Post by Bobbi on Sept 27, 2018 11:20:32 GMT -5
Ordis:
Later that afternoon, a simple flat-bellied ship large enough for a crew of four arrived without fanfare. Jegoth Ordis emerged in heavy leather armor studded with just enough beskar plating to be a snub without starting a fight. The old Ger still had his hulking silhouette, but his age showed in how his smooth facial scales were going transparent in patches, tinging his once-blue/grey complexion an unsettling pink. The warrior stood five-feet-six, but had to turn sideways to go through some ship confines designed for the more ubiquitous human race.
Jegoth was the head of Clan Ordis, and he was flanked by an informal trio, also decked out in not-quite-beskar'gam, helmetless and sporting spiked shock clubs rather than blasters. They were a testament to clan diversity, with two gruff humans and a zabrak who'd lost half her horns at one point, apparently long ago.
The first of five clan leaders due to arrive to talk to the Mandalore about Tou Nix, Jegoth knew the place well, openly sneered at the new security emplacements, and had already pointed himself and his companions toward the heart of the place.
Niko:
The meeting with Sadhric hadn't happened yet--Nikolaus wasn't privy to the details but also wasn't surprised, Sadhric was a pretty busy guy after all--and so the Hapan crew had been located to their assigned quarters and given a general tour of the rest of the Aud. Time and time again the Buffton was amazed by the simplicity of it all. He had expected the Mandals to have hoarded resources during the war, but perhaps that had simply fueled the war machine to keep it moving forward.
After the tours had ended and after things had settled, Niko decided to go for a nice stroll while waiting for the meeting with the Mandalore.
Ordis:
The Ordis group turned the corner and came face to face with Maltez Buffton.
No--the Proconsul of the Core.
No--the President of the--
Jegoth coughed out a laugh. In Basic, the zabrak said: "Nice suit."
Niko:
Niko blinked, looking between the trio, before eyes fell on the Zabrak. A simple half smile crossed his face and his head bowed in mock gratitude. "Yes, thank you. It's Elroodian Nanosilk, finest on the 'Rim." He knew they wouldn't care, but he could already feel the stereotyping in play and went along with it for the moment. "Nice armor. Is that nerf hide?" The man himself wasn't unarmed either, with twin thin hilts on his left hip and a small holdout blaster strapped to the right.
Ja’eeth:
Those hours had been filled with Ja'eeth seeing to the comforts of the visiting party from Hapes. Having seen that tours were conducted and bunks met standards and barely reached expectations, she had moved on to her next set of tasks for the day. Administrative work was not her strong suit, and had felt completely alien at first and still very much felt that in a lot of ways. How anybody could get used to a desk job and holding tours, and welcoming guests was not entirely beyond her. It just wasn't her cup of cafe. Right then, Ja'eeth was walking side by side with a Mandalorian who was roughly three heads taller than she was. Their conversation was in rolling Mando'a, the bigger Mandal making motions with his hands as he spoke. Further down the way from where Niko had almost run into Jegoth Orids, Ja'eeth was coming to a stop, hand up to shush the man next to her. She was looking on, listening as the young Prince of Hapes addressed the head of Clan Orid.
Ordis:
The zabrak nodded right through Nikolaus' reply, his "Yeah," to Niko's question meaningless as it was just a way to slide into the question, "How much that cost you?"
Jegoth had glanced between them, the offworlder and the Ordis, but had given his head a faint shake and moved to walk on, around and past Niko, one of the humans with him. She looked back over her shoulder at the zabrak. The other human didn't look terribly enthusiastic to have the self-assumed role of backup for the zabrak, because the real thing that he was--a witness--didn't quite fit with how they normally worked.
Niko:
"Nothing," Niko replied with a quick laugh. He watched the other Mandals move past with a side-eye, but kept his focus on the zabrak. "My family owns--well, owned the company that makes it."
Ordis:
"Buffton, right? I'd know that face anywhere." The zabrak was not smiling, not even feigning friendliness now. "Tell me how you can be the losers and winners of your own war at the same time."
