The following morning came all too quick for the bundle of pain and bruises that
was Kyp. He reached out, half-asleep, to turn off his alarm, but his arm just wouldn't
cooperate. His range of motion decreased significantly, Kyp stretched out with the force
to remove the offending noise. Even that technique was rather fuzzy, much to his
chagrin. It was as if somebody had come in the middle of the night and stolen twenty
years from his life. Now, with the feeling of a baby ronto planted in the center of his
chest, Kyp was seriously debating going into work for the first time in many years.
With a little coaxing from the force he managed to slide stiffly out of bed and
trudge toward the fresher. He hadn't made it halfway before the chirp of a comm
transmission startled him out of his sleepy, throbbing haze.
"Accept transmission," Kyp called out hoarsely, and he wasn't at all surprised to
see Master Skywalker's face staring back at him with concern. "Yes, I made it out of
bed."
"That's good to hear. Looks like your sight came back as well," Luke commented
observantly.
"For the most part. You're still a little fuzzy around the edges," Kyp chuckled
lightly. "As for the rest of me, I'm not so sure I can be that optimistic."
Luke's serene gaze narrowed slightly as he frowned at the news, "Do you need
me to send Hamysh over to see you?"
Kyp pondered this for a second. Were his injuries really so serious that he needed
a medic?
"Do you need to take the day off?" Luke suggested with a shrug. As appealing as
this sounded to Kyp, it just didn't sit well with him inside. He still felt a constant
obligation to Luke Skywalker, both as a jedi and a friend. Complaining or taking off
from work made him feel as if he was being ungrateful for all that Luke had done for
him.
"No, I'll be in at the normal time," Kyp answered, shaking his head to each side
as far as his neck would allow.
"Fine," Luke agreed, although he looked unconvinced. "I'll see you shortly."
Kyp stared at the blackness of the comm screen for a moment as he wondered
what he was getting himself into with this. He found the motivation to move again after
he convinced himself that he didn't have to agree to be Li'aania's sparring partner. Not
even if she was an attractive blonde who looked strikingly like his former apprentice.
'She'd probably kill me if she knew I thought she looked like Brodey,' He
thought to himself, making a mental note not to set her off again until his bruises had a
chance to heal. That girl had a way of being dangerous, at least according to her older
brother.
*****************************************
After a long, warm shower to get out the kinks in his muscles, Kyp hobbled down
his usual path toward the clearing. Today was different from yesterday, and the air held
the spicy scent of rain as wispy clouds rolled in over the horizon.
"Ah, I see you made it down," Luke called over to him. "We're probably going to
take it inside today. There's supposed to be a storm here shortly, and the weather probes
think it'll be a big one."
Kyp nodded in agreement before helping Luke and the others usher the children
inside.
"I'm surprised to hear you made it out of bed, Durron," A wry voice said from his
side. He turned, not at all surprised to find Mara Jade Skywalker cocking an eyebrow at
him. "It's very admirable that you decided to join us on this wonderful day."
"Is that sarcasm I detect?" Kyp responded, grinning fiendishly.
"You'd think so, wouldn't you? There are some days I just wish I could stay in
bed," She groaned. He smiled back, understanding her point of view completely. In
recent years the two had come from merely tolerating one another to reaching a sort of
truce between them. Kyp couldn't help but smile each time she pretended to stare
witheringly at him. Those were the days.
"Kyp, over here!" A cheerful voice called once he'd entered the Great Hall. He
tried his best to return Li'aa's cheerful greeting with a smile, but the pain in his body
laced that smile with an underlying caution. He was sure she picked up on it. "Come on,
I won't bite!" She cried, patting the bench next to her. He reluctantly obeyed.
"Do you realize just how much pain you've caused me?" Kyp snapped, seriously
irked by her cheerful demeanor.
"Yes, but I was hoping I could help you forget it by being nice you," She
answered back, her face growing semi-serious. It looked almost like the pout Anja had
always given him when he said something pig-headed, and that made him feel even
worse. "Looks like I really screwed that one up, huh?"
Before Kyp could answer, Luke's voice floated loud and clear over the crowd,
"Before we get into today's lesson I have a couple of very special guests to introduce to
you all."
"Never an end to the surprises with him, is there?" Kyp whispered flatly out of the
corner of his mouth. "Who do you think it is this time?"
