deceit of war ( treasuresniper, tilucki )

Miran watched Nayr buy food for himself, following his lead she bought herself some of the same things as well. She placed her portions of food onto the speeder, making sure it was secure before they kept walking. Miran couldn't help but believe their fates were intertwined somehow, maybe she once knew him before she had left to train as a Jedi- it would make the most sense since she recognized him faintly. Her thoughts were interrupted by Nayr handing her a blaster, the cold metal feeling rather weird in her hands. It was heavier than a lightsaber, and holding it reminded her of the clones. She tucked the blaster into her belt and sighed softly.

"I will learn how to use one," Miran told him with a nod. At least she had something to protect herself now that wasn't her lightsaber. Perhaps she could look into getting something other than this weird smelling helmet to protect her identity next.

The loud, charming voice of a WeeQuay made her jump, turning to see him and Nayr speak. It seemed they were acquainted, the WeeQuay Hondo acting very friendly towards him, his arm wrapped around Nayr's shoulder. Miran wasn't expecting him to mention her, but it seemed this Hondo was a rather curious fellow. She nodded along with Nayr's answer to Hondo's question, flinching a little from his touch. She wasn't expecting him to wrap his other arm around her shoulder, for they had just met. Miran couldn't help but dislike Nayr speaking for her, as Hondo's offer was something she was interested in. "I might take you up on that offer later," She said after Nayr finished, smiling underneath the helmet politely at Hondo.

Miran let out a small yelp as a thief ran into her, knocking her healing shoulder and her helmet straight off her head. She went to pick her helmet back up but Hondo had beat her to it, their eyes meeting as he handed it to her- giving her face a good look. Miran froze in place, suddenly paranoid, wondering if he recognized her as a Jedi. "Thank you." She said, putting on the helmet quickly after he gave it back. Hearing Hondo's tease made her cheeks immediately burn up in embarrassment, had he insinuated that she was some sort of pretty face for Nayr? She took in a deep breath, calming herself. She knew that wasn't the reason she was with Nayr, so she had no reason to feel embarrassed. She had just never been told that she was attractive before, even if it was in a backhanded way.

Miran looked around and turned to Nayr. "You don't suppose there's a place here that would make me a more breathable mask?" She asked him, beginning to find herself annoyed with the musty smell of the helmet he had given her. If she was going to commit to this new life, she wasn't going to do so in this clunky helmet. There had to be someone she could commission on Lothal for such a thing.
 
"If that is what you want..." Nayr hesitantly agreed with her request and all three of them made their way to the equipment market. "So you are interested in this delivery job, yes? I assure you it is a most profitable one, the only reason I'm not doing it myself is because of... occupational hazards. But hey I'm sure if Nayr picked you, you should be more than capable of handling this job." Hondo shared a bit more details about this job to Miran much to Nayr's concern, Hondo isn't exactly the most forthcoming person in the galaxy and at times that can lead him and everyone involved into more trouble. "Choose your equipment and we can discuss about this later in somewhere more private."

After purchasing whatever equipment she wanted, the trio made their way to the local inn. Nayr rented a room for them to stay in for the next few days. "Care to share more about this job, Hondo?" He asked curiously. Depending on how difficult this job was, he might actually let the girl pursue them. "Thought you'd never ask! As I said it's a simple delivery mission. We'll be delivering some weapons to a local syndicate here in two days. I just need you guys to act as my "muscle" incase they try anything. So what do you say?" Hondo awaited for their response with full enthusiasm, something Nayr did not share. Considering that the girl doesn't even know how to use a blaster, this could turn ugly real fast. "Maybe I can get some of my other men to do this job for you..." Nayr suggested, wanting to avoid needlessly risking the girl's life.
 
Miran breathed a sigh of relief, following him to an area of the market that sold equipment. As she looked through masks, she listened to Hondo talk, still not sure how to feel about him. Miran was more focused on shopping than she was listening to them talk, so she was glad Nayr shut him down. She found a black, breathable piece of fabric that wrapped around her neck and up to her nose, covering half of her face discreetly and comfortably. She paid for the mask and quickly took off the clunky helmet, pulling on her new mask. It was breathable and didn't get in her way, unlike the helmet. She then sold the helmet, leaving it for someone else to put it to better use.

Miran was quiet when they traveled, not having anything to say. She instead was stuck in her thoughts, still trying to make sense of her situation, figuring out what was the best course of action now that her old life was criminalized.


