Something in the Air (D9EM)

[Axel Ward]

"Well, I knew my mom. But she didn't teach me to fight. Didn't have much time to teach me anything." Axel grimaced, shaking his head.

He chuckled. "It seems hard enough to decide your own path. Didn't know you could choose a family." Turning his head, Axel looked at Phoebe, grinning. "Although I've always thought of you as kinda a small, fierce, younger sister, y'know?" He nudged her teasingly with his elbow.

[Phoebe Wren]

"I'm sorry to hear that," she offered in a consolitary tone.

It wasn't as if she hadn't thought of Axel like a kind of older brother too, so that just made it all the more awkward with the thoughts she had about him earlier. "Ah well, I consider you like my dumb big brother too," Phoebe chuckled and nudged Axel back.

"Thanks."

[Axel Ward]

Axel shrugged. "It is what it is. It was just her and me, and she couldn't..." he trailed off, grimacing. "She was a whore, so-" He shrugged.

He snorted. "Hey, not everyone can be a ghost-fighting brainiac like you." A thoughtful frown appeared on his face. "Hey, if I'm you're big brother, does that mean I should be trying to scare any boyfriend you find a bit?" The attraction he felt was still present, but it felt almost funny to think about.

[Phoebe Wren]

"Oh." She was surprised, but she could now understand a little better why he didn't like talking about his mother as well. "Well, I don't think any less of you because of that." Or his mother for that matter - she'd seen enough desperate people on Nar Shaddaa.

"Oh sheesh, I really hope you won't do that. That'd be embarrassing." There was a big roll of her eyes.

[Axel Ward]

Axel just shrugged. "Yeah..." There was a short pause. "I send her some money from time to time." He gave Phoebe a sidelong glance. His mother being alive was something he didn't usually share.

"Well, too bad." Axel smirked. "If I'm the big brother, that's what I gotta do. Besides, I'm pretty sure embarrassing the little sister is the point."

[Phoebe Wren]

"Ugh, I don't need that," she said as she shook her head. "I have a hard enough time finding someone already, I don't need you to scare them away."

Phoebe easily pushed herself up on her feet again. "... Is she doing alright?" she asked him, even if she wasn't looking in his direction.

[Axel Ward]

"Yeah? No kidding." Axel studied her through narrowed eyes. "I guess I'm a little bit surprised to hear that." He looked quickly away, before the strange attraction came over him again. After all, she was like a sister, and kissing your sister just wasn't done, right?

Slowly, Axel nodded, even as he rose to his feet himself. "Yeah." He said, his voice rough, quiet. "Or at least, pretty good. She doesn't work at the 'house' anymore. She cleans, sometimes. And like I said, I send her money." He grimaced. "It's hard, because... I gotta do it secret. I've got enemies. If they found her..." His jaw tightened noticeably, hands clenching down at his sides.

[Phoebe Wren]

Phoebe was more than happy to leave the subject of her rather abysmal love-life. Maybe if she'd stop pushing people away, it wouldn't be so bad, but that wasn't something she was thinking too much about in this moment.

And well, the ones she did like, she didn't think they liked her the same way.

"I see... it sounds like she ended up better off than many of the ones I saw on Nar Shaddaa." Her brow knitted together in thought for a moment. "Is there anything I can do to help to make it easier?"

[Axel Ward]

Axel snorted. "Help me take out all of my enemies?" He chuckled. "Don't know if that would work. Seems like we're making 'em faster than we're getting rid of them."

He sighed. "I dunno. Maybe someday, if things work out here. But she doesn't wanna move. I dunno."

[Phoebe Wren]

"Heh, I do like taking out enemies," she mused with a smile, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "If you're worried about them catching onto you sending her money, we could probably find some other way for the money to reach her."

She shot him a confident grin as she put a hand on her hip. "Or you know, once you got a clan behind you, it might make some of your enemies rethink their priorities."

[Axel Ward]

Axel laughed as Phoebe's confident pose. "Hey, just like I said. Small but fierce. I like that plan." He chuckled, shaking his head.

Recovering, he looked at Phoebe, smiling gently. "Yeah, maybe. I wouldn't mind not having to watch my back all the time. Even on Takodana, I did that more than I liked. I like having people like you to do that for a change."

[Phoebe Wren]

"We'll be part of the same clan, of course we'll be watching eachother's backs. That's what it means to be Mando'ade. The ones you call brothers and sisters look out for you." Phoebe spoke with the conviction that she always had in the ways of the Mandalorians.

[Axel Ward]

"Alright." Axel nodded. "I could get used to that sort of thing."

He gave Phoebe a curious look. "So... who'd you have before this? After your parents? Or were you on your own?"

[Phoebe Wren]

Her form tensed slightly, then she exhaled slowly in a long sigh. "It's... well, I already told you that I was with Sarana's family for a while, and that I ran away."

She shrugged a little to loosen up from the tension. "I was on my own after that. I had some money, I had some skill... I managed somehow." Her gaze was a little bit more distant as she thought back to those days. "Always was stubborn as a dewback I guess - I was just a teenager back then."

[Axel Ward]

Axel nodded. He'd remembered that, but he'd noticed the gaps, too.

"Yeah." He chuckled, crossing his arms casually over his chest. "That hasn't changed. You're as stubborn as two dewbacks, now."

Axel nodded again. "I guess I was kinda like that too, for a while. Had a gang, left it. Sometimes I'd have a partner for a job." He grimaced. "That never worked out. Some of them were sent after me, once I got out."

[Phoebe Wren]

"Damn right I am." Phoebe chuckled with more ease now. "Mm... I steered away from gangs. Could tell it was gonna be trouble, and I wasn't interested in replacements for what I'd lost... would rather be on my own than..."

She paused, as she was starting to admit things to herself it seemed like. "Would rather be alone than be abandoned again."

[Axel Ward]

"Hey." Axel's voice was firm. "You're not gonna have to worry about either one of those. I'll keep watching your back, just so long as you keep watching mine. I'm in this for the long haul."

Now it was Axel who paused as he admitted something about himself. "So, yeah." He added. "That's how it is."

[Phoebe Wren]

Her eyebrows rose slightly in surprise to that. "Huh. Is that so? Well, in that case, I'm glad to hear that, Axel. I think you'll make a good Mando'ade."

With that, she held up her fist, offering him a fist-bump.

[Axel Ward]

Axel gave Phoebe a slow, serious nod. "Hey. Thanks. That means a lot coming from you, Phoebe. Seriously."

He snorted laughter as she held up her fist. "Alright. You ready for it? Let's do it."

He brought his fist forward, bumping it against hers solidly. "Yeaaaaahhh." He said as their fists connected.

[Phoebe Wren]

"Booyah." She said in reply to his 'yeah' as their fists bumped, and she went through with the procedure as Axel had taught her.

"You know I wouldn't say something I don't mean, Axel." Phoebe chuckled. "How's your Mando'a coming along now? Coryn is helping you still?"