Ask Once Upon a Midnight Drearia

[Shaw Amaris]

Drearia. The name said it all. It had been raining ever since their shuttle touched down three days ago. Seventy two hours of rain. Four thousand three hundred twenty minutes of rain. A bajillion seconds of rain. Math came a lot easier to Shaw when he was this bored out of his mind. It wasn't just him. The other padawans were starting to go a little stir crazy too. They were accompanying a pair of Jedi Knights who were here to meet with some kind of defense conglomerate. The name had slipped his mind. Probably something really dreary. The knights had promised to show them around a little bit and let them indulge in some sight seeing. An opportunity to mingle and make connections with some of the citizens of the galaxy that supported the Jedi, to experience new cultures and all that jazz.

Sounds like a great vacation package right? Okay maybe it wasn't up to the level of a vacation vacation, but it was at least a weekend getaway right? Wrong. It felt more like house arrest. Shaw and the rest of the padawans had yet to experience anything outside the walls of the bystreet house they were all staying in. The knights were gone most of the time. Even when they were around it was too wet outside to go and do anything. They ended up sitting around playing cards or worse meditating for hours on end before wandering to one of the windows to watch shoppers run from one side of the street to the other as they tried to avoid puddles.

Sure there were ways to pass the time, but Shaw wasn't the sort to just sit around the house all day. He wanted to go out and do things and meet people. He'd messaged with his buddy Macote some, but bro was halfway across the galaxy on Ithor and hadn't messaged back in a while. He was probably out saving the world or rescuing a princess trapped in a tower or something legendary like that if Shaw knew his buddy. @Fine Dining Set

But this afternoon was going to be different. Dark and heavy clouds still hung over the city, but the rain had stopped. The knights had given their permission for the padawans to get out and stretch their legs so long as they didn't wander too far and stuck in pairs of two or more. Not that Shaw would have missed the opportunity anyway. Shaw looked over at Rhyss, his bunkmate for the last few days. "Ready to go?" He certainly was. He was itching to get out and do something. Anything! @Laskt

 

[Rhyss Mar]

Rhyss breathed out in short bursts, pulling himself up one last time over the exposed rafter before dropping to the ground. The Kel Dor retrieved a ratty towel from a nearby chair, cleaning his hands and brow of sweat and dust as the rasping sound of his anti-ox mask gradually returned to normal.

Honestly, despite the isolation and monotony of this mission, Rhyss didn't exactly mind it. Sure, being cooped up in a townhouse with several random teenagers on a random planet he couldn't even explore wasn't exactly ideal. But due to the Knights' distractions, he was given space alone with his thoughts without having to worry about a kindly old Master walking by his quarters and picking up on the storm of sorrow and self-doubt and trying to "help". Rhyss appreciated the intention, but having an old battle-brother or teacher of Master Anluss come by every few minutes to quote the code at him was a bit overwhelming. He needed time and space to think through this on his own, to meditate on the Code in his own time.

With a sigh, Rhyss got changed and replaced his mask filters then headed downstairs for what the Padawans had loosely designated as the "common room". He was toying with the idea of fleecing another couple of credits out of his fellow Padawans playing Pazaak (several years in the underworld of Nar Shaddaa did not a weak card player make), when a familiar voice rose from behind him. Rhyss shot a glance over his shoulder. "The Knights finally agreed to let us loose? Finally." He said, his anti-ox mask pitching his voice to a low rumble. "Then yeah, let's get going then, I need to stretch my legs."

Assuming Shaw followed him, the pair walked out onto the muddy street, dodging shoppers weighed down by brightly colored bags and civilians hurrying to and fro. Rhyss drew his robes closer around him, concealing the lightsaber on its clip on his belt. The Padawan doubted anyone on this planet was willing to tangle with two Jedi of any stripe, but it didn't hurt to be careful in his opinion. "I think there's a market of sorts a few streets down. Or we could just wander and see the sights, up to you."

 

[Shaw Amaris]

It didn't take Shaw long to decide between the two. "You cool if we hit the markets?" There was usually food at markets, and Shaw loved food. There was also the fact that their diet the last few days had been almost completely confined to canned food and his mouth was watering for something real. Something fresh. Turned out neither Jedi Knight really knew how to cook. Cooking classes must not have been on the approved curriculum list at Jedi academies. A few of the padawans had attempted to whip up something in the kitchen when they got bored enough buuuuut well let's just say that it tasted more like it had been thrown into a thruster than cooked on a stove.

"Get a little slice of life on Drearia." And if they were lucky a slice of something to eat. Markets were usually the heart and soul of a community. People gathered and socialized and bartered and traded. If they really wanted to get a feel for every day life in Drearia, the market was the place to be. Then they could check out the sights—with full stomachs. "And catch a bite to eat."

Shaw glanced over at the Kel Dor, a thought just occurring to him. "Can you uhh....?" He wasn't sure how to put it, so he gestured to his own mouth. Referencing the antiox mask Rhyss wore. "Eat?" He wasn't sure how that worked. How often Rhyss could take it off or if he really could at all. @Laskt

 

[Rhyss Mar]

Rhyss shrugged, "Sounds good to me. Let's check it out." He said, striding off in that direction even as his eyes flickering up and down the street. Old habits reasserted themselves as he navigated them deftly through the crowd, managing to take them through the worst of the throng without getting crushed by the swell of sapients. Rhyss wasn't sure how experienced Shaw was with large crowds of beings, so he tried to keep them more to the edges of the throng rather than punch directly through the center. Jedi were supposed to be subtle after all.

