Ask After Hours

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

Location: Nar Shaddaa, Sleek's Shinies — 20:31

Yoshiko had successfully carved out her place on the Smuggler's Moon, Nar Shaddaa. The previous owners of the space she now occupied had lapsed on their payment, and Hutt enforcers dragged them off to a fate she didn't care to know about. What mattered to her was that the space was now hers, and she'd made a lucrative business in one of the major starports as an engineer, salvage operator, and ship mechanic. The woman was living her dream life, as far as she was concerned. Things couldn't be any better than they were right now.

Sleek's Shinies. That was the name of her business. She was given the name Sleek by some degenerates she had first associated with after arriving, and they were missing now, too. The Fiani woman liked the nickname enough to keep it, and now it was not only her namesake but the namesake of her business, too. It might not have rolled off the tongue as well as it could, but what mattered was that she liked it.

Loud music blared over a stereo system as Sleek applied her trade to some salvage she had acquired earlier in the day. It was an R-series droid she had purchased from someone for dirt cheap, and she knew she could turn a profit on it. Droids of different kinds were always in demand, and they were one of the biggest mainstays in her business. R-series astromech droids, in particular, were always highly sought after, and the fact she had gotten it so cheap from someone who didn't truly know the worth of what he was selling made it all the better. It was as if he had walked in and given her free credits, and she had even checked it beforehand to ensure nothing had been tampered with.

The woman bobbed her head as she worked at the droid with a soldering iron, occasionally mouthing the song's lyrics to herself. Sleek's dual tails swayed and flittered behind her to the beat as she enjoyed herself. Her BD unit chirruped at her feet and endearingly tapped its head against her leg.

"I'll turn it down in a sec," Sleek replied to the droid's binary chittering. "I just really like this song, yeah? Let me enjoy it, and you keep an eye out for customers," she responded with a quiet laugh. BD units weren't usually droids used for servicing ships, but, to her, it was one of the best and most endearing models. The unit blipped and turned away, hopping on top of the counter to face the entrance to the shop.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param stopped at the entrance of the small shop, looking at the sign. She had one more thing thing to get while she was on Nar Shaddaa. Her little fledgling garden wouldn't last without some grounds keepers, and she couldn't have the xextos there all the time, though Therrin had offered in secret. She'd rather her buddy stay alive, and not find out what Master Thel would do to him if he started making deals with her. She'd rather not know what he'd do to her in the case either.

Walking in, she was greeted by a lot things that were just unfamiliar to her. Droids, mechanical parts, technical parts, and all sorts of things one would find at a salvage yard. She swayed her head back and forth, trying to keep her dancing to a minimum inside the shop, but the song was a good one. She was still wearing the black crop hoodie, hood pulled up over her silver hair so that it spilled out the front onto her chest. Loose grey sweatpants accentuated her athletic, yet slender build.

A BD unit hopped up to her, chattering an excited greeting. Param crouched down, a bright smile lighting her face. "Who are you? You're adorable!"

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

As Param entered the store, the BD unit chirped and beeped again.

"One sec!" Sleek called over the din of the stereo. The BD unit canted its box-like head and chittered at Param as she crouched and spoke to it. The little droid elicited an inquisitive boop. It leaned forward and responded in a series of trills and beeps, peering at the woman with its large photoreceptor, clearly attempting to speak with and respond to her. As it did, Sleek kicked her feet to push her away from her workbench and towards the counter, spinning on the rotating seat of her stool.

"Di-Gi, go turn the music down, would you?" Yoshiko asked with a smile. The droid obliged and hastily scampered away, leaping from the countertop to the ground to hurry to the wall. With a few short hops and leaps, the droid stuck its foot against a port in the stereo and used its scomp link to turn the volume down to a manageable level. "Thanks, buddy," Yoshiko said, her attention turning towards Param.

