Ask Naboo Coincidence or Fate?

[Lilith Vye]

Everything seemed so... bright. Not in the way she was use to. It was natural light; it wasn't from endless seas of fluorescent lights flashing day and night. It'd take a very long time for her to get use to this. Even though the air smelt much better there was something that felt...too calm about this planet. Alais squinted her eyes and looked around, trying to find out where she had to go. After all, she wasn't here for sightseeing, that was for sure. At least it was warm so she could wear one of her airy red dresses.

But something caught her eyes and took her attention away from the disgustingly perfect scenery. Could it be? The sighting nearly stunned her. She shook her head and look again. It really was him. The Sector Ranger from the pit. Now, she realized there was some danger in approaching him but curiosity consumed her. Instead of doing the smart thing and just walking away, she followed him from a distance. There was a possibility that he'd catch on, though something else soon caught her attention...

A man in a dark brown cloak was following behind the ranger. Something silver was flashing in his hand and when he began to raise his hand Alais knew exactly what it was. She wrapped the Force around to help her ran as fast as she could, screaming, "Ranger! Behind you!" before clashing with the cloaked man. Alais grabbed the cloaked mans wrist to stop him from stabbing the ranger, then kneed the man in the stomach. Because her speed was increased by a super natural force, and she knew exactly where to kick to take the wind out of the assailant, he collapsed forward.

@Orbit

 

[Duke Winters]

Naboo was different but in a good way. The air was actually fresh, there were rivers and waterfalls, the sun came out to cloak people in its rays. It was the complete opposite of Nar Shaddaa and Duke was honestly enjoying every second of it. When he first arrived, it was a rough change, to say the least. He was used to betrayal and after learning about the corruption that festered on his home planet, it made it hard for him to trust the other officers that were on the Taskforce. The quickest thing he noticed, however, was the demeanor, it didn't feel like a bunch of lone wolves forced together for some superficial reason. Duke felt like he could actually trust a few people on the planet.

With the difference in climate, he only wore a long sleeve shirt, combat pants, and boots. It was time to ditch the trench coat and Noire in a place like Naboo. After adjusting himself to a new environment, life had continued on as normal, the Ranger just solving simple cases and crimes that sprouted up from time to time. It was much more peaceful then Nar Shadda, by quite a lengthy mile. As a substitute, he just patrolled around the city and intervened whenever it was necessary. The Taskforce was only called out when there were volatile situations.

As he passed people, Duke could hear footsteps rapidly approach from behind and thought nothing of it at first, but then someone called out to him in a warning and he spun around with his blaster drawn and aimed forward. There was a man standing there with a blade in his hand but before he could reach him, a woman came out of nowhere and grabbed his wrist, pushing it away before slamming her knee right into his stomach and taking him to the floor. Whoever he was, he wasn't the most trained as the knee took him out of the fight instantly and left him on the ground heaving for air.

Duke quickly slammed his boot on top of the man's back to keep him in place with his blaster aimed at his head. "Stay there." He glanced back to the woman, inspecting her for a second but failing to come to a conclusion on if he's met her before or not. "Um... thanks for the help." He couldn't help but arch his eyebrow slightly, "Do I know you?" He was still being hunted by the Nar Shaddaa police and rangers, making this a possibility of a trap if he wasn't careful.

 

[Lilith Vye]

Well, this was awkward. When she stalked him, the plan wasn't to run straight up and cause a scene. She'd basically just waved her arms around in the air wildly and screamed "look at me!". It was a stupid move, but she'd just reacted in the moment. She had to keep going, so she tried to smile in reaction, forcing something more meek and innocent looking than usual.

"Um... not exactly," she started, chewing her bottom lip in thought before continuing, "I saw you in action once on Nar Shadda some time ago, but I was only a bystander." There was probably reasons to doubt her story, but he couldn't prove she was lying. At least, not right away.

After a second she tipped her head at him, gaining a genuinely curious look on her face. "So what are you doing here on Naboo? Well besides..." She gestured to the man still under the rangers foot, laughing softly. "Nearly getting stabbed."

