Logged August 10, 2001
Logged by Merina
Titled:  Candid Cantina Conversations
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Characters: 
Merina Singapura - lady in disguise 
Dejah Thoris – perceptive woman with mysterious “connections” 
Kastanje Ajalae – curious medic, Republic Captain 
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Synopsis: Merina is in disguise. To her consternation, she is immediately 
recognized by an acquaintance, Dejah Thoris. They discuss the reasons Merina 
is in the state she is in, and what might be done about it. Merina divulges 
more information than she intends about the search her brother as well as 
the problems with the Occicat and her cargo. A friendly medic who might be a 
little more curious than is healthy for her joins them. 
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Mos Eisley Cantina -- Mos Eisley  
The metallic music of a quartet band is the first thing you notice when you 
enter the Cantina. The interior is circular, and the floor is crowded with 
round tables and chairs. Along one wall is the bar, complete with stools and 
a pudgy, disgruntled looking bartender. Aliens, humans, and creatures of 
every stripe imaginable mill about the Cantina, which is crowded at all 
hours, day or night. Indeed, it is dimly lighted in here, and once inside, 
it is hard to tell what time of day the outside world is experiencing. The 
din of conversation is all around, as people speak in dozens of different 
languages and drink all manner of exotic beverages. 

An odd-looking woman enters the cantina and, once her eyes adjust to the 
light, she makes her way over to a quiet, secluded table. 

Merina 
There is something not quite right about this woman who looks to be in her 
mid twenties. She is a confusion of contradictions. Her skin is a sallow 
olive color and looks out of place with her long blonde hair. Her hair is 
dry and straw like, and while there are no dark roots to indicate a dye-job, 
her hair looks unnatural. Her eyes are an unusually pale shade of blue, the 
kind of weird color you'd get from colored contact lenses. Her eyes are 
ringed with dark circles from lack of sleep. There are fading yellowish 
bruises on her cheek and jaw line. She is about 5'4" and she appears to have 
a compact build. 
She is wearing a cinnamon colored dress that is not as clean as it might be. 
It is fitted through the bodice and has a full skirt that pools in graceful 
folds at her feet. There are rends in the sleeves where a saffron-colored 
undergarment shows through. 

Dejah Thoris enters the Cantina from the street. It is always difficult to 
tell if she is hot under all those robes, because her naturally red skin 
does not flush the way a lighter-skinned human's would. 

Dejah Thoris 
This is a short, willowy woman barely 1.8 meters tall. She has a slender 
face of smooth, copper-red skin, and black, almond-shaped eyes. Those eyes 
gaze about her with an unwavering, intense concentration, giving the 
impression that she is looking right through a person, into one's very soul. 
Raven-black hair frames her beautiful face, flowing in waves down her 
shoulders and halfway down her back. Her slender frame is clad in a black 
tunic with a V-shaped collar and a black skirt. She seems to like the color 
black, for her leather boots and gloves are also black. She exudes an air of 
cool confidence that seems out of place with the fact that she looks barely 
20 standard years old. 

Dejah Thoris glances at Merina as she steps inside and frowns slightly, as 
there is clearly something familiar about her. 

Merina looks up when she hears the door. The cantina is not so crowded now 
as it will be later so comings and goings are readily apparent. She takes 
full notice of who it is, but stays seated. Presently, a waitress brings her 
a glass of something to drink. The waitress says something to her, but 
Merina brushes her off with a wave of her hand. 

FORCE POWER CHECK (Dejah Thoris) *Passive Power* 
Power: Mind Reading 
...................................SUCCESS!! 

Dejah Thoris smiles slightly, and approaches Merina's table. She nods her 
head slightly to Merina, and looks into her eyes. She gives a slight wink, 
and then proceeds to the bar. 

Merina catches Dejah Thoris' look, and blushes. She nods her head slightly 
to give indication she has seen and that she understands. With her hand, 
Merina makes the minutest of gestures, entreating Dejah Thoris to join her 
at the table. 

Dejah Thoris orders a drink from the bar, then takes it, and turns toward 
Merina. Still wearing a slight smile, she sits down at the table. "Hello." 

