The Informant's Gambit: The Culprit

The Informant's Gambit: The Culprit
Date of Scene:	27 December 2023
Location:
Synopsis:	Zealot is caught red-handed attempting to frame Navi for yet another murder.
Cast of Characters:	195, Navi

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Amarik (195) has posed:
The ride back to Jedha is a quiet one, mostly. But once they draw nearer to the city, Vons slows down slightly and shifts the bike into a lower gear.

He chuckles, glancing back at her briefly. "So, uh, you got an imaginary boyfriend or admirer, or something? I was reviewing the audio on the surveillance to your cell last night..."

Navi has posed:
Navi blushes faintly. "One of the two criminals I was chasing, Zealot, showed up somewhere outside of my cell last night... I could feel his presence through the Force. As he is trained in telepathy, he can speak to me to a limited degree. But the best I can do is speak my thoughts and hope he can understand them. I'm not sure why he keeps approaching me like that. This is the second time since the incidents at the Temple."

Amarik (195) has posed:
As they arrive in front of the city's walls, Vons slows to a halt, smirking slightly. "Telepathy? Alright, I won't pretend to fully understand everything you're saying, but it sounds like you're saying you have some kind of weird, esoteric connection to him."

Navi has posed:
"It seems that way. It's not something I ever expected, or wanted. So I'm trying to make the best of the situation," Navi replies, shrugging faintly. "The Force works in mysterious ways. Even the Jedi don't understand them all."

Amarik (195) has posed:
"Really," Vons says. He turns around, arms folded. "Wasn't he the one you thought might have been responsible for... framing you? Kinda odd that you seem to have a soft spot for him."

"Anyway, if you have some kind of connection to him, have you ever thought about using it to, I dunno, find him?"

Navi has posed:
"I'm not sure how. It's not impossible, but it's not something I've ever been trained in," Navi replies uncertainly. "I suppose all I can do is try. Unless you know a Jedi, or maybe a Sorcerer of Tund, who can peek into my head and follow the connection."

Amarik (195) has posed:
Vons shrugs. "I mean, I'm no savant, but can't you just, follow the feeling? Like, whatever you felt last night, just try looking for yhat again. And if it doesn't work, then..." He waves a hand dismissively. "No harm done, right?" he arches a brow at her.

Navi has posed:
"That's what I meant about trying. This might take a minute or ten," Navi replies, placing her hands on her temples and beginning to clear her mind, to focus upon the Force and its flow between herself and everything sentient in the general area. Slowly she stretches out her hands, as if pushing her thoughts farther afield.

Amarik (195) has posed:
Vons doesnt seem to be in any kind of rush. He leans back on his bike, a grin spreading across his expression. "We've got some time."

But when Navi reaches out with the Force, she won't find anything. At least not at first.

Navi has posed:
Navi stretches out, out, out with her feelings, until she's sure she must be feeling the whole Holy City and more, but, "I can't seem to feel him... I don't know why," she murmurs, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Then another. And another.

"Is that..? Yes... yes! He's near the outskirts of the city... wait! He's headed for the downtown area!" she cries, thrilled that she could get that to work. "We should hurry!"

Amarik (195) has posed:
The engine on Vons' bike roars to life, and he gestures for her to get on, and quickly.

Once she's firmly seated behind him, the private investigator takes off, at a breakneck pace.

"Where to?" he yells above the roar of the thrusters, once they've entered the city and started making a beeline for downtown.

Navi has posed:
"He's moving really fast! He might be using a speeder or a bike... heading past downtown now!" Navi replies, raising her voice to be heard over the roar of the repulsorlifts. "It's feeling a little shaky... I may be losing him. Or he's losing me..."

Amarik (195) has posed:
Vons doesn't reply. Instead, he pushes the throttle all the way down again, and Navi will feel her insides churn again.

They're going so fast, Navi will hardly be able to catch her breath. And when Zealot abruptly slows down out of nowhere and the gap between them rapidly starts to close, she might barely have the breath or the time to tell the private investigator to slow down and swerve left...