"Hey, welcome to Sleek's Shinies. I'm Sleek, that's Di-Gi," she introduced herself and her droid, her ears bobbing enthusiastically. "What can I do for ya?" she asked. Di-Gi dismounted the stereo as she spoke and rushed back to its master's side, bouncing from the ground to the countertop, then onto Sleek's shoulder, where it remained perched.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param rose when the droid rushed off at the command of its owner. Not at all unlike the way she did things for her own master, but it was usually less cheerful. Remembering the time her master used the Force to shock her with lightning because she couldn't lift a speeder, Param suppressed a frown. Instead, she smiled at the adorable little droid scurrying off.

Then the Fiani woman appeared, and Param lost. Her. Shit. "You're also adorable," she said, her face showing astonishment as she rose to her feet. "Is every Fiani so darn cute!?" Her mind immediately went to Kodi, of course. The first Fiani she ever met, and also the first guy that ever bought her dinner. It wasn't long before the cuteness overload had ended and business took precident.

"I'm looking for some droids that can tend a garden," Param said. She pulled out her EZPhone and opened the gallery, swiping to a picture of Param's garden back on Troiken. Lots of flowers and plants of all shapes and colors. She showed the picture to the woman. "They need to be able to handle quite a lot."

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

As Param gushed over Sleek's appearance, she blinked. She was used to people fawning over her, although they typically favoured the sizeable mounds on her chest instead of her race. The Fiani responded with an amused chuckle and a shake of her head, embarrassed by the unexpected compliment.

"Thanks," she responded, smiling. "You'd be surprised. Most Fiani are pretty cute, but I like to think I'm extra cute," she winked. As the conversation shifted towards a more professional air, Sleek leaned forward and examined the picture. It was an impressive garden, requiring a reasonable effort to tend to every day effectively. Di-Gi chirruped again, turning its head to look at Sleek. The woman nodded.

"That's what I was thinkin'," she answered. "I got an ASP-series in the back—Fifth class, general purpose menial labour droid. If you want it to talk, it needs a vocabulator, but if you en't interested in that, all it needs is a new memory bank and some servomotors, but I got those in spades," Sleek continued, kicking away from the counter on her stool again. She rose to her feet and approached the back, gesturing for Param to follow. Di-Gi remained perched on her shoulder as they walked. The entire time, the woman's tails swayed with her hips behind her.

"After adding the servomotors and memory bank, I'll sell it to ya for a thousand," she said. "Eight hundred if ya wanna install those yourself. I also got a PK-series. It's an older and smaller model, but it's all good to go. I'd let it go for nine hundred. They're both more than capable of watering plants, pruning leaves, digging and re-planting," Sleek continued, guiding her patron through a door and into the hangar she operated from. Along the nearby wall were a series of droids standing at attention, some disassembled, others missing parts or opened up for maintenance.

"That all ya need it to do, or is there anything else?"

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param took in the information like a champ, except she most definitely wasn't one. The Fiani might as well have been speaking a different language, much like her droid companion was. The confusion on Param's face would be apparent, and obvious. She smile though, hoping to get through it. When motioned, Param followed the woman.

As they walked to the back, there were several other droid models that caught her eye. "Um, what are these ones?" she asked, pointing to several models on the wall as they stopped. She definitely wanted the ASP and PK series, but it wouldn't hurt to have a few more. "Can they all have vocabulators? I don't know how to speak droid."

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

"Don't sweat it. Most people don't understand binary. It's somethin' ya pick up after spending enough time 'round droids," Sleek laughed. "Yeah, they're all compatible with vocabulators or vocoders. I can set all of 'em up with one, no prob," she finished. As Param inquired about the other droids, the Fiani began walking down the line.

"HK-series, ya don't want that one," Sleek chuckled nervously. "Probably en't interested in the R2-series. That's an astromech droid," she rambled as Di-Gi hopped off her shoulder. The small droid scampered to a droid near the far end of the line-up and turned to bleep at Sleek and Param. The Fiani woman glanced over at her companion, squinting her eyes as her gaze shifted between Di-Gi and the droid it appeared to be signalling.