Merina smiles an uncomfortable little smile, "he..Hello" she says simply, 
her voice brittle. She pauses mid-sentence, as though she is about to say 
more, but makes no further comment. She shuts her mouth, and opens it again. 
"So what is it this time?" she gestures to the drink. "You never fail to 
amaze me at what one as young as you has the stomach to handle" 

Dejah Thoris smiles slightly. "I have a durasteel stomach, I guess." She 
glances at Merina. "Are you in disguise or something?" 

Merina again looks uncomfortable. "Well, yes. Just now it is safer for me 
this way." she momentarily rests her face in her hands. "And until now, no 
one had taken any notice" she sighs slightly as if she might be a little 
disappointed by that. "But you saw right away. Surely I am not that 
transparent?" 

Dejah Thoris scratches her chin. "Why is it safer for you this way?" 

Merina grimaces and brushes some dirt off her clothes. It doesn’t help much. 
"Because I want to find out some things, and I don't want to be again cau.. 
seen. I am hoping soon I can at least get myself a little cleaned up. I'm a 
shambles...but then an Tatooine, a little more or less dust and sand doesn’t 
really make much of a difference, does it?" She tangles a finger through her 
hair. "Still, they aren't looking for a blonde. And I've not seen a sign of 
them anyway. Not here, and not on Cor.. Not anywhere." she blinks a bit, her 
eyes uncomfortable from smoke and sand, and contacts. She covers her mouth 
to cough; there are ligature bruises ringing her wrists. "Still, I think 
they'll find that I am still more trouble then I'm worth" she smiles at 
this, a proud sly smile. "I know I look a wreck, but you should see the 
other one" She pauses, wondering why she is being so free with her words. 
And again the curiosity "But how is it you knew it was me." she presses "At 
least one, who knows me better, looked straight through me" 

Dejah Thoris frowns a bit at Merina. Still not answering the question 
despite it being repeated, she says, "Who is after you? Why do you think 
someone is trying to capture you?" 

Merina exhales a short laugh "because they already got me once...and while 
they are the worse for it, it isn't something I want to repeat." She smiles 
and rubs a finger over her bruised cheek. "Bruises fade, but teeth don’t 
grow back" She seems pleased. Merina gives a shrug "They're not after me 
actually, they are after my brother. And that makes at least two "theys" 
that are after him" 

Dejah Thoris nods slowly. "Why don't you tell me what this is all about, 
Merina. I have certain... resources... at my disposal. I may be able to 
help." 

Merina shakes her head. "Because I don't know what it is all about yet" she 
says as way of an explanation. "It isn't the kind of thing I discuss with 
many people. I can handle it. I just need to know more" She pitches her 
voice low to prevent it trembling, and thus there is a false sense of 
bravado behind these words. "And the last person who tried to help got shot 
at" she adds with regret evident in her voice. 

Dejah Thoris chuckles slightly. "You needn't worry about my safety. I can 
take care of myself. Tell me... what trouble have you gotten yourself into?" 

Merina takes a slow sip from her beaker. She sets it down. Her movements are 
all deliberate. She contemplates the woman sitting across from her, 
wondering, what to tell, where to begin even. She takes a breath and clears 
her throat. "I'm really not in any trouble, but I am skirting that fine 
edge." she says, her voice low "I'm not here by choice. I was on my 
brother's freighter, and we crashed somewhere, south I think it was, of 
here, in the desert." She gives a harsh chuckle. "Somehow we made it to the 
city here, but my brother wasn't happy about having been forced to land 
here." 

Dejah Thoris nods and takes a sip of her Hoth Blizzard. She grimaces 
slightly. "This is too weak... No one here has been able to make a proper 
one since you disappeared." 

Merina nods "well, you won't find many who can mix a drink as well as I 
can...especially when I can use my own brews" there is evident pride in her 
words. "I'd make you one now, but that is impossible" She continues with her 
story. "Seems,” she says, leaning over the table a bit "that his cargo was 
not quite as legit as I was lead to believe. And now there are people 
looking for him. For a time nobody had linked me to him, but now at least, 
there are a few who might suspect." She seems relieved to be sharing the 
burden. 

