The Odd Couple
--sparkvallen

Do I really have to remind you that I'm not George Lucas or a part of his companies? :p

Chapter Nine

Rym dropped her head onto the table and banged it repeatedly. She didn't care that the few others in the cafeteria were staring at her, whispering. She didn't care that even the security officer was eyeing her warily and speaking into his comlink about her to the dispatch. Rym knew she'd let her anger get too far our of control by not only lashing out at a Jedi Knight but then accidentally/purposefully throwing a milkshake at her.

"Oh, Sithspit, what'd I do now?" she moaned, her forehead pressed against the cool tabletop.

Rym sat up, leaned back to stare up in bafflement at the ceiling then finally closed her eyes. Her head was pounding less from the head banging on the table than from her own feeling of humiliation.

"And it ain't gonna get no better knowing that we're goin' to the Jedi Temple," she whispered. "Dat's just great. Gonna be in their camp and here I am, the stupid one who attacked the Jedi Knight. There prolly gonna lock me up or somethin' when we get there..."

With a frustrated sigh, she dropped her head back onto the table with a loud THWAP!


Back in the shared cabin, Pharinseaya had stripped out of her soggy tunic. She carried the nerf milkshake covered garment into the fresher and did her best to wash it out by hand.

"Luke Skywalker, what am I to do now?" she said aloud. Pharinseaya remembered that Rym might hear her spoken or unvoiced thoughts through the strange connection the women shared but she knew that there was little she could do about that. "What am I to do now?"

Despite the laments toward Master Skywalker, she knew she had no way of getting into contact with the Council Leader unless the transport needed to come out of hyperspace. However she chose to handle the situation with Rym Svoby was her decision alone.

Pharinseaya wrung out the tunic then put it back on, wet. She stood in front of the express dryer that any person might use after coming immediately out of the shower. It did the trick to dry her shirt until she could get it properly cleaned on Yavin IV.

"I really ought to find that girl," she conceded with a heavy sigh. "No matter what, I AM the Jedi Knight here."

Pharinseaya reclipped her blue-bladed lightsaber to her utility belt and exited the cabin. The transport was of a considerable size and while she -strangely- couldn't directly sense Rym through the Force, the Jedi decided to walk toward Rym's last known location before the altercation in their cabin: the cafeteria.

Upon arriving there however, she found only a few scattered sentients - a Twi'lek, a Bith and two Humans - in the seating area. Where one would order food was deserted. Pharinseaya noticed one of the public transport's security personnel standing with his back to the far wall, watching everyone.

Approaching the security guard who - like many - stood nearly a foot taller than Pharinseaya, she drew on her most serious and calm visage. "Excuse me," she said, "I am looking for someone... my cabin-mate and wonder if you might have seen her recently?"

He finally took note of the Jedi standing before him. "I see lots of people in here, lady. Can you be more specific?"

He's baiting me, he's just baiting me, she thought quickly. Pharinseaya breathed a calming breath then spoke again. "She's a young woman, perhaps in her mid-20s by human standards. Short blonde hair, lithe and--"

"Oh, she's the one who was banging her head on the table over there just a little bit ago," the guard - who's nametag read Mauc - said as he nodded to the booth where Rym had earlier been seated.

Pharinseaya rolled her eyes, imagining all the drama that Rym must have been displaying. Banging her head?

"You wouldn't have happened to have seen which way she went did you, Mr. Mauc?"

"Just Mauc," he replied, glancing at her briefly then looking back on the quiet cafeteria. "I only saw she went down the south corridor. Opposite from where your cabin is, correct?"

Pharinseaya nodded. "Thanks... Mauc. Your assistance is appreciated."

"Girl's gonna have one hell of a headache later on," he remarked.

She considered their misunderstanding, the argument and evidently Rym's behavior. Pharinseaya thought about the conversation they were going to need to have before arriving on Yavin IV. To Mauc, she said, "You have no idea..."

"Need any help?"

"Thank you, but no. I should be able to attend to the situation."

She bowed to the security guard and hurried toward the south corridor. Pharinseaya was so focused on finding and confronting Rym that she didn't even feel Mauc's lingering gaze on her back.


"Oh, mother of all that's evil in the Jundland wastes, here she comes again," Rym groaned. She could feel Pharinseaya drawing closer to her. The Force had told her when the Jedi Knight had left their cabin, when she had reached the cafeteria to talk with the security guard and she felt her closing in on her now.

"Rym? You're in here, aren't you?" Pharinseaya had gradually begun to sense her associate through the Force after leaving Mauc in the cafeteria.

Coming further into the room, she found Rym tucked into a corner of the entertainment/leisure room, staring at a black vid screen.

"I'm here," she replied with resignation in her voice.

The Jedi Knight decided to humble herself before Svoby as a way of initiating conversation and building back what fragile trust had been made. "Rym, I'm sorry. This entire... situation... was my fault entirely. I should have been more conscious of the fact that you might have been able to read my thoughts given your strength in the Force. I didn't think. I hope you can forgive me."

Rym looked up, dazed. She offered Pharinseaya a shrug.

Pharinseaya checked her annoyance at the flippant gesture and instead took a deep breath. "I'm... making an effort, Rym."

"OK, so you're forgiven. That feel better?"

"You know what? We have a long, shared journey still. I'd rather get things worked out rather than spend the rest of the voyage like this." Pharinseaya sat down on the table in front of Rym and stared at her.

"What difference that make?" she said miserably. "I'm stupid and I screwed up... throw somethin' at a Jedi. Forget it, Rym... yer goin' nowhere but to slum somewhere 'round the galaxy now. No home, no future... space off, Rym."

Pharinseaya shook her head. "All's not lost, Rym. People lose their temper. People sometimes make bad decisions. Your choices are irreversible, yes, but that doesn't put us at an impasse," she said. "I am prepared to move beyond our incident if you are."

"Are you for real?"

Pharinseaya pinched herself for effect. "Let's save those discussions for the times when you're in Jedi training," she laughed. "Trust me."