A late-night deal...[Adia]

[Yolie Devix]

Fingers flicked out, moving in a mesmerizing, familiar pattern. Thick, laminated paper whispered across the surface of the crude table, a swirling design of green and gold catching the light.

Arrayed around the beaten metal semi-circle was a motley assortment of mechanics and engineers - grease stained coveralls with tools and parts in every pocket, the hallmarks of their craft. Here in the belly of the Challenger, few wandered down to the levels they inhabited if they didn't have to.

And she, she didn't have to.

She wanted to.

Yolie flicked a crimson lock from her cheek with a careless touch, sparing a moment to sigh as the players glance to the cards now in their hands. It was a soft, imperceptible sound that she hid beneath a shuffle of the cards that remained before her. The deck flew between her fingers, ignoring gravity as she bid them back and forth. A smile curled her glossy lips as she spread her hands wider and concentrated to make the cards twirl before falling neatly into place once more.

"I'm out." growled Dax, a human SpecForce soldier who often came down to play when she was dealing.

She grinned and tugged his cards away through a touch of the Force, setting them in the discard pile. Another player piped up and requested an extra card which she slid across the table to him in short order. Dark eyes cast across the players, winking at Dax, before continuing through the rest of the room. As if she were guilty of...something.

Which, if Yolie was to be honest, she was. Guilty of skipping out on her lessons and classes in favor of dealing sabacc, which violated her promise to Inyos. But sometimes, the young woman just couldn't help herself.

Besides.

Illicit was fun.

[Adia Issoris]

After being planetside for several months, being shipbound was different. Adia missed the days and nights, but handled the transition with the deftness of a veteran. Adia hadn't been back on the wheel for very long, but had been asked to do some basic hand-to hand combat evaluations of the padawans. After all, saber crystals were in short supply. In the near term, it was important that everyone could throw a good punch and manage a good kick. Adia had been going in alphabetical order, and when it came to Devix, she was nowhere to be found on the Whaladon.

To avoid preconceived notions, Adia hadn't read anything in advance about any of the Padawans. Adia, sure that Devix wasn't hiding in some engineering crevice after a brief ask-about, she set off for the Challenger. Her years of training and practice as a spy made her information shakedowns a pleasant experience for everyone involved. Between Adia's rank and the lightsaber on her belt, no one was going to argue with her anyway, but Adia felt no need to throw her surprisingly substantial weight around.

She'd found out within 10 minutes on board that Yolie was dealing cards on the lower decks. Exactly the sort of thing a Padawan wasn't supposed to do. There were some that she could see doing it, including Morgan, although he would have probably counted cards and gotten banned in short order unless he strategically threw hands. There were some others, too, like Corell, but no one should be skipping lessons. The mental discipline of a routine was more important for most Padawans the physical benefits of training.

She considered this on the way down to the lower decks, where she located a store room with the sound of shuffling cards and disappointed groans. She slipped inside silently. The room was not especially well lit, so Adia looked more like a silhouette than anything else. Devix was transfixed on her game, too busy dealing cards and playing to notice Adia in the room, leaned against the wall with her hands crossed over her chest.

[Yolie Devix]

In a flippant gesture, slender fingers flicked over the last card to be dealt to a chorus of pained groans. The pile of cred chits and chips in front of her had grown, while those before each of the players had dwindled to nearly nothing.

"I told you she'd see it coming from a mile away." Dax muttered half under his breath, slanting an arch look across the table at one of the mechanics.

"I canna figerr out ow she did it..." Myk frowned, glancing down at his cards and then up at Yolie with an accusing glance.

Tilting her head to the side, she set down the cards in her hands and spread both palm down over the pile of creds in front of her. With a deep breath, she concentrated and moved the appropriate amount back in front of each of them, silent until she finished.

"I was a dealer in a casino on Coruscant, Myk...and I live over on the Whaladon. What does that tell you?" Yolie asked with an arched brow.

"Never to cheat again when you're dealing because you'll make us look foolish?" Another one of the mechanics piped up, his tone wry.

"There you go, darlin'. Now, why...don't..." her voice trailed off as something tickled around the edge of her senses. Breath lodged firmly in her throat, she 'reached' through the room with a tentative mind and cursed softly.

It wasn't Inyos, that she could have handled. It was someone she wasn't familiar with at all, which troubled her. The table had cleared save for Dax who looked at her oddly and asked if she was alright.