Dejah Thoris stirs her drink with her straw, which is (of course) covered 
with ice crystals by now. She gives Merina a sly smile. "Ah. He was 
smuggling contraband here. Perhaps without the knowledge of the Hutts? A 
very dangerous thing to do." 

Merina shakes her head. "But I don’t know. I wasn't aware that this was even 
our destination; it is just where we ended up. Still, he was very unhappy to 
be landing on this.." she whispers " 'slug-invested dust bowl' of a planet. 
It was clear he wanted to avoid the Hutts and their agents." she sighs. "I 
don't even know where he is. I’ve not heard from him in weeks, not directly 
anyway" She exhales a harrumph. "And I'm none to pleased with him for 
abandoning me here...but he is family." 

Dejah Thoris nods to Merina. "So... He has disappeared. Did you go looking 
for him? Or did someone looking for him, end up finding you instead?" 

Merina winces. She continues in hushed tones. "Someone looking for him ended 
up finding me by linking me to the owner of the freighter, the Occicat, who 
is a friend of the family. But they didn't realize who I was exactly. And a 
friend of mine asked some questions and ended up getting shot at." she sighs 
"I don't think he is my friend any longer" she sounds disappointed "but 
better that then be dead" she exhales "I am not at all convinced my brother 
is still alive" 

Dejah Thoris says, "Do you know who it was that came looking for him and 
found you? Did he give you a name?" 

Merina downs the rest of her drink, and signals, with a tap of her finger on 
the table, for a refresh. A beaker filled with a dark red liquid is placed 
before her. She picks it up and rattles the simu-ice cubes. She shakes her 
head. "A name on its own isn’t going to mean anything" she clears her 
throat. "They want my brother, or Enfield. He's the one who gave my brother 
the ship. If they had known who I was, if they had any clue, I'd never have 
been able to get away" 

A lone figure enters the cantina. Commonplace occurrence, really, and the 
only thing that may draw attention to this particular patron is the fact 
that she is a young woman, and free of the usual guarded glowering 
expression many denizens of this cantina bear. Kastanje walks up to the bar, 
ordering a rather light, fruity-sounding drink. 

Kastanje 
Your glance singles out this young woman, despite her somewhat short 
stature. She's on the slighter side of average for a human, no more than 
5'4", and doesn't seem to bother compensating with flashy clothing. Narrow, 
Sea smoke-blue eyes are set symmetrically into an aristocratic face of 
smooth, sandalwood skin. But despite an appearance, which could easily turn 
haughty, the eyebrows on this young woman are almost always arched with 
mirth, her eyes pulling up into crescents. The faint hints of laugh wrinkles 
branch from the corners of her eyes, but they're too shallow to put her in 
more than her late twenties. Her slightly frizzy fox-brown hair is pulled 
back into a long, practical fishbone braid. A few wisps manage to poke 
rebelliously out of the neatly kept style, keeping it from seeming too 
severe. Almost a microcosm of the impression she's appears to be 
cultivating. 
This young woman's wiry frame is clothed in the fine materials of a 
form-fitting peridot green tunic, pearlescent fasteners closing it up the 
front. Her pants are a rough woven material, slate gray in color and adorned 
with swaths of blue curling in a spiral down her legs. Overtop rests a black 
flak-vest, a melted rend gaping in the fabric of her right side. Sturdy 
boots of some synthetic black material protect her feet, and a smooth gray 
stone pendant inscribed with some illegible symbol hangs from a cord around 
her neck. Two inconspicuous red pips on her collar mark her as holding the 
rank of Army Captain to any familiar with Republic military. 

Merina wary as always, looks up as she hears the door. The cantina is not so 
busy now. Her eyes widen slightly in recognition. She is sure she has seen 
this woman before. She returns her full attention to Dejah Thoris. It is 
unlikely the other woman would recall her, and thus Merina does little to 
call attention to herself. 

Dejah Thoris calmly removes her datapad from a robe pocket, and types onto 
it. "Enfield." She looks up at Merina, "What is your brother's name?" 

Merina draws her lips into a tight line, suspicious. She pauses. "His name 
is Cynric, Cynric Singapura. And it's Enfield Alcott, the other." She clucks 
her tongue. "I don't really think there is anything you can do..." 