Obviously, she knew he was running. He was also caught on tape. Even though he wasn't the focus of the hutts ire, people likely had questions about what he'd done and seen in the pit. What she wanted to know was what he was actually doing here. And if she was being honest with herself, it felt refreshing to genuinely inquire about something without any ulterior motives. Tal seemed to like the man so she wouldn't lay a hand on him unless it was necessary.

@Orbit

 

[Duke Winters]

Duke had a skeptical look on his face, his eyes still on Alais as he didn't know what to think of the situation. A person came up behind to stab him before a random woman intervened and turned out to be a previous bystander of his actions. The fact she was from Nar Shaddaa raised a red flag for him. The last time they met, she had a full mask and armor on to disguise her appearance while she could see his face. While he would have to believe her explanation, for now, it didn't mean he fully believed it either but he would have to see for now.

When she asked what he was doing on Naboo, Duke glanced around for a moment before responding, "Well, I'm meandering. I take whatever case is needed and head there." He lied, the planet was actually now his new home, he guessed. The Taskforce took him with open arms reading his resume and the fact that he was a ranger. Duke still had to hold to his ranger duties but now he at least had a "home" to fall back on in case anything got too hot. "Well, thanks again for your help. I'll take it from here, have a nice day." He slid his blaster into his holster, Alais able to see that his hand was still on the hilt.

Duke crouched down, having a suspicion before rolling up the man's sleeve, finding a familiar tattoo that just made him shake his head. It was the poachers again and now they were openly attacking law enforcement. This was a development. Duke pulled out a set of cuffs and slapped them on the man, pulling up by one hand afterward before giving a nod to Alais before departing and heading to the station to throw the man in a cell and get some information out of him. Duke's hand still remained on his blaster but he remained calm, making sure no one else popped out at him and that Alais really was what she said she was.

 

[Lilith Vye]

She could sense it, but she didn't have to. His face clearly displayed that he was skeptical about her story, but being the little stubborn risk taker she was it didn't make her turn around when he decided to walk away. This was one of her internal struggles. The logical vs the almost irresistible curiosity that burned within her over... well basically everything. It had gotten her into some... painful situations before.

Regardless, she shouted out behind him, "Wait!" and ran to catch up. He didn't seem that interested—after all he was dragging a would-be stabber beside him. Either way, she drew on her "skills' from the street, "I'm on vacation here, and alone. You're the only person I've recognized and it may stay that way," she said.

She picked up some speed and stopped in front of him. Being a quarter of his size and him having no idea of the power she possed, she hoped he wouldn't attempt to push her out of the way. "Can you not spare some time to show me around? I can pay you back with a drink, maybe some food at whatever restaurant you think is worth me visiting?"

@Orbit

 

[Duke Winters]

Duke was walking down the street with the criminal in front of him, the station not that far from them. He expected the woman to leave once he did to continue on with her day but he didn't get that far until he heard someone shout behind. The ranger turned around slowly and found Alais catching up to him and revealing that she was on vacation on Naboo. "Look, I understand but I'm a ranger, you don't want to be around me. I don't have time to give you a tour." It was in the middle of the day and while there weren't any calls happening right now, he still had to deal with the potential stabber and find out what was happening.

He turned around again to walk away, pushing the man in front of him to get a move on again. Once again, she called to him and this time he stopped fully and waited for a second before turning to face her. Duke pulled the criminal towards one of the railings nearby, "Hey! What are you doing?" One of the uncuffs was unlocked before clicked around the railing, preventing the man from running away unless he could rip out the railing bolted to the ground. "Oh, great man." A couple of civilians turned their heads to look at him and it was clear he was embarrassed with the situation.

Duke stepped towards Alais before stopping with some space between the two, nodding his head toward her, "Alright, who are you? I leave Nar Shaddaa and come here and now a bystander is coming here on vacation and recognizes me. You're too persistent for a ranger to actually want just a tour of the city and the knee you gave," He pointed his thumb back to the poacher locked to the railing still, "was too clean for a random bystander to do." Their gazes would lock as he inspected her features, looking for any indication of lying or an attack if she was one of the syndicates chasing him. One of his hands was still on the hilt on his blaster at the ready while the over hovered near his vibro-blade, ready in case anything broke out.

