all i know is home.

　　　　“You don’t have to,” Caden replied with a shrug. “There are folk here who just come for the show, but I gotta say, there’s a bit of a rush when you make a gamble, and it all comes through for you. Course, there’s something to be said for the low when things don’t go your way.”

　　　　Caden liked gambling well enough, but that high was just as fleeting as any other. It was nothing compared to the euphoria of a good fight and watching the life drain out of an opponent. In those moments, he felt invincible. Gambling, sex, drugs, all good things but paled in comparison when compared to that. Caden enjoyed killing, and he was good at it.

　　　　The merc looked at the man on his lap and told him to go help Niva, possibly bring some others to have fun with for both himself and Ladus. Caden wanted Derek out of the way for his… probing of Ladus. The fewer distractions, the better. Derek complained that the larger human male had promised to do him next after Niva, but he eventually left, if somewhat begrudgingly. Caden looked over at Ladus again, sizing him up as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He took in the sight of the other male’s slightly unbuttoned shirt before shifting his gaze back to the fight. The Wookiee had taken down one of the Nydaks and was fixing to take on the second.

　　　　“Maybe you can bet something on the next match,” Caden said carefully, watching Ladus out of the corner of his eye. “Gonna be a good one. Couple ‘a contenders I brought in myself. Sold them to the Brood for quite a haul. Wonder if they’re gonna be fighting the Wookiee. That’d be a good match up.”

　　　　He leaned back with a smirk just as the Wookiee slashed at the throat of the second nydak. The crowd outside erupted, their cheers making the whole asteroid shake.

　　　　“It’ll be another 15 minutes before they’re dragged out onto the arena. I’m sure they can handle it.”

       Leoth watched as the other human peeled himself off of Caden, and then his gaze slipped back to the entertainment. A twitch of his lips, neither amused nor disgusted-- even if the latter was true. Betting on someone’s life was not Leoth’s idea of fun. What would Chain have said? He was a daikivonin? Leoth could imagine his sarcasm. 

        He didn’t move as Caden shifted forward, lazily draping himself back against the seat. His attention settled on the fighting. He didn’t want to appear interested in Caden at all. But there was a spark of danger in the Force with Caden’s next words, drawing Leoth’s attention. The next match. He hadn’t expected anything less.

        Leoth had known coming here that Haiot and Deidrid could be dead, or heading towards their deaths. They were formidable soldiers, always had been, but even they could be caught off guard. As they had been when they were caught up in this whole mess. Leoth hummed, hazel eyes drifting to Caden as lazily as his posture. 

                   “Wha’ kinda fighters are a good match against a Wookiee?” Leoth asked, though from Caden’s vague explanation, he knew he wasn’t about to get an answer. The silent ‘you’ll see’ was obvious enough. Maybe Leoth hadn’t played his cards right. Or maybe he was just too damn obvious. It didn’t matter. Leoth had no intention of getting killed here. Nor bought and sold. What was the plan, then? 

         Part of him had been hoping he could find them in a locked cell. That he would be able to get enough information out of this man to find them. He’d have to hope they could survive the match, at least. 

　　　　For a good minute, Teri couldn’t shake the shock and ended up ordering something at his urging even though she wasn’t really all that hungry. It was fine though, she could pick at it a little and then take it home. No big deal. Teri ordered the pasta per his recommendation.

　　　　“No, um, you… you can stay if you want,” Teri replied, trying real hard not to let her shy nature overwhelm her. She was failing miserably as she looked away, gripping the napkin in her lap to stop her from wringing her hands as she glanced away to gather her courage before looking back. “Thank you for this. Really. I know you’re not trying to be weird or anything. I was just really surprised.”

　　　　She swallowed as she psyched herself up for what she was about to say. Channel your inner Sarsi, Teri. “I mean, the only other option for me would be to go home and put this dress back in the closet, and that’d be a real shame, right?”

　　　　That probably would have landed better if she didn’t immediately turn a never before seen shade of red after saying it.

　　　　There was something familiar about him, but Teri couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was. Had she seen a movie or something with him in it? She couldn’t remember. Probably something her friends showed her once. Teri wasn’t too big into social media. She had other things to spend her time on. Like exams and the possibility of getting into law school. Still, it was gonna bother her probably until she got home where she could look him up and immediately be embarrassed by the answer.

