Chapter 2: Forges of Ithyari

[Princess 35]

Nima watched Nat turn away from her and she realized how hard this was for him. She stepped up behind him and gently stroked a lekku. "We can do this Natri'amor. Would it make you feel better if we had a codeword to just keep in touch with ourselves. Whenever one of us gets uncomfortable we can say it and it'll remind the other that it's all part of the act and that we don't mean it."

[Mara 29]

Kaden had unstrapped from his seat and made sure his bag was secure on his shoulder before standing up and stretching. He would need to find someone to walk out with, but since they were leaving sporadically, he couldn't leave right this moment anyway. Glancing around quickly, he looked to see if anyone was considering him. He wasn't used to undercover work, so he wasn't sure what he would need to act as.

But, if necsesary... Kaden put his hand into his sack and fingered something.

[Ayingel 24]

Looking around and making sure she had everything, Szen hurried off the shuttle and found Kaden. "So, how are you liking those clothes?"

[Mara 29]

Hearing Szen speaking, he turned around. He smiled wryly, "Oh, they aren't too bad. They mostly fit." Kaden didn't even think how she might know they weren't his, but he pushed it from his mind.

[Ayingel 24]

"Well, I was figuring we needed to blend in...maybe go shopping. I know I want some new clothes." Szen looked down at what she had and smoothed her jacket. "And those look a little to be the wrong size for you anyway." She nodded to hem on Kaden's pants. "When's the last time you went shopping anyway?"

[Mara 29]

New clothes? Tak had given him these clothes to blend in. Was he trying to pull something on him? Kaden glanced down at what he was wearing.

Unless she meant they would shop in order to blend in as tourists on the way to their destination.

He looked back up at her, shrugged. "Honestly, I can't remember."

[Ayingel 24]

"Good. That means that this will actually be fun for you." Noting his confused look, Szen laughed. "I just thought it would be a fun way to blend in." Szen smiled. "Besides, it's more believable if we buy things."

Edited October 11, 2007 by Ayingel

[Mara 29]

He smiled back as they moved off past the shuttle and out of the docking bay, now that the previous Revenants had some space between them.

"All right. But I hope you have some credits..."

[Ayingel 24]

"You got it." Szen tapped one of her pockets. She linked her arm through his and they walked through the docking bay arm-in-arm. "There. Just like old friends." She smiled genuinely. "So, do you have a name?"

[Mara 29]

The personal contact didn't bother him. Kaden knew that he would never have any other feelings that went beyond platonic for anyone else, so he transitioned smoothly into his role.

With his other arm, he reached into his shoulder bag. "I have an old ID that I used when I---years ago." He flipped it over to check the name. "Skree Naborras. The people who issued it to me weren't so creative." He shrugged and put the identichip in his pocket for ease of use later.

"It's a few years old, but I don't think I have changed much since then."

Edited October 11, 2007 by Mara

[Vergere 1]

Brier smoothly made her way from the landing area into the heart of the city, and commed up some friends, and acting like a true city girl as she talked on the comm. After calling a few of her friends, as well as some agents, they decided to meet up at a nice but inexpensive resturant where they could talk in a few hours. Although it was a public location, her agents assured her that what went on in the resturant stayed there. But for the meantime, she was on the comm with someone she was attempting to find in the crowd to hang out with.

When someone tapped her on the shoulder from behind, she started, then grinned as she saw who it was. "Brent!" She turned off her comm and tackle hugged him, acting like a typical girl, making him laugh.

The tall Corellian smiled and hugged her back in a strong bear hug. "Hey there."

She smiled and pulled away to look at Brent. "See here, you lout. Did you really have to scare me like that?"

"I wouldn't have had it any other way. So who was that guy that you were talking to on the comm a moment ago?"

Brier mock glared and lightly whapped him upside the head. "You, you idiot. Now, where are we off to? Are you going to whisk me off my feet to somewhere?"

He got a pondering, thoughtful look. "No... I think I'll just keep you close and we'll go look around the area, and you can be the typical, annoying tourist."

"Bah."

Edited October 11, 2007 by Vergere

[Ayingel 24]

Szen examined Kaden again. "Couldn't say." She looked around as they hit the streets. "What kind of clothes do you like, anyway?"

[Rogue 4]

Nat looked back to Nima. "I think the two of us are smart enough to know what we mean to say to eachother, and which is part of the role. But if that would make you more comfortable, we can think something up."

[Drake 53]

Takeshi looked around past the crowd of people entering and leaving the spaceport. "This way looks safe," he said as he led the way through the crowd and up a wide set of marble stairs. "Wonder where this goes."

A large set of doors, at the top of the stairs, opened for them. On the other side was a giant library archive full of computer terminals and rows of information storage devices. There were even areas containing shelves of old hardcopied information in the form of books and flimsi-sheets. Several dozen people went about their research quietly amongst the terminals.

"Looks like a quiet bunch. Too quiet for the fun we want to have."

[Rogue 4]

"Definatly not my cup of caf, sugar." Layla agreed in a whisper, looking around. "I never was one for studying, back at school. I'm more of a...hands on kinda girl." She threw him a wink, looking around at the quiet people hard at work.

