Session export: Oodles of Noodles 3

She walked into the shop, enjoying the light smells and savory aromatics of the cooking food and resting spices. The wonder of it was always something that made her happy about shops like this.

Sitting at the main counter, the small woman read over the menu a few times and then placed her order. An extra spicy roba bowl with a fried egg and bean sprouts. To drink? Of course there would have been drinks. A glass of tsiraki and a cup of hot tea. With a grin, she tossed half a pocketful of credits on the counter and the request to keep the food and drinks flowing.

The small BD that had casually rode in on her back hopped down onto the counter and hunkered down into a type of sitting position himself, watching everything around them with a grave expression.

Fresh from making a delivery, Marius Edraven and his married Aunts — Aryn “Jade” and Dr. Rowena “Rowan” Erinos-Magnuri — found themselves drawn to the scintillating aromas coming from the small shop. Naturally, HK-72 had come along, as Marius’ twin sister had assigned the gladiator droid with the protection of her blind, trouble-magnet brother.

As they entered, the former Force Cultist took in a deep breath, then exhaled. “I think we’ve found a little slice of heaven.”

Rowena let out an amused sound whilst Jade gave him a push, getting the mixed-race Sephi moving toward the counter. “Food now, admire later.”

At Marius’ musing about their quality of tea and the Mandalorian’s sign of resignation, the Doctor let out a soft, throaty chuckle.

The HK droid kept watch as the trio approached the bar to make their meal and drink orders.

Exhausted from another long day of dealing with patients, Weyr was finally free for a bit. He had remembered Tasha’Vel raving about this amazing noodle shop she had come across. His stomach rumbled loudly; it would have to do. He took off his scrubs, washed his arms and face thoroughly, then put on a black leather jacket and pants with matching half-boots. He then let his bluish-black hair fall, brushing it out and letting it cascade down his back again. Weyr then whistled a soft tune, his companion Laoch’s ears perked up as he flapped his little azure wings and landed on Weyr’s shoulder. He then tossed his mobile clinic keys to Keytarra and grinned, showing his sharp teeth.

“Take care of the place; I am headed out tonight, just gonna call a taxi and visit this noodle shop.”

“Have fun, Weyr; meet people, enjoy the day.” She chuckled as he called for the taxi.

The Evereni rolled his dark eyes as the taxi arrived, taking Laoch and him to the noodle shop. He got out and stepped inside the building.

Must be a nice little popular place; he already saw a few people at the counter. One of them seemed vaguely familiar, however the others were definitely interesting, one in particular stood out from the rest. Slightly pointed ears, bronze skin and remarkable pale silver eyes.

Fascinating

“Rawwrp!” Laoch stretched out his small claws and began to knead Weyr’s shoulder. The Evereni sighed.

“Must you always ruin that particular spot on my clothes, Laoch. I swear you are the reason I have to sew my clothes every two weeks because you have clawed a hole in them.”

Unaware of the looks he had garnered, the former Force Cultist continued to peruse the Braille menu whilst his Aunts ordered their own food and drink from the food bar. Whilst he could tell that someone had entered, Marius was minding his own business.

Even without using the Force, as a result of his physical blindness, his other senses were heightened to a disturbing degree to compensate. As a result, the Rogue Jedi could already detect a hint of woodsy cologne under faint antiseptic from the newcomer, though it was nearly drowned out by the various scents of the food bar. There was also the scent of an animal or creature with the newcomer, but that was harder to discern.

It was only as Jade and Rowena began to head off for their table after paying that Marius put down the menu and turned his attention to the server. “I’ll have a pot of Sapir tea, no sugar, but honey instead. For my meal, I’m thinking Dan Dan noodles, the sauteéd onions and mushrooms, and that Porg broth with pickled or steamed vegetables.”

“And your protein, sir?” The server asked politely, as another set about starting the requested pot of green tea.

“The tofu cubes will do, thank you. I’m not overly fond of vat-grown meats,” the part-Sephi with Shaevalian-Umbaran heritage from his father’s side replied.

Marius stood there patiently, electro-staff resting against his shoulder as he waited for his order to be completed.

Weyr looked at the menu as he overheard the order. He thought a moment before approaching the counter.

