Fastidious (open)

[Diego Van Derveld]

He'd once again gotten grime under his fingernails. He would crop them close, but it didn't particuarly suit him. The nails weren't long, only 2 or 3 millimeters of exposed growth. It was enough to be a burden to clean. The blackish-maroon of dried blood mingled with grains of gritty dirt. He could smell far more than the story told to the naked eye. But that...was another story best left to only his ears. With a damp cloth, he scrubbed at the fingertips energetically, cleaning and willing the filth away. The galaxy was filth. Muck, grime, and the stuff of animals. Irony was that men, at time, were animals all their own. Therefore, it was futile to think that a man was beyond his environment. Conviction, discipline...they were uncommon in men, as wits were uncommon to animals.

So therefore, he was somewhere inbetween. No. Not inbetween. Beyond. Like a God, overseeing those lesser than he.

Will Bedford laughed at his barstool.

If he were a God, for all his Olympian power, he was besmirched with humored irony. He was more of a bleeding Prometheus than a mighty Overlord. What realm was God to rule, if he could not rule his own family.

He laughed again, and drank from his clean glass. Pure water.

God of Purity, perhaps? Only as a consolation, over things so base and meaningless as the dirt under one's fingernails or the speck of dust in one's drinking water.

[Dae Jinn]

You should get yourself a file.

*Daetana had stood and watched him clean his fingernails. He seemed in a constant state about cleaniness. A clean glass, clean nails. She raised an eyebrow*

Must you always be clean?

[Diego Van Derveld]

He turned to her with a face bereft of emotion.

"Its a better state than the alternative, I suppose."

[Dae Jinn]

I suppose. But you have to realise, you can never be completely clean. That just isn't how things are....
*She leaned on the bar and ordered a Vodka*

Humans are dirty, imperfect things. That's just how it is.

[Diego Van Derveld]

He smiled, nodding.

"Tell that to those who want to live forever, rule the galaxy, retire early, or whatever they seek out of their lives. There are plenty of bars we reach for, that we'll never touch. Did you ever think that maybe its the effort that is where you're truly rewarded?"

[Dae Jinn]

*Smiles back*

Maybe.

But I dislike making an effort unless it is a sure thing. I hate wanting something I can't have.

[Diego Van Derveld]

"Or maybe you're wanting for the wrong reasons."

He looked to her.

"In other words...you're after something, true enough, but you haven't asked yourself what you're really after. You'll find it, but sometimes you miss it becaue you lie to yourself."

[Hunk]

There he was again...what was his name? Tim? Earl? Bill? Will? That was it, Will.

"Will! Great to see you again," he boomed, clapping the man on the back, before taking a seat next to him. "Hey, smile once in a while, Chief, you'll live longer.

Turning to the barkeep, he asked for a large glass of water before placing his attention again on the long haired man. "Well, are you going to introduce me to your lady friend here or not?"

He smiled widely at the woman, not bothering to wait for an answer to his question. "Good evening, miss. Harrison Everett, at your service"

[Dae Jinn]

*Smiles at the Jedi, ignoring what Will had said.*

Daetana Jinn. A pleasure to meet you, Harrison.

[Hunk]

"Just call me Hunk, everyone else does."

She was a Sith, he could tell instantly, a wolf in sheep's clothing. However, more importantly, she was an attractive woman.

"Oh loosen up, Will, things aren't that bad. Keep scowling like that and your face'll stay that way. What are you drinking? I'm buying."

[Diego Van Derveld]

He raised a glass, which contained only water...which at last estimate, was free anyways.

[Dae Jinn]

Mister Clean here only drinks water....*she mumbled, downing her just-brought drink in one quick gulp.* If his face stayed that way, I'd be amused...for awhile anyways....

[Diego Van Derveld]

"Not always."

He allowed a vestigial smile.

"But its the usual."

[Hunk]

"Well then, I guess it'll be easy on my pocketbook. Barkeep, a water for my long haired friend here and another of whatever the lady's drinking for her."

[Dae Jinn]

*Grabs the vodka bottle from the tender* I'll just keep that......

*flashes a sweet smile at Hunk* Thanks, Jedi

[Diego Van Derveld]

"Why don't you and Miss Jinn continue socializing..."

