Kris Rietsveld | The Damsel (thecorrupt) wrote in thegalaxy, @ 2016-04-15 12:23:00 |
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Entry tags: | !locale: naboo, kaz brekker, liriael d'lander |
i am going any which way the wind may be blowing
Who Kaz and Liriael
When: A week or so after Cassie’s death
Where: Naboo
What: Drinks and venting
Rating: G
In days past, Liriael hadn’t been one for bars. Never an excessive drinker, she rarely sought out even the camaraderie that went along with it. However, it seemed that the past few months were determined to turn her into an alcoholic in short order. She couldn’t sleep; every time she closed her eyes, images of the horror of Cassie’s death plagued her. Wandering around the hanger didn’t bring her any peace, nor had attempts at either meditation or working out in the spar ring. She had even driven out on her replaced speeder, far into the woods of Naboo, to find a place devoid of people so she could be free of their thoughts and emotions for a little while, but solitude was only worse. Soon, she could throw herself into work, for the Resistance or the Jedi or whichever came first, but being idle was killing her, slowly. Kaz was not a close friend, not by any stretch, but he was someone she trusted. He was also someone outside all of this, who held no judgement on it. She sent him a message, then found a place in the back room of one of the only bars frequented by smugglers in that region. Even this was foolish; with the First Order trying to track down her crew, she shouldn’t have even been in public. But at least here, she was in a private area and the bar owner considered keeping her presence a secret as repayment of a debt he loathed. He’d keep the knowledge of her to himself, this time. When Kaz arrived, she was already six drinks in and it had made no difference at all. Her expression was stoic as always, with no hint if any of the alcohol had an effect. The smuggler entered the room with no fanfare; dressed as he ever was in his business attire, cane clicking on the cemented ground, his gaze fell on Liri with no judgement. He didn't say a word, instead focusing his concentration on taking a seat, leaning the crow's head against the tabletop. Kaz could count, quite well and quite high, but he didn't linger on the glasses littering the table. Instead, he took the bottle out of Liri's grasp and ordered a cleaner glass, as much as one could be found in that type of establishment. Not until he had liquid in front of him did he even open his mouth. "You're going to make it difficult to catch up, aren't you?" Liri shrugged. “You’ve never had a problem keeping up before, Kaz,” she replied. Normally, her retort would be a mixture of snarky and amused; tonight she just sounded tired. She did not protest his taking of the bottle, merely waited for the waitstaff to deliver another one when she gestured with her hand. “I’m sure that you will be there in no time.” Her eyes were slightly red, as if she had been either there too long or had been crying, but there was no other outward sign of it. “Business good?” Kaz offered his own shrug in return; he was neither visibly bothered by Liri's dismal attitude nor by the fact that she was continuing to drown her sorrows. He took a sip from his glass. "Business is business. May I ask what the occasion is?" Liri brought the newly refilled glass to her lips, taking a deep drink. “I’m hosting a wake,” she answered, grimly. “And getting a head start on my own.” Knowing that her cryptic words wouldn’t serve her well with Kaz, who had little patience for theatrics, Liriael added, quieter, “One of my crew was murdered.” Even though the initial shock had subsided, just saying it caused a catch in her throat, and her eyes to water. To push that off, she lifted the glass and added, “Bottoms up, eh?” With that, she downed the contents in one swallow. The slightest hint of surprise expressed itself on Kaz's face in the form of raised brows; after a beat, he nodded, lifted his own glass and downed it as well. "No mourners," he said quietly, more so to himself than to Liri or anyone else present. "No funerals." He refilled his glass, letting the silence pool for a minute. "First time?" Liri’s gaze rested on the glass as she spun it with her fingers. “For my crew…..yea. I’ve lost people that I worked with, that’s nothing new. But….it was Cassie.” One of her only friends. Even Kaz had never been much more than a trusted partner now and then, for all that she’d known him longer. Cassie had been….important to her, for a long time. “And it was my fault.” He gave a slow head bob, refilling his glass. "Unless you held a blaster to her head, I'm sure she was completely capable of making decisions on her own," he replied, leaving the half-filled glass clutched in one gloved claw. "Or is there something more to this that you're not telling me?" “There’s always something I’m not telling you.” Liri couldn’t help it; Kaz always brought out the smart-ass side of her. But this time, she was telling the truth even through the