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  1. #21
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    Alienor was very glad that the Besalisk agreed to her request to let Talia try the weapons out. She hadn't been joking when telling Talia she might have work for her in upcoming missions, and she generally thought that the teenager needed to learn more at whatever opportunities she got. Alienor taught basics of self defense to really young kids, so her adopted niece handling heavy weapons seemed like a completely normal progression.

    She eventually tried both the Outland Rifle and the A310. She stopped as she heard Talia communicate to her. She watched what the Besalisk had given her to try out. She had heard about those adaptive blaster to rifles, but had never got to use one so far. And she was very intrigued.

    Getting out of the booth, she looked at the seller. "I'll get a couple of Outland Rifles, and am going to try out the A280 Covert Field Edition."

    She gestured for Talia to get out of the booth. "Show me how to change it from one form to the other." She hadn't seen the Besalisk show her, but she rightfully bet he must have.

    Once the teenager had done as such, Alienor did the manipulation for herself. "I like how concise the core blaster is. It's perfect to hide under a jacket, or wear in a thigh holster. Let me try it."

    She went back to the booth and tried it in both versions, and she hadn't liked a firearm that much in a long time. She definitely would be using it on a regular basis. Once she was satisfied, she rejoined with the seller and Talia.

    "I'll get three of those."

    And one would go to Talia.

  2. #22
    Talia exited the booth as instructed and set the components down on the countertop just outside. She went through the motion of attaching the assault rifle variants, then added the additional parts that would take it to sniper configuration and disassembled back from there. “Not so bad. Really versatile.” She handed the weapon off to Alienor to go through the motions herself, then fire as she saw fit. From behind the viewport she watched how deftly Alienor handled the weapon, in awe of her capabilities, perhaps even a tad jealous at how good her Auntie Ali was at just about everything, as she saw it.

    Talia did a mental count as Alienor spoke to all the weapons she was buying. Somehow the order had jumped from four, to seven, or at least Talia was sure she had remembered Alienor saying she sought to purchase seven. “Three? Hmph.” The Besalisk grunted in delight, counting mentally the credits the total purchase would rack up to. “The Disruptors will 450 for the pair, the Outland Rifles 250. Given the components to purchase too for the A280 CFE, I’ll give a bulk price of 700. Total purchase today so far is 2400. Anything else?” The Besalisk could barely contain his want to see just what else Alienor might be after. Weapons weren’t among his more expensive wares, but they did turn a good profit.”

    Talia released a barely audible whistle at the final tally of the price, more credits than she had ever personally handled. She knew, given Alienor’s fame and the wealth that went with it though, that this would be chump change. She did everything she could to keep her expression neutral to not give away that the Besalisk likely could have pushed the price higher.

  3. #23
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    Alienor didn't think that a happy Besalisk was more pleasant to watch than an apathetic or angry one; but he had delivered so far. That was what mattered. She had expected a higher price, and she believed she would return for future business, given how smoothly things had gone, whether entertaining her in her illegal equipment wants, or abiding by her request to let Talia try the rifles for herself. The pirate was pleased. "I am good for now. Make sure everything is delivered on time." As she made the payment, she did add an extra 200 as a tip or good service appreciation token. She knew she didn't have to; but building solid commercial relations could make life much easier.

    As she left the place with Talia, she grinned to her niece. "You do have some good contacts." She paused as she let the teenager lead the way. "Also, that one adaptive rifle model you liked? One is for you," she stated, not having wanted to tell Talia until they had left the warehouse. She was curious as to where next the younger blonde would take her; but so far the errands had gone quite smoothly.

  4. #24
    Talia slipped off with Alienor, departing the warehouse that completed a large number of their purchases. “Well being a kid is a bit disarming for most, and when they watch you grow up they have a much easier time trusting.” She confessed, taking Alienor back out onto the main thoroughfare. Before they got far, a kid ran up to Talia. The Kiffar knelt, letting the little girl whisper into her ear while that same girl kept her eyes locked on Alienor. This one was obviously young enough to not know Molly’s close friend, and so looked at her a touch warily.