They sat down a the inn's cantina, and finally began talking about this job Hondo kept mentioning. Listening to Hondo with her full attention now she realized that this job was out of her comfort zone. If she was able to defend herself with her lightsaber she would've gladly accepted it, but she'd be outed quickly for using a weapon of the Jedi. "I can't help you with that sorry." Miran said with a small sigh, sinking into her chair. She really was useless for the time being. "It's best if you have his more experienced men do the job, like Nayr said, I'm new blood." Miran explained to Hondo, hoping that using the reasoning that she was new to this life was enough to get people to not question her.

Miran then looked at Nayr. Perhaps he could teach her how to use a blaster.
 
Miran's response gave Nayr food for thought. If she was going to survive in the criminal underworld she would have to learn fast Additionally, she seemed just a bit too eager to pass it on to someone else, an attitude the crime lord would normally never tolerate. After contemplating on it for a few more seconds, he finally agreed to Hondo's proposal. "On second thought, Hondo. We'll take the job. I'll be accompanying her personally to evaluate her performance." Upon hearing this, the WeeQuay's face lit up with glee and happiness. "I knew you would come around Nayr! Don't you worry, this will be relatively easy job with almost zero risk. I'll even split the reward with you, down in the middle! 40/50! " Hondo put his arm around the two once more while giving out questionable ratios. "Hondo..." Nayr snarked at him for making him such an offer. "I am joking of course! 50/50! And here is a datapad with all the details. I am gonna go make some preparations. See you both in two days." the pirate left a data pad on the cantina table before leaving. "Well then, seems like you're gonna have to learn how use a blaster real soon. Also you owe me for selling my old helmet." Nayr uttered while finishing his blue milk in one gulp. Nayr was quite surprised that she would have the audacity to sell his helmet off to the market, considering that it was something he had lovingly customized himself.

At Sunset, Nayr drove the speeder to a secluded area far from town for a little target practice. He placed a few pieces of scrap on top of a fallen tree before asking the girl to stand a few meters away from the target. To be skilled with blaster, she needed to be able to reliably hit targets from across different ranges. The blaster pistol he gave her was something he had customized extensively to his needs, being able to fire rapid burst of high powered plasma bolts while also having reasonable accuracy, if she could handle the recoil that is. "Try using that pistol I gave you to hit the targets from here. The pistol does have a built-in scope that was synced with my old helmet. But seeing as you carelessly sold it off, you're gonna have to rely on your eyes." There was a tinge of annoyance in his voice, but all the same, the girl shouldn't rely too much on her tools.
 
Miran's eyes widened in shock as Nayr took back what they had said, glaring his way in annoyance. Did he want her to die so soon? She sighed softly, not wanting to get in the middle of the two, she stayed quiet. She was going to have to learn fast now that he had accept this offer.

"I already owe you, just add it onto my debt." Miran shook her head, rolling her eyes. She didn't understand why he had a problem with her selling the helmet. It was clunky, hurt her horns, and could do much better for someone else. Miran had to relearn some of the teachings that were drilled into her from a young age, and today she realized how attached people could be to the smallest things. She felt a little guilty, but there was no undoing what she had done. "I'm sorry though. If it means anything."

Miran held onto the back of the speeder as they made their way from the town into a secluded, grassy field. She was glad at the least he was offering to help to her learn how to use a blaster, but she wondered how she was going to repay him for all the things he had done for her so far. Miran still was curious over Nayr's intentions, wondering why he kept showing her mercy. She assumed for now that it was because of the child he mistook her for in his past, making Miran feel bad once more. She wished her memories weren't so blurry from her childhood so she could confirm if they had known each other before. But she had purposefully forgotten about her life before the Jedi order to protect herself from forming attachments to her mother and home planet.

Nayr finished setting up a makeshift shooting range, moving her away from the scrap he had set up. "I am sorry again, for your helmet. I hadn't realized that it belonged to you. I regret selling it now, but there's not much I can do about it now." Miran said, looking him in the eyes. She wanted to make it up to him somehow. She pulled out the blaster from her belt and looked down the middle of it. She knew the absolute basics, despite never firing one before. She looked at the scrap piled onto the the fallen tree, placing her finger on the trigger hesitantly. Miran was nervous, but she knew very well that hesitation could be her downfall.