half-hearted joke. “The First Order targeted me, took me down pretty hard. The warning was that they were coming after my crew, but I didn’t think to leave. Like a fool, we stayed put, to get our work done. If I had just left the gods-damned planet…” She swallowed another sip to wash away the lump in her throat. “I never know when to just get out.” "That's always the hard part," he agreed. "What exactly were you doing to attract the attention of the Order? For as long as I've known you, you typically don't get involved in those bigger scores." Liri remained quiet for a moment, chewing her lower lip. “They are singling out Force sensitives,” she said, very low even though they were already pretty sequestered away from the others in the bar. Kaz knew what she was, but they had never spoken about it much. “Another of my crew, Dee, she was targeted and so she took off. Cassie and Caine, they don’t have any ability with it, so I thought they’d be safe. But this….it was a Knight of Ren. He’s still looking for Dee, and he’s going through us to get her.” He absorbed the information, eyes on his drink, gloved hand swirling his glass with imperceptible movement. "It was only a matter of time after the Hosnian system and everything following that the Order would make a move to shore up their resources." His gaze flicked up to Liri. "Did they at least make you an offer, or did they believe the decision already made?" She agreed with him; she and Cassie had made their pact to join the Resistance barely a day before she had been killed. “Neither,” she answered, bitterly. “He beat the shit out of me and left me unconscious in a bar, before he went and tracked down Cassie a day later. All I got was a warning. And some scars.” Kaz shook his head, gaze still fixed on Liri's face. "I suppose some will never learn that manners go a long way." He waited a beat before flagging down the waiter. "We're going to need something stronger than this; start a tab under the name Brekker." The server nodded and disappeared; Kaz leaned back in his chair, whatever tension that had been in his form a moment ago loosening. "I know you've already started giving this...Cassie a proper send off, but it wouldn't hurt to do things right." A moment later, the waiter brought back a bottle made of thick glass, a waxy covering doing more to decorate the vessel than to actually stopper it. Cork popped, he presented two more glasses (and took a moment to clear away the rest) and poured each customer a finger's worth. Kaz picked up his glass, nodding a dismissal to the waiter. Once the third party was gone, he slid the other glass toward Liri. "Any parting words?" Liri picked up the glass with trembling fingers, after glancing over the bottle that had been brought to the table. “I’m not sure this is the proper send off, but it’s the one she would have appreciated the most,” she answered, her voice thick. “She deserved better. She deserved a hell of a lot better than what she got here.” Lifting her eyes to his finally, she held up the glass. “To dreams unfulfilled. Maybe next time we will get it right.” Tipping the drink into her mouth, Liri swallowed as she set the glass back down, unsteadily. “This isn’t how I wanted to reconnect with you, either,” she added, after a moment. “I’m not really in the best state, to be honest.” A smile finally curved Kaz's mouth; he downed his own drink, gritting his teeth as his glass was placed back on the table. The smile disappeared. "Events are often out of our control; that's why I always have a backup plan." He leaned back in his chair, one gloved hand remaining perched on the table. "It helps no one to linger overly long on these things. I don't mean to sound heartless, but it sounds as though the Order isn't finished with you." A half-smile curved her lips, sadly, as Kaz toasted with her, and she nodded. “It might be heartless, but it’s true. A Knight of Ren doesn’t just leave you alive if they don’t need anything further. I think Glasya expects that I will contact Dee and lead him right to her. He certainly doesn’t know me well. I hope she’s on the other side of the galaxy right now.” The tip of one finger tapped the table top. "Sounds like the best course of action is to lay low. I have some work along the Perlemian Trade Route, if you need something to get your mind off of all of this. Felucia is an especially nice getaway." It wasn't incredibly surprising to hear one of his contacts' names in connection with Liri's predicament, but Kaz was one to rarely show his emotions. He filed away the mental note about Glasya for later examination. “It always is.” Liri cradled the empty glass, rolling it between her palms. “I shouldn’t turn down work, but I don’t have enough crew left. I have to replace….” She hesitated, then continued, “I’ll need at least two, maybe three more crewmembers to fly the Vagabond. Until then, I need to find a place and hole up for a while.” She thought about her last conversation with Cassie, but she wasn’t sure that she should confide in Kaz the possibility of joining up