Stand Here And Wait (open)

[Je'gan Olra'en]

It really was an accident; Je'gan Olra'en had had absolutely rien to do with it. It just so happened, though, that he was within a hundred metres of the speeder when it ocurred.

First thing to catch his attention was the abrupt flaring in the back of his head that was usually connected with danger. He immediately dropped into a crouch in the middle of the walkway, getting odd looks from passersby, and looked sharply around. Nothing caught his eye off the bat. A further inspection above and below him yielded nothing.

Within five seconds a second thing caught his attention, a melodic chorus of screams. His head snapped up and to the left, where a speeder had just stopped dead in midair. Smoke was pouring from the repulsor compartment, and as he watched flames began to lick the vehicle's sides. Almost immediately he broke into a sprint for the catwalk closest to the distressed transport; using the Force, he practically doubled his speed.

The plan buried deep in his subconscious was to ingratiate oneself with a Jedi, prove innate 'saveability', and then turn the tables on them. To his mind the simplest and easiest way to get a Jedi's attention was to challenge them. Circumstances, however, dictated otherwise, forcing the Sithling to adopt a second course of action; charity, heroics, et cetera, all with a mental self-control that leaked nothing of his plans or the Dark Side of the Force. Self-control was his specialty; the guise was turning out to be moderately easy.

And considering that his weakness for charitable and honourable behaviour had been the reason for this escapade in the first place, he had to hand it to old Warlock, and the universe, for irony. Warlock for suggesting it, and the universe for the sheer unlikelihood of such an accident happening when and where he could help.

Je'gan cleared the last archway at the catwalk's end just as the speeder plummeted. Throwing caution to the winds, and realizing with a moment's glance over the side that the nearest surface directly under the speeder was almost a kilometre down, he vaulted the guardrail.

Less than a quarter-second later he hit the well-padded occupant of a luxury speeder. He shoved the man to the side, and spinning the controls through a hundred eighty horizontal degrees, steered for the falling vehicle. The young Sith forced himself to ignore the pained and aggravated wingeing of the former driver.

Stock of his options was easy to take. He had seconds to get the falling speeder's three passengers to safety. Thankfully he was catching up at a fast enough rate that he'd be even with the plummeting object long before impact. It was what to do once that happened that was the problem. The luxury vehicle he was driving didn't have even close to the necessary lift capacity to support its family-sized target. He might jump across, true, and throw the three to safety. He might maneuver below them and get them to jump.

But two of them were children too small to jump on their own, and too large for their haggard-looking caretaker to lift at once...that wasn't going to work.

He noted thankfully that the fat man had some idea of what was going on, and with several gestures Je'gan instructed him on what to do. The owner nodded, and a handful of seconds later the Sithling jumped down over the speeder's hood. He slid painfully on his hindquarters over trim and ornaments, then leapt free and hit the larger vehicle's roof.

The lightsaber in his land burned green as he set it more or less even with the roof and cut a long, thin slit in it; switching hands, he did the same once more, making a chevron. Then he squatted back and cut the last edge. The triangle of thin metal flapped free and got caught in the slipstream, whipping straight up relative to him. Absently he noted that the fat man had complied and his speeder was now edging below the damaged one.

He reached inside and grabbed the children by the scruffs of their necks, then forcibly pulled them free and tossed them over the side into the luxury car's passenger seat. By the time he turned back, the caretaker was half-out of the hole, propelled by panic; with a heave and a shove, she joined the kids.

Even from here, Je'gan could feel the fat man's anxiety distinct from the other three's. He could guess how close they were to the ground. With a Force-powered leap, he caught the edge of the decelerating small hovercar.

It was rough going there for a bit; decelerating from going that fast was proving difficult. Luckily, the driver had something approaching sentience; wiping sweat from an ample cheek, he steered for an opening between two skyscrapers and turned the speeder's course into a low - far too low - parabola. At the bottom, narrowly avoiding a jagged outcropping, Je'gan managed to hoist himself inside.

"That was stupid," Je'gan berated himself. "Stupid, stupid..." But a look at the children wedged between he and the caretaker more or less reversed that attitude.

Less than twenty minutes later, he was on the verge of letting vent his anger again as the corpulent driver dropped the four of them off unceremoniously in plain sight, in the middle of a large mall-like platform. Dropping him was one thing...the kids were quite another thing altogether, and that was plain inconsiderate of...

He hissed once and let his anger dissipate. "Come on," he told the caretaker. "Let's get you home."

[Garrett Blade]

OOC: Wrong button! :p

[Ceres Duvall]

Things had been hard on her for a long time, and she decided that she needed a little rest and relaxation. Of course, there was no way to truly get there, so she did the only thing that would get her closer to feeling at home. She went to the planet that she and her pilot friend Davnon had gone to, and rented out a hotel room for a week. It didn't feel the same, but at least she was within the peace and quiet of an upper floor where shouts could not be heard from passersby. Only the gentle hum of speeders dully roared through the glass windows, and yet this was not a bother to her at all.

