[MillietheWarrior]

Sev chuckled, a rare smile crossing his face instead of his usual smirk. “You’ll adapt pretty quickly. It’s not...” He paused. It was way different than what she was used to. How did you explain and entire planet of city-life to someone who’d spent most of their own sheltered life in a jungle and small, tiny cities? He wondered if Aerowyn would freak out, then scratched that idea; he knew her well enough to know she’d probably just blink a couple times and ignore whatever it was that was insanely weird to her. “-It’s not so bad,” he finished lamely, stepped out of the hatch into the waning sunlight. Boss, Fixer and Scorch were waiting for them. Boss and Fixer had removed their helmets, looking rather impatient as they waited for their remaining squad member and castaway to join them.

“Hurry up you two lovebirds,” Scorch called, and was promptly smacked upside the head by Boss. Sev smirked at his squad mates, waving his hand in the air lightly in a signal to ‘keep going’ and to just leave him and Aerowyn to their own devices. He could hear Scorch complaining about the 'lack of respect in this shabla squad' as they made their way to the barracks. Sev turned slightly to glance at Aerowyn. “Well, home sweet home,” he growled. “Welcome to Coruscant.” He motioned with his hand to the expanse of giant building in the near distance. The sun cast an orange glow across the city, bathing Sev and the barracks in a soft, sunset light.

He glanced up at the pilot in the cockpit of the LAAT/I, listening as his fellow clone started up the drivers to take his ship back to the hangar. Sev motioned Aerowyn over to him quickly, not wanting her to be blown over by the ship as it took off. “So, what do you think?” he asked, gesturing towards the city. “Pretty nice, isn’t it?” The commando glanced back at her, sizing her up quietly. “I think the first thing we should do with our R&R is to find you some armor and teach you how to use a real weapon.” He smirked, clearly pleased with his plan of action, and nodded towards the barracks. “Come on. We’ve got to figure out how to get you settled around here. It’s not every day that we get women hanging out around here…”

[16/29, 5, 5/10, 5/10]

[Flame]

Although she still seemed somewhat dubious, she set her resolve determinedly. ”I’ll take your word for it,” she replied, although she meant it literally. It turned out that Sev’s conjecture on how she would take to this completely unfamiliar planet was actually quite accurate. As she followed him out of the ship, she was rather glad that he had stopped for a moment, as if knowing that she would need a little while to let everything sink in. For a few seconds, all she could do was stare as a world which seemed as if it were pulled straight out of a fairytale materialized around her. A planet which seemed to be composed entirely of metal - forming skyscrapers and spires of every imaginable design, it was as if she had been thrown into some otherworldly forest, lit by a dazzling array of colors and light in almost every corner as the sun began to settle beyond the horizon. It took all of her restraint not to gape at the breathtaking sight, and she had the urge to pinch herself, half convinced that this could only be found in a dream.

It took her a beat or two longer than it normally would to regain her composure, and only then because the ship which had shuttled them here had started up again, threatening to knock her over with a blast of wind from its engines before she finally managed to rejoin Sev, now at least somewhat reconciled with her new surroundings. ”Considering it’s the first metropolis of its type that I’ve ever seen, I wouldn’t exactly know what would qualify as being ‘nice’.” She managed a small smile as she glanced up at Sev, who was currently the only familiar entity to her on this whole planet. ”It’s certainly made an impression though, if that’s saying anything.” It was true, she hadn’t really seen much outside of where her assignments had taken her, so most everything was new to her: This just happened to be a much larger leap of the imagination than she could have conceived. For the time being, the cynical side of her personality seemed to be quelled, but if anyone knew Aerowyn, they could be quite certain that it would soon be back, as soon as she had gotten over her initial surprise.

”Lead on,” she finally said, sounding theatrically resigned. ”It looks like you finally get your chance to play host,” she added with another small smile. She found it somewhat amusing that despite everything that had just happened, here she was, still trailing after him, just as she had been a few days ago, back at the base in Tengel. Looking around at the glowing city once more, she followed Sev towards the barracks. Welcome to her new ‘Home Sweet Home’.

[MillietheWarrior]

The next day...

Sev glanced around the corner, his eyes roaming around the hangar to see if there was anyone present. Luckily, only a few maintenance droids were whirring about, making their daily rounds as they checked and inspected each individual ship. Sev turned to look over his shoulder, grinning maniacally at his accomplice. “Coast seems clear. Let’s hit it,” he said his voice no more than a gravelly whisper. He made a ‘follow me’ motion with his hand, before darting across the hangar at a dead run. He had foregone armour today, wearing instead a dark red jacket that looked like it was made of some kind of leather, with black pants, a white shirt and dark red boots.

He was able to move much faster than usual, and he managed to make his way towards a small ship at the back of the hangar. Darting around the corner of one of the struts that sat near the bottom of a large gunship, Sev managed to nearly make it all the way to the vessel he’d been aiming for, before a droid stopped him in his tracks. “Sir?” It looked up at him, whirring and clicking and making soft, beeping noises. Sev rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “What do you want?” he snarled. Sev had no love for froids; after all, he turned them into shrapnel on an almost daily basis. He made a discreet motion with his hand, clearly telling his accomplice to hurry to the ship while the maintenance droid was distracted.