 

[Lilith Vye]

"Rangers never relax?" she raised an eyebrow. Even she relaxed during missions or between training sessions. He probably just didn't trust she wouldn't stab him in the back like the would-be assassin, or he actually didn't know how to relax.

She saw his intense stare and reacted with a frown. "My name is Aelia," she said, giving him a name she hadn't used in a very, very long time but it wasn't a lie. She remembered one of her gang members escaped slavery, and so she fell on that,"I grew up on the streets before I was plucked off them, that's how I know how to fight." Mostly not a lie. "And yes, I know about what happened on Nar Shaddaa, but trust me I'm no friend to the Hutts. In fact... I only got out of the pits because of what happened there," she added.

The entire time she was ready to react defensively if he attacked, as her arms were lowered, but she continued if it was safe, "And I did not know you were here, nor would I tell anyone. I just... want to know more about one of the men who saved my life. Unless... you plan to kill me because I found out you're here?" Alais, currently "Aelia" changed her expression to something more somber after she finished speaking. He actually might be thinking that, but she was ready and almost everything she said had been true, minus a couple lines.

@Orbit

 

[Duke Winters]

"When it's actually safe they do." Duke responded, still waiting for her explanation of why she wanted to meet him so badly. She introduced herself as Aelia and his hands slowly backed away from his weapons. Truth be told if she wanted to stab him, she would have either let the man before do it in the first place or just waited for her turn to get her own strike in. This wasn't really the M.O of someone who was hunting him down so that did make him relax slightly. Aelia was born and raised on Nar Shaddaa just like him, her probably taken younger by the planet, Duke spared at least until his dad died and was given a late welcoming to it.

The pit, a whole debacle that he didn't know would be another one-eighty on his life that he still had to meet with the Marshall for. The man wanted to start an investigation and Duke was in the center of it all. He'd have to report in soon because he was seen on the footage bright as day, thankfully the Hutt was angrier at the ones who were brandishing lightsabers during that event. Then her story dawned on him, she was one of the escaped slaves that must have gotten out when the building was rigged to blow. Aelia would be able to see Duke fully relax around her now, "Were you one of the slaves that managed to escape?" He couldn't recall her face but then again there was a huge crowd of them and blindly fighting each other.

"Sorry about that, there has been a lot happening in the past week that's put me on edge and no I won't kill you." He glanced around for a moment before extending his hand out for a quick shake, "Name's Duke." The suspect cuffed to the railing scoffed at them, thinking the officer was just picking up a chick while arresting him. "Look, I have to turn him into the station. You can wait inside there if you want until I finish with him." Duke shrugged, "Still on the job." He took a few steps backward before spinning and uncuffing the man from the railing and instead cuffing both of his arms. "It's a short walk from here."

When they arrived at the station and went through the front doors, the lobby wasn't that crazy today except for its usual bustle of people transferring files, officers walking out in pairs to patrol, and the sound of droids. The woman behind the desk glanced up to see Duke before just arching an eyebrow. "Becca, just another day." She sighed softly, "Of course it is, with you." He gave her a bright smile before pushing the man past the door and further into the station to lock him away. The door would shut and multiple clicks would sound off, red lights were shown to indicate it was locked and leaving Aelia outside and in the lobby for the time being.

 

[Lilith Vye]

Aelia simply nodded when he asked if she was one of the slaves. In reality, she could've been one. At one point of her life, if she had not gotten lucky and ran, she would've been sold into it. Despite all the suffering, her life now was far superior to that.

"I'll wait!" she said happily, surprised by how genuine it was. She didn't sense that he was lying about not wanting to kill her, not that she fully trusted her own senses. But despite that, it had been a very long time since she wanted to genuinely know a person without any ulterior motives. He reached out for a handshake, and Aelia had to push through her discomfort and oblige so she didn't come off as a weirdo.