"I'm alright." Yolie smiled, though the expression hardly reached her dark eyes. "Why don't you head on out?" she nodded towards the door and busied herself with gathering the cards, neatly stacking them together with care, even in her haste. The tall, burly man snorted but did as she asked, the door sliding closed behind him after a lingering moment.

The small room as empty save for herself and the nameless...silhouette at the back. Yolie left her cards on the table and tucked her hands in her pockets with a soft, resigned sigh.

[Adia Issoris]

"Hello Yolie Devix. May I take a seat?" Adia's voice was proper Coruscanti, but gentle. Yolie looked up and tracked the figure as it moved into the light.

She shrugged at Adia. From Yolie's point of view it wasn't like there was much choice.

"This is what you prefer to do instead of class?" Adia asked. He voice betrayed nothing other than curiosity.

[Yolie Devix]

Yolie arched a brow while her expression remained otherwise neutral. The statuesque redhead took a set at the center of the semi-circular table, her Coruscanti lingering in the air.

Her proper Coruscanti. Not the dirty street dialect and quadrant accent Yolie had grown up with and had beaten out of her. Well, mostly beaten out of her.

Still. It was jarring to hear, and took her a moment to formulate a response. The woman wasn't being accusatory, simply conversational...and curious. Much like Inyos was, only, he'd have at least started in with his disapproving look by now.

"This...this is comfort." Yolie said quietly, tilting her head as she decided on being honest. "And there's only so much routine I can handle when Inyos isn't around."

[Adia Issoris]

Adia's face remained slightly curious but her eyes flashed understanding for a split second.

"I understand." She said.

"I was asked to do basic hand to hand combat evaluations of the Padawans." Adia explained. Everyone had become concerned about the appearance of Dan and Lok's thrall on the Wheel. There was no reason a possible future strike would be limited to a single attacker.

"If you want to put it off, I can modify my schedule."

[Yolie Devix]

"Ohh...now that you mention it, I do remember some of the other padawans talking about the evaluation just the other day."

Yolie freed her hands and picked up her cards, smoothing the cards absently in her hands. Fingertips traced the intricate pattern on the back as she shook her head.

"No no...you don't have to do that. Now is fine. I just don't know what you're going to really evaluate. I don't have any hand to hand skills to speak of. Spent the last several years getting the ever-loving crap beat out of me by my husband." The young woman shrugged and absently tucked a stray crimson lock behind her ear.

Perhaps she was being a bit too honest.

[Adia Issoris]

Adia's face blanked.

"I see." She said, and took a deep breath. Yolie would need to trim her nails.

"You'll have some problems making a fist with the nails." She referred to Yolie's neat manicure. Adia stood and gestured to Yolie to follow her out into the relative open. There was roughly 3x3 meters of space, which was enough for Adia's purpose. The clothing wouldn't be a problem, but those heels were going to be difficult.

Adia stood, her feet spaced a little less than a shoulder width apart.

"Try and hit me."

[Yolie Devix]

"Ahh...good point."

Yolie glanced down at her fingers and flexed them, frowning as she fell silent. With a gentle twist, she removed each of the decorative false nails, leaving short, natural ones behind. It was something she'd picked up on while dealing in the casino on Coruscant, where decorative nails were part of her trade in a way. Easier to keep false ones in perfect condition than real ones.

"Try and...oh boy." The young woman shook her head and turned to follow Ada out into the larger part of the space with a rueful expression. She was perfectly steady on her tall heels but fighting in them? That would be a new challenge she'd not anticipated.

Right.

Enough thinking.

It was a graceless punch, really, one that anyone with any modicum of ability would have no trouble blocking. It wasn't that Yolie wasn't agile, she just had no idea how to throw a punch as opposed to being hit by them.

[Adia Issoris]

Adia stepped aside from the clueless punch. There was a tremendous amount of work to be done here. The upshot was that Yolie was aware she had no idea what she was doing. It would make her easier to instruct.

"Your footware is going to be a challenge, but if you're married to them, it can be overcome with practice." In those heels, Yolie was only 3 centimeters down on the redhead, but they would kill her leverage. In fact, their entire outfits were exercises in contrast. Adia's forest green jacket was open over her simple white tank that clung to her athletic form. Full length brown pants of a soft, stretchable material clung to her muscular legs. Adia looked like she might be more prepared for a day outdoors than anything else with her hiking shoes.

Adia picked her hands up, her knuckles even with mouth. She threw a simple straight punch into the air. Then she threw another with her left, this time almost in slow motion, demonstrating the expansion outward of her arm, and the rotation and aim of the two front knuckles.