Dejah Thoris smiles slightly to Merina. "You would be surprised." She types 
some more. "So... do we know if Alcott was the one who sent someone looking 
for your brother? It seems either, your brother stole from Alcott and failed 
to make a delivery, or Alcott betrayed whoever your brother was supposed to 
be delivering goods to." 

Merina clasps her hands together to prevent them shaking. "Well, Enfield 
warned me there was a problem, and that I needed to take care..." 

Kastanje retreats from the bar, eyes scanning for an empty table to sit 
herself at. She catches sight of Merina, brief recognition flashing into her 
eyes and causing her to pause slightly as she walks past - Just about the 
time the name 'Alcott' and 'Enfield' are repeated. She keeps walking, and 
pulls up a chair at a nearby table. 

Dejah Thoris frowns, thinking. "Let me see if I understand correctly. Alcott 
hired your brother to carry cargo here... Your brother did so but you 
crashed. What happened to the cargo? Destroyed?" 

Merina gets frustrated. She stamps her foot in impatience. "No. Enfield gave 
my brother the ship. My brother did some work ferrying medical supplies 
between Corellia and a few other worlds. A while ago, I signed on to fly 
with him for a bit. I didn't think that Enfield was at all involved. I 
didn't know any *smuggling* was involved. I thought it was just medical 
supplies. Before we had this crash, there was a visitor he had who seemed 
angry about something. That person didn't know I was on the ship. When we 
crashed, the ship was badly damaged. We didn't bring anything out of it with 
us. He might have gone back for it. Else the Jawas have it, along with the 
rest of the ship" 

Dejah Thoris says, "So it is probable that your brother, with or without 
Alcott's knowledge, was supposed to make a delivery, that is now lost." 

Merina tosses her hands up. "I suppose so, and I doubt it was medical 
supplies." 

Dejah Thoris thinks for a moment, and then says, "Do you recall where the 
ship crashed? If I secured a pair of banthas, could you take me to the 
wreckage?" 

Merina nods. "Yes, but someone has already been out there to look for me. 
Nothing is left" she pauses a moment and, realizing what has been said, 
looks at the young woman. "How exactly would you be securing these banthas?" 
she asks. 

Kastanje's table seems rather close to where Merina and Dejah sit talking. 
Not nearly enough to eavesdrop on the whole conversation, but more an 
appropriate distance for watching over things. Merina's more heated remarks, 
too, are overheard to some extent, as her emotion helps the words carry a 
bit better. For all appearances though, Kastanje is just sitting sipping a 
cool drink, safe inside from the Tatooine heat. 

Dejah Thoris waves her hand dismissively. "It is not a difficulty." She 
glances at Kastanje, then back at Merina. "It might be possible to scan the 
wreckage for residue and find out what was being held in the cargo bays. 
There might be no viable product left, but all a scanner needs is a few 
molecules." 

Merina shakes her head. "There’s nothing left. You don't know the desert. 
You don't know the Jawas. There is nothing left, and what was left is in a 
sandcrawler someplace out there." 

Dejah Thoris hmmms. "Perhaps it would be useful to interrogate a few Jawas, 
if we can find the tribe that scavenged your starship." 

Merina shrugs. "Jak said that all the Jawas found was a crate of blaster 
rifles, and that those were melted down. But we had a full load, more crates 
than would add up to just a few guns." 

Kastanje settles into her seat slightly as the words calm down again and she 
can't hear much. Best to appear more interesting in her drink now. A brief 
look is directed at Merina, one that seems thoughtful if anyone happened to 
see it. 

Dejah Thoris leans toward Merina. "Do you know her?" She nods in Kastanje's 
direction. "She seems awfully interested in you." 

Merina looks where Dejah indicates. "I don't know her, but I've seen her. 
She doesn't know me, and she's only ever seen me looking like this." 

Dejah Thoris nods to Merina. She then turns and gives Kastanje a long, 
measured look. She spends a good 30 standard seconds looking, without 
expression, at Kastanje, then turns back to Merina. "And now... the man who 
came looking for your brother, and found you. Tell me how that happened, and 
describe him to me." 

