Chapter Title: Kebrey Pacus

Series Title: Unlikely Brothers

POV: Dashen

Ages in this chapter: Tanner (9) Dashen (15)

Chapter Summary: Tanner's first trip to Colton's bar (The Rathskeller), leads to a new friendship.


I'd have called him a grump, but he'd probably have beaten the crap outta me, tossed me out the window and fed me to the local street rats.

I would've had worse days.

This day I was being exceedingly careful with who I ticked off. I had a shadow now. A small nine-year-old Jedi-shaped shadow tailing me everywhere I went that didn't involve work. We were still getting to know each other, Tannerlin and I, but I felt he needed to know the lay of the land. Colton suggested we visit The Rathskeller, his local bar/restaurant/cantina. Whatever you wanted to call it. The clientele could be questionable, but security was tight and there was rarely a major issue.

Kebrey Pacus was the grump I mentioned. Not really a grump, but the guy didn't smile much and had a look that dared you to make that one minuscule move in the wrong direction and have your hide torn out before you could wage a protest. His always-glare with non-quite-human lavender eyes, along with the heavy gray hair and thick peppered beard was intimidating enough. Added to it was the angry gray protective long-coat he wore across broad shoulders, hanging just above his knees to hide an arsenal of weaponry. Roughly aged boots polished off his intimidation factor.

Did he like me? Maybe. Maybe not. We'd never had too much conversation really. Nothing deep anyways. He'd accepted me into Colton's life, because well, he really had no choice in the matter. The best I could claim was that the two of us were indifferent with the other.

Now here I was introducing the kid into this place. I didn't know much about life at the Jedi Temple but had a good sense that Jedi kids his age didn't much hang out in bars with the undesirables of the galaxy. That was confirmed with the kid latched even closer to me than usual as we entered into the bar.

Dimly lit, randomly decorated and always with a group of regulars and a stream of transients. The legit and not so legit of Kaolin and beyond. Colton didn't care who his customers were as long as they behaved and spent money.

Tannerlin and I scurried in immediately toward the back and my preferred booth. Pacus eyed us the entire time, grim face curious. Wait... Curious? That was new. I nodded toward him and said his name. Our usual non-jovial greeting.

"Pacus."

Surprisingly, he approached and stood over the table. Tall, large, broad. Colton had a type for his security team. Kebrey fit the bill in every way.

"Lesedi. Don't usually see you here in the afternoon."

Truth. When I did come to the Rathskeller, it was typically in the evening to grab a late dinner after a job. Of course, that was before I had the kid here tagging along. My life wasn't just my life anymore.

"Got the kid here to think about now. The late crowd is a little more... uncertain. Tannerlin, this here is Kebrey Pacus. Runs this place and has worked for Colton for years. Kebrey, this is Tannerlin." I didn't give him the story, he already knew the fake version of our lives. To the outside world, Tannerlin and I were brothers and nephews of Virgil Colton. To the people surrounding Colton, they understood that Colton had sort of taken me under his wing not long ago for work purposes and that recently the kid and I had moved into the apartment above Colton's estate house. So, Kebrey was aware that our fake story was a fake story, but he didn't know Tanner's true past and that was fine by me.

"Welcome to the Rathskeller, kid." The big man gruffed out.

"Thank you Mr. Pacus."

That got a laugh. A sound I'd never heard from Kebrey before. I followed with my own. Mr. Pacus. That was a good one.

"Don't call me that."

The words and tone made Tanner shrink back, though to his credit and with steadying deep breath, he actually got the nerve to brave up a personal question. Water I had never tread before with any of Colton's security.

"You're half human, aren't you?"

Yup. Out of the blue anyone? It even caught Kebrey off guard.

"And you know that how, kid?"

"You've got different eyes and four fanged teeth. I don't know what the other half is though."

This was going badly, I could see it. Colton's people weren't big on spilling the beans of their lives and as I'd said, my conversations with Pacus had been limited with practically zero personal information ever shared. Tanner comes along and dives right in asking questions that were way to personal. I prepared myself to be hurled out a window.

No window hurling happened though and my butt actually stayed planted in the corner booth.

And this unexpected conversation continued.

Kebrey responded with, "Actually I don't know what my other half is. It's always been a mystery to me as I did not know my father."

This was news. This was surprising. Who knew he could talk this much? This was weird.

It got weirder when the big man knelt down to eye level so that Tanner could talk directly to him.

"I've met a lot of non-humans," Tanner went on, careful to not mention anything about Jedi, "But I've never seen purple eyes before. I like them."

"Huh. You know," Kebrey. Engaging. Conversing. Friendly. What the hell was happening? "I like them too. I like to think they make me unique."

"Yeah, you're kind of scary though. You could cut your hair and beard some and not be so scary. But maybe you need to be that way for your job here."

Kebrey laughed and I was beginning to think I'd been flicked into a parallel world of was-this-really-happening.

"It is helpful to... give off a specific vibe. In case the patrons... wander off path."

"Have you ever had to shoot anyone? You have a lot of blasters under your coat."

Damn, the kid just called him out on his weapons. If Pacus assassinated me later, I'd fully expect it.

"Yeah, it's my thing. All the more reason for me not to be crossed. I take my job seriously. Colton holds great confidence in me, so it's up to me to never let him down."

Dedication. Tanner loved that. He went about it without a stockpile of weapons hidden under his clothes, but he appreciated dedicating to someone and working hard to keep any promise or oath made.

