Potential Friend With Benefits

[Veloster Turbo]

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Planet: Naboo
Location: Keren

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Theme Song​

It was an early morning, and Khelsea had just finished breakfast with her brother before he headed out on a business trip. On top of his regular job as a commercial pilot, he had now taken on a minor role in the family business. Khelsea was happy for her older brother, despite their competitive rivalry to outdo each other. It was more like her having to catch up to him all the time anyway, but she knew it was good to have a rival and a goal to work towards. She knew her family was being lenient with her current membership as part of the Jedi Order. It was what they considered to be 'rebellious antics', but they were open-minded enough and not fond of the Sith at all. They were just protective of their youngest child, preferring her to either work in the family business or find a stable job on Naboo. She definitely had the education and credentials to do so. She offered her side of the argument, which included the possibility of fighting back against the empire and being part of radical change in the galaxy. But they were skeptical of her involvement and that statement only increased their worry about the likelihood of personal harm coming to their daughter. However, she argued that at the very least, she was improving herself and learning new skills, promising to stay out of dangerous situations although everyone knew that was unlikely. All they could do were respect her wishes, knowing that she was responsible and strong-willed. The family conversation happened months ago, and in the end they had reluctantly allowed her to go and train as a Jedi. They even went as far as covering for her while she was off-world, with the excuse that she was traveling or on vacation.

Not having much to do until a couple hours later, Khelsea walked around the spaceport hoping to run into someone she knew since she had a few friends who worked at the location. If they weren't available then Khelsea would just marvel over fancy ships, a hobby she was extremely fond of. Her family was well-off enough to buy her almost anything she wanted, but in the end she decided it wouldn't be right to accept their financial aid if she was not going to follow the career path they wished for her. Since officially joining the Jedi, Khelsea decided that she would earn everything she had, and prove to her parents and older brother she didn't choose the wrong path and one day make them proud. As far as a personal vessel, she hoped to obtain her own one day. However, she stuck with her promise and thus had yet to earn enough credits to even buy a cheaper model. Besides, being part of an upper-class family, she would settle for nothing less than mid-range to higher models which required extra funds.

Not running into anybody she knew and seeing nothing that caught her eye, Khelsea headed to the next section of the hangars. A small and funky looking ship got her attention for a moment, but after deciding that it was nothing more than a pile of junk, she continued walking and turned the corner, headed towards another section.

 

[Sebby]

Finally! Naboo! Free from the nasty environment of Tatooine, a broken ship and lastly, free from trouble! At least, that's what Felix thought. Naboo seemed like one of the more peaceful options he could go with as far as looking for his sister was concerned. This was the first time he'd ever been to Naboo, and he certainly did not expect what was coming to him. Only recently, he had a strange feeling that he had to come here. Something was telling him to come here, and Felix just assumed it was his amazing instincts. Sure, he got sidetracked along the way, but he finally made it! Now, there was just the little problem of dealing with the trouble at hand.

Felix assumed that no one would be interested in buying his parts here on Naboo, and he was right. He had to at least try, but no one even wanted to listen to his sales pitch. Not only that, but the trail on where Nia could be was still completely dry. Felix was on a bit of a losing streak recently, but he didn't want to give up hope! He kept looking around the city, quite fascinated by the amount of ship parts that were for sale. He would have bought some if he wasn't completely broke. But, as luck would have it, while Felix was walking around, he found a familiar face. Someone from Nar Shaddaa that he had sold some parts to. He completely and utterly ripped this guy off, and the guy found out. Now, he wanted his money back, but unfortunately for him, Felix didn't have it. Not that he would pay the guy back anyway. Still, this man spotting Felix caused the majority of Felix's morning to consist of...running. He kept running and running from the guy and his buddies, heading back toward his ship. It seemed that he was going to have to leave this planet almost as quickly as he landed here.

However, luck decided to give Felix another chance for once. As he got closer to his ship, he seemed to have lost the guy that was chasing him. He turned around, walking backwards for a moment just to make sure he wasn't being followed. When he was certain that he wasn't, a big grin came across his face and he began to turn back around. Just as he did, he hit someone, falling over. He really needed to stop doing that.

