Open Honeyed Words in Lands of Honey

[Laeonas Tannaras]

Raxus
Some Time Between the Afternoon and Evening

(Open to Non-Jedi aligned characters.)



For a world so centrally important to the Jedi, Ossus had been relatively close to the borders of Sith space.

That was one of the few thoughts that had swam through the boy's mind as he'd stared at the holomap. Vibrant eyes trailed over system names and hyperspace routes, and all the while the passenger ship he boarded on careened towards its destination. They hadn't done much questioning in regards to why he was wandering on a seemingly irrelevant backwater of a world, and he was comfortable in keeping his motives private. From the greeting he'd gotten at the temple, it didn't seem to be the case that the Jedi were used to just anyone showing up on the world's they chose to occupy, so the boy figured that the fewer who knew, the better.

He'd feel the ship suddenly lurch, and the boy's aquamarine spheres turned to one of the viewing windows parallel from where he sat. The shimmering blue of hyperspace had been replaced by the twinkling of far away stars; and more closely, the bright rays of Raxus' sun.

----------------

For a world under the control of the Sith, Raxus was far from what the boy had anticipated.

The breaking of his expectations had begun as soon as the ship had made it's approach towards the world in question. Vibrant and green, the planet's surface was far more inviting than that of his arid homeworld. Blue oceans covered most of the planet's surface as well, rather than massive glaciers that covered everything to north or south of the equator.

Laeonas hadn't bothered to learn the name of the exact city they'd landed in, but it differed from any he'd spent a significant period of time in. Streets were lined with the bright flora, and while still dense, the space between buildings were far wider than anything he'd seen.

For a boy who'd spent most of his life in cramped tenements, choking on the smog filled air while walking through his home city's streets, it was a very broad change. He was still expecting the sound of blasterfire in the distance as he slipped through one of the many market districts of the large metropolis. Stalls of all sorts housed goods he, surprisingly, was actually able to afford.

This planet was, in his mind, unique-- and the boy doubted the people on it were any less so.
​

@Braden Drake

 

[Darth Caelestis]

All the plotting and scheming was taking its toll on Arotirgas' mind, he needed time away to collect his thoughts and perhaps quieten the daemons inside him, away from the issues of the Sith hierarchy and his own family. So instead of heading back to Serenno as he normally would he instead travelled to another lush and relaxing world, Raxus. They had arrived the day before and Artorigas had checked into a relatively nice Hotel. The food was good, the wine was better and who did not love a spa?

He had just finished experiencing the later, a Hot Stone Massage by a rather delicate and attractive Twi'lek. It was delightful and was able to tease out some of the nots and pains out of his back and legs as she worked on him. Stepping out of the Hotel into the fresh air of Raxus he took a deep breath, his mind was cloudy euphoria still rushing through him from the massage. He needed to go for a walk to wake his body and mind back up and there was no reason to not grab some food along the way.

He was dressed in his normal noble tunic from Serenno, the crest of House Wessex easily seen upon his chest. Though the crest itself would mean nothing to anyone not from the planet. Walking to the market he went looking for fruit, something sweet and juicy he decided. As he moved from stall to stall he felt something in the back of his mind, it was not the voices for once, it was something else. A signal, like a light pulse in The Force radiating out from behind him. He turned to see a man with blue eyes and dark hair wonder through the market. Artorigas' eyes furrowed, 'Who was he and what was he doing here?' he wondered.

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

Staring had been something that Laeonas had to endure for most of his life, especially in places like this. There was some justification to the constant suspicion he'd be met with-- even when he was little, the boy looked like a thief. They weren't wrong-- the human had used his talents to pickpocket those around him, and steal the food that stood in stalls or inside store windows.

Still, the looks this time around weren't from raw suspicion, but were instead mixed in with a genuine sense of curiosity. Raxus was comparatively wealthy when one regarded many other Outer Rim worlds, and as a result, crime was far lower. Many felt genuinely safe when they walked through the markets, meaning they felt no need to carry weapons in broad daylight, or at all.

The fact that a vibrosword hung from the boy's hip was enough to suggest that he was not only foreign, but that he originated from a world not nearly as lucky as the one he walked on now. If they could see the rifle concealed in his coat, the curiosity and suspicion might've even turned to fear and naked hostility.

Ofcourse, the boy couldn't say any of this was an abject fact-- yet it logically followed everything he knew about both the galaxy and the people in it.

The staring had begun to die down as he slipped towards a simpler looking stall, filled with a variety of produce the boy wasn't all to familiar with. Glancing over the assortment of fruits and other plants, the boy gave a look at the vendor; a Neimoidian male, definitely older than himself.

Glancing at the prospective customer, he'd ask, "Can I help you?" With an inquisitive voice.

