Shadows of Bankor

Dak had had a relatively relaxing day besides the bounty hunting earlier so now he was just hanging out back of the cabin chopping some wood for the fireplace.

It was a warm day but a cooling night but the physical labor had him warm so he was dressed in only sturdy black pants and rugged leather boots as he split the logs into more manageable pieces for the fireplace.

"Evening, Dak," Sacha greeted, voice unusually quiet and subdued. It was saying something, coming from an already quiet and stoic person. "Mind some company?"

Dak was breathing a little heavily from the exertion but nothing extreme. He nodded and sunk the axe into the wood block he was using to set the logs on "mind helping haul the wood in?" He asked filling his arms with half the split wood about 6 pieces of it and started heading for the cabin.

"Sure," she agreed, heading over and picking up the rest of the wood easily. She followed him in silently, looking for where to put it.

There was a spot next to the fire place where she would have seen him dump his load of wood. He stood back up and brushed off his fur and nodded to Sacha "Thanks for that. Please have a seat, can I get you anything to....well..uh...I guess you dont drink in front of others" he finished awkwardly realizing she said she never takes off her helmet in front of others.

"I carry a straw," she replied with a little bit of amusement. "For just such occasions. A drink would be nice."

Dak nodded feeling a bit silly "alright um I have water, some juices i pressed myself, or something harder if you like?" He said recovering from his embarrassment and settling back into a comfortable conversation.

"Oh, you pressed them yourself?" She asked, perking up a little. "I'd like to try your handiwork."

Dak nodded "I press them from wild fruits I find out while I'm hiking and such." He said as he walked toward the kitchen area he poked his head out of the door a second layer "how do you feel about spicy?" He asked

"I like spicy," she answered as she settled in.

Dak nodded and ducked back in into the kitchen returning a second later with a glass of clear liquid for himself and a glass of ruby red liquid which he handed to Sacha "That there is red disk melon juice, they grow in a grove about two miles from here that has a pretty good view."

If she drank the juice it would have quite a sweet fruity taste to it but leave behind a spicy tingling sensation like a pepper that was a slow burn that built the more one drank.

She accepted, slipping a metal straw out from a pocket which went under her helmet to try. "Mm... I might have to find and visit it."

Dak nodded "it's a nice spot I could show you some time if you're down for a little hiking. Wouldnt want to take time away from your apprenticeship or whatever it is." He said smiling as he sat down across from Sacha.

"... Yeah... Well, we'll see what happens with the apprenticeship..." She replied, looking down a little.

Dak raises an eyebrow "everything alright there Sacha? You seem more somber than usual." He asked sitting forward with a concerned look on his face.

"... I honestly don't know how you'll feel about it," she admitted with a soft sigh. "I'm stuck between two bad decisions, and I have to make the call on which or find some other solution in a hurry."

Dak shrugged "well we'll never know until we talk it out." He said sitting back in his chair and crossing one leg over the other "stuck between a rock and a hard place is always a rough place to be."

"The Empire threatened us. Take a contract or else," she stated quietly.

Dak certainly set his mouth into a frown and took another sip of his drink. "Huh that's certainly......less than ideal. What kind of contract are the trying to force on you?"

"Accept a contract hunting down resistance and Jedi," she replied darkly.

"I'm hoping to find an alternative, but... I may just have to make the choice and accept the consequences."

Dak was quiet for a moment "Well you have to do what you think is right I suppose." He said taking another drink "you know what I think but I'm part of the resistance so. Not much of a surprise."

"I wouldn't tell you so much about it if I disagreed," she's replied with a dull chuckle. "I'm not willing to stain our honor by participating in another genocide. I've never taken a Jedi contract for that reason and I'm not about to start."

"But that means if disaster like with the Aznuri strikes the Enclave, their lives will be on my head even if it is the right decision. We aren't helpless, but they have a Star Destroyer hovering over the city."

"Ask your people what they want to do if you want absolve yourself of guilt." Dak said simply "Me personally, I'd never give into the empire.....that being said I dont have anything left to lose. My decision and yours might be different, you have people to protect and I get that."

He took a deep breath "Look Sacha I like you, despite what I initially thought and how I felt I've grown to enjoy your company. But you know what happens if you take that contract." He said seriously, his lips pressed in a grim line.

"Perhaps I was too genteel in my implications. I'm not."

Dak let out a breath he hadn't known hed been holding and gave Sacha a small smile "that's good I would have hated to have to kill you. I wasnt kidding about liking you." He said with a dark humor.

"You know the resistance will have your back. If you dont know who to talk to i can get you set up with the right people."