Miran fired the blaster at the first piece of scrap metal, the recoil and the burst of sound that was the plasma shooting out made her jump. She had completely missed the scrap. It was embarrassing to be so fearful in front of Nayr. She wasn't sure why exactly she was so intent on proving herself to him but she took a deep breath and cleared her thoughts, looking down the middle of the blaster again- shooting a second time. This time she knocked off the scrap metal easily, not struggling with the accuracy of her shots at all, her Jedi training helped with focusing enough to get a good shot in. She shot the second piece of scrap metal lined up just to ensure it wasn't pure luck before turning to Nayr.

"How am I supposed to repay you for all of the help you've given me?" Miran said, lowering the blaster. "I can't stop thinking why you're so intent on helping me succeed. I don't know what to do with myself, so I've been following you around. But when I figure out what I'm going to do and leave, what will that make of my debts?" She asked him, pulling down her mask since there was no one around. Miran looked at the wind passing through the grass, the nostalgic feeling returning.
 
"Nice shots, you're a fast learner, I'll give you that much." Nayr complimented the girl for a slightly above average marksmanship. "You think too much, Lady. It seems as though you don't fully understand our arrangement." Nayr turned to her and aimed his blaster towards her. His finger slowly squeezing the trigger. He fired exactly one shot from the pistol. The bolt flew pass her face to strike its intended target, a venomous insect native to Lothal. "I am afraid you don't have the option to leave as you please. The debt is only settled, when I say it's settled. And you may only leave when I want you to leave. Do you understand?" While he what said was cruel, he had to put a bit of distance between them so that she knows who is in charge, at least until she is ready to make better decisions for herself. "Until that time comes, you'll be under my protection. So I'd appreciate it if showed a bit more gratitude." Nayr did not believe that Miran had what it takes to survive in the criminal world alone. As such he needed to force her to stay learn the inner workings of the criminal underworld. Once that's done he would let her go off on her own, but she doesn't need to know that.

Nayr went back to the, inn and to retire for the night. He took off his helmet and took a seat on the lower bunk bed. "Go clean yourself up if you want. But make sure you get some sleep. You're gonna have a long day ahead of you." Nayr started taking off some of his equipment piece by piece for inspection and cleaning. Upon a closer look onto his jetpack, it was quite why he was called the "Spider of Lothal". There were 4 droid armatures attached to it, each of them being capable of holding and firing a blaster. Just by looking at how the crime lord handled his weapons, it was clear to anyone that he loved tinkering with his gear. "Tomorrow, we're gonna go through close combat training. You can't rely on your laser sword anymore, so you gotta learn to use other weapons. I'll give you one of mine, but you better not sell it." It was clear that Nayr was still upset about losing his gear. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't share them with anyone, but it seems that he has a soft spot for this girl. After being satisfied with his cleaning and inspection, Nayr took a moment to lie down and relax. "I know... it can be tough to adjust to this newlife... but I assure you. In most cases, its better than being dead." he gave her a cynical snark.
 
Miran froze up as he aimed his blaster towards her, closing her eyes. If this was the end for her it wasn't that bad, the grassy fields of Lothal was where her life would start and end. Hearing the bolt launch past her made her eyes open immediately. Her cheeks grew red in embarrassment once she realized he had shot down an insect near her. She pulled her mask back to hide her flushed cheeks, awkwardly tucking the blaster she held back onto her belt. "I understand now." She sighed, he was a crime lord, there was always always more to his actions then just kindness. Miran felt naïve for assuming anything else from him.

Back at the inn she was quiet once again, unsure how to talk with Nayr. Miran missed being able to talk with Lox, who listened to her troubles almost always. She looked over to Nayr and watched him take off his helmet. He was still as scruffy looking from the time they first met on Mygeeto. The day they spent on Lothal made her think that they could be friends if they tried, but he was so distant towards her that she struggled to think he'd want to have that kind of relationship with her. "The laser sword is called a lightsaber." She told him, sighing once he mentioned his sold gear. "I thought you'd know what a lightsaber is. You're wearing Mandalorian armor, and they fight with same blades as we do." She said with a small laugh.

His snarky quip made her frown. At least tomorrow she'd be able to prove herself with close combat training, something she excelled in. "I look forward to dueling you tomorrow then. Without all your fancy toys I wonder how you'll do against a fully trained Jedi," She teased him back before walking into the bathroom, locking the door behind her for some well deserved privacy. Miran stripped and stepped into the shower, turning it on to feel the warm water run down her skin. She finally relaxed, rubbing away at her skin- washing away all the dirt from her skin along with the feelings of guilt that continued to creep up on her. She let everything run down the drain with the water, turning the water off when she was finished.

