Over a Half Ham

[Rhys Whitley]

Rhys' face suddenly froze, as if all too suddenly disgusted by Tamara's words. Turning blue. As if the thought of sending children to their deaths was just as equally disturbing as butchering pigs. Well, when he wasn't eating them for food. Then it was morally just if to feed a hungry belly, but otherwise horridly unjust and inhumane of course. Obviously.

He heaved. Then looked down at his plate, opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue, and let the half chewed plastic wrapping fall onto his sandwich. Then he queasily looked up at Tamara and shivered.

"Gah..."

The piece of plastic was disturbing to say the least, having come from around Tamara's tomato. And now he'd sullied his sandwich by spitting the tomato-juice ridden sliver onto the bread in a small pool of saliva. He put down his spork, paused, and licked his lips to try to swallow down any distaste and force past the disturbance.

"I don't think I can eat this anymore," he painfully admitted. Then he pitifully raised a hand to wave down a server bot. "Excuse me. Excuse me." Yet Tamara's words were still at the forefront of his mind, still choking his train of thought. "Café Jambon... Perhaps there are worse corporations than the Jedi. But sending children to their premature demise is perhaps the worst of all their pockmarks. The Sith at least believe in glorious death in battle. But the Jedi are supposed to have morals. They're supposed to know better. Yet there they go. Off y'go little one. Off y'go to face bloodthirsty monsters and gangbangers who eat your ilk for lunch... Perhaps I should try Padawan. Sounds tasty. Anything would do better than this Sarlacc's intestine."

Now he had switched. His opinions of the Jedi were entirely tied into a knot. First they didn't go far enough. Now they went too far. There were no limits to his twisting logic.

 

[Tristyn]

Tamara once again started to look at Rys rather angrily. She didn't know if he was purposeful being rude and bad mannered or if he was just like the way he was. She does indeed understand why she will one day have to fight the Sith,"We are only going to fight the Sith because we have too. As a padawan I'm at my master's side until the day of my trials. He's a knight, and thus it is his duty to face the Sith, and now it is also mine. I mean.....I would rather be fighting with my master than being alone...but I still wonder if I'm skilled enough to take on a Sith"

Who is more disciplined and skilled? The Jedi or the Sith? She didn't know.

She frowned again.

I hope my master can protect me. The Sith are the Jedi's arch-enemy. They won't hesitate to kill me.

 

[Rhys Whitley]

"Alone? Well you're not alone you're with me," he exclaimed, his voice suddenly rising in pitch and so in deceit.

He merely wished to comfort the girl whom had obviously switched to a sensation of worry and doubt. Though, as with any realistic and worldly person, when he faked a flowery tone of optimism his voice went up like a liar's would. Since the truth was difficult to swallow, much like this food, it had to be prettied up with a shrieking tenor. One not meant for singing. Dear unholy Dathomir, anything but singing.

"I'm sure your master wouldn't leave you here unless he thought you were capable of handling yourself in a scuffle... eh?" With that, he playfully mimed a non-invasive gentle punch in the direction of her chin; as though nestling his fist beneath it with a friendly and courage-boosting nudge. He suddenly wished he could walk back everything he'd said. "Why, as a fully trained padawan I'm sure you could mop the floor with the entire wait staff," he said as he lightheartedly motioned towards the kitchen, his eyes catching a glimpse now of just how disgusting the floor was. And so had the thought to add, "In fact I wish you would. There's an entire grout of Sith brotherhood growing between the tiles there." His lips warped in disgust as he eyed the stains he'd previously lived quite blissfully without.

 

[Tristyn]

Tamara smiled and sat back in her chair. She noted how he once again changed his attitude, but this time she liked it and was even giggling a bit after his last sentence,"Yeah...my master does often leave me or drop me off on a foreign planet and tell me I have to get back on my home" ..oh I so hate it when he does that,"But I don't think I'm that skilled to take on a Sith....I mean not on my own. My master is a great duelist and he teaches me well....and he knows my limits....and taking on bloodthirsty Dark siders are one of them"

She back up on her chair as she began to wonder what it would be like when she would start to train her own padawan, and how much she would have to teach him or her. She had certainly learned a lot and wasn't sure if she was up to the task,"My master said I should be ready for trials in about a year"

And that was saying something, because she is only sixteen years of age.

 

[Rhys Whitley]

"Bloodthirsty little bats aren't they," he sweetly seduced with a smile. Yet his own personal memory of the Sith turned his disposition sour as he lightheartedly added with a turn of the head, "Vampires with a pestilent skin condition..."

But she continued on in a similar vein, regarding her teenage troubles towards the trials. He remembered his own failures, how he never showed promise in combat and how hard he'd tried to fit in with the current Jedi symbol of strength. His eyes shriveled as if from the fumes of fowl unions to the empathetic heartstrings being played in his chest. He wasn't normally one to be so caring when it came to anyone but himself. But her situation rhymed with his own rhythm in tune. And it wasn't a very happy song. So his resentment of the Jedi naturally aligned himself to her side.

