Schnockered on Coruscant

[Shara]

The broad expance of Coruscant filled the view port as Rayz's shuttle exited from hyperspace, the city world's many lights and buildings glittering like a glass full of fire flies. It was quite the sight, one that Mau would have found quite amazing had she not already seen it a million times before. As it was, she just wanted to land and get off the blasted ship. Space travel was only fun in moderation.

"I trust you know how to land this thing, at least?" She said jokingly, flashing Rayz a charming grin.

"I wouldn't want to have to do it for you this time."

 

[RymanX123]

Rayz offered only a sly grin in response. He began the landing sequence and headed toward a small shuttle pad in the slums of the lower levels of the city at a very accelerated speed. As he dodged various ships and transports, missing them by mere centimeters, he could see Mau hold very tightly to the armrests of her chair in the copilot's chair. The landing pad that was his destination came in to view, and it approched quite quickly. Rayz waited until the very last second to fire the retro rockets, and he brought the shuttle in for a suprisingly gentle landing. The bay door in the back began to open, and Rayz smiled at Mau.

"Does that work for you," he said, chuckling? "After that ordeal, I could really use a drink. Care to join me? I know a quiet place not too far from here. They don't take kindly to strangers, but if you're with me, things will be just fine. Tell you what, in thanks for what you've put up with because of me, I'll even buy the first round."

 

[Shara]

"Do you enjoy driving me insane?" Mau hissed, relenquishing her hold on the armrests. They now bore quite deep marks from her nails digging in. "YOu're doing a smashing job of it."

She shook her head, taking a deep breath. 'I'll be damned if I ever let him land again...'

"Oy. I could definately use a drink. You're on, fly boy. So long as you're buying."

 

[RymanX123]

Rayz smiled, as he quite enjoyed Mau's fiesty response. Still chuckling, he beckoned Mau to follow him, and they took a leisurely through the slums of the lower levels of Couriscant toward the cantina that Rayz had visited many, many times. As they entered, Rayz instinctively led the way toward the dark table in the corner where he always sat.

As they sat down, the Ithorian barkeep brought Rayz a bottle of whiskey, and placed a glass beside it.

"What would you like, my dear?" Rayz said jokingly, as he was still quite amused from her reaction to his aerobatic landing.

 

[Shara]

Mau glowered at him, still unerved by their rather hasty landing.

"I would like to have your head... but sence I'm denied that pleasure an ale would do nicely. Please."

She leaned back in her chair, folding her arms behind her head lazily.

 

[RymanX123]

The Ithorian barkeep stepped towards the bar to grab an ale for Mau.

"Easy there, no need to get hostile. You should know that I have never once crashed or even personally caused any damage to any ship that I was flying. When I fly, it is as though I can feel the ship. I was just having a little fun with you, you know." Rayz said with a smile.

Her ale was delivered, and Rayz poured his glass full from the bottle on the table. He found it much easier to relax without worrying about one of Butar's assassins sneaking up behind him. Although he was still very much aware of every life form in the cantina, he now found it much easier to allow himself to have a good time.

 

[Shara]

"Hostile? You think that was hostile? You aint seen nothing, fly boy." Mau smirked, taking a long sip of her ale.

"Granted, in general you are very good with your ship... it's almost... eery. A lot of the things you do are like that..." She leaned forward, eyes studying him with unabashed curiosity.

"I don't know if I'm greatful or unerved."

 

[RymanX123]

Rayz enjoyed the curious gaze she was giving him. He sat quietly with a slight grin on his face for a moment, to make sure that she was able to see everything she wanted to see.

"So keeping company with someone who is good at what they do makes you feel unnerved why exactly?" Asked Rayz.

 

[Shara]

"You're too perfect, that's why." She gazed at him a moment more, then quickly forced her gaze elsewhere. It was more dificult to do than she would have liked.

"I keep looking for a flaw... and finding none."

 

[RymanX123]

"Perfect," Rayz asked? "I've been called many things in my life, but I'm pretty sure that I've never been saddled with that one. Really, I appreciate the compliment, don't get me wrong, but there are some things, like repairs to my shuttle for example, where I certainly have room for improvement..."

Rayz took another long drink of his glass of whiskey.

 

[Shara]

Mau snorted. "Yes, I know, you royally stink at repairs, but everything else... isn't quite normal. I'm not sure how to describe it."

She shrugged lightly, blushing ever so slightly.

"There aren't many men who can make a near perfect shot in complete darkness..."