Navi has posed:
Navi pants softly, breathless from the speed of the bike. "Turn left and slow down..!" she cries, hoping Vons can hear her at all over the engine. "He's just slowed way down!"

Amarik (195) has posed:
Vons eyes widen, and he yanks the yoke left violently, drifting them into a narrow alleyway. Dust is once again kicked up into Navi's eyes, but she won't need to see much to see that Zealot is on the rooftop of the building adjacent to them.

And he's casually spinning a pointed, makeshift wooden spear that's very similar in diameter to her staff, readying it to be thrown straight into the back of an unsuspecting Halisite carefully making his way through the alleyway.

Navi has posed:
Navi's eyes widen with horror as she realizes just what's about to happen. "/LOOK OUT/!!!" she shouts, terror lending strength to her voice. "DANGER ABOVE!!!"

Amarik (195) has posed:
Her warning is nearly too late. The wooden spear goes flying, and would have pierced the Halisite right between the shoulder blades if she hadn't shouted to the alien man. He turns around at the last second, and instead, Zealot's weapon of choice snags the right side of his tunic.

"Agh!" he cries, and lunges sideways, tearing his clothing to escape the wooden spear pinning him to the stucco wall. Once he has freed himself, the elongated stake clatters to the ground.

Zealot whirls, and Navi will sense malevolence in the Force rushing off of him in waves. He is -not- pleased to see her. Immediately, he draws both pistols and aims them at her. And yet, he doesn't shoot right away. Despite his initial displeasure upon seeing her here, he doesn't want to fight her.

Navi has posed:
"Uugh!!!" Navi cries, the malevolence of Zealot crashing over her like a rogue wave, startling and terrifying her with its intensity. "Why did you do that? Who is /he/ to /you/?!!" she protests, watching the hapless Halisite flee amidst a cacophony of tearing cloth.

She clings tighter to Vons, shivering from terror and shock from the malevolence rolling off of Zealot. "Go, /go/!" she cries, seeing those pistols aimed at her.

Amarik (195) has posed:
Zealot, of course, does not respond.

But apparently Vons has no plans of leaving. "Get behind the bike," he says, "And call the cops," pulling out his own blaster. Then, without further hesitation, he starts climbing up the fire escape while opening fire on Zealot, who returns fire.

But Zealot is a much better shot. And at some point, Navi will find herself staring up at a dangling Vons after Zealot has shot the scaffolding holding the fire escape up to bits.

Now, Navi could stay where she is and hope Vons gets himself to safety in time -- or she could pick up the stake that Zealot had just tried to use to murder the Halisite and try to distract Zealot to buy Vons some time.

Navi has posed:
Navi ducks behind the bike, wishing wholeheartedly that Vons wasn't so brave. Seconds later she sees her worst fears confirmed as the fire escape starts to tear away, with Vons still clinging to it!

Not the type to passively hope for a better outcome, she snatches up the spear/stake weapon Zealot had used and hurls it at the building just below Zealot's feet, not wanting to hit the outlaw, but unwilling to let him just shoot at Vons with impunity!

Amarik (195) has posed:
The wooden stake grazes his ankle, causing him to stumble backwards and dangerously close to the edge of the rooftop. For a split second, it may seem quite probable that he'll just topple over the edge and fall victim to a gruesome and bloody death via a droid operated scrap compactor passing next to the building he's standing atop.

But surprisingly, he doesn't. Instead, he catches himself. Then, with an admirable amount of grace and agility, he leaps down off the rooftop and then from window ledge to window ledge until he reaches ground level.

And then he approaches her, black leather boots crunching menacingly on the gravel, blaster pistols aimed point blank at her forehead, his mask and his presence in the Force as terrifying as ever.

Navi has posed:
Navi watches Zealot approach, standing still and doing nothing to prevent his advance. Not that she /can/ do anything, lacking weapons and any meaningful cover.

"I'm sorry about your ankle. I hadn't meant to hit you," she states firmly, tears of fear beginning to run down her face. "But I couldn't let you kill Vons, or that Halisite, in cold blood." She takes a deep breath. "You should probably leave, if you don't want to be imprisoned. The last thing you want is to be here when the police show up."