　　　　“The selfie isn’t necessary, but I appreciate the offer.” The thought of just taking a picture with him had her head spinning. She shrugged. “I mean, I’m not trying to make excuses for him or anything. I’m still gonna break it off with him, but at least he said he couldn’t make it and probably had a reason.”

       Chai laughed, the smile softening to something a little less showman and far more genuine. She really was cute. Her face was redder than a tomato, but she’d gotten the courage to say that, hadn’t she? 

              “Damn right.” Chai nodded, as if it was the most sage thing in the world. “Like I said, whoever stood ya up is missin’ out. You’re a knock out.”

       And maybe he was saying it to boost her confidence, but he really wasn’t lying. She did look nice in her dress with all her make up. Chai would’ve been more than happy to be her actual date. He would have even considered taking her somewhere to dance, even if he couldn’t do that too much anymore. It was a silly, fanciful thought. 

       Chai brushed that one off with a wave of his hand. He glanced around for Lara who was coming back around to set water on his side of the table. He fidgeted with it the second it hit the countertop, spinning the clear glass around.

              “Did he call or did he do it over text?” Chai shook his head. “The fact ya jus’ said he probably had a reason means he didn’t tell ya. If he was legit, he’d’ve told ya. I ain’t sayin’ that t’make ya feel bad, m’sayin’ cause a lotta dudes suck. ‘Sides, m’way better. I can play guitar and write ya a song. Not too many people can say that, I bet.”

       Chai drained half the glass of water and leaned back into his seat, glancing her over. 

“      then   let   us   hope   it   will   not   come   to   that.      ”        or   that   if   it   does  ,    that   he   can   find   a   way   to   dissuade   leoth  ,    if   such   a   thing   is   possible.

obi - wan   glances   away  ,    lips   pressing   together.      the   quiet   stretches   on   for   several   moments   before   he   at   last   says  ,      “      it   is  ,      ”        voice   flat  ,    lifeless.      does   leoth   think   he   doesn’t   know   this  ,    does   not   want   to   let   this   pain   go?        “      all   i   can   do   is   –      ”        there   is   no   try  ,    only   do.        “      perhaps   one   day  ,    i   will   achieve   that.      not   today.      ”

        Leoth doesn’t say anything to that. There’s nothing to say. He hopes for the same, but something in his heart of hearts knows he’s just prolonging the inevitable. It’s a thought that keeps him up at night. 

        He catches the annoyance in the flatness of his tone. Leoth doesn’t mean anything by the question. He doesn’t know the Jedi ways as well as his own, and it is simply interesting to find this Jedi struggles with their tenets. Leoth had always thought they were in constant, stubborn, control. Similar to the ahnanaseyii, but not quite. 

　　　　Teri didn’t want to draw too much attention to herself, or at least, no more than she felt was already on her. So when she couldn’t seem to get the attention of her waitress, she settled back down and waited, resisting the temptation to open up her phone to ask him questions. She was pretty sure whatever answers he had would just make her cry right there. Course, she could text her sister, but Sarsi was also having a night out.

　　　　Teri was regarding her phone despondently, trying to decide what to do when he came up to her. She just about jumped out of her skin when he spoke loud enough for everyone in their corner of the restaurant to hear. Her phone clattered on the table as it jumped out of her hand from her initial start. Her head jerked to him, eyes wide. 

　　　　If his acting like he was the boyfriend she was waiting on wasn’t enough to render speechless, his good looks certainly did it. He was definitely more attractive than the boy she had been waiting on, and Jack wasn’t exactly ugly. His confident air reminded her of her Sarsi. This was definitely something she would have done given the chance. Teri felt her cheeks flush with heat as she swallowed back her embarrassment just as he was introducing himself.

　　　　“Teri,” she replied, chancing a glance at the rest of the restaurant to see a few people looking at them. She felt her cheeks grow hotter. Teri brought her eyes back to him, hardly able to get any words out she was so flustered. “What… uh… why…”

            “’Cause, you’re sittin’ here all pretty n’you ain’t gonna get free dinner outta it at least?” Chai shook his head. “That’s a waste. If ya gonna have a bad time, ya should at least get a free meal outta it. Especially here. The pasta’s bomb.” 

