[Day 1 - EA] One art please

[Mahon Jiut]

"You were a kid," he said bitterly.

[Petrus Karath]

Petrus' eyes squeezed shut, just for a moment, a soft sigh escaping his lips. So many died, as young or younger...

The moment passed, and he resumed his silent vigil.

[Xanna Teevou]

She met his gaze with a little fire in her eyes. "I saved many other kids and refugees from death or slavery Mahon. Do not pity the loss of my childhood. If not for the Jedi I would have ended up as some idle spoiled brat in a palace on Pantoria."

For a moment she felt anger, but it did not last. It wasn't her place to judge him. Calm again she delicately lifted the glass and took another sip of water.

[Mahon Jiut]

“I respect the Jedi, I really do, but there are things… things they did that just,” he stopped his many sketches and stood.

“I need a drink.”

“I think we’re done, this isn’t going to work! It’s not you, you’re perfect, it’s me, I should have done something,” he said pouring himself a drink. “I could have stopped her you know, or maybe it was like meant to be.”

“Kriff…” he said quietly before he started sobbing.

[Xanna Teevou]

Calmly and quietly she rose from the chair, walked over to Mahon, and gave him a hug. She didn't say anything, she just held him until he was ready.

[Mahon Jiut]

He composed himself and said, “Well… that was… thanks.”

[Xanna Teevou]

She smiled sweetly. "You are welcome. We can talk more about her when you want, or not if you do not. But there is no rush. We are friends now, yes? And friends look out for each other."

Releasing him she returned to the seat, more confident, her poise returned. "Would you like me to model some more, or we could look at your other work together if you would like?"

[Mahon Jiut]

He smiled and said, "You got a friend in me, and yeah if you don't mind I need to capture this."

[Xanna Teevou]

She willingly posed for the artist. The warm sense of hope and the joy of making a connection with another soul had settled into her again.

"I am relieved you did not need a statue to accompany Sloan's."

[Mahon Jiut]

“Sloan insisted on posing like that, it was a long but good day and that statue pulled in some serious creds. Who knew trandoshan nudes were so in demand,” he said with a smile.

“Not me.”

[Xanna Teevou]

She laughed at the idea of the giant Trandoshan turning up and demanding a nude statue of himself. It was an almost musical sound. She sipped some more water.

"How did you meet Sloan? I am thinking his demand for a statue was not your first encounter..."

[Mahon Jiut]

“You don’t just meet Sloan, he meets you,” he said chuckling.

“I was trying to get an Aznuri to model for me, and well I wanted a young pretty woman for reasons but Sloan must have thought I needed a giant trandoshan instead. We talked, for how intimidating he seems he is actually rather reserved and thoughtful. The Aznuri in general don’t trust easy, but Sloan seems different or maybe he has nothing to fear,” Mahon said laughing.

He continued sketching and making notes, “I don’t blame them though, always someone who gets an idea that they can muscle in on some primitives and then the Aznuri disavow them of that notion.”

“As they say the Aznuri endure.”

[Petrus Karath]

"I'm glad it managed to sell." Petrus put in with a smile. "I can just imagine the costs for the amount of material needed to make a statue of our big friend." He had sat quietly while Xanna helped Mahon, suspecting that he wouldn't have been a welcome comfort. Now, though, his spirits were lifted with everyone else's. Especially Xanna, whose musical laughter brightened everyone's day.

Wryly, Petrus shook his head. "I thought he was intimidating, when he took my kaf and called me 'little human'. That lasted until about his second sentence. He's a good guy. I'm glad he'll be training with us."

He frowned, looking at Xanna. "And Liua... do you think she's Force sensitive?"

[Xanna Teevou]

"Aha, yes! Sloan has that feeling of endurance...a force of nature.
He is a most interesting being." She wondered if he was born (hatched?) on Bankor or was drawn here.

Petey's question got her thinking and she tapped one long finger to her lips. "You know that is such a very good question. I do not know. The Force brought us all together, of this I am sure, but it is as Mahon described yesterday: the Force is in everything, everyone, but not all can sense it. Perhaps she is. We should keep watch for any signs."

[Petrus Karath]

"Yeah..." Petrus frowned thoughtfully. "Being in the right place at the right time is something, but it doesn't mean someone's Force sensitive. Even if she's the... the catalyst that brought us all together. We'll just have to watch for signs."

He smiled gently. "And even if she's not, well, then I guess we're the closest thing to her to family. That's something."

[Mahon Jiut]

"Yeah she seems a good kid, a little rough around the edges but good," Mahon added.

[Xanna Teevou]

"Yes, her parents were of little good to anyone. But she tries to do the right thing, disguised in the manner of a know-it-all teenager." Xanna was nearly 20, that was totally different.

"I look forward to seeing her grow." She wondered what adventures lay in wait, not that she craved adventure, Master Yoda would not have approved.

[Mahon Jiut]

"You think she will stick around?" he asked curiously as he turned the page and move to get a different angle of Xanna.

[Petrus Karath]

"Me too." Petrus smiled. If she does. Last week, he might have lingered on that thought, sending him into A Mood. Now his mind only touched on it.

After a moment of thought, Petrus nodded. "Yeah, I think so. Like Xanna says, she tries to do the right thing. I don't think she's cynical because it's cool... well, maybe a little. But because, well, of people like Captain Hrugos making it the smart thing to do."

Petrus sat up a little, unconsciously mirroring. "But we're trying to offer another way, right? So yeah, I think she'll stick around."

[Xanna Teevou]

"Yes, and she would not admit it but I get the sense that she enjoys teasing Petrus here. Liua is trying to find out where she fits in the world, and she is actually really helpful when she wants to be. So I hope she will."

Her gaze shifted to Petrus. "Her whole life was the streets. I think we are her gang now."

[Petrus Karath]

Petrus grinned. "Yeah, I get that sense too. Well, hey, if teasing me helps, I'm just glad to be doing my part."

The grin softened to a smile, but didn't fade entirely. "Her gang, huh? Yeah, that fits. Do we need a gang name? Maybe a sign?" His forehead creased thoughtfully. "I wonder if she had a gang before, and what happened to them." He couldn't help but make parallels between Liua's life and theirs.

[Xanna Teevou]

Xanna held a pose for a while as Mahon wanted to capture something specific. Oddly she didn't feel self-conscious, but it was a bit strange, almost like holding a pose in one of her fitness routines.

"I expect she already has a gang name in mind for us, you should ask her. She did run with a gang, but nothing bad, at least not one of the criminally affiliated ones. I think they had a vinecat as their emblem?" They were probably the ones who ran off and left her to the Stormtroopers.

"Maybe we just keep a low profile though. I do not mind sewing up some badges but it might be a little obvious." She managed to keep the smile from her face so it was hard to tell if she was being serious.

[Petrus Karath]

Petrus sighed. "Yeah, they probably did." Helped to explain her hesitance to trust.

His lips quirked. "And yeah, you're probably right there, too. Too bad, my wardrobe could use a bit more flare. What about something in the stylish scarf or hood categories?"

[Xanna Teevou]

"Maybe I will make you one, with all Mahon's art surrounding me I am feeling inspired." She gave them a small smile.

"I cannot say I was all that interested before. When I was a child my home was full of expensive but tasteless things meant to impress my parents' friends. And relics of previous millennia. On Devaron I was more interested in how to keep my focus, interact with other beings, and how to hit things."

[Mahon Jiut]

"First-planet problems," Mahon quipped with a laugh.