Noventa - A Star Wars Story

[img]http://i67.tinypic.com/2bru6d.jpg[/img]

It was hard to tell through the electronic distortion, but it almost sounded as though the soft laughter took on a mocking edge. The image bent forward, smiling. "Oh, poor thing." She cooed. The light flickered, and she disappeared, appearing in the same instant behind Fey. "I hope you didn't [i]hurt[/i] yourself..."

The image laughed again, bending forward to blow the fallen twi'lek a kiss. "Be seeing you..." And just as suddenly as she appeared, she vanished, although her laughter lingered on.

No one else in the bar seemed to have noticed.

[i]He seems nice[/i], she thought as she stretched on her stool. Right now, she was relaxed and carefree, so the appearance of the red silhouette caught her completely off-guard - which resulted in a brief shriek and the stool becoming unbalanced as she jolted away, causing her to fall over on her side.

"[i]Qu'est-ce qu'il fait, là[/i]?!"

Still smirking, Cal gave the gorgeous twi'lek one last wave as he walked to the door. He was pretty sure he cut a rather fine figure as he walked away, boots pounding authoritatively on the ground, duster trailing dramatically behind him. It still fit him pretty well, even if he didn't need to tighten it as much as he used to.

The door swung open, and he was off.

...

The light above his stool began to flicker.

[img]http://i64.tinypic.com/2ujrvcy.jpg[/img]

The translucent red figure appeared between one moment and the next, so fast you'd miss it if you blinked. She, if a creature of light and shadow could be called she, stood just to the side of the stool Cal had occupied. Her pose was alluring, one hand on curving hip, but something about the shadows made her limbs look uncannily long, ruining the effect. Ghostly feminine laughter seemed to echo all around.

"Well hello." The figure said, lips moving not quite in time with the words. "It's a [i]pleasure[/i] to see a new [i]face[/i]..." The last word seemed to trail on and on, although whether that was program error or unusual emphasis was hard to tell.

She giggled as she watched him don his hat. It looked old and worn, having maybe seen quite the number of adventures on its own. "[i]Au revoire[/i], monsieur. Good hunting!"

Cal waited, smiling, his eyes narrowed. "I see." He said. "Well then, by all means, let us avoid disappointment."

He nodded. "You're right." Cal rose easily to his feet. His lips parted as though to speak, but instead he leaned way out, over the bar. His arm dipped down, briefly searching, and then came back up. When it did, it was holding a hat. Dark brown leather, well-worn, but clearly also well-made.

With a smirk and a flourish, Cal twirled the hat up onto his head. "There we go." He said, smoothing the brim with one hand. And then he tipped it to her, nodding. "Miss Fey. Won't be too long, I hope." He said.

Fey chuckled and let the silence reign for a moment as she finished off her beer. "Ah, well, I can't disappoint you then, [i]monsieur[/i]. It would be sad, [i]non[/i]?" And that would be her answer to that question.

"But I am keeping [i]tu[/i] from business?" she gestured to his decked out attire.

"Yeah?" Cal smiled. "Well, all it takes to become a regular is to come in enough times that the bartender recognizes you. I've got a feeling that's not gonna take very long." He said.

"Hmmm..." Leaning on the bar, Cal rubbed his stubbly chin with one hand. His eyes narrowed as he looked at her. "You know, actually, I keep changin' my mind on that. First I'd have said the former, than the latter..." After a moment, he nodded. "But now I'm gonna guess that you're closer to the former." He let his eyebrows go up in unspoken question.

"Becoming a regular would be [i]très bon[/i]..." she sighed wistfully before regarding him with a smirk in return. "But, [i]je[/i] wonder which type you would guess I am."

"Yeah, well..." Cal scratched at his stubble. "Depending on how I was feeling, maybe I'd have Kor do it, anyway. Put all those muscles he's got to good use." Not that he [i]didn't[/i] have any muscle... Cal did his best to covertly glance down.

Cal smirked. "Is that what I'm saying? Maybe I was just hopin' you'd become a regular." He let the smirk linger a moment longer before giving her a nod. "I don't know. Seems to me another friend's never a bad thing to have. For some people, adding friends is as easy as that. For others, it takes longer." He narrowed his eyes, studying her thoughtfully. "I could take a guess as to which sort you are."

She chuckled warmly. "Lifting is not [i]mon[/i] job anyway." That was Darling's.

"Friend, huh..." Fey took a deep drink from her beer. "I'm... flattered, that [i]tu[/i] would say so so quickly."

"Well then, I'd help you carry them out to the street." Cal said, straight-faced, nodding. "Call me old-fashioned, but where I come from, a lady shouldn't have to carry bodies by herself."

He smiled. "See? You get the best service here at Twelve Parsecs. We always go the extra mile for regulars and friends."

"Hah, such a [i]chevalier[/i] attitude," she flashed a pearly-white grin. "What if I shoot them first, hm?"

Cal smirked. "Well, I'm retired. Sorta. I try not to worry about things as much as I used to."