Kastanje turns at the dual glances from the two nearby women, at first 
offering a friendly smile. Dejah's long, expressionless look quickly 
degrades that into something much less comfortable, and Kastanje lifts her 
eyebrows in an uncertain sort of apology. An 'I'm sorry, was I doing 
something wrong?' sort of expression, if you put it to words. 

Merina chuckles. "Well, I'd managed to get myself back to Corellia, and I 
ran into Enfield in the park. He had a million questions for me, well really 
about Ric." She exhales "where was he, where was the ship, why hadn't he 
heard from us. It was weird because he'd never expressed an interest before. 
At least not to me." She pauses " and he seemed worried. He said I needed to 
be careful, and then he saw someone, and beat a hasty retreat. Next thing I 
know there's this man. Not so tall, short brown hair, dark eyes. He grabbed 
me by the wrist and started asking me about Enfield, and then about the 
Occicat." she grimaces. "He wanted to know if I knew the pilot." She 
considers. "He couldn't have known who I was." She laughs. "I fought him. I 
landed a lucky punch and knocked out two teeth, and then he decked me." she 
stops. 

Dejah Thoris taps her lip. "Hmmm. I do not recognize the description. But of 
course, it's a big galaxy." She finishes her Hoth Blizzard and puts the 
glass down. "Were you in disguise at the time, like this?" 

Kastanje doesn't catch anything but the laughter from the table, and seems 
to be ignored again. A satisfied look spreads. The woman leans her chair 
back slightly, raising her light orange beverage to her mouth and drinking. 

Merina shakes her head. "No." she says simply. "I'm like this now because I 
don't want them finding me again. The guy forced a drink on me, and next 
thing I knew I was all trussed up, and it was some two days later. Then 
there were two of them, and they seemed to think I'd be a good hostage 
seeing as I knew Enfield. I think they might have had an inkling that I knew 
Ric better than I let on. I tried to convince them I didn't know either of 
them really so well. Luckily I had no identity papers on me. I managed to 
get free of the bindings and slip away. They are bound to be looking for 
me." 

Dejah Thoris says, "Possibly, but how would they know you were here? Also, 
you said a friend got hurt helping you. How did that happen?" 

Merina sighs. "I am pretty sure they'll be able to figure out where we 
crashed. It might even have been intentional. Before we left, I had said we 
had an agitated visitor. Well, I think it was one of these two...I can't be 
sure because I only ever heard the voices. After Ric got rid of the guy, we 
had to leave in a hurry. Then suddenly it was all smoke and alarms and down 
we went. I'm thinking now that maybe that guy booby-trapped the ship. In 
that case, they might have an idea how far we'd have managed to get." 

Merina adds. "And my friend who got shot? I don't know anything about it. I 
am assuming it was related to this, but I haven't spoken to him. I saw him, 
and I put two and two together." she sighs. "He saw me, but he looked right 
through me" she sounds disappointed. “If we'd been alone, I'd have told him 
it was me, but..." she looks at Dejah and asks, for the third time. "So how 
is it you saw straight through me? You knew, even from a distance." 

Dejah Thoris once again avoids answering the question of how she saw through 
Merina's disguise. "What were the circumstances under which you saw this 
friend? Did you see him get shot, or see him afterwards, with a bandaged 
wound?" 

Merina picks up her drink, but sets it down. "I saw him afterwards, with a 
bandaged wound" she shakes her head. It troubles her "and I overheard him 
saying something about being shot at. Now there are two who came in here 
once looking for him." she pauses. "I know this is confusing, but there were 
two guys who came in here one day asking questions about him, right after he 
had been trying to ask questions for me. No matter what they said, I think 
those two were after my brother as well. And then they were after Jak. I'm 
afraid they found him." 

Something about medic intuition, or maybe just the random luck of a lull in 
the ambient noise of the Cantina as the band takes a short break. 
Regardless, Kastanje's focus suddenly sharpens as she catches words about an 
'injured friend'. The hand swirling her drink and letting the cubes crash 
into each other stills so she can better catch more of what's said. 

Dejah Thoris looks over at Kastanje. Finally, she says, to Kastanje, 
"Well... if you really want to hear what we are talking about, why don't you 
come over here and sit with us?" 