"Ow...sorry..." He muttered, standing back up.

 

[Veloster Turbo]

As she was about the turn around the corner, it struck Khelsea that she had never before seen a ship or a model that resembled the small triangular ship she had just passed by. She slowed her pace to almost a stop and glanced over her shoulder, giving the ship another look over. Deciding that it was probably produced by an unknown company which had a minimal market share in shipbuilding, Khelsea guessed the ship was also produced in small amounts due to its unpopularity, clunky, and unaesthetic figure. It didn't help that it looked like it couldn't fly very fast either.

A sizable force hit her in the upper right torso region, with most of the impact taken by her shoulder and sending her straight to the floor. Her first reaction was to examine her attacker, worried that the rumors of Sith hunting Jedi on her native planet were true. She had practiced Force Stealth, and was using it on a regular basis while on Naboo, keeping her presence in the Force masked and by doing so protecting the well-being of her family, friends, and anyone else she met. Upon careful examination, even without the Force it was crystal clear that the young human adult on the floor in front of her was definitely no Sith. She looked him in the eye, and after dusting herself off and absently dismissing his apology with a "mm, it's fine", she went on her way.

For whatever reason, the next section was empty and the connector into the section after that was blocked off by security and not available for public use. Khelsea was told "sorry miss, you're going to have to go around the long way, the passage on the second level is blocked off as well." Since there was no other option, she returned the way she came from. Stepping into the hangar where she had been knocked over, she noticed the guy who had bumped into her earlier was examining the weird looking ship. Not many of the bystanders or those walking by had even given the ship a glance. They were either busy with their own affairs or they just didn't care. With no explainable reason other than boredom and having time to kill, she walked in his direction him and upon entering his line of vision and catching his attention she approached him. "Hey, I was looking at this ship just a few minutes ago! Never seen anything like this, do you know the manufacturer and the model?"

 

[Sebby]

Felix really ought to start paying attention to where he was going. Fortunately, the person he ran into this time wasn't a big burly guy with a bad attitude. He nodded after the lady dismissed him and walked off, then looked around again to make sure the angry guy wasn't around. It seemed Felix really did manage to successfully lose him. Man, that was strange. Why do people get so mad over losing just a little bit of money? It wasn't like Felix stole from them, and it wasn't his fault that they didn't know how much the parts were really worth. He sighed and looked up at his ship, disappointed in its current state. It was fully repaired, but it didn't have the upgrades Felix was planning for it. If he had been able to sell his parts, he'd have the money to do it. But...ah, c'est la vie.

He was about ready to get back on his ship and leave when the woman from before walked back over to him. He was surprised to hear that she was interested in his ship. Did the ship really look like it had a manufacturer and model? With the repairs he had done to it, Felix didn't really think it stood out. If only she had seen it before it got shot at. She'd be even more amazed! A grin came onto Felix's face as he thought of an answer.

"Actually, I built it myself!" He replied and pat the side of the ship. "Haven't really thought up a name yet! Still working on that. It took a bit of a beating before I got here, so it doesn't look as good as it could. And, uh...if you're interested in buying it, it's not for sale. Sorry!"

 

[Veloster Turbo]

Khelsea had to refrain from making a snarky comment at the guy. There was no need to be confrontational, especially since she was the one that had initiated their conversation. It wasn't acceptable for a Jedi to be starting a tussle in spaceports, or probably anywhere else she could think of. Luckily she wasn't the type of girl to start fights or provoke strangers without reason, but it really was funny that he thought she was interested in purchasing his ship. He was either too shameless for his own good and overvalued his creation, or he hadn't mastered the art of sarcasm and he didn't actually expect her to buy the ship. There was no sensible conclusion. Well at the very least, it was good that this stranger liked his own ship. After all, he was the one spending countless hours of space travel in it.

