Shadows of Bankor

With the hood of his thermal cloak pulled up over his head, Petrus... shopped. It wasn't dramatic or anything, but even in the face of an occupying authority, people still needed things.

Petrus picked items off the shelf. Staples, a few snacks... some more healthy items. It was time for a chance.

He paused in the kitchenwares section, frowning.

Someone else was present, stocking up her own supplies now that she was settled. She glanced at the person who stepped up next to her. There were a lot of people doing that lately. "Looking for something?"

Petrus turned, his eyebrows going noticeably up. After a moment, he cleared his throat. "Actually, I am. I'm looking for a sponge, if you can believe it." He smiled almost apologetically.

He tilted his head, regarding her. "Hey, I hope it's not rude to ask, but you're a Mandalorian, right?"

They glanced around, then moved to the side. They'd been blocking it. "It'd be pretty blasphemous to wear this helmet if I wasn't," they said, though their voice was more amused than anything. "Yes, I'm a Mandalorian."

Petrus turned, moving to match the (probably) woman. "Oh. Okay." He frowned. "I didn't know that, actually. I guess my information's a little, uh, suspect." He brushed a hand through his hair.

He cleared his throat. "Oh. My name's Petrus, by the way." He held out his hand for a shake. Did Mandalorians shake hands? On Warrior's Heart they clasped hands, but then, they also didn't always wear their helmets.

"Suspect? I'm curious," they replied, tilting their head a little to the side. She shook his hand. "Sacha Ordo. Pleased to meet you, Petrus."

"Yeah, uh, well..." Petrus coughed, brushing a hand back through his red hair. It left it charmingly mussed... in a slightly different way than it had been charmingly mussed before that. "Yeah, it's from a holoprogram, actually."

He gave her a wry smile. "I don't suppose you've seen any Warrior's Heart? It's good..." He grimaced. "Maybe not historical. I honestly have no idea if you'd like it or not."

"A holoprogram," they repeated. There was a sense that they were blinking behind the mask. "I haven't seen it. I admit I'm curious."

"Well..." Petrus scratched his head. "So, it's about a young woman who, uh, travels back in time. And ends up sorta falling in with a Mandalorian clan."

He spread his hands. "I just started watching it because it's set on Bankor. A long, long time ago. I guess there was a Mandalorian invasion here, but then after, some stayed behind, and lived here." He gave her a curious look. "I don't suppose you're from here, are you?"

"I'm from Concordia," they replied, then shook their head. "That plot sounds insane, but I'm also interested. I'm curious how inaccurate it is. It is true that we held Bankor at one time."

"Well..." Petrus scratched his head, grinning sheepishly. "I don't suppose that the Ceremony of the Twenty Mega-Rancors is a real thing? Because that sounded pretty far-fetched to me."

"PFFT! The kriffing what? Kriffing... twenty mega- What is even a mega-rancor?" They had to paused as they wheezed. "... I want to see this now."

Petrus laughed, openly as honestly. "Okay, so, when you give a rancor the heart of a kinrath, mixed with nexufish poison, it becomes even stronger, and angrier, and moves twice as fast. That's a mega-rancor." Petrus explained.

As he went on, he began to move his hands, demonstrated. "So then, the Mandalorian warrior has to go into a maze with twenty of them, naked, oh, except for his helmet of course-" Petrus nodded, "- get to the altar at the center, drink from the Chalice of Mandalore the Unbroken, and make his way back out. Dacen Stormheart's enemies poisoned the Tihaar in the Chalice, of course, but he still made it out."

Petrus let out a breath. "So... yeah. You wanna watch that?"

"That sounds amazing." They paused. "And absolutely ridiculous. So, yes, it's practically required now."

Petrus grinned. "Yeah? Okay." He leaned casually against the nearest shelf, crossing his arms over his chest. "Hmmm... have you got a good holoviewer? And an HBO account?" Which, of course, stood for Holo Broadcast Office.

She sighed and shook her head. "Neither."

Petrus looked at her (?) for a long time, chewing his lip thoughtfully. Was this the strangest method of approaching a target ever? A bounty hunter pretending to be interest in a holoprogram to get the target to lower their guard, maybe even let them into their home? It seemed pretty far-fetched...

"Maybe, uh..." Petrus rubbed his hand through his hair, "I could show you an episode at my place sometime?" Watching an episode of Warrior's Heart with a real Mandalorian might be interesting... and he could put the neighbors on alert.

She listened to the proposal, tilting her head. He seemed hesitant. "That sounds fun, but I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"Well..." Petrus scratched at his temple. His red hair seemed given to playful disarray. "I don't know. I mean, would you be comfortable? Do you have, like, light armor? I guess I have a sturdy chair..."

He smiled. "Also, what snack would you bring?"

She chuckled and lifted one arm from under the cloak, showing a lack of plating. "This is light armor. That's no problem."

She looks around, grabbing something sweet. "This okay?"

Petrus shrugged. "Sure, that works. Why not. Just gotta bring something. It's the right thing to do."

"So, uh..." He shrugged again. "When do you want to do this? Hmmm..." He frowned. "You might want to brush up on the story a bit, if you can. It's been going on for a while. Just the basics is probably enough."

"I'll check the holonet," she agreed. "Whenever. I can move around my schedule as needed."

"Alright, it's a, err, plan." Petrus said, nodding agreeably.

He cleared his throat. "So what brings you to Bankor anyway, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Crafting and research, mostly," she explained. "I have to make my own armor before I can be more than an apprentice."

"What about you? Are you local?"

"Yeah." Petrus nodded easily. It was true, from a certain point of view. "I do odd jobs, here and there. Mechanical stuff, mostly." His lips quirked. "You got a clogged drain, call me."

He frowned curiously at her. "Research, huh? Apprentice? So... did you come here to learn from someone?" Were there Mandalorians on Bankor?