    Talia nodded, then tussled the girl’s hair about and slipped her a credit chip. “Thanks. Go on now, I’ve got some things to take care of.” She rose, glancing back towards Alienor. “I suppose I really need to get stronger now.” She laughed a touch nervously, having recalled the embarrassment at how she struggled to handle the weapon. “Should I leave it on your ship, or do I get to hold onto it to practice with?” She questioned expectantly, bright blue eyes reflecting a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

    Regardless of Alienor’s answer, she took her back the way they had originally come, weaving the crowd and purchasing a fruit for each of them along the way. She paused outside a boisterous cantina, glancing to her partner. “The guy that bought the scramblers is here. I have an idea how we’re going to get them, so just follow my lead.” She sucked in a breath, straightening before walking into the Cantina like she belonged. Her eyes found the mess of medium blonde hair belonging to the described man, a human named Zeke Traybis.

    She wandered up to the man, who stood by and watched a game of pazaak taking place. “Looks fun, what are they playing?” He glanced over his shoulder to her, eyes doing the typical once over. “Pazaak, you’ve never played?” She smiled, meeting his eyes for the first time. “No, would you teach me?” He smiled, falling victim to the combination of a pretty, young face and a possibly naïve woman who might be swindled easily. “Alright, sure. It’s more fun with credits though, do you have some?”

    She glanced back over her shoulder to Alienor. “Aunt Merril, can I borrow some credits to learn a new game?” As she said this, she maneuvered over to a table and sat across from Zeke, who prepped the cards. The first round went quickly, Talia making key mistakes that saw her lose the round handily. “So I want to hit 20, but not go over. I think I’m getting it, can we play again?” To emphasize her point, she set a small stack of credit chips on the table.

  5. #25
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    "Relying on natural assets is a good thing. The more you can exploit what you have to your advantage, the better," Alienor replied to Talia's comment about being a kid. The pirate believed in acquiring new skills and honing what one already had; but if you had naturally helpful sides to you or your situation, there was no reason not to use such things. She was glad with how cunning Talia could be. The teenager still had a bit of naivety and sheer excitement coming with being her age; but she believed her niece would do fine as time went on. And what help she could offer, she would.

    She observed the brief exchange between Talia and the young girl, noting the wary look. She would have to spend more time getting to know Molly's brood, so they wouldn't have to think twice if seeing her around. Spending much time on Cloud City would provide opportunities for that to happen.

    She followed Talia to the cantina, and then inside the place. She let the teenager lead the proceedings. She was curious to see what would happen; but so far Talia had delivered, so it was a good enough incentive for the pirate to trust her younger partner. She went along with giving credits to Talia so she could "learn" pazzak, and she got herself a drink in the meantime, staying close enough to the game table, but at an appropriate angle from which the players could see her, and not Talia, so there would be no way they could be told they cheated together. It was an educated guess from years spent in similar situations. She might have worried about Talia losing, but it weirdly made her hopeful about the situation, and quite eager to see what her niece would do.

  6. #26
    The game went on, back and forth exchanging rounds, and conversation was made. “We just got done shopping for some ship parts. My Aunt is going to teach me to install them later, I’m super stoked.” She kept this air of distraction about her, the typical lack of focus expected of someone her age. This drew the conversation, as her opponent sought to keep her distracted, where he offered the information that he had recently purchased some scramblers. The 5th round ended, and while formerly at a 2-2 draw, she lost another round and the match. “Oh man. Again? I’m sure I can do it this time.”

    Her opponent held no complaints, sure as can be that he was on the good side of this deal. With her credit count dwindling though, she needed to make her move. “My credits are kind of low, what if I wagered our transponders this time? That would give me a shot to win my money back.” This gave pause to her opponent, estimating the value of the transponders she offered. “I know, they’re worth a bit more. Umm, I can pull my credits out and maybe you can toss a few in? That would balance it.” He dismissed the notion, suggesting she could keep the credits in and they would keep the pot healthy with an added sum from him.

