Keep Me From Blowing Away

[Quarles P. Dage]

Once more taken by surprise, he turned to look at the owner of the voice now inquiring about the empty seat at his table. And again, he smiled broadly out of habit and genteel manners.

"Oh! No, no one is," he made a gesture with his hand that the woman sit, "... please, sit if you wish."

The woman was dressed in a style that he wasn't exactly familiar with, but from his small and rather recent exposure to Cizerack, it seemed in keeping with their tastes. She apepared regal, like royalty even, and for a strange half-second, Quarles almost felt under-dressed in his old denim trousers and white button-up. The dark jacket he would've normally had on was draped over the back of his own chair, and briefly he entertained the thought of pulling it back on to appear somewhat presentable with such a table-mate.

Instead, he took another sip from his caf.

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

She gave an appreciative nod of her head, the bangles at her ears clinking slightly.

"Thank jyou."

The Madame eased in to sit. Rather than walling herself off as Mags did, Kalleeiha extended a hand in greeting as per the human custom.

"Mjy name jiss Kalleeiha Maillanaarro."

[Quarles P. Dage]

Instantly the woman dispelled any notions that she might be as guarded as the Twi-Lek girl, and Quarles gave an easy smile as he took her offered hand. It was refreshing, and just a bit reassuring.

"A pleasure to meet you, Ma'am. I'm Quarles."

Her hand was soft, a far cry from his calloused palms.

And, as if remembering himself, he spoke once more.

"Quarles Dage."

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

She was fast becoming a fan of the human style of greeting. Air kisses told little. The grasping of hands spoke as much as words. She gave a reciprocating squeeze, feeling the callouses that met her. And his accent? She was hardly an expert on the human tongue, but that particular drawl she'd not heard before.

"Arr Dage. jI haven't sseen jyou herre beforre. jIf no one hass done sso jyet, let me be the fjirrsst to ssajy ja irra korra'nai."

She allowed Quarles' hand to release, and she returned to the warm solace of her teacup.

[Quarles P. Dage]

'Ja irra korra'nai'. It was a greeting and welcoming, that much he could at least discern, and Quarles let his smile widen. It was a lovely gesture.

"It's my first time here, yes Ma'am."

Ever the gentleman, he was hard-pressed to show anything but good manners. It was how he'd been raised, after all.

Came to see my boy, and now he's off again, so I'm enjoying a caf and some free time before my own flight leaves."

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

"Sso ssoon?"

The Madame ventured her teacup to her lips, pausing just short of a sip as she gauged the temperature still slightly too hot to venture further. She settled for hovering her nose over, letting the aromatics do their work.

"And wherre doess a man wjith ssuch an jinterrestjing accent call home?"

[Quarles P. Dage]

Interesting accent? Did he have an accent? It was puzzling to consider in that moment, and Quarles wet his lips.

"Well, uh, Myomar, actually. Nowhere special, but it's home all the same."

Reaching up to adjust his glasses, the elder Dage at least offered a return nod to her.

"And you?"

He didn't want to assume that she was royalty, but to him she certainly appeared as such.

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

His warning was correct. She hadn't heard of Myomar at all, much less had an idea of what corner of the galaxy to look to find such a place. Still, that was the interesting quirk with humans. They spread everywhere, and were from everywhere.

"Carshoulis, love. Hearrt of the cjivjiljized galaxjy."

She waited a beat, than pointed to the window.

"Brrjightesst pojint of ljight jin that djirrectjion. jIn galactjic terrmss, jusst acrrosss the sstrreet. jYou've...neverr been?"

[Quarles P. Dage]

"Oh heavens, no. I generally stay at home and take care of the business there."

He took a sip from his caf.

"Doesn't leave much time for vacations or trips away, to be honest."

There was always more to his aversion to traveling, and thankfully Bernice had shared his homebody tendencies. The two of them had found the most of their joy in simply staying in, sharing the soft contours of the nerfhide lounger that had been their first purchase after marrying. In front of them had always been a warm fire or a summertime spread that they could share. When the children were young, it was a magical time.

But, all of the memories were just that. Memories of times gone by. Now, he was on Jovan Station, the bearer of heartbreaking news that had to be delivered. At the very least Quentin was willing to keep open the lines of communication that had once been closed off.

"Sometimes though, if you love what you do, there's not much need for getting away."

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

"Oh, jI agrree wholehearrtedly. The companjy alwajyss gjivess wajy to the ssettjing."

Kalleeiha blew the crown of steam away from her tea, testing it by briefly touching her lip to the rim of her cup. Not yet.

"Can jI make a confesssjion? jI'm asss farr awajy frrom home asss jI've everr been beforre."

