Jonnie ⚜ Merritt (angryjonnie) wrote in thegalaxy, @ 2016-03-02 10:59:00 |
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Entry tags: | !locale: naboo, dee, liriael d'lander |
transformation's in the air
Who: Dee and Liriael
What: Job interviews, now with added booze!
When: The evening after this.
Where: The cantina outside the Naboo refugee village.
Rating: PG? I guess?
Dee was becoming a regular at the cantina. The Twi’lek bartender was handsome in his way, she supposed, but she did not especially care for the way he smiled at her, pointed teeth all lined up in a neat, sharp row, eyes glinting with intent she knew well. But her familiarity with the cantina was a problem for a larger, more troubling reason: It meant she was getting comfortable here. Naboo itself remained a great unknown, but Dee had settled into life in the refugee village with a sort of comfort she had not anticipated. She was growing complacent, and that simply would not do.
The woman who called herself Buffy had said she was leaving the planet. Others had already gone. If they could embrace the universe in which they now found themselves, Dee could, too. She thought of contacting Issan first. Of seeking her guidance in making this decision. It seemed childish, to need someone else’s input -- if not their approval -- but Issan was knowledgeable about the way of things here, where Dee herself was not. By the time her first ale had arrived, Dee had made up her mind. She would listen to what Liriael had to say, what offers she could make, and then she would decide. There were options, after all. Time on a ship and experience as a crew member may be beneficial in her pursuits to learn more of the Force; perhaps Issan and her employer would consider her a more valuable asset if she was not so utterly green. By the time her second ale arrived, she had convinced herself of this.
With a glass and a half of liquid courage coursing through her, Dee activated her holo device and contacted Liriael. “I’m here,” she said, smiling into the device. “In a booth in the front left corner, facing the door.”
It was beginning to be a long day for Liriael, and a headache was pounding behind her eyes. She needed to relax, and meditate, but her time had gotten to be in short supply. That was partially her own fault; upon the revelations of what was happening on Naboo, and the implications, she had ramped up all her efforts a hundredfold. The week prior, she had been dealing with the destruction of the Hosnian system, and now she was all too aware that potential war was escalating. There wasn’t much time to relax.
When Dee messaged her, she felt a little lessening of the stress. Having another crewmember locked down would be good, because she would have that ship up and running within a week or two. Even if it ended up being a skeleton crew, that would suffice for now. “I’ll be there shortly,” she replied back, hoping her tone came across genial and not tired.
When she arrived, she still wore the blue and black jumpsuit, although she’d thrown a worn jacket over top of that since she’d be on the spaceport later, and it was cold up there. She spotted Dee’s corner booth right away, one of the blessings of having better night vision, and walked over. “Hey, Dee, right? I’m Liriael.” Like with Caine, Liri did not offer her hand, but slid into the seat opposite, with a welcoming smile. “Glad you could make time for me.”
The ale made it simple to respond, and simpler still to feel only enthusiasm, where ordinarily it would have been eclipsed by worry. “It’s my pleasure,” Dee said. “Your comments on the holonet were very encouraging. I haven’t had much in the way of a plan since I got here, and it would be nice for that to change. So far all I’ve really done is study and try to get some steady footing here. Figuratively speaking. Can you tell me a little more about what your crew will be doing?”
“I think you are in the same position as many newcomers,” Liri answered with some sympathy. “It’s rather disorienting, I imagine. As for my crew, most of what we will be doing is delivering goods. If you were hoping to stick around Naboo, I do plan on making it our main port, but we will be traveling elsewhere.” Waving down someone from the bar, she ordered a drink as well. “I admit, I want to keep an eye on what’s going on here, with this rift. So my plan is to stick close when I can, and make enough money to keep us going in the meantime. Do you have any allegiances right now? Anyone we have to worry about?”