    This was where she needed Alienor to trust her, and she chose not to look to the woman while the game was prepared to play. She shuffled the cards slowly, then dealt them out. Each card she dealt to her opponent, her psychometry informed her what value it had assigned. With that knowledge she would have a relative idea when to play cards, and when it wasn’t necessary. She dealt then from the main deck the first value for herself face up, then his, and continued to do so until they got close to 20. The rounds played out like this, except because of her gifts she knew when the next card to come up would be bad for her, and when it would be good to take.

    The entire match passed flawlessly, losing one round out of a necessity to drain some of his hand cards, but taking the overall victory with three rounds won. “I did it!” She exclaimed, standing up and throwing her hands in the air. This served a secondary purpose as her sleeves fell back, to show she had no device to hide cards up her sleeves. “Oh man, that was so much fun!” Her opponent sure didn’t think so, slapping what was left of his hand down onto the table. “Let me win back my credits, I let you win yours back.” He exclaimed, desperate. She hesitated a moment, for show, then nodded. “Sure, another round?”

    He shook his head, bringing out a chance cube. “Simple game, red you win, blue I win.” She offered a hand out to inspect the cube, as was customary, then handed it back. “Okay, but do you have the credits to match what you put in?” He shook his head but brought out his back with the scramblers. “No, but these will easily cover it. What do you say?” She glanced to Alienor. “Do we need scramblers? I kind of want to play anyway, and I mean what’s the worst that could happen? I break even, right?” She guided the brief exchange, trying to get Alienor to play along and not show that they had been after the scramblers the whole time.

  7. #27
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    "She's wanted to learn more about ships for so long, I caved in. Kids, you know? You love them even when they drive you crazy." It brought a round of laughter around the table, which the pirate knew would add to Talia's cover story; and her behavior was really suitable. If Alienor didn't know Talia better, she might buy some of that act.

    Alienor took her time with her drinks, but she made sure to quietly nurse them, not remaining empty-handed. She was not only extremely curious about what Talia's plan exactly encompassed, besides eventually winning the scramblers; but it didn't answer all her questions, far from that. She loved that the stakes were rising though. It wasn't as dangerous as saving a heist gone bad from a bunch of criminals; but it still was entertaining.

    When Talia asked to bet the transponders, Alienor cringed as expected; because no one in their right mind would roll with it without argument. "Really? Do you think creds just grow on concrete?" Thing was she did trust the girl; but they both had to keep it credible. She eventually rolled her eyes and got a third drink. "Fine, fine. You lose that, you'll be cleaning my ship until you're legal and maybe some extra years, agreed?" Then she just gestured for the game to start. She could tell the players may think she was going to get in trouble with that crazy niece; and it was hilarious to her, although her expression betrayed none of it.

    Upon the win, Alienor cheered for the teen. "Wow, you did amazing!" She looked very proud because she really was. When the next bit, the one they had come for arrived, Alienor groaned, and looked hesitant. "You should know when to leave," she said, her voice laconic. "Fine," she finally agreed in a tone appropriately anxious, but loving enough that they'd think Talia led her by the nose.

  8. #28
    Alienor played her part perfectly, the apprehensive guardian that also wanted to give her the opportunity to make her own mistakes but also not be kept under a tight leash. It was perfect, and for a moment she almost believed herself the threats and story they were tossing together. “Alright, let’s do this. So red is me, and blue is you.” She watched the chance cube intently, nodding to the man to throw it.

    The fortunate circumstance is that no one would be watching her. The cube was tossed, and all eyes were on the result. Talia pushed within as deep as she could, summoning up a power different than her psychometry. She had practiced this one skill many times, and it was the only reliable thing she could do with the Force. As the cube spun, bounced off the wall, and started to lose its momentum she centered on it. It tumbled, and tumbled, until it came with the red side up. She immediately dropped all pretense of focus and threw her arms into the air, jumping at her ‘Aunt’ and hugging her around the neck. “I won!”

    She reigned herself in quickly, gathering up the credits and taking the scramblers from the bag. “Hey, maybe we can play again sometime.” He shook his head, and she paused to consider a moment. Her eyes went to her aunt, then back to the man. A stack of credits was separated and set on the table, not enough to recoup all of his losses but a majority of the actual money he had put on the table. She didn’t wait for a reply, but turned and walked off with Alienor, exiting to the street. Once outside, she exhaled a deep breath and presented a smirk at Alienor. “We did it. Got everything. Do we go back to the ship now?”