Niko:
The fabled Buffton grin appeared there, even though the zabrak was clearly no longer pretending to care. "Ah, it's simple really. We're Bufftons. Even when we lose, we win."
Ordis::
The human said, "Nayc," and "not here," and then nayc again, and then something like it that was just naycnaycnayc because
The zabrak lunged, hands out for Nikolaus' collar. The human beside him moved almost as fast, jolted into motion, to try to grab those hands, or wrists, or anything, while also trying to knock his companion aside as if misalignment would be enough to cut power.
The sudden commotion also got Jegoth to stop short and twist to look back at them--
Niko:
The Force was not with Nikolaus. Purposefully. In moments like this, he likely regretted that decision. He couldn't react in time, not expecting the sudden lunge--though perhaps he should have--and could not stop the hands for reaching for(and grabbing is the human wasn't fast enough) his collar. He would at that point start his reaction, by whipping both arms upward in an effort to put them between her wrists and, if successful, will try to use his arms' momentum to force outward and force her hands to release him.
Ordis:
Cutting into the sudden ferocity, a roar in Mando'a filled the area, Jegoth. Shaking the place with the order to leave off.
--Which in no way lessened the fierce anger in the zabrak's snarl, but did help both Nikolaus Buffton and the human who were trying to fend her off and pull her back respectively. It helped because all it took was Jegoth Ordis' voice to take the steel out of the zabrak's attack. It wasn't that it was instantly over from her end, but instead that she let the human get her off-center, and her moves turned more to preventing Niko from getting his hands on her in turn. She was still puffed up and pissed, but the tendon had been cut.
Ja’eeth:
During this, Ja'eeth had left the side of the man she had been walking next to, her steps steadily carrying her toward Group Ordiss, Jegoth, and Niko. Jegoth's roared orders halted her steps for just a half of a second, one look going to the plate wearing clan chief before she continued on her way toward the group. She was a lot less decked out than those of Ordis' group, her clothing still simple and rough spun, still no rank or insignia to place her clan or standing, but that did not stop her from closing the distance as the tussle cut itself off. She waited for the incident to taper off, for the silence after Jegoth spoke before putting her on voice in, calling down the hallway as she approached, speaking in Mando'a first. What she said was a stab at hopefully helping to diffuse the situation, something about the Buffton not being worth the blood before switching to basic, "Are you alright, Nikolaus?"
Niko:
The arms successfully knocked away from his collar, Niko had already begun raising his right knee in preparations for a quick knee strike to her abdomen followed by.. the loud roar that snapped him out of that frame of thought. The Zabrak went defensive and the Buffton moved instead to step back and lower his arms slightly, turning to a defensive stance himself. His eyes were focused intensely on his assailant, though his mind heard Ja'eeth call out to him. "Never better," he answered in an almost snarl.
Ordis:
In the Mando'a that came from the human trying to ease the zabrak back, Nikolaus might pick out his family name. In the zabrak's reply, Nikolaus' translator might pick out the noun ulut (a flying carrion-eater native to the region), a phrase that meant avoid or to be driven away interchangeably, and some other pieces that stitched into the following sentiment, as the zabrak's snarl went to a stone-dead symmetry: Even ulut would avoid him if I made his outside ugly as his insides.
The human's reply was a muttered little laugh and Mando'a to the effect of: You picked the one animal that cares least about eating ugliness.
Ja’eeth:
Ulut have better sense than to eat something -that- rotten. That was a thought that came to her in response. She was going to say it as she came up on Jegoth, and made way to move past him, but she held back. Niko was a guest, that much had been made clear. Helping to feed hostilities was not going to make the day any less tense. Her feelings, and their feelings, could have the potential to topple things if they were let to get in the way. "Clan Chief," the greeting was said in that moment, the Mando'a stealing the breath of her insult as she moved on her way.
Niko:
The translator struggled with the phrasing, but even with a mixture of the words, the intention came through. The Buffton had taken one more step back to have enough room to brush himself off once before focusing directly on Ja'eeth. "This woman has assaulted a visiting dignitary. I expect her to be arrested immediately."