“Sir, can I help you with something? You seem to be in a rush.” Sev sighed and shook his head. “No. I’m jsut going to be borrowing one of your ships for the day.” The droid beeped with alarm. “Sir, I must protest. You cannot use any of these ships. They belong to the Repub-” But he was cut off as Sev pulled a knife from his belt and severed the wires connected it’s head to its body. The droid teetered on its struts, before it fell backwards with a loud clang. "No," the commando growled. "It belongs to me now." Sev glanced around to be sure no one saw, and then proceeded to drag the droid behind a large service cart.

He felt a little odd; it was like he killed one of his own and was disposing of the evidence. But it was just a droid; no one would miss it. Sev quickly turned on his heel and darted towards his ship, palming the lock near the side. A rear walkway opened up, allowing him and his accomplice access inside. “Get in,” he commanded, before hurrying inside himself. He made his way to the cockpit, jumping into the pilot’s seat and powering up the engines. The drives hummed and whirred as they were brought to life, and Sev smirked. “Time to go get that armour I promised you,” he said, glancing over his shoulder. “You might wanna strap in.” He motioned towards the co-pilot’s seat, before turning his attention back to the control panel.

[17/30]

[Flame]

Aerowyn felt decidedly edgy about this scheme that Sev had concocted. It hadn’t even been a full day since her arrival on Coruscant, and she was already being dragged off on some crazy ploy. Sneaking through unfamiliar territory, surrounded by potential hostiles made her just a bit uneasy, but Sev seemed more than confident that this undertaking would be no more difficult than child’s play. She, for one, was not quite convinced, as of yet, but she didn’t exactly have much of a choice but to go along with him: After all, the plan was to get a set of armor for her, and she was dead set against being left alone at the barracks. Pushing aside her qualms, she trailed him through the maze of corridors which finally led to the main hangar, which housed a myriad of ships of all builds and models.

As they made their way towards the hangar, Aerowyn felt some of her indecision melt away, finding that she was actually glad to be on the move again: It was more familiar to her than anything else she had witnessed so far, and she finally quelled her misgivings, falling into the routine with a practiced ease. When they reached the hangar, she fell behind to let Sev scout ahead first: She watched as he avoided detection by the many droids which currently occupied the floor, tending to the various crafts which were docked in neat rows, awaiting use. She was just about to dart after him when he was accosted by a droid which happened to catch sight of him, causing her to stall again, waiting restlessly for him to handle the situation, half expecting someone to round the corner of the hall which led to the hangar at any moment and confront her. At his subtle gesture, she took off again, abandoning her cover as she sprinted across the open ground, somehow managing to remain under the radar as she avoided discovery by the droids which seemed (at least to her) to be swarming all over the place.

She reached the indicated ship just as Sev dispatched the troublesome robot, feeling as if she were dancing on coals as she waited impatiently for him to hide the evidence before joining her, certain that she would be spotted somewhere in the process. By some miracle though, they both reached the ship without further trouble, and after he had gained access, she hopped inside, taking the indicated seat and deftly buckling herself down. ”As long as we don’t get killed, somewhere in the process,” she muttered, watching anxiously as several nearby droids turned to pinpoint the source of the sudden commotion as the engines roared to life. ”After all, armor, no matter how sturdy, won’t do me any good if I’m dead.” There was a dry humor in her voice as she watched Sev man the controls before she sat back to wait and see how the situation would play out: She had the feeling that if they were caught, this would do no favor for her track record. ”For both of our sakes, I hope that your flying skills are better than your sneaking skills.” Both of her eyebrows were raised in a wry expression as she eyed the panel of controls which stretched throughout the cockpit. ”Otherwise, we’ll probably end up dead, for all our troubles.”

[MillietheWarrior]

Sev had a funny habit of ignoring other people’s ’gut feelings’ and listening only to his own. Right now,  he was getting a sense of ‘let’s get this show on the road!’ He felt a little bad for not inviting Scorch or his squad. He had told them he was leaving, sure, but he hadn’t invited them. They seemed to understand, and had allowed him his time alone with Aerowyn (With a few lewd comments from Scorch which earned him a smack on the head). Sev concentrated on powering up the drives as he let the ship warm itself up. It hummed, a low, gentle rumble that shook the ship in a rhythmic motion. He reached forward and flicked a switch, and the humming got louder as they prepared for takeoff. “What’s a little adventure without some danger along the way?” he asked in that deep, gravelly voice of his. “Besides, this’ll be a piece of cake.”

He bent his head to stare at the power indicators, flicking another switch which allowed an equal amount of fuel to begin siphoning into the twin engines located on the ship. The drives hummed loudly, then fell into a steady, droning rhythm. There was a clack as the landing gear slowly retracted into the body of the ship, and the vessel hovered over the ground for a minute. “And my sneaking skills are just fine. No one will even know we’re gone…” he glanced over his shoulder as the ship hovered out of the hangar, slowly making it’s way through the massive hangar doors. “If you’d like to see just how good my ‘flying skills’ are, then I suggest you hold tight to your seat. This could be a bumpy ride.” Reaching forward, he pushed a lever up, his other hand resting lightly on the ship’s forward controls.