"The BLX? Di-Gi, that's better fer, like, zero-g environments and shipyards," Sleek protested. The droid responded in another series of beeps and whirs, causing the mechanic to roll her eyes and sigh. "Well, yeah, it could, but—" Di-Gi interrupted her again. "A'ight, miss, Di-Gi's wonderin' if ya wanna make friends with yer droid. 'Cause if ya want a friend, the BLX has got better behavioural circuitry matrices."

Sleek paused. Param wasn't fluent in the technical side of things. That much was apparent.

"Short version is it can become really self-aware, develop a personality, and basically be a friend if ya want it to be, on top of helpin' take care of yer garden."

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param followed along as best she could. The designations were all a bit much, but the fact they could all have vocabulators was a good thing. A lot of the droids looks ready for combat, and that was something she definitely didn't need. There would be no fighting in the garden.

"More friends the merrier, right?" she said with a smile. "I'll take all three. With vocabulators," Param said. She looked again at her choices. They were bulky, but they'd certainly do the job shee needed of them. She'd never admit it, but she was going to paint them all sorts of colors too. The grey and tan metals simply weren't going to cut it for garden life.

"I'm Param, by the way. What's your name?"

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

"Ya want all three of 'em?" Sleek asked, a visible expression of surprise lighting up her face. She wasn't expecting this person to take all three. "Shiny. Since yer buyin' all three, I'll cut ya a deal," she stated, gesturing towards Di-Gi without another word. The BD bolted away to a service panel in the wall, ascending a series of platforms to interface with it. The workshop surrounding the two churned to life, automated loaders revving up and piloting themselves over to seize the droids.

"If ya don't mind waitin', I'll get 'em patched up and installed with what ya asked for, and you can be on your merry with three droids," Sleek continued, guiding Param back to the door they came through. She showed the other woman back through the warehouse of shelves, parts, and other machinery, leading her back to the front of the shop. Once they arrived, the Fiani sat heavily on her stool again.

"Ya miss me sayin' my name earlier?" Sleek grinned, glancing up at Param as she tapped away on a screen. "Call me Sleek. If ya don't want nicknames, call me Iko," she said. Di-Gi shuffled through the door and approached the counter, once more bounding on top of it to gaze at Param. It leaned forward and chittered at the woman, its large photoreceptor peering at the woman as it spoke.

"He's wonderin' how long you've been takin' care of that garden by yourself," she explained, turning a screen to confirm the order and payment towards Param. "Total's 5,000 credits. Includes labour, parts, and a 3-year warranty."

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param was in awe of the shop as it hummed to life, and everything began moving. Of course, that was until the embarrasment hit her that she had, in fact, missed the woman's name. It was the ears and tails that did her in. Even with Kodi, once he flashed that fanged grin and twitched his ears, she was done for. Her cheeks burned, but she was able to collect her wits when the adorable little droid jumped up on the counter and began chittering at her.

"Oh, I just planted it a month ago. I've been having the people helping me temporarily help take care of it all, but they won't be around much longer," Param explained. She didn't want to give nay unnecessary details; Master Thel didn't like that. Not one bit. Param fished in her pocket for her credit chip and handed it over to the Fiani woman to pay. While she waited for her chip to be returned, Param's eyes wandered around the store, pieces of salvage meeting her eye.

"What kind of salvage do you accept?" she asked. Not that Param was a scavenger or ran into much salvage, but it'd be nice to have a connection if she did.

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

Sleek took the credit chip when offered, plugging it into her system to deduct the necessary amount. No more, no less. 5,000 credits even. She slid it back to the other woman as she answered Di-Gi's question, the bot excitedly chirping, beeping, and buzzing its response. Sleek shook her head and laughed.

"He thinks the BLX will be a good droid for you to have," she said. As she finished speaking, a panel on the wall behind her hissed from compressed air releasing. A section of the wall lurched forward and sluggishly slid to the side, and through it came one of the loader droids with the very model Sleek had just mentioned. The Fiani rolled back on her stool and pivoted, grabbing her soldering iron and goggles from the nearby counter.

