| abstract
| - Cat's Claw Cantina -- New Alderaan: Ord Mantell The CC as some people tend to call it, is your average cantina. It doesn't try to be more then it is, nor does it try to exclude anyone. Along the right wall is a long bar that runs the length of the building. At the far end, behind the bar is a doorway that leads to the back with a small sign in several languages that reads Employee's only. Against the left side of the room are several booths, of various sizes. Each booth appears to be made of a different material. As well, each of the booths has their own personality almost, decorated in a specific theme. In the center of the room, a few tables are scattered about here and there. All easily movable should the need arise for a larger party. At the far end of the cantina a small stage is present, for when local musicians provide music, or if someone wishes to speak to the entire place. The lights overhead are bright, giving the place a decent look. Outside the sky is gloomy, with thick, purple clouds rolling overhead. => Inanna => Serenella => Ehlias The afternoon sunlight peels into the room with a hint of pinkish blue, parting around the shadow that becomes Luke Skywalker when the door closes. From his quiet place in one of the Jedi Temple towers, he'd been able to pinpoint Serenella's presence via the tendrils of the Force, and tracked the path here, to the Cat's Claw Cantina. His entry gathers a few looks, considering the last time here was here, he'd broken up a bar fight by levitating a few dozen glasses to get people's attention. He clears his throat awkwardly and moves toward Serenella's table. He smiles and nods. "I 'ave indeed. I am look'in forward to seeing her sing." With than he finishes off his drink and nods to both women. "Well, I really do hate to have to do this, but I am needed and have to get on my way. " He says to his daughter. He turns to her sister and smiles. "I hope we can all get together soon and get to know each other better." He smiles again in a charming way and begins to head out. Serenella smiles at Ehlias and nods. "Sure! It was good to see you, Daddy -" She waves him off but her smile fades somewhat when she sees Luke Skywalker entering the joint and heading her way. Suddenly she goes very pale and gives the man an anxious look. Inanna offers a smile and nod of understanding as Ehlias makes his farewell. "I'd like that too," she says sincerely. "Fair winds." She sees another man approaching, and then notes her sister's response to him... taking a closer look, she seems to be trying to place him, as if she's not sure if she's seen him somewhere before. She looks back and forth between the two, waiting to see what happens. There is something decidedly amiable in the air, in spite of Serenella's reaction to seeing him. It only exists in the Force, and Luke's keen eyes shift to look at Inanna for a few moments with an intuitive expression. "Serenella," he says quietly, once close enough for her to hear, and quietly shifts to take an empty seat. He settles his eyes on Serenella, casually adjusting his senses to observe her physical well being through the Force while waiting for her to greet him. Serenella is well. She spent the morning working out in the gym and has had a healthy lunch with salad and water. Oh yes. No deathsticks, booze and spice for her. Well, not this early in the day. She's only rather anxious, remembering Luke's visit to the hospital very well. "Hello Mr. Skywalker... Luke..." she greets nervously. For her part, Inanna seems calm enough today. She continues smoking her cigarette, and the waiter brings her ale at last. She's returned to trying to determine who Luke is (or maybe figure it out for sure), when her sister's greeting offers confirmation. She blinks a little, but smiles and gives a nod of greeting. "Good afternoon." Luke tilts his head toward Inanna and gives her an amiable nod. "You are Serenella's sister?" he asks, guessing at what his instincts have told him. Almost as if he knew or expected it to be true, he offers her a wider smile, and bows his head deeply. "It's an honor." He then turns to face Serenella, allowing some silence to linger for a moment, in order to help keep her nerves from moving too quickly. "I've been unable to determine whether your husband is truly dead," he admits, while bringing his hands up to lay on the table, palms opened toward the ceiling in a gesture of apology. "My contacts have apprised me that they're unaware what happened after he was taken into CSA custody... so, for all we know, Vichten's account may be true." He squints his eyes slightly, as if there's something else, but he isn't sure what to make of it. Serenella absorbs the news in silence, a multitude of feelings reflecting on her face. Sadness, pain, worry... and a tad bit of relief even? "It's... it's alright, Mr. Skywalker." She smiles faintly, "Thank you for trying to find out something for me... I talked to Gren Delede the other day and he said that Tony had been released... But if you can't even sense him through the Force, I suppose that means Vichten was right... Gren even suggested that..." She stops here and sips on her water, not wanting to go on. Oblivious to the fact that Luke can probably hear the rest of the thought as if she had spoken it aloud. "...that Vichten himself killed him" Shael enters from the Business Nexus. Shael has arrived. Inanna answers Luke's question with an affirming nod. "yes, indeed. Inanna Jordain. And the honor is all mine, Mr. Skywalker." She's obviously heard a tale or two, maybe seen a holo-vid broadcast. She takes a first sip of her ale, falling quiet as she listened to the exchange and the things that are said about Dareus. The topic doesn't seem to surprise her. Fascination shows for a moment in Luke's eyes, but then it settles into something akin to a wry sort of understanding. "Well, that's a reasonable guess. Vichten most certainly has motive, but I'm not convinced that he'd be so foolish. I've learned to never underestimate my enemies." He