"Shhh!" Li'aa replied, smacking him on the shoulder. She had a lingering feeling
that this guest had something to say that was relevant to her. Maybe the stare that Master
Skywalker was giving her was her first clue.
"They've come a long way to be here, so please welcome N'aanwarian
Ambassador Tan'aal Lakailan and his assistant, Minister Aelyn Yaatlani," Luke said
evenly before the room erupted in applause.
"I wonder what they're doing here," Li'aania muttered, her face screwing up in
puzzlement as she clapped along with the crowd.
"Call it a hunch, but I think it probably has something to do with you," Kyp
responded, rolling his eyes.
"The Ambassador has informed me that he needs a moment of Master Narundi's
time, so Li'aania, if you'll please follow him then he'll escort you to one of the
conference chambers," Luke explained, gesturing toward the door. "Now, today we're
going to discuss the chain of events that led to the Great Sith War. Can anybody start us
off?"
Li'aa carefully inched her way along her row, stepping over people's legs as she
made urgently for the door. She couldn't imagine what could be wrong, and why her
mother hadn't mentioned anything about it last night when she talked. Sending the
Dynasty's chief Ambassador for such a long trip certainly wasn't done so they could
make small talk. Something was terribly wrong.
"Your Grace," Ambassador Lakailan acknowledged with a low bow. "Right this
way."
"Ambassador Lakailan," She returned formally, extending her right hand to him
as he stooped lower to lay a small kiss on her fingers. "To what do I owe the honor of
your presence?"
"It is by order of His Majesty the King that I am here," Tan'aal explained as he
drew himself back up to his full height. He was a tall, older man, with jowls and grey-
flecked hair that betrayed his true age. A veteran of the Serilian Trade War, he was
almost as old as her father. For an older man, he wasn't that bad looking. He had the type
of eyes that bled honesty.
"What does His Majesty the Dork want me to do this time?" She asked, rolling
her eyes as she grew tired with the formalities. Her obvious display of disrespect caused
the Ambassador to raise his eyebrows in shock, but he quickly recovered.
"Your brother has been informed by intelligence that craft similar to the kinds
manufactured in Corellia have been spotted near sites of recent terrorist sabotage. His
Majesty has asked most kindly for your help in getting to the bottom of this," Tan'aal
explained after clearing his throat.
"And he sent you all the way out here to tell me that?" Li'aa asked in disbelief.
That just didn't seem like something Brodey would do, though he had his moments of
stupidity as a ruler. "Why didn't he just send me a comm?"
"Grace, the gravity of this situation requires such formalities. Many innocents
have died as a result of these acts and we have reason to believe that a unified
organization is behind all this," The Ambassador explained, still bowing ad nauseum. "I
have also come to aid you in your quest for information."
"That's all fine, Ambassador, but I'm sure I can find my own crew to accompany
me to Corellia," She insisted, smiling all too falsely.
"Princess Li'aania, I insist," He replied, bowing yet again. "Your brother has
ordered that I join you. I cannot go against royal mandate. That would be a breech in
protocol."
'Ambassador Lakailan, perhaps you should use your time here in this galaxy to
grow some balls,' Li'aa thought to herself with amusement, and she couldn't help but
smile.
"Grace, what is so funny?" He asked in his annoyingly formal tone, those pristine
eyes staring her down.
"Ambassador Lakailan, while I'm known for not following my brother's orders, I
do accept your presence on this mission," Li'aa answered quickly, hoping she wouldn't
regret it. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a class to attend. Inform me as soon as
possible about when we'll depart."
"Certainly, Princess Li'aania," Tan'aal said, bowing to kiss her hand once again.
She offered it to Minister Yaatlani, who followed suit with his superior.
"You know, you need to learn to shut this guy up every once in a while," She
whispered to the Minister as she left the room. A slight twitch in his stony face was his
only display of amusement, but it was enough to put a smile on her face. She loved
dealing with these stuffed shirts. They were just so much fun to manipulate.
********************************************************
"Trouble?" Kyp whispered as she hopped over him and back onto her place on the
bench.
"I guess you could call it that," She grumbled. "My brother can't seem to get his
act together and needs my help. Like I don't have enough to do around here."
"Is it a mission?" Kyp asked, his face screwing up in contemplation. "Don't
worry about your duties. Plenty of instructors around here go off on sabbatical, for many
reasons."