Amarik (195) has posed:
The masked marauder approaches, still holding his weapons level at her.

He comes closer and closer until he's mere centimeters from her. Then he lowers his blasters, and the malevolence in the Force melts away into confusion. He doesn't understand why she hadn't called the cops, why she's just telling him to walk away.

He holsters his weapons, staring at her from behind his garish mask. "You should hate me," he says.

By now Vons has at least managed to climb onto a less mangled portion of the fire escape scaffolding. "Navi!" he shouts to her. "The left inside pocket..."

If the young Sephi girl looks down, she discover that there is actually a very small handgun stowed within the pocket inside the jacket she's wearing...

Navi has posed:
Navi shakes her head slowly. "No... hatred leads to the Dark Side. I /cannot/ hate you. I don't like what you are doing, and I don't understand why you feel you must do such terrible things... but I cannot /hate you/."

She sniffles, turning away. "But I /am/ afraid of you, because of the things you've done. Please, just go away and don't hurt anyone else! You know I don't want to hurt you."

Her hand slips into the inner pocket of Vons' coat, and her eyes widen as she finds the compact pistol hidden there. It may be very fortunate for her that she's looking away from the masked marauder's face...

Amarik (195) has posed:
He doesn't reply, only regards her quietly with a terrifying sort of calm.

When she reaches into the inside pocket of the flannel jacket she's wearing and finds the pistol, Vons urges her, "What the kriff are you waiting for--!"

Zealot's gaze is immediately directed towards where Navi's hand has reached, and in an instant, he's placed a firm but gentle hand on her wrist.

Navi has posed:
Navi freezes briefly as her hand is grasped. She slowly releases the pistol, letting it fall back into the depths of the pocket. "You know I won't hurt you," she states softly, looking over her shoulder and into his masked face, into the eyes behind those goggle lenses. "Please... please, just leave! The authorities will be coming!" she protests. "I can't protect you from /them/!"

Amarik (195) has posed:
"Navi..." he says slowly, and so softly, so gently, that the young Sephi girl might suddenly find it hard to believe he'd just tried to kill a man, and had murdered perhaps two or three others in the past couple of days. "Doesn't that mean 'fairy?'"

And in that moment, she'll sense that he has no desire to hurt her, either. He's grateful she's letting him walk away, though he doesn't understand why she's doing it. Then, beneath it all, she'll detect an undertone of general dissatisfaction. With his life, with his present circumstances, with the person he had become. And yet, he won't leave it. He is trapped, but this trap is of his own making.

But the sound of sirens nearby severs the moment, and before Navi can respond, he's rushed off again, disappearing from sight down an adjacent alleyway.

Navi has posed:
"I... I don't know..." Navi whispers. "You... you don't have to live like this. I'll help you. Somehow..." she adds, almost as softly.

But he's gone already, and she has no idea if he even heard her. She looks up at Vons, seeking a way to get him down from the damaged fire escape, as the Proper Authorities come racing in, sirens blaring.

Amarik (195) has posed:
The Zeltron man has already found a way down from the damaged fire escape, and is nearly at ground level by the time the authorities arrive.

He doesn't look very pleased with Navi. "Oh, so -now- you're done making moon eyes at the murderer," he grumbles.

One of the officers approaches Navi, frowning. "Which way did he go?" he asks.

Navi has posed:
Navi shakes her head quietly, pointing in the general direction Zealot had gone. "That way. But I couldn't see him anymore once he turned the corner to the left down there." She's sure of only one thing, and that's that the Proper Authorities won't catch the masked man. He's evaded them so many times already.

She looks to Vons as he comes up to her. "It's not what you think," she says softly. "I hate what he has done. But I cannot hate /him/... hatred leads to the Dark Side, and a lot of other awful things besides. Anyway, he stopped me before I could even draw the weapon you'd had in your pocket. I'm fortunate he didn't harm either of us. He had plenty of opportunities."