In the next moment, they had winked out of Coruscanti air space, and were floating in a field of darkness and stars. Sev paused for a moment to take a deep breath, before he pushed another lever forward, and the stars became nothing more than a blur of light as they jumped into hyperspace. Sev felt himself pushed back against his seat with the force of the jump, but managed to turn his head to glance at Aerowyn. It would only be a matter of moments before they reached Mandalore. Sometimes, he thanked every God he’d ever heard of for hyper drives. It made everything so much easier. “It doesn’t take long to get anywhere in one of these,” he explained, knowing Aerowyn had never been properly introduced to space travel. A few minutes rolled by, before the blur of stars shooting past the front of the ship became solid and stable once more. They hovered now on the outskirts of a large, dark planet. Sev pointed to it, grinning.

“Welcome to Mandalore,” he chimed, sounding much like a steward on an airplane. “Please keep your legs and arms inside the vessel at all times. Do not un-strap yourself until we make a complete and solid landing. Thank you for flying ‘Air Sev.’ Have a wonderful day.” Another lever, and a fourth switch was flicked, and he steered the ship down towards the planet. As they entered the atmosphere and Sev leveled the ship out, they found that they were surrounded by vast plains and grasslands on all sides. The ship touched down gently, barely making a commotion as it hit the earth and rocked forward once, before settling back on it’s struts.

Sev unclipped his belt, and pointed out the window. “See that?” He pointed to a rather scruffy looking shop. They had landed on the outskirts of a small town. A large sign above another shop read ‘MandalMotors,’ But Sev pointed to a smaller shop, where pieces of various armor hung near the front. “That’s our place.” He patted Aerowyn on the arm, standing up and passing her as he headed towards the rear hatch and opened it. “Hurry up!" he called, patience running out.

[18/31]

[Flame]

Rather hoping to avoid the whole new experience of flying, at least for a little while, Aerowyn found herself once again being shuttled off in another craft, less than a day after her first encounter with space travel. Albeit it wasn’t as bad as it could have been, she still wasn’t quite at grips with the concept of traveling faster than the speed of light. As the craft rumbled to life, it felt almost like a live creature as the engines warmed up, the vibrations making the air around them reverberate as the vessel prepared for departure. At Sev’s comment, Aerowyn sat back with a mockingly despairing sigh, shaking her head. ”And of course, it’s no fun until someone gets hurt…or killed.” She flashed a quick grin at the irony of the statement, considering how they were both trained to do exactly that. Peering out of the windshield, she eyed the maintenance droids which were now whirring around indecisively, obviously confused by this unexpected turn of events. She hoped that they would simply pass it off and go back to their own tasks, instead of reporting it to their superiors, in which case, the whole game would be up.

She was about to make a comment regarding the fact that if he were really a good pilot, the flight shouldn’t be bumpy, but decided against it, considering he was the one behind the controls. Everything seemed to be going as planned as they pulled out of the hangar and out over Coruscant. Aerowyn continued to peer down at the planet as it slowly dropped away, quietly fascinated, like a child on their first plane ride, which wasn’t too far removed from the truth. From further out in space, the planet looked like a shadowy ball, speckled with a blanket of sparkling lights against the black, star-stained darkness of space. Without warning, the plane suddenly jolted forward, forcefully enough to pin her against the spine of the seat. She turned, with a measure of difficulty, to glare at Sev. ”Next time, could you at least be so kind as to give me some sort of warning before you do that?”

Her attention was soon recaptured by the sight of countless stars streaking past the window in a dazzling show of color and light. For the moment, she was too enthralled by the spectacle to even be properly irritated with Sev, watching as they rocketed through a whole different dimension, even more unearthly than Coruscant had been. For a minute or two, she was silent. ”Who knew that there could be so much out in the middle of nowhere,” she finally murmured, half to herself, entranced at the sight. ”It makes a person feel so…insignificant, in the grand scheme of things.” Eventually, they exited hyperspace, and everything around them became reassuringly solid again. She was surprised by how different Mandalore looked in comparison to Coruscant, considerably more verdant, and more reminiscent of her own home.

As they landed, she unbuckled herself as soon as she was certain that the ship wasn’t going to start moving again. She had been wondering how they were supposed to get armor that fitted her, considering the fact that she was not very similar at all in build to that of the clones. She glanced at the indicated building questioningly. ”Am I supposed to believe that all of you get your armor from here?” Indeed, the shop didn’t look very large by any stretch of the imagination, and she wondered how they would manage to make enough armor for the whole army. She sighed, half amused and half exasperated at Sev’s impatience, before getting up and following him out of the plane to step onto yet another unfamiliar planet.