As the pair walked, Shaw piped up from beside him, seemingly quite excited at the prospect of eating food that didn't taste like it had been exposed to Sith fire. More to the point, he seemed politely curious about his mask, something the Kel Dor had no issue explaining "I can last about 5 seconds without the mask before succumbing to oxygen poisoning, so I can't eat real food, not in the way you do at least," Rhyss said, tapping a finger on the side of his mask. "I have to blend everything I eat down to a sort of slurry which can be filtered through the mask via a specialized straw. Doesn't do much for the taste, but sometimes it's an advantage to have everything taste the same way. Means I don't have any lows as far as meals go." While the anti-ox mask was a bit restricting, Rhyss had long since gotten used to it in his years away from Dorin.

As the two Padawans chatted, they seemed to cross some invisible boundary between the normal city, and what could be best described as a capitalist hellscape. Stalls and small shops littered every possible surface like mynocks on a power supply. Deals and offers were shouted from every direction, and in every recognizable language. Unperturbed by the cacophony, Rhyss pointed at a specific stall. "That the kind of food you're looking for?"

 

[Shaw Amaris]

The two padawans fell into step alongside one another, maneuvering the bustling crowds like the two city dwellers they had been before fate had brought them to the Jedi Order. "You really know how to work a crowd," Shaw observed, grinning as he made light conversation on the way to the nearby market. Rhyss knew just how to navigate the busy streets, when to hold back and when to assert himself and cut right through or step to the side to take a shortcut. Neither padawan had really taken the time to get to know the other even though they had been cooped up in a house together for three days, but now was their chance if they wanted to.

"Soooo kinda like a smoothie?" Shaw shrugged, scratching his jawline. Shaw liked smoothies as much as the next guy but maaaaan if he wouldn't get tired of smoothies every day! Good thing Rhyss didn't seem bothered by it.

Then it hit him. Fish coated in flour and seasonings, sautéing in oil. He could smell it even before Rhyss pointed it out. The teenager licked his lips and watched the vendor flip the fillets over in a skillet. Then there was a loud whack! as the other vendor brought a long knife down and chopped off a fish's head with one clean cut. Shaw had wanted fresh food. This was about as fresh as it got.

A couple of credits later and Shaw had a basket full of crispy fish fillets. "Life changing," he grinned at Rhyss after one just bite. It was hard to say if the fish was really that good or if he was just that hungry. Either way, fish didn't really make for the best smoothie. Shaw looked around and spotted a fresh fruit stand. "Maybe they could whip you something up?" he suggested.

After that the city was theirs! Shaw couldn't wait to explore it. @Laskt

 

[Rhyss Mar]

Rhyss chuckled, "If I couldn't I would never have survived Nar Shadda. The pedestrians there make these ones look downright peaceful in comparison." He said. The Kel Dor could still remember his first days on the city planet, how he was almost swarmed under by the sheer number of beings or trapped in this scheme or that. By comparison, Drearia's lack of snipers or serious organized crime presence made this a walk in the park. "You're not that bad yourself you know. If you were the rural type it would be much harder to make the most of this little break."

The Kel Dor murmured apologies as he pushed through a particularly stubborn knot of Rodians, considering Shaw's question. "Not sure that's the technical term, but pretty much yeah. A portable blender usually gets the job done." He explained. It was not as if the Kel Dor liked being forced to eat smoothies all day every day, but when the alternative was suffocation, you made compromises.

However, such logic didn't exactly make the scent of expertly cooked fish any less appetizing. Rhyss' stomach rumbled as Shaw began to pick fish fillets out of a red and yellow basket, despite the fact he had eaten only a few hours earlier. To distract himself from thoughts of solid food, Rhyss turned and pointed towards the north. "I ate before we left, but thanks anyways." He coughed. "Anyways, I think the Knights mentioned that the city center is in that direction. If we're gonna find something interesting, I imagine it would be over there."

If Shaw agreed, they would set off in the indicated direction, moving faster and faster as the crowd began to thin. As they moved, Rhyss craned his neck to observe the surrounding buildings, taking in as much as possible. He didn't have his sketchbook or journal on him, but this may be his only chance to observe the city during this mission, and he wasn't going to waste it.

To fill the silence, Rhyss shot a sidelong glance at Shaw, "Anything you are particularly looking to see here? I think the knights mentioned a few interesting-looking museums if you're interested." It was a somewhat awkward attempt at conversation, but Rhyss had never really been good at socializing.

 

[Shaw Amaris]

"A portable blender? For real?" Shaw checked out Rhyss' fit looking for the blender concealed beneath the Kel Dor's layers. Did he always carry it with him? "Dude you are such a gym bro!" the teenager grinned, shoving some more fish in his mouth. "Bet you carry that whey protein with you everywhere too, huh?" Maybe they could be work out buddies or something if they hit it off today. Shaw wanted to put on some muscle.

Fish in hand the two padawans set off for the city's center. The hub. The crux of the city where all the exciting stuff should be going on. On a new world like this the possibilities were endless. Fun shops, delicious new foods, never before seen entertainment, games—museums? Of course that's what the knights would have suggested. Shaw blew a breath through his lips and read the signs overhead.

The wonders of Drearia! Step back in time and rediscover the dazzling mark our world has made in the annals of history! How dazzling a mark could they have left if Shaw had never heard of it? "Museums... museums... yeah," Shaw replied, buying time as he looked around for something way more interesting to do. His eyes lit up. "Orrrrrr." He redirected Rhyss' attention to a table set up at the other end of the city square. Several shady characters were huddled around the table playing pazaak. "We could pad our pockets a bit? I'll spot you!"

Shaw had seen Rhyss playing pazaak with some of the other padawans, and bro was good. Like real good. This should be easy credits and sounded way more fun than learning about Drearia's dazzling history. "What do you say?" @Laskt