Davnon had offered to come with her, but she felt that she needed the time off on her own to think. She had almost lost her life because she was a silly childish fool who thought that running away would solve nothing. If she had, maybe she would have saved herself the trouble. If she had gone to a Jedi master, maybe she could have learned how to better defend herself against the Sith woman who sought her out obsessively.

She was laying on her bed, dozing off slightly on top of the sheets, without bothing to change into anything suitable for sleep. It wasn't even time for that, she just felt so tired anyways. But her rest would not last for long. Outside of the window she heard a bang from outside, followed by several screams. Startled, Ceres bolted upright and ran towards the windows. She opened one of them and looked towards her left.

She could see that a fire had broke out within a speeder, the cries for help emitting from within. By the time she had arrived to peer out, a young man had jumped in for a rescue attempt. She didn't even bother to watch for very long, she immediatly ran towards her door and hurried down the hallway in a sprint. Once in the lobby, she exited through the double doors and out onto the platform to get a better look. From what she could see, the speeder was way past her by now, so she kept running until she arrived at a mall.

Through her entire race, she tried to think quickly on how she could help, but her mind was running blank. She hadn't learned anything quite yet that would help in this situation. She was still just a new apprentice, and nothing she knew thus far would save these people in distress.

But with a glance towards the sky, she saw the young man still in the middle of his rescue. And within moments, they had landed on the platform. People screamed from every direction, dodging and running from the crash site.

She could see children amongst them and her heart sank with pity. She absolutely loved children and hoped that they were not traumatized physically or mentally.

"Is everyone okay?" She called, partially breathless from running.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Looks like it," Je'gan responded, smiling tiredly at Ceres. "I'm just glad fat-boy's car was where it was.

"I'm fairly lost in this neighbourhood, though, and I want to get the children checked out. Can you direct us to a first-aid station, Ms...?"

[Ceres Duvall]

She approached the accident closer, kneeling down beside the children as she spoke to Je'gan.

"Ceres, Ceres Duvall. And I'm not too familiar either, but I do think that there is a first-aid station just inside this building." She motioned towards the shopping center. "I've seen one close to the entrance before."

She looked over each child, then to the other passengers.

"They just look a bit shaken, but it's better safe than sorry." She said, taking the children's hands. "I'll lead the way. Can he walk?"

Her gaze met with the heavy man, who looked so utterly frightened from the ordeal that he was going to pass out or something.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Duvall," he said cheerily, starting to usher the kids towards the door she'd indicated.

"And I doubt he'll need to walk..." Je'gan's unfriendly gaze was turned on the fat man, whose ostentatious speeder was even now beginning to inch away from the platform. "Next on my list after getting these people taken care of, is finding some way to get them home. Rogue or not, I'm still Jedi, and I really couldn't leave them here like he just did." With a shake of his head, he turned back towards the probable location of the medicentre.

[Ceres Duvall]

Ceres stopped and motioned to the fat man.

"Sir, please, we're just trying to help. Follow us." Her gaze turned to Je'gan, her voice still cheerful. "No matter how cold hearted he's been towards his children, that's no reason to just leave him behind."

The fat man caught up finally, just as the two had led the children towards the door with a medical sign labeled on it. One of the children burst out crying again as soon as he saw this, apparently terrifyed of the idea of treatment.

"It's okay, they're just going to make sure you're not hurt. And then, if you're good, I'll make sure that you both get some candy. Okay?" Ceres said, squeezing the wailing child's hand.

The child nodded, as he looked towards his plump father. The man was completely out of breath from the half jog he had to take in order to catch up. As soon as they entered the medicentre doors, he plopped right down in a chair and began to fan himself with both fat hands.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"I don't think they're his children, Miss Duvall," Je'gan replied over his shoulder as he approached the desk.

"These children were in an accident," he said briefly to the woman there. "I'd like to get them checked up, as soon as possible..." He flashed a coin, and the first-aider's movements sped up by a factor of about three. "Here," she fussed while gathering the kids in. "Let's take a look at you, shall we?"

Je'gan watched until he was reasonably sure of her competance, then turned back to Ceres. "No," he said. "Fat-boy's not their father. He was just driving the speeder I appropriated to help them out.

"Thank you for your help, Miss Duvall." He nodded, but somewhere in there it turned into a courtly bow. "If there's any way I can make your time up to you..."

[Ceres Duvall]

"Oh, well that just goes to show my eye for genes." She laughed faintly, barely embarrassed by her tiny mistake.

