Are ya(cht) happy now?

[Pyrenees]

I n e s _ P a n t e e r​

'Ithorian Ingenuity & Innovation Ltd.' it was a fancy term, seemingly effective too, as it had attracted a fair number of interested parties. The visionary in charge, Chord Tabah, had recently held a seminar on Coruscant and had invited a few people to come along to his head office on Corellia. While the Panteers weren't abundantly rich, they did consider the advancements in agricultural research to be of interest - and Tabah was among the more prominent minds in the field. The group, as diverse as the population of Coruscant itself started boarding the Yacht which were to transport them.

Being the unlucky member of the Panteer family to have been elected to join the expedition, Ines was locked in conversation with an older couple, both Selkath. While the two were sweet and took good care of her, they had told her the story of how they met three times too many, and she was already feeling rather generous in tolerating the first four additional times they did it.

Her eyes viewed those who boarded the vessel, a few Rodians, a Twi'lek, a Vurk, some Mon Calamari and even a couple of Besalisks were to travel with them, in addition to the Ithorians that had come to Coruscant with Chord Tabah.

Ines' trio eventually sat down at a couch the old gentlemen slowly bent forth to reach for an orange but was interrupted "Let me help you with that" Ines spoke with a smile and retrieved the fruit herself. Peeling it would at least give her something else to think about as the other two spoke. Internally, she was anxious to move on. Paradoxically, the Alderaanian was also quite fond of the couple who seemed much more lovely than many of the others. "Here you go" she said cheerfully, whilst handing the elders a tissue with the peeled orange.

After listening to them yet another while, Ines finally decided that she really did need a break. Excusing herself, she headed off to the bathroom. When she eventually started making her way back to the couch, Ines kept looking around, praying that something would save her from another story of how the couple first met.

@S K I P S

 

[S K I P S]

The yacht had a shiny, silver finish with blue-black accents. Even the weapons and defences hidden beneath did not ruin the crisp exterior. It also had an observational level, while the interior compartment, where the arriving passengers were seated, had several conform-couches, a table stocked with food and drink, and soft playing music. Other parts, closed off for the Coruscant to Corellia travellers, were a private suite, and five visitor cabins, as well as the escape pods, the bridge and the main control systems (cockpit).

The luxurious ride wasn’t always Hárr Kaiser's, it had belonged to a son of a wealthy family's and Hárr’s damn friend had wanted to steal it for them so they’d have somewhere else to stay rather than their half-way-kriffing-broke apartment. Unfortunately, the friend had ended up dead and the Kaiser boy was left with blood on his hands and a big yacht with far too much room. The whole ordeal had been farkled. So, what better way for the young dockhand to make money than to smooch off the elderly, business people or travellers, all for the small price of having to take them across the galaxy. Harri’s whole ‘business front’ was pushed forward with ‘fancy’ clothes, food & drinks, and a clean ship. He was occasionally the pilot, considering the ship was his, but he liked a more hands-on job so would find himself cleaning empty glasses or mingling with guests.

A girl with red hair and freckled cheeks was hard to miss amongst a sea of elderly couples and business wrinkles. There was a grace about her, the way she sat up right and spoke smoothly to the ‘Ithorian Ingenuity & Innovation Ltd.’ members… Hárri had to admit he was surprised to see someone around his age aboard his yacht (other than his crew) and wondered if she had been forced to go. Or perhaps she truly was interested in research of agricultural advancements. It was not uncommon for younger passengers to appear, especially when he let less-fortunate ones on for free(ish), but more-so because the current expedition was travelling with Chord Tabah.

Stepping toward the friendly Alderaanian, he spoke so suddenly that he hoped he hadn’t startled her. “Saw you locked in a conversation with Annas and Dur.” Harri made it a point to know the guests that boarded his ship. He didn’t particularly like rowdy people — his last group of passengers left him with two blaster holes in the hallway before the cockpit. “Do you often peel oranges for kind elderly people while listening to them tell a story for the ninth time?” The number of the times the couple told the story of how they met was unknown to him because no way had Hárr stayed around to overhear it for the third time. “I admire your patience.” Instead, he had migrated from replacing the fruit on the fruit platter to plastering the holes by the cockpit.