She sighs wearily, bowing her head in shame. He's hard to please, perhaps, but it's no excuse for her failure to stop the murderer. This bond is certainly making her life more difficult. "Thank you for helping me. I'm sorry I wasn't more help to you." Another faint sigh, as she seems to sink deeper into her gloom. "I'll understand if you want your coat back now."

Amarik (195) has posed:
The officer nods, and then he along with the three others he'd come with take off in the direction she'd indicated.

Vons rolls his eyes. "Oh come -on-. You nearly knocked a Dowutin flat, and you can't even be bothered to resist when he stopped you from shooting him? He almost killed me, you know. You certainly don't owe him anything, least of all an apology."

He shrugs. "Well at least I now know it wasn't you," he says with a sigh. He makes his way over to the dent in the wall where the Halisite had barely escaped being skewered through the chest, and finds a small piece of the alien's tunic on the ground along with a few of the belongings that had tumbled out of his pocket when his clothing had ripped. Among the small assortment of items is a tiny datachip, similar to the one that Zealot had given her previously. "Huh..." Vons mutters, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

Navi has posed:
"That was more luck than anything else... I could barely hit him at all," Navi replies. "Why do you think I tried to throw my robe over his head? To blind him so I had some chance of hitting him!" She falls silent, letting him search the scene, until...

"Wait!" she cries softly, seeing the datachip. "I've seen one of those before. It's like the chips used in that blind data auction. Maybe the Halisite was participating. Could that be why Zealot tried to kill him in such a strange way? I mean, why use a sharpened stick when you favor pistols?"

Amarik (195) has posed:
Vons nods, and pockets the datachip. "I'll take this back to the station," he says.

Then he arches a brow at her. "Navi..." he shakes his head, chuckling. "You don't get it, do you? He's been framing you this whole time. The only reason why he was using that stake was to make it look like you were the one who'd done it. And you let him walk."

He sighs, and then gestures for her to climb back onto the back of his bike. "You're hungry, though, aren't you?" he asks, more softly this time.

Navi has posed:
"But that doesn't make sense... I've technically been in custody this whole time. Why would he try to kill someone in a way that would disprove his own frame-up?" Navi asks. "Besides, a sharpened pole doesn't leave the same kind of wound as what killed the other three victims." Beat. "Does it?"

She crouches to look at the sharpened spear-like weapon, just to be sure. Only after a moment does she return to the bike. "A little..." she confesses hesitantly.

Amarik (195) has posed:
Vons shrugs. "He must have seen us leave Jedha and assumed I'd broken you out. Your robes covered the ankle monitor, and he doesn't know who I am. So far, only you, the cops and your furred friends know I'm on the case."

"Unfortunately, if enough force is exerted, the autopsy won't turn up much different. Unless the mortician is a really, really keen eye, it's too difficult discern the difference."

Upon closer examination, Navi will discovered the sharpened weapon is shockingly similar to her staff, save for the pointed tip.

Vons offers her a hand. "Come on," he says, "I've got to drop by the station to drop off the datachip and get you cleared, but afterwards I can take you somewhere."

Navi has posed:
Navi shudders, hugging the coat tighter around her to keep off a chill that has nothing to do with the weather. "Mayge he really /is/ the one framing me," she murmurs, unsure of how to handle this new bombshell. This strange and potentially evil person she shared a bond with has seemingly been murdering other sentients and placing the blame on her! It's so much more than a chilling thought.

She accepts Vons' hand, climbing back onto the bike, with some care for the length of the coat. "I'm sorry to be such a naive burden to you. You must think me terribly stupid," she murmurs contritely.

Amarik (195) has posed:
"Maybe?" Vons shakes his head. "Listen, you might not be certain, but I'm 99 percent sure he's the one behind all the murders, and has been playing you this entire time." Then he shrugs. "You're not stupid, Navi. You're just not a private investigator, and I didn't expect you to do my job for me."

But the Force wouldn't lie, would it? The genuineness with which Zealot had apologized, and desired for her not to be harmed, had been clear as a bell on a silent night...