Feeling that this could be an useful acquaintance, Khelsea save a small smile. She was already reaping the benefits of self-control. Had she said anything negative, who knew how he would react. Not forgetting her manners, Khelsea introduced herself to the pilot. "Oh, I'm Khelsea by the way. It's nice to meet you, I really like ships so I think it's awesome you built your own. Did you do the design as well? It's very... unique. Do you build lots of ships?" Khelsea noticed the patchwork repairs on the ship's hull. "So, what caused the damage to your ship? Looks like you've been through a fight or something."

Having found someone to talk to, she hoped he'd be receptive of her questions and maybe even converse for more than a few minutes. Sure it wasn't the sleekest or sexiest ship design, but he looked relatively youthful and from that Khelsea deduced that he had at least an above average amount of intelligence in order to build a personalized ship that was flyable. At such a young age, it was even more impressive.

Khelsea had her heart set on creating a custom-built ship in the future. While she didn't plan on building it herself, she'd definitely planned on playing a role in designing and altering the blueprints to her satisfaction. It would take some time to acquire the funding and find a company which would build customized ships with unique designs, but thinking ahead never hurt. Who knows, maybe he'd even be able to give her a few pointers or have contacts who could be useful in the future. If the highly unlikely event that he was completely incompetent and every part of her plan failed, it that would be an unpleasant surprise and she'd reexamine her perception of people to avoid making time-wasting mistakes in the future.

 

[Sebby]

Whoa, someone existed who actually recognized Felix's talent! Even though his ship was in need of some serious upgrades, she was still impressed! Felix put on an arrogant grin as he listened to her questions. Unfortunately, he didn't build a lot of ships, but he wished to someday. He even had a few new designs in mind, but he wasn't going to be able to use those anytime soon. He didn't really have the money or the time to be using them. Now that he actually thought about it, he did end up wasting a lot of time. He should probably stop doing that too. When she asked about the damage, Felix wasn't sure how to respond. There was no way he was going to admit that he got hit by someone shooting at him. That was so...uncool. Instead, he felt that the best way to deal with that question was to avoid it completely.

"Oh, well, you know how it is," He laughed awkwardly. "I'm Felix, by the way. And yeah, I designed it myself! I was fifteen at the time, but didn't actually build it until a couple years later. I think it's overdue for some upgrades! It's the only one I've built so far, though." He thought that she might try to ask about the damage again, so he changed the subject. "By the way, have you seen a young woman around here? White hair, violet eyes? About..." He raised his hand up slightly above his own head. "This tall?"

Everyone else he asked hadn't seen Nia, but maybe he'd have some luck now. He did have a good feeling about this planet, like she just had to be here. It was a bit unusual for a gut feeling, but he trusted it. If his sister wasn't here, he didn't know what else to do.

 

[Veloster Turbo]

Felix was obviously hiding something, but since it was clear that he harbored no ill will towards her, Khelsea stayed and listened to him. Being only fifteen years old and already able to plan out a functional spacecraft was no easy feat. His ego might have been a little too big for someone who flew in a ship that looked like that, but he had more that a right to be proud of his abilities. To top it off, he was planning on modding his ship. How cool was that?!

After listening to Felix, Khelsea responded to him. Although he tried to pass it off as a casual question, She could guess that this woman must be important for him. "Uhh... unfortunately not. I don't think I've seen anyone that looked like that here in the spaceport, but there's lots of older women with white hair." Khelsea was thoughtful for a moment, wanting to help Felix. His description was a little too vague, there were probably billions of people who fit this description across the galaxy. "Do you have a picture maybe? Or is there any distinguishing features?"

 

[Sebby]

Felix sighed, a bit at a loss. Unfortunately, he didn't have any pictures and Nia didn't really have anything distinguishing about her appearance. He was beginning to wonder if he'd ever find her, but he couldn't give up. She had to be somewhere, and he'd keep looking for her even if he had to search the entire galaxy. That was what he'd intended to do, anyway. He'd barely even started, but he was starting to think that this would be a lot harder and he originally thought. He still doesn't even know if she was kidnapped or left on her own.

