Retrieve the Relic

Retrieve the Relic
Date of Scene:	17 March 2024
Location:
Synopsis:	Cayde and Annelia meet up with a contact to discuss getting into Yarrum Tower.
Cast of Characters:	159, Annelia Belask, Cayde Alexis

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Athena (159) has posed:
The moment had arrived, though most likely, only Annelia will be acutely aware of it.

The Council had assigned a mission to Annelia and Cayde on a remote planet called Yarrum, to follow up with a contact given to them by one of their sources. She supposedly had intel on where one of the relics that had gone missing after the raid on the Temple of the Kyber might be.

This contact is purportedly a female Shani who worked at a cantina across the street from the spaceport, so once the two Jedi arrive, it's simply a matter exiting the spaceport and scanning the vicinity to find this cantina...

Annelia Belask has posed:
    She's a curious pick, for a mission like this, Annelia. Not exactly the peak of charm within the Order. But then, she did apprentice under a well-renowned diplomat and investigator before his untimely passing- does count for some things. That and the half likelihood of trouble when the relic is tracked down.

    For now she's moving through the spaceport for the exit at a brisk, but measured pace. She's not much for slowing down even if Cayde is younger and a little shorter and perhaps not as physically trained as her. She wears the standard robes, general tools and odds and ends at her belt as she keeps her eyes forward- but her ear trained on ensuring the padawan's footsteps remain at her side and not wandering off.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    The Council did have a knack sometimes, for these 'curious picks' anyway. After all, putting people outside their comfort zones is the only way they'd ever learn, right?

    Speaking of which, this is the first time Cayde has ever been to the Outer Rim since his very early childhood before he came to live at the Temple on Coruscant. To be perfectly honest, he hadn't even been allowed to leave the Temple until a few years ago.

    Everyone here is so...different.

    Anyway, he does his best to keep up with Annelia as she makes her way out of the port.

Athena (159) has posed:
Out here, fewer are familiar with the Jedi. Most won't spare the two even a glance, but those who do seem suspicious and skeptical of them.

The exit to the spaceport is relatively easy to find, but the street outside is crowded and dirty. There's a mass gathering of people clumped together on the curb to their left, waiting for public transit. Up and down the street, speedsters honk loudly at pedestrians seeming to wander aimlessly about.

The cantina, at least, is unmistakable with its bright neon green sign. But they'll have to cross the two way street with four lanes first.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    The smell is perhaps the first thing that gives Ann pause, so many bodies in the dirty, bright street. She exhales, rolling her eyes at the sight of the street devoid of pedestrian considerations. Another jedi in another time and medium might call it rather uncivilized.

    "Hope you're not feeling too fearful today, Cayde," she comments before angling herself to brush past some of the more aimless pedestrians, using them as something of a shield and guideline to get across this street with minimal further interruption to the traffic flow.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde starts out onto the streets...and it's even worse out here. Crowds, and especially those in unfamiliar places, are among the things he struggles with.

    He nods vaguely in response to Ann's comment, although he is beginning to feel a headache coming on from the sheer effort of trying to remain focused on following her and heading toward the neon-lighted cantina...

Athena (159) has posed:
Suddenly, the crowd pressing in around Cayde and Annelia abruptly lurches to halt. The two Jedi may notice that some alien, either drunk or high off spice, is making a fuss in the middle of the street, and a security officer is attempting to coax him out of the way.

A palpable sense of impatience arises from the crowd, and from the drivers sitting in the vehicles. A rising cacophony of irritated bystanders starts to crescendo...

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Ann pauses with the crowd, with... not much intention to get involved. Not rock the boat too much out here on the outer rim. But as she glances back at the padawan beside her... she frowns a little.

    "Cayde. Try something new to focus on. See if you can encourage that inebriated man to settle down and keep moving. Might help you to have something specific to do. And I'm happy to drag you by the arm if it backfires." The last is said with the barest hint of a smirk.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    By the time the disturbance with the inebriated individual arises, Cayde is barely holding back the contents of his stomach from coming out of his mouth. As much as he's attempting to hide that fact from Ann, his face is quite red.

    He looks over at her when she instructs him to try to calm the man causing the issue and he nods again, directing his focus toward the alien and attempting to bid him move out of the street...

    <It's not safe here anyway...should go home...rest...>

Athena (159) has posed:
The inebriated man looks around, his expression glazed over. Then he stumbles in a lopsided fashion out of the street.

All at once, the vehicles that had been impeded by his presence, along with the pedestrians who had been waiting rather impatiently on the curb, rush forward.