Vons helps her back onto the speeder bike, and once they're back at the station, he instructs her to wait in the lobby while he speaks with the police. Then, about an hour later, he returns and gestures for her to follow him outside back to his bike. "You're good to go," he says.

Navi has posed:
Could someone lie through the Force? Navi wishes she knew. Her feelings are an awful mess in the wake of the incident in the alley, and she clings to Vons' back the whole way to the police station. Waiting in the lobby isn't any better. Not with the stakes riding on this conference.

She almost faints with relief when Vons returns and informs her that she's free to go. "Thank you. I just need to get some of my things returned, and we can be on our way," she replies, hugging him briefly in gratitude.

Amarik (195) has posed:
The Zeltron man laughs quietly, and returns the embrace. Then he nods. "See you outside in a bit," he says, heading out of the station.

It won't take long for Navi to retrieve her belongings from police custody, and soon, she'll find herself on the back of Vons speederbike once more.

This time, she might glimpse herself in one of the sideview mirrors. And she probably won't be surprised to find that she looks... like an awful mess. The fight with the Dowutin, plus all that dust from riding on the back of the speeder and the skirmish in the alley, well, it had certainly left a mark.

Navi has posed:
Navi chuckles sadly as she gets a look at herself in the bike's mirrors. "Force help me... I thought I was a mess before," she murmurs. "Could you give me a lift back to the chapterhouse? I'm a filthy mess, and I wouldn't mind getting a fresh robe... if nothing else, I could at least give your coat back, once I've got some proper clothes on again?"

Amarik (195) has posed:
Vons laughs, "You can shower at the place I'm staying at," he says, "It's close by, and there's a little cafe right below it. And you can keep the jacket, I hardly wear that thing anyway."

Less than five minutes later, they're stopping in front of a quaint little adobe bed and breakfast with flowerbeds lining either side of the path to the entrance.

Vons goes ahead of her, and holds the door open.

Navi has posed:
Navi can't help feeling slightly overwhelmed by Vons' generosity and almost courtly manners toward her as she steps off of the bike and enters the building, with a shy but grateful smile to him for holding the door for her. "Thank you. I hadn't expected you to be staying someplace so pretty and nice," she says, blushing faintly. "Perhaps I misjudged you when we first met."

Amarik (195) has posed:
"What," he teases, "you thought I'd be staying at some greasy backroom above a run down cantina? Well, damn. I thought you'd be smart enough to figure that I have -taste-."

He shows her to the lift, then to the room where he's staying. He pulls a shimmersilk lounge robe from the closet and hands it to her. "Not really my style, but I think it could look good on you," he says with a smirk. Then he walks over to the bathroom and opening the door to it, gestures for her to go inside.

"You can come downstairs once you're finished," he says.

Navi has posed:
Navi giggles. "Oh, stop! You know I spend my days at what most people would call a monastery... and clearly holovision isn't the best tutor when it comes to living in the real galaxy outside the chapterhouses."

She follows him into the apartment, accepting the robe with a grateful smile. "Is there someplace I can have my clothes cleaned or something like? I know some ionic showers some refreshers have can do it... is there something like that about? I don't like to impose, but I've been wearing the same clothes for two days."

Amarik (195) has posed:
"Fine," The Zeltron man says, giving her an affectionate grin. "You're forgiven~"

"There's laundry units here," he says, "just leave whatever you want washed on the couch and I'll have the cleaning lady take it down there," he says.

"Should be a fresh set of towels in the refreshers too," he says, "and if you need anything, just let me know. I'll be downstairs."

Navi has posed:
"Thank you. I'll try not to be long," Navi replies, giving Vons a quicker hug before he leaves for downstairs. She carefully removes the pistol from the pocket of the coat Vons had loaned her and makes sure the other pockets are empty before leaving it and her socks and thermal undergarment on the couch for the cleaning lady, as bidden.

The hydroshower is perhaps the best she's ever had, between the dirt of two days and a massage setting to soothe away the aches and soreness of several fights for her life and sleeping on a hard floor in a chilly interrogation room. It's almost thirty minutes later when she returns downstairs, dressed in the lounging robe and her old shoes, her hair freshly styled in its usual twintails, her skin faintly pink from the hydroshower. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I have to be the slowest guest you've ever had," she says contritely, blushing faintly.