She dried herself off and changed back into her clothes, opening the door to the bathroom. She walked to the beds, and hoisted herself up on the top bunk since Nayr had taken the bottom one. She had nothing to say to him so she laid down, enjoying the comfort of a bed. She rolled onto her side and stared at the wall. "Goodnight Nayr." Miran said softly before closing her eyes, pulling the blanket up over her. She fell asleep quickly, taking quick advantage of the comfortable bed and warm blankets.
 
" Sorry to disappoint you, but I am no mandalorian. Goodnight." and with that he drifted into a peaceful slumber. In the morning, Nayr took her to the far away fields once more to begin her close combat training. He threw her an extendable bo-staff, something that wasn't too different from the weapon she once wielded. "Now then, first lesson when fighting in the criminal underworld..." Nayr turned his back towards her as if he was grabbing something from the speeder, but this merely a trick. He immediately turned around and fired blast from his repulsor, sending a wave of force capable of sending smaller objects flying. For outsiders, it would have looked like a force push. "Never expect a fair fight. In the past, I am sure your jedi powers gave you an edge in combat, but it's gotten much riskier for you to use such abilities, so I shouldn't be relying too much on them." Nayr took off his jetpack and walked towards Miran, wielding his own bo-staff. "Come then, show me!" he activated the electrified prongs of the staff and attempted to electrocute her before she could get her feet off the ground. Nayr takes not enjoyment from doing this, but it was necessary for her to learn the harsh reality through first hand experience. After that, he made several more swings towards her with the staff before slamming it into the ground, kicking up a lot lose dirt, propelling a good amount of it into her eyes, revealing why she should always wear a helmet in combat.

"Is this the extent of a Jedi's skill? How disappointing!" He struck her from behind with his staff, while taunting her about her apparent lack of skill. He heard that the jedi were good at keeping their emotions in check which was a admirable quality even for a non-jedi. "Maybe if you weren't so weak, your master would still be alive!" Nayr slams his staff onto a nearby rock, sending a few more pieces of broken stone towards her. He then followed up this attack with a leg sweep to knock her down. His word meant no ill will, but she had to be strong enough to withstand assaults on her body and mind.
 
Miran was happy with the weapon he handed her, similar to her lightsaber. She was able to get a good fight in this time, and it made her excited. She tossed the staff between her hands, testing the weight of it as he turned to the speeder while speaking to her.

Whatever Nayr had done, caused what looked like a force push to send pebbles flying, pushing her to the ground since she wasn't expecting such a force. This annoyed Miran, immediately jumping to her feet before he could get a hit in. She activated her staff and gave it a good spin before blocking each of his hits. She finally felt back in her own comfort zone, missing the adrenaline of duelling.

Miran cried out, her eyes stinging in pain as he kicked up dirt into her face. She took a deep breath, calming herself as he taunted at her. Despite her vision being impaired she could hear him and his footsteps quite clearly. "Don't speak of my master." Miran growled softly, finding his quip rather unnecessary. If he was trying to get under her skin, it was definitely an annoying attempt.

She sharpened her senses, not letting his taunts phase her. Miran felt the rocks slam against her but she stood her ground until she heard his foot sweep across the ground and jumped back quickly to avoid being knocked over. Miran launched herself at him, jabbing her staff forward, before jumping away. His taunt about her master had her furious deep down, and she was struggling to control herself, having to focus on her breathing and every small movement and sound to not lash out.

Her sight returned slowly and she could see him- using this to launch herself at him. Miran was stealthy and fast, each of her movements calculated. Instead of injuring him she instead used a strong swing to knock the staff out of his hands, pointing the tip of the bo staff against his chest once his staff fell from his hands.

"I should just push the end of this staff into you right now. You have no right to speak of me or my master in that manner, even if it's to teach me a lesson. Apologize," Miran spoke in a strong voice, pushing the electric tip of the staff even closer to him.
 
Nayr was impressed by Miran's close combat skills, to think that she would be able to counter all his moves so quickly and knocking over no less was quite the achievement. Perhaps there was some truth to the Jedi legends after all. Nayr had trained with many weapons in his life, although he rarely focused on just one, which would explain he may not be as skilled as others who merely focused on one weapon.