"A year? My, my. Why that must be a record. You must be something quite special. Let me guess, you can shoot blaster bolts from your very eyes. No-no. Wait. You can hear everything I'm thinking, can't you. What number am I thinking of right now? Don't mind the fantasy Twi'lek model in there, she means nothing to me... You know it don't you! Wait, wait, you have the power to slap the stupid out of even the most smug Jedi general! Now that's something I'd like to see."

He laughed, having fully committed to making her relax.

"I could tell you were something special as soon as I laid eyes on you today. No, no, I'm being serious! You know how? You know how I can tell? I'm going to tell you little secret, between you and me..." He leaned in to whisper. "Alright? Just between the two of us. Like you. I can use the Force."

 

[Tristyn]

Tamara laughed along with Rys because of ridiculous he sounded, and also because of how flattered she was feeling. Although he could make her laugh hard, she was still a bit unsure of him while he was leaning in close to her, be she moved in closer anyway. What came next completely shocked her. He couldn't see her face while they were leaned in, but her eyes and mouth were wide open and her face was whiter than usual.

She quickly pulled back to look at,"What!?" She yelled rather loudly. Some of the alien customers glanced at her and Rys.

Well it makes sense, but....wow.

She stared at him for a bit, simply wondering, before she finally closed her mouth, lowered her head and play with her padawan braid. She felt really awkward right now.

 

[Rhys Whitley]

Her sudden outburst shook Rhys to the bone. So much so that he almost dropped her lightsaber that he'd been thieving under the table while she leaned close over it, his slick and Force shadowed hands the experienced and indiscriminating sort; even double crossing his most treasured friends. Well, to be honest, he didn't really have any friends. But he supposed her shock was to be expected, as well as distracting. He hid it well. He really rarely ever opened up about his days with the Jedi. And he reveled in her awkward surprise now, grinning even as he looked around at all the eyes turning towards them as if to confer with them saying - that's right, I impressed this little girl. Me.

"Well. It's really nothing so grand as your tale, pretty Jedi. But yes, it's true. I was even once among your peers. Perhaps I'll tell you my story? It's not a light lore to levy... But duty calls!" He patted his belly. "These stones have sunken to the bottom of this ocean if you catch my drift," he whispered cross-eyed in silly euphemism.

Rhys pulled his bag close over his lap as he tried to discretely sneak her lightsaber into the underfold, hoping she'd been distracted enough to not notice in time. All this surprising talk of once being a Jedi, belaying to his nonexistent higher character and wholesome honesty ...as well as toilet humor. He hoped, in all this chaos of gangs nearly killing Jedi and newsworthy notions of a larger Knightly presence possibly plummeting to the planet's surface under the shadow of looming war, that her little lightsaber would fetch a pretty penny amongst the locals and pay for his fair as he concluded his business in town. He'd gotten rid of his own long ago and knew the glow some merchants got when they laid eyes on a Jedi weapon. Of course he wouldn't settle for just any price. He knew how to haggle. And if no suitable suitor presented themselves, he'd just hang onto the trinket until a better offer brought itself to his bank. He figured she could just build another one. Temples must have a surplus of them in times like these.

So he scooted out of his seat in haste, clutching his bag to his belly, pretending to squeeze his body tight that he might make it to the refresher in time. While in truth he was making his getaway, making it with her hilt and leaving her with his bill.

"You wait right there. I'll be right back in a jiffy. Do be a dear and watch my ... plate."

He'd spread a plastic smile before twisting around and oddly hopping from one crookedly in-turned foot to the other, dancing towards the lavatory when in fact looking for the exit around the corner and out of sight.

@Tristyn

 

[Tristyn]

Tamara sat back in her chair and simply stared down at her stomach, twiddling her fingers, trying to process all the information she was just barraged with. Why would he hide this from me? Maybe he was just toying with me or something....what a bastard. The council probably expelled him for some reason. Serves him right. I guess.

Unfortunately for her, even though he was still deceiving her even now, she decided to take his word and wait for him. Should would wait for quite awhile before she remembered what she was actually doing. She tended to daydream sometimes. She sighed and looked around, the cafe was a bit quieter than before and the sun was starting to set,"Jeez....how long is this guy gonna be gone?" She mumbled to herself.

Tam got up and walked out the cafe, deciding he probably wasn't coming back. She took his jacket just in case, seeing as he forgot it, and checked to see if the rest of her gear was with her. Rations...check. Comlink. Check. Lightsaber.........lightsaber......

Her heart skipped a beat as she recoiled around and ran back in, checking to see if he maybe left it for her........nope. He didn't.

"YOU FETHING BASTARD!"