TITLE: Reunited Logged by: Ashton DATE: 05/01/02 ========================================================= CHARACTERS: Ashton Moira Rruka ========================================================= Ashton A powerfully built man whose eyes and smile coincide with his young and athletic-looking physique. Averaging these two factors, a guess that the human male is somewhere in his early to mid-twenties is close to accurate. His light brown, almost sandy-brown hair is shoulder-length with slight curls at the end. He has light hazel eyes, more green than brown, but this changes with his mood or outlook. His beard is slightly darker than his hair color and actually adds a few years to his appearance. He is average in height; no more than five foot ten inches tall. Ashton is wearing a worn-looking, gray flight jacket, made of a soft nerfhide. The jacket is light enough to wear indoors and still seems like it could withstand the elements rather well. Under the jacket is a collared shirt, designed in a muted shade of blue. His pants are black and tucked into a pair of comfortable-looking shin-high boot. Moira At 5'5", Moira Brennan is fairly small for a human. She's petite, with a heart shaped face and blue-green eyes. Blonde hair has been pulled away from her face in a simple ponytail, with no ornamentation or extravagant styling. She's dressed simply as well: a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of dark blue pants. Sensible black boots protect her feet, and a matching black belt encircles her waist. A clip can be seen on the belt, perhaps for some sort of weapon, though at this time nothing dangles from it. Rruka A smallish Trianii is this rather cheery black and white feline. His eyes are a brilliant green and gold hidden in a black cap that extends around the top of his head. A white blaze is perfectly positioned between his eyes. His lower face is purest white except for his black nose and a few large freckles of black around his chin. His fur appears slightly long but baby fine. Other markings are hidden beneath a tunic of a soft slate gray. White hands appear out of the folds of the darker slate robe. More black freckling shows on the clawed fingers. A few blotches appear on the wrists. At his small feline feet are soft boots that soften his step and give him a more civilized look. His black ears have a slight tuft to them. His whiskers are bright white and stand out on the black cap pattern of his head fur. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Smuggler's Cantina -- Coronet Corellia The Smuggler's Cantina is known throughout Corellia as a place where only the extremely cautious dare to enter. The Cantina has a reputation of having some of the most rugged and dangerous patrons around; some may even be for hire for the right price. At this moment, the cantina is filled with many creatures, some humanoid, and some not. The air is filled with the haze and musky smoke expelled from various kinds of inhaled paraphernalia. A long bar is situated at the northeast corner with several stools before it, while booths are nestled like cubbyholes along the walls. The cantina is rather quiet despite the heavy business going on outside in the spaceport. Something seems to have driven the regular clientele out in the daytime. Maybe it's the nicer weather, although how the drunks would know that is anyone's guess. Seated at the bar, next a very quiet Duros sits Ashton, looking much more disheveled and worn than many would remember him. The door opens, revealing a small blonde woman. Moira Brennan, in normal clothes for the first time in ages, enters the Cantina. She moves her arms to reveal that she's carrying no blaster, and then turns and heads for the bar. As she's taken to doing over her stay on this world, Moira's dampened her Force presence from a roar to a conversational tone- no need to blare your Jedi status to every semi-sensitive around. Blue-green eyes alight on her former Master, and it's with a nod to him that she takes a seat not far down the bar. Mind you, it's more an inclination of the head than a full nod- she doesn't know the circumstances of his stay on world, and so an open greeting could very well mess up something he's doing. "Tea, please. Whatever you've got." The Jedi woman requests, softly. The Duros looks up suddenly, first at Ashton, and then around the bar, as if noticing where he is for the first time and not wanting to be there. Rising from his seat, he looks once more to Ashton and then hurries from the bar, as if on some important mission. The bartender quirks an eyebrow, but says nothing, picking up the nearly full drink left behind by the Duros and disposing of it. Now there are only two people seated at the bar - Ashton and the newly arrived female. Ashton smiles before even looking up. She'd finally arrived. Rising from his seat, he moves down the bar and finds a seat next to Moira. He gestures to the bartender. "Another 'Leaf for