"All kinds," Sleek added as she strapped her goggles over her eyes. "Droid parts, blasters, ship components, defunct equipment," she elaborated as she went to work on the BLX unit, beginning at its feet, "tools, machines, slag, if it has some kind of practical use or I can refurbish it, I'll buy it," the woman finished as she continued working. As she applied her trade, Di-Gi looked up at Param again, eliciting another series of inquisitive boops and chimes.

"No, Di-Gi, we don't ask strangers if we can stand on their shoulders," Sleek scolded the droid over her shoulder. It shook its head and whined sadly. "Sorry 'bout him. He's a BD unit at heart and likes to explore," she continued. "By the way, I'm removin' the magnetic footpads from this BLX. They're intended for zero-g environments, and I don't imagine yer gonna have a practical use for 'em. I assume yer fine with that?"

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param watched the woman work with a fascination that she'd only really felt with gardening before. It was all technobabble to her, but the fact this woman could just know which part did what, and where it all was piqued Param's interest. When the BD unit chimed and chirped again, Param tilted her head inquisitively at it, then at Iko as she translated.

"Oh no it's okay, he can stand on my shoulder if he wants," she said, beaming at the adorable little droid. The little guy was so adorable she almost wanted to ask Iko if she had another, but she'd already spent too much of Master Thel's money as is. Honestly, who just gives a no limit credit chip to an eighteen year old girl?

"No magno- magni- uh.. yeah, that's fine," Param said, a little embarrassed that she was so out of the loop with so many technical terms. "So why does Di-Gi think this droid will be good for me?" Param leaned forward on the counter, resting her elbows on the top as she watched the woman work.

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

When Param consented to allow the small droid on her shoulder, Di-Gi went into a joyful fit of trilling and buzzing. Sleek groaned.

"Fine, but no fussin' when she says it's time to get down!" she called over her shoulder again as the first magnetic footpad came loose. The BD unit's feet tapped happily against the counter as it prepared for its jump. It wiggled and crouched, and then, with one quick leap, it landed squarely on Param's shoulder. Its clamp-like feet delicately gripped the woman's clothing, and once it settled, it communicated a few more trills and chirps.

"What do we say?" Sleek chided the droid, prompting it to produce an appreciative sound even the most uneducated in binary could understand as a thank you. "Don't worry 'bout him fallin' off, neither. He's good at holdin' on, and BD units got great stabilisers," she added as the second pad released from the BLX's other foot. "Now, why don't ya answer the nice lady's question?"

In response, Di-Gi turned its head to look at Param and entered another drone of chittering and beeping. Once finished, Sleek translated, "He says it sounds kinda lonely in that big garden, 'specially since all yer friends are leavin'. He thinks since the BLX is real good at developin' a personality, you'll be able to have a friend to chat with instead of just havin'... y'know, an emotionless droid that don't talk or hold a conversation very well."

Di-Gi nodded in affirmation and trilled again.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param couldn't help but giggle at the exchange between the two. The DiGi was absolutely adorable in every way, and Iko seemed like she'd be a lot of fun. It had been a while since she had met any one like them. Just happily living their lives without issues coming around the corner every few days. She was glad she hid being a Sith nowadays. If it were people like this she was missing, she wouldn't carry a lightsaber in public again.

She gave a beaming smile to the BD unit as he hopped and clamped on her shoulder. "I wouldn't let him fall even if he could," she said, still looking at the small droid on his perch. "Do you do this to all the customers?" It was a playful question, one that she supplemented with a playful 'I'm-on-to-you' expression. It didn't last long, and the beaming smile came back. Param even gave the little guy a little heat pat.

