New Life (D2LM)

[Axel Ward]

Axel looked at Dae a long moment. "So don't try to outrun it." He said.

Chuckling, he shook his head. "Yeah, you might be right about that. But I'd still give it a try. Maybe I'd just be drinking a bit more." He tossed back the rest of his glass. "But I don't know. I feel like we found you on that ship, so we've gotta see you to safety. Beautiful woman or old bugman, either way."

"As for good..." Axel shrugged. "Maybe. Not sure if I know what that means."

[Nekoinu]

"I see," Daerah replied, deep in reflection. Eventually, she smiled faintly at Axel. "We have our work cut out for us then."

She shrugged. "Well," she said, "I suppose when I said 'good' I meant gentleness and generally not solving your problems with some sort of cutting implement. The type of 'good' that would also talk to some old bugman about his problems."

[Axel Ward]

That got a more firm laugh from Axel. "Yes we do, Dae. Yes we do."

Grunting, he looked at his glass, then at the bottle. He pushed the glass away. It was a bit early, after all. "And it's good of you to talk to an old fightin' hound like me." He smiled gently.

Axel frowned thoughtfully, his brow furrowing. "I've solved a lot of problems with one sort of sharp edge or another. But I got out a couple of years back. Wanted something different, I guess."

[Nekoinu]

"Got out and now you're back in it." Daerah eyed the glass and then shrugged. She picked up the bottle and placed it back in the bar where she had found it. "That's what I meant about the past coming back."

[Axel Ward]

"No. This is different." Axel shook his head. His voice was gruff, but gentle. "This time, it's my choice."

He frowned, his brow creasing. "I got out because I didn't like what I was doing. But this time... I don't know. I thought it might mean something that it didn't before. Maybe it does." He shook his head again. "I don't know."

[Nekoinu]

"Well, if you find yourself not liking it again, you could always stop again." Daerah glanced over to the clan banner. "Or is this the sort of gang that doesn't allow leaving?"

[Axel Ward]

"Not a gang." Axel said. "But... yeah, if it turns out it doesn't suit me, I'll find something else, I guess."

His frown deepened. "I don't know what, though. I tried being a bouncer. That was okay, but I was just... passing time. Showing drunks the door..." He shook his head. "I wanted something more than that."

[Nekoinu]

"Instead you've joined a group of braggarts." Daerah shook her head and sighed. "I'm sorry. I know that this is an important opportunity for you. I just don't have a lot of faith in the Mandalorian culture. Sounds like an excuse to murder anything you want in the galaxy.

"And you're not like that."

[Axel Ward]

Axel shook his head. "No, I'm not. I'm hoping I'll only have to fight for good reasons."

His frown deepened. "What do you know about Mandalorians?" His tone held much more curiosity than anything else; after all, he didn't know much about them himself.

[Nekoinu]

"You guys seem different," Daerah admitted. She sat back down and sighed. "I've never met a group. Just a different Mandalorian from time to time, always working for some criminal organization."

[Axel Ward]

Axel nodded. "They're alright. Kusat, Laerrin, Wren, Sorenn..." He shrugged. "They're all alright."

His lips pressed together. "And I'm not gonna work for any criminal organization, I'll tell you that." Axel's tone was firm.

After a few moments, he relaxed. "I heard about that sort you're talking about. Thought they were just delusional mercenaries until I met Laerrin and Wren."

[Nekoinu]

Daerah closed her eyes. "Not just mercenaries," she said, "I mean, the stories I heard. Those bother me the most." She gave a toothy smile, not like her usual demure one, and pointed at it. "One of the slavers told me he'd hire a Mandalorian to track me down. Said that some of them liked to collect teeth."

[Axel Ward]

Axel's eyes grew more intent. "If you're worried that some teeth-collecting Mandalorian's gonna come after you, I promise, he's not gonna lay a damn finger on any of you."

He frowned. "This slaver still alive? Or was he one of the ones on the ship?"

[Nekoinu]

Daerah smirked in her usual fashion. "Don't worry, tough guy," she said, "She is long, long dead." She looked up in a playful manner and shrugged. "I looked it up on the Holonet. There was this woman that went on a murderous rampage after her husband died. Eventually, she got captured and put on trial.

"That one in particular traded me away awhile ago. I doubt he even knows I escaped unless there's SlaverGram or something."

[Axel Ward]

Axel snorted. "Nah, probably not. I don't think even other slavers like slavers."

He shook his head, smiling. "But the teeth thing... that's definitely not these people. I mean, teeth. What kind of weirdo does that, anyway?" He chuckled. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were having some fun with me." He was pretty sure she was telling the truth, though.

[Nekoinu]

"What sort of weirdo collects animal skulls?" Daerah answered with a soft shrug, "Wanting to show off in some way how many lives you can take."

She perked a brow. "Maybe," she said, "Best conversation I've had in awhile, though the other times were either with people who controlled me or other slaves forced to be around me."

[Axel Ward]

Axel grunted. "Good point." He frowned down at his empty glass.

After a few moments, he shook his head, rising to his full height. "Well." He chuckled. "That's not nothing, I guess. I've liked it, myself." He looked at her. "You gonna stick with us a while? At least until we get to our next stop?"

[Nekoinu]

"Yeah," Daerah answered, "I think I will, if you all don't mind. I'll do whatever I can do help out on the ship." Her face turned a bit meek. "Mainly cook and clean, honestly."

[Axel Ward]

Axel just nodded. "Glad to have you onboard. I can help out with the cooking prep sometime. I'm good at chopping or peeling. Anything with a knife, really." A fact that was best not too closely examined.

He moved casually towards the door, but turned back. "Lets do it again sometime, huh?"

[Nekoinu]

"You've had a lot of practice with sharp objects," Daerah mused. She sat down away from the bar and closed her eyes. "Yeah, I'll see you around. Seems like a nice place to take a nap. Or maybe I'll watch some holovids."