AU: Bar Crawl

[last_kallig]

After the events at the Foundry, Ibani felt that both she and Ben desperately needed some R+R. There was much research and questioning of her various contacts, smugglers, pirates, spies, and other such folk for good places to drink and eat on Nar Shaddaa.

She has a list! Although her first plan is to ask Ben where HIS favorite places on Nar Shaddaa were and see if any of them exist in her when, because you never know.

In the interests of blending in, Ibani has gone for the smuggler/pirate look in brown and bright emerald synthleather with a vibroblade strapped on one hip. (She has her lightsabers too, of course, but those are more hidden.)

Comments

[acertainpov]

Ben grabs his hat brim down further over his face, and reaches for his glass, which he hasn't finished yet, and doesn't want to leave it.

When he stands, the bartender starts hurrying over but Ben waves a hand. "We paid in advance," he says, and replaces that hand around Ibani's shoulders, turning towards the door.

Just as the Rodian comes flying against the bar, inches away from where he was sitting.

[last_kallig]

"Definitely time to go," Ibani replies, sidestepping a thrown chair and several mugs as she snags her own glass.

Oh dear, one of the players was a Wookie. Going to get REALLY ugly in here shortly.

They make their way out toward the street, and Ibani is still flushed a little. "Don't know WHAT got into Hylo," she mutters. Clearly, more alcohol is called for!. She pours herself another glass and offers to pour more for Ben.

[acertainpov]

He declines, because he's still got his and he'd be an idiot to try and keep up with Ibani. Instead he keeps his hand around her shoulders and lets her lead them to the next destination.

"She's just looking out for a friend," he says. "Be pleased."

[last_kallig]

Ibani leans into his arm around her shoulder a little, enjoying the contact.

"I suppose," Ibani allows. "So many things are new to me, despite how old I am." Her smile is wry. "All the more reason for new experiences, I suppose."

"The next recommendation was farther down in this sector." Nar Shaddaa, like Coruscant, is a place where directions are by necessity as much vertical as horizontal.

It's going to take a while to get there, though. The graffiti really brightens up the permacrete, in Ibani's opinion! "I feel this terrible urge to correct their spelling and I don't know why." she muses aloud.

They round another corner and stumble upon what appears to be a block party of some kind. There is definitely dancing going on, a dance something like a Reel. "I have absolutely no idea how to dance that, but I'm tempted to try anyway. Are you game?"

At least the precognition that helps in battle should keep her from stepping on any toes.

[acertainpov]

Ben doesn't know it either - dances change so much over the millenia, any dance experience he has is irrelevent. But he does finally down the rest of his glass and places it by a wall out of the way.

"Shall we learn it, then?" he asks, holding his hands out to her as he steps right into the dance. "It's easy, you just do what they do."

It's not even about not stepping on toes. If you hone your reflexes just right, he'll demonstrate, you can take the steps at the exact right time.

[last_kallig]

Ibani sets her glass and the bottle next to his out of the way, then eagerly takes his hands and follows him in.

It takes her a few moments to get it right, to get her reflexes where she needs them to be. She can feel the dance, the minds of so many focused on one thing. It's something like the sense a bird in a flock or a fish in a school has of the whole, what allows them to move almost as if they were a single creature.

The Force flows through all things after all, and they are both sensitive to that.

Ibani laughs joyfully as they move, spinning around and weaving in and out of the other couples.

[acertainpov]

He's there as she learns, moving with her occasional missteps rather than fighting them, leading her sometimes when needed, but always there, hands on hers at the right time for the dance, involved in the starmeg arm parts of the dance when that's necessarily, andd occasionally flattened on his hat to keep it from falling off. His eyes lock on hers and his smile grows wide when she laughs.

It's couldn't be more different than their waltz under the sea, this loud and fast and energetic reel in the middle of a crowded city moon.

[last_kallig]

Very different from their waltz under the sea, yes, but just as enjoyable in Ibani's opinion! (Especially since they can't run short of air this time!)

His widening smile when she laughs only encourages her to laugh more, increases her joy. Warmth curls up her spine and her heart flutters as they dance. Her eyes are locked on his as they dance and everything else falls away, the weights she has chosen to carry and the ones forced upon her dissipate for a time.

The universe has narrowed down to Ben, herself, and the movements of this dance and how they connect with one another.

[acertainpov]

He can't say the same, in this moment, but it's okay. Her world narrows and his expands, takes in the whole dance, the music, the joy of everyone. In the centre she burns like a sun, but the beauty of the world comes as much from everything orbiting around her.

He guides her through the other dancers, without needing to look away from her eyes locked with his, finds their space in the reel, and lets his focus widen out, just drinking in the life that surrounds them.

[last_kallig]

There is so very much life to drink in, here, in its own way more potent than any alcohol ever could be.

The reel changes and it's effortless this time to switch steps, switch movement as if she's done this all her life.