Listening to Iko explain what BD was saying about the BLX unit, her smile lessened, but warmed. The garden wasn't lonely to her, but there were no way for them to know that. "Well, DiGi, I'm sure they'll make a great friend one day," she said. "But every flower and plant in that garden is my friend too. Each one has their own needs and wants, and they all have their own little ways of communicating. Plus when they mouth off I can make them into tea."

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___Di-Gi beeped a negative response to Param's inquiry.

___"Uh, yeah, y'do, li'l bugger, don't lie," Sleek scoffed.

___Di-Gi trilled a harsh, energetic retort.

___"Y'mean like how ya didn't ask Skeez?"

___The droid chirped indignantly.

___"Or Verona? Ashton? Zadie?"

___As Sleek listed more names, Di-Gi's responses faltered from confidence to a sound almost like embarrassment. The Fiani woman laughed loudly as she reassembled the feet of the BLX, then pushed away on her stool with her feet to glide down the length of the countertop. As she rolled away, she pointed and mock-laughed at the droid.

___"Feel silly now, don't ya?" Sleek cackled. "C'mon, besides, even she's onto you. Tell me she en't already caught on with that tone of voice," she stated as she reached the far wall. The woman rose to her feet and searched various storage containers, eventually finding what she needed. Gathering the components in her arms, she sat down and slid back to the droid she was working on. Sleek set the parts down before starting the process of disassembling the droid's face.

___"Sounds like yer a big fan of nature," the mechanic commented. "Way yer talkin', reminds me o'droids. Lotta people think they're just expendable, cheap labour, but people like me realise just what they are. They all got their own wants and needs, too," she continued, Di-Gi trilling in response. Sleek paused her work to peer at the droid with a smile. "Dunno, kinda like her idea 'bout turnin' flowers into tea. Maybe I'll melt ya down and turn ya into a BB-series!"

___That crossed a line! Di-Gi elicited a low, disgruntled tone, the antennae on its head swivelling back in a display of unhappiness. At the same time, its clamped feet skittered further down Param's back as if the unit were hiding behind her, expecting her to protect him from his terrible mistress. Sleek burst out into a fit of raucous laughter as she turned back to the BLX.

___"That's what I thought! Hide behind the pretty lady and win 'em over with yer charm, huh?"

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

She could sit and watch these two banter all day, and never get bored. Their banter causing an endless stream of giggles and laughter from Param. When it settled down, she was almost sad that it had. Param nodded along as Iko talked about droids and how they were the same. In a way, they most certainly were the same. One you watered and provided sunlight, the other you oiled and maintained with tools.

"Oh! Flattery from both sides!" she said, her cheeks flushing at the pretty lady comment. "Seems he had to learn his charm from somewhere." She twisted herself so that she could just barely give DiGi a head pat. A light toss of her hood backwards created a small little pouch for the droid to perch in, though Param had to shake out her silver hair a bit so that it wasn't a complete mess.

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___Param's compliment, even if she couldn't see it, earned a smile from the Fiani woman facing away. The entire time the conversation carried on, Sleek was hard at work installing the new vocabulator and other parts into the BLX.

___"He en't learn it from me," the woman scoffed. "I'm 'bout as charmin' as a Gamorrean with the runs, or so's I've been told," she said, her words punctuated by another cackle of amusement. Once the vocabulator was installed, Sleek reassembled the face and looked it over again. Satisfied with her work, the woman pressed a button on a panel nearby and sent the loader droid away to bring in the following unit to work on.

___As Param pat Di-Gi's head, the droid chirped with appreciation. It adjusted as the woman pulled down her hood, and once it was down, the small bot elected to carefully navigate to the new hammock. Di-Gi settled into it comfortably, then craned its head over Param's shoulder to address Sleek with more binary.

___"What?!" Sleek barked sharply, spinning around in her stool to stare at the droid nestled into Param's hood. "That's a mighty ask! No!" she huffed. Di-Gi responded with more beeping. "Uh, yeah, I'mma get all-fired miffed 'bout it! That's a peck and a half, and y'wanna just—" Sleek was cut off by Di-Gi trilling. The woman pursed her lips, glancing between her droid and Param. She inhaled deeply and sighed with a shake of her head, the ASP-series droid shuddering to a stop behind her as the loader got it into position.

