EP

[last_kallig]

"As if I needed the reminder that my subsection of the Reclamation Service was built to fail," Ibani mutters as she walks in, staring at a datapad.

She looks up when she feels that she's in Milliways. "Thank the Force, I could use a drink."

Comments

[last_kallig]

Ibani flushes slightly as his grin grows lopsided and rakish. It shouldn't make her heart beat a little faster, but it does!

"Not unless you know someone willing to permanently relocate to a planet that's essentially a giant ball of ice," she replies.

"A team leader with a suspiciously high death date has suffered an unfortunate 'accident' on Hoth."

[moonandstar]

"How unlucky for him," Garyn says, drily. "So who's the lucky one who benefited from it, then?"

[last_kallig]

"The entire team, I suppose," Ibani replies. She leans against Garyn. "I didn't even KNOW until the accident prompted me to dig into his records, but he was a bully who was reckless with the lives of those under his care." Guilt flares hot and sharp across their connection.

"None of them would gain his rank, they're far too green for that. I suspect they just wanted him gone in the hope that whoever replaced him would be better."

Her smile turns wry. "Maneuvering one's superiors is an important skill, although I feel maneuvering them into an early grave should only be attempted after less final means have been tried."

[moonandstar]

"Indeed," Garyn says, his expression still a wry one. "And if you can ensure those final means won't be used on yourself.

"Say, by moving to a different city and making sure it can't be traced to you."

They should both remember that well.

[last_kallig]

"But of course."

Garyn is nice and warm, so she's just going to wrap an arm around him.

"I would have tried the Mind Trick on him, if normal means failed, but they didn't have that option."

[moonandstar]

"Hmmm," Garyn says. "Could be more or less fortunate for him, depending."

[last_kallig]

"Would have depended on the strength of his will. But, he's dead and now I have to scrape up someone with experience and send them to a planet where most of the year spit freezes before it hits the ground."

Ibani could lean into Garyn like this all day. "Would be an option for your superiors too, if you need it. I can be VERY persuasive."

[moonandstar]

"I will be in the army," Garyn says. "So perhaps.

"But on balance, I'd prefer not to do something that could get me sent to prison again unless I've no other options."

[last_kallig]

"Understandable," her fingers idly brush the tip of one of his ears.

"I wouldn't let them take you from me, but best to minimize risk." She's confident she could get Garyn OUT of anything his world might try, through he might need to relocate to her universe afterward.

"There might be something you could help with, on Nar Shaddaa. I have a team there I need to check on, and my cult."

Having a cult is still weird.

[moonandstar]

Garyn would prefer not to think about her having to do anything like that. So he moves on quickly.

"I was rather hoping you might say something like that."

[last_kallig]

"Careful now, I'll start to think you like danger," Ibani teases.

"Nar Shaddaa will be strange, there's no nature to speak of, just buildings built on top of buildings. The lowest levels are slums, and the most wealthy have palaces that float in the air."

[moonandstar]

"It seems to follow me," Garyn says. "So I'd be a fool to get upset about it."

He sighs.

"Well, hopefully there won't be any long aircar rides this time."

[last_kallig]

"We should be able to avoid aircars," Ibani replies, plotting routes in her head. "Will take a bit longer, of course, but it's possible."

She chuckles. "I had to reinforce my mental shields the first time I went to Narr Shaddaa. I'd never been on a planet with so many people before, the press of their emotions, their thoughts, was nearly overwhelming."

[moonandstar]

"The Imperial City is a village compared to the first planet you brought me to," Garyn says. "I shan't ever forget it."

[last_kallig]

"Nar Shaddaa is bigger than that, much bigger. Dromund Kaas has perhaps 500 million people on it, Nar Shaddaa has 85 billion."

"Most of its residents never see the sun, the light doesn't reach that far down." She reaches for his hand and squeezes gently.

[moonandstar]

"Gods," Garyn says. He seems more annoyed than awed at that fact.

"And I'd thought White-Gold Tower was impressive for going above the clouds."

[last_kallig]

She leans in to kiss him. "We've had a long, LONG, time to learn how to build things." Her eyes sparkle with mischief. "And make more people, of course."

[moonandstar]

Garyn holds her close for another kiss, then pulls away again, smiling lopsidedly, the way he knows she likes.

"Well, one sounds rather more appealing than the other."

[last_kallig]

"I rather thought so myself, although I do have an interest in building or making some very specific things." For particular people, at least.

"I'd been thinking of making a pendant for you, but I wasn't sure what designs you'd like or what would fit in in your world."

[moonandstar]

"Make whatever you'd like," Garyn says. "I don't give a damn if they ask questions about it."

He smiles.

"Speaking of new jewelry, I've acquired a new trinket. Came from a highwaywoman who thought she might get the better of me."

[last_kallig]

Ibani chuckles. "Very well then, I'll surprise you."

"Ooh, that sounds interesting. What did you find on her?"

[moonandstar]

"Not on her, on her partner in crime," Garyn says.

"When our strider was stopped at watering hole she played me with a ruse about having lost a ring in the pond. As I was searching for it, her friend fired an arrow at me. Bounced right off the armor you gave me."

He pulls an amulet out of his shirt pocket.

"She was concealing herself with this."

[last_kallig]

"Good," Ibani replies, smiling fiercely at the news that the arrow bounced off.

She carefully touches the amulet, examining it with the Force. "Do arrows usually bounce off of armor? Solid projectile weapons do exist in my universe, but they're rare. I've never seen one fired."

[moonandstar]

"If it's high-quality steel, it usually doesn't penetrate deeply enough to kill unless it's a powerful longbow or an enchanted weapon," Garyn says. "But bouncing off is rather rare."

[last_kallig]

Ibani smirks. "Then I bet they were quite surprised, briefly." If they didn't want to deal with otherworldly armor, they shouldn't have attacked Garyn!

"It feels a little like my force cloak. Something to help you blend in to the background?"