with the Resistance. “Tell me what’s going on with you. Distract me.” One thick brow rose; the tapping stopped. "Nothing of interest. I came back here to filter through the new arrivals, but there doesn't appear to be anyone of note. I have to be in the Koornacht Cluster for a pick up in a week or two, so I'll be heading out from here in another day. It's been a nice break, but all good things come to an end." Leaning forward, he took the bottle back and poured himself another finger of the liquor. "Probably going to stop in Coruscant for some ship parts on the way back from that. No other finalized plans other than that, but one never knows what might pop up. "I'm sure all of this with the First Order will offer some sort of profitable venture at some point. Anything interesting coming from the Resistance's side? They've been quiet since...well, you know." “Since everyone in the Hosian system was wiped out?” Liriael supplied, unhelpfully. “I don’t know. I’ve heard murmurs that they are recruiting, but no one has approached me yet.” She reached for the bottle when he was done, poured more for herself. “I know the First Order is searching out people, hence my crewmate’s death.” There was a fair bit of vitriol there. “You’ll do better with them.” It did not sound like she approved. Kaz watched her motions, content to listen for the moment. He swirled his glass. "If they don't do something soon, I doubt there will be much of a galaxy left for them to exist in. The First Order is only useful to me and my ilk if there's something to be gained in the transaction." He took a sip, gritting his teeth lightly. "I for one don't much care to cater to one client. It's bad for business; and monopolies are a poor idea for everyone." He glanced down at his drink, thoughtful. He had connections in both factions, but there was no reason to not encourage another. "If you're looking for a cause to get lost in, why not offer your services to them? If the Order found you so intriguing, I can't imagine the Resistance would turn you away." Resting her elbows on the table that separated them, Liri only shook her head. “I’m not looking for a cause. I had dreams of my own that had nothing to do with the First Order or the Resistance.” It struck her that she’d said had, as if those dreams were immaterial now. Well, with the First Order so intent on taking her out, they likely were. “The thing is….Cassie and I had talked about this, right before she died. I can’t figure out now if I would live a little longer if I was with the Resistance, or if that would just paint an even bigger target on me.” It was a testament to her fortitude that she was well over a half dozen drinks in and her words weren’t even slurring at that point. “There’s also the matter of finding them to join up with. Everyone seems to know about the Resistance, but there are no recruiters banging down my door.” She paused, then looked over Kaz. “I suppose you want me to give you the head’s up if they do? I can’t recall which of us owes the other a favor, at this point.” She was pretty sure he remembered, though. "I might be able to," he agreed, knowing the ball was in her court. But he was willing to let debts stack a few times, so long as he didn't venture too far into the red. "But I'm in the same boat as you. My intel on the Resistance side is a little slim as of late. Lots of chatter, little action. I suppose they're still licking their wounds from the incident following the Hosnian massacre. "I'm sure it's not as simple as merely posting a wanted ad on the holonet, is it? Sometimes I miss the simplicity of the Barrel. Fewer weapons that would turn you into dust, machinations that only extended down the street instead of across planets." He let out a small sigh, and drained the rest of his glass. “Everything used to be simpler,” she agreed, swirling her drink before downing it. Alright, that one hit harder, and she winced a little. “What is this we are drinking?” she asked absently, not really expecting an answer. “Someone will need to carry me out of here, and I don’t think you do charity work.” Pouring herself more anyway, she continued, “Still….you aren’t wrong. I’m too much on the side of the light to do anything but join, aren’t I? I suppose it’s predictable.” She looked down into the glass. “I wish it felt more like I was accomplishing something than running away.” "Better to live to fight another day. I'm sure that's what your friend would want, as well. Can't imagine she'd enjoy the thought of you killing yourself in the process of avenging her." Kaz remembered all the stupid things he'd done when he'd first arrived in the galaxy, fraught with worry over finding Inej. Once he'd come to the realization that she wasn't there, he tried to make some kind of a home if she ever did arrive. She never had. "And I'm not sure. Jogan fruit brandy, perhaps? Hard to believe we'd be able to find something like that here." Liri looked down at the liquid, agreeing with him, but she said, “I don’t know what she would want. She was hoping for a fresh