“I think I will have the DanDan noodles and two sides of sushi please. To drink I will have some green Sapir tea with honey and water.”

I pat Laoch’s head as he starts to nibble affectionately at his hair.

“Hey cut that out I just ordered you food and drink.”

After ordering Laoch sniffs the air and turns his head towards Marius and makes a flying glide towards him. Weyr curses silently under his breath.

“Dammit Laoch”

Weyr tries to grab the creature’s leg but misses. Laoch lands himself on Marius’s electro staff.

“Rawwrp”He then sniffs at the man curiously. Weyr promptly is turning a darker shade of grey.

“Laoch Suil, what are you doing?”

He then moves closer as he begins to apologize. “I am sorry about this, my companion seems to have taken a liking to you.”

“HK, stand down!” Marius called out the order immediately, knowing that the gladiator droid would interpret the reptavian’s actions as an attack. He grasped the electrostaff tighter so the Keeradak didn’t fall off as it sniffed his hair. “Hello there, little one. Laoch, was it?”

The Rogue Jedi offered a smile as he glanced at the owner. “It’s not a problem in the least. Though, from what my senses tell me, he likes the smell of my food just as much as me.”

Weyr shook his head and chuckled slightly. “Thank you for not having your droid try to obliterate Laoch. Yes, he just really enjoys exploring and tasting different foods. Might as well introduce myself, I am Weyr Suil, a doctor of my own mobile clinic. I was actually stopping in to try this place out. I overheard your selection and thought I might try the noodles. I do hope my little imp hasn’t caused too much trouble for you today.” Meanwhile Loach seemed to be pleased with his whole plan and carefully crawled onto Marius’s left shoulder and perched himself there.

Marius reached up and absently petted the Keeradak on his shoulder, letting the electrostaff lean against his other shoulder so he could extend a hand to Weyr. “He thinks everything is an attack, I’m afraid. My twin sister rebuilt him and assigned him to my protection, since I’m apparently a trouble magnet. I’m Marius Edraven, traveling Rogue Force Disciple. Nice to meet you.”

He turned his head toward the reptavian, smile growing. “And it’s quite fine. He’s adorable… and less prone to knocking me over when compared to my own, overgrown familiar.”

Taking his hand, Weyr gave a nice firm handshake to Marius as he looked closer he could see the pale silver eyes a bit closer.

“Ah, so you are blind, but your eyes are still very unique.” Weyr then stopped staring for a minute realizing he was staring at Marius a little too much. He then looked at Laoch, the little beast was making small biscuits on Marius’s shoulder and smirking like he was gonna sit there for a bit. Weyr gave him a “You little traitor glance” Before also letting go of Marius hand also realizing he had still been holding it.

Now,he felt mildly awkward and wanted to just go sit down by himself and kind of hide but now he couldn’t because that damn companion was not budging and he didn’t want to just yank Laoch off Marius and cause significant damage to his clothes. So he went back to topic discussion.

“Overgrown Familiar you say? What kind of creature?”

The Sentinel Shadow had a small smirk at the extended time grasping his hand, but let it go to avoid embarrassing the Doctor more than he already was. “I’m physically blind, yes, but I learned to see in the way that Miraluka do. I’ve also trained my other physical senses beyond what was naturally compensating for my lack of eyesight.”

“As to my familiar, his name is Garm. He’s a large, gray wolf with orange to red fur in his throat-chest area according to my sister. I cannot take him to public locations for obvious reasons…”

He glanced back at the Reptavian as he felt it kneading on his shoulder, apparently quite comfortable to remain there.

“For one, he’d be trying to play with Laoch here and likely wind up breaking anything fragile here by accident.”

“Sirs, your meals,” the attendant spoke up from the food bar.

“How about I get the food, you get the tea?” Marius asked politely of Weyr. “Your friend doesn’t seem to be moving anytime soon.”

Jade, of course, recognized the former High Councilor of Odan-Urr and pointed the woman out to her wife. She couldn’t help the sigh and headshake when she realized that Marius had found someone to flirt with over a meal, though she was amused at the Reptavian acting as a literal wingman.

When violet eyes flicked to their table, Jade and Rowena gave the Keibatsu respectful nods. As far as they were concerned, Mihoshi had just been doing her job and Celevon had been the reason for his temporary imprisonment and current situation.

