"What do you want?" Connan crossed her arms and yawned in the Rodian's face. A look of disgust ran across her face as she glanced around her surroundings. The Lower City cantina was a lot less taken care of than the Upper City one. Cracks took over the walls, and the pillars seemed to be only held up by glue.
"I wanted to congratulate you on your massive success on that small performance you displayed night before last." The Rodian spoke clearly.
"Could you say that with half the syllables in it?" Carth asked, twisting his pinky finger in his ears to get out the gunk so he could hear.
"He said thanks for playing the flute last night." Connan crossed her arms and sighed.
"We're going to have to teach him how to speak Rodian, that's the fourth time this morning we've had to translate for him." Jishin whined.
"We need coffa, first," Connan agreed. The Rodian nodded off and left Connan and Carth to their searching.
"Back off, chubba-face!" A voice in front of them shouted. "You're making me sick with that breath,"
"Big bar isn't nice place for little Blue-Girl to be by herself." One of the Rodians directly ahead of Connan said. He pointed to a Twi'lek who looked maybe fourteen.
The blue Twi'lek made the two other aliens scurry off by threatening them with her Wookie friend. Connan chuckled to herself. Wookies were great allies.
"Hello," She started, walking up to the Wookie.
"Why are you bothering me?" The Wookie asked dryly. Connan scowled at him.
"Zaalbar, be nice." The Twi'lek ordered. She caught Connan's eye. "Don't worry about him; he's not the talkative type. Come talk to me."
Shrugging, Connan made her way around the "Zaalbar" and to the Twi'lek.
"Hey there," The Twi'lek started as if she had just seen Connan and Carth. "What can I do for you?"
"Wow," Carth stated. "A Twi'lek that can speak Basic."
Connan smirked, crossing her arms and sucking on her teeth to make an irritated sound.
"Most species can speak Basic, they just prefer their own language." The Twi'lek retaliated. "I'm Mission Vao," She held out her hand to Connan, who briskly took it.
"I'm Connan Frai, and this is Carth Onasi." The woman stated, forcing a yawn down her throat.
"Connan Frai? I know I've heard that somewhere…." Mission placed a finger on her chin and furrowed her brow.
"Did you hear her last night in the Upper City cantina? She was playing the flute there last night." Carth remarked.
"Now he's bragging on us." Jishin poked her other self in the ribs, making a laugh choke up Connan's throat. She coughed slightly.
"Sorry," She stated once she was finished. She glared at Jishin, who was laughing.
"Not funny, Jishin." Connan scowled.
"Oh, you're just still asleep. Wake up!" Jishin slapped her twin on the back, her hand phasing through.
"No," Mission went on with their other conversation. "It wasn't there. I haven't been in that cantina in months. I'm thinking something like somewhere in the Outer Rim worlds. Have you lived on Sajor?"
Connan paled, all of the blood escaping her head as she abruptly felt lightheaded and sick.
"Sajor?" Carth had to comment on everything that ever came out of anyone's mouth, didn't he? "You've been on that world? Isn't that a communist planet?"
"I don't know," Connan recovered quickly. "I've never heard of it."
"No matter," Mission thankfully shrugged off the question. "If you ever have any questions, come ask me. Me and Big Z are usually in the Bek base or in the Undercity looking for oddities."
"I'll remember that." Connan nodded. "We've got to get going."
"Yeah, we'll probably go to the Bek base right about now. Come on, Big Z." Mission waved her goodbyes and dragged Zaalbar out of the cantina, griping about how he hadn't finished eating.
"That was strange," Carth murmured to himself. "Why did she ask if you've ever been on Sajor?"
"I don't know!" Connan snapped, making Carth recoil. She sighed. "Sorry about that," She apologized instantly, running a hand through her hair. "Let's move on,"
"There's nothing else to search for in here." Carth said. Connan grinned suddenly, a toothy grin, so Carth could see her discolored teeth and whitened tongue.
"That just means we can drink."
-----
"Alright, Onasi," Connan warned, setting down her fifth Tarisian Ale glass. "You've had enough liquor for a while."