start here, though.” Her brows furrowed together, harshly. “She didn’t want anything to do with violence, here. I suppose then that this galaxy was the wrong place for her. Everything is violence here.” She crossed her arms, on the table, leaving the drink alone for now. “Avenging isn’t supposed to be the…...my way, and I’m not sure I could accomplish it anyway. I’m not nearly as good as a Knight of Ren.” He put his glass back on the table. "They do aim for the cream of the crop," he agreed. His dealings with Glasya had always left him feeling a little chilled once the encounters were over, but Kaz was well used to trading with lower lifeforms. He was one himself, even if he didn't have such terrible intentions. "Staying alive is a revenge in itself. Living on for those who didn't get a chance to make it." His voice almost caught a little, broke just a fraction, as he thought of Jordie. Of how consumed he'd been by revenge, of trying to take down Pekka Rollins. He'd gotten his way in the end, and yet not. Jordie's voice had gone away once Kaz had let go of him, but the hole inside him still remained. "Trust me when I say there are better things to waste your time on." If it had been anyone else, Liri might have reached across the table and put her hand over theirs, but she knew Kaz well enough to know he hated being touched. So there was only sympathy in her gaze, and her tone, as she said, “She wasn’t one for revenge...I think because it does take you over, so that your life is about nothing else but that.” She couldn’t deny that anger still simmered, somewhere deep, but she would have to let that go. “Maybe I should just throw myself into work for a while,” she admitted, quietly, as she looked down at her hands. Live well. Make some credits, get away from everything. She wouldn’t be able to do it forever, but….perhaps long enough. Kaz nodded in agreement to Liri's suggestion. "Maybe in the process, you'll find some new crewmembers. Who knows." He glanced at the bottle, then back to Liri. "Should I close out our tab, or do you want to wallow a little longer?" “You have a problem with wallowing?” Liri answered, although it was coupled with a small smile. Sighing, she looked down at her glass. “It’s not helping….but then, it never does.” She pushed away the drink, unfinished. “Koth Bralor was looking for someone to do some salvage on the Outer Rim. I think I’ll do that, get away from here for a little while.” Kaz tapped his lips with one gloved finger. "The name rings a bell; he's a neutral party, so I doubt he'd have much interest in selling you off to the highest bidder. Not that you're not capable of taking care of yourself." He folded his hands across his stomach, trading his slouch for a straight backed position. "And the Outer Rims should have enough going on to distract you for however long. When you get back, I'd be happy to help set you up with a job -- if you need one, that is." “A girl has to eat.” Liri rubbed at her head, anticipating the ache there shortly. “Bralor is not exactly legitimate, but right now, I don’t care. And he doesn’t dabble in slavery, as far as I know. That would lose him future contracts, if his associates were known to disappear.” Her eyes swept over Kaz. “It’s been awhile, and I missed seeing you, Kaz. I wish we could have met up again under better circumstances.” He nodded, though his face remained impassive. "There'll be other times, I'm sure. Nothing to get too upset about." Waving a hand at the waiter, he handed him a card to put their purchases on, closing out the tab for that evening. "And more liquor to be drunk, though I'll be damned if I pay another tab for you, D'lander. If you made this a regular thing, you'd put me in the poor house." “A girl’s gotta drink,” Liri joked, but her smile faded right away. “Thanks, Kaz. You didn’t need to pick up my tab, too. I appreciate it.” She rose up, a bit unsteadily. “The mouth is always the last thing to go,” she muttered, with sad amusement. “It’s a wonder that you still like to work with me, after nights like this.” The waiter returned with Kaz's card, which he tucked into a pocket. Kaz shook his head at Liriael's self-deprecating remark. "I've dealt with worse, believe me," was his reply. One hand reached for his cane, and he too slowly rose from his chair. "Using my credits to comfort a friend is certainly the least of my problems. Shall we?" He motioned to the door. Struck by his calling her a friend, Liri blinked a moment, then smiled, wryly. “Yes.” Managing well enough, she walked with him to the door, before they were out in the dark street once more. There, she paused, before they went their separate ways. “You’re a good friend, Kaz,” she said, quietly. “Stay safe out there.” With that, she turned and headed back to the quiet of her ship. He waited and watched her disappear into the darkness, both hands lighting on the crow head of his cane. He would have to reach out and see what he could dig up about all this ruckus regarding a small spacecraft's crew and the First Order's interest in them. |