She followed around behind him, recalling how she had yelled at him in the pit. Funny enough, she had enjoyed their little back and fourth quips after she got over her original anger towards him. Of course, this sidetrack couldn't last long and she'd probably never see him again after this, but she was willing to give it some time. Perhaps Talak would like information on the man.

When he vanished through a locked door she sat in a chair and waited, watching a young mother come in with a son. The son had a water gun and was running around pretending to be a cop. Aelia raised an eyebrow at this, as kids certainly didn't play that on Nar Shaddaa. At some point, he came up and shot the water at her, it hit her right and the neck but she didn't even flinch. "Talon!" the mother scolded, adding, "I'm sorry about that" before dragging the kid away.

Aelia said nothing, even when she noticed some of the make up around her neck was dripping away. It exposed some of the bruise from her training with Talak, from when she upset him. She raised a hand to cover it for a second, but realized there was really nothing she could do at this point, and even if Duke noticed, she suspected he'd shrug it off because of her slave story. In fact, it might even help her story, if he didn't pry.

Once he came out, without hesitation, she got up and walked up to him right away. "Duke! Are you free now?" She tipped her head slightly and smiled. "Actually I just remembered something. I heard about a place called the Trel Caffe, it's apparently near a waterfall. I've never seen a waterfall in person, do you know how to get there?"

@Orbit

 

[Duke Winters]

Once the criminal was put away, Duke shut the cell doors behind him before logging the man into the system. It was a nice change to actually trust the computer system the station was using instead of worrying about possible leaks every day. When he finished, instead of immediately heading to the lobby, he instead went to the armory and flashed his ranger badge for quick access. The only thing he walked out with was a tracker that was meant for him. When he approached the officer that ran the armory, he gave a quick message, "Tell Becca if I don't call in after a few hours, send a unit after me. Tell her I'm transmitting." Duke wasn't going to take a risk still.

When he exited from the lobby, he was instantly greeted by Aelia and gave a nod when asked if he was free. The bruise was noticeable, to say the least with it being on her neck and he questioned how it miraculously showed up but he noticed the water streaks. Duke would just leave it be, not needing to dive in that deep and throwing it to her background. "Yeah, it's a little out but not too bad." He turned slightly to give Becca a halfhearted two-finger salute and she did the same to him as he walked out Aelia.

After about ten minutes they finally reached the Caffe, it located up halfway the waterfall and to the side of it, giving an ample view of the scenery and the massive waterfall. There was a path that led up to it with a flux of people indicating that it was the correct way. Duke led the way and once they were inside, it had a nice and cozy air to it, most of the furniture made of wood with large glass viewing panels in the walls to look out amongst the planet and block out the sound of the waterfall. As he passed one of the tables, he rasped his knuckles on the top of it before continuing on, "We can sit here, I'll get us some coffee."

After a few minutes, Duke returned with two mugs with steam rising out the top of both of them. He gave her a smirk as he sat down, "Hopefully you don't mind what I got you." When he got comfortable in his seat and took a healthy sip from his mug to wake him up, he arched his eyebrow at her, "So, if you don't mind me asking. If you escaped from the pit, how did you manage to come here to Naboo on vacation? In fact, how did you manage to escape after the explosions?" Those were some of the questions that were pressing in his mind for a while, Aelia still a question mark that he couldn't solve and be just staring right at him.

 

[Lilith Vye]

The walk there was relaxing, despite being able to sense his anxiety. At this point, she still didn't sense danger or murderous intent from him. That was a good sign, for now.

Their arrival at the cafe had Aelia run to one of the windows, though she stopped, turned around and nodded at Duke when he tapped on a table. She looked away when he walked off, staring out at the waterfall.

It was almost the same feeling she had when she saw the trees of Endor. But then she remembered Endor. The pain, the beating she'd taken, the claws of the Dark Side as it began to dig into her brain. It felt like suddenly the world was closing around her and she cradled her head as she had done Endor, moving away from the waterfall. It took a few heartbeats but she managed to get herself to sit at the table Duke pointed out.