Following orders or not, he should’ve expected consequences for assassinating a politician in so public a manner.

Weyr blinked a moment..“Right uh, sure.” He grabbed the tea and followed Marius to the table to sit down. He set down the tea carefully as he sat across from the Sephi hybrid.

“A wolf, that is an interest choice and yeah I wouldn’t be surprised if Laoch would play a game of chase with Garm. Yeah Laoch can be a royal pain sometimes, but hey in a pinch though despite annoying, never is there a dull moment.”

Meanwhile, Tasha had arrived cause she wanted some noodles. Making her way inside she went to the counter.

“Tantan-Men Ramen bowl please with some hot rice Sake” Turning, she saw Mihoshi sitting by herself and gave a friendly wave. She then paid for her order and waited for them to finish it.

<@227653769842655233>

Marius had used Telekinesis to bring their food to the table, continue interacting with the Keeradak and bring his Electrostaff. He unintentionally showed off that it was unnecessary by maneuvering over without the staff touching the ground beyond clacking on the ground every other step.

“Actually, Garm wasn’t a choice. I felt a bond to him forming when we brought my little brother to find a pet of his own at an Adoption Fair, then found that the burgeoning bond led to the Wolf Enclosure. He was the runt of the litter, then somehow grew to be bigger than the average Wolf,” the Rogue smiled, shrugging off the sudden difference to his balance as Laoch hopped onto the table for his own meal.

“It reminds me of the legend of the Lone Runt that grew up to be the Omega of his or her own pack, depending on which version you’ve heard.”

Though it wasn’t obvious outside of gleam of interest in his pale eyes, it was taking all of Marius’ willpower to focus on the conversation he was having with the Doctor and not drool. At this point, all of the Rogue’s senses, both physical and otherwise, were focused on the Evereni. It told him the other man was genuinely caring of his patients, straightforward, if somewhat socially awkward. Tightly leashed power as well under that gentle outer layer of self.

Even there, in his Force presence, the vein of extreme protectiveness shone through. For whatever reason, it was giving the half-Sephi the superimposed image of a Dragon over the Night Warrior.

Yes, indeed, the Sentinel Shadow definitely liked what he saw. All aspects of this Weyr Suil.

Miho hummed softly to herself as her bowl got delivered. The other patrons had their thing going and she was more interested in food than one of Celevon’s kids. She’d seen Marius around and he seemed to be having fun with the Everni.

“Besides,” she thought to herself. “I doubt he thinks too highly of the one who put his father in chains.”

With the slender sticks poised over her bowl ready to strike, she tilted her head to the side. Given Celevon’s proclivities, maybe no one even thought it was outside the realm of reality.

“What an odd family…” she muttered to Pips.

He whistled softly and turned to look at the other patrons. <<You’re one to talk about odd.>>

“One of these days, I’m going to sell you to a scrap heap.”

<<Where they’ll never take your business again.>>

With a sigh, Miho plunged the sticks into the almost toxically red broth and fished out some of the noodles. Primly, she ate her food and ignored the last statement from the little droid.

Miho looked over after having slurped a fairly decent amount of red noodles and smiled at Tasha’s wave. Pips stood up and danced a little bit at seeing the Twi'lek and whistled loudly.

“Pips, manners. Don’t be so loud.”

<<Normally you wait until the morning after drinking to complain about noises.>>

Violet eyes stared hard at the little droid who simply continued to dance happily. “Maybe I should see if she wants you since you’re so happy to see her.” Miho mumbled as she took a drink of the steaming tea mug. “Gods all know it might make my life easier.”

Pips, the little bastard, studiously ignored the statement.

Weyr had leaned forward a bit, taking in the story Marius told about his bond with the wolf runt and how it grew. A soft, genuine smile crossed the Evereni’s features, revealing his sharp fangs. Clearly, the Sephi hybrid cared about nature and the animals in his care. As he finished his tale, Weyr felt a little more relaxed as he looked at the man. He then glanced at his companion who had finished eating. Laoch stared at Marius and watched as Laoch walked over to him, looked Marius up and down a bit before turning back to Weyr. He climbed up onto the Evereni’s shoulder and almost seemed to be whispering to him in low growls. The Evereni’s eyes got wide briefly. “Is that so, Laoch?” He gave a soft, low chuckle, amused at his companion, and winked.