 

[RymanX123]

Rayz chuckled at her comment. "Well if it means anything to you, I've been meaning to brush up on some repair methods," Rayz stated.

He was somewhat sensitive toward questions like this, but even when in the company of someone who he was comfortable with, he was cautious to reveal too much information as to his special abilities. "As for the shot in the dark, well, i guess everyone gets lucky once in a while..."

Rayz finished his glass and refilled it. He also signaled the Ithorian barkeep to bring Mau another ale.

 

[Shara]

"I could teach you. If I have time." Mau looked down at the table shrugging again.

"Lucky. Yeah, I guess so." Very lucky. She wasn't sure what to make of it. But she could tell he wasn't comfortable with that particular topic of conversation so she decided to let it drop, taking a long swig of her drink to fill the silence.

"Anyway...."

 

[RymanX123]

Rayz felt guilty for bringing such a sudden stop to the otherwise warm and entertaining conversation. In the awkward silence that followed Mau's last remark, Rays decided that there would be no harm that could come from sharing a few parts of his troubled history with her. He took a deep breath, and quietly issued an explanation for his ability to sense his surroundings, even knowing that most people weren't terribly accepting of people with his condition.

"Okay, I'll be honest with you. With what we've been through together, I guess you deserve that. The shot at Butar's fortress was not luck. I've found that when I focus my mind, I can sense all people and events happening around me. I'd suppose this helps in my ability to pilot a starship as well. The proper term I guess would be that I'm a Force Sensitive, but I'm not completely sure that I believe it. I mean, aren't those blessed with the Force all supposed to train to be Jedi and live wonderfully happy lives? I really don't know..." Rayz's speech drifted off into silence, as he was sure that after learning this, Mau would likely want nothing to do with him any longer. He took another drink of his whiskey, and wearily awaited a response from Mau.

 

[Shara]

"The Force, eh?" Mau raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. I don't know that I believe in all that... Jedi nonsence... but you do have... something special. Force or other wise, I don't know."

 

[RymanX123]

"Well to tell you the truth, I'm not really sure about it either," said Rayz. "I've just been told that my skills have to come from something other than natural ability. Really, I always just figured that I was just better at most things than most people, but who am I to explain how the galaxy works. I'm just here to make a living, and I try to stay as far away from the Jedi as possible. In the few encounters that I've had with them, I can't say that I much cared for their I'm better than you are view of everyone else. I guess you can decide for yourself what to think of me."

Rayz again took a drink of his whiskey. He'd hoped that he hadn't ruined the evening with Mau, and he hoped for nothing more than an opportunity to lighten the mood again. He certainly preferred the playful fun that the original conversation included before things got skewed toward his collection of abilities.

"So you said that you're familiar with Couriscant, right? Other than drinks with me, which is a treat for everyone," Rayz smiled shyly as he spoke, "what're your plans while you're here, or were you just going to play it by ear?"

 

[Johnnysaurus Rex]

Gnissis sat in a shady corner of the establishment. He was listening in on the conversation and a wide smirk came across his wicked face as he got some key points. He sat with a pitch black cloak over himself, with the hood pulled up all that was visible of him were his pulsating red eyes and the glowing yellow markings on his face. He would try and kill them soon. No reason he just liked keeping his edge up and the mentioning of a force sensitive, trained or not, always got him exited.

 

[Shara]

Mau took the hint and decided to let discussion of the Force drop. She didn't understand it anyway, and in her view things she didn't understand didn't matter.

"I don't have any certain plans. I never do, really. I suppose I'll have to find another job... but that can wait a while."

 

[RymanX123]

"That can wait for a while," Rayz asked with a sly and mischevious grin? "What exactly did you have in mind in the meantime?"

As Rayz spoke, he felt an energy from a strange, dark fellow who had just sat down in the corner of the cantina. The darkness that he felt surrounding the man told Rayz that he should be weary of his movements, but being that he was simply sitting quietly in the far corner at the moment, Rayz certainly felt no need for any action just yet. He was quite satisfied with his celebration of his and Mau's victory on Tatooine that they had just returned from. Rayz again refilled his glass, and the Ithorian barkeep brought Mau yet another ale. He was also quite interested in further explanation of Mau's previous open-ended statement...

 

[Shara]

"Enjoy present company, for starters." Mau, completely oblivious to the dark aura of the man watching them and starting to get just a bit more than tipsy from her ale, flashed him a mischievous grin.

"I can think of things to occupy the time, believe you me. And it really is about time I took a break..."