She watched the first-aid woman approach, take the children, then leave. Each child still looked utterly terrifyed, but at least they'd be taken care of now.

"No," Je'gan said. "Fat boy's not their father. He was just driving the speeder I appropriated to help them out.

Thenk you for your held, Miss Duvall."

He bowed and finished. "If there's any way I can make your time up to you..."

Ceres blinked and shook her head, smiling. "Oh it was no problem. You did all of the work, not me. I was just there to help you find the first-aid station. I like being helpful whenever I can."

By this time another medic had approached the plump stranger and he too was led away to be taken care of.

"I do wish to help you led them home, though..." She said, realizing just then that she didn't know his name. "Oh! I'm so sorry, I forgot to ask you what your name is. I didn't mean to be so rude."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"It's Olra'en, Je'gan Olra'en," he responded. "And it's not rude at all, to me; few people nowadays are that polite. Tangle with a Sith and they don't even give so much as a by-your-leave before slamming you or stabbing you or electrocuting you. That you bothered with niceties is the mark of someone who's a bit above the norm in this day and age.

"I'd really appreciate your company, too. Herding three people through suburban Coruscant is not something I'm terribly anxious to do on my own. An extra pair of eyes is a wonderful thing."

[Ceres Duvall]

Ceres nodded as he mentioned the Sith's common inability of being polite. "Thats so true. I've learned it first hand just how much they'll strike first and ask questions later."

"I'd really appreciate your company, too. Herding three people through suburban Coruscant is not something I'm terribly anxious to do on my own. An extra pair of eyes is a wonderful thing." He said.

"Sure. and children are known to wander off, heaven forbid that they did here."

She held her hand out to him and smiled. "Nice to meet you though, Je'gan."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"A pleasure...Ceres," he responded, shaking her hand warmly.

"They seem just fine, besides some minor shock." the first-aider said, and Je'gan nodded. She continued. "Get them home, or to a familiar location, and feed them."

"Thank you for your help." He gathered up the two children and their shellshocked caretaker and began to herd them back through the door, counting on Ceres to keep a watch out.

[Ceres Duvall]

"They seem just fine, besides some minor shock," the medic that had taken the children moments ago said. "Get them home, or to a familiar location, and feed them."

"Thank you for your help." Jegan said, as he gathered the two children, the pudgy man in tow.

"Thank you." Ceres said, following the four of them out of the door.

When they arrived outside, the proper authorities had arrived to take care of the clean up of the debris from the accident. Of course, the speeder had long fallen off the edge. and a group of people were gathered along it to look down at it's landing spot.

"Do you know where we're taking them or haven't you asked yet?"

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"No need to ask," Je'gan replied with a grin, brandishing a trio of ID cards. "Floor 66, 147 Keman Avenue, Terr Sector. Let's go."

He turned and waved down a cab, which screeched to a halt six inches from impact with his midriff. The driver was unrepentant; afer sending him a cold stare, the young Sith opened the passenger door.

"Ladies first...I'll get the kids."

[Ceres Duvall]

When she saw the ID cards, she smiled. "Good, that'll save us some time asking them."

When Je'gan stopped, the rest of them followed his example and stopped about two feet behind him. This proved to be just out of bounds in a safe region from the dangerous driving of the cab driver. Ceres jumped, startled.

"Oh! Are you alright, Je'gan?" She yelped, the cold glare from the cab driver turning to her immediatly.

He didn't answer right away, ushering her towards the car. "Ladies first... I'll get the kids."

The driver muttered under his breath in a language Ceres couldn't understand. Now she knew that the stereotype for cab drivers was true, or at least in this one.

Ceres squeezed herself into the back seat, offering her hand out to help the children into the back seat as well. Meanwhile, the alien watched them in his review mirror, obviously disapproving having the children in his cab.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Just fine, Ceres.

"Scoot over, please," Je'gan asked the caretaker, and she skidded farther in. The Sithling winced as he saw the tight circumstances of the passenger area; nevertheless, he got in and shut the door, sitting as tight as possible to the window to give the other four some room.

"Where to?" the driver buzzed with a very strong accent, and Je'gan's nose wrinkled. "Floor 66, 147 Keman Avenue, Terr Sector," he read again, and stuffed the cards into a pocket.

The speeder bounced up into the air, and took off at an alarming rate. Je'gan felt himself physically thrown back by the acceleration, and braced himself with both elbows, glad for the covered roof that more or less prevented him from flying over the seats' backs. Gradually, though, the ride stabilized, and he was able to sit in something approaching comfort.

They pulled up a bare handful of minutes later on a platform near a suburban-hah!-highrise, and Je'gan thankfully opened the door.