  9. #29
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    Alienor's position made it look like she was focused on the cube, but she was actually focused on Talia. When the cube landed on the winning side for them, she smiled and hugged the teenager as she jumped at her. She cheered loudly; and now had a strong inkling of what might be up to, given what her cousin was. She didn't understand how the whole thing worked; but she was now suspicious that her niece was Force sensitive. She kept that to herself for the moment and picked up the transponders boxes she had come to the cantina with. She grinned and walked out with Talia, still following the teenager's lead. She had done magnificently. To say that the pirate was proud of her protegee would be an understatement.

    "You are awesome. I'm so proud of you," she said with a bright smile. "Yes, I got everything I needed."

    It took them half an hour, uneventful, to reach the private landing pad where she kept the Ferelden Rose. Alienor led the way aboard, taking them to a cargo bay where they could put the transponders and scramblers. They would install them later.

    "You ready for the grand tour?" After Talia had answered positively and eagerly, she led the way towards the hallway, beginning with the galley and several living quarters. "What you did back there, that was a Force trick, wasn't it?"

  10. #30
    “Thanks!” Talia beamed at Alienor’s praise of how she did. It was her chance to prove that she wasn’t the same kid she used to be, and it felt so relieving to earn that bit of respect in a woman she looked up to so much. She followed Alienor back to her ship, grateful for the much slower pacing. She was able to come down off the excitement that the gambling had brought, the entire time confident in her abilities but also mildly stressed that it wasn’t her belongings that were on the line.

    “Yeah, let’s see it!” As they walked through the ship, Talia poked her head everywhere she was able. If they passed a room, even if it was unused, she wanted to see what it looked like. And in the galley, she even went so far as to open the refrigeration unit. She did stiffen slightly as Alienor questioned how she had won the game of chance, straightening out of the refrigeration unit and closing the door. “Please don’t tell Molly. I don’t do it often, and I don’t even know what I am doing with it really. I just practiced how to manipulate chance cubes, I swear.”

    She didn’t talk about her family ever, but it was the sure bet for where her skills came from, and why she even knew she had them. To most people, Talia was just another of Molly’s little birds. “Just please don’t tell her. I don’t think she’d ever look at me the same way again.” It was clear she was a bit panicked about this information coming out. When she mentioned her growing abilities, it wasn’t the Force she spoke of, but her inherent Kiffar gifts. Both had been discovered though.

  11. #31
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    Talia's excitement as they went through the ship amused Alienor. Musing over all that had gone done during their errands, even without what she believed was a Force trick, had really impressed her. She knew that the teenager had grown; but it had been even more obvious in how the younger woman had helped her acquire all that she needed. Sure, the pirate had the money for such expenses, and knew what she wanted; but finding where to get things was a different matter. And it wouldn't have gone as smoothly without Talia. She was grateful for that.

    She hadn't expected Talia to panic the way she did when confronted about her Force gift. Alienor reached out and rested her hands on the teenager's shoulders. "Hey, it's okay. I won't tell anyone. Don't worry about it."

    She knew, because of her cousin, that Force users were mostly unwanted if not actually hunted in much of the galaxy. "I'm not like you; but I have someone close who is. I know that you guys keep this private. I won't sell you out, Talia, alright?"

  12. #32
    Talia’s blue eyes searched Alienor’s gaze intently, looking for any sign of deception. She trusted Alienor completely, but she still had to be sure for herself. Her hands rose to cradle her face into them, not crying but damn sure stressed. Her index fingers dipped through and across her eyes, wiping at them as she lowered her hands. “Thanks.” Her voice resonated with a touch of shakiness, having not considered fully the consequences of her actions for the day.

    “Here, and in this life, people don’t trust people like me. This is all I know though. Without it, I have no idea where I would go, who I would be.” She stuffed her hands down into her pockets, smiling weakly. “Your ship is nice. You keep it really clean.” Anything was better than dwelling on her meager force abilities in the moment, but she knew some things would likely need to be talked about at some point. And yet, here she was partially returning to it. “You know that wasn’t all the Force, right? My kind has a small chance to be born with a special gift. My Mother was exceptionally talented, nearly impossible to lie to her it felt like. I knew my ability with it would grow as well.”

