The desert hermit

[Lotho Minorian]

[Gonna try a different approach. I will be limiting access to this rp to 3 people for the time being and if i see it fit I will add room for more.]

You learn something new everyday.

A mess of scrap and stone. A lonely sight hidden among the cliffs near the port city of Mos Eisley on the planet tatooine. The decrepit home was surrounded by hoarded piles of junk, a pit full of ashes and seared corpses of beasts and madmen who made their approach so boldly, and the source of their demise, traps hidden in the sands. The lonely home was not something to be investigated but something to avoid. For the sole inhabitant was not interested in any visitors but instead desired to invite a special kind of guest. The inhabitant was a short creature of crooked stature, wrapped in a greasy tunic and a ragged hood, a mangle of metal and flesh underneath with shoddy limbs that functioned to a bare minimum, with a voice so hoarse and foul it could be mistaken for a gutteral cough without proper attention to detail. The creature was not from this world. He was a stranger like no other. A sole individual unique to all but he did not appreciate unwanted attention. His name is Dip.

Dip made his home away from others due to his untrusting nature but made the occasional visit to the city to seek out a means to an end to this chapter in his story. Anyone who could get him off of this desert and into the stars. It was a difficult process as most would be turned away by his less than adequate social skills. He could speak galactic standard to a degree but it made him sound primitive. Coupled with his appearance and attitude he was never going to make anybody trust him.

Dip patrolled his home's boundaries in a routine to check all of his traps. Today was a quiet day, the only sounds were distant ships making their approach or leaving or the sound of sand making delicate sounds blowing against the metal of his home. The traps were all undisturbed. Taking a quick gander at his surroundings he retreated to his shack. He passed by his fire pit which barely smouldered with a light smoke raising slowly into the air. It had been like this for at least two days now. Upon reaching his home he lifted a sheet of metal with a grunt and slid it aside. He squeezed through and pulled the sheet back to once inside. Inside the shack he had a only three rooms, one had a bed, the other workbench and the third a ladder to the rooftop. He climbed the ladder in the third room and went to the roof to spend the rest of his day watching the skies. Taking his time he sat down atop of the shack and watched the skies on the horizon of the dunes, seeing shady outlines of ships in the wavy hot air above the dunes. He fondly watched them go to and from, imagining himself finally leaving this planet on a ship of his own, seeing the stars up close and gazing upon worlds from outer space.

After spending a few hours to gaze at the ships come and go in the arid sky Dip decided to make another attempt at hiring a ride. Inside of his shack he kneeled beside his workbench and slid out a box from a shelf. Placing the box on the workbench he opened it to reveal his stash of credits. He took a handful of the chips and tucked them inside a pocket on his belt. He shut the box again and put it back in its hiding place. Reaching over the workbench he retrieved his rifle and slipped it into the cylinder on his back, and made his way to the door afterwords. He approached his old FC-20 speeder lain against the wall of the shack and activated the anti-grav. The vehicle made a few low pitched hums before blinking to show it had started to function. Hopping onto the speeder Dip revved the machine a few times before taking off several feet above the ground quickly reaching high speeds within seconds and into the desert. This was as close to flight as he ever came on his own and he enjoyed every minute of it. He weaved between the sandy dunes with ease thanks to his speeders heavy curving ability, leaning over to graze the hot sand with his good hand. Readjusting quickly he returned his focus to getting to Mos Eisley and hiring a pilot.

Entering the city after a while of speeder travel, Dip came to his usual stop. A seedy cantina near the edge of the city where he would hop off of his speeder and proceed to remove the power cell for safe keeping. Placing the hot cell into the cylinder along with his rifle and other refuse he dropped the speeder off to the side where no one would bother to look for it and proceeded to enter.

 

[Undine]

Jade had met one of her newest friends on Tynna. Mjou had been a pickpocket but Jade and Jedi Master Reland Gil had been able to recruit her into the New Jedi Order. Today however Mjou was looking for a new ship, and Jade some droids, so together they had decided to travel to Tatooine in order to put Mjou's talents of stealth and Jade's level of awareness to use in the pursuit of commandeering the objects they required.

