How Much For This?

[EmilyHuene]

The name Clovis Lighthawk was something that used to be well known. While Ral himself might not personally know it, a simple database search of his name would yield quick results. Clovis Lighthawk was once a renowned weapons crafter, particularly in swords. There was a time when a Lighthawk blade would cost a fortune. There were some sword collectors out there in the verse that would still know his name and trade, but he'd otherwise been lost to history. Who needed a blade when lightsabers were so readily available or blaster weapons could be bought and sold by the crate-full?

"So, what do you know of my people? What would you like to know?"

"Of your people?" she asked while he helped her into the side seat of the shuttle. "No I have all the information I need on the Mandalorian Dominion. What I'm curious about now is you, Ral Vizla. What makes you tick? What makes you a man? What makes you...you?"

 

[Kori Buor]

There was an amused chuckle from Ral as she told him she had all of the information she needed on the Dominion. Giving her a significant look when she asked him what makes him tick, he simply grinned as he flew. After a few seconds passed he began to reply. "But, my dear Evelyn, there's so much about Mandalorian culture! We're more than just warriors or brutes, you know? We have a very rich and diverse culture. Most just see as meatheads and mercenaries, but that's hardly the case."

Another laugh as he paused. "As for me, I am a son of the culture that bore me. I am the son of Gideon Vizsla, a leader of my clan and house, a wise and powerful man in his own right, but he was slain in battle against a band of Force users who raided my hometown. He taught me many things, and those few things he could not he made sure I had the teachers who could. I am the man I am today because of him. When he died I left my home and my closest friend to search for his killers. After ten years I realized I was chasing ghosts and came home to fulfill the future he had wanted for me and my people. But the Mandalorian Government opposed me... they loved their Republic friends too much, so they captured me and imprisoned me. I managed to escape and start anew. Again I gathered support and spread the dream of a Mandalore free of the Republic which only sought to use us. This time they tried to kill me. And it almost worked too. I lost my memory and almost drowned on a backwater world where my shuttle crashed.

"I was found by some fishermen and nursed back to health. Not knowing who I was I stayed there... fell in love, and then lost it all when slavers attacked and destroyed the village I came from. Afer that I became a wanderer until I happened on Coruscant during the sacking. There I found my childhood friend and she returned my memories to me. Things have been difficult to accept... I returned to find the friend Mand'alor, and lesser man the bringers of my dream. Now, I can only serve."

A sad smile as he turned away from her and looked out the window. They were approaching Sundari now. Looking back at her he forced a warmer smile,"But enough about my sad story, you asked to know me better! I am a warrior, through and through, though I have aspirations to be a statesman one day, I lead my fellow Mandalorians in my friend's name. I the thrill of battle, and the exhilaration of seeing a plan come together. Like many, I aspire to be greater than I am, to fulfill the destiny my father made for me, and to build an even brighter future for my people..." Growing quiet, he simply nodded at his words and then looked to Evelyn to see what she had to say.

 

[EmilyHuene]

She would politely look at him as he told her of his tale. She felt sorry for him knowing it must have been in a Republic prison. She'd never been in that type of situation so she really couldn't relate to it. Evelyn really had no idea how she would react if she were ever in his place. But beyond the sad parts of his story he was a man of honor. She respected that. But he didn't need to know that.

"But basically a mercenary and a meathead." She giggled and tapped him on the head in a teasing manner.

 

[Kori Buor]

The Mandalorian would grunt in response as he rolled his eyes while the small woman would pat his head. He could tell that she was teasing, so he wasn't going to get cross, but then again, he did find the comment silly. So after a moment he he gave her a sideways glance then smirked and simply replied back, "I guess that is definitely one way to describe me. I'm definitely not as sophisticated and high-class as you."

They were now flying into Sundari and between the tall boxy and angular buildings of the Mandalorian style of architecture. It might not be as pretty as the architecture of Naboo or Chandrila or Alderaan, but it was pragmatic and functional, which was all a Mandalorian needed it to be. Landing the speeder in front of their destination, Ral would raise his arms up at the building, it's design was a bit more stylish than most of the others and looked like a combination of Mandalorian and Republic styles of architecture. Bright colored lights illuminated the front and a fair amount of beautiful flowering plants border it's painted walls. "Well, here it is!"

Leading Evelyn inside by the arm, Ral got them past the waiting line by mentioning the reservation under his name. They were showed to their table by a young, blonde, Mandalorian hostess, and Ral once again helped Evelyn into her seat before sitting down. Once settled, he'd interlaced his fingers together and look at her. "This place has good food. The best in Sundari, in my opinion. Now, Evelyn, should we get a bottle of wine to drink? Or would you prefer something stiffer? And while we wait you can tell me what you like to do for fun! And what your favorite thing to do to relax is, and where you like to do it."