Merina blinks. Merina stiffens. Someone is listening. Her faces pales, and 
she grips her drink and drains it to the last drop. 

Kastanje blinks suddenly, looking surprised and sheepish for a moment, 
probably both from being caught and at her subconscious insistence to listen 
in. "My apologies if I was intruding," she offers, rising from her seat to 
address the other two women but not immediately rushing over to join. "I 
couldn't help hear something about an injured friend. Habit, I guess." A 
small smile spreads, trying to convey apology. "Would you mind if I joined 
you both? My table is rather lonely... Or I can always find someone else," 
she adds quickly, noticing Merina's suddenly paler face. 

Merina gets her voice back. "Ha..habit?" 

Dejah Thoris motions Kastanje to an empty chair. "You may as well join us. 
That way we will know exactly what you have heard." She looks at Merina 
without expression. 

Kastanje takes a step around her chair, approaches the table, and offers 
another apologetic expression as she nods to Dejah. "Fair enough," the woman 
agrees as she pulls up a seat. "And habit because I'm a medic, miss. I swear 
I can hear someone say something about injuries from klicks away." A 
friendly wink is directed to Merina, aimed to put the blonde-haired woman 
more at ease. 

Merina smiles politely. "Well" she says, her voice brittle, "I can 
appreciate that I guess. I did mention an injured friend, though I doubt 
you'd be able to provide any service" she seems wary. She wonders what else 
has been overheard. 

Dejah Thoris motions the bartender for another Hoth Blizzard. After he 
brings it, she stirs it with the already ice-covered straw, then says to 
Merina, "Lesson number one of covert operations: always keep your enemies 
where you can see them." She glances at Kastanje. Then she looks back at 
Merina. "Lesson number two: everyone is an enemy." 

Merina sighs, "so I'm beginning to find out" 

Kastanje shrugs cheerfully at Merina's initial comment about not being able 
to help the friend, but any response she might've offered is cut off by the 
black-clothed woman's 'lessons'. The friendly smile she was wearing fades 
slightly. "Good advice," she voices, trying not to seem affected by the 
words. "But I doubt *everyone* is an enemy. Surely you both have people you 
consider friends?" 

Merina makes an equivocating gesture. Her voice, when she speaks, sounds 
strained "I suppose" she admits. "But lately, my friendship is proving to be 
an unlucky talisman" 

Dejah Thoris says, "Perhaps, but while one is trying to be covert or hide 
from others, it is best to treat everyone as if they cannot be trusted." 

Merina bristles slightly. As far as she knows, only Dejah knows she is in 
disguise. 

Dejah Thoris finishes her drink and stands up. "I must go." She looks at 
Merina. "We should discuss this further. I have the resources to help you, 
if you let me." 

Merina nods, but makes no other reply. She doesn't appear convinced. 
"I wouldn't worry, friends seem to have good tolerance for that sort of 
thing," Kastanje suggests to Merina simply. Dejah is regaled with an 
interested look. "Goodbye then," she offers. 

Merina watches Dejah leave, and then mutely turns her attention back to the 
republic woman seated across from her. "I've seen you before, haven't I? In 
the spaceport on Corellia?" it is more a statement than a question. Almost 
an accusation. 

Kastanje nods, apparently not putout by her recognition. "Yes, yes you 
have," she agrees, expression brightening a bit to show pleasure at the 
remembrance. "I thought I recognized you as well... Caught a transport after 
all, I see?" 

Merina shakes her head. "Yes. Eventually managed to get one. I did think 
about going to a republic planet, but there were" she pauses "pressing 
matters here" she looks thoughtful. "But what brings you here? Certainly not 
the sight-seeing" her tone is friendly, but still guarded. Even though she 
should trust no one, given all that has happened, seeing a friendly face 
always sets her at ease. Especially here in the cantina. 

"Work," Kastanje responds with a wrinkle of her nose that conveys the 
expected amount of unhappiness at being on duty. "Most of my cohorts are 
from much more mild climates - like Coruscant - and I had a round of bad 
luck being the medic assigned to make sure they don't all die of heat and 
dehydration." A quick smile flashes onto her face, "At least I get to sit 
here in and sip chilled drinks until they need me." 