"I just started, Kyp," She hissed back, annoyed. "I don't think I'm entitled to any
time off for a while."
"I'm sure Luke will allow it," He replied, returning his attention to the jedi master
speaking at the head of the assembly.
"Will you come with me?" Li'aa blurted out before she even realized it. Why
couldn't she control that big mouth of hers? He stomach lurched like it was getting
trampled to the ground as he stared at her with a dumb look on his face. 'Please, don't
look at me like I have a great, big zit on the end of my nose.'
"Why do you want me to come along?" Kyp answered in a low voice, his face
finally breaking into a look of confusion. At least it was better than the void expression
he'd had a second before.
"You see, those guys I was talking with," She said, pointing her thumb toward the
edge of the room at the two tall N'aanwarian men. It was hard enough to keep from
turning to mush inside after her outburst. Now she was trying to act casual about it all.
"Biggest stiffs ever. I can't stand their presence for more than a few minutes without
wanting to pull my hair out."
"So you need me to keep you sane," Kyp finished for her with a smirk.
"If you could," She added uneasily as she fiddled with the silvery rings on the
fingers of her right hand.
"Tell me all about it after this," He said after a moment's contemplation. "Then
I'll give you my decision. I'm not one to commit to anything blindly, not even for my
best friend's kid sister."
Li'aania nodded soberly, trying to bite back her own frustration at herself. The
only thing missing from his statement was the punctuation of putting her in a headlock
and giving her a playful noogie. If she was ever going to have a guy who took her
seriously, she'd have to make sure that they didn't know her brother first.
**************************************************
"Corellian ships on your planet? Couldn't that be due to the opening of trade
between our two galaxies?" Kyp asked, scratching the stubble on his chin. His hands and
wrists ached a little too much from catching himself to grasp a razor that morning.
"Trade isn't as open as you may think. Each foreign vessel undergoes a thorough
search before entering any port on my planet. It's just common procedure. Besides, the
datapad I was given told me that at least one person onboard was caught. He admitted to
terrorist acts but wouldn't say anything about whether he was working alone or in concert
with someone else."
"And you think he's working for someone else," Kyp stated the obvious as he
folded his arms across his chest.
"I'm not sure about that. This isn't an isolated incident, and that makes me think
that there might be a connection. My dumb brother, bless his heart, wants me to see if
that connection exists," Li'aa scoffed, wishing that Brodey was around so she could
punch him hard on the arm in retribution. "So, I need all the help I can get. Are you in?"
"I suppose it wouldn't kill me to come along on the trip," Kyp considered. "Fine,
I'll come along as your bodyguard and personal entertainment. Just to warn you, though.
I DON'T do show tunes."
"We should hope not! I've heard you can't carry a tune in a bucket, Durron!" A
youthful voice taunted. Li'aania's head shot over to its source and she was more than a
little amused to see Valin Horn approaching, a crooked grin plastered across his face.
"A Horn minding his own business, as usual," Kyp retorted with an equally
pleasant smile.
"What did those two big guys want with you?" Valin asked, ignoring Kyp's
comment entirely.
"They want me to run a mission to Corellia," Li'aa answered, trying to be subtle
enough with her response so she didn't get a multitude of questions. The attempt failed
disastrously.
"Why would your ambassador want you to go to Corellia? Has there been any
illegal trade or activity?" Valin questioned, putting on the same detective face that Kyp
had seen many times before on his father, Corran.
"Actually, I'm not sure. That's what I'm investigating," She stated, trying to
sound as naïve as possible. She didn't have to look hard to realize that Valin had a liking
for her, and while he was fairly attractive and friendly, she just wasn't sure if she wanted
to invite him along. There was something about Kyp being a friend of the family that
made her trust his company more.
"Well, if you need any help, you know where to look," Valin responded cockily
with a proud shake of his shaggy brown hair. Li'aa was sure she could sense Kyp's
blood pressure rise with each passing second.
"Hey, it's about time for lunch, isn't it?" She interjected cheerfully as she reached
out and grabbed Valin's hand. "Why don't we all go and get some?"
"Just make sure that Kyp doesn't end up wearing yours this time," Valin laughed
as he pulled her to her feet and led her in the direction of food.