"Ma'am, with all-do-respect," Said the shy little Twi'lek behind the counter. "He's only had four shots of juma juice."
"And I can still hold more, Sister." Carth slurred his words together. His finger jabbed into the air so forcefully; he made himself fall over onto the table. Connan gripped onto his dull yellow jacket on his chest and pulled him back up.
"No, really. You've had enough. Another one and you'll be intoxicated." She stressed.
"W-well then how can you drink so much Tarlisian Ale without getting a little drunk, Frai?" He asked, chuckling to himself as he pressed his fingers together.
"Tarisian Ale, Onasi. It's Tarisian Ale."
"That was my next choice."
Connan sputtered. Carth was a funny drunk.
"You didn't answer my question."
"Hmm?" Connan shook her attention back onto Carth, who was trying to stand up. He was wobbling all over the place. "What did you say?"
"You didn't answer my drinking kwestion." Carth stated, mispronouncing the word "question" unintentionally. Connan placed his arm around her shoulders and overly-tipped the Twi'lek waitress. The woman's face lit up at the sight of so much money and thanked Connan.
"I drink a lot, Onasi." Connan stated, walking out of the cantina. "I don't get drunk as easily. Now, you—on the other hand, probably haven't taken up a thought about drinking."
"Nuh-huh." Carth shook his head, nearly throwing Connan off-balance with its ferocity. "I've thought about drinking before, Frai."
"Really?" Connan laughed out the words. "What happened; did a flower get trampled or—watch your step right there—or did a bee get squashed?" Connan guided the drunken Carth over the stairs into the Upper City.
"Uh-uh." Carth said forcefully. "I'm not telling."
"And why not?" Connan feigned offence. She couldn't care less if he didn't tell her what was wrong with him.
"Because I don't trust you." Carth staggered around the Upper City as Connan carefully walked him into their apartment.
"Oh, that's very considerate. And why don't you trust me, Mr. I-Must-Always-Be-On-Guard?"
"I'm not always on guard!" Carth threw his other hand into the air. "Just—most of the time."
"Are you going to answer my question, or are we going to get into the You-Think-I'm-A-Sith conversation again?" Connan asked, putting the key into their apartment and walking in.
"I don't trust you because I don't trust anyone, Frai. Sorry, but this man is untouchable." Carth thrust him thumb into his chest. Connan burst out laughing.
"Untouchable, eh? That's a new line to flatter someone." She said, laying him down onto the bed. "Go to bed."
"Why? It's not that dark!"
"Actually, we've spent five hours in the lower cantina. It's 4:00 in the morning." Connan yawned, sitting down on the floor.
"You're not going to sleep in your bed?" Carth began to take his shirt off, forcing Connan to blush and look away.
"I don't sleep in beds, Onsai. I can't—work on other things if I sleep on a bed. It's too comfortable." Connan instructed.
"Well I'm not tired," Carth was so drunk he didn't catch the Onsai remark.
"Lie down and I'll play on the flute. That'll make you sleep." Without waiting for his negative reply, Connan took out her flute.
The tune she played was a slow, solemn one. It kept shadows appearing in Carth's head, and lulled his mind into unconsciousness easily.
"You still never….Never explained about the words in the song…." The drunken soldier murmured before he slipped off into his slumber.
Jishin took over the body completely, smirking to her other self.
"No, we didn't, did we, Connan?" She asked slyly. Carth stirred in his sleep slightly, rolling over onto his side.
Connan shook control of the vocal cords on their body and chuckling.
"You're quite right, we didn't." She mused, holding the end of her flute up to her chin.
It was Jishin's turn to talk. She stood the body up and began picking out the rubber band from her hair.
"And he shall never know. That information is for us only." She half-recollected, half-ordered the words.
"Hmmm, for us and Freòine only." Connan twirled around her flute slowly. Jishin smiled and laughed.
"Yes, Freòine knows too."
THE END!
Yes, they got a little cryptic at the end. They'll get even more cryptic as the story goes on.
And I think I lied to you people. I said either this chapter or the next will have Bastila in them. It's going to be the next one or the one after that. Sorry fellas!
I'll be working on Choices No One Should Make next. So please review and tell me how it went!