  13. #33
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    Alienor just wanted to hug Talia; but she could tell that while the teenager was grateful for her reassurance, she was still shaky, and had that independent strike about her. It was normal given the life she had led, even being so young. "You're welcome," she said, meaning it like she had every word about protecting her niece's secret.

    "If I can help, you know I'm here for you, okay?" Alienor didn't want to be overwhelming; but any person crossing someone important to a Tankreyd regretted it, very badly if not permanently. And Talia was like family to the pirate.

    When Talia complimented the ship and how clean it was, the musician grinned proudly. "Thank you! Come on, let me show you the cockpit." She thought it'd be a good distraction as well, even though as they were heading there, Talia returned to the topic of what she had done in the cantina.

    "No I didn't know," She admitted. "The only Force user I know was just that, born with a gift. I didn't realize some people had it for genetic reasons."

  14. #34
    “I’m not really sure how anyone can help me with this. I’m worried that some day I am going to give away what I can do and lose everything because of it.” She didn’t have control, and she frankly didn’t want to learn to use it, even if it meant keeping it under control. “I mean, it’s great for swindling…” She made light of the situation, forcing the most playful smirk she could muster in the instant.

    Talia moved with Alienor towards the cockpit, brazenly situating herself into the co-pilots seat, as if it were meant for her. She knew that she’d be relegated to some other role, but the idea of flying and escaping into parts unknown had a sort of romantic quality to her that she fantasized about often, even if she was eternally grateful to be as cherished as she was among Molly’s network. Her hands roamed over the control console, gentle and appreciate in her touch.

    “It’s not the Force.” She replied. “I mean, the chance cube, that was the Force. Pazaak though, that was psychometry. My Mother used to tell me I would inherit her gifts when I was really young. I didn’t know what that meant at the time. I can touch things and see their memories. So, when I touched those cards, I knew what they were without seeing them. It only works on inanimate objects for me though. My Mother was able to interact with people in the same way. It was…a very useful interrogation tool, I’m sure.” Her brows knit, knowing the path her mother had walked. One she would never walk. Petty crime was one thing, but the Empire was a completely different form of evil in her eyes.

    She glanced over to the control stick of the ship, then back to Alienor. "I could probably learn the basics of flying but just sitting in your chair, and touching the instruments you do. Maybe not the why of your actions, but memories of times you may have sent the ship into a barrel roll. Or the sequence of buttons hit to plunge the ship into hyperspace."

  15. #35
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    Alienor didn't dismiss Talia's concerns, nor did she throw further reassurance. She wasn't in the teenager's shoes, and she was no Force sensitive. She had meant it when she had said she'd have Talia's back no matter what. Time would tell to what extent she would be able to; but the pirate didn't give up on family. She returned her niece's smirk, knowing too well how humor could help minimize a direr situation. She had used that herself too many times to count.

    She smiled more genuinely as the teenager claimed the co-pilot seat. It did suit her to be there. She was going to take that almost gown-up kid with her on mission. It would likely include some trial by fire; but that was life generally speaking. And she believed that Talia could use it, even enjoy it. People like them didn't expect life to just be a walk in the park. If they did, they wouldn't have just gone through errands and bargaining and assorted manipulation to get things from lower levels on Cloud City.

    "Thanks for telling me, Talia," Alienor said, grateful that her niece could confide in her. She had had no idea that some species could do what the teenager just described. That was pretty nifty.

    She couldn't help wondering whether Talia's mother might have followed a path similar to the cousin. There was just something about how Talia talked about her that made the musician wonder. She didn't pry though, especially as she kept Baska's powers and path to herself for the most part, not even knowing that much if she was honest anyway.

    "Well, we're not going to get the goods delivered for a few more hours. Care to try that theory of yours?"

    Alienor was daring Talia; and right on cue, she powered up her ship, putting it through pre-flight. She knew the perfect and safe spot to try what her niece suggested.

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