The Best Deceptions I

[Vega Van-Derveld]

Coruscants flickering night had drawn in early this evening. It wasn’t chilly out, by any means, quite the contrary in fact. A warm breeze was blowing and managing quite miraculously not to smell of silt and fumes. People were coming out in full force to party the night away, the Jedi included. Padawans and Knights alike were spilling down the stairs into taxi cabs and onto the streets, heading off to wherever their fancy took them. Most of them were too high in spirits to notice the blonde haired figure standing at the foot of the stairs.

He checked his chrono – seven o’clock sharp – and then ran his palm back through his wind-tousled cropped hair. Pushing his hands down into his pockets he leant his head back and looked up at what stars were visible through the streams of traffic, sighing quietly.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay'Na moved steathily with the crowds that were moving about, in her dark brown cloak. No one even seemed to notice her...not even Vega as she walked right up to him.

Her shoulder-length brown hair was pulled up in a elaborate French twist and her long Padawan braid was hidden within it.

Keeping her cloak closed, she smiled as she spoke. "Beautiful evening isn't it, Vega?"

[Vega Van-Derveld]

“Something like that.”

The Lupines eyes lingered on a spire of the Jedi complex for a moment longer before he turned down to look at the Padawan at his side. He smiled slightly.

“Hungry?”

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay'Na nodded. "Yes, I am. So, where is this place that we are headed too?" Her mind began to adjust to the vibes his aura was sending.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

“The Brass Bucket,”

Vega nodded off down the long bustling street and began to walk, with Quay following.

“It’s a small place not too far from here, but for some reason it doesn’t tend to get that much business. I know the owner, an old college friend of mine.”

[Quay'Na Rakai]

"Sounds nice." Obviously, it would be quiet and hopefully a place where no one would bother them. After walking down the street for a few minutes, Quay'Na removed her Jedi robe to reveal a short, form-fitting little black dress with spaghetti straps. She smiled lightly as she folded her robe and continued to walk by him.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

Vega looked to Quay for a moment and smiled appreciatively at her outfit. He wasn’t dressed specially by any means, in fact it was a rare chance that he was ever seen out of one of a few set out of outfits. Frankly he wasn’t much interested in clothes and would only get something new when Daiquiri forced him to.

After a few minutes of walking in silence Vega motioned down a street that branched off of the main road. At the end was a small shop front, lit up by orange glowlamps. There was a small Bucket hanging from the sign that read in big thick letters ‘The Brass Bucket Inn’. No voices could be heard from within, but music of some kind was definitely playing.

Stepping up the door, Vega held it open for Quay, as the streams of traditional Corellian music flowed out into the street, warming it and everyone that heard it.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

"Thank you," She spoke softly as she smiled at him. Being Corellian, the music was enlightening as she stepped through the door.

The place was dimly lit with glowlamps and Quay'Na awaited Vega to show them a seat.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

Vega weaved through the occupied tables to one in a more secluded area of the bar, without so many people crowded around. The conversation of the people in the room wasn’t so loud there but they weren’t exactly set apart from the other tables.

“So how have things been? Get in any training today?”

Vega pulled out Quay’s seat for her.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay'Na smiled appreciatively as she took her seat, he took a seat across from her. "Things have been going very well, thank-you. I did get in some traning today, but most of the day I spent with friends. Always something new going on with all the friends I've got. How about you? What did you do today?" She was interested in what he did, merely for the fact that she didn't know what he did. He seemed very mysterious during the few times they had met.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

“Oh, well, bits and pieces here and there…” his voice trailed away, he didn’t seem much interested in what he did.

Absently shrugging off his coat, he shrugged his shoulder a little.

“I have a sister who has a shipyard on Kuat so I sometimes help out in the office on Coruscant,” he added.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

"Well, that's interesting. I have a sister too, she's a fighter pilot or at least will be soon. Her graduation day is coming up. I'd kinda like to go for the day to see her graduate, but I don't know if I'll be welcome."

[Vega Van-Derveld]

“Oh if it’s your sister I’m sure you will.”

Vega smiled and just as he was about to say something a stout man arrived with two leather bound menus that looked as though they had seen a good few years. The Lupine opened his up and sneezed, the sudden smell of age tickling his senses. The pages, worn and in some cases stained, did not look dirty however – more they seemed to have character. Vega knew the menu fairly well already, but scanned over it none the less.