"I know of a hawkbat that would love to have you for lunch, punk!" Kyp muttered
under his breath in frustration as he followed the two inside.
was Kyp. He reached out, half-asleep, to turn off his alarm, but his arm just wouldn't
cooperate. His range of motion decreased significantly, Kyp stretched out with the force
to remove the offending noise. Even that technique was rather fuzzy, much to his
chagrin. It was as if somebody had come in the middle of the night and stolen twenty
years from his life. Now, with the feeling of a baby ronto planted in the center of his
chest, Kyp was seriously debating going into work for the first time in many years.
With a little coaxing from the force he managed to slide stiffly out of bed and
trudge toward the fresher. He hadn't made it halfway before the chirp of a comm
transmission startled him out of his sleepy, throbbing haze.
"Accept transmission," Kyp called out hoarsely, and he wasn't at all surprised to
see Master Skywalker's face staring back at him with concern. "Yes, I made it out of
bed."
"That's good to hear. Looks like your sight came back as well," Luke commented
observantly.
"For the most part. You're still a little fuzzy around the edges," Kyp chuckled
lightly. "As for the rest of me, I'm not so sure I can be that optimistic."
Luke's serene gaze narrowed slightly as he frowned at the news, "Do you need
me to send Hamysh over to see you?"
Kyp pondered this for a second. Were his injuries really so serious that he needed
a medic?
"Do you need to take the day off?" Luke suggested with a shrug. As appealing as
this sounded to Kyp, it just didn't sit well with him inside. He still felt a constant
obligation to Luke Skywalker, both as a jedi and a friend. Complaining or taking off
from work made him feel as if he was being ungrateful for all that Luke had done for
him.
"No, I'll be in at the normal time," Kyp answered, shaking his head to each side
as far as his neck would allow.
"Fine," Luke agreed, although he looked unconvinced. "I'll see you shortly."
Kyp stared at the blackness of the comm screen for a moment as he wondered
what he was getting himself into with this. He found the motivation to move again after
he convinced himself that he didn't have to agree to be Li'aania's sparring partner. Not
even if she was an attractive blonde who looked strikingly like his former apprentice.
'She'd probably kill me if she knew I thought she looked like Brodey,' He
thought to himself, making a mental note not to set her off again until his bruises had a
chance to heal. That girl had a way of being dangerous, at least according to her older
brother.
*****************************************
After a long, warm shower to get out the kinks in his muscles, Kyp hobbled down
his usual path toward the clearing. Today was different from yesterday, and the air held
the spicy scent of rain as wispy clouds rolled in over the horizon.
"Ah, I see you made it down," Luke called over to him. "We're probably going to
take it inside today. There's supposed to be a storm here shortly, and the weather probes
think it'll be a big one."
Kyp nodded in agreement before helping Luke and the others usher the children
inside.
"I'm surprised to hear you made it out of bed, Durron," A wry voice said from his
side. He turned, not at all surprised to find Mara Jade Skywalker cocking an eyebrow at
him. "It's very admirable that you decided to join us on this wonderful day."
"Is that sarcasm I detect?" Kyp responded, grinning fiendishly.
"You'd think so, wouldn't you? There are some days I just wish I could stay in
bed," She groaned. He smiled back, understanding her point of view completely. In
recent years the two had come from merely tolerating one another to reaching a sort of
truce between them. Kyp couldn't help but smile each time she pretended to stare
witheringly at him. Those were the days.
"Kyp, over here!" A cheerful voice called once he'd entered the Great Hall. He
tried his best to return Li'aa's cheerful greeting with a smile, but the pain in his body
laced that smile with an underlying caution. He was sure she picked up on it. "Come on,
I won't bite!" She cried, patting the bench next to her. He reluctantly obeyed.
"Do you realize just how much pain you've caused me?" Kyp snapped, seriously
irked by her cheerful demeanor.
"Yes, but I was hoping I could help you forget it by being nice you," She
answered back, her face growing semi-serious. It looked almost like the pout Anja had
always given him when he said something pig-headed, and that made him feel even
worse. "Looks like I really screwed that one up, huh?"
Before Kyp could answer, Luke's voice floated loud and clear over the crowd,
"Before we get into today's lesson I have a couple of very special guests to introduce to
you all."
"Never an end to the surprises with him, is there?" Kyp whispered flatly out of the
corner of his mouth. "Who do you think it is this time?"