He looked at Hunk with a strange glint in his eye.

"...Chief. I'm going to step out for some fresh air."

[Dae Jinn]

*Puts a hand on his wrist and frowns slightly.*

No, stay. Please?
*To be quite honest, Daetana found this one interesting. He was very different from all the other patrons of Yogs and she wanted to know more about him.*
Please, just for a bit longer. *She smiled softly*

[Diego Van Derveld]

He smiled, approaching Dae in a whole new manner. His face was close to hers.

"And this, would be another example of wanting, but not asking what you want."

He smiled in a way that was very pleasing, but a little uncomfortable, and even frightening. He continued to walk to the door.

"Oh don't worry. I'll be back."

[Daanarri Raurrssaatta]

Daani sat outside the B&G, staring up at the night sky. The light pollution made the stars almost impossible to see.

She frowned and stared up even more intently as the doors opened to let someone outside.

[Dae Jinn]

*sighs and turns her attention back to the bottle in front of her*

Weirdo....
*she smirked and smiled at Hunk* So, Hunk, what do you do here? Besides buy people drinks, that is...

[Diego Van Derveld]

Diego strode out of the bar, taking in the night sky around him. For a moment, he only closed his eyes, tilting his head back as his nostrils flared ever so slightly. Abruptly, his eyes opened, and he looked down to the girl.

[Daanarri Raurrssaatta]

Daani looked up at the man, and blinked. "Hello?" She smiled a little, and waved. "jI'm lookjing at the ssstarrrsss." She made a sad little face, "But thejy arrre harrrd to sssee."

[Diego Van Derveld]

He crouched down to her height, resting on his haunches with his hands on his knees.

"Well, this close to the city light, the stars are hard to see. The farther you get, the clearer they become."

[Daanarri Raurrssaatta]

"Oh." She peered upwards again and then back at the male. "jIsss therrre anjywherrre on Arrrcan wherrre therrre jisss no ljightsss?"

Daani implusively reached out and touched his face with a smooth little striped hand.

[Diego Van Derveld]

His eyes closed as her little hand scraped against his five o'clock shadow.

"There are a few places...far from the city. Mostly in the mountains, or in the cold ranges to the south. On clear nights, you could count almost all the stars, if you had the time."

[Daanarri Raurrssaatta]

She giggled at the feel of his scratchy face, and withdrew her hand, looking up again. "jI mjissssss ssseejing the ssstarrrsss. Back home jI could sssee them thrrrough..a...hole jin the rrroof. A skjyljight jI thjink mjy motherrr called jit. jIt was above mjy bed."

Daani sighed and contemplated her little bare toes. She'd lost her shoes again, hoping that Saa would forget she'd ever owned them.

[Diego Van Derveld]

Diego squinted at the sky, and then, pointed in the distance.

"There. If you stare long enough, you can just see one."

[Daanarri Raurrssaatta]

Daani tracked her eyes along his arm, and squinted as well. "jItss verrrjy fajint..but jI can sssee jit." She sighed.

"jI wonderrr jif that jisss Carrrssshouljisss." She beamed at the friendly man. "Carrrssshoujisss jisss the prrrettjiessst planet jin the galaxjy."

[Oishii Sakana]

Oishii was enjoying a moonlight stroll when he noticed little Daani and the man from the farm that was attacked.

"Good evening, you two. Daani, farmer. I don;t think you remember me, sir, but Daani should remember me pretty well."

Oishii followed their gaze. "The stars, eh? They are beautiful. Space travel kind of ruins the view of the stars, makes them forbidding. But seeing them from the surface of a planet makes them look beautiful. Wouldn;t you agree?"

[Diego Van Derveld]

Diego regarded the stranger for a moment.

"I can't say I do. Stars are stars."

[Oishii Sakana]

"True." Oishii took a seat. "What do you think, Daani?"

[Daanarri Raurrssaatta]

Daani looked at the man squatting next to her on the doorstep, and shied away from him a little. He reminded her of the ... "jincjident" as Taa would put it. With the other girl, Meltina.

"jI love watchjing the ssstarrrs jin ssspace. When jI went to Balmorrra jI watched the ssstarrrsss the whole wajy therrre." She grinned sheepishly. "Well, except forrr when we werrre jin hyperrrspace."