 

[EmilyHuene]

"I guess that is definitely one way to describe me. I'm definitely not as sophisticated and high-class as you."

"Oh sweet Ral," she would say clicking her tongue. She was far from being high class. She went back to looking at the view. Mandalore was a large place. She was lucky to be here for not many would ever get this chance. While the beauty was something balanced in nature it had a certain aesthetic look that just couldn't be replaced. It was beautiful in its own right.

"Well, here it is!"

For once Evelyn couldn't come up with a witty comment. He was taking her to a very fancy outing and there just wasn't a way to talk lightly about it. He was treating her to a lovely date in this "high-class" establishment. She knew they were going somewhere fancy...but this was just too much even for her. Suddenly she found herself dumbfounded and her cheeks would begin to blush. What was she getting herself into? This wasn't just some friendly little dinner date. He was courting her. How did she feel about that?

Before she could register where she was they'd walked in, gotten a table, and were now seated amoungst the crowd of richer Mandalorians. With her hands folded in her lap she was given a menu in front of her and someone poured her a glass of water. Oh dear. Was she sweating? She felt like she was sweating. Was it hot in here? Ok maybe she was just being paranoid. Seriously like why was it so hot in here?

"This place has good food. The best in Sundari, in my opinion. Now, Evelyn, should we get a bottle of wine to drink? Or would you prefer something stiffer? And while we wait you can tell me what you like to do for fun! And what your favorite thing to do to relax is, and where you like to do it."

"Do what now?" she looked up, her eyes blinded like a stunned animal in bright lights. He repeated his question while her hand found her glass and she tried not to show that her hands were shaking. Where had all her confidence gone? What was wrong with her?! She was acting so....so....shy? Bashfuk. This wasn't like Evelyn. This was nothing like her. What was he doing to her? "Something stronger...yeah...Can we just.....ale?" Was that a question? Oh boy. She was losing it.

 

[Kori Buor]

Looking at Evelyn made him chuckle a little as she looked at him a little stunned, her cheeks a still flushed from earlier. He hadn't realized that his desire to treat her to a proper dinner date would shock her so much, but nevertheless he enjoyed seeing this much more girlish side of her. Even as she stuttered her way through asking for ale, the Mandalorian could only grin and laugh. "Sure, ale it is. The brewers here make some of the most potent drink in the sector. After all, a culture of warriors are going to enjoy a stiff drink after their conquests!"

Waving at the waiter to get the drinks and give them a moment, Ral would wait a minute or so for Evelyn to compose herself. It was in moments like these that he wished he could use some of that Force to tell her to relax. Doing the next best thing, Ral slid his hand over the table and took one of hers, squeezing it. He then offered her a warm and reassuring smile, trying to get her to relax, "Are you alright? You look a little flustered. What's the matter, Evelyn? Is this a little too much? Feel free to speak your mind here, I won't judge you."

Giving her plenty of time to speak and compose herself fully, making sure she wouldn't be so flustered he repeated his earlier question, "What do you like to do for fun and to relax? Where do you like to go? I guess what sort of place would you want to live?"

 

[EmilyHuene]

"Sure, ale it is. The brewers here make some of the most potent drink in the sector. After all, a culture of warriors are going to enjoy a stiff drink after their conquests!"

"Absolutely! Conquests." Her face flushed again and she would pick up her menu and raise it high enough to not be seen over it. She rolled her eyes and shook her head and told herself to stop acting like such a clod. "Focus Evey. Remember your training."

"Are you alright? You look a little flustered. What's the matter, Evelyn? Is this a little too much? Feel free to speak your mind here, I won't judge you. What do you like to do for fun and to relax? Where do you like to go? I guess what sort of place would you want to live?"

Her eyes shot open as he took her hand and she peeked over the top of the menu. She slid it back down, trying to offer him a reassuring smile as if everything was fine and dandy and that she was not at all totally a mess. "No no. Everything's fine. There's just um......um.....a lot of choices! I can't decide if I want the...." she would look at the menu and read the first two things she could find, "the Mandark sandwhich or the roasted quillard tail." She gulped and hid her head behind the menu again. "What is wrong with you?!!" her inner voice screamed. "We don't even like quill!!" She whined a little, only slightly audible in this busy place and then set the menu down. As if talking to her inner voice "Ok fine. You try."

"Fun? Ok. I like to hunt. It's something my family has always done together. It's also very relaxing. Yes. What was the other question.....live! Yes. I have no idea!"