"Shhh!" Li'aa replied, smacking him on the shoulder. She had a lingering feeling
that this guest had something to say that was relevant to her. Maybe the stare that Master
Skywalker was giving her was her first clue.
"They've come a long way to be here, so please welcome N'aanwarian
Ambassador Tan'aal Lakailan and his assistant, Minister Aelyn Yaatlani," Luke said
evenly before the room erupted in applause.
"I wonder what they're doing here," Li'aania muttered, her face screwing up in
puzzlement as she clapped along with the crowd.
"Call it a hunch, but I think it probably has something to do with you," Kyp
responded, rolling his eyes.
"The Ambassador has informed me that he needs a moment of Master Narundi's
time, so Li'aania, if you'll please follow him then he'll escort you to one of the
conference chambers," Luke explained, gesturing toward the door. "Now, today we're
going to discuss the chain of events that led to the Great Sith War. Can anybody start us
off?"
Li'aa carefully inched her way along her row, stepping over people's legs as she
made urgently for the door. She couldn't imagine what could be wrong, and why her
mother hadn't mentioned anything about it last night when she talked. Sending the
Dynasty's chief Ambassador for such a long trip certainly wasn't done so they could
make small talk. Something was terribly wrong.
"Your Grace," Ambassador Lakailan acknowledged with a low bow. "Right this
way."
"Ambassador Lakailan," She returned formally, extending her right hand to him
as he stooped lower to lay a small kiss on her fingers. "To what do I owe the honor of
your presence?"
"It is by order of His Majesty the King that I am here," Tan'aal explained as he
drew himself back up to his full height. He was a tall, older man, with jowls and grey-
flecked hair that betrayed his true age. A veteran of the Serilian Trade War, he was
almost as old as her father. For an older man, he wasn't that bad looking. He had the type
of eyes that bled honesty.
"What does His Majesty the Dork want me to do this time?" She asked, rolling
her eyes as she grew tired with the formalities. Her obvious display of disrespect caused
the Ambassador to raise his eyebrows in shock, but he quickly recovered.
"Your brother has been informed by intelligence that craft similar to the kinds
manufactured in Corellia have been spotted near sites of recent terrorist sabotage. His
Majesty has asked most kindly for your help in getting to the bottom of this," Tan'aal
explained after clearing his throat.
"And he sent you all the way out here to tell me that?" Li'aa asked in disbelief.
That just didn't seem like something Brodey would do, though he had his moments of
stupidity as a ruler. "Why didn't he just send me a comm?"
"Grace, the gravity of this situation requires such formalities. Many innocents
have died as a result of these acts and we have reason to believe that a unified
organization is behind all this," The Ambassador explained, still bowing ad nauseum. "I
have also come to aid you in your quest for information."
"That's all fine, Ambassador, but I'm sure I can find my own crew to accompany
me to Corellia," She insisted, smiling all too falsely.
"Princess Li'aania, I insist," He replied, bowing yet again. "Your brother has
ordered that I join you. I cannot go against royal mandate. That would be a breech in
protocol."
'Ambassador Lakailan, perhaps you should use your time here in this galaxy to
grow some balls,' Li'aa thought to herself with amusement, and she couldn't help but
smile.
"Grace, what is so funny?" He asked in his annoyingly formal tone, those pristine
eyes staring her down.
"Ambassador Lakailan, while I'm known for not following my brother's orders, I
do accept your presence on this mission," Li'aa answered quickly, hoping she wouldn't
regret it. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a class to attend. Inform me as soon as
possible about when we'll depart."
"Certainly, Princess Li'aania," Tan'aal said, bowing to kiss her hand once again.
She offered it to Minister Yaatlani, who followed suit with his superior.
"You know, you need to learn to shut this guy up every once in a while," She
whispered to the Minister as she left the room. A slight twitch in his stony face was his
only display of amusement, but it was enough to put a smile on her face. She loved
dealing with these stuffed shirts. They were just so much fun to manipulate.
********************************************************
"Trouble?" Kyp whispered as she hopped over him and back onto her place on the
bench.
"I guess you could call it that," She grumbled. "My brother can't seem to get his
act together and needs my help. Like I don't have enough to do around here."
"Is it a mission?" Kyp asked, his face screwing up in contemplation. "Don't
worry about your duties. Plenty of instructors around here go off on sabbatical, for many
reasons."