After landing her ship, the Oracle, Jade followed by Mjou made their way out of the spaceport and walked around hoping to hear something to lead them in the right direction. After a few hours of searching to no anvil, Jade turned to Mjou, "Why don't we get something to drink, there is a cantina around the corner down the road we passed on our way here." They made their way there just as someone with odd amount of mechanical limbs rode up on their landspeeder. Jade and Mjou walked into the cantina just as this odd person parked their landspeeder.

Walking into the cantina Jade received just as many stares as she always got. A blind child with blue skin and silver hair wasn't a common sight for most, but Jade didn't let this bother her as she walked up to the bartender. "A glass of Purple Wine, with ice if you've got it." Turning to Mjou beside her, Jade motioned for her to make an order if she was so inclined.​

 

[Nostromos]

It. Was. Hot!


Force she loved it.


Mjou had been giddy and energetic since they arrived on Tatooine, it had been the only thing she talked about to anyone while she was on Naboo; for it had been her original goal before her life had been commandeered by the New Jedi Order.

And now she was there and it was everything she’d hoped for. The sleaze, the dust and sand and brutal wind that licked her naked calves. They looked like targets, she could feel it just from walking around the place; many eyes lingered on them and all it managed to do was excited the young thief more.

This was her element, she grew up with the sleaze and drunks; as far as she was concerned Tatooine just offered a different variety.


But Mjou did not like how some of these sleemo’s looked at Jade, and often times walked close to her, even going so far as to put an arm around the other girls shoulder now and then. These bastards would understand the gesture, it was a sign of ownership and claim; even if it made Mjou uncomfortable to do so, if any confrontation happened most likely it would be directed at her. Which was fine, she shined like a sun in this awful, brutal lifestyle.

She let Jade lead, only speaking rarely as most of her focus was on the ever changing faces and buildings. Mjou scouted out targets, loose pocketed pilots or snoozing food vendors; but especially she scouted out the other thieves and thugs. The real competition was their biggest threat, she would have to be exceedingly vigilant on this little outing.

When Jade mentioned a cantina, Mjou jumped at the idea and knotted their arms together at the elbow; pulling the young Pantoran along before releasing her upon stepping up to the door. Mjou paid no mind to the mech-littered stranger, weird things happened in the outer rim, civilization got--well---less civilized and accidents happened.

Adjusting her jacket and brushing her hair back, Mjou took on the cocky, dominant sneer she always used and strode in behind Jade. The cantina was full, the smell was out of this world, and she had little hope for finding anything worth pickpocketing considering the rabble about them.

Silently, she followed Jade to the bar and sat down; resting her elbows on the counter top and leaning over it to get into the tenders face. He didn’t look impressed, but she wasn’t too worried. “Give me whatever Weeq sludge you got. Heat it up, but don’t burn it”

With that done she sat back and planted herself down on a stool before turning to look at Jade. “This place is amazing Jade, if you could only see how awful these people are. Just--dreadful. Really gross. Oh man” The longer she went on the more excited she got, before she was practically radiating glee.

 

[Lotho Minorian]

Inside the cantina was the typical run of the mill folks. Dip brushed aside a few drunkards in his way as he limped around the tables. He inspected the crowd, his eerie silent gaze coupled with his glowing eyes made a few people uneasy. He was looking for anyone he had not seen before. Someone who could serve his needs. As he made his rounds he came across a couple of individuals that did not seem to belong. He settled his gaze upon the two and shifted around them momentarily before moving past a short ways and taking a seat not too far away at the counter. He took his eyes off of them for a mere moment to order himself a drink of his own in his harsh voice. "I will have same as always." Smacking the credits down onto the counter and tapping his metal fingers impatiently he waited. The bartender slid the heavy, thick liquid in a tall glass down the counter to Dip. Taking the drink in hand he lifted the glass but did not take a sip, keeping his focus on the two strangers. They looked like mere children but had no concern over the attention they brought to themselves from their bold decision to buy drinks. Perhaps there was more to them then what was presented in their appearances alone. Dip broke his gaze momentarily to tip the glass over his head and poured the thick ale into his mouth. It pooled slowly and he gurgled as he downed the entire drink in one full swig, setting the glass down and swallowing it with a loud gulp. Once finished he returned his gaze and raised his hand. "One more." Perhaps these two could be of use.

