Drat. With the knowledge that he was awake, she sighed and stretched again before prying her eyes open and shifting to look up at him with a feigned annoyed look.

Just what’re you doin’ awake? I swear if my buir’s message was what did it I’mma give ‘im a good what for in my reply cause now that means I gotta be awake too.

With a playful huff, she turned onto her stomach, half laying on him in the process, the cut-off shirt and short cotton shorts exposing most of her skin as some of the sheets tried to bind her up in the process of her movement. Glaring down at the offending material, she tugged at it and freed herself once more before purposefully splaying herself across his chest and stomach then going dead weight, grinning at him from her (now upside down) position. Yes, she was playing with him. If she didn’t she was likely to go right back to sleep and in all honesty she just couldn’t afford to do that. As it was she’d been sending what she could afford (and sometimes more than she could afford) back to her parents on Concord Dawn to help keep the farm going. Dry winters and springs had been a real problem the last year or two for the farmers there and it didn’t seem it was getting any better. She needed to be up and looking for the next job sooner rather than later.

[Halcyon]

Cuir snorted lightly in amusement as Lia looked up at him, complaining about her father, "I'm sure that's a good idea. Then tell him you're sharing a bed with some guy he's never met before. I'm sure most mando fathers love hearing that."


Lia began flopping around in the bed landing on his chest and stomach repeatedly before landing on his stomach as dead weight, although not before rewarding him with a nice elbow to the stomach that made him let out a small "Ooof".

"You know, it's a good thing you're cute," said Cuir before kissing her, "Otherwise I'd have to kick you out."

Cuir sighed, not wanting to look at a chrono, "Does this mean we have to get up now? It so much more comfortable here."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

She lifted her head from her flopped over position and stuck out her tongue slightly at him.

You kiddin’ me? I'd be the one kickin’ you out. My ship, remember? And nah, I think I’ll leave out the part where I'm sleepin’ with ya…just leave it to the “what for”…

Sighing, she let her head drop back again and looked at the chrono from her upside down position. Sighing, she gave a little groan and turned over, this time a bit more careful not to elbow or knee him in the process. She didn’t want to get up either, but…well, they might as well since they were both awake.

Yeah, unfortunately…gotta get ta work, an’ I really should see what my buir wanted. Likely more farm troubles…always more farm troubles. Wish I could do somethin’ ‘bout those frellin’ droughts they’ve been havin’ ‘stead of just sendin’ ‘em credits ta stay afloat…

She shook her head and sighed, before slipping over him and out of the bed, stretching upward once she was standing. With a yawn she picked up her datapad and started scrolling through it as she headed toward the Star’s galley. First order of business…food.

[Halcyon]

Cuir was not normally a morning person. Mostly because with his career, nine times out of ten he wasn't getting into bed until the morning hours. Not that he really slept much anyway, but still mornings just really weren't his cup of caf. Speaking of which, a cup of caf would feel really good right now.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Although I'd like it noted that I wanted to sleep in today."

Sighing out loud he crawled out of bed and stood in the center of the bunk. As he stretched, he suddenly felt a intense, sharp pain shoot through his body, momentarily freezing him in place. It faded quickly as it appeared, and he hoped Lia hadn't caught it. Cuir finished stretching much slower this time. Maybe he had just started moving to fast, and had hyper-extended something. But even that seemed farfetched. He had never hyper-extended a muscle in his life. Like getting sick, it just didn't happen to him.

Strange.

Well, maybe it was just a sign that he was getting old. Even genetically enhanced humans got old, didn't they? He'd keep an eye on it just in case even though he was skeptical that it was anything serious.

"So what do we have for food here?"

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

A quiet ‘mmhm’ was given to his comment as she looked through her datapad and opened her father’s message. Mum was sick again…wonderful. Had she spoken to Itani? Yeah…once. Stupid ghost vanished more times than she could count on both hands and both feet. Did she know anything about the Nomack’s? No…why should she? She’d not been to Dawn in years. Ah, they’d moved apparently, and he was looking into buying their land from them. No wonder.

As she read over the message she’d missed his pained look as he stretched and instead had started walking toward the galley. It seemed there were other troubles…reading between the lines, she could just tell. Why did she always have to read between the lines with him? He was one of the most infuriating men she’d ever met…sort of like the flyboy: infuriating. Really, she loved her father to death, but he was just so….so…RAWR! There really wasn’t another word for him.

Stopping behind the counter, she leaned there a moment and read the last of the message, then read the whole thing through again. It sounded like he was gearing up for asking her for something…she got the feeling it was going to be heading back to Concord Dawn. She wasn’t looking forward to it, but...well…when your buir called, you came. At least, that’s how HER family worked. Dad called, you got your rear there ASAP. She was just glad he was calling her and not Cor. A huff of air and an affronted look had her putting down the datapad and looking up at Cuir. Was he seriously asking her that?

Four days in here an’ you still don’ know what’s around fer food? Cuir, your losin’ yer mind I think.

Of course she was teasing him, but it held a ring of truth to it. Four days in here and he should know what there was around.

Or are ya askin’ what I'm willin’ to make?

[Halcyon]

OOC: Sorry, really busy last couple of weeks.