[MillietheWarrior]

Sev snorted, and looked over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow. “No,” he said, as if she should have known better. “Of course not. This is where you get the top grade stuff; real beskgar’gam. That stuff that the White Jobs wear is just regular plastoid;  won’t last or stand up to anything really damaging. We--us commandos--have Katarn Armor, which is made of more durable metal. It can withstand quite a bit of damage and it’s some of the top quality stuff. But for the best, you’ve got to go straight to the source. And this is it.” He waved his arm towards the shop, the tall grasses swaying against his boots and dark pants. He patted her on the shoulder almost mockingly, raising both his eyebrows and smirking. “Don't worry, though. We’ll educate you in the finer points of life, Aerowyn,” he said, and stepped away from the ship.

The air here smelled cleaner, crisper. Very few trees littered the vast plains land, and the ones that did seemed gnarled and twisted and bent by time and the effort of living in such a harsh environment. There was a distinct bite of winter hanging on the breeze. Fall was already claiming this harsh and rugged terrain, making it seem less appealing than it usually was. But for people like Sev, who drank these kinds of things in like they were water, it was one of the best sights he’d ever seen. It felt wild, welcoming and distinctly ‘homey.’ Sev crossed his arms over his broad chest, staring off into the distance with an open longing hanging in his deep red eyes; here was freedom, dangling at the edge of his fingertips, and yet, unreachable. He couldn’t stay here; he had a duty to the Republic, to his brothers. He was a solider; he didn’t know how to do anything else.

With great reluctance, he forced his eyes away from the vastness of the open spaces and winding prairies, turning back to frown at Aerowyn. The small outskirts town was outlined against her back; buildings upon row of buildings. But these were different than anything in Coruscant; they seemed oddly mismatched, built upon one another and improvised with whatever happened to be laying around at the time. Vibrant colors splotched the ancient buildings, making them look weathered and well-worn. A few could be easily identified as taverns or weapons shops, and people in armor milled about down the main streets. There were small vendors strewn along the sides of the main road, selling wares such as tools, weapons, alcohol, vegetables and meat. Very few people paid Sev and Aerowyn much mind, except, perhaps, to wonder why they did not wear armor themselves.

This was a place where secrecy was valued and few questions were asked; where an outsider could start over without his past overshadowing his future. Sev wondered what it would be like to be one of the many hidden faces behind the helmets with a place to call home; to belong somewhere other than the army. Was there a life out here, waiting for him? He wondered if it was unreachable, and just a distant dream. Shaking himself from his depressing thoughts, Sev tore his eyes away from the marketplace and looked back at the small armory. “Come on,” he instructed, taking Aerowyn by the hand instead of the arm for the first time since they’d met. He tugged her along after him, ducking slightly under the archway at the entrance of the shop.

A million different pieces of armor all seemed to dangle form various rafters and pulley systems strewn along the rooftop. They were as wide and varied as the people in the town, ranging in colors such as gold and red, to a dull, dusky green and purple. Sev managed to put his imaginary blinders on and march past the various pieces of armor; he was very tempted to buy something for himself, but had to remind himself that he didn’t own anything, and couldn’t at that. He had no where to keep the armor, anyway. As they reached the back of the store, an older man appeared from behind a rather large, sturdy looking counter. His hair was close-cropped, and a dark, almost grey-black. He had luminous blue eyes that gave away both his age and his wisdom. He offered them a crooked, welcoming smile that brooked no mercy, should they decide to double cross him or wish him ill-business.

He leaned one burly arm on the counter, eyes and mouth crinkling with laugh lines as he squinted at the two of them. He had dark, almost leather-like skin, and Sev could see a multitude of scars criss-crossing across his arms and neck. Briefly, he wondered where he’d gotten them; then he decided he really didn’t care. The man had large, thick gloves on, with a heavy, metallic looking apron that showed he didn’t mess around when it came to his craft. “What can I do for ye?” the man grunted, his suspicious look vanishing as he smiled kindly at them. Sev wondered why; did he look familiar or something? Surely, the man didn’t know Aerowyn.

“Yeah,” Sev growled back, his voice as low and gravelly as usual. “She’s lookin’ for a set of armor that fits her. You go anything good?” The man stared at Sev for a few long, awkward moments, as if he really did recognize him, before his voluminous gaze settled on Aerowyn. “Hm…She’s a bit small, but I may have somethin’.” He turned and disappeared behind a tattered looking curtain with a ‘chink’ of shoulder plates above it. Sev managed to ignore the armor around him long enough to wait for the man to return with what looked like a chest plate, back plate, and shoulder plates. He dropped them onto the counter with a clatter, then motioned for Aerowyn to come towards him. “Let’s get ye measured,” he said with a kindly old smile. “Can’t have things slipping off, now can we?”

[19/32]

[Flame]

Aerowyn raised her eyebrows at Sev’s ‘that should have been obvious’ tone. ”Oh, of course…silly me. That should be obvious to everyone.” Determined not to give him the satisfaction of having her exasperation, she chose not to react to his jibes, instead, letting her gaze wander across the landscape which sprawled unevenly around them. The rugged wilderness which surrounded them was as different from Coruscant as a planet could come: The stretches of open grassland lay untouched, seemingly unmarred by the touch of mankind, the sweeping expanse of the sky free of the tall, raking claws of skyscrapers.