<@248237225202941964>

“Well, Marius, your story kind of reminds me of when I saved Laoch. See, he is not an ordinary keeradak. A few years ago, when he was still an egg, I used to work at a lab where they experimented on animals. I didn’t like what they were doing to Laoch at the time. When he hatched, he was in pain and was deemed a failure because he was so small. They decided that they wanted to eliminate him and…I couldn’t let them do that. So I turned into a more adult form of him and flew away with him in my arms. That day we formed a bond.” Weyr smiles softly. “See, he has this ability to sense emotions, deep feelings, and can tell when someone is struggling. Though from the way you seem to be overconcentrating, the body posture you are doing right now, and… that very keen gleam in your eyes, tells me you have thoroughly been enjoying my presence and company. Laoch basically helps confirm it. Pray tell me, Marius, what do you find so very fascinating and alluring about me?” Weyr’s eyes now sparkled like polished onyx as he grinned like a Cheshire cat, his hands folded under his chin, now very amused.

Meanwhile, at Miho’s table, Tasha’vel chuckled as she sat down. “Well, I do have to say this place is amazing for noodles, people-watching, and generally not too bad for a sit-down comfort meal. As for what I would do with Pips…Dunno yet.” She replied as she giggled at Pip’s dancing. “Well, Pip certainly seems to be enjoying annoying you to no end; it is mildly amusing to watch the interactions between you two. Almost like he’s your spunky little backpack life critic.”

The small woman jerked her chopsticks towards the little bastard. “That’s one way to put it. He spends most of his time telling me what I can and cannot do.”

She lifted another horrifically red bite and chewed thoughtfully for a moment. After swallowing her mouthful and a sip of the hot tea, Miho shrugged slightly.

“I wouldn’t actually want to be without him though. Pips and I look out for each other and that’s more than any other organic ever did for me.”

Pips turned his head and whistled softly. <<More dependable than meatbags.>>

“Be nice,” she chimed softly. “I’m sure there’s some out their worth our time. Just have to find them and make sure they don’t run off.”

A sound like a laugh came from the small droid. <<Collars work well according to Miss Suoh.>>

The Rogue lost control of his blush, giving the Reptavian a glance and a mutter of ‘Traitor’.

“While I can tell you’re undeniably handsome, there’s more to it than that. You’re straightforward and genuinely care about people. Even moreso, you care about anyone under your care and are protective of those you consider yours to a frightening degree. And your story, with that, certainly explains the Dragon I can see that periodically shows through,” Marius explained after a moment to gather his thoughts.

The half-Sephi shrugged, deciding to further describe his last statement. “It almost looks like the ghostly shape of a fire drake is occasionally superimposed over you, made up of life and Force energy.”

“Undeniably handsome; well, that’s a first. Most times, people tend to describe me as intimidating, scary, and, according to my secretary, brooding.” He thought for a moment, leaning back in his chair, pondering the compliment before his focus returned to the conversation. He chuckled. “A fire drake, you say? Well, I could see that. I, uh, have certain abilities that can morph my shape into different creatures. That said, I am actually kind of glad I came here today. It has been a delight speaking to you, Marius. I am glad you don’t find my social awkwardness too off-putting. Though I did have a question: now that you have a forcesight, does it, like, paint a picture of me, or how exactly do you see with it?”

Marius was quick to levitate two pairs of chopsticks and a spoon over to their table when he realized they had forgotten to grab utensils. “Don’t forget that we have food and good tea getting cold as we speak. And it sounds like most people are the blind ones to not see that you’re handsome.”

The former Force Cultist had to think about the best way to describe it. It was a fair question, but he had never been capable of normal sight without the aid of the Force; before that, he had relied on his other senses to paint a picture of the world. His only experience with sight as others had it was the result of shared memories.