casts a look toward Inanna for a moment, then looks back toward Serenella. "I have reason to seek out Dareus directly," he says, albeit cryptically. "The truth will be uncovered soon." His words carry with them a type of resolved power, the kind that resounds from the firm honor of the Force, not the rageful bitterness of the dark side. Serenella looks rather upset and her hand reaches out to take her sister's and give it a tight squeeze, holding on to it. "The truth...", she murmurs and nods, swallowing. "Oh Ina... I don't know what I'd do if... if.... he's still alive...", she brings herself to say, giving Luke another look. Inanna keeps sipping at her ale, pausing occasionally to take a drag from her cigarette, and keeps observing the exchange as well. Her focus is mostly on Luke, 'reading' his expression (with the experience of a bartender... nothing like probing into his head). When Sel takes her hand, she gives it a squeeze in return and offers a soft smile that tries to overcome unease to be supportive. "Try not to worry about it, Sel... we can't know what life's going to throw our way until it happens. And if he's alive, we don't know what else has happened. Why he disappeared." She looks back over at Luke, asking "you think you'll be able to find him?" Luke turns his eyes to Inanna, and nods his head in a slow, serene manner. His words are spoken with a quiet determination. "I have the location of Darth Malign's fleet. If he is alive and has been there recently, I will find him." He looks back toward Serenella, lips thinning and pressing together tightly. Serenella listens and at the thin-lipped expression she gets from Luke suddenly can't keep it together anymore. She bursts into tears. Inanna lets go of her sister's hand, but it's only to wrap that arm around Sel's shoulders. "Try not to think about it now, okay?" She stubs out her cigarette in the ashtray and looks to Luke, speaking softly, "things have been hard for us lately. I suppose you know... and it's amazing to me that you'd want to help." She doesn't say that she realizes he probably has his /own/ reasons to want to meet Dareus. She gives her sister a comforting squeeze and says with conviction, "you can get through this." For once dressed in a pair of casual pants instead of her usual coveralls, and with a shirt covered in (poorly translated) Huttese, Shael pushes the door open to the Cat's Claw and enters. She pauses for a few moments to one side of the door, letting her eyes adjust to the lighting as she looks around for the man she was supposed to meet. Instead she finds Sel, Inanna and... Mister Skywalker? Curious, that. She takes one more look around to search for her contact and, not finding them, makes her way slowly towards the trio's table. Luke's thin-lipped expression loosens into a frown when Serenella's tears come pouring out. He looks down toward the table, understanding to a great degree why this must be so difficult. Still, there is one way it does not make sense... there is one hole in his net of understanding. With Inanna's final words, 'I suppose you know', it draws a kind of connection that he grasps hold of with his Jedi senses. Luke looks up and back toward Serenella's tear streamed face. He reaches out with his mind, grasping the tendril of energy that lingers between the sisters, and begins sweeping unnoticed into Serenella's mind, searching for some connection between Inanna's words, and a thought or awareness of one specific thing. He's looking to discern whether Serenella knows of Dareus's ability with the Force. Skywalker's mastery of the Force keeps Serenella from being aware that anything is happening at all, unless his fixated expression gives away the suspicion that he's searching her thoughts and memories, looking for that one specific thing. He remains silent, but with an aire of understanding. Serenella leans into her sister's embrace and buries her face at her shoulder, still sobbing and unaware of Luke's probing her mind. Her thoughts are a whirl of confusion really, but the very idea of Luke hunting down Tony brought back the happy memories of those days when she was still madly in love with the roguish pilot and how he made her laugh back then. Luke might find way too many memories of pleasure-filled nights than is good for his inner balance. But there are darker memories too... her fear and unrest aboard the chilly Predator spaceship... the cool threatening new Dareus in his black Sith clothes... the day when she was silently sulking about the lack of honeymoon and he suddenly called her on it, having read her mind. How scared she was suddenly when she found out that he could read her mind... And the tears start flowing again as she thinks of the man she had lost when he turned to the dark side. With the familiar way Luke and Sel were talking about this situation, Ina had assumed, maybe incorrectly, there was some full level of understanding about things. She keeps holding her sister now, trying to offer what little comfort she can... but she also watches Luke. While Sel may be oblivious to his actions, Ina sees the concentration on his face... and suspects. This probably shows on her expression, to him, but it's not mixed with any disapproval. For now, she simply keeps to her silent role of observation, waiting to see what transpires next. Shael's steps slow as she approaches, noticing the silence of the group, not to mention Sel's current... condition. She was crying? Shael stops some distance back from the table, hoping to catch Inanna's eyes. Should she beat it before Serenella could see her? Or did Inanna think her presence would be welcome? Luke's no stranger to disturbing situations. He politely sifts past the intimate memories that Serenella feels in this very moment, latching on to that last, cold, fearful feeling. He leans forward ever so slightly, zeroing in on it, and slowly coming to a resolution that fills in his broken net of understanding. She was aware of Antoine's power. "I know this is difficult," he finally says, breaking