More honking and angry yelling ensues, and the two Jedi will have to keep their wits about them in order to avoid being knocked over by the sudden stampede

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Call it instinct or training, in either event, Annelia weaves through the crowd with relative ease- she minds Cayde along the way, certainly, but not overly closely- if he's jostled along the way, so be it.

    Continuing her habit of not breaking stride, she heads directly into this cantina as she breaks free of the crowd, perhaps muttering a few less-than-polite Kel Dor terms for various things under her breath as she goes.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Once the man starts moving, Cayde tries to guide him safely out of the street and hopefully not in front of anyone too angry at him before withdrawing from his mind.

    Unfortunately, this also means once he's out of the way and traffic rushes forth again, a few different people roughly brush past the padawan, causing him to stumble forward and backward and then sideways a bit and become separated from Ann...

    And now there are so many bodies and minds rushing past him, all focused on their own daily business. A lot of them are annoyed at the delays this drunk person caused. They're already behind schedule, and this just made things worse! Meetings to get to, sales and trades to be made. A small child is whining because her parents won't buy her a toy she saw at one of the open market stalls just now.

    Well, at least he has thus far managed not to vomit onto the street just yet...however, somehow he finds himself wandering over to that vendor with the toys.

    But as soon as a salesman starts trying to entice him with trinkets, he remembers he was supposed to be here for something else. Where was that cantina...?

Athena (159) has posed:
Annelia will find herself inside the cantina, which is quieter than outside, thankfully. She'll see the contact they're supposed to meet with at the counter, serving drinks to a couple of patrons.

But...

Where is Cayde?

Annelia Belask has posed:
    More impolite words as Annelia closes her eyes a moment, sighing as she turns to leave the Cantina again. And the boy without a voice to tune in on, at that.

    She exhales slowly as she walks back out into the street, looking up and down it a few moments...

    By the time she appears behind Cayde at the toy stand, she looks... perhaps thin on patience, her hand taking hold of his shoulder wordlessly.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde was trying to look for that sign again, or Ann, when she suddenly appears behind him and puts a hand on his shoulder.

    Oh...

    He turns around, giving her an apologetic look. [Sorry] he signs quickly.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Ann simply nods, then tilts her head back the way she came- turning and leading the way back- though this time she does in fact slow a little, more eye and ear on the padawan.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde hurries after her, this time making sure he sticks pretty close to the older Jedi...

Athena (159) has posed:
Luckily, once Annelia re-enters the cantina, she'll discover that the contact they're supposed to meet up with is free now, with the two patrons she'd been serving prior taken care of...

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Some kind of effort to get across a road, hm?" asks Ann once the pair are back on track again, offering a wry hint of a smirk to Cayde beside her. She shakes her head, leading the pair to one of the more out of the way tables in the cantina- not fully in any corners, too popular, but rather off to the side but not quite on the wall, far from the barfront and kitchens. She waves, slightly, to the contact as she makes for the table in much the manner of a regular patron.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde nods again when Ann makes that comment about the hassle of just crossing that street, absently wondering if all of the Outer Rim planets were like that.

    He follows her to the table, sitting down next to her and leaving the spot across from them open for the contact to hopefully occupy.

Athena (159) has posed:
The bartender's attention is immediately diverted when Annelia waves to her. Her eyes narrow slightly, but she doesn't seem particularly hostile.

Some of the patrons watch Annelia and Cayde in a hawk like manner as they make their way over to a table and sit down.

Eventually, the Shani woman makes her way over to the two of them and suggests, "Why not sit outside on the patio behind the cantina? The weather... it's too nice a day to miss the opportunity, if you catch my drift." She then starts heading towards the back.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Ann nods slightly, quirking a brow at Cayde as people stare at them for a moment before she goes to follow the woman out.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    When the woman suggests they head outside, Cayde sighs. But it was so much quieter in here...

    However, he doesn't protest and just follows them out back.

Athena (159) has posed:
The patio out back is even quieter, thankfully. However, not so fortunately, it's kind of hot out and there is no shade to be found. The sun beats down relentlessly, and the two Jedi may find themselves breaking a sweat.

The Shani woman unhinges her jaw momentarily, massages it, then pops it back into place with an unsettling click before turning to address the two Jedi. "You can't just waltz in here looking like that," she warns. "Didn't you know Yarrum is mostly pirate infested waters?"

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Would not be the first pirates I've dealt with in my time as a Jedi. We are not, generally, much for disguises. Many of the people here hardly even knew the robes regardless. But disagreements on wardrobe aside- I believe you have some items to discuss with us? Annelia Belask, Jedi Knight. Happy to deal with any 'heat' from this if it helps," answers Ann simply, glancing over at Cayde for his own introductions.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Clearly, there is some difference between what the Shani woman thinks is a nice day and what Cayde thinks is a nice day. The sun out here isn't very kind to his extremely fair complexion as he quickly starts sweating under his robes.