      Which, of course, did not answer a single thing at all. Chai waved Lara over, flashing her a cheesy grin as he did so. Lara didn’t give any indication she knew who he was, and part of him wanted to poke fun at her for it. Instead, he urged Teri to order, doing the same for himself. Once Lara disappeared, Chai took a sip of water as he appraised Teri. 

             “See, now ya get free food even if ya decide ya want me t’scram.” He leaned into one hand. “I swear, no funny business. I ain’t tryin’ to be weird or somethin’. I’ll be off if ya want, or we can have dinner and I can keep ya company.” 

        Chai leaned back, taking a glance at the other patrons. They had all turned their attention back to their own tables. Minding their business now that the antics were over and done with. He swiped a hand through his hair, the only sign that he had even been the slightest bit nervous. 

                “Hell, I can do better than that. Snap a selfie with me n’make whoever left ya here jealous.” He nodded as if that was the most sage advice in the world. “Ain’t nothing like showin’ assholes you can replace’em in a heart beat.” 

         He paused.

　　　　[text] Sorry, can’t make it. Raincheck?

　　　　Teri stared blankly at the text, palms throbbing as her heart slowly settled into her stomach. She could feel her eyes burn with tears, but she bravely held them back. No need to mess up her sister’s hard work by smearing her make up with tears, not to mention embarrassing herself further after sitting alone at a table for two for the last hour. The dress she was wearing was one of Sarsi’s more conservative dresses. Purple spaghetti strap dress was still form fitting and had a deep back.

　　　　If she were Sarsi, she probably would have ordered an expensive meal like she owned the damn place before heading out to whatever club or bar fit her desires, but Teri wasn’t Sarsi. Plus who would be stupid enough to skip out on a woman like Sarsi. Teri was similar to her sister. She was pretty enough, but in a different way. She also had a softer heart that was much more easily bruised, and right now, she just wanted to run home and cry off her hurt and embarrassment until she fell asleep.

　　　　[text] okay

　　　　Taking a shaky breath, Teri straightened up to look for her waitress. All she’d had was a club soda, but her appetite was gone now. She’d pay for that and leave.

                   [text; milk tea]: sooo there’s this girl here who looks like she just got stood up

                   [text; ladeeda]: u servin her? wat she look like? 

          Sometimes, he didn’t know why he did things like this. It wasn’t as if Chai knew the girl, or even if Lara was her friend. But here he was, about to make a complete idiot of himself because Lara felt bad for the cute girl at table 6. Chai had already been on his way to the restaurant to mooch off of Lara’s free food deal, so this wasn’t exactly out of his way. He’d played the role of fake boyfriend before. Usually at a bar where some asshole was being too handsy, but never had he tried this. He had the feeling Lara was doing this to get him to meet people when he wasn’t quite doing that himself these days. 

            Chai put on the mask of his overconfident, friendly self as he shoved open the doors to the restaurant. He fixed his leather jacket a bit, patted down his shirt and jeans, as if that would give him a more presentable look. Lara nodded him over to the girl she’d covertly snapped a picture of. In person, the stranger was even cuter than her photo suggested. Chai found himself pausing a little-- she was all dolled up, wearing a nice dress. Damn. Whoever had stood her up was a real asshole. Brushing the thought away, Chai strode up to the booth.

                     “Hey, babe, ’m so sorry ’m late,” Chai said, just a little loudly, not a hint of hesitation or embarrassment on his face. “Traffic was mad shitty, an’ if you can believe it, my phone totally crapped out on me. Ya look gorgeous, by the way.” 

             Then, at a more appropriate volume. 

　　　　“You tryin’ t’ make my heart flutter with that line?” Sarsi asked, shooting him a grin as she turned the ship back around towards the planet. “Cause I think it worked.” Either that or it was the adrenaline, but she preferred the joke. She did appreciate his trust. She’d have to try not to get him killed. The TIE fighters followed just as she hoped. She had to make this look good, like she was trying for a crash landing and not getting blown up mid air. Which still sounded crazy, she would admit, but making the Imperials believe that everyone aboard was dead was their best shot.