He hoped it would go without saying that the Hapans had done exactly that when the Mandalore had been assaulted in the Palace.
Jegoth:
Jegoth's scaled face brightened. "Ar--ha! Arrested! Boy's got a sense of humor after all." He waved off the idea, already turning away, barking, "Come on, Dorara. Hands to yourself from now on."
Ja’eeth:
Ja'eeth looked right past the assaulting party, at Niko, and shook her head. "Her discipline is left to the head of her clan, and he does not seem at all bothered by her actions." A moment was spared for Ja'eeth to give a tick of her left hand to where Jegoth was already turning to go on his way.
"Besides, young Prince, you are in no position to make such demands. This is Mandalore. Not Hapes, and not The Core."
Jegoth:
Jegoth shot Ja'eeth a look. "And you don't speak for me, whoever you are. Clearly the boy was joking."
Niko:
"I declared an expectation, not a demand. But he is right on one thing. This was one big joke after all." Niko replied humorlessly, eyes staying on Ja'eeth before he turned and started to head back in the direction of his quarters.
Jegoth:
"Now what do you think he means by that," Jegoth mused, low-voiced, before shrugging and gesturing to his subordinates again. The shrug was not bone-deep. The Ger was not blind or unworldly. Right then, after Niko had disappeared from sight, all he did was growl to Ja'eeth in Mando'a. "No one stands between me and a man I address."
Ja’eeth:
Niko was gone heading back on his way. Part of her was wishing the Zabrak -had- been able to get a few hits in. That Niko's blood would have been shed. Buffton blood spilt on the soil of the Mando'ade would have been a glorious thing to see. For her, it was a touch more than just what Ker'dan had led them through. She'd started to go after Niko, but stopped and turned when Jegoth growled out his words, "He is no man," her response was in tight Mando'a, lacking all flinching or cowering under the sound of that roar. She'd chosen a precarious path to get Niko out of the situation, she knew that when she started down the hall toward the group. "He is a babe. Soft as the day he was born."
Niko:
As Nikolaus walked, a text only message was typed up and sent to Sadhric. 'Assaulted in your capital, witnessed by Ja'eeth. If you do not wish to address it, we will. This is a courtesy because I respect -you-.'
Jegot/Sadhric:
"It was my business!" the Ger roared, his voice filling the corridor again. Around him, the humans and zabrak were keeping silent, full of a mix of reactions, from wariness--of Jegoth--to residual anger to the pack-tight reaction of soldiers who'd closed ranks even with a commander who might leave them bloody once they were out of view.
Meanwhile, Sadhric was just in the act of descending from the Witchdoctor to go meet with some clan heads about a bomb. Messages could reach him quickly or slowly, depending on their origin. He had just set foot on the tarmac when he got Nikolaus's curt memo. It did not strike him as particularly courteous, but at once he commed Ja'eeth--simultaneously skimming with a frown for any hints of this information coming in from other directions, as through peacekeeper channels, or Aud security, or... anything.
At first he thought there must be something wrong with the way that he'd decided what he needed to own and what he didn't in the city of Keldabe and across the greater System (it was a new philosophy for him, and one leaving him stressed out), but no: There was nothing. No report skipped. Nothing hidden away.
Niko's message was the only message.
Ja’eeth:
Ja'eeth's reaction to that was a steady and calm and calm hand reaching for the comm unit that had gone off under her loose shirt, right next to where she had her knife maglocked. Sadhric would hear her talking to somebody, the phrase "the matter was your's. The babe was mine."
A pause, just brief before she was speaking into the unit, "Yes, Manda'lore?"
Sadhric:
Sadhric's voice was very, very low. "What the fuck just happened?"
Ja’eeth:
"A visiting clan just ran into your guest. One of them thought to challenge Nikolaus. Their clan head broke it up, and right now he and I are discussing me getting in the way." She spoke, her eyes on the group before her.