    Still, he does his best to be polite. [Padawan Cayde Alexis] he signs, taking the time to spell out his name and title fully as this is a first time introduction.

Athena (159) has posed:
The Shani woman scoffs and folds her arms. "Is that because disguises are below you, Jedi?"

"The civvies don't, but word travels fast among pirates. They know how to look out for trouble."

"Niya Zoccow," She says, "And I won't be needing any help," she says disdainfully.

"The relic you're after is going to be in the only place it can be on a planet like this - Yarrum Tower," she says. "That's where all the pirates, smugglers, spice dealers and general scum and villainy gather to trade, talk shop, and start fights, on occasion.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Because I do not own any other clothing and I don't know if you can tell from my build, but I am about as subtle as a thermal detonator," returns Ann dryly, head shaking a little. "Word travels fast, but... well, for a variety of reasons, our cover would not last long anyways."

    She shrugs it off- glancing up at the sun. She shades her face from it- the heat itself not necessarily bothering her so much as her own pale complexion from many long hours in the temple- liable to burn like cheap paper if they chat out here too long.

    "What can you tell us about the Tower? Or if we're lucky, where the relic would be kept?"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Right, he gets ignored. Well, that wasn't unusual, anyway. Cayde just sighs and lets his gaze wander down to the street again. He can already feel the skin on his scalp baking, and he pulls his hood up but that just makes him sweat more.

    The padawan starts fiddling with a napkin dispenser on the table, causing it to levitate an inch or two above the table and rotate horizontally.

Athena (159) has posed:
"Surely, the Order can afford you something less... monastic," the Shani says, arching a brow at Anne.

Then she sighs, shaking her head. "You had better hope luck will be a lady to you for as long as you're on Yarrum," she says, "barging into the Tower dressed like -that- is a quick way to get yourselves killed."

Her gaze flicks to Cayde's fiddling and she frowns disapprovingly, but doesn't comment. "The Tower is located on a small island in the middle of Lake Yarrum," she says, "it's not exactly what you would call a well guarded keep, but the pirates will single out anyone odd looking pretty quick. So you might want to reconsider wearing your bathrobes there."

"One of the pirate gangs there has it. I don't know which one. But it's not hard to single out which ones bring in the most loot, or bribe someone into telling you who has what."

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "You may be surprised- the Padawan can be... quite convincing. And take off the outer robe and it's not -too- hard to look like your average farmer," Ann notes, shrugging a little and nodding her head to Cayde as she alludes to some of his skillsets.

    "You would have to ask the sentinels of the order regarding disguises- they sent a guardian. Which leads me to think this is more likely to be at least some level of scuffle than us smooth talking or thieving our way into a priceless relic. At least in the Council's eyes." She looks over at Cayde a moment, frowning slightly. "Which makes me wonder about some alternate motives, but we shall see."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Speaking of Cayde's skillsets, as Anne nods toward him he drops the dispenser rather noisily back onto the table and tries entering the Shani woman's mind, just to ensure she is not lying...or withholding any important information from them.

Athena (159) has posed:
"Sure, but can he use his fancy mind tricks to convince twenty pirates not to pounce?" she scoffs. "Look like, sure, but you still act like Core World city-folk."

She waves a hand dismissively. "Well I guess, since eighty percent of the time pirates trade, there's a fight of some sort. But you should at least -try- to blend in a little bit, when entering the base. Otherwise, you'll get kicked out before you get to the guys you're looking for."

She doesn't seem to know anything other than what she's telling them, and doesn't have any alternative motives - one of the Order's other contacts had already paid her, and she's just making good on her word to give them the requested intel.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Then would it surprise you I was born on a prison planet?" questions Ann- not really for any specific purpose, but there's amusement in her voice with it.

    She shrugs it off, raising a brow to Cayde- recognizing that look of focus by now.

    "At any rate, we will need to strategize from here- thank you for what you know."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde seems satisfied with what's found, and he relaxes a bit. He arches a brow at the Shani woman slightly when she mentions they don't act like locals. What was the point of dressing differently, if their behavior would call them out anyway? However, he doesn't mention it, just nodding his thanks toward her as well when Ann expresses gratitude for what information she had shared.

Athena (159) has posed:
"Didn't stay there, I'm guessing," the Shani woman says with the shrug, though she arches a brow at Annelia. "Anyway, good luck and try not to get yourselves killed."

She then turns on her heel and heads back into the cantina.