She turned back to Sev, ready to head into town and certain that he had long since grown impatient with her dawdling, only to find his gaze still captured by the untamed landscape. Following his eyes to glance back out at the Mandalorian wilderness, she turned back to look at him again, studying his face with a pensive expression. ”You miss it, don’t you?” Her voice was quieter than usual, her question more of a statement than an inquiry. Certainly, she didn’t have much experience with, or knowledge of people, but this wasn’t a matter of psychology. Without his armor, she found that Sev was much easier to read than she had believed, and that perhaps he wasn’t quite as indomitable as he made himself out to be. It was a sentiment that she personally understood very well though: Only a few days ago, she had been in exactly the same predicament herself. There was no pity in her hazel eyes as she observed his expression, but only an unspoken understanding.

Reflecting on her thoughts, she ruminated over the fact that Sev had managed to help her do what she hadn’t been able to on her own, and how similar his own quandary was. In a way, she felt like she owed him the same favor in return, although how she could go about doing it, she hadn’t a clue. She let it settle at the back of her mind as he prompted her into movement again, subconsciously noting that she was no longer being dragged along by an arm, and instead, being led by the hand. Another first for her, considering how she generally didn’t allow anyone close enough to touch her, as, up until now, anyone who tried was, more often than not, an adversary. She cast one more look over the outside of the little armory before letting herself be steered inside, her eyes quickly adjusting to the new lighting as racks upon racks of armor came into view, varying widely in appearance, size and color. They seemed to fill every corner of the store, and although most looked rather large, at least to her, they were still fascinating to examine.

As they approached the counter, Aerowyn’s attention was drawn from her inspection of the various pieces of armor to the weathered old man who stood behind the counter to greet them. The look which he gave them as they walked in made her a little uneasy, although the only sign of her discomfort which she let show was that she stuck a little closer to Sev’s side as she weighed the shopkeeper with her gaze. She remained silent through the exchange between the two men, letting Sev handle the business while she simply observed. After the man disappeared into the hidden recesses of the shop, he soon reappeared with several pieces of armor, which looked considerably smaller than most of the others currently on display. At his bidding, she drew away from Sev and towards him, with some measure of reluctance, allowing him to take her measurements while she quashed her instinctual reaction to reclaim her personal space. ”Nothing for you?” she asked Sev, still valiantly trying to ignore the old man as she queried her escort. ”Certainly you’re not going to walk around with a small crater in the front of your armor?” she added, referring to the sizable dent which he had acquired during their last run-in with Serissa’s hired minions.

[MillietheWarrior]

Sev reached up to run his hand along a red chest plate, his eyes looking longingly at some of the armor strung along the sides of the shop. He tore his gaze away, turning back to fix Aerowyn with a bland stare. She’d said he missed it; there wasn’t much to miss when you’d never really had true freedom before. He wondered if she knew that his life had been just as stifled and restricted as her own. “No,” he said after a few moments of silence had passed. “I’ll just have to get the dent hammered out by someone back home. Besides, I didn’t bring my armor with me…And if I buy one thing here, I’ll buy another.” He smirked slightly, crossing his arms over his chest. “A whole new set of armor sounds nice, but we’re here for you, not me.”

The old man walked around Aerowyn, carefully holding up each set of armor against her body to measure it with his eyes. He held the chest plate up for a moment, then nodded, and turned to disappear back behind the tattered old curtain. When he returned, he was carrying more armor, what looked like greaves, thigh plates, and two gauntlets. He repeated the process with each pieces, before letting out a loud puff of air and tilting his head. “Well,” he said at last. “It’ll take a bit of altering, but I can throw something suitable together in about an hour or two.” He placed the armor in his hands on the counter, and it landed with a loud ‘clunk.’ “All this should do nicely. It’ll end up being about 200 credits.” He eyed Sev somewhat suspiciously, before folding his arms across the counter. “Can you afford that, son?”

Sev looked slightly annoyed at the thought of the man thinking he might stiff his bill or be unable to afford it. Although it would take almost all the money he’d managed to save up in his short life, he could definitely afford it. He nodded curtly, before turning to Aerowyn. “He can paint your armor for you too, if you want.” The shopkeeper grunted as he picked up the armor in his burly arms, nodding over his shoulder. “It’ll be another 50 credits,” he called as he disappeared behind the curtain. Sev decided he could afford it, though that would be the last of the money he’d scraped together. Sighing heavily, Sev shoved his hands into his pockets, leaning back slightly to check out another chest plate hanging behind Aerowyn’s head.

“What color do you want?” the shopkeeper asked as he reappeared, eyeing Sev with amusement. Sev’s blinders seemed to have disappeared as he stared around at all the armor hanging around him; it was as if he’d died and gone to heaven, although he didn’t quite show it. His face remained impassive, though there was a longing gleam in his eyes as he stared around the shop.