Dee shook her head. Her hands tightened around her ale. “I’ve spoken with someone briefly, but I don’t make promises lightly. I like to see what my options are before committing to anything.” Her lips parted on the beginnings of a stammer. “I, not that I mean I wouldn’t take this job seriously. I don’t mean that at all. Just, I don’t want to be completely bound to something. Not yet.” She winced, knowing -- and terrified of -- how she must sound. “I’m sorry. This is very disorienting. I’m not set on staying on or near Naboo, at all. I’d just like to know I can change my mind later if this arrangement doesn’t work out.”
“Of course,” Liri said, instantly. “Frankly, most of my crew, even the more experienced ones, state the same thing. Dee, I understand the sentiment from all new arrivals; you don’t know the area, you may or may not have friends come through the rift later, or from what I understand, you could end up returning. I don’t want to get your hopes up on that, but apparently it has been heard of.” She softened her voice a little. “Also, I’m betting you don’t know much about this place, how the politics work, and who are the dangerous people and who are the safe ones. It’s a lot to take in. If you do choose to join my crew, you can leave at any time.” Remembering what Caine had said, she added, “No hard feelings.”
“No hard feelings,” Dee repeated, only half listening to herself. The mention of even the possibility of returning home struck her with unexpected ferocity. She felt that simple statement, even with its caveats, cause a knot of tension to form in her belly. She could not think of it overmuch; to dwell on it at all would be to court disaster. She bit her tongue, and focused on the problems and potential in front of her.
“All right,” she said. “I like the sound of that. What other crew do you have so far?”
Feeling the change in Dee’s emotions as clearly as if she was speaking them aloud, Liriael felt sympathy wash over her. “So far, it’s just myself, my friend Cass, and another newcomer, named Caine. It’s not a large ship and we don’t need a big crew. I expect our missions to change over time, but….it’s as much to afford us some mobility and freedom without having to depend on others.” Truthfully, it had not started out that way, but Liriael felt her purpose changing as she spoke with her potential recruits. And then, as Issan had said, she needed to widen her gaze. It was more ominous than she had hoped.
“Can you tell me a little more about yourself, Dee?” Liri’s drink was delivered, and she closed her fingers around the mug as she waited. “What are your strengths, or what did you do in your former world?”
Dee was silent until the waiter had gone again. The cantina seemed suddenly, conspicuously quiet; she felt as though her own thoughts were loud enough to echo in the room. She chewed her lip, hiding the anxious gesture behind her upraised mug.
“I was a priestess and a healer,” she said, after a long draught of ale. She shook her cup, and found it distressingly close to empty. She had to slow down, but the idea of doing so was markedly unappealing. “I still am those things,” she corrected. “I worked with a group of women I suppose you’d call mercenaries. We found things, stole things, killed things. Whatever needed doing, that would pay fair coin. I know how to fight. At home I used a sword and shield. I don’t know if that’s even an option here. If it’s not, I’m a fast learner.”
For a moment, Liri wondered if Dee would lie, or gloss over what her previous life had been about. It was with some relief that the opposite happened. “Pretty much any weapon is an option here,” Liri answered, with a quick smile. “And frankly, having someone on board who knows how to heal is definitely a bonus. I can’t imagine I’ll be asking you to kill many things, but I might. We have a code, of sorts.” She sipped her drink. Dee arched one dark eyebrow. “A priestess? Can you tell me about your religion then?”
This gave Dee pause. Quite a bit of it, in fact. She downed the rest of her ale in a single go. A waiter passed by; Dee rose from her bench, switching her empty glass for one nearly overflowing. She shrugged at the confused Twi’lek. “Add it to my tab,” she said. She sat down, already swigging at the mug in her hand.
“Um. Well, I should be precise, I guess. I’m the high priestess of N’Rygoth, a… giant squid-like interdimensional horror. That’s where my healing comes from, I think. And since he’s interdimensional…” She shrugged again. “It works here, too.” She chewed her tongue, thinking it best to end her explanation of her faith there.