"You want to start your punch from within your body, so you keep your leverage. It's also a shorter motion. Put your hands up near your chin, just inside your shoulders. This is where a good basic guard starts, too. When you punch, aim down your two front knuckles. Try it." Adia dropped her guard.

[Yolie Devix]

"I'd like to try and practice with them first...but if it really becomes necessary, I can always go back to being short."

Yolie wrinkled her nose at the prospect for a brief moment that passed rather quickly. She was startlingly adaptable, Inyos had once said, but when you'd lived through what she had, you did what was necessary to survive.

That, she mused, was something she was already good at.

The young woman took a moment to look more closely at Adia, noting their very obvious differences. Where the older woman was dressed comfortably and by most standards reasonably for her position, Yolie was...well, not. Snug black leather pants tucked into the tops of her boots which bore four and a half inch heels. A dark blue corset-style top left her arms and shoulders bare to reveal a number of colorful tattoos. Never mind the visible piercings and electric cherry-red hair.

They were about as different as could be and the realization suddenly made Yolie feel more than a little out of place. She looked like she belonged where she'd come from, in a surface level casino in the seediest district of Coruscant. Not part of the Alliance convoy, a member of the Jedi Order, as a Padawan.

She blinked and gently shook her head to dispel the thoughts, preferring to contemplate them later when she had the luxury of time. Right now, Adia had demonstrated a punch and followed it with an explanation.

Yolie did as she was bit, lifting her fisted hands close to her chin with her shoulders up. She repeated the punching motion slowly the first time, replicating the turn of her fist and the extension of her arm as best she could. It felt...awkward, at best, so she tried it again. Only this time she did so at speed. Aiming down her knuckles at Adia, while her other hand remained up in the guard position.

[Adia Issoris]

"Much better." She said. In some ways, Yolie was still in shock and hadn't realized that she wasn't working in a casino, and she wasn't going to be physically abused here. This wasn't going to be a simple transition. Part of her yearned for stability, for something she was good at. Adia had been through enough casinos to know Yolie was an excellent card dealer.

Adia was convinced that with enough time Yolie would adapt to her new environment, but wondered if there was enough time for a slower adaptation. She guided and corrected some of the girl's much less embarrassing punches. It was time to give Yolie a gentle push.

"I'd like you to try it without heels."

[Yolie Devix]

"Okay."

Blinking, Yolie paused. Fingers tucked a crimson lock behind her ear for lack of anything else to do as she mulled over Adia's request.

It was a simple one, really. A few words strung together with a clear, distinct meaning.

She managed, however, to nod. A few steps off to the side, she leaned against her table and lifted one leg to unfasten her boot. The zipper made a whisper of sound as one boot was soon abandoned on the nearby chair, followed by the second. It left Yolie standing on her bare feet, nose wrinkled a bit at the floor's rough surface beneath them.

Her expression soon smoothed out, her discomfort simply pushed back until she had the luxury of time to explore it. This was out of her comfort zone, but not so far that she couldn't deal with it.

Yolie stepped forward to Adia again, shifting her stance and raising her fists to her chin in the guard position. This time, as she threw a punch, her body shifted into the motion now that she was more stable, back foot pivoting as it was supposed to.

[Adia Issoris]

Adia nodded.

"Much better. I know you can feel the advantages that a flatter foot can give you." Adia took a deep breath.

"This is your new reality, Yollie. How you look is comparatively unimportant now. You need to be able to defend yourself. As a Jedi, you have enemies."

[Yolie Devix]

She managed a small nod, and would have verbally agreed but Adia had only paused for a deep, calming breath before continuing on.

Yolie blinked and cast her gaze down to her feet. Brightly polished toes glittered back up at her, while a tiny frown decided to mar her lips. She stayed silent for several long moments, trying to form some sort of coherent reply. One that wouldn't sound self-serving, like most of her responses tended to as of late.

"It's a hard habit to deal with. Appearance meant everything in my life until I came here, so adjusting to it being unimportant has been a bit difficult. Still working on it."

Looking back up, Yolie lifted her fingers to rub at her temples. "Well, we're working on the defense part." She sighed. "I didn't even know what Jedi were before I tracked Inyos down and he brought me here."

[Adia Issoris]

"I understand." Adia smiled, her voice warm and accepting.

"You should keep playing cards, but don't sneak out of class to do it. And invite me sometime." Adia's tone turned wry, her smile turned to a grin.

"If you need anything let me know."