Somewhere right in the middle of the bar... (open, y'all)

[Ryla Relvinian]

I walked into the B&G for the first time in what felt like ages, greeting the familiar faces with a little wave or a nod or a smile. No matter how insane this place got, (and it could get quite insane) it still always felt like home.

After waving to the Belargic twins, I sat down in the middle of the bar. It seemed as if everyone and their cousin was here tonight, or maybe it was just that I hadn't been for a while.

The bartender walked over to me.

"What'l it be, Ma'am?"

I raised one eyebrow at him, muttering under my breath, "Ma'am? Oh Frell, I've been Ma'amed. What a way to start a weekend." Out loud, I continued, "I'll have a glass of red wine and a bowl of stew, please."

He grunted once, which I took to be an affirmation (you never could tell around here) and wandered back in the general direction of the kitchen. I sat there, looking around for anyone interesting. You just couldn't have stew without conversation...

[Hayes Muirso]

The bar and grill was in chaos tonight. On one side of the bar a group of tall pointy eared something or others were arguing with a cat woman, while at the other a man in a ten gallon hat was stirring up a fluster with some of the more reserved elders of the Order. Right smack in the middle of it all was Hayes, feeling a little lost. Everyone here seemed to be some odd species or have some interesting back-story. How could a mere college professor turned Padawan match that?

By helping out, of course. You’ve got to make your mark somewhere, and a burn on the kitchen stove is better than nothing. Hayes had been drafted in as a kitchen hand, despite his lack of skill (pancakes was where his repertoire started and ended). Luckily people were too rapped up tonight to order anything particularly difficult to make – he doubted there was any way he could botch a bowl of stew.

Whistling away to his favorite Jump Lanes tune, he backed out of the kitchens swinging door with a tray of precariously wobbling food. He moved along the bar dishing out the orders he’d been given by others, before being left with just the stew – his pride and joy, his masterpiece. But who was it for?

A blue face was looking at him a little expectantly. Not sad blue, just … blue. That was new. Smiling a sort of dreamy smile back at her, he approached. There was something familiar about this one.

“Stew…?”

It suddenly clicked.

“… er… Master Jedi?”

[Marga Alton]

Marga has been hesitant to leave the Jedi LQ since her kidnapping. But tonight she felt a bit more courageous then she has been in quite some time. She was dressed in a rather simple, but nice yellow dress which is loose still, but not as loose. Her red hair loose over her shoulders. And her necklace was around her neck, though the gem or pendent was wrapped in a silk bag and not able to be seen.

She steps into the B&G and shakes her head no when asked if she has any weapons. After that, she makes her way down towards where Ryla is sitting, recognizing her from the GJO.

Vai Domna, mind if I join you?

Marga says this through telepathy to Ryla.

[Ryla Relvinian]

"Yes, thank you."

I accepted the bowl of stew from the waiter, who certainly looked more coherant than the one who had taken my order. Suddenly, a voice spoke in my mind. Although this was not a rare ocurance around this place, it was a voice I didn't recognize. Turning, the Force directed me to a young woman standing a little ways away. Tired from training, I replied vocally.

"Of course."

I gestured for her to join me. Of course she was a Jedi, but since my recent engagements in the archives, I hadn't seen many of the newer Jedi.

"I don't think we've met before. I'm Ryla."

[Marga Alton]

Marga sits down on one of the chairs at the table.

I'm pleased to meet you Domna Ryla. My name's Marga Alton.

Marga straightens out her dress slightly as she looks around the bar with a nervous look in her eyes. Mainly, she's looking for the person who kidnapped her since he had promised they would meet again. She takes a deep breath, forcing her mind to calm, and not to worry about what may happen, she looks back to Ryla.

I'm sorry if it may sound as if I'm being rude or something, but I'm curious, do you come to the B&G often?

[Ryla Relvinian]

"No, you're not being rude at all."

I smiled, trying to set her at ease. She seemed a bit anxious.

"I used to come here often, but I've been busy with work for the council lately, so I don't get down here often. What about you? How long have you been with the Jedi?"

[Marga Alton]

Marga returns Rylas smile, though it does nothing to relieve the nervousness she feels.

I've lost track of how long I've been with the Jedi, but one thing I can say is that I haven't been with the Jedi long enough. I wish I had have joined sooner then what I did, then perhaps

Marga stops using telepathy for a moment and finishes her sentence to herself silently.....'perhaps my eldest brother and my Mother would both still be alive.'

I used to come here every night or every other night, but since ...some things happened, and I haven't left the Jedi Grounds.

Marga shifts her position slightly for a moment or so.

[Ryla Relvinian]

I felt a great sadness for Marga, and looked down at the table for a moment.

"I think many of us share in your experiences, Marga. There are a lot of us that have lost loved ones."

I thought, of course, of my own experiences before and during my times with the Jedi, but I knew of others who had equal levels of loss.

"But tell me, why have you not left the Jedi grounds?"

[Marga Alton]

Marga was totally unprepared to be asked why she hasn't left the Jedi Grounds in awhile. But she just takes a deep breath, knowing that sooner or later, she shall have to talk about it.

Mainly, I think it's just that I'm scared. Awhile back, I was kidnapped while out for a walk, and when I was rescued, my kidnapper promised to be back to deal with me. I have no idea how long I was gone. All I know is that I was kept in a dark room, fed only the bare minimum, and it was somewhere here on Coruscant.

I've been scared to leave the saftey of the Jedi grounds since that happened. The day after I got back, I continued my training under the instructions of Domna Navaria and she's been teaching me since.