As the last child before Ceres crawled out of the cab's back end, the driver squeaked once and then broke into basic. He named a figure that was, from the young man's admittedly unrefined knowledge of local prices, a good bit too high. Nevertheless, Je'gan forked over the chit and the driver sped off.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Tough part of the trip done..."

[Garrett Blade]

"Yes, I completely understand where you're coming from. But you must understand me when I say that I'm not the same guy I used to be. A lots happened."

Garrett was sitting on a bench overlooking the airways. There was a small childrens grass-covered play-area not too far away, with several traders stalls dotted around, including two food vendors, a candy stall and a news hut. As he sat in the friendly niche on Keman Avenue, with his dark brown coat and his blue pants, he looked at his watch. Realising the time, he continued.

"I never said that! Now don't go putting words into my mouth. All I said was that it might take a little longer to complete."

From a distance, it might have looked like he was talking to someone over comlink. But the only thing he had, aside from his clothing, was a recording device shaped like a thin cylinder. So who was he talking to?

"Of course I've started it. What do you take me for? A rank amateur? I'm a professional...."

His eyes drifted over to the group of people who had just exited a cab that had already gotten to the gone. He looked at them, somewhat bemused as to why they were staring at him.

[Ceres Duvall]

As Je'gan squeezed in, Ceres felt the child's elbow digging into her side. She yelped slightly, but the little stranger managed to pull his arm free into a more comfortable position. The second child squirmed and whined a bit, pushing her brother into Ceres and pleading for him to move over. The jolt of acceleration broke the squabble up, sending all of the passangers into a temporary cling for life. Of course they couldn't fall out but the driver had given no warning that he was going to be moving the speeder that quickly from standstill.

When the cab stopped finally at their destination, Je'gan stepped out first and helped each of his fellow passengers out. Last was Ceres, who felt as though she had been deflated and inflated again.

As she exited the cab, she noticed a stranger watching them and felt a bit uneasy. She took the children's hands and looked around.

"Alright, let's get you home now." She looked towards Je'gan and smiled, glad that he was there now that they were in the presence of a strange man in the distance. Two pairs of eyes proved useful in cases like this.

The children, now over their shock of nearly dying, were now carefree again, and fighting with one another. The sister poked at her brother from around Ceres' body, the brother digging in his pocket for spitballs to throw.

Once Je'gan had paid off the cab driver, the speeder sped off without so much as a "have a nice day" from the last occupent. Ceres had never met anyone ruder, but felt that maybe he was just having a bad day. Everyone had some good in them somewhere deep inside. So she couldn't hate anyone, not even the cab driver.

"Everyone ready?"Ceres asked.

The young girl began to cry as a spitball lodged right into her ear, her brother snickering hysterically. Ceres looked down at each and handed the boy's hand to Je'gan.

"Maybe this will keep them from fighting for a bit until we get them home."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Absently Je'gan took the boy's hand, his gaze riveted on the man sitting on the bench.

"Maybe, yes." He glanced around and spotted the door to the highrise. "C'mon," he said, half to the now-whimpering boy and half to Ceres. He nodded his head in the door's direction.

"This is home, isn't it?" The caretaker nodded, and Je'gan surged ahead, tapping the controls to the door with his free hand.

[Garrett Blade]

As Garrett glared at the people staring at him, a little birdy landed on his shoulder and began muttering riddles and nothings into his ear. It seems things aren't always what they seem. As the birdy flew away Garretts eyes focused on the man. Something subtle happened to cause the man to look his way. Maybe it was the wind blowing. Maybe it was the children in the swings. Or the traffic less than four metres away. Whatever it was it wa sundeen. But it worked. He'd gotten the mans attention. And in that brief moment while the group of people were were about to enter the high-rise dwellings, he mimed to him...

*I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE*

He idly looked away, spying a rather attractive woman singing out on her balcony across the airway in an opposite building.

[Ceres Duvall]

Ceres led the way, not realizing what was going on with the man and Je'gan. When she realized that she had stepped too far ahead of Je'gan, she turned around and blinked.

"Is something wrong?"

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"I'm...not sure," he answered slowly, black gaze riveted on Blade. "I don't...think so." Only years of practicing self-control stopped him from checking that the lightsaber still hung on his belt.

"Are you...armed, Ceres?"

[Ceres Duvall]

"No, I'm not. I don't have a master anymore and haven't been given a new one yet. So my training hasn't progressed enough for me to carry a lightsaber yet. Plus I'm not too fond of blasters."

The caretaker stood in the doorway of the building, ushering the children inside.

"Thank you." The caretaker said, not truly acting that grateful as they disappeared into their home.

"You're welcome." Ceres said.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

The part of Je'gan's mind that wasn't focused on the stranger reeled. Within moments, though, his self-control was in good enough shape that he could talk without revealing his feelings.

"You're a Jedi?"