me, please..." The 'tender mutters something about no one drinking real drinks anymore and turns away. "Hello." Moira says, a small smile tracing itself across her lips. "How are you?" Perhaps a loaded question but one that must be asked. The blonde shifts in her seat, sweeping a gaze over the empty Cantina before looking back to her old Master. Bets on whether or not he had something to do with this? Moi's money is on 'yes.' "Been better..." Ashton says with a shrug, but his smile can barely be seen through his beard growth. He turns as the drinks arrive and the bartender moves away. "I ran into Rruka the other day... how're things back on Coruscant? Things keeping busy?" Idle chitchat to start, it seems, but now that the bartender has moved away, the discussion topic could change. The door of the cantina opens and allows in a slight feline wearing some robes. He glances about while still in the doorway allowing him a chance to escape if something unwanted was here. "Coruscant? We've not been back- we were told there was something we were supposed to do here. So, I've been wandering, doing what I can." Actually, Moira's been letting the Force guide her from place to place, but that's probably understood without her saying so. She lifts her tea to take a sip, and her eyes move towards the feline Padawan as he enters. Rruka is somewhat startled by the ghost town-like atmosphere that has assailed the normally bustling cantina. Cautiously he approaches the bar, spotting his two acquaintances. A slight smile appears on his face as he asks a rather obvious question, "Is there enough room for me to join you?" Ashton nods slowly. "That's right... Phanton mentioned you might still be here." Strange. He doesn't call him 'Master Phanton'? Ashton replaces his glass back onto the bar top as Rruka approaches. "Don't see why not... place seems to be open for business, but people keep leaving." He smirks, only to subdue it when the bartender overhears this last part and turns to glare at him before moving farther away. Ashton turns sideways in his chair, to see both Jedi. "You're done here... what Phanton intended to get done here is finished. He's left Corellia to investigate some information I brought to him." He pauses, furrowing his eyebrows. "I was supposed to head out to Ossus and then Mrisst, but Rruka mentioned something about Tai..." "Tai? Tai has rejoined the Force." Moira says. In spite of what one may or may not expect, the Jedi woman does not tear p, nor does she feel sorrow. Death is a part of the cycle of life, and rejoining the Force a welcome end to a life well lived. "Was there something else about him? He appeared to Rruka and I not long after the events on Arkania that ended in his demise." Rruka closes his eyes and waits for his drink to get to him. He's here enough that the bartender knows to get him a light fruit juice. He sighs after a moment and then looks back at the older Jedi. Tai Jinn? Dead? Hardly fair, but as easily as he could slip into anger - for some reason, he doesn't. "I'm sorry, Moira," he says quietly, eyes softening visibly. "I know you two were close." Picking up his drink, he takes a bigger gulp, then places the nearly empty glass onto the bar top. "Well, if you two are done here... I'm ready to go home. The freighters outside and our pilot should have her ready soon. I think the council will want to hear what's been going on out here and something tells me you two will have a new mission." "Thank you, Ashton." Moira says, smiling faintly as she sips her tea. Her own expression is distant, but still not remorseful. She misses Tai, yes, but he's better off where he is now. "I think I'm ready to return and report. How about you, Rruka? Want to catch a lift back to Coruscant?" Rruka nods a little "we've been gone too long...time to check in put down some baggage." He half smiles, whiskers twitching slightly, "I DO like the quieter times that can be found here but this padawan needs much schooling still." Ashton raises an eyebrow at Rruka, but says nothing. He turns, sees the bartender is not looking their way and lifts a hand toward the doorway. "Come on..." Rising, he lifts his voice a bit. "Thanks..." he says to the bartender, dropping a hundred credit chit on the bar top. He nods toward the door and smiles at his friends. Strangely, the door opens and a few of the regulars come back in, looking around, as if searching for something. Satisfied, they begin streaming back into the bar. Moira gets to her feet, and follows her old Master. Coruscant- it's been so long since she'd been there. Without a word, the blonde heads for the door, smiling faintly as the old patrons slip in. How nice of them all to allow the Jedi a private moment... though, really, chances are 'nice' had absolutely nothing to do with it. Rruka half smiles as people start filtering back in, "Some -forced- fumigation for pests Ashton?" He can't help but softly chuckle and scoot out with the knights.