 

[Undine]

Jade paid no mind to the short mechanical person, until she noticed that he kept looking at her and Mjou. She was about to say something after he ordered a second mug of that slop when she noticed someone start to walk up behind Mjou. "They might just be ordering something to drink" She thought to herself as she put her hand on her blaster.

Jade decided otherwise when the female Lamian put her hand on Mjou's shoulder. She let out a low growl, turning around to show off her empty white eyes. She looked almost undead as she spoke in a low raspy voice while popping her joints at weird angles. "Don't touch my Mistress, hissss..." The woman screamed and ran out of the cantina. Turning back to Mjou laughing she could tell Mjou was questioning her actions a moment prior. "What? I know the Miraluka cover their eye sockets because other people are uncomfortable with their lack of eyes. I'm not ashamed to be blind and if others are uncomfortable about it then I have an advantage." Smiling Jade began to drink her glass of purple wine. "Blahk, this isn't wine, it's poison what are you trying to do to me?" She thought about the bottle of Purple Wine from Pantori Vineyards in her ship. She would most definitely be drinking some later, if only to wash out the taste of this trash.​

 

[Nostromos]

Throughout the course of the entire confrontation, Mjou didn’t even bother to turn her head. When the Lamian touched her, she merely sipped her heated Weequay ale and let Jade do whatever it is she pleased. The game they were playing was all about how one was perceived, and Mjou wanted to be perceived as the boss of the duo; she let her ‘minion’ do the work.

Once Jade sat back down and laughed, Mjou did the same and shook her head. “Take it easy next time. Don’t over do it when you intimidate them, you might piss someone off and we'll get jumped.” The youth placed a hand on the Pantoran’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

When the other padawan began to complain about her beverage, Mjou had to laugh and shake her head again. “That’s what I’m saying Jade, if you could actually SEE this cantina; the quality of that drink wouldn’t have surprised you” Mjou ignored the venomous look the bartender shot them, and gave a whimsical shrug before letting her eyes scan the room again.

“I dunno about you, but I have the distinct impression that no matter where we go we are gonna get swindled. I only know so much about ships, I dealt in small time fare. Not big stuff” Mjou sounded a bit disheartened as she knocked back the rest of her swill. “ We are gonna hafta steal someone’s ship”

That supposedly disheartened moment instantly washed away as the youth grinned almost maliciously.

 

[Lotho Minorian]

The bartender slid another glass of the thick ale to Dip and he turned to reach it for just a moment before he heard a small ruckus, he whipped his head back in a double take to catch a glimpse of the blue skinned individual threaten someone who was laying a hand on the one with the odd hair style. She called her 'her mistress' and those words peaked his interest. The one with the odd hairstyle was the leader it seems and judging by her appearance she was not some high class lady with servants. These two were a duo of fighters. Upon this conclusion he decided he would make his move. He broke turned back to the counter to slap down a few more credits to pay for his second drink which he had downed just as quickly and span on his seat, hoping off with a clatter of his legs. He streightened his right leg and limped over to the two to make his own statement.

Approaching them he cleared his throat in a repulsive manner and stopped within arms reach. "Excuse me. Might I have words with 'mistress'? He spoke out to the blue skinned servant in respects to what he believed to be their 'chain of command' so to speak. "I have job that pays." That was all he was willing to tell her in hopes he could assert himself. He would not be intimidated by this child.

 

[Undine]

Listing to Mjou speak, Jade was surprised when her fellow padawan put a hand on her shoulder. Blushing a deep purple Jade diverted her eyes to the floor, but Mjou stole a laugh from her when she mentioned seeing the cantina. "I can see just fine you know, just not with my eyes besides my nose tells me more than you would think." When Mjou mentioned stealing a ship Jade could feel the human's emotions wash over her. "I find theft distasteful, but I agree with you on this. Oh and don't worry about being jumped, you may be the older padawan but I do have more experience than you, part of that experience is fighting thugs with blasters."