[Ceres Duvall]

"I'm sorry. I sometimes forget that not everybody knows that since I'm only used to talking to fellow apprentices or Jedi."

She turned away from the doorway in which their "cargo" had disappeared through.

"But I'm not a jedi yet. I'm just an apprentice. But I hope to finish my training soon."

She clasped her hands in front of her.

"You know, I'd hate to just go back to my hotel room when the day is so young. Would you like to go get something to eat, my treat. Call it a reward for helping those people."

A smile crossed her face again, something that was hardly ever absent.

"Not many people would help complete strangers. It's nice to know that there are some nice guys still out there."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"And the same of course applies to you! You just did the same thing that I did!

"Of course I'll accept your offer, but on one condition." Je'gan held up a finger. "The drinks are on me."

[Ceres Duvall]

She smiled, glad to have met someone new and friendly on this relaxing getaway. It had been a while since she had been able to talk to someone without looking over her shoulder.

"Alright. Drinks are on you, but I'm paying for the food." She said.

She glanced around curiously. "Where do you suggest? I'm not too familiar with this area, only the area around where we started."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"And I don't have the slightest clue where we are, aside from the address. I've been on Coruscant a few times, but never h-wait." He trained his eyes on a large building several kilometres distant, one with a distinctive spire.

"Actually, I think I do know where we are. See that tall building, the one with the three-sided spire?" He pointed. "It was right around there that I...mmm...got tangled up in something I shouldn't have. Sith Mistress, Jedi Apprentice, another Sith Mistress, very long story. There's a cantina nearby." He began to walk in that general direction, plotting out in his head what walkways should take the pair of them to the location he remembered.

[Ceres Duvall]

Ceres nodded as he explained about how he knew where a cantina was.

"Well, I guess something good came out of that confrontation. Or else we'd have to take another taxi. The last one wasn't very pleasant at all."

She began to follow him, keeping her eyes open since she knew very well that these streets were dangerous, no matter what time of the day it was.

"I hope you're right. Wouldn't want to get lost here."

[Garrett Blade]

I wasn't easy for a nine-feet tall man to shadow someone for too long without being noticed. Unlesss of course you're in a worldqwide metropolis full of exotic and strange aliens of varying shapes and sized. And so Garrett waked, not too far behind them. Near enough to see where they went but with enough distance to allow a quick getaway should he be spotted. He pondered to himself as he followed the valiant heroes.

*Hmm. What are you up to I wonder...*

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"True enough."

Abruptly, Je'gan thought of the man who'd been watching them, and spun on his feet to look back the way they had come. His breath caught as he saw that the bench was empty. He scanned everything he could see, but if the man was nearby he'd blended in rather well.

Sighing and putting a hand to his lightsaber, he turned back to Ceres to strike up a conversation; this would be a very, very long walk otherwise.

"You know, I just realized that we really know very little about one another. This is, of course," he continued in a droll tone, "a wholly unacceptable state of affairs.

"You go first, I think. What are you like, besides being willing to drop everything and help someone in trouble?"

[Ceres Duvall]

Ceres smiled. "You're right, but we were so busy with getting those people home so I guess it's alright that we haven't said much about eachother."

They turned a corner and kept moving, Ceres completely unaware of the follower since she hadn't been trained to realize that they were being followed quite yet.

"I like to write poetry and relax in parks and just watch the sky. Reading too, although I really haven't had the chance to pick up a book in a long time."

She looked at Je'gan, wondering why he looked alert. But then she remembered where they were and brushed this off.

"What about you?"

[Je'gan Olra'en]

He sighed deeply.

"I don't believe how dry this sounds...

"I read. A lot. I've devoured almost thirteen thousand pages of arcana in the past month alone.

"I fight. Not as much as I read, but quite a bit. Teras Kasi, and fencing.

"I like things that are comfortable. Warmth, soft things, beautiful colours and sounds. Ooh, yes, sounds. I sing whenever I can.

"That's more or less my life, in the proverbial nutshell. A bit pathetic, I guess..."

[Ceres Duvall]

"Oh no! It's not pathetic. You enjoy a lot of things that sound challenging. I think thats wonderful because it just means you're intelligent. Those things are better hobbies than murder or drug dealing, which runs rampent here and other places."

"Fencing sounds like fun. I'd like to learn sometime."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"It's an old, old skill. Not too many people practice it anymore; I was lucky to find one on my homeworld. Since then I've only met two others, and both of them were Jedi.

"There's a reason for that, too. There's this lightsaber style called Form Two...it's not terribly common, and it's abysmal against blaster fire but it's perfect for fighting against bladed weapons. In substance it's really almost identical to standard fencing, add a stance here, alter another there. It's fairly old as well, dating back to the first Sith Wars or before, and while it's a whole other style to learn, with Sith and Dark Jedi everywhere it's well worth it.