"No," He replied, sighing. "She's my sister, and she'd be twenty-seven now. She suddenly disappeared after our store was attacked by some criminals on Nar Shaddaa, and I've been looking for her since. I had a really good feeling about this place too. Like...my gut was telling me to come here, so I thought that meant she'd be here, but I guess not. I wonder why I felt like I had to come here, then." Felix shrugged and looked around again. "If she's not here, I'm not sure where to go next. I've been going with my instincts so far, but now I've got nothing."

 

[Veloster Turbo]

"Nar Shaddaa, isn't that the home to many Hutt gangs, criminal syndicates, and the scourge of the galaxy?" It was upsetting that Felix's sister had disappeared, but given what she had heard about Hutts and what she knew about crime lords, it wasn't surprising that they would be able to make someone suddenly disappear. Realistically, even under the assumption that Felix's sister was alive, it would almost be impossible for them to meet again unless both siblings made an immense effort and had incredible luck. Having just spent time with her brother, Khelsea understood the importance of family and how older siblings help shape the mindset of their younger counterparts, starting from a young age.

"Oh. I see. Nar Shaddaa is really far from here isn't it?" Watching Felix shrug and feeling his silent sorrow and yearning for his sister through the Force, Khelsea felt that she should do what she could to help him. For regular beings, they relied on their feelings and instincts if they didn't have any other option. For her, it theoretically should be the Force that guides her actions. Admittedly, she still relied on her physical and mental powers too much for her own good, but she was working on it. After a few seconds of careful debate, Khelsea offered her help to Felix for the next little while, until she had to go to her appointment. "Well, I don't think you want to waste your trip here and leave after asking just a few people. I can take you around if you don't know where to go, I'm free for a few hours. There's a few bars where you could start asking, and maybe the local market. Yeah... that could be a starting point. Although, you might need a better description than the one you provided me with. I don't mean to be rude and I know you explained already, but it's really hard to just go on height, eye color, and hair color."

Guiding Felix along towards the exit of the hangars, Khelsea thought that if there were no leads in Keren, Theed would be a good destination. She knew a fair amount of people in both cities, but Theed was a fair amount bigger both in size and population. Maybe she'd get to know him a bit better if they talked while they searched around, and if he shared more information maybe they could narrow the search field.

 

[Sebby]

Yeah, Felix was quite a long ways from home. He couldn't find Nia on any of the planets surrounding Nar Shaddaa, and his search eventually led him here. Where could she have gone in such a short time? And how could there be absolutely no trace of her? Everything about this just seemed weird. Surely, some regular criminals couldn't pull off something like this. He knew those kind. They were simple minded to the point that Felix would have found them long before this long search even started. If she was kidnapped, Felix was starting to think it wasn't just some kidnapping by ordinary criminals. But why Nia?

Felix shook those thoughts from his mind for now. He was going to find her eventually, and what was important right now was that Khelsea was willing to help him. She did have a point about his description, but he wasn't sure what else could be said. Now that he thought about it, Nia was very...ordinary-looking, much like himself. At least that was what he thought about her. And yet, even though she was ordinary-looking, many people had already said they've never seen anyone like that. Maybe they were just waving off Felix to he'd leave them alone. He couldn't know. Nevertheless, he never actually found her, but maybe now he will. Now that he has help, maybe he'll actually find her.

"Thanks," Felix said, smiling. "Maybe that's why I was led here! Because someone would actually be willing to help!" Being led here was a much more accurate description of what he felt before. He followed her out of the hangar and noticed a familiar face he did not want to see. In the distance, there was the big burly guy with a beard that was chasing him earlier. Not good. It didn't look like the guy noticed him yet, so he began to walk to the side, behind some buildings. "Let's, uh...start our search this way!"

 

[Veloster Turbo]

Khelsea was glad to see Felix brighten up a bit. There was lots of work to be done if they were to dig up clues on his sister's whereabouts and Khelsea had her doubts that she was still alive given the circumstances she disappeared in, but she was a Jedi. Despite not revealing her role, she hoped to help those in need as much as she could without giving away her true identity if she could help it. On Naboo, she would always just be the privileged daughter of a rich family and a former top swimmer on the planet in the junior age categories.