Sadhric:
On one side of Ja'eeth's reality: The spurs across Jegoth's brow rose a little in an amused scoff, and once again he turned to go on the way he had been going.
From the other side: "Do none of you know how to give specifics? Names."
Ja’eeth:
"The visiting clan Ordis just ran into your guest. One of them thought to challenge Nikolaus. Their clan head broke it up, and right now he and I are discussing me getting in the way." She spoke, her eyes on the group before her.
Sadhric:
On one side of Ja'eeth's reality: The spurs across Jegoth's brow rose a little in an amused scoff, and once again he turned to go on the way he had been going.
From the other side: "Do none of you know how to give specifics? Who?"
Ja’eeth:
"Dorara," she told Sadhric having needed a moment to recall what she had heard Jegoth call the woman. She was watching the clan leader turn to get his group on the move, "A Zabrak female."
Added with that was a brief description of what she was wearing.
Sadhric:
The Mechanic kept his sigh to himself, still stopped just shy of the glaring edge of his ship. "Is Nikolaus injured," he said, very slowly, enunciating carefully as if he was speaking to a partially deaf child. Niko's message had been curt, but he'd sent it. Sadhric saw no reason to assume that the young man sending it meant he was not injured, and no reason to assume that Ja'eeth's unhurried report meant that, either.
Ja’eeth:
"He said he was alright before he walked away. I was not close enough to see the damage with my own eyes, but contact between Dorara and Nikolaus did not last long. She barely touched him."
Sadhric:
Slowly Sadhric fell into a stride, trying to decide why every moment like this felt like trying to wring details out of a fanatic. He licked his lips. "Ja'eeth. Why don't you try something new." None of these were sounding like questions. "Why don't you tell me how Nikolaus would describe this encounter to me. How he inevitably will describe it to me."
Ja’eeth:
Drawing in a breath, Ja'eeth turned away from the direction Jegoth and his group had traveled. Ja'eeth's conversation partner had remained where he was, and drew to the side to keep out of the Ordis' way. A tight knot of tension was forming between her shoulders, a sharp stabbing within her brow. She could feel it under her finger tips, a pulsating throb that was a by-product of the way her day was going. "I believe he'd tell you that he had been cornered by Ordis' men, and accosted by Dorara with Jegoth waiting until the harm had been done before saying anything to stop it." She pressed her fingers harder against the throb but continued, " Dorara was able to briefly get her hands around his throat, but it was over just that quickly."
Sadhric:
"Jegoth waited?"
Ja’eeth:
"That's what I think he would tell you," She stated, rubbing for a moment more before dropping her hand away from her forehead, "Jegoth had moved past Nikolaus and was heading my way when the scuffle started behind him. He turned and ordered his people to stop right after it started."
Sadhric:
The comms caught a quiet, pensive sound from Sadhric. "What started it, did you see?" It hadn't been long enough for him to be reconsidering some of his personal guidelines for being in Keldabe, but he was.
Ja’eeth:
"When I got there, they were just talking. I was at the end of the hallway, and could not quite hear them. Something about Bufftons winning even when they lose."
Sadhric:
Silence for a moment, then he muttered, "'Bufftons'," clearly echoing Ja'eeth, and the plural she was echoing herself, gnawing on it and what it meant here rather than turning it into an invective. When he spoke again, it was with a renewed, brisk tone. "I haven't even met Ordis myself, yet, or any of these five. Offer your assistance to Nikolaus, with my assurances. I'll be with him as soon as I can."
Ja’eeth:
"Aye, Mand'alor," Where her steps had turned, they now took up the path, following what she thought had been Niko's route. The man she had been talking to was a shadow, now, following along at a distance, "Would you like an update on his condition if he is injured?"
Sadhric:
"Not unless it's grave, or I take more than two hours to meet with him." He considered Maxima Buffton.
Ja’eeth:
"Alright." The words 'good luck' wanted to make their way past her lips, but she held them back. The thought would have to do. This was Sadhric Tlin, she had the thought that he might react badly to hearing those words from her. This was not a moment for that.