　　　　　She weaved to dodge the TIE’s blaster fire, looking for a good place to crash even though she had no intention of doing so. Instead, she was watching her shielding as close as possible. When it was down to 10%, she locked the autopilot and made a break for the escape pod. She sprinted for it, knowing the ship could explode any second, killing her and Leoth. She was just about there when a blast hit the ship directly, making her wobble just outside the door before practically throwing herself into the pod. Tight fit since he was so tall, but they would have to deal, not that she paid it any mind at all. Worse fates than being stuck in a tight space with a hot Ildrat, like getting blown to bits.

　　　　She closed the hatch and smashed the release valve as she saw flames erupting from the ship as it began to blow. The escape pod released just as the ship exploded, just as she hoped, but the shockwave rattled the pod hard, Sarsi tried to cling to the sides of the pod as they were rocketed down to the planet below.

           He reached for her, trusting his instincts as she fell into the escape pod. A reckless plan that would have made a few of his late friends proud. Leoth was far too preoccupied with the sense of danger on all sides for him to be worried about their close quarters. The pod launched forward, lurching with the intensity of the explosion. Leoth grunted, the tumultuous shaking rattling their frames. It seemed both an eternity and a span of a few seconds by the time the pod breached the planet’s atmosphere and crashed through heavy foliage. Their fall was a visible scar in the untouched landscape.

         The heat was palpable in the enclosed space. Leoth blinked and it was as if time had jumped a few moments into the future. The result of their careening death trap. Leoth shook himself.

　　　　“You didn’t, but even if you had, I promise, you are a very welcome interruption,” Caden said, staring at this ‘Ladus’ with an appraising eye. Gorgeous male specimen if he ever saw one, and the two he had encountered were plenty beautiful. Caden liked to think he had an eye for beauty and power. Caden let his mind take a darker turn as he considered what it might be like to fight him or sleep with him. Course, the latter was only possible if he was into men at all.

　　　　Not that it really mattered, Caden didn’t really believe his story. He decided he’d play along with that for now and maybe wring the truth from him later. 

　　　　“Plenty of excitement with the Haxion Brood,” Caden said with a nod. “Been coming here for a few years now myself. Always something new and exciting.” Sometimes he even participated, but these days, the Brood’s leader kept Stoneheart occupied in the stands with people like Niva and Derek to keep him from joining in. Tormo had lost more than a few credits trying to bet against Stoneheart. Apparently, he’d grown tired of trying.

　　　　His blue eyes shifted away from Ladus and onto the arena below just as the crowd erupted at the sight of the next fighters. A large male wookiee stormed onto the empty field. He roared as his opponent charged in. Two Nydak from Dathomir charged at the Wookiee, claws and limbs sweeping at the furry sentient. The Wookiee parried the creatures attacks with his own powerful claws and limbs.

　　　　“Sorc’s not going easy today,” Derek remarked.

　　　　“On Jynarro? Definitely not. That Wookiee’s cost him a fortune after winning so many matches, but I don’t think he’s gonna lose this one,” Caden replied. “What do you think Ladus?”

            Leoth wasn’t unaware of what people thought of him. He had had such looks focused on him before. There was something predatory in Caden’s expression, and it reminded Leoth of a far away arena not so dissimilar to this one. Praxon could be just as barbaric as any other system. Only, Leoth didn’t remember any trafficking occurring behind the scenes. 

                      “Thought for cer’ain...I would be blashted on sight,” Leoth said carefully, enunciating with the same effort to keep his words muddy. He leaned back a little with an affected sway, tugging the top button of his tunic off. His gaze fell upon the arena as well, ears twitching, pressing back against his head. The barbarism was astounding. 

            And even more astounding was the easy way in which the humans talked it over. As if buying and selling people was normal as anything else. As breathing. Instead of letting any of that show on his face, Leoth hummed thoughtfully. He canted his head to the side. 

@thanedai​  ♡’d for a starter with Cal

　　　　“This place gives me the creeps. Still not as bad as Dathomir though. At least the spiders don’t explode into a puddle of acid when they die… I hope.”

            Leoth glanced over at the young human without a word, cataloging that tidbit of information away. He looked through his macrobinoculars through the foliage. At the rate they were going, they wouldn’t find what they were looking for before nightfall. 

Voice recording for the pronunciation of Alsalian.

Full body ref for Leoth & Chaín

Reps for lauren