Leading the way Khelsea exited the hangar with Felix in tow. She could feel his sudden growth of nervousness through the Force, as well as an angry presence behind them. Noticing Felix's rookie evasion techniques, Khelsea grabbed his arm, pulled him next to her and put her arm around his waist. "If you're trying to hide, act normal. Not like you're trying to hide. Put your arm around me."

If she was being honest, she had no intention of offering her aid to begin with. The conversation was fueled by her curiosity and passion for spacecraft, and not to mention mostly out of boredom. However, one thing led to another and Khelsea could only hope that she didn't get dragged into more trouble than was worth her time. It would definitely be a sticky situation, especially since she had zero intention of using her Jedi powers to escape. Giving away her identity was a bad idea anywhere in the galaxy, but to do so in her hometown would be extremely unwise. Her first objective after leading Felix to a safe place would be to figure out what that was all about. She didn't want to be helping the wrong person, and she knew from the way he shrugged off her question about damage to his ship that there was something he was hiding from her and they needed to get to the bottom of that. She needed to make sure she wasn't being taken advantage of and he needed to clarify why he was in this kind of situation. If it turns out he was the one at fault, then she'd leave his fate to him.

Taking him into a three-floored restaurant that wasn't quite open yet, she pulled him past the bewildered hostess and excused their intrusion by passing it off as a lover's quarrel and promising to be out of the building within a few minutes. Dragging Felix into the stairwell, she sat him down firmly on the steps and began to question him. "Who are you hiding from, and why? I want to help you, and I can. But you need to tell me why you're hiding. I'm not accusing you of anything, but I think it'll be unfair for me to help you if you've committed a crime for example." Khelsea tried her best to sound reassuring and gentle, and she expressed these emotions through the Force as well. She hoped he knew she wasn't a threat to him, and that she would do as much as she could to help him, provided that he wasn't doing anything illegal or immoral by her own standards. It was highly unlikely he was followed from Nar Shadaaa, but the angry presence may even be the same criminal that attacked their family, and in that case it would be a perfect lead to Felix's sister.

 

[Sebby]

Although Felix felt bad about dragging Khelsea into this, he didn't want to just run off without explanation...even though he was kinda doing that right now. He intended to explain it to her later, but she grabbed his arm and instructed him to act natural, leading him to a nearby restaurant. This was a bit unexpected, since she didn't seem like the type of person that would have to run and hide from people. Still, he didn't really want to drag her into this mess, especially if those guys are out to kill him. But, right now, she probably saved his life. Felix now counted two people that he owed his life to, and it probably wouldn't end until he decided to stop ripping people off.

Before explaining anything, Felix looked to the windows and caught sight of the man walking around outside. He didn't seem to notice where they went, so Felix and Khelsea were in the clear. Now, Felix had to explain himself without sounding like a bad person. Besides, what Thomas told him back on Tatooine was completely true. It wasn't entirely Felix's fault, and it's not like it was illegal! He may never know why these guys followed him all the way out here from Nar Shaddaa over some overpriced parts. Although Felix was curious about Khelsea's knowledge, he thought it was fair that he explained himself first before asking her anything.

"See that guy?" He motioned to the window, pointing out the large man with a beard. "He's, uh...from Nar Shaddaa. I sold some parts to him for more than they were worth, and he eventually found out. So, now he's mad. Kind of ridiculous, right?" Kind of ridiculous was a bit of an understatement. After all, they were an incredible distance from Nar Shaddaa and this man was still after Felix's head. Suddenly, he felt like maybe the overpriced parts isn't all this guy was angry about. But what else was there? Felix looked back at Khelsea and quirked an eyebrow. After the angry man was out of sight, Felix stood up and walked down the steps. "You seem to know what you're doing, though. I've been running from people like him for ages, but you're better at this than I am. Do you find yourself hiding from people too?" Not to mention she was perceptive. It wouldn't have taken a genius to know Felix was hiding something, but she knew he was running. "How did you know?"