Why where those memories so painful, so conflicting? Was it because her master had given her conflicting training? Forcing her into the grips of the Dark Side, then telling her to resist it? Her train of thought was somewhat lost when Duke returned to the table, and if he was perceptive he'd notice the change in her demeanor, but if he was polite he wouldn't ask about it.

He followed up with some questions that seemed logical. Her story was a little off, but her street smarts kicked in once again. "I... stole from my master" her hand reached for her neck out of reflex when mentioning Talak, but she caught herself and corrected it quickly before continuing, "Something valuable enough that selling it got me off the moon. I had meant to use it to pay someone to help me escape..."

Lilith paused and reached for the coffee, taking a small sip. "It's good... thank you," she said in a voice that wasn't quite as warm and friendly as before. "And... I was outside fetching something for my master during the explosion. After I ran, no one came after to retrieve me. That's when I discovered I was..." The word was hard to spit out, because it was the biggest lie yet. "...free."

@Orbit

 

[Duke Winters]

When she mentioned her master, she instinctively reached for her neck and where the bruise. Well, that answered that question and he couldn't have imagined what life was like as a slave. Duke was glad to know that all his efforts did come with some reward as it was clear that people escaped from the pit as well. If Aelia could survive, then there would be others and that was a good enough excuse for him to be yelled at in his opinion. "Well, at least you're off that planet. It's nothing but a gutter." The statement came from personal experience and he wondered if he would ever visit his home again.

"Well," The ranger raised his mug in the air slightly before giving Aelia a nod, "To freedom then." He tapped his mug against her's, a quit clinking sound ringing just loud enough for only the two of them to hear. "So, what's your plan than with this freedom? Going to explore the galaxy? Settle down?" It must have been a difficult choice for her, she had a completely new life ahead of her and it would be her choice on how she wanted to live it out. Sometimes Duke wished he could rewind time back to that point and picking something that would have been much simpler.

The ranger's radio buzzed for a second, the operator coming through as he tilted his head slightly to listen as she filled in the units of a situation developing. Duke gave Aelia a smile before downing the rest of his coffee quickly, "Something's come up and I gotta go as back-up. If you ever visit Naboo again, don't hesitate to visit." Duke pushed his chair out and stood up, digging through his pocket before pulling out a few credits and tossing them out on the table. "It was nice meeting you Aelia. I hope you enjoy your vacation."

 

[Lilith Vye]

He had a point. It was a hellhole and at least she was off it. She raised her glass when he did, forcing a meek smile. To being off Nar Shaddaa, she thought in her head, as she did not feel free. She couldn't bring herself to echo his words either so she just took a sip of her cafe.

Right when she was about to answer his question his radio buzzed and he said something came up, that he had to go. Aelia's meek smile wavered, but she was able to maintain it in the end with enough willpower. "Okay," she said in reply. She'd already went after him once, a second time would just raise suspicions again. And the idea of her getting to know someone purely to know them was probably a fools errand. She had nothing to offer him, thus she wasn't worth investing his time into.

"Good bye," she said after, taking another sip of her cafe before leaning her elbow on the table and resting her cheek in her hand. She just stared out the window at the waterfall. She supposed she'd give herself enough time to finish the drink before heading out.

@Orbit

 

[Duke Winters]

Duke felt bad that he had to ditch her like that but he had just landed on Naboo and needed to make his presence known with the local police he wanted to be taken seriously. Even though he was a Ranger, he still had to prove his worth to others and not be some freeloader. He hoped Aelia wasn't to turned off by Naboo by his abrupt exit. Either way, he headed back to the station as he responded to the call.

---​

Surprisingly, the call hadn't been too strenuous and was finished that day. He got off nearly in the middle of the night and needed to relax. The call of home was alluring but it wasn't furnished and barely had any food in it for it to be considered liveable. Instead, Duke went to the cafe that he showed to Aelia earlier in the day, knowing they were still open at even this time of night.