Despite being in a precarious position Nayr did not seem phased by her threat of violence, in fact, he seemed more annoyed that she didn't go through with it. "Then do it! Claim your freedom!" He shouted with equal vigor before grabbing the tip of the electrified staff and pushing it into his chest. Except nothing happened, the bo staff simply deactivated itself. Without the high voltage energy running through it, the staff was relatively harmless. Without missing a beat, Nayr blasted another wave from his repulsor, much stronger than before, capable of sending her skywards a good distance. But since the ground was relatively soft due to the long grass, the only injuries she would get are a few bruises and sore spots. "Did you really think I would give you a weapon that could hurt me? You don't survive in the Outer Rim by being an idiot." Nayr exclaimed revealing that the weapon had built-in failsafes that would keep them from being used against their master.

Nayr stood back up, realizing that perhaps he was slightly too harsh on the girl. "If I did not respect your master or yourself, why would I trouble myself with giving him a proper burial. Most of my own men don't even have such luxuries." He spoke with a solemn tone, it was after all the truth. The only reason he gave her such special treatment was because he pitied her in a way. She reminded him of his younger years in the syndicate when he was still naive. "But all the same, I apologize that you were hurt by my words... but I assure you..." with few button presses on his vambraces, two Magnaguards emerge from a hidden compartment of the speeder, carrying their own electrostaffs. "What happens next is gonna hurt a lot more." Nayr was by no means the best fighter, especially when it came to close-quarters combat. But he often used his tech and brains to compensate, both of which he has more than enough to spare.

"Heed these words, Miran. The day you defeat me in combat is the day you are ready to take care of yourself in this cruel galaxy. But until then, I am not going anywhere." The two magnaguards had their movesets linked to one another, they were programmed to attack in an unorthodox pattern, aiming to flank their enemies with their numbers and long reach. The two droids leap into action, positioning themselves behind the girl while Nayr focused on keeping the girl's attention to the front. Each time she became too focused on one direction, the enemies in the opposite direction would attack as a reminder to always be vigilant. Nayr had taken the liberty to activate some limiters on the droids, to ensure that it wasn't attacking too fast for her to counter, something a master of combat would easily see through but may remain undetected for those who were inexperience in combat. Nayr was in no rush to defeat her, afterall, they had the entire day to do this.
 
Miran almost buckled under his taunt, but before she could press the staff into his chest Nayr had done it himself. The staff deactivated and just simply pressed into him with no outcome. All of his tricks were beginning to truly get on her nerves. She had been so used to fighting mindless droids that she had forgotten how powerful a sentient enemy could be. He pushed her to the edge of anger and hate, dangerous territory for Miran.

Before she could even lower the staff he used the repulsor again, sending her flying away from him- Miran managing to land on the soft dirt without a dangerous injury. She stood up immediately, holding her staff in a defensive form. Nayr continued to push the fact that she was not able to trust him or anyone else, a truth that Miran was beginning to understand.

The words he spoke were drastically different from his attitude moments before. Hearing the genuine, solemn tone from him made her pause, lowering her staff as he began to apologize for his actions. His words were comforting, and she found forgiveness. It was quickly outlived when he pressed a few buttons on his vambraces, and the whirring of droids could be heard.

"Then I look forward to that day Nayr," Miran said, her voice brimming with confidence and energy. She brought her staff up into a defensive position before jumping back, flipping over the magnaguards. She knew being trapped between the three of them meant trouble, so she simply repositioned herself. Miran had always been agile, so moving her position constantly was simple during combat for her. She dealt a strong blow to the one of the droid's neck, knowing that if she managed to damage the head, it would cease functioning or at least weaken - one of the main things she kept with her from fighting so many droids during the war.

Miran focused on just destroying one of the magnaguards for now, focusing on moving constantly to confuse and stagger the droids and Nayr. Though the staff was deactivated, it was still useful with brute force. She used the blunt end of the staff to punch into the droid's face, trying to remove it's sight first.
 
The IG-100 magnaguards were notorious for being difficult to kill, even for a Jedi. One of the magnaguards had taken extensive damage to its head units due to the blunt force trauma it suffered. Its head was hanging onto its body with just a few wires as connection points. In spite of this, it still continued to function as it had a secondary droid brain located on its chest, a standard feature for many magnaguards. The droid, noticing that her staff was someone stuck onto its non-functioning head, took an opportunity to grab the staff, preventing her from pulling it away. The flanking Magnaguard took this opportunity to lunge at her with electro staff. However right before it made contact with the girl, the droid stopped dead in its tracks before returning to a neutral standing position. "Alright, I've seen enough." Nayr was satisfied with her close combat performance but finds her blaster skills to be slightly lackluster.