[Quarles P. Dage]

"Well! That makes two of us, then!"

He at least didn't feel alone in that, and Quarles leaned back in his seat as he set his eyes back toward the expanse before them.

"Are you visiting the station as well... ?"

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

She shook her head slightly, causing her ear bangles to jingle.

"No, thjiss jiss morre of a ssemji-perrmanent sstajy. jI rrun the tea housse on the concourrsse. Good bussjinesss. We'rre not the onljy homessjick ssoulss. jIt'ss good to have companjy, and jI help facjiljitate that."

[Quarles P. Dage]

A teahouse? It was enough to make him envision a quiet nook in a corner of the merchant's concourse, populated by tables and chairs and a host of patrons happily taking in aromatic teas - much like the kind that Mrs. Maillanaarro herself now had. And if he was to go by her manner of dress, he guessed that the decor was opulent yet calming all at once.

"That sounds rather nice, actually."

Again his mind took him to a serene place of quiet conversation and satisfaction, and he couldn't help the wistful smile that pulled his lips back. The last time he and Bernice had spent time quietly had been a month previous. They'd been sat in that old nerfhide lounger, sipping caf and nibbling on cured slices of rota, with crackers and aged chedik cheese pulled from the basement.

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

"A pjitjy that jyou'rre leavjing sso ssoon. jIt'ss a wonderrful ljittle place to meet all ssorrtss of people. Not that jyou can't do that herre, of courrsse."

She paused, finally taking a fulsome sip of tea.

"Ahh."

Returning to her company, the Madame eased her cup to the table.

"Tell me about Mjyomarr, Arr Dage. jI don't get out much, jit'ss njice to trravel vjicarrjioussljy."

[Quarles P. Dage]

There was a warmth that seemed to spread out from his smile at the thought of the question posed, and Quarles let his head angle up to stare towards the vaulted ceiling high above.

"It's quiet," he finally started.

"We don't have a lot of exports, and generally take care of ourselves. Plains and mountains, nothing too extreme unless you count the winters. I've seen it get so cold that entire herds freeze; though, that hasn't happened in a while. The last few winters have been cold, but nothing unbearable. Summers are bright and warm, but not oppressive. The rains mostly come about in the growing seasons, and in the Autumn months."

A few moments of silence passed before he went on.

"Right now - " a quick look to his watch that he'd never adjusted before leaving home - "... it's about midday. My eldest is most likely moving the kurato sheep to their second pastures. He'll also be switching over the inak to the mountain passes so they can graze the higher altitude grass to fatten them up."

His features fell somewhat then.

"It's nothing glamorous, but it's a living and it's... well, it's just perfect."

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

"jI had a feeljing jyou werre a rrancherr." Her smile broadened a bit."

A moment passed, and Kalleeiha revealed her tell.

"jYourr handss. jI met a man frrom Fey'dann a long tjime ago. He had the ssame callouss overr the fjingerr therre. Ssomethjing about how he held the rrope orr the rrejignss orr ssomethjing."

[Quarles P. Dage]

"Reigns."

It came out naturally, as he knew exactly the cause of the callous she spoke of.

Whether one came from Myomar or some other planet that held the same tendencies, there was always a constant.

"If the callous is here," both hands came up, the finger of one running along the ridge of the index finger of the other in the same area that she'd spoken of, "... then it's because he held reigns. Sometimes a lasso can do it, but for the most part it's because he was riding."

His hand flipped, and he showed the knife-edge of his palm, also studded with rough callouses.

"If he's got these here also, then it's definitely reigns."

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

Kalleeiha leaned forward to examine the offered hand. She brushed the pad of her soft thumb over the ridge, feeling its craggy inflexibility.

"jI ljike that. jIt'ss beautjiful."

Dimples appeared at the periphery of her smile.

"jI ljiked jit wjith the man frrom Fey'dann too. What do jyou rrjide?"

[Quarles P. Dage]

He blinked, not exactly sure how to take the compliment. Slowly pulling his hand away, Quarles sighed as he focused on her last question.

"It's a riding animal native to Myomar, called an aurluk. Been told they're some offshoot of guarlara."

He remembered seeing pictures of guarlaras in holobooks when he was young.

"Nothing near as fancy as the Naboo breeds, but they're beautiful enough in their own way."

[Kalleeiha Maillanaarro]

He demurred, as humans often did. Kalleeiha took no insult from it.

"jI'm ssurre jif jI ssaw a holo, jI'd jinsstantljy know jit, but ji hope jyou'll excusse a cjitjy gjirrl herr jignorrance."

The madame pierced the poached egg with a spoon, peeling the white away in a noncommittal act.

"What'ss jit ljike?"