His tanned skin had faded slightly in the busier season but his hands were still calloused all the same - he needed to keep himself busy or else he’d go crazy. Hence, even as he spoke to the red-haired girl, his fingers fiddled with the equipment he had used to seal the holes, preferring to do maintenance himself. Hárr seemed to be about 4 inches taller than the green-grey eyed girl, so she wouldn't have to crane her neck too hard to meet his own russet eyes. “I couldn’t help but notice that you seem like you would rather not sit on that couch and hear another story like theirs.” With a shrug and joking smile, he added: “They all sound the same anyway.”

Only now did Harri notice he was fiddling and opted to shove the tools in a back pocket. He could definitely afford to have a conversation with the girl with the nice smile.

​

@Pyrenees

 

[Pyrenees]

I n e s _ P a n t e e r​

“Saw you locked in a conversation with Annas and Dur.” Hope. Although the voice was new to her, it wasn't any of the other passengers, at least it didn't sound like one of them. Ines turned with a sense of enthusiasm and joy, curious to see who it was that spoke to her. Her eyes quickly scanned the person in front of her - while dressed rather nicely he had a youthful appearance, much like the other crew on board. "Yeah" she said with a slight laugh "Locked in conversation" she continued, reflecting over his rather fair way of describing it.

A smile appeared on her lips as he spoke of her recent deed of kindness. While it wasn't done in secret or anywhere hidden, it wasn't the most eye catching thing either, especially considering the more upbeat guests other than the former trio. Still, she was happy that he saw it as she was always happy upon being praised - maybe it was childish, but still, who wouldn't like feeling appreciated?"Thanks" she said jovially and continued "Not at the same time, no."

Turning to face him more directly instead of seeming as if she had half a mind to walk away, Ines looked upon the man, throwing both one and two glances at the equipment he was holding. Her eyes did, however, quickly return to his face as he spoke again. "Was it that obvious?" she asked, afraid that she might've let it show to the Selkath couple too. Biting her lower lip, the Alderaanian looked down the corridor towards the observational level, thought of going back to apologise going through her mind. While it required a fair amount of restraint, the teen managed to hold back her laughter and simply bent forwards with a hand in front of her mouth. While she didn't want to admit it, he kind of did have a point, at least after listening to them so many times.

With that, she decided that she didn't have to go back to Annas and Dur just yet. Turning to slowly walk in the direction which he originally seemed to be going, Ines looked to his back pocket. Although he had just put the tools away, they had piqued her interest "Those, uh, things" she said, pointing a finger at the pocket she was eyeing "What do they do?" she continued.

"Are you some kind of..." she was just about to ask for his profession when she realised that they hadn't properly greeted each other "Right! I'm Ines" she exclaimed with a bright smile whilst extending a hand for him to shake.

@S K I P S

 

[S K I P S]

Her voice was filled with a spark, one he assumed rarely ever went out — from his short experience with this passenger, she seemed to be an enthusiastic person… and a curious one too. Hárr couldn't help but also scan the girl. As he always did, he kept an eye on his guests - or had his crew lookout for him. Naturally, he had seen Ines’ act of kindness and commented on it.

Though Harri had started the conversation, he would not keep her if she wanted to leave. However, when she turned to face him directly, he took it as a sign to keep talking. But as he continued, she seemed to worry that she had offended the Selkath couple. Quick to reassure her, the taller boy shook his head, “No, no, no - It wasn’t obvious. Don’t worry, i’m very sure they enjoyed sharing their story I doubt many people stop to listen.”
Eventually, seeming to realise that they hadn’t introduced each other, the freckled girl extended a hand while introducing her name, and Hárr took it and shook once, firmly, “Well, Ines, welcome. My name is Hárr, and I hope your travels to Corellia are not too boring for you.” He pulled back his hand and settled it at the cuff of his long-sleeved jacket. It was the same jacket that the other crew members wore, though they had yet to sew in their own name-tags. Maybe one day they’d look more like a cohesive unit and not just like a group of young people handling a yacht.
Having second thoughts on his own introduction, with a chuckle he added, “If there isn't enough substance in my name feel free to call me Harri. Most people do.”