 

[Veloster Turbo]

Felix's explanation of what happened was seemingly truthful, but Khelsea had to pry a little bit deeper just to make sure everything was as he said it was. Not wanting to leave anything to chance Khelsea had to make sure Felix's story checked out because it wasn't hard to lie confidently as an initial reaction, but most people would have a hard time keeping up a fabricated story over the course of many questions. "What parts did you sell to him, and for how much? Did you leave immediately after the transaction? How did he manage to follow you?" As far as ridiculous went, Khelsea didn't have much sympathy for those who didn't bother to research their purchase before spending their credits.

On second thought, if the guy was really from Nar Shaddaa, could there be a possibility he had something to do with the disappearance of Felix's sister? Khelsea ignored Felix's eyebrow twitching and waited until he answered her questions, and then she answered his as truthfully as she could. Most people had some sense when others were lying, and she didn't want to mislead Felix or cause him to doubt her intentions. "Well, I could tell because I was looking at you. You suddenly stopped following me and acted abnormal, and when people act like they don't want to be noticed it means they probably have something to hide." Psychology class stuff finally became useful. It wasn't a lie, since at some point in her education she had taken a psychology course, although it wasn't really because of psychology that she noticed the change in his demeanor. It was a combination of street smarts and the Force, but he could probably figure out that she knew how to watch out for herself and there was no need to tell a stranger that she was a Jedi. Khelsea gave an answer to Felix's inquiries that was completely truthful, albeit missing a few key facts. "It's probably cause I grew up on Naboo, and I know what's natural and what isn't. Also, a few too many late nights out partying or drinking meant that I had to learn to watch my surroundings. Not to mention, a few of my guy friends are the type to pick a fight when they're drunk, and somehow I end up being the one to have to get them out of trouble."

Hoping Felix was satisfied with her response, she walked purposefully up the stairs and looked out a window to see if the coast was clear.

 

[Sebby]

Felix knew the answer to the first couple questions, but not that last one. He wasn't even sure why the man was following him, much less how. He was thinking it was because of the price on the parts, but that can't be it, right? No one would go to such lengths just to get a little bit of money back. Felix must have done something else to make this person mad, but he had no idea what it could have been. He introduced himself, sold the parts, and left. Then, the guy started chasing him later on. And, apparently, he was still chasing Felix. Felix shrugged and shook his head at her questions.

"I sold some very basic droid parts," He replied. "Pieces of junk, only worth around a thousand credits, but I sold them for five thousand. I was just about to get started on this little journey, so I needed the extra money. After that, I left, and for some reason, he's been following me with his friends. I'm honestly beginning to think I did something else." Upon hearing Khelsea's answers to his questions, Felix was a bit surprised. She must have been pretty knowledgeable to still come to such an accurate conclusion after watching him. And he really didn't think of Naboo as the type of place where bar fights would break out, but he supposed that could happen anywhere. She probably had to help her guy friends out so much that she became an expert on running and hiding. Felix began to walk up the stairs after her, but spoke before he could see any of the windows. "I think the coast is clear. I could smell that guy's stink from all the way in here!" He chuckled at that. He couldn't actually smell the guy, but he still had a pretty good feeling that he was out of the area by now. So far, his instincts have been pretty good, so why not just go with it?

 

[Veloster Turbo]

Now, that was an interesting business model. While making five hundred percent of the suggested retail price seemed too good to be true, it probably did happen irregularly when a customer purchased goods without sufficient knowledge. It might even be a good business to get into, except there would certainly have to be a few adjustments made. As far as Felix's safety was concerned, the angry presence in the Force had slowly subsided as the man had departed down the wrong street, and in a big city like Keren it would be unlikely they would ever run into each other again. Besides, Khelsea wanted to bring him to the capital of Naboo. Theed would provide another searching ground if there was nothing to be found in Keren, as well as bring her further away from home in case trouble arises.