"Gaah..." He shook his head. "I'm babbling."

[Ceres Duvall]

Ceres laughed lightly and shook her head.

"No you're not. I find it interesting. You don't have to worry about boring me. I'm an open mind for everything everyone has to say."

"Keep going."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Je'gan spread his hands. "Unless you find something fascinating about ancient history books, two things happen. One; I run out things to talk about. Two; it becomes your turn again." He grinned.

[Ceres Duvall]

"And if it became my turn by any chance, I'd just bore you." She laughed.

"But that won't happen because I do find acient history fascinating. So you can talk about it all you want to me. I wouldn't mind at all."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

OOC/ Can't believe I forgot all about this thread...gaaah...

IC/ "Well, then..."

After a moment's thought, Je'gan launched into a slightly biased narrative of all the Sith arcana he'd studied in recent months, in incredible levels of detail.

Biased, however, in favour of the Jedi. Subtly, but biased.

[Ceres Duvall]

Ceres listened without looking like she was bored at all. She didn't interrupt either, since that was very rude. But by the time that Je'gan finished, they had arrived at the building that Je'gen pointed out earlier.

"I think this is it."

There was music drifting out from within the closed double doors, and several people were either going in or out.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Perhaps, the Sithling found himself musing, he'd gone on for a bit too long. Nevertheless, more matters pressed; this was indeed the place.

"Yep," he said finally, holding the door open for Ceres. "This is it."

[Ceres Duvall]

Ceres smiled at him as he held the door open. "A gentleman too. You just can't be real."

As she walked inside, a rude man pushed her aside as he tried to exit at the same time, grumbling to himself.

"Move it." He said.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

In a blur of motion, Je'gan swung the door farther open and propped it with his foot. His hands shot out, grabbing the man by both lapels and bringing the two of them nose to nose.

"Apologize," he said in a matter-of-fact tone, breathing unlaboured despite the speed of his actions. "Now." If he was affected by being this close to someone who was larger and stronger than he was, he didn't let it show.

[Garrett Blade]

A split-second can seem like a lifetime when you've been alive as long as Garrett. And in this particular split-second Garrett, who was leaning against a wall across the street, was able to make eye-contact with the rude man before Je'gan and Ceres. He subtly rubbed his forehead with his middle finger before flicking his wrist away from his head in the direction of Jegan. Garrett craftily incited a great rage inside the man, causing him to lash out at Je'gan, who naturally took a step back. This gave the man a chance to reach for the nearest thing which could be considered a weapon in the wrong hands - a chair. He threatened Je'gan in between throwing a series of malicious glares at Ceres.

Garrett tittered to himself on the other side of the street as he asked a nearby street merchant for a newspaper.

[Ceres Duvall]

Ceres gasped as Je'gan grabbed the man, but was too late to tell him that his violence was unnessary by time the stranger had lashed out at him.

"No! Please, don't fight!"

Ceres tried to pull the man's arm away from Je'gan, being that she could do nothing with the force, but was quickly pushed aside.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Perfectly calm, Je'gan avoided the chair and came up inside the man's 'guard', if it could really be called that. His hands moved, fast enough that they blurred, and the man collapsed writhing on the ground.

"I'm sorry," Je'gan said, compassion and sorrow written across face and psyche. He tossed his erstwhile foe a comlink. "Call a friend. Preferably one that has a tendon stapler handy."

Then he turned back to Duvall. "Sorry, Ceres," he said, voice now a bit unsure. "I...lost my temper, I guess." In the ruckus he hadn't noticed the telltale Force signature of Blade's actions. For all he knew, the giant was miles away.

And then he glanced out the door, and saw Garrett Blade buying a newspaper and laughing his head off, and somehow Je'gan Olra'en knew that he was in severe trouble.

[Ceres Duvall]

Ceres, never knowing how anger felt, didn't understand how he could have lost his temper. But she was also the forgiving type and nodded as he apologized.

"It's okay.. Just please, if I'm with you, don't fight. I really don't like violence, unless it's truly necessary."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Je'gan sighed, deeply. "I know, believe me I know. Violence is rarely the only solution." Abruptly, he grinned.

"It's the chivalry in me, getting in my way. Always happens. Even when I was on Corellia..." He trailed off. "Yeah. Corellia. Now that's somewhere you definitely do not want to go. Well travelled I may not be, but Corellia's reputation understates things, if anything."

[Ceres Duvall]

Ceres nodded, the smile returning to her face.

"Well then, let's get back to getting something to eat. Lets just hope the food isn't as bad as the manners here." She joked.
.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Je'gan nodded and proceeded to a small, round table inside the cantina. Four chairs encircled it; all were unoccupied. He almost sat, then snapped his fingers and pulled out a chair for Ceres.