[20/33]

[Flame]

Only with an aggravating amount of patience did Aerowyn manage to get through the whole process of being fitted for a suit of armor: She wasn’t the type to stand around, feeling like she wasn’t really doing anything. At Sev’s comment though, she shot him a somewhat reproving look, clearly discontent with his solution for his dented armor. ”I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want it on my conscience when some thug comes along and sticks you through the chest because you’re wearing faulty armor.” Her gaze was almost withering as she tried to drive her point home: She might not have worked with modern weaponry and such very often, but she certainly had a good measure of knowledge on the qualities and characteristics of metal. Anyone who had any understanding about the attributes of metal knew that the more it was warped and reformed after creation only served to weaken it. Aerowyn was quite sure that if an adversary happened to strike that same spot again, it likely wouldn’t hold against the same assault twice.

When the old man finally finished fitting her, he gave the price for which he would provide her with a full suit of armor. Although Aerowyn wasn’t familiar with the currency they were dealing in, she had no doubt that the sum which the shopkeeper had asked for was no measly amount. Before they had even finished, she had already opened her mouth to protest. Saying that she was opposed to the idea of Sev paying for the whole getup was an understatement: First, she was certain that the army didn’t pay generously – if he were to pay directly out-of-pocket, it would probably take a large portion of what he had saved. Secondly, she was exceedingly uncomfortable with the notion of owing anyone anything: Although he might not acknowledge it, she already owed him a lot for everything he had done for her, up until now, and the thought of adding any more to that debt didn’t sit well with her.

The man had vanished into the storeroom once again before she had the chance to intervene, but as soon as he reappeared, she pounced on the opportunity to accost him. ”Might you be willing to accept any kind of currency or payment aside from credits?” The look which she gave him seemed almost imploring, beseeching him to say that there was some way that she might be able to cover the expenses herself. It might be a long shot, and she didn’t know what other options might be open to her, but she had to try, if only for the sake of her own pride.

[MillietheWarrior]

Sev smirked smugly, raising one of his eyebrows as he leaned against the counter. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you actually cared about me. How sweet. But I‘ll get it fixed when I get back. Or get it replaced. The Grand Army has an amazing budget.” He rolled his eyes, showing his disdain for the democracy he fought for. The old man behind the counter cleared his throat meaningfully, and Sev turned to glance over his shoulder as if just remembering the shopkeeper was there.

“So…” the man drawled, eyeing Sev almost judgmentally. “That’s why ye look so familiar. Yer a Fett, clone, eh? Explains a lot…Especially why I thought I‘d seen yer mug somewhere afore. Fett was a kriffing disgrace fer letting‘ the Republic use him for an army.” He scratched his stubbly chin thoughtfully, closing one eye as he leaned back slightly. “But it doesn’t explain why ye’re here, and with an aruetyc no less.” He indicated Aerowyn with a flick of his thumb. “And how yer gonna to pay for this. Heard you boys didn’t get pay…Slaves of the Republic, I hear. And I’m sure that whole ‘slave’ business also includes not havin’ a real life outside that shabla army o’ yers.”

Sev turned fully to stare at the man with narrowed, angry eyes. It wasn’t as if he cared if he insulted Fett; he simply felt the man insulted Sev himself as well.  “Listen old man,” he growled. “I didn’t come here to discuss my life story, nor do I give a Mott’s backside what you think of Fett. I don’t care. How I pay for this is my own business…” He paused thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing further as he leaned across the counter. “And call her an ‘aruetyc’ again, and I’ll make you wish you never met me.” He reached into his pocket, and for a moment, the man’s massive muscles tensed, his face darkening as he readied himself for a fight.

But Sev pulled out what looked like a plastic card, and slapped it on the counter. “300 credits. And I’m paying for it.” He said it pointedly, glancing over his shoulder to shoot Aerowyn a warning look; Sev as not pleased, and this old man had dared to tread in dangerous waters. The old man studied him for a moment, before he nodded knowingly, and took the plastic chip from Sev’s hand, replacing it with another one that was nearly similar to it; Sev’s change. “We’ll be back for it later,” Sev all but snarled as he whirled around and took Aerowyn by the hand again to lead her back out into the marketplace.

[21/34]

[Flame]

Rolling her eyes, Aerowyn sighed, choosing to ignore Sev’s teasing. It was true though…she would be extremely displeased if he were to get hurt or killed, not only because part of the fault would fall on her shoulders, but also because she really didn’t have anywhere else to go if she didn't have Sev. What she refused to believe though, was that there was any emotional tie which fueled that sentiment: After all, she was immune to emotions…wasn’t she?

There seemed to be an almost tangible chill which fell upon the room when the old man spoke again, and the atmosphere shifted a notch away from peace. Most of his little speech was lost upon Aerowyn, at least the literal part of it. It didn’t take genius to know when a person was being insulted though, and the man’s tone alone was enough to goad her temper. What she could understand though, confused her just as much. Her gaze flicked to Sev, somewhat puzzled: How much about him didn’t she know? She disregarded the insult which the shopkeeper had used to refer to her, both because she had no idea what it meant, and simply due to the fact that she really didn’t care about his opinion anyways. Although anger sparked in her eyes, for once, she didn’t voice her resentment, knowing that in this case, it wouldn’t benefit any of them. She obviously thought that it was an unfair transaction, but without any other options, simply had to settle with shooting the man behind the counter a last narrowed-eyed glare before reluctantly allowing the equally irritated Sev to steer her out of the shop.