The next two hours they spent asking around and searching, but Felix's sister was nowhere to be found. Responses were always vague or inconclusive, which Khelsea had already predicted. The fact that they couldn't even produce an image of her meant that it was almost impossible for someone to have 'seen' her. After the two hours, Khelsea excused herself for her meeting. Before leaving, she offered to continue to help Felix and contributed the idea of going to Theed. Giving Felix freedom to do as he chose, she told him her contact information and a meeting place for later in the afternoon, emphasizing that she wanted to help him as long as he was comfortable with her and didn't feel she was intruding on his privacy.

Khelsea arrived at the location they had agreed on and sat on a bench in the park, watching the citizens of Keren go through their everyday activities as she waited for Felix.

 

[Sebby]

This search was already going incredibly poorly, but now it was looking absolutely dismal. After they lost the guy chasing Felix, they went on the search for Nia again, and no one had seen her, even after Felix improved his description of her. Why did he feel like he had to come to Naboo if Nia isn't even here? He almost felt like the trip was pointless, but at least he met someone who was rather kind and decided to help him even though it didn't benefit her in any way. It was rare for Felix to meet anyone like that. As he had experienced in the past, people usually had an ulterior motive when helping others, but that didn't seem to be the case with Khelsea. Unfortunately, Khelsea had somewhere else she needed to be, so she set up a place for them to meet later.

Felix wasn't really sure how to spend his time while he waited for the afternoon to roll around. He ended up wandering the city, taking in how different it was from anywhere he'd been, and...appreciating a moment where he wasn't being chased or running into some other kind of trouble. He wondered if, after he found Nia and everything, he could just come back here. Then again, a life where nothing much happened sounded boring. An exciting life was more appealing, as long as the excitement didn't get him killed. Well, whatever. With the direction that this search was going, he wouldn't have to worry about that for a very long time. Once the afternoon came around, Felix began to search for the park they had agreed to meet at earlier. The problem was...he wandered around so much that he didn't know where it was anymore. He ended up spending a great deal of time asking around for directions. It was incredibly embarrassing.

When Felix finally did find the park and spotted Khelsea, he started to run over to her. "Sorry I'm--" He began but felt his foot connect with a rock, which made him begin to fall. Luckily, Felix thought fast and rolled forward before his face hit the ground and got back on his feet, dusting off his clothes like he'd totally meant to just...fall over and roll. "...late. So, what now?"

 

[Veloster Turbo]

Noticing Felix headed towards her, Khelsea raised her hand to wave but ended up using it to cover her mouth and stifle her laughter at his less than grand entrance. While Khelsea wasn't sure if he was just making a joke out of the situation or trying to save face, at least he made an attempt to look like he did it on purpose. "Uh, if you don't mind flying us over I was thinking we could look around for Nia in Theed? The capital might have a lead on where she is." The park was chosen for a reason. Since it was approximately a ten minute walk to the hangars, Khelsea thought they could just head over after discussing plans.

Walking back into the hangars a short while after meeting up, the pair headed through the halls at a quick pace. Khelsea had her eye out for any shady characters who might want to attack Felix, but the Force was calm in the surroundings and as they boarded his ship her feelings proved to be correct. As Felix initiated the takeoff sequence, Khelsea examined the interior of his custom built ship. While nowhere near the industrial quality of large ship construction factories, Felix's ship was still acceptable. It was more interesting than other ships since the controls were fitted to his liking rather than the company standards.