[Drake 53]

He whispered back to her, "Maybe a little later we could do a little hand-on learning ourselves, hmm?" Tak flashed her a crooked grin then said, "Let's find some place a little more interesting."

They went back down the stairs, turning into the crowd once again before cutting out and through another set of doors on the main floor. It led down a corridor that soon opened up into a passage running parallel with the one they had just left. This hall was much less bustling. There were several fast food restaurants along the way and a few fancier dining areas and bistros. People were coming and going from them as they catered to the appetites of the employees and guests in this area of the Planetary House. Further down the hall was a series of recreational rooms that included holo-gaming terminals and vidscreens for watching an array of holofilms or just the local news. At the far wall were a series of couches and reclining chairs. This room was obviously designed for the leisure time of its patrons.

"Now this looks like a little more fun," said Tak.

[Mara 29]

"Oh, I don't know," he said as they walked casually. "Something simple. And cheap." Kaden chuckled.

"So... what about your name?"

[Vergere 1]

The Corellian wrapped an arm around Brier's waist as they began to walk. "So, heard you've been on your toes for a while."

Brier sighed and rested her head against Brent's shoulder as they walked, an arm around his waist casually as well. "Yeah... I've hardly had time to breathe. Business as usual I guess. I hear you've had your own business to worry about -- something about it doing pretty well."

He smiled and nodded. "You could say that. Needless to say it's enough to feed the family. Oh hey, let's stop in here and get you a flower."

Brier laughed as he maneuvered them into a flower shop. "I don't need a flower."

"No, but someone would be really mad at me if I didn't get you one." He smiled and got her a simple flower, and Brier tucked it into her hair.

Brier smiled against her will. "Thank you. Now, can we go get some business taken care of?"

Brent shook his head. "Nope. You gotta play tourist for a while. You don't do that often enough. Enjoy it, won't you?"

[Ayingel 24]

Szen broke away from her partner for a second, then offered her hand in a greeting. "Kilee Amalun, professional dancer." After shaking his hand, they linked arms again. "So, something simple?" She looked at some of the shops some more and found one that caught her eye. "Lets go in this one." She pulled him towards the shop.

[Princess 35]

Nima stepped away from Nat. "It is not me that I am worried about Natri'amor. I have been in this position before, for real. I am worried about you. You seem distressed by what we are about to do."

[Mara 29]

He nodded, wondering why he would be hanging with a professional dancer. But, hopefully, there wouldn't be any trouble and the issue wouldn't come up. Kilee could always be Skree's sister...

"Sure," he said, as she pulled him towards the shop. Kaden had never particularly hated shopping, but he just hadn't done it enough to find an affection for it either.

Inside, he detached himself and headed towards a side wall. "I suppose some new pants are in order..."

Edited October 11, 2007 by Mara

[Rogue 4]

It was true, it did bother him, for reasons he couldn't begin to explain. But that didn't matter now. This was the only way they could do this. The only way. So they would have to. If Nima could do it, there was no reason he couldn't. He sighed, looking over to Nima. "I'm fine. Let's go do this."

[Ayingel 24]

Szen looked Kaden over again. "Yes, pants are definitely in order, and maybe a nicer fitting top too. We don't want to look like we just threw something on you, now do we." She walked over to a rack of shirts. Picking up a couple, she held them up to Kaden's figure and put them back on the rack. "I think this one is more your colour." She picked up a couple deep blue shirts. "You might want to try these on before making a decision. Once we know that, we'll look at some jackets." Szen smiled as she handed him the shirts and pushed him towards a store attendant. "He'd like to try these on. Do you have somewhere where that is possible?" Szen bat her eyelashes at the female attendant.

"Why, of course. This way, sir." The attendant led Kaden to a small room.

Szen grinned wickedly as she started to look at the jackets. Taking a quick peek outside to see what the locals were wearing, she decided on two jackets for Kaden to try on. The first one was a lighter tan colour, while the other was a flat black colour. This could serve two purposes...but I'll let him pick. Szen waited patiently for her male companion to emerge with his new shirt.

[Mara 29]

Astonished, Kaden didn't have any time to protest as she shoved some tunics in his arms and lead him to the back to try them on. As he pulled off Tak's lended shirt and put on the one from the rack, he idly wondered if that was how Szen really was in real life. When she wasn't busy trying to kill people. Or perhaps she was taking her role as a dancer too far. Either way, it unsettled him a little. This sudden outgoing personality was all too familiar to him.

He emerged from the room wearing the smaller of the two blue shirts and smiled wryly at the attendant before he made his way to where Szen was. The woman seemed to understand; she was used to seeing walked-over husbands, boyfriends, brothers and other males when they came shopping with the females.

Kaden put the larger sized shirt back on the rack. "A little big," he simply said.

[Princess 35]

Nima bowed her head and stepped half a step back from Nat. "As you wish Master." She followed him off of the shuttle and put some of her dancer's grace into her walk, managing to look subservient and broken, but still seductive.