Sadhric:
There was no room for luck. Yet it would have been nice to have some of the good variety.
Later that afternoon, a simple flat-bellied ship large enough for a crew of four arrived without fanfare. Jegoth Ordis emerged in heavy leather armor studded with just enough beskar plating to be a snub without starting a fight. The old Ger still had his hulking silhouette, but his age showed in how his smooth facial scales were going transparent in patches, tinging his once-blue/grey complexion an unsettling pink. The warrior stood five-feet-six, but had to turn sideways to go through some ship confines designed for the more ubiquitous human race.
Jegoth was the head of Clan Ordis, and he was flanked by an informal trio, also decked out in not-quite-beskar'gam, helmetless and sporting spiked shock clubs rather than blasters. They were a testament to clan diversity, with two gruff humans and a zabrak who'd lost half her horns at one point, apparently long ago.
The first of five clan leaders due to arrive to talk to the Mandalore about Tou Nix, Jegoth knew the place well, openly sneered at the new security emplacements, and had already pointed himself and his companions toward the heart of the place.
Niko:
The meeting with Sadhric hadn't happened yet--Nikolaus wasn't privy to the details but also wasn't surprised, Sadhric was a pretty busy guy after all--and so the Hapan crew had been located to their assigned quarters and given a general tour of the rest of the Aud. Time and time again the Buffton was amazed by the simplicity of it all. He had expected the Mandals to have hoarded resources during the war, but perhaps that had simply fueled the war machine to keep it moving forward.
After the tours had ended and after things had settled, Niko decided to go for a nice stroll while waiting for the meeting with the Mandalore.
Ordis:
The Ordis group turned the corner and came face to face with Maltez Buffton.
No--the Proconsul of the Core.
No--the President of the--
Jegoth coughed out a laugh. In Basic, the zabrak said: "Nice suit."
Niko:
Niko blinked, looking between the trio, before eyes fell on the Zabrak. A simple half smile crossed his face and his head bowed in mock gratitude. "Yes, thank you. It's Elroodian Nanosilk, finest on the 'Rim." He knew they wouldn't care, but he could already feel the stereotyping in play and went along with it for the moment. "Nice armor. Is that nerf hide?" The man himself wasn't unarmed either, with twin thin hilts on his left hip and a small holdout blaster strapped to the right.
Ja’eeth:
Those hours had been filled with Ja'eeth seeing to the comforts of the visiting party from Hapes. Having seen that tours were conducted and bunks met standards and barely reached expectations, she had moved on to her next set of tasks for the day. Administrative work was not her strong suit, and had felt completely alien at first and still very much felt that in a lot of ways. How anybody could get used to a desk job and holding tours, and welcoming guests was not entirely beyond her. It just wasn't her cup of cafe. Right then, Ja'eeth was walking side by side with a Mandalorian who was roughly three heads taller than she was. Their conversation was in rolling Mando'a, the bigger Mandal making motions with his hands as he spoke. Further down the way from where Niko had almost run into Jegoth Orids, Ja'eeth was coming to a stop, hand up to shush the man next to her. She was looking on, listening as the young Prince of Hapes addressed the head of Clan Orid.
Ordis:
The zabrak nodded right through Nikolaus' reply, his "Yeah," to Niko's question meaningless as it was just a way to slide into the question, "How much that cost you?"
Jegoth had glanced between them, the offworlder and the Ordis, but had given his head a faint shake and moved to walk on, around and past Niko, one of the humans with him. She looked back over her shoulder at the zabrak. The other human didn't look terribly enthusiastic to have the self-assumed role of backup for the zabrak, because the real thing that he was--a witness--didn't quite fit with how they normally worked.
Niko:
"Nothing," Niko replied with a quick laugh. He watched the other Mandals move past with a side-eye, but kept his focus on the zabrak. "My family owns--well, owned the company that makes it."
Ordis:
"Buffton, right? I'd know that face anywhere." The zabrak was not smiling, not even feigning friendliness now. "Tell me how you can be the losers and winners of your own war at the same time."