Marius took a sip of his tea, sighing as he felt his shoulders relax. He decided to start with the truth. “It’s… difficult to describe, as I have no real comparison to how most people in the galaxy see beyond a few shared memories. Artificial things that have none of the Force or life energies flowing through them are just shapes. I can see the light of the primary star in each system, because they are pouring out both Life and Force energies. Living things…”

The part-Sephi paused, then shrugged. “My ability to see with the Force is linked to my skill in Force Sense. In a way, it’s like you said: it paints a picture of you and your familiar, but so much more in some ways. For example, I can see the bond between the two of you, like a golden thread. There’s the shape of people and living things, yes, which gets clearer as they get closer. Then there are different… layers, I suppose is the best I can express in words. Feelings, emotions, intentions, Force alignment and strength. All in different colors. Because of that, I can generally tell if someone is lying to me, as an example. Depending on how good they are at lying, it causes a… trembling in their overall aura. Some smaller, some larger.”

“That’s the best I can describe it, since I have no real comparison, like I said.”

“Well, I am glad that you found such a dependable droid, Miho.” Tasha smiled as she finished off her sushi. Her eyebrow rose at the droid. “Collars? And why would we be enslaving them?” She replied as she started on her ramen. “I guess if you really didn’t want them to run off, they don’t have to have their legs, right?” She chuckled darkly. “Can always make prosthetics.”

Meanwhile, back at Weyr’s table.

“So you can literally see everything in a person that is not normally seen, but felt- fascinating!” Weyr also took his cup and drank some of the tea as he leaned back, pondering his words. After drinking the cup down, he poured more tea into his cup and picked up one of the pairs of chopsticks. “Thank you, Marius; that is a really neat ability. I have it as well, but I prefer not to use it unless I have a really good reason to. Most times I like to just be me.” He then began to eat some of the spicy noodles with his chopsticks. “Ooh, these are delicious.” He smiled as he ate a bit more. “And I think they taste better because of being in good company.” Laoch had already devoured his food and began to sniff at the noodles and watch the two.

After eating most of the noodles, Weyr set down his chopsticks, cleaned his mouth with a napkin, and then drank more of the tea. He had been thinking of the compliment from the hybrid Sephi for a bit, as well as the description of his force sight. “Tell me, Marius, if you could actually touch my face with your hands, would it paint a better picture of me in your mind? I know with those that don’t have the sight you do, being able to actually touch things helps to paint better pictures in their minds.” <@248237225202941964> <@227653769842655233>

Miho shrugged and gave a ‘what can you do’ expression. “Yuki doesn’t really pay much attention to someone’s status. Her work areas are always full of unpaid workers.”

She ate some more of her noodles almost lost in thought as Pips turned and looked at Tasha, his expression was one of grave concern. An impressive feat for a droid, but one that was delivered nonetheless.

<<Miss Suoh keeps people around as test subjects. She uses collars to make sure they don’t decide to find other purposes.>>

“Yeah, Pips. I’m sure Tasha put that together.” She looked at Tasha, her violet eyes a little sad. “She’s an unpleasant brute, but she’s a good guardian.”

Marius paused in his own eating, chewed and swallowed his mouthful. The broth had been soaked up by the vegetables and noodles, balancing out the delicious flavors. He then wiped his mouth before replying.

“I can see the exact shape of your features, just without colors or the finer details. For example, I can tell you have eyes, but I can only see the orbs themselves. No pupils, irises, etc. It’s… the best way I can think to describe it would be as though the energies I mentioned fill the vessel that is your body, giving it shape and outline, even if the energies themselves are ever-changing.”

The former Force Cultist took a sip of his tea. “As for seeing by touch, I didn’t start to learn that until after I learned to see with my other senses… then with the Force itself. The people who raised me wanted me to use every sense, not to be constrained by something as limiting as touch. Which isn’t all that surprising, really, when you consider that I left when they decided ‘to move up’ that I needed to take a vow of celibacy.” Marius had a small smirk at that. “I had no desire to be a monk, living a life of isolation amongst the stars, traveling hyperspace lanes. Instead, I took what was essentially a vow of exile: I cannot share or teach their secrets, any physical location or even their name. And, lastly, I can only return if they call upon me for help. Even then, I wouldn’t be allowed to stay.”

He frowned thoughtfully, taking another sip of his tea. “Not that I’d particularly want to. Whatever material they made their clothes from are itchy as hell, not comfortable at all.”