"Waiter!" he called half-jokingly, and looked around. A little droid's head popped up several tables away, and with a whine of gears audible even over the tavern's hubbub, it scooted over to them on a unicycle wheel.

[Ceres Duvall]

When the droid stopped, it kind of teeter-tottered on it's one wheel, it's rather large "eyes" gazing from Ceres to Je'gan.

"Good evening, Madam and Sir. I am Serving Bot 360P, and I will be your humble waiter tonight." The little robot said, his voice mechanical and almost rusty in sound. "Have you decided on some drinks or would you prefer to see the menu first and order everything all at once?"

"I already know what I want." Ceres said, looking at Je'gan. "What about you?"

[Davnon Starr]

He knew very well that Ceres had wanted some alone time ever since she recovered from their last encounter with Zatania. She was still somewhat weak from whatever it was Zatania had done to her, which worried Davnon beyond everything else. He had spent so long with her that he cared about her, although it confused him since he wasn't used to caring for anyone at all. After all, he'd been a pilot for hire on his own for so long, he never had a co pilot, and never had siblings or anything.

And now here he was, standing stupidly in the middle of some place he didn't recognize. How had he managed to get lost at a time like this? This didn't look like the neighorhood they had stayed at in the hotel when they were fleeing Zatania..

With a sigh, Davnon looked towards a cantina and thought he might as well ask for directions. It may not have been the best of places to ask for where to go, but he felt more comfortable in a crowd than in a dark ally with a stranger.

When he entered, he looked around for someone that looked somewhat non-threatening, a bag slung over his shoulder as though he were some kind of nomad.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

The young man's attention was caught by the sound of the door opening and shutting. He glanced up and took quick stock of the newcomer, before looking back at the droid and then to Ceres.

"Ah, yes. I know what I want as well." He blinked once.

[Ceres Duvall]

When he didn't start ordering right off the bat, she took this as the go ahead to order for herself first. Hoping she was right and not being rude, she looked at the droid to begin ordering.

"I'll have the house special, easy on the spices, and a glass of soda with no ice."

She had noticed just a moment ago that Je'gan's eyes had averted to the door. From sheer curiousity Ceres looked and spotted Davnon immediatly. A bit disappointed that he had disobeyed her wishes, her heart sank, but she was still very happy to see his face all the same. She loved seeing friends, even when she wanted to just relax and forget certain events that had involved them.

"I wonder what he's doing here.." She said, mostly to herself but loud and clear enough for others around her to hear.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

The droid hummed once, nodded in a satisfied kind of way, and turned to Je'gan. "A kai'saar salad." he said. "And a medium chocolate milk." The young man watched as it sped away on it's single wheel.

"I wonder what he's doing here..."

Je'gan glanced again at the new arrival. "Friend of yours?"

[Ceres Duvall]

"Yeah, we traveled together for a long time and went through some rough times."

She looked towards Je'gen and sighed. "But I told him not to follow me. He's a friend, but I need some time on my own for a while."

Davnon had travelled along the cantina until he reached the bar and started talking to the bartender who stood behind the counter cleaning glasses. From there, he dropped his heavy looking bag and sat on one of the stools, rubbing his opposite shoulder with his left hand.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"He looks...tired," Je'gan commented. "Careworn.

"What sorts of places?" His out-of-the-blue question wasn't intended to throw her; maybe it did, maybe it didn't, he wasn't sure. "What sorts of times, travels?"

[Davnon Starr]

"I ain't tellin ya nuthin until you're a paying customer. Now beat it." The bartender said, slamming the glass he was tenderly cleaning onto the bartop.

"Thats silly! I supposed you'll make me pay for the air I'm breathing in here too?" Davnon asked.

The bartender pondered for a moment, his unkempt fingernails tapping on the sides of the greasy glass. "You know, that ain't such a bad idea. Now I'll have to throw ya out if you don't buy anything."

Davnon groaned and reached into his pocket then threw it onto the counter. "FINE! I'll have a Corellian Ale."

The bartender picked up the glass he had been attempting to clean, but from the looks of it, he had only made it worse. A lump formed in Davnon's throat as he scrambled to add something else to his order.

"And not that glass, please."

[Ceres Duvall]

"We've been here, as well as on Tatooine and other planets. It was hard to keep track of everywhere we went since we never stayed for very long. It's like that when you're trying to run away from someone." Her voice began to sound distant as she looked down at the table.

[Davnon Starr]

When the bartender handed him his drink, he snatched it away and turned around in his stool, propping his elbows up on the edge of the countertop.

"Pfft, why do I always get idiots like this?" Davnon whispered to himself.