Jade took quick notice of the strange semi-mechanical humanoid walking in her's and Mjou's direction. He seemed to be respecting their boundaries so Jade wasn't on guard, figuring that he had saw how she had handled the Lamian woman. When he addressed her instead of Jade however it had caught her by surprise. Jade had been trying to make people think Mjou was the leader of the duo, but this was reaffirmed when she realized he was asking permission to speak with Mjou. Looking him over she nodded and turned back to the bar, while focusing herself in the Force should the need arise to defend either herself or more importantly Mjou.​

 

[Nostromos]

Mjou shook her head again, still smiling a wistful grin as Jade had misunderstood her meaning. “ I’m not worried about us getting hurt, I’m worried abou--” And then the mech littered figure had approached them and asked Jade for permission to speak to Mjou.

That soft grin morphed into a hard, vicious one as the youth leaned away from the counter to look around Jade at Dip. “Pays huh?” The youth pushed herself away from the counter and tucked her thumbs into the pockets of her jacket, striding up into Dip’s personal space; as close as she felt she could without invoking an attack.

“Who’s to say we’re for sale buddy?” Mjou spoke low, cocking her head to the side in a quizzical manner. “We ain’t whores. So if that’s what you’re looking for you can go find someone else to diddle” Crude and mean is how Mjou liked to play this kind of game, but she softened almost immediately. “But I get the feeling that’s not what you’re interested in. You wanna tell me your name stranger?”

 

[Lotho Minorian]

Dip seemed to have caught the interest of the leader of the duo while the blue one turned away. When she approached him he straightened his posture as to prove he was not going to be intimidated. She went on babbling about hiring them for... pleasure which didn't appeal to him too much, but before he could straighten her out on how unappealing she was she corrected herself. Dip pointed a finger to his chest softly, "I am Dip." he then pointed out to her and her associate in between. "And you are mercenary. I need services for job." Dip brought his hand back to himself and reached into his tunic for a handful of credits. "You earn this and more should I decide to hire you." He did not like to make the payment in full until he knew he was hiring the real deal. If they would accept his offer he would lead them home to test them. "What say you? If you accept I will fill you in on details at home. And then we will decide on full payment."

 

[Undine]

Jade sat facing the bar, but she kept her mental focus on the two behind her. Mjou and this man were discussing some sort of trade and the short mechanical man was trying to lure to young girls into his home way out in the desert. It was kinda creepy, but Jade couldn't help but laugh to herself a little. Nonetheless she was looking forward to giving this man way more than he could chew.

Turning around Jade looked down from her stool down to the man below, her empty white gaze tended to scare off any would-be thieves or pervs. "Tell me Dip, what sort of job are you hiring us for exactly? Mistress just said we are not whores, so I have to wonder what it is you seek from us. No need to go into detail, but a general direction would be nice. We have business we need to tend to, and making futile trips into the desert to be mugged isn't really gonna help us at all." Jade stepped down from her stool and walked over to her fellow padawan and Mr. Dip as she spoke. Stopping behind Mjou as to keep the image of her being the leader intact, Jade glared at the mechanical man. In a galaxy where Jedi were being hunted down it was sometimes best to act in a way traditionally unbecoming of young Jedi.​

 

[Nostromos]

Mjou didn’t seem to like the idea of going with this stranger anymore than Jade did, but credits were tempting and they would need as much as they could get to acquire what they had originally traveled all the way to Tatooine for.

Jade was being a bit too aggressive but she was making good points, in order to keep up appearances though; Mjou put a hand on the other girls shoulder and sent what she hoped was a wave of calming feelings. She was no good at projecting specific emotions she wasn’t actually feeling, but she needed to appear as in control as possible.

“My associate is correct. We aren’t here looking for jobs, even if the cred is good. Which--I hate to say--doesn’t seem that likely from your appearance.” Mjou gave a grin, perhaps a little more apologetic than she meant to. “No offense. But no one with brains in their head would follow a stranger offering creds for a mystery job to their house. This is Tattooine, Dip. I think you know the kind of scum we’re talking about”

Mjou cast her gaze idly about the cantina before turning back to leer at the Junker. “Scum who’d happily take advantage of curious, young girls like us.” The thief held a hand up and moved back into the Junker’s space, placing said hand on his shoulder at a slow, respectful pace as not to anger or startle him.