Merina laughs, "I don't think any one is here by choice" she cocks her head 
to one side. "Next time you should try drinking Genetian-ade. You'll find it 
refreshing and hydrating, plus it replenishes electrolytes." she pulls on 
her fingers as though they are attached too tightly. "And you should make 
sure your” she pauses “cohorts?” she continues, “are armed with Lyvia. 
Better than water...in these parts." she sighs softly. Merina shakes her 
head. "I know more about this dust bowl than I ever wanted to know,” she 
says more to herself than to her companion. 

Kastanje nods in acknowledgment, appreciation showing itself in raised 
eyebrows. "Well, I must say I appreciate you sharing it with me. Might save 
us some trouble out in the desert. Lyvia, you said?" she repeats, merely as 
formality, and pulls out a datapad to jot down the two beverages. "Must've 
been something pressing to bring you here from Corellia, seeing as you don't 
sound very fond of this 'dust bowl'." A chuckle colors her voice at the last 
pair of words, but a sympathetic smile is offered to Merina. 

Merina nods. "Yeah, it is a harsh place, Tatooine. I look forward to getting 
off-world again." 

"As do I!" Kastanje agrees, with an understandable amount of vehemence. She 
quaffs a bit more of her drink. "Y'know, I don't believe I caught your 
name... I'm Kastanje, by the way," the republic woman offers in a friendly 
manner. 

Merina intakes her breath sharply. "They call me" she pauses. "me..Marlaine" 
she covers her stumbling with a small cough. 

An almost imperceptible quirk of Kastanje's eyebrow suggests she might've 
caught the hesitancy, but nothing is done to call attention to it. "Pleased 
to meet you, Marlaine," she accepts with a slight inclination of her head. 
"Always nice not to just call someone 'you' in conversation." 

Merina nods. "Yes, I suppose. Does make it easier.” she unconsciously rubs 
her wrists, which still bear ligature bruises. "Does help to catch names." 

Kastanje lifts her drink for another sip, eyes flickering down to the 
bruised wrists Merina rubs. "That's a rather interesting bruise pattern 
Marlaine," she voices without really thinking about it. Medic instincts 
again? 

Merina exhales sharply. "Yeah" she says dismissively "well rope will do 
that" her tone very matter of fact. 

Kastanje's eyebrows raise, silent a moment as she decides whether to press 
for more information or just drop it. "Ah yes they might... At least they 
look like their healing well?" She shrugs absently, and throws out a comment 
in a matter of fact tone of her own. "Someone really ought to think up a 
more humane way of restraining people." 

Merina shrugs. "They’re healing,” she admits. "I've treated them with arnica 
so it looks worse than it feels. While they're at it that someone ought to 
teach guys not to deck women”. She gestures with an awkward glance to her 
other bruises. 

Kastanje's eyes narrow slightly as she picks out the bruises gestured to in 
the dim light of the cantina. An eyebrow arches again. "Yes, that'd be 
nice," she agrees with a bit of a chuckle. "Pity the galaxy isn't all 
well-versed in etiquette, otherwise we'd only have half the population to 
worry about, and could get free drinks whenever we felt like it, eh?" Her 
smile softens somewhat. "This have something to do with being bad luck to 
your friends?" 

Merina is again guarded. "I think so. Has to be." She sounds as though she 
is trying to convince herself, but at the same time sounds sure of her 
convictions. She gives a sly smile. "Though I tell you this, the one who hit 
me is going around minus a few teeth, so, maybe in his mind I deserved it" 

Kastanje grins approvingly, making a mental note of what prompted the return 
of this guarded tone. "Ah, good on you. Bruises are easier healed than 
missing teeth, so I think you got the better end of the exchange, yes?" 

Merina smiles and a laugh rumbles from her throat. She is pleased with 
herself. "I'd say" 

"Hey, perhaps it'll teach him the virtues of being nice to women," Kastanje 
suggests with a cheery wink. Laughter is much better than a guarded tone, 
and her expression lightens with the gain. The woman finishes the last of 
her drink, eyes it a moment, and then rises to her feet. "I think I'd better 
go make sure my coworkers are still alive," she says apologetically. 

Merina nods, and returns her attention to her now warm drink. 

END LOG.