Eventually, the music stops and she's leaning against him, laughing still, but nearly breathless. Her heart pounds like a drum, and there is a sweet joy in that feeling being from something born of happiness rather than bloodshed, for once.

[acertainpov]

He holds her against him for a second, letting her laughter and her joy flow through him as he pants, almost laughing himself as he waits for his breath to return to him.

"I knew you'd be a fast learner," he says when he can. "More fun than the other kind of dance, I find."

[last_kallig]

When Ben holds her against him, she has to squelch the terrible curiosity about what it would be like to kiss him that arises in her mind. That's a dangerous line of thought, and not just because she's never kissed anyone before!

"Thank you for teaching me," she says when she gets her own breath back. "I think I agree with you about it being more fun, although I may need to do more testing of both with you to be sure," she teases.

She's actually thirsty now. "Time to finish off that bottle, perhaps?"

[acertainpov]

"As you wish."

He releases her long enough to turn towards the bottle, for however much is left, if it hasn't been stolen.

As they head over, he lets his hand trail up into her silver hair, lacing his fingers through and running them to the ends as he follows her.

He could do with a drink now himself.

[last_kallig]

Oh, oh that feels good when he runs his fingers through her hair like that! She manages not to shiver at the feeling, but only just.

She returns the favor, running her fingers through his hair, hoping it feels as good to him as it did to her.

Somehow he bottle is still there,possibly because there is plenty of alcohol to go around. Ibani pokes it with the Force to ensure nothing has been added to it in their absence, then pours a glass for herself and for Ben, emptying the bottle.

[acertainpov]

Ben adjusts his hat slightly to give her better access to her hair, then replaces it at a suitably rakish angle, taking a long draught of the drink and throwing his hand around her shoulders as he scans around them.

"Feel like somewhere we can sit down? Take the load of our old aching feet?"

[last_kallig]

Ibani takes full advantage of the better access.

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Ibani replies, smiling.

An enterprising vendor has taken advantage of the block party to set up some tables and chairs next to a series of rotisserie with something avian looking turning on them.

Whatever they are, they smell good!

"How about over there?"

[acertainpov]

"Perfect."

As they draw close, he checks out the drinks available and grabs a couple of juices native to Nal Hutta to have alongside the meats.

"I have no idea what animal that is."

[last_kallig]

"Me neither," Ibani replies. She pokes the juices and the bird thing with the Force. "Safe for human consumption though, and they look good." Ibani spent the first eleven years of her life too close to starvation to balk at eating much of anything.

The bird thing is the right size for two people to split, so Ibani gets one and pays the four armed proprietor for the food and drink. She eases into a chair, reluctantly having to stop touching Ben's hair for a moment. "It is nice to sit for a bit," she admits.

[acertainpov]

Ben stretches out, his feet reaching in front of him as he arches his back into the chair to get as much length into his old-feeling bones once he's sat and has his drink in his hand.

"Now you've told me that I feel like some of the excitement has been taken away," he jokes.

[last_kallig]

Ibani surreptitiously hooks a foot around one of Ben's ankles.

"If you wanted to play toxin roulette, you should have let me know ahead of time," Ibani quips back, her grin wicked and mischievous. "Haven't played that since I was thirteen on Korriban."

She's not kidding about that being a thing, well, a training exercise/practice tool with fellow acolytes! Fun for the whole dormitory!

[acertainpov]

Ben presses his ankle against her foot, then bends his knee, drawing both feet back towards them, between their chairs and under the table, where he can rest his booted ankle against hers, remind hiself she's there with the occasional twist of pressure.

"For a lot of my life everything's been some sort of roulette," he answers. "Maybe I just miss the danger."

[last_kallig]

Reminding herself he's there is one of Ibani's motives in touching him so often, given his frustrating habit of hiding himself from the Force, her primary sense. She's glad to have his ankle rest against hers.

"That's entirely possible," Ibani replies, smiling wryly. "I'm sure I'll be able to find danger enough for both of us, circumstances being what they are." Ibani's plan to take the throne, reform the Empire, find a middle ground between Sith and Jedi, is going to be very dangerous indeed!

"If you're willing to be dragged along?" She starts cutting up the avian roast.

[acertainpov]

He reaches out as soon as the first piece is cut off, and grabs it deftly for himself.

"I hate to think what state your armour would get into if I wasn't around to protect you," he says.

[last_kallig]

Ibani grins at him when he grabs the first piece for himself.

She rolls her eyes at his comment about her armor, although she is amused. "It might languish in the repair shop for a while, certainly," she teases. "Might even get a few of my old scars back."

"I'm sure Ashaa would appreciate your efforts in keeping her work unmarred," she adds, winking. Even if he's only ever seen part of the 'work'.

[acertainpov]

The second piece, Ben offers to her between his fingers, leaning forward along the table. He raises an eyebrow as he does so.

"Now that's a name I don't think you've explained to me," he says.