IC:
Cuir gave a small grin as he walked up behind Lia and wrapped his arms around her waist. Giving her his best pleading stare, which really wasn't all that good, he started speaking, "But everything always tastes so much better when you make it for me."

He was fairly sure she was going to hit him, and Cuir was just being more than a little lazy. He was more than capable of of making a meal for himself, but he enjoyed the flirting and banter that they shared. It kept things interesting for the time being. Plus he liked pushing her buttons. She was fun to tease, and it really wasn't all that hard.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

She chuckled slightly, as he wrapped his arms around her from behind and gave her that teasing quip. Oh yes, she was sure he thought that way. He didn't need to say so. Turning, she was very careful to step ON his foot and stand there. True she didn't put ALL of her weight on that foot, but it still wouldn't feel too great.

Oh I'm sure everything always tastes better coming from me.

Giving him a flirtatious little wink, she poked his sides, right between the ribs, lightly.

...and you can take that how you will. But. You get to make your own food. I'll cook for you later.

With a mischievous smirk, she stepped back, and off his foot before grabbing an apple and knife and sitting down at the table, her legs up along the bench seat and her back against the wall.

[Halcyon]

Cuir pouted as she stepped on his foot, it didn't exactly hurt but it also didn't feel like the most wonderful thing in the world. He almost winced slightly. That was certainly odd. He had an extremely high pain tolerance, being stabbed, thrown off buildings, burned, shot, often without even batting an eye. Having someone step on his foot should have felt like a tickle. Maybe he was just being overly sensitive. He'd have to check in on that later.

"That sounds rather kinky. Is this an experiment we're going to try later? Maybe with some dessert? I'm always up for new things."

Cuir headed towards the mess looking for something as she grabbed an apple, and began rummaging through her pantry, over the years he had actually become something of a fairly decent cook, a hobby he had dabbled in occasionally. At some point he had planned to make Lia and actual full-cooked meal, when they had the time. Although at the moment he seemed like he likely would.

"I guess by this point I owe you breakfast or something, huh?" asked Cuir rhetorically, "Let's see what we can make."

Unfortunately with ship rations there wasn't much one could make, but Cuir would make do. The star seemed fairly well stocked with different odds and ends. To anyone else he would seem to be just mixing random ingredients, but he actually had a plan in mind. Something that both of them as Mando's would know of, and would certainly enjoy. Uj cake wasn't difficult to make, if one knew what they were doing, but it was very easy to mess up if one didn't mix their ingredient properly or accidentally used a tad too much seasoning.

Twenty minutes later, the cake was done. The upside about uj cake, was it didn't take very long to cook.

Finding a plate he cut a slice out and placed it in front of her, "Go ahead and try that. I haven't made one in a while, so don't hate me if it tastes a little off."

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Oh, I dunno...maybe...if yer good.

That would be casual teasing was almost drawled out boredly over the sound of her cutting through the apple with her knife. A bit of juice ran along the knife blade and onto her hand. Scrolling through the listed jobs, she sighed and marked a few of them to look into further. At his rhetorical question, green eyes looked up from her datapad and blinked over at him.

I...suppose? Why? Are you going to cook for me?

when no reply came, but he kept shifting through the recently re-stocked galley, she decided that it didn't really matter. If he did, that would be great...if not, well...she had an apple? After a while a sweet scent slowly began to permeate the area, making her sniff slightly at the air and eye Cuir curiously. As he pulled something from the oven and brought a slice over to her, she beamed a grin up at him.

No kiddin?! Uj'alayi?! Been forever since I've had one of these!

Pleased by the sudden surprise, she pulled off a warm bit of the cake with her fingers, not even bothering with the fork set out for her to use. Popping the bit of pastry into her mouth, she chewed happily on it, eyes closed, and enjoying the taste of it. It wasn't until she'd eaten nearly half the slice that she sat up properly on the bench seat again and looked over at Cuir.

It's great. Not as good as buir's, but still great...never learned ta make it so I don' get it often. This is a real treat Cuir...thanks.

[Halcyon]

Cuir gave he a mischievous wink, "Of course I'm good, cyar'ika if you don't believe me, I'm sure we can find some way to change your mind."

Yes he was causing trouble again, but that was what he was best out, and of course she was the one who brought this side of him out. So in a way it was kind of her fault to begin with, teasing her was always so much fun.

Cuir's face went deadpan, "But no, I'm a horrible cook, I've never done this in my life."

He continued what he was doing as she ate most of the uj cake. Cleaning up his mess, it seemed like he was most certainly whipped. Here battle-hardened Mandalorian supersoldier was baking a cake. Things had certainly taken a turn for the odd for him, not that he minded so much, it was just different.

Putting the stuff away, cut himself a piece of the cake and popped it into his mouth, "Good, glad you liked it."

He headed back to their shared room and changed quickly, hopping into a pair of black trousers and pulling a black t-shirt on over his head. The pain seemed to have faded, and he felt normal now. That had definitely been strange before, his body had never done that. While it might have been normal for a regular person, Cuir was far from normal.

He headed back out to the lounge area where Lia was and sat down next to her, "So what's the plan right now?"