"Smooth."

"Shut it!"

 

[Kori Buor]

There was a smirk on Ral's face as he listened to Evelyn speak, or perhaps more appropriately, blab without thinking. It was clear that she was flustered, though he wasn't sure what in particular caused her bluster, only that it started when they arrived at the restaurant. Taking a deep breath as he watched as she tried to hide her face behind her menu, Ral smiled and shook his head looking down at his menu. Clearly, Evelyn still needed a little more time to ease her nerves, maybe even some comforting words, but Far would have to make sure they were the right words; he didn't want to cause her to lose nerve anymore than she already had.

Within a minute a waiter had returned placing their order of ale onto the table. Taking his mug into his hand, he pulled the large glass towards his mouth and took a sip, relishing the bitterness of the alcoholic drink. Finally, he chose to order a nice slab of ribs with all the servings and sides. Letting Evelyn choose what she wanted be looked at her and gave her an easy smile. "I find it hard to believe you don't know where you'd like to live... like me... I'd want to live in an alpine forest on a mountain... maybe near a waterfall and a large glade full of flowers. Something beautiful and picturesque. Like you!" He chuckled lightly. Taking a long look at her, enjoying the color of her eyes and the beauty of her face, he smirked, "What do you think so far? Good? Bad?"

 

[EmilyHuene]

The waiter would come to her rescue with her liquid courage and she took a larger than normal gulp from the mug. She then gasped in satisfaction and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She smiled at Ral as he ordered and she would finally get her head in the clear. She asked the waiter for the gypsy chicken with a side salad. He'd then leave them be and Ral resumed talking.

"I find it hard to believe you don't know where you'd like to live... like me... I'd want to live in an alpine forest on a mountain... maybe near a waterfall and a large glade full of flowers. Something beautiful and picturesque. Like you!"

She would roll her eyes, "You're such a charmer." She would smile and look around the restaurant as the ale was starting to calm her down. She'd take another sip, this time an actual sip. Evelyn in truth didn't know where she wanted to live. Her parents had never really had money, but she also took everything in pride. Nothing was taken for granted and she appreciated the work her parents had done, as well as her own, because it was honest.

"What do you think so far? Good? Bad?"

"It's nice. It's a little cold, but OH!" She gasped suddenly. "I know! I wanna live somewhere warm. Somewhere I never have to worth about a jacket. Somewhere I can keep my snakes with me."

 

[Kori Buor]

Evelyn would find an easy and almost constant smile on Ral's face the whole time, even chuckling when she rolled her eyes and called him a charmer. As she began to reply to his questions he's raise an eyebrow to signal his piqued curiosity at what she was saying to him. When she was all said and done he laughed lightly at hee dream place to live. "I didn't know you had snakes. Interesting, any poisonous ones? As for myself, I could live someplace warm... how warm would you like? I lived on a beach for a while, and that was certainly nice, though I'd have to have someone stay with me. Couldn't do it by myself."

The man would give an amused hum, almost as though he were laughing at a private joke before taking up his ale again and taking a rather generous gulp out of it. It had been a very long time since he had this much fun, perhaps even longer since he had been on a proper date. He felt very out of practice, and he thought that it was a good thing Evelyn wasn't expecting too much of him. As he watched her he wondered what was going through her mind. After a few moments he tried to engage her in some small talk. "So what sort of things do you like to hunt? Do you get to hunt very often?"

 

[EmilyHuene]

. "I didn't know you had snakes. Interesting, any poisonous ones? As for myself, I could live someplace warm... how warm would you like? I lived on a beach for a while, and that was certainly nice, though I'd have to have someone stay with me. Couldn't do it by myself."

"Yeah I've got all kinds!" Her eyes lit up and he could tell it was clearly one of her passions. She would start listing off different species and variants she'd collected over the years. Most of them she'd catch and release, only keeping a few for herself as pets. "My mother got me my first one when I was six. Seven?....Seven. I named him Squiggly. As I got older I got more of them. I keep them on my ship and it's always super warm in there to keep to their climate. I have a couple that are poisonous, but I prefer pythons. I like ones that squeeze the life out if their prey." Evelyn made a funny little gesture with her hands of something squeezing and twisting.

"So what sort of things do you like to hunt? Do you get to hunt very often?"

"We only hunt as a pack," she would say as she looked down at her glass. "We hunt for our food. Elk. Byson. Humans." She looked at him all serious for a second then giggled and snorted. "Sorry couldn't resist. But no. Just food. We appreciate what we have because we caught it ourselves."