"I just started, Kyp," She hissed back, annoyed. "I don't think I'm entitled to any
time off for a while."
"I'm sure Luke will allow it," He replied, returning his attention to the jedi master
speaking at the head of the assembly.
"Will you come with me?" Li'aa blurted out before she even realized it. Why
couldn't she control that big mouth of hers? He stomach lurched like it was getting
trampled to the ground as he stared at her with a dumb look on his face. 'Please, don't
look at me like I have a great, big zit on the end of my nose.'
"Why do you want me to come along?" Kyp answered in a low voice, his face
finally breaking into a look of confusion. At least it was better than the void expression
he'd had a second before.
"You see, those guys I was talking with," She said, pointing her thumb toward the
edge of the room at the two tall N'aanwarian men. It was hard enough to keep from
turning to mush inside after her outburst. Now she was trying to act casual about it all.
"Biggest stiffs ever. I can't stand their presence for more than a few minutes without
wanting to pull my hair out."
"So you need me to keep you sane," Kyp finished for her with a smirk.
"If you could," She added uneasily as she fiddled with the silvery rings on the
fingers of her right hand.
"Tell me all about it after this," He said after a moment's contemplation. "Then
I'll give you my decision. I'm not one to commit to anything blindly, not even for my
best friend's kid sister."
Li'aania nodded soberly, trying to bite back her own frustration at herself. The
only thing missing from his statement was the punctuation of putting her in a headlock
and giving her a playful noogie. If she was ever going to have a guy who took her
seriously, she'd have to make sure that they didn't know her brother first.
**************************************************
"Corellian ships on your planet? Couldn't that be due to the opening of trade
between our two galaxies?" Kyp asked, scratching the stubble on his chin. His hands and
wrists ached a little too much from catching himself to grasp a razor that morning.
"Trade isn't as open as you may think. Each foreign vessel undergoes a thorough
search before entering any port on my planet. It's just common procedure. Besides, the
datapad I was given told me that at least one person onboard was caught. He admitted to
terrorist acts but wouldn't say anything about whether he was working alone or in concert
with someone else."
"And you think he's working for someone else," Kyp stated the obvious as he
folded his arms across his chest.
"I'm not sure about that. This isn't an isolated incident, and that makes me think
that there might be a connection. My dumb brother, bless his heart, wants me to see if
that connection exists," Li'aa scoffed, wishing that Brodey was around so she could
punch him hard on the arm in retribution. "So, I need all the help I can get. Are you in?"
"I suppose it wouldn't kill me to come along on the trip," Kyp considered. "Fine,
I'll come along as your bodyguard and personal entertainment. Just to warn you, though.
I DON'T do show tunes."
"We should hope not! I've heard you can't carry a tune in a bucket, Durron!" A
youthful voice taunted. Li'aania's head shot over to its source and she was more than a
little amused to see Valin Horn approaching, a crooked grin plastered across his face.
"A Horn minding his own business, as usual," Kyp retorted with an equally
pleasant smile.
"What did those two big guys want with you?" Valin asked, ignoring Kyp's
comment entirely.
"They want me to run a mission to Corellia," Li'aa answered, trying to be subtle
enough with her response so she didn't get a multitude of questions. The attempt failed
disastrously.
"Why would your ambassador want you to go to Corellia? Has there been any
illegal trade or activity?" Valin questioned, putting on the same detective face that Kyp
had seen many times before on his father, Corran.
"Actually, I'm not sure. That's what I'm investigating," She stated, trying to
sound as naïve as possible. She didn't have to look hard to realize that Valin had a liking
for her, and while he was fairly attractive and friendly, she just wasn't sure if she wanted
to invite him along. There was something about Kyp being a friend of the family that
made her trust his company more.
"Well, if you need any help, you know where to look," Valin responded cockily
with a proud shake of his shaggy brown hair. Li'aa was sure she could sense Kyp's
blood pressure rise with each passing second.
"Hey, it's about time for lunch, isn't it?" She interjected cheerfully as she reached
out and grabbed Valin's hand. "Why don't we all go and get some?"
"Just make sure that Kyp doesn't end up wearing yours this time," Valin laughed
as he pulled her to her feet and led her in the direction of food.
"I know of a hawkbat that would love to have you for lunch, punk!" Kyp muttered
under his breath in frustration as he followed the two inside.