Amarik (195) has posed:
He smiles. "Hey," he says. "It's not a problem. You clean up nice."

He gestures for her to sit across from him at the table he's seated at. She'll immediately notice someone had prepared a plate of fresh fruit, a hot pastry, and a mug of steaming caf just for her and laid it out neatly on the table.

"Sooo," the private investigator prefaces, "tell me about your... connection to Zealot. Something tells me you really don't want to see him put away. Why's that? You got a soft spot for him because of your connection to him, or what?"

Navi has posed:
Navi takes a sip of caf, grateful for the stim drink, blushing more at the compliment. "You're very nice to say so," she replies softly. As he asks his question, she looks down at the table. "It's less that I don't want him put away, and more that I don't want him harmed. If it were not for my strange connection to him, I don't know if I'd feel differently. The whole thing is rather troubling," she explains. "All the facts point to him... all the evidence, or at least most of it, says he's framing me for his own crimes. But his feelings toward me... his not wanting to hurt me, or to see me hurt... those are genuine. They /feel/ genuine. And I don't think someone could lie about their feelings through the Force."

She bows her head with a soft sigh. "It's all so overwhelming. I wish it had happened to someone else... someone more mature, with more knowledge of the Force, and of bonds. As it is, I can't even raise a hand against him without forcing myself to, and yet he's wronged me so thoroughly... or so the evidence says. I'm so confused..."

Amarik (195) has posed:
Vons sighs, rolling his eyes a little and folding his arms. "I'm sure he'll be just fine in prison," he scoffs. "In fact, he might actually be safer incarcerated, than out -there-, making enemies who won't hesitate to burn a kriffing hole through his skull."

Then he sighs. "Look.. I won't pretend to understand all this stuff regarding the Force, but you don't need to feel bad helping put him away. In the end, it's going to be the best choice for everyone, including him. I hate to break it to you, but I did my research on him and Duzard last night. I couldn't find much, but what I did discover is that they're both informants, of the shady sort. Duzard is an expert slicer, and Zealot... well, I'm pretty sure he's an assassin, Navi. Together, they made a pretty formidable team." He reaches over and squeezes her hand gently, and suddenly, she'll feel minimally calmer.

Navi has posed:
"I trust you. That's the only reason I can accept what you say," Navi replies softly. "I want to stop these people, and yet... I just can't believe he could deceive me through the Force. Maybe that's what's wrong with me. I can't see what's right in front of me, even when everyone is pointing it out to me. I'm sorry."

The squeeze to her hand reassures her a little. "The pistol you had hidden in your pocket... does it have a stun setting? I know very little about blasters, but I have heard that many can be set to be nonlethal. At least with that, or a stun baton or something like, I can be sure I don't hurt him, and can hopefully bring him down with impunity." Or so she hopes.

Amarik (195) has posed:
"Good," Vons says, withdrawing his hand. "Just ... look at the facts, and don't think too hard about it. Forget about the Force, even if just for a little and consider what he's done, and will continue to do if you don't stop him."

"Of course it does," Vons says, arching a brow at her. "But did I say you could have it?" But he's smirking playfully at her.

Navi has posed:
"Well, it's not like I'm asking to /keep/ it... I only want to borrow it until we've taken care of Zealot. After that, I'll gladly return it. I'm not very comfortable with blasters, to be honest, but I don't have access to anything else with a stun setting," Navi explains, playfully exasperatedly.

Amarik (195) has posed:
"-We-?" Vons laughs. "Listen sweetie, the most I'd ask from you at this point would be to help find him, while me and the cops do the rest of the dirty work. You just... stay pretty and off to the side, m'kay?" He brushes a stray strand of hair away from her face.

"I was kidding, anyway. You can keep the blaster. Just in case." Then he winks at her.