"Ai'll take two of yer orpples and a pear," The boy replied with an aggressive tone, placing his forearms on the metal platform between him and the owner. "18 cred's'is where Ai start; no 'igher, plenty lower."

The vendor simply stared, reptilian eyes appearing to blink in confusion. "...excuse me? What do you mean? The prices are clearly marked, ten credits f-"

"Ai'm not payin' th'at." The boy continued flatly, tapping his fingers across the metal surface. "Find a price Ai maight laike or throw somethin' else in there."

The Neimoidian looked at him in total disbelief, obviously lost as to what the human was attempting to do. "...no, you'll pay what's there, or you won't get the fruit. It's rather simple." He stated flatly, glancing around at the other vendors to find equally confused gazes.

"Stickler? Must 'ave plenty'f credits ta refuse talkin.'" The boy continued, a confident but unreasonably hostile tone behind his words.

Laeonas was used to violent, expletive filled haggling that came with every purchase on his homeworld. He'd been primed to meet an overly aggressive fruit vendor who he could loudly trade insults with until they eventually came to an agreement on prices. He wasn't actually intent on harming the humble fruit merchant-- the posturing was just a formality. But from the expression that might've been nervousness on the Neimoidian's face, Laeonas started to think he might've actually intimidated the man.

Groaning, the boy pulled out a handful of credit chips and dropped them on the table. "Fine, fine, take yer credits ya kriffii..." He began, before correcting himself with an "...ng swell merchant."

The Neimoidian gave what had to have been a sigh of relief as he began bagging the fruit. Eyes turned away to focus on giving the odd customer what he'd requested. The small audience almost immediately turned their attention away from the both of them as they'd continue to commerce.

Taking the bag, he wandered off in another direction. As he did, he'd pull out a previously concealed orpple and take a bite. The force dissipated as he continued on, with an idle smirk playing across the boy's lips.​

@Braden Drake

 

[Darth Caelestis]

Artorigas watched the man go about his business, he was out of place that was for sure. He was far to aggressive for this laid back and quiet world, he probably could have gotten a better price if he had not come in like a wampa in a speeder shop. The people of Raxus preferred a soft word and a compliment, breakdown their guard that way then ask them to sweeten the deal that was the way to a few credits off on this world.

He continued to watch the character as he walked away from the stall, pulling a concealed apple from somewhere on his person and biting into it. Artorigas smiled, was that The Force or just slight of hand he wondered, being in a good mood he thought he would approach the young man and see. What was the worse that would happen.

Walking up to the side of the man he spoke just loud enough for only him to hear. "The free apples always taste the best done they?" Artorgias put on a warming smile as he spoke, he wasn't planning on outing the man to the vendor that would be pointless and cause to much hassle for a single meagre apple.

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

He was halfway through a bite before he'd heard the man's voice. Eyes widened at the obvious callout, and the boy blinked a few times before turning.

Before him was a man clad in rather expensive looking ropes, with a crest Laeonas didn't recognize. The voice, however, did sound somewhat familiar; it had the same posture of upper class refinery as Rishe had, with the pronunciation of some words seeming to fit neatly close to her own.

How this one had noticed his antics was beyond the boy; the last time anyone had caught him in the act of petty thievery had been 12 years ago. He'd refined his technique so well and moved so far beyond petty thievery that he not only barely engaged in it anymore, but he had never been caught in the years since.

Until now.

"Ai'd ask 'ow ya noticed mae little trick, but... actually, nah, Ai don't know 'ow ya caught me." Laeonas would correct himself midsentence, before letting out a light chuckle. The other man seemed... friendly enough, and his demeanor didn't set off any alarms in the young gangster's head. Still, the scent of nobility was strong; and unlike the Jedi he'd met on Ossus, this one didn't seem to care about being humble.

"Ai don't think yer a'bout ta turn me in; ya could've walked back ta'th'at spineless shite a block back and told 'im Ai stole one of his fruits, but yer talkin' ta me instead." The boy speculated aloud, before letting out a sigh in exasperation. The boy would turn and head into a wider common area, with a number of empty and occupied benches. Through it was greenery; grasses, bushes, even a few trees.

This world's most basic, publicly accessible features were things the boy could have only ever dreamed of on his Brentaal. As he sat he couldn't help but wonder if he was still on the ship, waiting to touch down on the real raxus, which was just like everywhere else. His fingers curled together as he considered the option; this world's verdent luxuries and the friendly, noble looking man were an illusion, before he stopped. "Ya'aven't 'ad a vivid dream in months ya kriffin' moron." As the realization hit him, he inexplicably started laughing aloud-- much to the confusion of the passing civilians, and probably the noble.

