Retirement Troubles

[Dawyn]

Tyrena. White beaches, warm people, willing women, and wonderful drinks. It was as close to heaven as Maksem suspected he was going to get, short of perhaps learning the elusive technique on how to retain his consciousness after death and then going...well, going wherever it was Jedi went after they died. He really hoped that the philosophers of the Order were wrong when they said everyone just sort of melded back into the Force-he much preferred the idea of retaining who he was after death, and maybe getting into some mythical paradise over that. It was a much more pleasant thing to think about.

He stretched himself out on the bar stool at the White Durni, gazing at the famed Golden Beaches and admiring their beauty. Yes, he was going to have a nice, relaxing vacation here, after all the work and near-death experiences he had been through recently. He had allowed Yva to wander off on her own for a bit, telling her that he frankly needed some alone time. Not that he did not enjoy his Padawan, but he did need to feel like he wasn’t a father sometimes. That, and having an attractive young woman next to him tended to scare off other women, or make them less receptive to his gestures.

“I’m sure she can handle herself here, maybe go to a concert or something. It’s not like this place is like Coronet, you can relax here.” He muttered to himself happily as he continued drinking his glass of Corellian firebrandy. He was most definitely going to enjoy his vacation.

 

[Kyria]

Rhethi blinked, her eyes adjusting to the somewhat darker cantina as she hastily ducked inside and made her way towards the bar. Weary after a long flight, she hadn't been expecting enforcers this far from the outer rim, and hadn't seen them until it was too late. A mad dash through unfamiliar streets had brought her here, a small cantina where she could hopefully blend in and lose the two enforcers on her tail. Settling on a bar stool, the young Cathar focused on calming her breath and listening for her pursuers. She hardly heard it when the bartender walked over and asked for her drink order, and ended up stuttering, "Ahhhh, just water for now, thanks." Rubbing the bridge of her nose, she cursed herself for not thinking faster. "Just water." Great. That's not going to stand out at all. Rhethi let out a sigh and briskly checked to make sure all her belongings were still in her pack or on her person. Well on the bright side I didn't lose anything.

 

[Dawyn]

He was just about to order another round of brandy when a young...cat woman? Woman cat? Ended up sitting on the stool next to him. He was not familiar with her species, so he leaned back in his chair and glanced toward her rear to see if she had a tail...and check out her other assets as well, given that he could easily explain to her that he was simply curious as to whether she had an appendage or not. Not seeing one, but he did see -quite- the fit bottom...and he was a fan of those to be certain.

Holding up a hand to the bartender, he turned and looked into those deep, feline eyes, glancing at her expressive ears. Both were fascinating, and he had an instinctual urge to pat her on the head-when he was younger, he had a little razor cat kitten for awhile, until his father had made him give it up. He did have the decency to refrain from doing that immediately, however, instead speaking in a somewhat amused tone.

“Water? I’ll pay for something better if you’d like, in exchange for telling me what your species is. I haven’t had the pleasure.”

 

[Kyria]

She felt the prickling sensation of eyes on her back, and tensed for a moment before realizing it was the man sitting next to her rather than that the enforcers had found her. She turned, even before the male next to her spoke, and met his stare evenly. He was human, seemed a bit older than she was and slightly scruffy. She had not missed the object of his curious glance, but her gut said that he would back off if she told him to. He certainly seemed amicable enough and she could use allies on this foreign world. Easing into a smile, Rhethi nodded to him. "I am a Cathar, of the planet with the same name. And I would appreciate that." She paused and held out her hand, adding, "I'm Rhethi Xir, by the way, pleasure to make your acquaintance. So, what drink would you recommend?"

 

[Dawyn]

Making a mental note to do some research on Cathar, since their women seemed quite pleasant, he nodded, then sat back in his chair thoughtfully. Scratching his beard, he spoke after a few moments. “Maksem here, pleasure to meet you Rhethi.” He said, deciding against mentioning his last name for now, given the fact that he had gotten the distinct impression that Vosrik was going to press him into service or guilt trip him into something that could get him publicity-and killed- sooner rather than later. It would be nice to just have a single day where he could be himself, and not a representative of the Army. “And that depends, upon you, actually. Have you drank much? New to drinking? Any kinds of drink your species can’t handle?"

 

[Kyria]

It wasn't hard to think back to the handful of times she had tasted alcohol; as a slave she hadn't had many chances and she had never had the desire to seek it out. She remembered the cheap Gamorrean spirits that were popular among the servants and occasionally given to the slaves-- the thick, acrid taste and burning, combined with the resulting swirling, unfocused mind made her question the intelligence of those who partook of it often and in excess. "I have tasted spirits before." She couldn't help but wrinkle her nose in a grimace. "It was not to my liking. But then again there was not much variety available to me...." She paused for a moment, wondering how much information he could glean from that slip or if he would even notice. Attempting to covertly study the man next to her under the guise of inspecting the bar's offerings, she contemplated her options.

On the one hand, there were sizable incentives against her if he discovered her situation. Money was always a good motivator, though she doubted the reward on her was terribly high. Earning the good will (or avoiding the ire) of a Hutt could also hold sway, depending on this Maksem fellow's relationship with the Hutt clans. On the other hand, it was very unlikely that she would be able to escape detection and find transport off-world without assistance, and her choices were limited. Damn. A week of rest, or even a few days, would have been nice. Sighing, she gestured toward a nondescript brownish drink that looked safe and didn't smell too terribly offensive. "What is that one? Any good?"

 

[Dawyn]

“If you don’t want to remember anything in an hour, or even be conscious.” He smiled, then nodded at her. “Tell you what, we’ll start you off with something light. Bartender, get this woman one of this city’s signature mudslides, she’ll love it!” He ordered. “You’ll like this-it’s not too bitter, quite sweet, yet it still gets you a bit tipsy at the end of the day. Perfect for any occasion!”

Leaning back in his chair and drinking more of his whiskey, he glanced at her again. He wasn’t the best with telepathy, but he had learned to read people pretty well to compensate. Something was clearly bothering her, as much as she tried to hide it. He weighed whether or not to ask her, and decided to go for it. After all, comforting a girl in distress was doing a little bit of good in the galaxy, and might lead to some nice things for them both later.

“Pardon me...but is something wrong? You seem a little on edge. I'd understand if you don't want to talk about it, but, it's good to relax and let go in this city."

 

[Kyria]

Rhethi eyed the opaque, light tan drink as the barman set it in front of her. Tentatively, she sniffed at the milky liquid, then took a small sip and rolled it over her tongue to test the flavor. The thick, creamy drink was sweeter than she had expected, and hardly burned at all as it slid down her throat. It tasted exotic—a blend of light sweetness and rich, bitter flavors. "Mmm," she hummed in approval, "Not bad." Taking a few more leisurely swigs, she considered his question and how best to respond.

"Well... I had a bit of a disagreement with my former employer about the terms of my leaving, and now it's haunting me." She grit her teeth in a grimace before continuing, "He was not happy when I left. He may have put a bounty on me." It wasn't exactly the whole truth, but it was close enough. Rhethi's eyes widened in alarm as she picked up the thread of a rough male voice coming from the front of the bar. "...and cat ears. Real weird markings—brown and white— No? 'Kay, you let us know if you see her and there'll be something in it for you." She listened to the speaker's footsteps walk over to the next table and begin his questioning again. Blast! Why didn't I hear them come in? Heart-rate spiking, she slouched down in her seat and leaned over, trying to put Maksem between herself and the source of the voice.