Niko:
The fabled Buffton grin appeared there, even though the zabrak was clearly no longer pretending to care. "Ah, it's simple really. We're Bufftons. Even when we lose, we win."
Ordis::
The human said, "Nayc," and "not here," and then nayc again, and then something like it that was just naycnaycnayc because
The zabrak lunged, hands out for Nikolaus' collar. The human beside him moved almost as fast, jolted into motion, to try to grab those hands, or wrists, or anything, while also trying to knock his companion aside as if misalignment would be enough to cut power.
The sudden commotion also got Jegoth to stop short and twist to look back at them--
Niko:
The Force was not with Nikolaus. Purposefully. In moments like this, he likely regretted that decision. He couldn't react in time, not expecting the sudden lunge--though perhaps he should have--and could not stop the hands for reaching for(and grabbing is the human wasn't fast enough) his collar. He would at that point start his reaction, by whipping both arms upward in an effort to put them between her wrists and, if successful, will try to use his arms' momentum to force outward and force her hands to release him.
Ordis:
Cutting into the sudden ferocity, a roar in Mando'a filled the area, Jegoth. Shaking the place with the order to leave off.
--Which in no way lessened the fierce anger in the zabrak's snarl, but did help both Nikolaus Buffton and the human who were trying to fend her off and pull her back respectively. It helped because all it took was Jegoth Ordis' voice to take the steel out of the zabrak's attack. It wasn't that it was instantly over from her end, but instead that she let the human get her off-center, and her moves turned more to preventing Niko from getting his hands on her in turn. She was still puffed up and pissed, but the tendon had been cut.
Ja’eeth:
During this, Ja'eeth had left the side of the man she had been walking next to, her steps steadily carrying her toward Group Ordiss, Jegoth, and Niko. Jegoth's roared orders halted her steps for just a half of a second, one look going to the plate wearing clan chief before she continued on her way toward the group. She was a lot less decked out than those of Ordis' group, her clothing still simple and rough spun, still no rank or insignia to place her clan or standing, but that did not stop her from closing the distance as the tussle cut itself off. She waited for the incident to taper off, for the silence after Jegoth spoke before putting her on voice in, calling down the hallway as she approached, speaking in Mando'a first. What she said was a stab at hopefully helping to diffuse the situation, something about the Buffton not being worth the blood before switching to basic, "Are you alright, Nikolaus?"
Niko:
The arms successfully knocked away from his collar, Niko had already begun raising his right knee in preparations for a quick knee strike to her abdomen followed by.. the loud roar that snapped him out of that frame of thought. The Zabrak went defensive and the Buffton moved instead to step back and lower his arms slightly, turning to a defensive stance himself. His eyes were focused intensely on his assailant, though his mind heard Ja'eeth call out to him. "Never better," he answered in an almost snarl.
Ordis:
In the Mando'a that came from the human trying to ease the zabrak back, Nikolaus might pick out his family name. In the zabrak's reply, Nikolaus' translator might pick out the noun ulut (a flying carrion-eater native to the region), a phrase that meant avoid or to be driven away interchangeably, and some other pieces that stitched into the following sentiment, as the zabrak's snarl went to a stone-dead symmetry: Even ulut would avoid him if I made his outside ugly as his insides.
The human's reply was a muttered little laugh and Mando'a to the effect of: You picked the one animal that cares least about eating ugliness.
Ja’eeth:
Ulut have better sense than to eat something -that- rotten. That was a thought that came to her in response. She was going to say it as she came up on Jegoth, and made way to move past him, but she held back. Niko was a guest, that much had been made clear. Helping to feed hostilities was not going to make the day any less tense. Her feelings, and their feelings, could have the potential to topple things if they were let to get in the way. "Clan Chief," the greeting was said in that moment, the Mando'a stealing the breath of her insult as she moved on her way.
Niko:
The translator struggled with the phrasing, but even with a mixture of the words, the intention came through. The Buffton had taken one more step back to have enough room to brush himself off once before focusing directly on Ja'eeth. "This woman has assaulted a visiting dignitary. I expect her to be arrested immediately."