“I wouldn’t advise the Gungan ears… honestly I don’t know what they think they’re putting into them, but it isn’t ears.”

[Quay'Na Rakai]

That sounded nasty. "That's alright, I'm a vegetarian anyway." Quay'Na looked over her menu, they had quite a few strange dishes that she'd never heard of. She finally chose. "I'll have the Grilled Vegetables over rice and a Jawa juice."

She gave her menu back to the man and looked at Vega, awaiting for him to order.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

Throwing the menu down on the table, Vega looked up to the portly waiter and said:

“Nebari platter and a namana squeeze.”

He smiled a bit as the waiter took the two menus away and left for the kitchen.

“I have to say I’m really looking forward to this, I haven’t had a good proper meal in a while and you don’t get any better than here.”

[Quay'Na Rakai]

"Definitely, beats some of the places I've been, which isn't many. I ate out in the field a lot, didn't have any restuarants there. My former master made some of the strangest concoctions, some thing's I don't even know where supposed to be put together." She laughed slightly at the thought.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

Vega grinned a bit, apparently interested in hearing about some of the odd recipes.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

"Let's see...Gruel, a good example. She made it all the time. I swear, she put weeds in it. We ate it at Dagobah for like two straight weeks. Breakfast, lunch and supper...it was awful and for once I was so glad I became ill there."

[Vega Van-Derveld]

“Weeds? Bleuch, that’s rancid,” Vega wore a look of distaste for but a moment before bursting out laughing at the thought of eating the tangled vines of Dagobah as lunch.

“Well you lived through it, what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, hmm?”

[Quay'Na Rakai]

"I suppose so," She grimaced. "But, it was nasty. I won't ever put my Padawan's through such an ordeal."

[Vega Van-Derveld]

"Your Padawans?" Vega eyed Quay, still smiling.

"When do you expect you'll be a Knight?"

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay'Na shook her head. "I've got quite a ways to go, it'll be a while." She smiled lightly as the portly waiter arrived with their drinks.

Quay'Na sipped hers and sat the glass back down. "So, what else do you enjoy doing in your spare time?" She turned the conversation back his way.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

"I hunt, sometimes,"

Vega noticed a little of something behind Quays eyes and added:

"Private land. Not for killing, of course. Just to nourish the beast inside."

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay'Na nodded, though she didn't like the thought of it, she had always tried to keep an open mind on the subject of hunting. After all, animals were needed for food, so it was all just part of life in the animal kingdom. "Understandable, Vega. I'm not a hunter myself, far from it actually."

[Vega Van-Derveld]

Vega replied in a both vague and knowing tone, "Yes, that's right."

"It's just in my nature, I'm afraid," he added, though the way in which he spoke was not apologetic.

Thankfully for the conversations sake a waiter was approaching. Vega would have bet his fortune that promoting himself as a vicious predator was certainly not the way to ease or please the young Jedi.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay'Na sipped on her drink gingerly. So far, the evening was going well. Vega's aura still remained quite intoxicating to her, she allowed it to flow around her, it almost made her head swim. But, she liked the strange feeling and allowed it.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

Impeccably quick service was something the Bucket was famous for, and so it was no suprise to Vega to see the waiter serving up what food they had ordered so soon. Vega looked down at his platter, full of tens of tiny who knows whats in different colours, and smiled.

"Thanks."

He plucked one out of the group with his fork and took a small testing bite.

"Good as ever."

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay'Na smiled appreciatively as her platter was sat before her. A vast selection of different grilled vegetables served over a bed of white rice, with a strange-looking sause sat in front of her. Being a lover of nearly every vegetable imaginable, she took a taste. It was excellent.

"This is fantastic, Vega." She acknowledged as she finished the bite and took a sip of her drink. "I'm impressed." And she was.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

“Good,” Vega absently prodded a bit of his platter before opting for the easier method of picking it up in his hands.

He took a nibble, “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. It always seems so stuffy at the Order. You should come out with me sometimes... just to get away from that rigid life.”

[Quay'Na Rakai]

"I'd like that," She answered kindly. "I could use a break from all the training. Perhaps, you could show me around Coruscant, I've not been many places here, since my return."