“How about, we buy you a drink and get a more private booth? So you can tell us about what you want to hire us for?” Because they did really need the credits. “This is a nice, neutral public place. Safe for all three of us yeah?”

 

[Lotho Minorian]

The two were perceptive enough to question his procedure. Rightfully so he supposed, this was either a smart decision or cowardice. Dip thought to himself briefly before Mjou approached and placed a hand on his shoulder, to which he lifted his own hand to smack it away but she spoke. She was still interested and wanted to discuss matters here in the cantina. This was not going to plan but this time he got confident. These two may be intimidating to others somehow but he was not going to stand down and if things came down to the old 'who shot first' table standoff he knew he could take more than either one of them could. At least he assumed as much. He had been through worse, reminding himself of the time he lost his arm to a bright rod of light on his planet. The thought made him shudder a tad but he faced the two and nodded his head. "Very well. We shall discuss here, but dare double-cross me and you'll be sorry.". With that said he smacked the girls hand off of his shoulder and gestured them to lead the way.

 

[Undine]

Jade had been listening to Mjou and this Dip fellow's conversation while keeping an eye on the thugs hanging around the bar. The Lamian from earlier made a reapperance at one of the tables on the other side of the cantina, but she wasn't making a fuss so Jade didn't care. She did care however when Dip smacked at Mjou's hand, turning around to face the mechanical man. "I don't want a fight Dip, but if you put another hand on ether of us I'll remove it." She didn't speak harshly, but rather in a matter of fact tone that showed her indifference to the thought of removing his limbs.

Turing to Mjou Jade pointed over to a booth that didn't have many people near it, only a couple passed out drunkards. "That booth should work my Mistress, shall I order anything before we walk over there?" She spoke respectfully in regards to Mjou, even though Jade had no real reason to do so as they were equals. The image they were portraing could be beneficial if done correctly and Jade had every intention of doing just that.​

 

[Nostromos]

Despite Jade’s threat, Mjou wasn’t actually that upset with her hand getting smacked; she’d expected it and would have been surprised if the Junker had responded in any other way but negative. He was what she came to expect of the lifestyle, everyone was mean and abrasive until you earned their trust; it was why the criminal world and Tatooine in general appealed to her so much. Trust was a chore to earn, but when you finally did it was worth it.

Mjou rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she considered the booth Jade had picked out and her question about what to order. “Actually, you two go ahead and sit down. I’ll order the drinks” The thief wanted to let the two get better acquainted without her interference, she knew if she tried hard enough she could get Dip to settle down a bit; but Jade was being the aggressive one and needed to prove herself a bit more because of the role she had fallen into.

That, and Jade was generally more experienced; maybe not with the outside world like Mjou was, but with the Force and the young thief felt they might need a little more of the former in this strange turn of events.

 

[Lotho Minorian]

Dip glared at the blue skinned girl. Taking her threat to heart he stepped forward and clenched his metal hand until it creaked. "That's not how this goes. You comply or I walk.". He hoped he had made his point clear and stood back listening to the mistress suggestion he nodded his head, and pulled out his rifle from the cylinder on his back. He clenched the barrel tightly by the cloth wrapped around and thumped its stock against the ground as he walked to the booth using it as a walking cane. The blue skinned appeared blind but she could still see his actions. That did not settle well with him.
Taking a seat at the booth he awaited the blue skinned girl to follow, setting down his rifle onto the table. "Blasters where I can see them. I have done this before.". He sat still and glared as he awaited her forfeit of weapons to his sight.

 

[Undine]

Jade followed the man slightly discouraged by his choice of words, comply, she didn't like to be forced to do something, especially by someone who was seeking her help. She walked straighter when he pulled out his rifle, if it came to it, they were in the perfect environment for close quarters hand-to-hand combat, disarming this Dip fellow would be more than easy for her, but she still hope for violence not to take a part in their conversation.