“Well, that certainly doesn’t sound fun at all. As for me, I kind of grew up always studying a lot, and was considered a child prodigy of sorts when it came to learning things. I don’t know much really of my past other than I had a Evereni parents that sort of left me.” He replied as he finished his tea and set down the cup. He brought his hands to his chin as he sat forward. “Though I don’t really need to bore you with my past. I have to say, though, sharing dinner and talking has been quite delightful. I appreciate you allowing me to spend some time. As for your clothes, I do know of a place where you could get some nicer robes that don’t scratch at you. I wouldn’t mind showing you sometime if you like.” He then pulled out his Sabaac deck and began to shuffle it. “You ever play Sabaac?”

Meanwhile Tasha’vel chuckled amusedly. “Well he’s just trying to help, albeit being Captain Obvious, but it’s adorable. Yeah I never really favored the collars put on others. I sort of have a deep hatred for slave traders.” Her emerald eyes seemed to flash briefly. “I had once saved one of my fellow employees from that. Poor guy had been stuck for thirty years.” She then took a sip of her hot tea. “Ooh this is nice.” She smiled. “Hot sake is best sake.” <@227653769842655233> <@248237225202941964>

“I knew that my mother gave me up because I was blind; it wasn’t until about seven years ago that I found out my father thought I was dead. She led him to believe I was a stillbirth, which is how I wound up with the Monks. He found out I was alive when a Force Calling led me to the Kiast system,” the former Force Cultist explained as he sipped his tea. A grin stretched across his lips. “You’re more than welcome to show me around, but I doubt I’ll be able to see much. These clothes are much nicer than what the cult had.”

As he heard the shuffling, then the question about Sabacc, the grin grew as he retrieved his own deck. “Just a bit… Care to make a wager?”

Weyr chuckled his face turning a slight darker grey. “Right, I more so meant taking you and letting you feel the fabrics and such for something you might like against your skin.” He replied as he finished shuffling. “Splendid, I never tried to actually make a wager, but I can make an exception. What did you have in mind?”

Miho muttered softly, “I wish he’d be captain oblivious sometimes…” and scooped up another mouthful of deeply red colored noodles. When was the last time she had had sake? Had she ever had it? Surely there had been a festival or something before her time away right?

She shrugged and took a sip from her tea cup. “I wouldn’t know. Never had it before and contrary to popular belief, I never actually drink all that much.”

Miho held a finger to her lips and winked at Tasha. Hearing what sounded like the word wager, the small Human looked around and watched the other patrons pull out decks of cards.

“What did you have in mind?” Was the phrase and the violet-eyed woman reached into a pocket and hauled out a small canvas bag, hefted it in her hand a couple of times and nodded.

With a flick of her wrist, the bag sailed across to where the others sat and landed with a fairly substantial thunk. “Winner gets that and I’ll pick up their tab as well.”

She waggled her eyebrows at Tasha and picked up her bowl and tea cup. “Let’s go table crash and watch them play cards.”

<@248237225202941964> <@1385116824814878940>

Marius started to smirk, then jumped as the bag landed on their table. Since there was no danger, the Force didn’t give him any warning. It probably didn’t help that his focus had been on the Evereni. “Well… on top of whatever the frak is in that bag, I’m thinking a date. Winner gets to choose the venue.”

-# <@227653769842655233>

Tasha’Vel smirked and nodded silently as she followed Mihoshi to get a better view of this wager between the Evereni and the Sephi Hybrid.

Weyr looked at the bag on the table and the prospect of a date; he felt his heart rate rise slightly as his right eyebrow rose while he contemplated for a moment. He looked at Laoch, who swished his little tail. Was the little imp SMIRKING? But yet… this might be his chance…A wide grin formed on his face, showing his sharp fangs as he felt a boost of confidence. “I accept; we shall play. The winner gets the bag and calls the Venue for a date.” In the back of his mind, a slight nervousness. “Ooh, Weyr, what in the nine hells are you getting yourself into?” <@227653769842655233> <@248237225202941964>

Before long, it was decided to use Marius’ deck. This was simply due to the fact that they were labeled in Basic and Braille, allowing the half-Sephi to know which card was which.

