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Thread: Culture Shook

  1. #1
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    Open Culture Shook

    Jovan Station was a bustling place. The bright lights of the promenade flashed and holoads popped up on the walls and above people's heads while people walked and talked, shopped and ate.

    At a small table near one of the many food courts a red-furred Kufu sat, shoveling food into her mouth while her ears twitched at every loud noise. Leaning next to her chair was a long spear, the sharp tip encased in a blue plastic substance.


  2. #2
    At the academy, a day off was a rare thing, and he'd been told to expect few once he got a permanent assignment, either. But life on Jovan Station, as part of Titan Squadron, had afforded Joey more down time than he had anticipated. The gym occupied a good portion of it, as did hanging out with his dad, but in other free time? Well... there was shopping to be done, now wasn't there? And if there was one thing Jovan was becoming known for, it was its shopping district.

    What had begun as a ramshackle collection of vendors had grown into a large marketplace attacting some of the best brand names. A trading post so near the border offered excellent retail opportunity, and Joey had delighted in the appearance of higher-end fashion labels opening their doors. It was with two bags in his paw, and an iced mocha kashyykchino in the other, the brown-furred Nehantite looked about and considered his lunch options.

    KFN? No, too greasy, and he had abs to think about. Rancor Ribs? Too messy, and he'd used his good fur conditioner that morning. Sushi Naboo? That could work.

    A few minutes later, with his designer stimcaff in the same paw which held his bags, and his tray of lunch in the other, he scanned about for a place to sit, and stumbled across a most unexpected sight. There a few meters away, say a Nehantite. But not a normal one, a... Kufu? His pink eyes looked her up and down curiously, taking in her unusual fur pattern, and her garb. Nehantites this far out were a bit uncommon, but a female, and a Kufu? That was unheard of. He simply had to know more!

    "Don't go too fast, you won't be able to appreciate the Major's blend of thirteen herbs and spices," Joey said, having drawn close behind the open seat at the other side of the table. "Though the recycled air here does something to the frying process. It's not as crispy as it is back home."

    The pilot smiled, his perfectly-cared-for white teeth gleaming in the artificial light, while a polo shirt clung too tightly to his gym-sculpted frame.
    Last edited by Joey Rabeak; Feb 7th, 2021 at 03:49:26 PM.

  3. #3
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    Ndonsa slowly looked up from the greasy bone she was holding, and found herself looking at another of her species. He was holding a tray of food - perhaps there were no other seats and he wished to join her?

    "I have never eaten this before," she said, cracking the bone in half while she maintained eye contact. He was muscular and his brown fur was well groomed. At least it wasn't one of the yellow-furs.

    Her tail twitched as he lingered, and she nodded to the chair. "You may sit."

    Ndonsa stuck one end of the broken bone into her mouth and delicately sucked the marrow out.

  4. #4
    The sight of someone sucking the marrow from a nuna thigh bone caused Joey some pause. Were he not so curious about this woman, it might have been enough for him to move along. Though he supposed he'd sucked enough stuff out of other bones, himself, that he couldn't really judge.

    "Thank you," he replied. His tray was set down, followed by his stimcaff, while his bags found a home on the floor beside him as he took a seat. "First time off-world, I take it?" he said with a smile. Breaking apart his chopsticks, he worked them into place between his fingers. "I remember my first trip off-world. Though I didn't go near as far as this!" there was a chuckle in his voice - one which died down awkwardly as his eyes crossed a necklace which appeared to be made of teeth. Rubbing his tongue over his own teeth inside his muzzle, they appeared to be very familiar teeth indeed.

    Maybe she was a dentist?

  5. #5
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    Ndonsa sat up straighter, her necklaces clinking against each other. She used a napkin on her paws, eyeing the wooden sticks the male was fiddling with.

    "This is not my first trip 'off-world.' I traveled this station from Ossus." She smiled, remembering what she had been told about appearing 'grumpy,' and then ran her tongue across her teeth, checking for any pieces of meat that might be stuck.