When he entered the cafe, it was almost empty except for a few people that took tables for themselves. Duke found out quickly that on Naboo, people weren't as afraid of the night as they were on Nar Shaddaa. He made his way over to the counter and ordered himself a mild whiskey for himself. As he got comfortable in a booth and examined the place, it reminded him of Aelia as technically he experienced this place this first time too with her.

Duke wished he could have altered his goodbye and not made it so abrupt. She had escaped from the pits and could likely use someone to talk to. He took a healthy sip of his drink as he felt it's effect go over him like a wave. If he saw her again before she left Naboo then he'd show her around more like she wanted.

 

[Lilith Vye]

Lilith had spent most of the day tracking people down and gathering information for her mission. What she learned, sadly, was things weren't going to go down for days. That meant she'd have to sit on her hands, unless for some reason their timetable was pushed ahead.

The young Sith sighed and decided to have another drink at the cafe to unwind. As she entered and went to the counter she saw Duke again. Seeing him brought up unpleasant feelings but he'd undoubtedly see her so she said something anyway, "Duke? " she asked, flashing a meek smile before looking away to find the waitress.

The waitress came quickly and so Lilith ordered right away, cutting off Duke if he talked, "Tula tea... to go" before sitting down. She'd chosen to sit where she'd come up to the counter. As in, not beside Duke. She wasn't interested in being ditched again and seeing him brought up a small amount of that upset from earlier.

She tried to make some small talk anyway while waiting for her order, "So I guess it was a long call, or you just like staying up late." She supposed it was odd for her to be here late too, but the the tea would come soon and she was ready to leave as soon as she got it.

@Orbit

 

[Duke Winters]

It seemed the thought of Aelia made her form out of mid-air as he heard a familiar voice say his name. Duke turned and found her standing there and he gave her a smile back and was about to speak but she ordered a drink first. When Aelia sat down at one of the chairs with some pace between them, he looked at her for a second before scooting over to the chair next to her. "It was actually a short call believe it or not. I got lucky." Duke stook another sip of his drink, a slight awkwardness between them.

He just sighed before spinning around in his chair so that he faced the counter and could rest his arms there. "I would just like to say sorry about the abrupt exit last time. It was a hectic morning with almost being stabbed and the call after that. So... I apologize." Duke didn't say sorry a lot and it felt strange rolling off his tongue but it felt right to say.

"I was wondering if the offer of showing you around was still available. I'd hate for you to leave Naboo with a bad taste in your mouth, you both deserve at least more than that." Naboo had too much to offer to be ignored and even with his short time on the planet, he realized that quickly. Duke still remembered what she first asked him and he hoped that being her tour guide as well could help soothe over his apology towards her.

 

[Lilith Vye]

When he first moved beside her she turned in her chair away from him, doing it obviously so that he'd notice. She didn't really care how short or long his call was, that was small talk while she waited for her tea.

But her tea came just as he said sorry, and it prompted her to sigh herself in a frustrated way. She wanted to stay mad at him. And in all honesty, she didn't understand why he'd said sorry or seemed interested in talking to her again—she hadn't gained anything, nothing to offer or entice him with. In reality, this mostly made her suspicious but he was one of the only people that had ever said sorry to her and it almost... made her want to know him again.

His follow up made her grip her cup of tea but turn back to him also. "Fine," she answered, looking into his eyes with a tinge of upset still, but then away when she saw sincerity in his. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a ranger with me at night, but I..." she trailed off, sighing again. "I'm really fine by myself."

She stood up then and started walking away. "I've already decided to hunt down some spots tonight with less people. Like a lake or... I don't know. Somewhere pretty in the dark." It wasn't a set-in-stone idea, but she'd originally thought of it so she could do more things she wanted. Meditate. Train. Whatever.

@Orbit

 

[Duke Winters]

Duke could still see that his abrupt exit was still a sensitive subject. He at least hoped he could repair that bridge quickly with him, he understood what it was like to be on his own and it wasn't pleasant, to say the least. When she agreed to his tour he smiled at her, "You pretty much have an all-access pass anywhere." A lot of people would do anything asked once a badge was flashed. "I'll be the judge of that."