"Now, what is it ya want, yer highness? Credits?" He'd ask, before shaking his head a bit. "Those clothes of yers don't tell me yer a charity case. So..." The boy continued, pursing his lips together before his eyes widened. "Perhaps ya want ta'ire some guy with a talent fer stealin' fruits? Maybe ya think Ai'm as good at killin' men as Ai am at robbin' limp dick fruit merchants?" Laeo joked, though it only caused the passing people to cringe, or for some to straight get up and leave.

"But yer wand'rin a'round some neighborhood filled with armed, fruit stealin' criminals all on yer own. Th'at ain't tha be'hav'ior of a man who needs protection." The boy continued even further, smirking a bit.

Looking up with an ambitious glint in his aquamarine eyes, he asked, "So, what's got ya both'erin' with me, yer highness?" ​

@Braden Drake

 

[Darth Caelestis]

Wow his voice was annoying, it was like a dagger to the ears. Artorigas was tempted to just terminate the conversation there, save his ears and brain the torment of dealing with this little ratty kid. The Brat as he called him until he got a name had a rather dirty mouth on him as well, Artorigas wasn't adverse to foul language but this one seemed to just spurt it out for no reason. Perhaps he was compensating for something he wondered?

Brat, also had a rather large opinion of himself as well, the volume of his voice, the tone of the language and the audacity of the content confirmed this. Though from the actual appearance of the youth he didn't seem to have the monetary or physical attributes to warrant that kind of attitude. Perhaps he really was compensating for something? He also didn't stop talking did he not understand how a conversation worked? He jabbered on for ages, randomly going on about killing and weirdly unneeded comments about the fruit seller who didn't bow down to him. Maybe Artorigas was wrong about coming to speak to this guy, he was curious about The Force power he felt within him, though now he doubted it was worth the effort.

Artorigas didn't bother rising to the barb that was your highness and just ignored it. "Well you do stand out." He started pointing at the blade on his hip. "And to be honest I was just curious why someone as hostile to this planet as you are would be here?" Artorigas didn't give him time to explain and moved on. "However after speaking to you for less than two minutes, I have lost all interest. I would assume you will be either assaulted or arrested perhaps both before the night is here and I don't really want to be involved with that. So have a good day." As he finished Artorigas gripped one of the uneaten apples from the bag with The Force and pulled it over to his hand before turning and beginning to walk away.

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

The boy... sat, as he listened to the noble speak at him. The words were unexpectedly harsh; a number of criticisms were implicitly leveled at him, and the boy wasn't sure how to reply. Assaulted? Arrested? He blinked a few times, and as the man stood and turned to walk, the boy was almost tempted to spring up and beat the self assured aristocrat.

Standing, Laeonas was about to spring into action-- before a slight tremor rolled across his senses. The boy might not have even noticed it, had the force not instinctively began to draw around him as his emotions flared. He paused, standing mid stride in a rather awkward position before he realized the source of the tremor.

"Ya'v gotta be kriffin' me!" He thought, looking ahead at the Serrenian with both shock and lingering indignation. "Of COURSE he's force sensitive! Why wouldn't 'e be? Every other karkin' prick ya'v met in tha street fer tha past two karkin' years is force sensitive!" His thoughts continued, only gritting his teeth aloud.

It made perfect sense why the prick had decided to follow him. Despite how pompous and foolish he came off as, the boy wasn't completely stupid. The noble must've felt his use of the force to steal the fruit from the stall. It'd also explain how the man had managed to notice what Laeonas had done, being the first to notice that he had not only stolen the fruit, but had used the force while doing it.

He let out an audible groan of frustration, clenching his hands into fists. "What does tha force want with me now? Ta frat with some noble whose got a cripplin' case of self pride?" He finally said, loud enough so that the other force user could hear. He'd point a finger at the man accusingly, and the aquamarines were bright with anger.

Suddenly, the boy brought the finger down, and his eyes shifted to a look of panic. "Oh shite," He muttered, realizing what a foolish mistake he'd just made.

He was on a world in the heart of Sith space, and the man he'd just insulted was dressed in the garbs of authority-- and in addition to both those compounding factors, the man was force sensitive.

Laeonas admittedly hadn't met to many Serennian nobles, or nobles period. It happened to be the case that one of those people was a Jedi managing an abandoned temple on a planet under their own control. She'd forsaken her wealth and the possibly luxuriant attire this one wore in favor of simple brown robes, and adopted the responsibilities of a Jedi.

This one hadn't abandoned his wealth. He wasn't hiding on some remote desert world, with only a single temple to dwell in. This one had chosen to walk openly, on a metropolis controlled by the Sith.

"...it'd be mae luck that Ai'd insult a kriffin' Sith today." Laeonas muttered-- before turning, and walking away. Fast. ​

@Braden Drake