 

[Kori Buor]

Almost within the span of a few seconds did Evelyn's expression become exceedingly excited and passionate about getting to discuss something she was genuinely enthusiastic about. That brought a smile to Ral's face; to see something someone was so energetic about was a refreshing sight. So, he listened quite enthusiastically about the sorts of snakes, vipers and pythons, that Evelyn had managed to collect over the years, even smirking somewhat when she made the gesture of a snake choking someone. "That's great! Good to see that someone likes something so unique and normal at the same time."

Giving a little snort when she said her clan hunted humans he shot back that, "Clearly you hunt them to make them your mates like all true hunter clans do!" His comment was sarcastic of course, and the playful look on his face combined with the teasing glimmer in his eyes said as much. "What you do is understandable and respectable. I have both for you and your kin for what you do. I would very much like to see and participate in one of these hunts sometime... perhaps if I am do lucky, I will." He said with a wink.

Finally their food arrived and they began to eat entertaining very mild small talk about their meals and what it reminded them of. The ale would continue to be poured as much as they wanted it, and by the time they were done, Ral had managed to empty several more mugs if the beverage. Now, he could feel the light buzz of the alcohol around his brain. Pushing his empty plate away he looked at Evelyn and grinned. "So... wanna get out of here? Go for a walk? Maybe I can show you around?"

 

[EmilyHuene]

"Clearly you hunt them to make them your mates like all true hunter clans do!"

"Well it worked for my mother," she would say cryptically. Her mother had actually taken their other mother, her step mom of sorts, as her slave apprentice before falling in love with her and marrying her. This was unrelated to her birth from her father, but she was raised by the two women.

"What you do is understandable and respectable. I have both for you and your kin for what you do. I would very much like to see and participate in one of these hunts sometime... perhaps if I am do lucky, I will."

"Play your cards right and maybe you will," she smiled at him and he'd feel her foot brush up against his leg for a moment under the table. The food then came and she pulled her leg back and focused on her food. It was delicious. Far better than anything she could make herself or buy from some local market. This was the real cuisine as it were. And she doubted it was cheap. Just how much was he spending on her this evening? Especially since he kept on refilling her drink.

"So... wanna get out of here? Go for a walk? Maybe I can show you around?"

While Ral might have had the sense to know when to quit, Evelyn possessed no such skill. Her face was quite red and he could tell by the look in her eyes she wasn't quite there anymore. But that faded look was replaced by happy giggles and large smiles so he knew she was having a good time.

"Mister, Vissla," mispronouncing his name due to the alcohol, "Are you asking me to your place? Because I'm humbly honored to accept. I don't think I can walk in these heels anymore. My feets are killing me."

 

[Kori Buor]

"Heh, interesting," Ral would respond initially to Evelyn's comment about her mother, and then smile and give an enthusiastic laugh when she mentioned him playing his cards right. "Well, that's good to know. Something for me to work for then... you should know, though, that I always play my cards right.

As Evelyn drank more and more throughout the night, Ral began wondering if he should cut her off, but it seemed like she wanted to keep drinking the ale. When she seemed to make the assumption he was inviting her to his place he was a little stunned at first. "Uhh, that's..." he paused. Then muttering quietly to himself, "Oh what the hell, she seems into the idea."

Getting the check, Ral paid for their meal and then headed out. He had intended to show Evelyn around, treat her to a nice night out, romance her a little, but she seemed more than happy to just head back to his place and enjoy his company there, so helping her into his vehicle, Ral then took off and flew to his rather lavish ancestral estate in one of the more affluential districts of Sundari. Pulling into the garage, Ral would help Evelyn out and then show her around his large and empty house. Finishing on the balcony overlooking the grounds he asked, "So, what do you think?"

 

[EmilyHuene]

The rest of the night was a blur to the Tenebris daughter. She remembered leaving the restaurant. She remembered being in a speeder. She did not remember pulling up into his garage or getting a tour of the home. But she did know what a bed was and while he walked out to the balcony he'd find her face down on a pillow with one leg hanging off the bed. She'd lost her shoe and one point, the other dangled on her ankle. She wasn't one to snore, so her almost nonexistent breathing would make it seem like she was dead. But as Ral would move closer to her he'd see her back moving slightly as her lungs expanded from her breathing. The alcohol hit her hard. She was a lightweight by all definition of the word and would sleep through the loudest of noises. If Ral was any sort of gentleman he'd tuck her in and sleep on the couch. But Evelyn would love for him to hold and cuddle her in the night. She hated sleeping alone or worse waking up in some stranger's room with no idea who was on the other side of the door. So whatever Ral ended up doing, this was the first time of many times Evelyn would sleep in his bed....

~END THREAD~​