Noventa - A Star Wars Story

Cal shrugged. "Maybe. We didn't always see eye to eye on a lot of things. But I'm satisfied with the sort of man I turned out to be. I think that'd be enough for them."

"Hey." He stepped a little closer, just short of bringing their bodies into contact, his eyes on hers. "Don't apologize. I mean it." He gave her a quirky smile. "I was just going to say... I think that we should revisit that part of the conversation. Sometime soon, maybe." The smile grew. "Seems to me that we've got some unfinished business."

She gave him a sympathetic look at that. "Yeah... that's about it. I'm sure they'd be proud of how many people you've helped now."

She chuckled awkwardly and looked to the side. "Uh, yeah... Sorry about that."

"Huh." After a moment, Cal nodded. "Yeah. It's hard to imagine what our lives would be like if they were that different. If I'd stayed a rancher instead of going off and doing the things I did." He sighed. "Of course, maybe I'd have just died with my parents." There was only the slightest tinge of sadness in his voice.

Cal glanced briefly around, then looked back to Runi. "Well... bar's all closed up. Don't know about you, but I think I'm gonna turn in." His expression softened. "Uh, about before..."

"It's like being a Mandalorian - I don't know what it's like for it not to be part of me," she agreed, nodding to him with a smile.

Cal snorted, grinning. "Lifting squirrels, huh? Well, tell you what. If we ever have a varmint problem here in the bar, it'll be your job to handle it. Couldn't think of a more humane way to deal with a problem like that."

He studied that grin of hers a moment longer before his thoughtful look returned. "So... you influence it, and it influences you? Is it kinda like..." His brow furrowed. "Like when I'm tailin' a fellow, and it seems as though he's going one way, but I get a feeling that he's trying to throw me off. I call it experience, or my gut, but I don't really know what it is." He gave her a wry smile. "I guess... it seems like a big part of who you are, huh?"

"You know, lifting rocks, lifting squirrels, lifting chairs..." She joked with a grin. "But yeah... The Force... well, it's one of those things where the people who are strong in it influence it and it influences us, so it's important to be... you know, functional. Dysfunctional people caused this mess."

Cal smirked. "Managing their emotions in a healthy way? Seems like there's enough call for that even if it doesn't help a person lift rocks." The smirk suddenly became a thoughtful frown. "Or... whatever it is that you do."

He made a vague sort of gesture with one hand. "What's it like, anyway?"

"I don't know fully, yet. But... you know, helping people learn to use the Force and manage their emotions in a healthy way," she said with a shrug. "Rather than denying everything just in case it leads to the Dark Side. I think that just makes things worse when it does happen."

"Oh yeah? Cal grinned, even as he leaned more casually against the bar. "The Force tradition of Runi Vizsla. That sounds like something I'd like to see. Why don't you tell me more about it?"

She chuckled. "I'll let you know. But I do kinda like it here. Maybe I'll just stick around and start a new Force tradition without all the baggage of the Jedi."

Cal's lips curled up for just a moment as he met her cyan eyes, but then his brow furrowed thoughtfully again. "Well, that'd certainly be something, huh? Training a new bunch of Jedi. Give them a fresh start." His lips quirked. "That's not something I know a whole lot about. I'd hear rumors, from time to time, but nothing I'd have wanted to pass on, for a few reasons."

The thoughtful frown remained. "Well..." He smirked, leaning casually against the bar once more. "If you do decide to go off and find your destiny or whatever, I do hope you'll give me at least at least two week's notice. It's gonna be hard finding another bartender half as good as you." He said, only half joking.

She looked fully at him again, her expression taking a thoughtful cast. "Yeah... Well, I've thought about helping train the next generation, anyway. I'm not sure the Jedi should continue the way they were, but if they're willing to learn from past mistakes... Maybe."

"Mmm." Cal chuckled as well, even as his eyes traced the lines of Runi's neck as her hair leaned back. "Her timing does seem almost supernatural..."

With a sigh, he stepped back, just a little; the moment was past, although he'd surely like to come back to it sometime. As he withdrew, he let the hand on her back brush across the curve of her hip teasingly. Or perhaps as a promise.

Despite that, his deep brown eyes were thoughtful as he looked at her. "As I keep reminding people, war's over now. Empire's done, more or less. The Jedi are gonna try to make another go of it, from what I hear. You ever think about...?" He left that there. Finding her mother? Becoming a Jedi? Both were possible questions, and he wondered if she had the answers to either.

"Ugh..." She sighed and leaned her head back. A chuckle bubbled up after a long moment. "If I didn't know better, I'd swear that kriffing thing is possessed."

Well, he had remembered that she liked to bite, just a little. He hadn't quite remembered just how exciting that was. Cal growled softly, even as he grinned. His hand slid through her hair, stroking down to her back.

"I figured that." He said, smirking. "I do know a bit about you, after all." He began to lean in again...

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

The light behind Runi flickered. Demona appeared between one blink of the eye and the next. "Do you [i]like[/i] that?" The haunting voice echoed around, followed by soft laughter. Another instant, and she was gone.

Cal groaned, his eyes closing. "If I ever see that damn technician again, he and I are going to either have a very long conversation, or a very short one." He shook his head,chuckling.

She laughed at his response and leaned forward, biting his lower lip lightly. Her own lips were soft, warm, tasting vaguely of seasoned wine. He felt a light but present sharpness from her teeth. "Well obviously I couldn't leave that be."

"Oh." Cal said. There didn't seem to be much he could say to that. Well, except maybe one thing. "I'm sorry." Simple enough, but maybe it would mean something.

Runi's hands found his neckcloth without any trouble, and he could feel that pull. She was strong, but maybe he could have pulled away. If he'd wanted to. Instead, let his hand slip back into her hair as their lips pressed together. His were soft and almost spicy, reminiscent of the bourbon he liked to drink.

Cal smiled as they parted, drawing back only a few inches. "Well." He murmured. "And here I was worrying that my life was getting too simple."

She led the Inquisition away from me. That's all I know. I never found her trail. Especially since I tried to avoid the Empire. Didn't want her sacrifice to be for nothing."

She looked up at him, a small smile creeping over her face as he studied the subtle differences with his fingers. Then she caught his tie and pulled him down into a kiss.

She led the Inquisition away from me. That's all I know. I never found her trail. Especially since I tried to avoid the Empire. Didn't want her sacrifice to be for nothing."

She looked up at him, a small smile creeping over her face as he studied the subtle differences with his fingers. Then she caught his tie and pulled him down into a kiss.

Cal paused for a moment. His fingers were both nimble and sensitive, finding the little ridges in the line of her jaw. "Well, how about that." He murmured softly.

"You must've tried looking for her." His voice was still soft. "Sounds like you don't know what happened, though." It was half a question, half not.

His hand traced down to her chin, then back up the way it came, along her jaw, then up across her cheek.