    Satisfied, Ndonsa sat back in her seat, forcing her body into a relaxed position. Her ears continued to twitch as the giant space container they called Jovan seemed to amplify every noise into a sense-deadening cacophony.

  6. #6
    Joey listened, while popping the first of his pieces of sushi into his mouth using his chopsticks. If this woman came from Ossus, that was even more puzzling, as Nehantites had no business there. There hadn't been a Nehantite Jedi in over a century, to his knowledge. Swallowing, he washed it down with a sip from his iced stimcaff - a terrible combination in hindsight.

    "Ah, I ssee," he nodded. "Sorry, it's just... KFN is kind of one of the first things most people try when they wind up off-world, so I guess I presumed."

    Another glance over Ndonsa, and Joey's mind still made no better sense of her. If she were a Jedi, she would have one of those laser-swords, right? But this woman had a spear. And a necklace made of teeth, among other beaded necklaces. "I hope I'm not out of line by saying I really didn't expect to see a Kufu female this far from home. Might I ask what brings you out this way?" Another piece of sushi found its way into his muzzle, forcing Ndonsa to reply, or sit in silence for the moment.

  7. #7
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    "You can ask."

    She watched him use the sticks to put food in his mouth with some interest. It seemed a waste of time, but they did not seem to slow him down as he ate. After a moment she realized he expected her to say more.

    "I am required to spend time here, to 'ack-liminate.'" Ndonsa frowned slightly. "Ack-clim-ate."

    Across the promenade a large group of people suddenly cheered, and she visibly flinched, her hand reaching for her spear.

  8. #8
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    "I'll have eight fried nuunas and a fizzglug."

    Gradoona rocked heel to toe and back as she waited on the cashier at KFN to ring her up.

    "Eight?" He asked somewhat incredulously, then thought the better of it once he looked at the Herglic.

    "Aand two slices aaf dry white tooast."

    The cashier turned to his work, shaking his head at the order. "Two slices of toast..."

    "Oh, caan ya maake the pop a diet fizzglug?"

    "One *diet* fizzglug..."

    While she waited for her order, Gradoona turned around, leaning back against the counter slightly. She scanned the food area of the concourse, looking for a familiar face. Her little eyes widened when she locked onto Joey Rabeak and a lady Nehantite. Huh. She figured his arrow didn't shoot that way. Who knew?

    "Joooey!" She waved, closed her mouth, and gave a sharp whistle from her blowhole.

  9. #9
    Joey's perfectly-sculpted brows crimped. "Acclimate? Acclimate to what?" he asked, then watched her reaction to the crowd before chuckling. "It's cool, big smashball game on, today. They're likely fans of one of the teams."

    Another piece of sushi, this one eaten faster than the others, and he returned his attention to Ndonsa. But before he could say anything, he jumped at the loud cry of his name from across the way. Half-choking on fish and rice, he reached for his stimcaff to clear it all in a taste sensation never meant for mortals to endure. Coughing, then looked about to find the source of the call, only to spot Gradoona waiting in the KFN line. Raising a paw, he waved back.

    "Hey, Gradoona," he replied, though not nearly so loud. Turning back to Ndonsa, he attempted to salvage the conversation. "She works with my dad, here on the station. Engineering. I'm a pilot, myself."
    Last edited by Joey Rabeak; Mar 16th, 2019 at 01:43:41 PM.

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    Ndonsa's tail swished with embarrassment and she slowly removed her hand from the shaft of her spear.

    "It is a test," she mumbled, looking down at her paws. The whistle of a large fish creature hurt her ears, but she sat stoically, determined not to humiliate herself again. After the quiet of Ossus Jovan Station was like living inside a speaker while someone listened to metallic music.

    She looked up with interest as he spoke of his skills. "I also can pilot. I learned... in a dream." Ndonsa frowned, and shook her head. "Does the station have engines?"

  11. #11
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    Four buckets, a pop, and a side of dry toast later, Gradoona paid up and headed on over. She carefully did the Herglic dance, side-stepping and shimmying past patrons and chairs with an auctioneer's stream of "s'cuse me, coming thruu, and pardon me's". That was life with tinies. Sink or swim. Adapt or don't. Chairs screeched out of the way as she pushed forward, eventually finding herself within talking distance instead of shouting distance.