After allowing for enough time to put some distance between them and the armory, she drew her hand from Sev’s grasp before whirling to stop, facing him. ”You have a lot of explaining to do,” she said, the steely look in her eyes showing that she wasn’t joking. ”What is the deal with the Republic and his prattling on about ‘slavery’?” She raised an eyebrow inquiringly. ”I thought that was supposed to be my vocation,” she added, her voice cynical. ”And what, in Zu’hai’s name, is an aruetyc?” She paused to smile wryly. ”However sweet of you it was to defend me, I can’t go about being completely oblivious to your culture and language, armed with nothing more than a “right back at you” for defense.”

She sighed, looking somewhat less antagonistic as she glanced around to see where they had gotten to. ”So, what exactly are you planning on doing? Owning me?” Although she really was uneasy with the notion of being tended to by someone else, there was a faint glimmer of amusement in her gaze as she fixed Sev with a somewhat impish look. ”I’ll warn you now…it might be more trouble than it’s worth.”

[MillietheWarrior]

Sev managed to stop just short of running into Aerowyn. He hadn’t expected her to stop so quickly, nor had he expected her to round on him in an angry huff. What did he do wrong? Sev scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. “I don’t owe you anything,” he said defensively, managing to look stubborn and annoyed at the same time. “What he said…Just forget it. He didn’t know what he was talking about.” Of course, he was lying. The man knew exactly what he’d said, and knew it’d gotten under Sev’s usually tough skin at the same time. Sev didn’t want Aerowyn to know how close to the truth it really was; slave to the Republic. The old man was right. Sev had no freedom, no life. This was a rare venture on an even rarer day off. He didn’t get paid for his work, he didn’t get thanks, and if he died, they’d just churn out another Clone and replace him.  

“So just forget it,” he finished, his voice brooking no arguments. Even if he didn’t want to talk about it, he had a feeling she wouldn’t let it go; she was Aerowyn after all. “And he called you an ‘aruetyc.’ It’s a word Mandalorians use to refer to a traitor or an outsider. It’s not something you want to be called. Next time someone says that to you, tell them to ‘usen‘ye.’ It’s the rudest way to tell someone to get lost.” He smirked lightly, raising one dark eyebrow as he stared down at her. “And besides, as far as I’m concerned, your not an outsider. Your one of us now.” Who ‘us’ meant, he didn’t clarify; it could’ve been Mandalorians, or maybe Clones. They were now standing in the middle of the marketplace; a few shoppers paused to give them a curious look, though many wore helmets and their faces were hidden from view.

A few brave souls had foregone armor, just like Sev. But a majority wore their suits proudly, even if they did offer strange glances in Sev and Aerowyn’s direction. Sev turned and began walking down the main road, heading for a small cantina near the armory; at least here, they’d be able to get some lunch and something to drink. Might be a good idea. He stopped outside the door, before something landed on his nose and caught his attention. He looked up, watching as rain droplets began to pour from the cloudy sky, coating the dust marketplace in a blanket of fresh water. Very few people seemed to care and even fewer ran for cover; most just stayed out to sell their wares or barter and trade.

Sev watched the water bead down the outside of the odor, giving the illusion of fresh paint. He turned slightly to glance at Aerowyn. "I don’t plan on owning you. And you don’t owe me anything for this, by the way. I just think that the way you live your life is hazardous to your health, so armor is a good investment. Especially if your going to be pal-ing around with Scorch and I. That’s definitely a hazard to your health.” He managed to look back up at the sky, his once light red shirt now a deep red down the middle where his jacket separated from the sudden rain. “Care to go in now?” he asked, opening the door and ushering her inside.

[22/35]

[Flame]

The only reply which Aerowyn gave was a penetrating look, her eyebrows raised in an unconvinced expression. She knew that the old man’s comments had struck home somewhere, he definitely seemed like he knew exactly what he was talking about, and although she was curious as to what the truth was behind his words, she decided to let it go for now. After all, prying Sev for information was just about as easy as poking one’s own eye out, and as much as she seemed to enjoy tormenting him, she figured that he’d already had more than enough for a day on that particular subject, and chose to give him his space until he felt ready to impart that information. Eventually…Even if it required some insistence on her part. For now, she let the subject dwindle away, although it now sat amongst the other unanswered questions gathering at the back of her mind.

Aerowyn found it rather amusing, as she dedicated the foreign word to memory, that the very first phrase which she learned in this language was how to tell someone to “go away”. It might come in handy, although she was quite certain that the effect would be quite lost upon people such as Scorch and Sev. “And besides, as far as I’m concerned, your not an outsider. Your one of us now.” She looked rather surprised at this unexpected statement, at a loss of words for a moment. ”Is that supposed to be a good thing?” she finally said, in an attempt to laugh off the brief pause. In reality though, what he said had really touched her: She had never really felt like she belonged anywhere before; She was just sort of...there. Shaking off her moment of unsettledness, she fell in next to Sev once again as they made their way through the marketplace, tentatively slipping her small hand back into his. She found that it made her feel a little more grounded in this unfamiliar city, filled with strange faces.