Acting subtle was in no way part of Harri’s nature - if he did something, people would know about it. Normally, he was a modest creature but if he were to want something hidden, it would stay that way. So, when the red-haired girl, whom he now knew as Ines, asked of what his ‘things’ did, he would tell her. Those rough hands of his returned to the pockets where he stored his tools, pulling out two complex yet small utensils. Sure, droids would be an easy solution but if Hárr spent his nights and days working on ships, he made sure he knew how to fix the damn things.

“Some people use this one,” he lifted his left hand with the longer tool, “to eat with.” It was no lie… merely a personal truth. The plural term ‘people’ was a huge exaggeration. In fact, the only person who had ever used the maintenance tool to eat was Harri himself and he had been ‘lovingly teased’ by his crew-mates. Unable to keep himself from smiling at the ridiculousness, he now lifted both tools, one in each hand, and explained the true use, “I’m just fixing some minor damage that was done to the ship last charter.”

The damage wasn’t all that minor, it actually took quite a few layers to repair the hole in the wall, and Hárr was lucky that’s all it was - a hole, and not further damage. “Guests are always welcome on my ship so long as they don’t cause trouble.” Using the term ‘my ship’ may have given Ines an insight in to what Harri’s profession was. He owned the ship but preferred to do other things other than just ‘own it.’

​

 

[Pyrenees]

I n e s _ P a n t e e r​

Awkwardly, the Alderaanian tried to repeat his name, one, two and finally three times. She showed him her palm with a raised finger and let out a "No, no. I'm going to get it right. Hhhhhhhha... Eventually" her attempt failed miserably, but she continued a couple more times until she reached what she deemed to be an acceptable pronunciation upon which she produced a winning smile. Surely, she still had some difficulties in getting the pronunciation just right, but still, it felt much better to be able to say his name correctly rather than changing it to something else - even though he was the one who suggested it.

Her eyes traced his hands as he picked up the tools. The metallic things didn't give her much of an idea of how they were used. The confusion of their purpose was only enhanced when he spoke of the longer one being used as an eating utensil "For what? A spoon or a knife would work just as well, wouldn't it?" she asked as they walked down the hallway, steadily getting closer to the blast holes by the cockpit. Still, the minor damage he spoke of had not yet been spotted by the teen who curiously continued "And what damage did they cause?" a number of options raced through her mind. The most likely seemed like a broken chair or wine spilled onto a couch, but they were heading in the wrong direction for any of those possibilities to be realistic. Besides, his tools didn't seem well suited for fixing any of those things.

It was a little surprising when the young man at her side talked about his ship. An eyebrow raised as she looked at him and before even opening her mouth to speak, she realised the irony in her being the one to point it out, but there it was "Aren't you a little young to own a yacht?" she asked, refraining from speculating in how he acquired the vessel. Despite the fact that Hárr was working on seemingly menial maintenance tasks, she wasn't really skeptical about him being the actual owner. Some people were just more hands-on than others.

Once they had gotten a bit further down the corridor and the damages he spoke of had become more concrete, the noble asked "Can you teach me how to fix the holes?" The request could have been a simple excuse to spend more time with him, and less time with the Selkath couple, but there was also a genuine interest from her side. While the big mystery in her life had never been how to fix holes, it seemed like a semi-useful skill to have.

@S K I P S

 

[S K I P S]

The girl tried to speak his name three times. At first her tried to help by re-pronouncing his name: Hárr. It was quite funny and he couldn’t keep a straight face, not when she was so determined to get it right. At first the laugh from Hárr came as a newly sprung leak, timid at first, stopping then starting. It picked up when she attempted a fourth time. “You don’t have to keep trying. Really, Harri is just fine.” He said this with a smile in his voice, because he knew the girl would persist. And, true to his thoughts, she did but eventually settled on something that was close enough to his name and smiled. “That one was almost perfect. Maybe by the end of our trip you’ll have said my name enough times to both remember it and pronounce it correctly.”