When she stood up, so did he, Duke picked up his drink with him as he started to walk beside her. "Someplace pretty in the dark. I think I can work out something for you. I hope you don't mind a little trek." The destination was a bit deep in nature but nothing strenuous or hazardous but it still required some effort. It was a frequently visited spot by the locals and at the current time of night, it would be completely vacant. Duke slid one of his hands in his pocket while the other held his drink as he took another sip from it.

"So, after you finish your vacation to Naboo, what do you do plan on doing next?" They weren't the only ones out, at least in the city, a couple families, couples, and late-night strollers were out as well. The buildings of the city reflected the street lights well, giving it a sort of surreal beauty that even he had to appreciate after his time on Nar Shaddaa. "Explore the galaxy or settle down?" It was the same question he asked last time but he never got an answer before he left.

 

[Lilith Vye]

"All access pass? Do you really use your badge that way?" Lilith asked, raising an eyebrow but turning away to hide a soft smile. She didn't want him to know she was a little amused by the comment. It sounded particularly funny coming from the man who'd followed her and her master all the way into a hutt's pit just to arrest them for stealing. "I'm not helpless you know," she added to his last comment.

She walked along side of him, though still tried not to look at the man. It was still uncomfortable that he'd changed his mind, or whatever happened to make him want to see her again.

But still, she listened and tried to fight off her paranoia. The question was tough, because what was next was still in the air and she couldn't exactly mix much of the truth into her answer this time, "I don't know. I found work with... someone. I guess it'll be up to him where I head next." Her answer was more vague than the others, but sometimes she couldn't think of everything on the spot. What she could think of was follow ups to mask her poor answer, "What about you? Plan to stay on this planet and settle down, or head off later?"

As the walked along the path, she tried to take in the beauty of the world, but it was still tough. "I do sometimes wonder what settling down would look like," she laughed, trying to hide the pain behind it. She knew settling down would never be in her future, even though she hadn't thought of it very often.

@Orbit

 

[Duke Winters]

"Of course, one of the main reasons I got it." Duke's voice had sarcasm lined with his words but he wasn't completely, it certainly did help when he needed to get somewhere quick and didn't want people asking him questions. He didn't fail to notice that Aelia didn't look at him, which he thought was quite strange, to be honest but he didn't say anything and just followed her lead of looking at the things around them instead. "Well, that sounds like fun." It was a vague answer and Duke took another sip of his drink in hoping it would make this go easier.

When she asked what he had planned, he thought about it for a moment before he shrugged, "I've only been here a few days but so far it's a lot better than where I used to live. But if duty calls, it's not really my choice if I get to stay or not. Coruscant is likely my next option after this." With him having lived in a metropolis for the entirety of his life, he was going to soak up all he could of Naboo if he did indeed get called to the Deep Core. The cases that involved the Darksiders and Jedi had ramped up and it seemed a lot of Rangers were diverting their attention to it.

"There's a certain beauty to it. Waking up and having your own place to claim as a home. It's nice to somewhat half expect what your day will be like." Duke didn't know the extent of her situation with her having been a slave but he assumed the living conditions for her weren't that good. "We're almost there." He commented as they walked down a street until they reached a large set of stone stairs. There were two statues that stood in front of the stairs as sort of gatekeepers and he nodded to the very top, "Let's start climbing." He took two at a time and when they finally reached the top, there would be a sight to behold.

It was a long stretch of cobble that led to an extravagant and royal building, numerous fountains placed in a vertical line towards it as water sprouted out of them from different angles and different heights. One stream would only go a few feet in the air while the next could go fifty or even more. Lights were in the fountains that changed the colors of the water, just adding more to the impressive scene. If they approached from the side, Aelia would be able to see that the fountains formed sort of pictures with the streams of water and putting on a show that ran all day and night for the inhabitants of Theeb to enjoy. "What you think?"