Nayr made his way back to the speeder a grabbed a few ration bars before tossing them to her. "Here. Eat up." His tone became much more casual, signaling that it was time for a break. Hearing him say something so mundane would make most people forget the type of business he deals with. He walked over the damaged IG droid to begin its repairs. "With your skills, you could easily pass yourself off as one of my enforcers, so that should keep people from asking too many questions." His voice yet again had a casual and relaxed tone. He complimented her for admirable performance against him and his droids, even if he didn't go all out. Nayr took a moment to call his crew to check the progress of the repairs and resupply. "Sir, the repairs are progressing as scheduled. With any luck, the ship will be operational tomorrow night." "Very good, captain. I'll see you then" after shutting off his comlink he turned his attention to the girl once more. He began wondering if she was the girl in his childhood or perhaps he just desperately wanted her to be.

Regardless of who she really was, her talents were undeniable. The criminal underworld is always in need of muscle, so she won't have any problems looking for jobs. But does she have the strength of character to go accept such positions? That is the true question. How much longer can he keep up this charade. At this point, even Nayr isn't sure why he cares so much about a girl he barely knows. "Hondo's job shouldn't be a problem for you. As long as he is being truthful about these details. But all the same, a little training can go a long way." Nayr gave her reassurance that she had the skills necessary to complete the job. After finishing the repairs, he ate a few ration bars himself and drank of the blue milk, he even offered to share some with her.

Nayr decided to open up a little to her before resuming her training. He felt that it was important for her to get some closure with her fallen comrades. "I am not sure what could've compelled your men to betray you like the way they did, but know that when I captured them as prisoners, none of them were willing to divulge any information about you. The one you refer to as Captain Lox caused quite a stir on my ship, fortunately, he was willing to be reasonable about things." He stopped for a moment to reflect on the life he has been living. "I took no enjoyment in killing them. Not one bit." While he has killed his fair share of thugs and bandits, something felt different when he killed these men.
 
Miran couldn't stand how stubborn magnadroids were with their multiple droid brains. She focused on the head, then she would have to go for the chest, adding even more work to the fight. Before she could get another hit in both of the droids returned to a neutral position, Miran immediately looking over to Nayr. She was glad he was finished with the droids, though she was confident in her close combat skills it was exhausting having to keep up with two magnaguards just for a training exercise. She watched as he went back to the speeder, watching his every move closely- not wanting to get flanked again. Instead he tossed a ration towards her, Miran just barely catching it.

"Oh... Thanks," She mumbled out. She assumed this meant they were finished for now, and he wasn't going to continue dueling anytime soon. She unwrapped the rations and bit into it, sitting down to enjoy the food fully, taking this moment to rest after training so intensely. "Not a lot of people will recognize a Jedi in the Outer Rim. I think even if I'm questioned I'll be safe enough if I stay out here." She responded, smiling softly. His compliments were nice after such a harsh session of training. As he tinkered with the droids and spoke to his crew she sat there, staring off into the fields of grass while enjoying the ration. The wind on Lothal made the grass fields look all the more beautiful, rippling through the grass gently. Unlike on Mygeeto, the wind on Lothal was warm, and felt nice against her skin.

Miran would have to meditate soon over her memories from Lothal, now finding herself curious after all these years of blocking them out. She was mostly curious over her relationship with Nayr, wondering if they were once friends before she had left Lothal. "I'll do fine. Thank you for dueling, I've gotten a little rusty." She watched him finish up and sit beside her, offering her a jug of blue milk that he had been drinking. She smiled, taking a small sip from it before returning it back to him.

She froze in place once he mentioned the clones. It was still an open wound, and hearing about them caused her grief. She looked down at the ration bar in her hands and sighed. Hearing that they were loyal till the had turned their guns on her and Yugeth made the betrayal hurt all the much more. She wished she could've given Lox the same burial that Yugeth received, not being able to harbor any ill feelings towards her Captain even though he had shot her. He had been following orders and she knew that's what the clones were built for. It hurt to think about the betrayal but all the good memories with Lox outlived the bad.

"Thank you.. that means a lot Nayr," Miran looked up at him with a smile. "They were all good men. I'll remember them as that." She told him with a nod. It was time for Miran to begin healing if she was going to move on, and Nayr's words helped push her in the right direction.
 