the silence by answering Inanna's last words. "But your sister's right, Serenella. You can get through this." Still grasping the power of the Force, Luke begins to project it into the space around them. The very molecules of the air seem to grow comfortably warm, and a feeling of well-being begins to permeate the minds of those standing close enough, including Shael now, to whom Skywalker gives a momentary smile of recognition. "I will promise you that I won't bring harm to him when I find him," he says quietly. The warm feeling that spreads out through the room makes Sel dry up and sit up straight again, dabbing at her wet eyes with the sleeve of her track suit jacket. She sniffles and nods, swallowing. "If... when you find him... tell him... I really need to see him... I... I..." She falters and stops. In some ways it's easier to have someone be able to read her mind, it saves her from having to speak certain things out loud. Her thoughts still a bit confused. 'I still love him... I want to see him again... but I can't return to him... too much has happened... I wonder if he'll let me go... but I want my Tony back, too... ugh, why does life suck shit?' Inanna spots Shael, and offers a silent nod of greeting, and a small smile, but most of her concentration is used up on the situation currently around the table. She tenses a touch, instinctively, as she feels a change in the air... knowing already that Luke is using his powers. She relaxes again, as the feeling of warmth takes effect, (not to mention that the feeling is all that happens). That her sister's state improves seems to help her as well, and she smiles again. Shael smiles back at Luke and Inanna, still of half of mind what to do in this situation. Beating a hasty retreat is seeming like less and less of an option. "Sel? Everything okay?" she asks instead, though it's quite blatantly obvious that everything is /not/ okay for the young singer. On most occasions, Luke would find a genuine humor at Serenella's course thoughts. Given the nature of her request, however... he doesn't even crack a smile. It is a moment where Luke fits his title of 'Jedi Master' quite well. "I'm sorry, Serenella, but I can't tell him that. It's... too dangerous, now. You /must/ let go." His tone of voice is as heavy as the words themselves, but they are spoken with a firmness. "I... I know...", Sel admits reluctantly to Luke's suggestion, but sighs and looks utterly lost. "But if he is alive... I want to see him again... at least once... say goodbye... that was the worst thing... that I could never say goodbye..." Sniffle. Sob. There she goes again. She hardly even notices Shael's arrival. She's too busy sobbing. What good is finding out your husband is alive when you're told you cannot see him again? How will he sign the divorce papers? It's Inanna's turn to agree with Luke, and she nods as soon as he speaks. Taking in her sister's answer, she backs up the Jedi's words. "He's right... you can't see him again. Plus, you've already gone through your grieving and the work of moving on. I know you loved him, but... this is the way it has to be. Maybe once Luke finds him, he can find out what's going on... and we'll all have a bit more information to go on. Just... don't be in a hurry to see him," she pleads, a pained look comes to her face and it doesn't take a mind-reader to tell, she doesn't want something bad happening to her sister. She looks up toward Shael again, trying to put on a smile and answering the missed question. "Things aren't exactly okay. But we'll get through." This is followed by another squeeze of the arm around her sister's shoulders. "We're Jordains." Shael is starting to put two and two together by the expression on her face. A silent and surprised 'oh' takes of residence briefly, and the girl shifts from one foot to the other uncertainly as she tries to decide the most appropriate action in this situation. It's Sel's husband, isn't it? He isn't actually dead. Well who went and made a mistake like /that/ anyways? After a long, uncertain pause, she finally moves closer to the trio to place a hand on Sel's shoulder, mustering something that she hopes looks sympathetic and encouraging. Luke considers scolding Serenella, but his better half overrules the gesture. Obi-Wan didn't keep him from going back to his Aunt and Uncle's farm... even though it was dangerous. "I should be going," he says, quietly. "There's no use stalling the inevitable." He looks toward Inanna and Shael, silent for a moment as he gauges them with respect in his eyes. "Take care of her." He knows they will. "I will return." He rises without another word, draws his cloak around his body, and begins walking toward the cantina's entrance. Serenella just nods sullenly at all the advice she is getting, but at least she does acknowledge Shael's arrival with a smile now, the nods to Luke. "Well... let me know how it went, ok?", she just asks him before he moves out, then she sinks against her sister again, looking totally lost. Inanna sends a quick smile to Shael, seeming to approve of the gesture the other woman offers to Sel. As Luke excuses himself she answers his comments with a nod, "yes... we'll look after her. Thank you." The last is said with deep sincerity. Then she goes back to holding her sister, glancing between her and Shael, asking "do we want to go someplace else? Find something to do?" She's not sure what... but puts the question out there. Shael smiles at Luke as he stands to leave, calling after him a somewhat quiet, "Thanks for putting in a good word with Senator Marx!" You know. Back when she got arrested. She then turns her attention back to Sel and Innana. The meeting with her contact can wait, she supposes. "I wouldn't mind getting out of here. We could... go sing karaoke?" And yes, a little part of her dies inside when she says that. Before he turns, Luke bows his head in acknowledgement of Serenella's request, then shoots Shael a wink. Moments later, he's gone.
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