More tea and drinks were brought out as a hand was dealt, chairs shifted over so the others could watch. The empty plates and bowls were swiftly taken away, since they were clearly finished eating. If one were to look closely enough, they would have also noticed bets taking place between members of the staff.

Weyr started to feel a little more nervous at the crowd gathering. He hadn’t expected to see this game between them get this popular. He picked up his hand and took a look at his cards. He had a 4-4pair. Not bad, but definitely not the lowest pair. He hoped, though, that it would be enough. Still, he was not going to give away anything; he maintained a perfect poker face, including making sure he did not give away any telltale signs, as his opponent was Force-sensitive and had already told him that he could sense things, so Weyr leaned back. “I look forward to seeing how you fare against me, Marius.” Laoch meanwhile watched both men very intently as he let out a small growl of encouragement.

The former Force Cultist was enjoying this game, though he hadn’t expected to gain spectators. Much less for the Human woman he vaguely recognized as the former High Councilor to throw in a hefty bag of what he assumed were credits onto their table.

When it was his turn, before the final cards were laid out on the table, Marius ran his thumb along the raised indentions to read what each was. He smiled at Weyr as he discarded two, picking up two new cards. “As do I, Doctor.”

The half-Sephi was keeping his senses as tightly leashed as possible, to keep the game honest. He shifted his cards into a semblance of order as the final two cards were laid out, their faces announced for his benefit.

His smile grew as he laid down his hand. “Pure Sabacc.”

The only higher hand was an Idiot’s Array. The spectators that were employed there almost all groaned, turning to glare at their lone, grinning coworker who had placed his bet on Marius.

“Well, Marius, congratulations. Looks like you get to choose our venue for this."Date,” and it appears that we have managed to get a crowd. Care for another go, Marius? I would very much like to see if I can perhaps play out of three tonight? You know, make it fun?“ He licked his lips, grinning. "After all, we must give our friends here reasons to lose more bets.” He laughed as the cards were reshuffled. ‘What do you say?“

“Thank you,” Marius grinned back, glancing around at the small crowd. “I’ll certainly take you up on another game or two. Only,” here, he held out his hand, “I think it’s my turn to deal. Anyone else want to play?”

Weyr nods. “Indeed it is.” He hands the cards over to Marius, his hand brushing slightly over the Ranger’s hand. “So if anyone else wants to deal in, they are more then welcome to or I guess they can watch us and bet if they want.” He then smirked. “All is fine by me. I do enjoy a bit of a challenge.”

The former Force Cultist continued grinning, even after he noticed the slight brush of the Evereni’s hand against his own. It was difficult not to wonder whether or not it was intentional whilst he maintained his expression, glancing over at the others within the shop as he began to shuffle the deck.

Marius may have been showing off a little, but it seemed appropriate as he spread his hands wide and telekinetically fanned all of them out above their heads. Then, as he brought his hands back together, they visibly shuffled in midair before he grasped them in his off-hand.

He was tempted to attempt a trick where one plucked a card upward, making it flip, then catching it, but… needless to say, the half-Sephi didn’t want to embarrass himself.

The telekinetic trick had only been possible because he already had a grip on the deck through the Force. Marius could perform a similar feat with four to six throwing knives, fanning them away from his body in an arc, but with no real degree of accuracy beyond a group of targets standing shoulder to shoulder.

Weyr raised an eyebrow at the display, but a slight smile graced his features. His intrusive thoughts wanted him to use the Force and reach out to cause a little resistance to make him drop the deck; he stifled the thought as he glanced at Marius. The Ranger was making him smile a lot more than he usually did. Perhaps he did like the half-Sephi more than he thought at first, and now the idea of actually going on a date with him seemed rather nice. As he looked at him, Weyr began to take in more details of his face, demeanor, and body, committing them to his memory; he wanted to easily pick him out from the crowd. At least that was the excuse he was giving himself for staring at the half Sephi so much.