He hoped it would go without saying that the Hapans had done exactly that when the Mandalore had been assaulted in the Palace.
Jegoth:
Jegoth's scaled face brightened. "Ar--ha! Arrested! Boy's got a sense of humor after all." He waved off the idea, already turning away, barking, "Come on, Dorara. Hands to yourself from now on."
Ja’eeth:
Ja'eeth looked right past the assaulting party, at Niko, and shook her head. "Her discipline is left to the head of her clan, and he does not seem at all bothered by her actions." A moment was spared for Ja'eeth to give a tick of her left hand to where Jegoth was already turning to go on his way.
"Besides, young Prince, you are in no position to make such demands. This is Mandalore. Not Hapes, and not The Core."
Jegoth:
Jegoth shot Ja'eeth a look. "And you don't speak for me, whoever you are. Clearly the boy was joking."
Niko:
"I declared an expectation, not a demand. But he is right on one thing. This was one big joke after all." Niko replied humorlessly, eyes staying on Ja'eeth before he turned and started to head back in the direction of his quarters.
Jegoth:
"Now what do you think he means by that," Jegoth mused, low-voiced, before shrugging and gesturing to his subordinates again. The shrug was not bone-deep. The Ger was not blind or unworldly. Right then, after Niko had disappeared from sight, all he did was growl to Ja'eeth in Mando'a. "No one stands between me and a man I address."
Ja’eeth:
Niko was gone heading back on his way. Part of her was wishing the Zabrak -had- been able to get a few hits in. That Niko's blood would have been shed. Buffton blood spilt on the soil of the Mando'ade would have been a glorious thing to see. For her, it was a touch more than just what Ker'dan had led them through. She'd started to go after Niko, but stopped and turned when Jegoth growled out his words, "He is no man," her response was in tight Mando'a, lacking all flinching or cowering under the sound of that roar. She'd chosen a precarious path to get Niko out of the situation, she knew that when she started down the hall toward the group. "He is a babe. Soft as the day he was born."
Niko:
As Nikolaus walked, a text only message was typed up and sent to Sadhric. 'Assaulted in your capital, witnessed by Ja'eeth. If you do not wish to address it, we will. This is a courtesy because I respect -you-.'
Jegot/Sadhric:
"It was my business!" the Ger roared, his voice filling the corridor again. Around him, the humans and zabrak were keeping silent, full of a mix of reactions, from wariness--of Jegoth--to residual anger to the pack-tight reaction of soldiers who'd closed ranks even with a commander who might leave them bloody once they were out of view.
Meanwhile, Sadhric was just in the act of descending from the Witchdoctor to go meet with some clan heads about a bomb. Messages could reach him quickly or slowly, depending on their origin. He had just set foot on the tarmac when he got Nikolaus's curt memo. It did not strike him as particularly courteous, but at once he commed Ja'eeth--simultaneously skimming with a frown for any hints of this information coming in from other directions, as through peacekeeper channels, or Aud security, or... anything.
At first he thought there must be something wrong with the way that he'd decided what he needed to own and what he didn't in the city of Keldabe and across the greater System (it was a new philosophy for him, and one leaving him stressed out), but no: There was nothing. No report skipped. Nothing hidden away.
Niko's message was the only message.
Ja’eeth:
Ja'eeth's reaction to that was a steady and calm and calm hand reaching for the comm unit that had gone off under her loose shirt, right next to where she had her knife maglocked. Sadhric would hear her talking to somebody, the phrase "the matter was your's. The babe was mine."
A pause, just brief before she was speaking into the unit, "Yes, Manda'lore?"
Sadhric:
Sadhric's voice was very, very low. "What the fuck just happened?"
Ja’eeth:
"A visiting clan just ran into your guest. One of them thought to challenge Nikolaus. Their clan head broke it up, and right now he and I are discussing me getting in the way." She spoke, her eyes on the group before her.
Sadhric:
On one side of Ja'eeth's reality: The spurs across Jegoth's brow rose a little in an amused scoff, and once again he turned to go on the way he had been going.