Navi has posed:
"Stay pretty and off to the side? Who do you think you're talking to?" Navi asks, mildly incredulously. "I am a Novice of the Shining Brotherhood, trained to protect myself and those who seek our help. Maybe I'm naive and confused, but I am not helpless."

She bows her head a little. "Thank you. I shall be extremely careful with it. And not just because I am not very familiar with such things... a gift deserves the utmost respect. As does the giver."

Amarik (195) has posed:
Vons laughs. "Okay, so where was that attitude back when Zealot was about to disarm you with a flick of his finger?" He shakes his head, waving a hand dismissively.

"Don't worry about it. It's not an expensive model, but it will get the job done if you're in danger."

"Anyway," he says. "enough talk about work." He grins. "I wanna know more about -you-. What do you look for in a person you think you might want to spend the rest of your life with?"

Navi has posed:
"I don't know... I've never really thought about such things. The Brotherhood really doesn't have any rules against relationships, I suppose," Navi observes, blushing faintly at this line of inquiry. "But the Je-... well, I was never encouraged to seek out a mate. Far from it. I'm beginning to appreciate the wisdom of those teachings. But I can't ignore the fact that you are interested. I'm not sure how to process it, but I refuse to /ignore/ it."

Amarik (195) has posed:
The Zeltron man leans back in his chair casually. "Well, think about it," he says, "I'm not in a rush, and you shouldn't be either. But actually, you were the one to initiate, so..." He smirks.

"You were a Jedi once, then. What happened?"

Navi has posed:
"A lot of things happened, actually. None of them good," Navi explains softly. "Let's just say that this isn't the first time I've been accused of a murder I had no part of, and that came /after/ my Master was slain. Even after I was cleared of all wrongdoing, I couldn't make myself go back to the Order. The sense of betrayal was just too strong. It's one of the reasons I joined the Shining Brotherhood. I wasn't anything like fit to live in the galaxy at large, and all I wanted to do was find peace."

Amarik (195) has posed:
"Damn," he says softly, "that's pretty ...shit, I guess. Sorry to hear that happened to you."

"Glad you found a place among the Shining Brotherhood, though. It's nice to have a home, and a sense of belonging." His expression suddenly grows distant.

Then his commlink suddenly pings, and he picks it up immediately, brows furrowing. "Looks like the folks back at the station finally tracked an address down for your furred friends. I..." he looks up, his expression apologetic. "Look, I hate to cut our date in half but I should really head over there and talk to them."

Navi has posed:
"I've lost all confidence in the Order. But I've met some of their members, and I feel I can trust them. Just... not the Council, so much. Maybe someday things will change, and I'll be able to trust them again," Navi muses. "The Brotherhood, at least, are happy to let me stay, and they give me space when I need it."

At the mention of the 'furred friends', Navi straightens. "The Chadra Fan siblings... actually, I should go with you. They're my friends, and I want to be sure they're all right. I promised to help them."

Amarik (195) has posed:
Vons brows raise. "You sure you don't want to rest? You can sleep upstairs, or I can take you back to the chapterhouse, if you want," he says.

"I'm sure they're alright -- if they're not, I'll be sure to let you know."

Navi has posed:
"Well... my clothes probably aren't done yet. Maybe I /should/ stay here for now," Navi replies, reluctantly, after a moment. "Please do make sure they're all right. For the longest time they were the only people who believed in my innocence."

She stands and hugs Vons gently. "Thank you for helping me. Please, if they need help, give it to them. They're really very sweet, and I'm sure they can help you with this matter somehow."

Amarik (195) has posed:
"That's because you hadn't met -me- yet," the Zeltron man says with a playful wink. Reaching forward, he takes her hand and plants a light kiss on it.

"Of course, and don't worry," he says affectionately, "I'll take care of them. Stay safe, and if anything happens, don't hesitate to contact me." He hands her a datachip with his personal frequency on it. Then he turns and exits the small bed and breakfast.

Navi has posed:
Navi watches him leave, still blushing faintly at the kiss to her hand, until he is out of sight, before turning and making her way back upstairs. Once safely back inside the hotel room, she borrows a blanket and some space on the couch and tries to sleep, more or less successfully.