He then leaned back and looked out to see Tasha’Vel standing next to Mihoshi; he wondered just how long she had been staring at them. She always brought her daughter in for checkups, and Mihoshi, he had just briefly met at Shame Corner, but would they actually place sabaac with them?He smiled at them both and waved. With a wave of her hand, Mihoshi smiled. “Well as much as I would love to play, seems I am needed elsewhere. Let’s go Pips.” The droid squeaked as he hopped onto her shoulder. “Have fun all. Talk to you later Tasha.” She then turned and walked out of the noodle shop. <@248237225202941964> <@301514304845381632>

A stranger entered the building for her first time ever. Errands had brought her to Nar Shadda and her stomach brought her to the restaurant where she proceeded to go and order whatever dish had the most meat. After acquiring her food she sat and ate it in peace, focusing mostly on the datapad she had brought with her. Her caseload never seemed to lighten.

After she finished, her ears picked up on some folks chatting and curiosity pushed her to take a closer look. The lawyer silently approached the group and stood a safe distance away from Tasha’s side, taking a look.

As she looked she saw an Evereni and a Sephi hybrid were sitting at a table, there were bets placed down and as the Ranger was shuffling the deck with a flourish form the Force, the gray skinned Evereni asked the crowd if they wanted to join. “I will join if you don’t mind?” Replied the Azure Twi'lek that was distance from the Lawyer’s side. Her eyes briefly turned to as she noticed the newcomer. She gave a polite smile. “Did you also want to join in this sabaac bet?”

Ellisyn shrugged, her cascading mane shuffling behind her from the movement. “Why not?” She asked, a nervous smirk on her lips. “What uh… What’s being played?”

“Well we are betting a little credits in the pile to join and then playing some Sabaac. If you win, you get the credits in the pile, lose then you just lose a few credits.” She smiled warmly as she turned to Weyr. “One more for Sabaac please.” She then turned back. “I am Tasha'Vel by the way, normally I come here cause the noodles here are so good, but I do love a good game of Sabaac, so I had to join. What brings you here?”

The woman had heard of Sabaac and played once or twice but she had never gotten a handle on the rules. It was one of those things that whilst she remembered most things, she didn’t always process them fully.

“My name is Ellisyn. I was just running some errands and decided to step in for a snack,” she said. In reality, she had dropped her daughter off for a short mission so she was just killing time. She pulled out a few credits and tossed them on the table. “Will that be enough?”

Weyr smiled to her and nodded. “Absolutely, all right Marius I think we are gonna have some fun tonight. You ready to deal out those cards and play some sabaac? I think I am feeling lucky today. So from what I am currently counting there is 1000credits here in the pot up for grabs.” Tasha'vel then smiled. “Nice, yeah I get that. Sometimes I have to run errands myself, though today I just got my daughter home from Rue who had been babysitting her from the war and she is back home for now enjoying some time with her dolls. Jelc, my bodyguard I had hired has been keeping an eye on her atm while I got out for a bit.” <@248237225202941964>

Rue and Jelc? Elly wondered to herself. The galaxy was large so surely there were other people with those names but… What were the chances? “I don’t suppose you mean Rue and Jelc Kendis?”

Marius gave a nod of farewell to Mihoshi, quickly counted how many would be joining them at the table and began to deal hands. In most types of Sabacc, the most cards held in each hand would be two each, but the version they were playing, each player would hold five cards.

By the end, there would be five separate cards laid out on the center of the table, same as the previous round he had played with Weyr.

After sweeping his gaze across the noodle shop, absently noticing that his aunt and her wife seemed to be relaxing, the half-Sephi made a mental note to leave the HK unit behind the next time he went out that wasn’t a combat mission. The last thing he needed was the Gladiator droid to freeze someone solid on the presumption that someone aggressively moving forward and reaching out to shake his hand was an attack.

With the cards all set out, Weyr picked his up and looked at them: a pair of 2s. He still kept a straight face and hoped it was enough.

He looked back at Marius a moment and smiled. “Well, this will probably be my last hand before I go, but hey, before I do. Would you like my number, Marius? Thought perhaps after this we could keep in touch. I kind of enjoyed conversing and playing with you very much.”

Meanwhile, Tasha looked at hers- not great, eh, better days; she just smiled. Then turned to Elly. “Why, yes, Jelc happens to work for me. I didn’t realize he had found family; that is wonderful to hear. As for Rue, he is a very, very good friend that I trust with taking care of my daughter. He’s never done wrong by me, and I just love his positive spirit.” <@301514304845381632> <@248237225202941964>