When the strange man put his rifle on the table and told her to do the same, Jade smiled, "Just blasters then?" she asked pulling her GL-77 blaster pistol from her right thigh and laying it on the table. She didn't want to reveal herself as a member of the New Jedi Order so she left her lightsaber inside her robes, instead pulling her hidden blade out of her right sleeve and laid in on the table next to her pistol for good measure.

She was sitting across from Dip with her gaze turned back to Mjou, even though she was focusing on Dip's movements with her true sight. It didn't matter where her physical eyes looked, she was blind after all, instead seeing things through the force. "So Dip, I'll make you a quick deal, don't threaten me or my Mistress again and I'll back off, other than that it's nice to meet you. May I ask what species you hail from, I've never encountered someone like you before." She spoke calmly and with a smile, now that the thugs in the cantina were mostly out of earshot there was no need for her to pretend to be hostile.​

 

[Nostromos]

Mjou took her time, ordering two more of the sludge Dip had been drinking and one more heated weeq ale for herself; she ordered a mild local wine for Jade, trying to order fine wines in this part of the galaxy was like trying to lick your own elbow.

After she paid the bartender, Mjou looked around the cantina one last time before locating the two and gesturing to the man behind the bar that the drinks should be delivered over at said isolated table.

The youth continued to lean on the bar for the time being, watching Jade and Dip interact with subtle amusement; she really did want them to be less confrontational before they started talking business. Though Mjou wasn’t sure if that’d ever happen,at the very least her absence would show Dip that she had faith and trust in her companion.

 

[Lotho Minorian]

Seeing the blue skinned girls weapons on the table he examined them. It looked somewhat underwhelming to him but that did not matter in the long run. Dip watched her as she seemingly looked around with her empty eyes. She was definately strange.

Her tone became much more friendly as she wished to arrange some sort of truce with him. With a reluctant nod he replied with a simple "Yes.". Afterwords she asked him of his origins. Interestingly enough he had not told anyone for so long he was baffled. "Oh. I uh, I have been mentioned by one of men who brought me here. They called me junker. Makes sense. My planet full of it.". He did not go any further. He did not want to open up to this stranger too much. He felt he had to maintain his control of the situation. "That's not important however." He tapped his metal fingers on the table impatiently as he awaited the drinks and to discuss the matter at hand with the 'mistress'. Examining the blue skinned girl again he wondered how these kids would even manage to perform. Now that he thought of it he was basing all of this on an assumption because they intimidated one person.

"How can you see what happens around you?".The thought slipped out of his mouth. He did not know much about the blind. Those he knew who were however could barely move without feeling everything around them yet this one is so aware.

 

[Undine]

Jade was glad to hear that this strange man named Dip would be willing to call a truce, she was just happy he would stop making empty threats to her and Mjou. She noticed that he didn't really explain anything about himself or his species but she understood, she never wanted to talk about her family and she tried to avoid anything to do with her homeworld.

While she didn't turn around to see, Jade noted to herself that Mjou was just standing at the bar, which was strange seeing how their drinks would be brought to them. The thought faded when Dip inquired about her sight. It would have been an odd question to other people but to Jade it was a fairy common one. "Well I can see, just not with my eyes." She hesitated and wasn't sure how much to tell him, but he didn't come across as very knowledgeable about the galaxy so she figured why not just tell him the truth. "I was born blind, but I was also lucky enough to be born with the ability to sense things when other people can't or wouldn't. I don't need my eyes to see around me, which is a good thing because people can't sneak up on me that easily or hide things from me either, because I'll know."She smiled to the strange and short mechanical man.

He seemed to be fairly curious and was losing his hostility, but just in case Jade decided to go ahead and use her abilities in Force Empathy to exuded a calming and relaxing aura to help further Dip's willingness to be friendly. "So tell me then, may I at least know what kind of job you are trying to hire us for? Theft, murder, espionage, prison outbreak, a riot, cargo transporting, or something else?" She smiled an innocent grin at the junker, she had no idea what it was he wanted and was hoping that is wouldn't be illegal. Mjou and Jade were already planning on doing something illegal and the extra attention even more questionable activities would no doubt incur to them.​