___"A'ight, fine, go pick one out, but that piece-a pretty's comin' outta yer next maint," Sleek grumbled. With her words, Di-Gi dismounted Param's shoulder and scurried off to the back. She shook her head and sighed, looking up at Param again. Sleek hadn't noticed it before, but without her hood, the other woman's face was soft and rather fetching. The Fiani found herself transfixed momentarily before bringing herself back to reality.

___"Don't mind that," she said. "Di-Gi bein' Di-Gi, and me bein' a pushover as always, that's all. Anyway, Param, right? Pretty name. Can't say I've heard nothin' like that afore," Sleek said to keep the conversation running as she turned to start repairs on the ASP.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param watched the woman work while DiGi beeped and whistled over her shoulder. A slight pang of fear ignited in her chest when teh woman barked toward her, before realizing that she was talking to the droid. She watched the droid scurry off into the back, and turned her attention back to Iko, shaking her head.

"It's okay, really," she said with a smile. "You two are absolutely adorable together." Param paused, considering the comment about her name. It had never occurred to her that she had an echani name, and they weren't too common in these parts of the galaxy.

"It's echani!" she said excitedly. "Param Vour."

@Remileah

 

[Yoshiko "Sleek" Ryder]

___"Sorry if I startled ya," Sleek apologised, turning momentarily to regard Param with an apologetic nod. "Couldn't believe what he said. He's a bold li'l bugger. I'll give 'im that," she elaborated with another chuckle, turning to resume working on the ASP. As Param commented on her relation with Di-Gi, Sleek snorted. "Yeah, well, he's my best friend. It's nice t'know you understand it. Plenty of folk out there what glance at me and Di-Gi and think I'm a nut, or believe it en't possible t'be friends with a droid."

___As Sleek finished speaking, Di-Gi shuffled back into the room. The woman glanced down at him.

___"Y'make yer choice?" she asked, receiving a chirp in response. "Good. Anyway, Echani, huh? Wouldn't've guessed that, but I don't see many of your kin 'round these parts. I'm Fiani, by the way," Sleek continued, still tirelessly working at the droid. Her progress stopped as a different loader droid rolled into the room, bearing another droid on it. As it shuddered to a halt, Sleek picked up the droid from the loader before sending it back. She rose to her feet and headed around the corner to Param.

___"Here," Sleek said as she approached, holding the droid out to the woman. Param would notice it was a BD unit, just like Di-Gi, with a red-and-silver colour scheme. "Di-Gi insisted y'get a li'l partner of yer own like he is t'me. That, y'can rest assured, en't somethin' he does for anyone. He's never done it before, truth be told. I wasn't gonna take a request like that from him lightly."

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

"I can tell," Param said, smiling at the thought of the two being best friends. It was adorable and wholesome. A combination you didn't find very often on Nar Shaddaa. It was so rare, Param found herself wanting to protect the duo, though she doubted they needed her protection. "I've met another Fiani, actually!" she said excitedly. "We still run into each other occasionally." Her mind turned to Kodi for a moment. It hadn't been more than a couple of days since they'd last run into each other. This time it had gone a lot smoother than their previous attempts.

Param's eyes widened when Iko handed her the red and silver BD unit. Gifts were not a thing Param was trained to, or prepared to, handle. That much had been clear when Trael gave her his mother's necklace. This one took the cake though. Tears fought the corner of her eyes as she beamed a smile at DiGi. "Thank you so much," she said, repeating the sentiment to Iko afterwards. Holding the BD unit in her hands, she looked it over with wonder, still smiling from ear to ear. She'd wait to activate the droid, of course.

"I don't know what to say," Param said, looking back up from the BD unit in her hands. She turned to DiGi again. "Just... thank you."

@Remileah