He lifted his glass to his lips, his eyes scanning the crowd. And just as he did so, he spotted a familiar face in the crowd. Or rather, just the familiar beautiful head of curly blonde hair. Either he was mistaking the woman for someone else or it was her. What would she be doing in a dump like this?

He stood up and attempted to take a step towards the table when the bartender grunted at him.

"Dontcha have a question needin answerin?"

"Just a minute, I just need to talk to someone and I'll be right back." Davnon said, narrowing his eyes in an irritated manner.

"Ghn, kids these days.." The bartender muttered, returning to his doomed dirty glass with the disgustingly filthy washrag.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Running? From who?"

[Ceres Duvall]

A woman named Zatania.." Ceres said, sure that Je'gan would be able to take care of himself if Zatania ever decided to attack him for simply knowing her name. "To put a long story short, she was reincarnated through me, stole my body and gave me another, and has been plotting to kill me for the past few years. At first she just wanted to destroy me so she wouldn't be afraid of me taking my body back. But now... she knows her true motive and she's even more relentless now."

"Ceres?" A voice said from behind her.

She looked over her shoulder at Davnon and smiled faintly. "Hi, Davnon.."

[Davnon Starr]

"What are you doing in a cantina? I thought you were supposed to be safe in the hotel." Davnon said, not trying very hard to hide his worry.

She appeared to be frustrated with him, which wasn't surprising since he had come here against her wishes, knowing full well what he was doing.

"I thought I told you not to follow me." Ceres said.

"Well I..." Davnon sighed and stopped, knowing that it was no excuse in a woman's eyes.

"I'm safe, Je'gan's with me it's not like I'm alone." She looked towards the man sitting across from her and motioned towards Davnon then back. "Je'gan, Davnon. Davnon, Je'gan."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

.

[Garrett Blade]

Disposing of the newspaper, Garrett retreated into a nearby alleyway. Even at this time of the late morning it was quite gloomy in the backstreets of Coruscant. He approached a suspicious-looking gang of miscreants, who immediately pulled out several bladed weapons, threatening to end him should he refuse to comply with their demands.

Thanks to a rather loud ruckus out on the street between two transport pilots, nobody heard the screams in the alley

OOC: I'm glad you waited, but you should have just carried on since I can fit around anything that happens. Sorry if it buggered things up.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

OOC/ Yeah, well...we really should have waited longer.

Guess this next post is mine once I finish reposting...

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"A pleasure, Davnon," the young Sith responded, shaking the man's hand. "Nice to meet a friend of Ceres'"

[Davnon Starr]

Davnon nodded towards Je'gan as he shook his hand, a little wary about him for some odd reason. "How did you two meet?..."

Ceres shifted uncomfortably in her chair, knowing that her answer would not be approved of and would only make Davnon like a nagging brother.

"We just met a little while ago. He saved some people from dying in a speeder accident."

Davnon nodded but didn't say anything for a moment, then broke the silence. "Well... Thats uh... quite a feat."

[Garrett Blade]

Several rowdy-looking young men entered the establishment and made their way over to the bar. Due to their attire and unfriendly demeanors, all eyes were fixed on them. This allowed Garrett to slip in relatively unnoticed. He sat in a booth and kept low, resting his head in his arms as if asleep on the table. The disgruntled gang began glaring at nearby customers. One of them eyed Je'gan before turning their attention to Ceres...

"Thats a nice purse you got there, pretty lady!" mimed Garrett, yet the words came from the mouth of one of the youthes, who unsheathed a lethal-looking dagger and waved it about in front of them. A smile slithered its way across Garretts lips as he watched from beneath his hood.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

The Sithling was about to reply feebly-what could one really say to something like that?-when he was more or less 'saved' by the youths' interruptions.

"Listen here," he said quietly, a bit too quietly. "Listen," he said again, this time getting some attention.

"You will now leave, with or without major appendages."

And that didn't work. Brash kids that they were-probably about Je'gan's own age-they chuckled. They waved knives around.

He pinched the top of his nose between thumb and forefinger, and looked down at the table. There were few ways to deal with something like this.

"The pretty lady is a Jedi. I am a Sith. Consider yourself dead and/or gone. Actually...she doesn't like violence. So merely consider yourself gone, or I much to my regret I may have to disobey her wishes."

[Ceres Duvall]

Davnon apparently didn't approve of Je'gan even further the moment he heard the word "sith". And it didn't seem to make the punks believe him either.

"What are a Jedi and Sith doing getting dinner together? That doesn't make sense!" One of them said. "Stop making up stories and just hand over your money."

This was one of those moments that Ceres wished that she had furthered her training enough to make these goons go away with a wave of her hand. But she was as helpless as they were to any force attack. If Je'gan wished to do so, he could toss them around like rag dolls if his training had progressed that far.

"Please, just go. He's not lying and I don't want to see anyone get hurt."