    "Heeey, this seat taaken, oor yoou guys haavin' a little exclusive mano-e-mano soorta thing?"

  12. #12
    "In a dream?" Joey asked, his head cocking in curiosity. "Yeah, the station's got engines. Mostly just to keep us in place, in case something pushes us out of position. Minor correction type stuff, hardly used."

    Before he could go into further detail, or ask what Ndonsa meant by test, Gradoona arrived to threaten the structural integrity of one of the food court chairs. But, if they could support Zane, they might be able to support a Herglic, he supposed, so he politely smiled. "Well, I just kinda got here, and miss..." he paused, realizing he didn't actually know this woman's name. "Oh, Garfife, I'm so sorry, I didn't even introduce myself," he said to Ndonsa. "I'm Joey, Joey Rabeak. It's a pleasure to meet you, miss...?" he held out his paw for a cordial shake, hoping she would accept it. His blunt claws were expertly manicured, while the pads of his paws appeared smooth and soft from lotion and conditioning oils.

  13. #13
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    "Ndonsa," she said, taking his paw. Knight Loki had instructed her thoroughly on the art of being polite, and she held Joey Rabeak's paw for the appropriate amount of time and with the correct pressure. He was soft.

    "There is no one else sitting here," Ndonsa said to the large fish person, hoping she would not join them. She had met this one before, which meant that the older Nehantite she had met must be Joey's father.

  14. #14
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    Now having a good look at her, a dawning recollection filled Gradoona's features.

    "Oohhh yeaaah! Yoou're that Jedi gal fraam a few weeks agoo!"

    The Herglic hurriedly found a second chair, and placed her tray on the table as she carefully arranged them side by side behind her. Carefully, Gradoona took a seat on both chairs, which sighed softly under her weight, but held.

    "Soo, whaat brings ya baack t' Joovan, eh?"

  15. #15
    "Sounds like she's on some kind of assignment," Joey smiled. As more of his sushi disappeared, he leaned closer to Ndonsa and spoke quietly. "Is it a mission? It's okay, you can tell us, we're Alliance. We can keep a secret."

  16. #16
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    Ndonsa edged away from the fish person as she sat down and spread out her food on the small table. Joey leaned closer to her to speak softly, and she could smell the scent he had poured on himself. If he were in the jungle she could have tracked him down by his odor alone.

    She turned her face toward him, staring into his pink eyes. "Yes... a mission." The Kufu sat back, her tail twitching nervously as the fish person began to eat. She tried not to look at her.

    "A private mission."

    Not secret. There was a difference.

  17. #17
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    "Ooh geepers, mums the woord then!"

    Gradoona mimed the act of zipping her lips, before cleaving a whole fried nuna in half with a bite.

    "Soo, whaats that like, eh? Being a Jedi and all? Caan ya reeaally, yaknoo, make stuff flooat in air?"

  18. #18
    "Wait, you really are a Jedi?" Joey asked, the surprise easily visible on his face. "That's amazing! We haven't had a Jedi in, like, over a century!"

    The male's excitement bubbled over into his posture and body language, and he grinned widely. "How come you haven't been all over our news? This is big! More than big, this is huge!"

  19. #19
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    Joey's excitement was confusing. Ndonsa looked at Gradoona, taking in how easily the fish female's wide mouth snapped her food into pieces. She did not look away.

    "It is not news," she said dismissively, her eyes tracking the nuna that Gradoona was picking up and propelling into her jaws.

  20. #20
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    The Herglic engineer was just about to chow into the second nuna when she got the distinct feeling she was being watched, and not simply observed as part of a conversation.

    "Oh, um..."

    She closed her mouth, and offered the nuna in her hand to Ndonsa.

    "Ya waant some moore? It's waater oover my back if ya doo. Noo biggie. Heck, I bet Jedi training really woorks up an aappetite, eh?"

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