"Lets call it a day." he sighed, backing his droids up. Nayr felt that with her mental state, she wasn't ready to continue her training. Since they still had another day tomorrow, he didn't see any point pushing her too much. "Besides, there's something I wanted to show you." he beckoned her into the landspeeder to visit a more familiar site of Lothal for both of them supposedly. While traveling to the location, Nayr questioned Miran about her childhood and how much of it she remembers. "You said you were from Lothal. You must've had a family here then?" Considering what happened to his own family, he knew the chances of finding hers for slim, but it was certainly something worth pursuing. "Perhaps..if we do find them, they can help settle your debt to me." he spoke with his usual serious tone, but there was something about it that seemed unconvincing.

After a few more minutes of travel and they finally arrived at an old run-down farmhouse. Nayr seemed surprised that the place was still standing after all this time. He had always wanted to come back here on last time, but his criminal life had always kept him from doing so. But today, he had another purpose, to see if Miran truly was the horned girl as she would definitely remember this place as it was an area where they often played together. "Let's go." Nayr cleared a path to the house entrance, cutting down the overgrowth with a retractable Vibro blade. Inside he would find that most of the machinery and equipment were all but gone, possibly taken by scavengers, but his most treasured belongings were still present, albeit a much dustier than before. His family portrait, despite the dust and blaster marks, was still intact, mounted on the wall.

"Does this place remind you of anything?" Nayr's voice spoke in a much softer tone than before as he made his way towards the portrait to reclaim it. He took off his helmet and placed it onto the table to admire the portrait with his own eyes. "If you are the person I think you are.... then your home shouldn't be that far from here. Go." The girl who he used to live with was basically his neighbor, so it would make sense for her home to be very close by. Nayr was secretly hoping that she would actually find her parents, so she isn't forced to follow him and his dangerous and questionable lifestyle.
 
Miran was grateful that Nayr took her in despite how dangerous it is, even if he was a crime lord... But she couldn't help feeling confused. Where was this kindness coming from? He's been constantly drilling into her how the cruel the galaxy can be, but here he was, feeding her, giving her shelter, a new identity and sympathy towards her situation. "Oh... Okay," She turned on her heel and followed suite.

"A family?" The idea was alien to Miran, sure, she had to have a mother to be born into this world, but becoming apart of the jedi order at such a young age meant almost no recollection of her past. The memories she might've kept of her past became foggy or all but disappeared when she began training- no attachments, it was a simple rule. "Well, maybe. My family name is Fenn, not that means anything to me now- or that I'm even apart of their family anymore." His next words caught her off guard, her brows furrowing as she sat up in her seat and tilted her head to the side. "My debt is my own... I'd prefer to keep others out of it," The fair skinned zabrak sighed softly.

The landspeeder slowed to a stop and Miran got out behind Nayr. The fields of Lothal seemed a little more wild here, the farm house that Nayr walked towards was run down and completely covered in plant growth, at first that was all she was focused on- But the between the tall grass she was drawn to an opening. As he cut a path towards the house and began working away at the overgrowth that kept them from entering the house she stood there, frozen in place. Her memories were foggy, but she knew this place, she had been here before. She just couldn't remember the details, she assumed it was just a weird nostalgia for her home planet, but a nagging in the back of her head convinced her otherwise. Miran stared at the opening between the clumps of tall grass and noticed the soil was treaded over consistently in the past. Small shoots of grass were only just beginning to peak out from the dirt, and it was her close observation that lead her to notice a small wooden toy. It was partially covered with dirt, like it had been thrown there and forgotten- children used to play here.

Miran barely caught Nayr's words, so focused on that one spot. "Does it remind me of anything...?" Miran repeated, mumbling softly. "Well, it does carry some nostalgia." She spoke as she walked through the tall grass to the opening, crouching down to pick up the wooden toy. She then looked up and frowned, she was so lost in her own thoughts that she barely caught onto Nayr's odd behavior, he spoke of her family during the travel here, asking her if this place reminded her of anything- as if they were old friends. He spoke again and this time she stood up and walked back towards the man. "Explain yourself." She spoke with a slightly annoyed tone, "what do you mean if I am the person you think I am... My home? Who am I to you?" Miran now stood beside him, looking at the man who continued to vex her. She wanted answers.
 
"You're not the only one thats feeling nostalgic about this place." He replied to her with a small smile. "Well....maybe I am just being presumptuous, I have a feeling you used to be the girl that lived nearby here." He explained in a simple tone. Grabbing the portrait, he decided to keep it for old time's sake, making his way back to the speeder. As he placed the portrait into the vehicle, his visor picks up on some movement in the tall grass.