Marga raises one hand to her necklace, closing her hand around the silk covered gem for a moment before lowering her hand down to her lap.

[Ryla Relvinian]

"I see."

I was not entirely astonished by the revelation, but her reaction to the event was very strong indeed if she had not left for fear of another attack.

"Well, you must be assured that if you are bothered in any way, you do have an entire order to come and seek you out. That should be of some comfort."

Indeed, I was glad that it was true, especially after my own experiences.

[James Prent]

[from here: <a href=http://sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30232>At the other end of the bar ...</a>]

"jYEOWWW!"

The feline squall came from the far end of the bar, and the patrons of Yog's stopped momentarily, and looked. A Cizerack female jumped onto James as the padawan was getting to her feet, and the pair slammed into a pair of barstools, and then tumbled away from them, narrowly missing Ryla and Marga as James fell down onto the ground again.

Somehow her actions before seemed like folly. Taa inflicted a nasty scratch on her arm, tearing through her padawan robes, and James frantically grabbed the felinoid by the throat, trying to keep her mouth and those sharp teeth away from her. The padawan stiffarmed her, locking her elbow, as the Cizerack struggled against the hold, shoving them nearly underneath the nearest table.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"Gaackpthhhh..."

Taa gasped for air as James clenched her hands around her throat, squeezing down with amazingly strong hands for such a petite woman. Taa wheezed, her tongue lolling out of her mouth as she tussled around on the floor. She kicked over a barstool, sending one patron crashing to the floor as she tried to negotiate her way out of James's death-grip. Her arms flailed about, barely having a bit of reach on the padawan. She lashed out...and caught James by her curly locks, and yanked as hard as she could!

"Ghhhk ppppthhhh!"

Taa winced, making a raspberry sound as she tried to breathe. Her legs bucked up, jabbing against the Jedi's stomach and upper thighs.

[James Prent]

James screeched as a clump of hair unwillingly left her scalp, her hand relaxing in the moment of pain. Taa's feet found her stomach and thighs, and the Cizerack simultaenously shoved away and kicked her. It was James' turn to gasp as her lungs were forcefully emptied.

The pair were momentarily separated, and as James struggled to breathe the room seemed to spin around. That eyeblaster was the cause of all this! The padawan took a second to swear off drinking hard liquor, and then grabbed the first thing she could find (Taa's tail) and yanked on it as hard as she could, trying once more to stand up and regain her footing.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"Owowowowow!!!"

Taa protested noisily to having her tail yanked, and dug her claws into the floor to anchor herself. She bolted up to her feet, and tugged her own tail back to her, which caused James to fall back towards her. The two careened into each other, and collapsed to the ground. Taa's efforts to cling to James only resulted in half tearing the Padawan's robe off, and furthering James's eventual tumble on top of her. Taa curled up, and kicked like a mule again, launching the padawan off her as she pounced forward, chasing after the backpedaling padawan...

...continued <a href=http://sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30693>here</a>.

[Marga Alton]

Marga is abouto to say something when two females in a 'cat-fight' tumble over to where she and Ryla are, almost knocking into their table. After a quick moment or two, the two females are off towards another part of the bar in their fight.

I wonder what that is about.

Marga coments to Ryla through telepathy.

And it is a comfort to know that the GJO will seek me out if anything happens. But you can't blame me for being scared. It is a normal reaction isn't it? In being threatened to have to go through an experience that you don't want to go through again.

[Ryla Relvinian]

"Yes, it's certainly valid to..."

My words were interrupted suddenly by what could only be described as the usual effects of having both good-looking twins and alcoholic beverages combined in one room. Quickly, it had passed and I looked back up at Marga with a smile.

"Well, that was different. Of course it's reasonable to fear things, but to let that fear control you is what we're striving against, right? Bad things will happen in life, as we were just witnesses to, but that's no reason to go around wearing Cizerack-safe armor. Then again," I continued with some consideration, "I'm not sure there is such a thing as Cizerack-safe armor."

[Marga Alton]

Marga smiles slightly. She thinks back on her life on her homeworld and frowns.

It seems that bad things happen to me where ever I go, even if I'm someplace where I like being. But yes, we are striving to not let fear control us. But sometimes it's difficult. Especially if you are trying very hard not to believe some things that ppl say to you.

An example of that is when my kidnapper told me that nobody cares about me except for him. It's very difficult sometimes.

[Ryla Relvinian]

"Well, people who wish to hurt you often know just what to say. it doesn't mean they're right, however."

I took a bite of my stew, which was now cool enough to eat. As usual, it was delicious.

"I hope your string of bad luck will stop, now that you've got an entire order behind you."

[Marga Alton]

I hope that my string of bad luck is over as well, but it has continued since I joined the GJO.

What I don't get though is my kidnapper claimed to really care about me and didn't want to see me hurt. If that's the case, then why did he kidnap me?

[Ryla Relvinian]

"I remember reading somewhere in the Archives: 'In my experience, there's no such thing as luck.' I don't remember who said it, but I don't agree with it. Luck exists, and I'm sure that the unlucky will attest to that."

I took another bite of the stew, glancing up again at the server who had brought me my meal. He looked familiar, though I couldn't place him. I sat there and, after chewing thoughtfully, continued.

"In my experience, the people who hurt others often try to convince them that it was somehow their fault... well, that's just not true."

[Marga Alton]

I believe that there is such a thing as luck. There has to be.

But I must be boring you with all my troubles so I shall stop boring you with them.