Eating with tools really was a ridiculous concept, Harri understood why she would be confused or laugh at the misfortune. He could barely keep his own chuckle.
“You are very right...A spoon or knife would work better, not ‘just as well.’ I would not suggest using the tools as cutlery.” Subconsciously, the brunette reached to his lip, brushing over a small scar. “Actually, it could leave you with an unforgiving pain in your mouth when it turns on. It was an unfortunate accident, really.” He had placed emphasis on on the word ‘accident,’ he even went as far as grimacing. The memory was likely something he’d carry with him for years, purely because how stupid it was - how one moment of laziness had costed him a week's worth of small but annoying pain.

When Ines asked of the damage caused, Harri pursed his lips, contemplating how much detail he should give away. Considering his last charter had been so chaotic and his still had a business, it meant giving away the details of the mishap wouldn't likely impact him. So, with a tilt of his head, he continued. “The lasts guests I had weren't the sort of people I normally allow. Sometimes a background check doesn't cut it and people can get upset in such small quarters.” The quarters weren’t THAT small, at least not to the boy who grew up on ships. ”Basically, they had tried to hijack my ship and put blaster holes in the walls.” Harri was very thankful that nobody had gotten hurt. “I only just started fixing up the holes today. My crew-mates convinced me that trying to hide it with a person standing there 24/7 or a piece of art wouldn't cut it.”
It was a joke, of course, a crappy one, but still. Blaster holes were a pain, Harri was more upset that he would eventually have to find the matching paint to the rest of the interior…and he wasn't the most artistic person. Maybe he could ask Ines what shade of grey it seemed.

“Can I teach you?” He repeated her question. It wasn’t too odd of a request but he’d never been asked by a guest to learn how to fix holes, let alone ask for anything other than food. “Ines, I made these tools - I can definitely teach you how to fix holes.” It wasn't part of regular protocol to take guests to the cockpit or put them to work, but he was known to make exceptions. Additionally, Hárr’s teaching skills had barely been practiced. He’d only been in the ship business for a few years, and had only started out as a dockhand; however, he had been tinkering most his life. So, as the opportunity presented itself, he would take it.

“Would you like to try to do it yourself first?” Because the brunette was used to doing things himself and trying, failing, then trying again until something worked, maybe the red-haired girl would want to do the same. Regardless of her answer, Harri held out the tools, waiting for her to take them. He hoped his early story of cutting his mouth on the tools would tell her how sharp they could be.

​

@Pyrenees

 

[Pyrenees]

I n e s _ P a n t e e r​

The two of them were getting along rather well it seemed, keeping up some friendly banter as they slowly walked through the ship's corridors. Her eyes traveled along Hárr's hand, and saw what looked like an old, mostly faded injury on his lip. Her gaze then fell back down to the tool. An amused smile formed on her lips as she raised an eyebrow, listening to what he had to say about it. While she had never really had the lifestyle herself, the carelessness and invulnerability of being young seemed to characterise her new friend. It was really rather pleasant to have someone not bound by convention and rules to be with.

Her mouth fell open as two surprised eyebrows shot up upon the mention of a hijack attempt. She could get behind a little bit of complaining and whining, but going from that to hijacking seemed a bit dramatic. Still, if he got away with a few blaster bolts in the wall instead of in, well, him - it seemed like it couldn't have gone too bad for him and his crew. Before speaking, Ines looked him over, just to be sure that he didn't carry any blaster marks or was limping from the scuffle. Once safe in the knowledge that he seemed to be alright, she let out a happy "I'm glad you are well, at least. Fixing the holes in the walls is probably easier than fixing the ones in you anyways."

A victories smile spread across her lips as he agreed to teach her. Although the smile remained, it did turn into a more surprised look as he mentioned having made them herself. Snickering, she joked "Hárr, you obviously need to work on the spoon functionality of that one. You clearly have some design flaws to work on." her tone was lighthearted and her seemingly sparkling eyes revealed to anyone not blind that she was far from serious. They had spoken at almost the same time as she blurted out the joke just as he asked about whether she'd like to try it herself first or not. "Maybe I should see the toolmaker and master wall repairman in action first" she said, not having much of an idea how his equipment worked.

Skips!