He took a drink of his beer, sighing. "Like I said, I think they're good people. But if it looks like things are going that way again, well, least I know what the right thing to do is."

He grinned, flashing her a wink. "And if anyone tries to restart the Galactic Civil War with you in here, I'll shoot 'em myself. You've got my word on that, Miss."

Fey nodded slightly as she listened to him, filing those details away for later.

""Hmm... but if I may ask, [i]monsieur[/i], are [i]tu[/i] not worried that the new Republic will be just another Empire? The Empire, from what I understand, did not happen [i]soudain[/i]."

Cal gave her a respectful nod. "I'll keep that in mind." He said.

And another nod, his expression neutral. "I was. Although it started small. At first, I just looked the other way. Empire threw a lot of bounties at me. I wouldn't touch'em. Folk trying to make their way in life, and the Empire wasn't okay with that." His lips twisted in disgust. "Then people object, and the Empire tries to put them down and call it justice. I wasn't about to put my name on any of that."

He shook his head. "But that wasn't enough. Soon, I started helpin' out. Sneakin' folks out, or findin' places for them to hide. And then, just before Endor, that wasn't enough either. I joined up officially. Fought and everything."

Swiveling his stool, Cal faced her, his expression serious. "For things like that, sooner or later, everyone has to pick a side. Sittin' it out just means pickin' the wrong one, if you ask me."

"Much appriciated," she nodded, the tips of her lekku curling ever so little upwards. "If [i]vous[/i] ever need help with computers, only happy to help, [i]oui[/i]. [i]Je[/i] have a good knack for those things."

Drinking her beer, Fey considered his assessement of the new Republic. It sounded... hopeful, which she liked, but... if it was just like the old Republic, it meant it was people who hadn't done anything to stop the enslavement of many of her people in the galaxy.

"That they do." A nod of agreement. "So you were part of the rebellion?"

"It's good to have people like that." Carefully, Cal raised his mug, clinking it against hers. "Just so you know, you're all welcome here anytime. Sounds like you've got a family, and a place, but one more's never bad, right?"

Solemnly, he nodded. "I do. I spent some time with them, back when it was the Rebellion. And there's a lot of good folk. Noventa's a long ways out, but like you said, the Empire had a long reach. But the Rebellion still tried to help. Smuggle people to safety. Get supplies to those in need."

He took another drink. "So they mean well. And they try to get things done. I guess... we'll see if they can keep it up. They've got big, nasty, boots to fill."

"It would make for a nice sign," she chuckled warmly. The past being the past was something she, Kai, Jelna, and Lena needed to hear from time to time. Maybe they could find a new life around these parts. "She is good, [i]oui[/i]. It is a good crew... we look out for eachother, and trust eachother. [i]Je[/i] cannot speak for the others, but to [i]moi[/i], they are family."

Fey's expression was more relaxed, though distant.

"The Empire touched everyone one way or another in this galaxy it seems..." she sighed. "Do you think this [i]noveau[/i] Republic will be better?"

Cal chuckled wryly. "You are sweet, aren't you?" Beer in hand, he sat back to listen to her story, leaning casually against the bar.

As she spoke, though, the smile gradually faded, the look in his dark brown eyes growing softer. He sat up a bit straighter, his pose no longer quite so casual. When she finally finished, he didn't say anything at first. Just took a long, strong, sip of his beer. "Thought you said you didn't know anything about growing up too fast." He said, his voice gravelly, soft.

Another moment passed, and he smiled gently. "Well. The past is the past, right?" He gestured upwards. "I really outta get that put on a sign. Right there. It'd look good, don't you think? Save me the trouble of saying it all the time, too."

Smiling again, just as he had before, Cal shook his head. "Well, you're with a good crew now. I had a good feeling about Jelna. She seems like the sort who takes good care of her crew. I like that." He nodded.

"Ah, it can't be a dozen, [i]monsieur[/i], you don't look that old," she remarked with a coy smile. Of course, it was all part of keeping his guard low around her... Fey knew that older men liked to hear that kind of thing. "But, you do seem a man of experience."

Another sip of beer helped her rearrange her thoughts a little for a story time. There were things that was just not for sharing with outsiders, about the crew. Like about Sweetie, or where they all came from. But she could still share the part of her story that would be sure to draw sympathy.

"[i]J'étais[/i]... a slave, before the Empire's defeat." Her nails tapped gently against the mug. "All my life. As a child, work that children do well - in [i]petite[/i] spaces, handiwork with [i]petite[/i] hands. Growing older, I suppose you could say my problem is becoming a [i]très beau[/i] lady, as you pointed out. Those who are do not work with labour, you see." It was obvious what she meant, considering the popularity of female twi'leks as slaves. Fey sipped her beer as she let it sink in a bit.

"So, we have not had many years as [i]un[/i] crew, but it has been a good time. For me. As that was [i]mon[/i] escape from the Empire. From slavery. No one is perfect, but, they are good people."