“Whoa, slow down there,” Liriael advised, partly amused, as Dee started to down the next mug. “No one is judging you here.” She held up her hands briefly, palms out. “Interdimensional….that works. Healing is healing. Are there any restrictions, or religious laws you have to abide by?” To soothe Dee further, Liri added, “Don’t forget there are a lot of systems in this galaxy, and a that many times more planets, and species. No one is going to get hung up on some squid-like species that imbues healing. Least of all me.”
Dee nodded, though the gesture was somewhat obscured by her continued drinking. Her head swam with the effects of alcohol and the heavy weight of what she now confessed. Still, she managed to curb the overwhelming need to spill all N’Rygoth’s secrets. One woman already knew Dee’s true crusade, and she saw no need to put a second in any danger.
“Well that’s good,” she said, after a moment to collect her dizzy head. “No laws, really. I didn’t even believe he was real until recently.” She laughed, unsteadily. “I prefer to continue wearing the markings of my station.” She gestured to the white dots above and below her eyes. “Otherwise, I’m pretty easygoing.”
“I’d say so,” Liri answered, raising one eyebrow. “You have a place to sleep that off, Dee? And again, a few markings aren’t going to dissuade anyone, so I wouldn’t worry about it overmuch. I’m more concerned with you getting along here in the traveler’s station at the moment.”
“I’ll be fine,” Dee said. “I’ve got that little place the Naboo gave me for the time being. It’s small but it’ll do the trick.” She drank a bit more, then flicked her tongue across her lips to catch a fallen, foamy drop of ale. “The Queens taught me plenty about overcoming hangovers. Between that and the healing spells, I’ll be right as rain in the morning.” After another shaky laugh, she added, “I guess now’s a bad time to ask if I got the job, hm? I promise I’m usually more… prudent.”
“I usually approach people that I have already checked out, so this is really a formality,” Liriael admitted, but she looked slightly concerned. “I believe you on being prudent, but is there a reason you are so nervous? I certainly didn’t intend to make this a stressful meeting.” She turned her own drink in her hand absently. “Do you want the job?”
“Hells yes I do.” Dee put down her ale, increasingly concerned she had had more than enough. “I suppose I’m nervous because I’m not sure what it means to leave this… planet. It feels like a big step. If I do this, am I giving up on going home? Do I want to go home?” She shrugged. “I think this is the right choice. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have some complex feelings about it.”
“That much I can understand. If it makes you feel any better, I doubt we will leave Naboo for any long length of time. I plan on making this planet our base, so to speak, and operate out of here. I’ve got good contacts here, the government is on the honest side, and they are peaceful. It’s a secure place. So if there is a chance you can go home, you’ll be here to pursue that. I can always find more crew; I’d rather see someone get safely back if that’s is their wish. Deal?”
A smile broke on Dee’s face. It made her eyes shine, and lightened the burden her slightly bowed shoulders seemed to carry. “Deal,” she said. “I’ll be ready to go on your first trip out. I’m on the holonet a fair bit, as you saw, so you can reach me pretty quickly when you need. I really appreciate this opportunity, Liriael.”
“Hey, I’m hiring you, so it’s not all charity,” Liriael teased, her grin widening. “We’ll be doing some serious flying, and hauling cargo, but my main partner, Cassie, and myself, we tend to be pretty easy-going. Our ship is called Vagabond, and it’s currently parked on the starport’s riverside if you want to check it out. Otherwise, I’ll be calling you up shortly. Oh, it has space for five crewmembers, so if you need to make it your home, you’ll have your own cabin. Tiny, but it’s yours, if you want it. I don’t know if you are still on the Naboo living quarters right now.”
“I am,” Dee said, “and to be honest I’d like a change of scenery. It’s not a bad place, but it’s not mine.”
The priestess rose from her seat, smoothing out the deep purple fabric of her dress. “I’ll meet you at the Vagabond tomorrow morning, then. I need to get a few things together and say goodbye to the place, but then I’m all yours.” She dropped a few credits on the table to settle out her tab. The Twi’lek could manage without a proper farewell.
“Thank you again,” she said. “Until tomorrow.”