As they made the short trip over and the flight was well underway, Khelsea decided to cut the small talk and express the proposal she had worked out while sitting around earlier. "So, I was thinking we should form a temporary business partnership. Hear me out before you respond please. A business model like yours can be profitable when you find someone stupid enough to overpay you, but it's causing lots more trouble than you originally intended right? I can contribute to improving your sales without endangering you or myself, and you'll have a companion to help you look for your sister at the same time. Assuming you're interested, I have suggestions which may help your sales, and if we work as a team, maybe we could look for your sister and get rich while searching. As for why I want to do this, there are a couple reasons. I can tell you're talented and knowledgeable about ships, which is something I am very passionate and wish to learn more about. It would be a good opportunity for me to put business theories into practice, which would probably please my parents since they want me to do something productive with my life. Thirdly, if Theed doesn't provide any clear leads, we'll probably be traveling to different locations in the galaxy, which would be a great learning experience. And of course, it wouldn't hurt to make a few sales and save up some credits." Khelsea needed money, and if Felix agreed to her proposal then she could pass off her trip as a 'business trip' or a 'job', which her parents would likely approve of as long as she left out several details. If her family knew that she was working with what they would consider a sleazy con artist who's origins were from deep within Hutt Cartel territory, they would be horrified. However, Khelsea recognized Felix's talent in designing and building ships, and felt there was lots for them to learn from each other. She would contribute what she knew, and in return she would learn new skills and gain experience in the business world. All that needed to happen was for Felix to show some form of interest in having her as a business partner, and after they work out the details they would be on their way.

It seemed like a mutually beneficial alliance. Felix would have help with his business and his search for Nia, while Khelsea would gain valuable experience in many different fields, including running a business and learning more about ships. All this fit in with the Jedi code as well, as she would be helping someone in need. Giving Felix a chance to ponder her proposal, Khelsea sat in her seat and prepared to answer different questions that might come up or concerns that Felilx may have.

 

[Sebby]

In Theed! That's right, Nia could quite possibly be there. Felix nodded in response to Khelsea's suggestion to go to Theed, following her back to the hangar. Awesome, now she'd actually be able to see the inside of his ship, which looked a great deal better than the outside. It was quite small and simple, but good enough for two people. Felix didn't really plan on having many passengers, so his ship was built for three people at the most. Over on one side was a storage closet and a bathroom, on the other were a couple of beds and a tiny kitchen. And then, in the very front was the cockpit. Felix headed straight to the controls, taking a seat and getting the ship started up. Once it was all ready to go, they'd be in Theed in no time. The ship was actually quite fast, but didn't have much in the way of combat, which was something Felix planned to improve on. As he listened to Khelsea's proposal, he flipped a few switches and heard the ship roar into life.

It didn't take Felix long to consider her suggestion. After all, his business was pretty much failing right now. Not that he would admit openly that it was failing, but it was a fact. Her proposal sounded like an excellent idea for both of them. She seemed very knowledgeable in many areas, which had already helped Felix. That, and she recognized his talent. Felix smiled when she was finished speaking. "I've been doing pretty well on my own, but the extra help wouldn't hurt," He replied. "You know your stuff, and if I can help you too, then I don't see a single problem with us joining up." After the ship was fully started, he carefully steered it out of the hangar. "Theed, right? Let's get a move on! Hm...where is it, exactly?"

 

[Veloster Turbo]

As the pair got to know each other better, Khelsea recognized Felix as a proud man who had a big ego. Not that having an ego was a bad thing, confidence never hurt. However, overconfidence may have been Felix's downfall had Khelsea not helped him escape earlier. Either way, they were onto Theed and Khelsea would have lots of information to soak in for the foreseeable future. Having been unable to contact Raleigh for an extended period of time now, Khelsea considered their teacher-student relationship to be over and was now moving on to doing whatever she could to become successful on her own. Kai was able to teach her different skills, which nullified the need for an official master - at least for now. And as far as she knew, hunting for Felix's sister and making sales while traveling would be what she would be doing for a while. She was still a Jedi, but the thought of being on extended leave made her realize would miss Lamaredd even though she had only spent a brief time there and its living quarters were modest at best, and she would miss Kai and the other friends she had made during her time there. Everyone had their own path and their own choices to make, and she did what felt right so there will be no regrets.

Khelsea shook Felix's hand and their partnership was validated. The future was uncertain, but for now Khelsea was able to provide Felix with the coordinates to Theed. Where they would go afterwards was likely up to Felix, but Khelsea would make the most of the opportunity and learn as much as she could while helping Felix in his quest.