"I haven't known Colton that long, but I know that I won't let him down either. Not ever."

Called that one.

Thankfully Kebrey brought him back down. "Not ever is a big promise, kid, especially for someone you've only recently met. I'm sure Colton will respect the dedication, but don't set the bar too high. You're young, there's plenty of time for that as you grow up. I like that determination though and I like you, Tannerlin. You ever need anything, you just let me know." He stood. Tall, large, broad. Intimidating again.

"I like you too, Kebrey. My brother takes care of me, but it's nice to have another friend and a big friend too."

"Yeah. Dashen here, he's a good kid too. He'll help you out."

Attention turned. To me. What? Good kid? Me? Since when did he know anything more about me than I was under Colton's employ and that I was an annoying smart ass?

"And before you ask, Lesedi, I keep tabs on you. Colton's orders, by the way. So, don't think I have no idea about you other than you're a smart ass. You're thinking it, I see it in your eyes."

Damn it.

"You're a better person than you like to think you are. Keep that in mind. Especially with the kid here under your care now. I know some of your past, Lesedi. That your baby brother died and it broke you. But you picked up and hung on. That takes resilience and courage. I'm good with both of those."

It broke me all right. What he probably didn't know was my suicidal tendencies after the fact. Or maybe he did. At this point who knew anymore. But courageous and resilient? Hell no. If I hadn't stumbled onto Tanner... but that was another story for another day. Kebrey thought I was all right. I'd take it.

"And on that note, I'm back to work, boys. I see a couple of our regulars getting obnoxious at the gambling table. Time to tone it down. This should be fun. I do love my job."

I hadn't realized until now, since the man's natural unsmiling face never showed much - until Tanner came along - but apparently Kebrey Pacus did love his job. The regulars, eh not so much. Big hands snatched the troublesome pair by the scruff of their necks, pushing them against the wall until their bright green faces turned dark blue in an odd yet somewhat entertaining scene. Their reentry to the bar stools was painful, but they sat, resumed their game and behaved. All the while, the large shadow of heavily crossed arms and a hardened-take-no-nonsense face looming overhead.

"You're lucky he likes you," I said to Tanner. "Hell, you even got him to smile and laugh. A bantha-sized task if there ever was one."

Tanner looked on thoughtfully as Kebrey gave him a nod from across the bar. Really. First meeting. Twenty minutes in, the kid had already crossed into the nodding stage. I'd only ever known one other person with that ability; the ability to get along with just about anyone.

Kossi was that other person. He too was young and small and took joy in making people feel comfortable and happy. Kebrey never knew Kossi, but I suspect that little brother of mine would have influenced the bar manager in much the same way as Tanner.

From there we ordered and ate and watched, spending a couple of hours together with Tanner pointing out the various species that came and went from the bar. Fascination with all things involving learning about the galaxy and the creatures within. What was exceedingly dull and boring to me was excessively enthralling and fascinating to him. It was a pleasant two hours.

Tanner ended his first trip to the Rathskeller with a warm-hearted goodbye to Kebrey. No hug just yet, but he'd work to it. If nothing else, the kid had a new protector, if for different reasons than being a Jedi. I strongly suspected that Kebrey Pacus - like his boss, Virgil Colton - was one who took care of his friends. Tanner snuck himself onto that friend list after first meeting. Good for him. Great for me. Any and all trusted eyes helping to keep my brother safe were welcomed.

"Bye Kebrey, thanks for making friends with me."

See how he did that; made a friend and was straightforward about it, easily cementing any uncertainty with the opposite party. It was a skill few could claim. Tanner had it in spades.

That opposite party knelt from his vertical height to again be eye level with Tanner. A sign of respect and kindness. Returning what Tanner had offered him almost the second after walking through the door today.

"Same, kid. Until next time. You can even bring Dashen with you too."

Okay, really? Damn it. Ugh!

I let the jested comment go and set a hand on Tanner's shoulder to move him out the door as the evening clientele began to roll in. Clientele I wasn't ready for him to be exposed to just yet. Last thing I needed was him making pals with a part-time bounty hunter with keen eyes and a prying curiosity.

"Later, Pacus," I abbreviated as we hustled out the door.

As we stumbled toward our path home, Tanner turned toward me. "I like him, Dash. Why did you tell me yesterday he was an emotionless grump?"

"Because he was until just now. It's you, Mouse. People like you even if they don't know you. It's a weird gift."

"Your brother Kossi was the same."

I stopped for a minute, had I told him that? Or did he just know? Did it matter?

In the end, I didn't worry too much on it and simply agreed with him.

"Yeah, he was. He was a good kid, just like you." My hand pushed him toward the walk home. "Let's get moving, you're back to school tomorrow and you need to finish your studies."

"I did my studies for tomorrow already, Dash. I did them after I got home that same day."

Of course he did.

"Of course you did. Well then, maybe we'll watch a holo-film or something."

"I'd like that."

"Me too."

"When can we come back to see Kebrey again?"

"Soon enough. Next week sometime."

"I'm okay with that."

"You're okay with that?"

"I am."

Tanner was funny, even if he didn't realize it. His honesty and purity made him that way. I set a hand on his shoulder and we enjoyed the long walk to the house, a walk that was filled with one story after another about all the various species he'd seen at the bar.

Staying interested - even though I wasn't - his enthusiasm was contagious.

And I was pretty sure I smiled the entire way home.


END