”An investment, huh?” she said, grinning slightly at the notion. ”You do realize that if I get landed in some serious trouble, it’ll probably only buy me an extra…say, five to ten seconds?” She glanced up at Sev, amused, but it was true: If she ever got caught in any serious crossfire, even the best armor could only hold for so long. Heck, she didn’t even know how to wield a blaster, much less use one. She was rather startled when it unexpectedly began to rain, and as the droplets began to bead in her hair, glanced up at the sky, which didn’t look much different than how it had when they had first arrived. ”Well, better now than later,” she replied, stepping into the welcoming warmth of the cantina.

As they walked in, they were greeted by a young hostess, who gave them only one searching look, then, deciding that she had seen stranger folk on this side of town, simply seated them at a table for two by a window which faced out onto the road which they had just left behind, the street now glimmering faintly as the steady drizzle grew into a downpour, chasing many of the less resilient pedestrians towards the cover of nearby stores and buildings.

[MillietheWarrior]

Sev settled down in the chair opposite Aerowyn, his gaze lingering on the streets outside. Many of the town’s armored residents seemed unfazed by the now steady downpour, and instead of running for cover, many stayed outside to continue to barter and trade. No one seemed to pay the rain much mind, except for those who were in regular clothing. Sev was a bit glad he’d gotten out of it; the last thing he needed was a cold. Sniffling and sneezing over a squad only comlink during a mission grated on the nerves of the rest of the squad; he knew first hand, because Boss had been unlucky enough to have a cold on one of their last missions. Sev turned to cross his arms on the table, smirking silent across at Aerowyn.

“Not a bad thing, at least. Fixer and Boss are warming up to you, and I think Scorch has it in his head that your going to be his new unofficial sister now.” He chuckled slightly at the mention of his squad mate, thinking about how excited Scorch had been when he’d found out Aerowyn was going to stay with them. He’d bombarded Sev with questions about her, most of which Sev either didn’t answer, or didn’t know how to. A few of the more awkward questions involved Sev and Aerowyn’s ‘love life,’ but after a few good smacks to the head and annoyed shouting that Scorch should ‘mind his own shabla business,’ the squad demolitions expert gave up. Albeit, he grinned like an idiot for about and hour after their argument, pointing out that ‘if Sev had no feelings for Aerowyn, he wouldn’t be blushing right now,’ but that was beside the point.

Sev stared across at the woman in front of him, contemplating what Scorch had said and wondering if there was any inkling of truth behind it. Did Scorch see something he did not? Surely he couldn’t know more about their ‘relationship’ than Sev did. Did the sniper actually have feelings for her? He scoffed slightly at the thought; no, he couldn’t have feelings for her. He had no room for feelings and emotions in his soldiering life. Yet, why then, did he take such a keen interest in her? Why did he hold her hand, and willingly? Why did he put his life at risk to keep her safe, and take her home with him and the squad? Maybe there was something there that Sev wasn’t willing to admit to or face. Clearing his throat, Sev decided he’d address her comment about armor before his mind started running away with him and leading him into dangerous waters.

“A good investment, yeah. That five to ten seconds could be the one thing that saves your life. And besides, I already told you; it's the best armor you can get. Beskgar’gam is made out of a metal called ‘beskgar.’ It’s the strongest and most durable metal in the galaxy. It can withstand quite a bit of damage before succumbing to it. So it’s like a full body shield.” Sev leaned back, folding his arms behind his head and yawning. He glanced around to see the waitress coming towards them, and leaned forward slightly. “I hate days off,” he grumbled under his breath. “I’d rather be out shooting something than sitting around eating food and getting flabby. This is a serious misallocation of excellent military resources. Just the thought of having any more days off makes my trigger finger itchy. Shabla army…Don’t know what they have ‘til it’s gone.”

He had no idea how cryptic his words sounded, nor how they would come back to haunt him in the near future. As he finished speaking, the waitress arrived at their table. She was young, but she looked as strong as Aerowyn. With pale skin and long, wiry, but well-muscled arms, she stood at their table with one hand on her hip. She was a Mando girl; tough as they came, and ready to give as good as she got. Her bright brown eyes darted over them suspiciously, before she flipped her long braid over her shoulder. The long, heavy apron she wore over her loose, long sleeved shirt and heavy flight pants showed that, even if she was a waitress, she was just as tough as the shopkeeper in the armory. Her boots thunked against the floor as she tapped them impatiently.

“What’ll ya have?” she asked, holding a piece of paper and a pencil in her hand. Sev looked thoughtful for a moment, before narrowing his eyes right back at her. “Coffee for me. And…” He paused for a moment. “Anything that doesn’t taste like it fell in the mud.” The woman scribbled something down, a smirk on her pale lips as she eyed Sev with amusement; it as just how they talked to one another. It was said politely, but she knew Sev meant it; he wanted something that tasted good. The waitress turned towards Aerowyn. “And you?” she asked, seemingly a bit more comfortable slightly fonder of them now that she’d heard Sev speak.

[23/36]