From the other side: "Do none of you know how to give specifics? Names."
Ja’eeth:
"The visiting clan Ordis just ran into your guest. One of them thought to challenge Nikolaus. Their clan head broke it up, and right now he and I are discussing me getting in the way." She spoke, her eyes on the group before her.
Sadhric:
On one side of Ja'eeth's reality: The spurs across Jegoth's brow rose a little in an amused scoff, and once again he turned to go on the way he had been going.
From the other side: "Do none of you know how to give specifics? Who?"
Ja’eeth:
"Dorara," she told Sadhric having needed a moment to recall what she had heard Jegoth call the woman. She was watching the clan leader turn to get his group on the move, "A Zabrak female."
Added with that was a brief description of what she was wearing.
Sadhric:
The Mechanic kept his sigh to himself, still stopped just shy of the glaring edge of his ship. "Is Nikolaus injured," he said, very slowly, enunciating carefully as if he was speaking to a partially deaf child. Niko's message had been curt, but he'd sent it. Sadhric saw no reason to assume that the young man sending it meant he was not injured, and no reason to assume that Ja'eeth's unhurried report meant that, either.
Ja’eeth:
"He said he was alright before he walked away. I was not close enough to see the damage with my own eyes, but contact between Dorara and Nikolaus did not last long. She barely touched him."
Sadhric:
Slowly Sadhric fell into a stride, trying to decide why every moment like this felt like trying to wring details out of a fanatic. He licked his lips. "Ja'eeth. Why don't you try something new." None of these were sounding like questions. "Why don't you tell me how Nikolaus would describe this encounter to me. How he inevitably will describe it to me."
Ja’eeth:
Drawing in a breath, Ja'eeth turned away from the direction Jegoth and his group had traveled. Ja'eeth's conversation partner had remained where he was, and drew to the side to keep out of the Ordis' way. A tight knot of tension was forming between her shoulders, a sharp stabbing within her brow. She could feel it under her finger tips, a pulsating throb that was a by-product of the way her day was going. "I believe he'd tell you that he had been cornered by Ordis' men, and accosted by Dorara with Jegoth waiting until the harm had been done before saying anything to stop it." She pressed her fingers harder against the throb but continued, " Dorara was able to briefly get her hands around his throat, but it was over just that quickly."
Sadhric:
"Jegoth waited?"
Ja’eeth:
"That's what I think he would tell you," She stated, rubbing for a moment more before dropping her hand away from her forehead, "Jegoth had moved past Nikolaus and was heading my way when the scuffle started behind him. He turned and ordered his people to stop right after it started."
Sadhric:
The comms caught a quiet, pensive sound from Sadhric. "What started it, did you see?" It hadn't been long enough for him to be reconsidering some of his personal guidelines for being in Keldabe, but he was.
Ja’eeth:
"When I got there, they were just talking. I was at the end of the hallway, and could not quite hear them. Something about Bufftons winning even when they lose."
Sadhric:
Silence for a moment, then he muttered, "'Bufftons'," clearly echoing Ja'eeth, and the plural she was echoing herself, gnawing on it and what it meant here rather than turning it into an invective. When he spoke again, it was with a renewed, brisk tone. "I haven't even met Ordis myself, yet, or any of these five. Offer your assistance to Nikolaus, with my assurances. I'll be with him as soon as I can."
Ja’eeth:
"Aye, Mand'alor," Where her steps had turned, they now took up the path, following what she thought had been Niko's route. The man she had been talking to was a shadow, now, following along at a distance, "Would you like an update on his condition if he is injured?"
Sadhric:
"Not unless it's grave, or I take more than two hours to meet with him." He considered Maxima Buffton.
Ja’eeth:
"Alright." The words 'good luck' wanted to make their way past her lips, but she held them back. The thought would have to do. This was Sadhric Tlin, she had the thought that he might react badly to hearing those words from her. This was not a moment for that.
Sadhric:
There was no room for luck. Yet it would have been nice to have some of the good variety.