"Get ready....we have company..." He spoke while unholstering his blasters. Seconds later, a giant feline creature with huge death leaps towards the man only to be wrapped with a bola. More come out of the of foilage and shadows revealing them both to be completely surrounded by a pack of giant lothal sabrecats. "Hey...you're a jedi right? aren't you suppose to be good with animals?" He asked, seemingly reluctant to kill these animals. He probably could just kill most of them with a few blaster shots and rockets but, he saw this as an opportunity to see what the jedi can do.
 
Now beside Nayr she saw the portrait he stood beside. Seeing a younger boy and his parents in a humble family portrait only made her memories wander further, she scanned each face with curiosity before stopping back at the young boy's face. Her memory was foggy, but the young boy's face was familiar to her. As he answered her she began to pick up on what they were doing here, why he had brought her here. He was the boy in the portrait, this used to be his home. "Are you sure..? There are many zabrak's in the galaxy." Miran mumbled out, her brows furrowing as she tried to force back memories now, he was beginning to fill the puzzle pieces but everything was still so hazy.

She followed him back to the speeder, wondering if she was the girl he spoke of, or if she was just imagining it- only recognizing him in the portrait because he had similar features. Miran let out an audible sigh and shook her head, pocketing the small wooden toy she had grabbed from the ground. Maybe if she meditated on this later on she might begin to remember her past. Before she could continue losing herself in the mystery of her past, she felt another presence in their vicinity and her hand instinctively went to her lightsaber.

"We sure do...!" Miran quickly moved away from him as the sabrecat jumped at Nayr, only to be wrapped up in a bola. Just as soon as the first one was trapped, more of them stalked through the tall grass, circling and surrounding them and their land speeder completely. "Huh?" His question caught her off guard, especially after he was just training her awhile back to work without her force powers. It seemed he didn't want to kill the creatures- how peculiar.

"I... I think I can help."

One of her close friends that she trained with as a padawan was talented with animals, they were able to bond with almost any creature if they focused hard enough. They had taught her the basics before they both graduated into knights... she hoped they were still alive. Miran inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, taking her hand off of her lightsaber as she began to approach the sabrecat that growled and thrashed in the bola it had been caught in. She cleared her mind, focusing in on the fear and anger it felt and began to calm it as she gently and carefully untangled it from the bola. It took a few seconds but once it was untangled it had calmed down, looking at Miran with respect instead of hunger.

"You and your friends have nothing to fear. We were just about to leave," She spoke softly to the feline, gently brushing her hand across it's back before giving it a small push, encouraging it to run off. It howled softly, the rest of the sabrecats joining before they all began to walk away from the two. "It seems this is their territory now," Miran turned back to Nayr with a small grin, walking towards the land speeder. "Shall we go now?"
 
Nayr breath a bit easier, seeing the creatures retreat into the wild, where they belong. "Good work." He acknowledges her efforts in quelling the danger before turning to his house one last time. He packed everything he wanted and needed from this old place so there was only one thing to do. Raising his wrist towards his old residence, he would unleash a large torrent of flames at the house, causing a portion of it to catch on fire. Shortly after this, the already decrepit house fell apart under its own weight, and with it whatever remained of the bounty hunter's past.

"We are done here." he spoke with a noticeably sorrowful tone. He took a look at the house of his past one last time before walking away, towards his speeder. On the speeder, he thought about what he was going to do next. With the war over, they would surely be pockets of resistance here and there, so maybe he'll start taking bounties on those parties. Either way, things are changing in the galaxy, for better a for worse. With that out of the way, the bounty hunter decided to return to his personal ship for night and sleep there. He didn't say a word to Miran. Not a word, clearly deep in thought about what he had just done. Did he have regrets? Any second thoughts, perhaps. But none of that matters now.

The next day, Nayr got up early and made Miran do the same, he was preparing himself for the upcoming mission. It seemed simple enough, all he had to do was oversee an exchange between Hondo and some bounty hunters, making sure that they don't try anything. Nayr had briefly explained what the mission was about to Miran as well as warned her to make sure that she hides her face, cause he's not gonna bail her out if she does get caught. Combat was supposed to be the last resort but knowing his luck, he would likely need to crack some skulls. "Alright then, do you have any further questions?" He was somewhat worried whether or not she had the guts to actually kill people in cold blood if needed.
 
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