Fixing the computer wiring hasn't been going super well, so Sol is a bit distracted when he goes to take a break. He pulls at his pack, only for it to take a tumble and knock over a series of other bags, sending them across the floor.

"Ahhh kriff it" Sol goes to try to collect his belongings. Of them is a cylinder, matte black and agressively ridged. It doesn't quite seem to fit together quite right, like someone has left something askew

[Hey people, I thought I would try something different! Name something in your inventory to show to those in the thread. In Sol's case, it is an Inquisitor's single bladed lightsaber hilt (slightly modified and crystal-less)]

Tyllia; being generally on the lookout for things; noticed the clumsy spillage of possessions. Hard not to, really, with her passing by at just that moment. She kneeled down and wordlessly started helping gathering them up. And then she picked up the hilt. She recognized it of course. Not the specific make; but rather what it was supposed to be. Weight felt off though. Barely perceptible, but to someone trained in such things... she could tell the thing wasn't likely to be functional.

Maybe that's why she handed it back with only the slightest of pauses.

Maybe it was the fact that if this was an inquisitor, she didn't want to give off the sense that she had recognized it.

If so, she might still've made a mistake in doing so, despite it being objectively the best thing to do under the circumstances. Because when she handed it over, the angle of her body combined with the movement let her black robes; that she wore over her regular clothing; fall open just enough to notice the carved stick she carried with her.

It was just a stick of course. Like a cane perhaps. Useful for all sorts of harmless things.

Except it wasn't. It was perfectly balanced. Perfectly suited to train with for a particular and rare style of combat.

Of course, figuring that out would require actually training with it.

And figuring out it was a *weapon* to begin with, well, that took a little bit of an eye.

"Careful," she said, "Don't want to bang up any parts we need for... well, whatever we need parts for."

[Training Stick, 3 setback to determine it's a weapon]

"Many thanks." Sol seems completely oblivious to someone recognizing what that device is and seems equally oblivious as to the sticks other purpose. "You..." He shakes the cylinder "Are as much trouble as your last owner, yet somehow only half as depressing." He tosses it back into his pack and turns to the human, offering a toothy (fangy) smile.

"I don't know if you can saw that it's been a long day this early, but it certainly feels that way"

"You stole that component from someone else? What's it even for?"

Given how things were proceeding; Tyllia proceeded to use the opportunity... to find out more. She knew exactly what it's for, of course. But pretending that she didn't; in other words, lying her ass off; served as a good way to pump this person for more information.

Did *he* even know what it was? Was this going to be a lie-off? Was he as clued in as she was, or was she the only one aware of the game that had just begun?

""Stole?" That is probably the least charitable description for it" (Though strictly speaking, it wasn't wrong) "It was a chaotic situation and the former owner dropped it. I picked it up, and I didn't hear him complaining about it when all was said and done" Sol tries to smile, showing off the glint of crooked ivory teeth. It was a perfectly true statement. Also, completely devoid of context.

I mean, Arwen still has his other saber and was so hang-dog about the whole thing that it's never come up.

"It's a cutting instrument. Diatium powered, but useless without a proper focus to maintain a stable energy field. I still haven't found a proper one" Again, a perfectly, 100% true statement

In her estimation, he probably thought he was being clever, avoiding the truth by telling lesser truths. And that would've sufficed for anyone else, of course. But it told Tyllia that he knew exactly what it was, as much as she did, and also that he was looking for the very same thing she was.

There was also the implication that he had killed the previous owner; but that was a less obvious conclusion.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... the way you talked about its last owner... I just assumed that... Ah, well, never mind."

"It's alright" Sol continues to smile with rows of teeths This is how humans show they are friendly, right? "People seem to think the worst of me for some reason. I suppose that a Ganks reputation is not entirely unearned." He extends a hand. "Solork Tan, formerly of Pack Tan, at your service"

She was a strange human, looking at him warily. That was probably a good thing. Julo was playing things smarter than Deera had on Kamda and it was a path that Sol thoroughly supported.

"Tyllia Mantero," she said; taking the hand, another half-truth/half-lie added to the conversation. "And oh, it's not because of your species or anything. I just... you said something about the last owner giving you trouble and being uh.... what was it you said. Depressing? I just put one and one together and I guess I got three, instead of two."

"Oh, he was a moody little wanker, that one:" Sol plays with his voice modulator, taking it up a few octaves "You don't know how hollow existence is! You've never had to realize your sires were falliable! My lover is deeeaaad! No one could possibly understand!" Sol changes back his voicebox and leans in. "The lover...not dead. He didn't exactly have the best audience for that message"

Well, well. She didn't know a whole lot about Ganks, but this one seemed... well, maybe not immediately bloodthirsty like their reputation suggested... but certainly vicious enough to make fun of what sounded like someone's pain. Although, if that someone was an inquisitor... did she really care? Sure sounded like a 'moody little wanker', indeed.

"And... I mean, then what happened? This sounds like the set-up to the ending of one of those bad holo romances, but I don't see how it'd conclude with you walking away with his stuff? Unless it's actually a rom-com/crime crossover."

"Well...smarter heads and convincing heads prevailed. Not mine, naturally." Sol offers a self-deprecating chuckle "It turns out that cult leaders aren't exactly honest when they are isolating you from your family and loved ones"

His expression grows more grim, the "smile" vanishing into his muzzle. "When someone is isolated and insulated from the outside world, when everyone they talk to or see is either one of the bunch, or an enemy, it's much harder to see a life outside the group. The ferocity the enemy responds to you with helps reinforce that your group is right, that they are the only ones who are honest with you, who know what and who you are. In time, you stop even listening for other voices, because why listen?"

Sol coughs. "But yes, the edgelord. It turned out that his lover wasn't head, just seriously injured and in an imperial prison. His mother had helped the Empire, not knowing what it would cost her son, and it would deeply change her. The two lovebirds were back together, last I heard, though amends with his sire were slow work, and since all of this is all crime...I guess romance/crime holodrama isn't out of the question? I mean, Heights and Depths already has the name taken, but-" Sol offers a bark of laughter.

Such a curious situation this was. She hadn't expected him to be so... forthcoming. Which to be fair, he probably didn't think he was. She had a pretty good guess as to what went down, unlikely though it seemed. Especially the part where a Gank was involved in all of it.

"Interesting, so he had a freak-out, you stepped in and talked to him instead of fighting him, he realized he was being stupid, saw the light, and you walked away with a souvenir?"

She shrugged. "Could make for a good drama I guess."

"Close enough." Sol waves his hand. "The talking was the boring part. But what about you? What brings you to this little den of crooks and revolutionaries?"

"Huh," she said, "Talking someone like that down and all that stuff. Almost makes you sound like one of those... you know, what's the... oh yeah, Jedi."

She pushed the proverbial button.

Sol positively beams. "You think so?" He coughs and composes himself. "Unfortunately, I can't take credit for that one. I wanted to rip the man limb from limb. Someone else talked him down, one of the people I thought I was protecting...and I guess was really protecting me. I think I mentioned something about the whiny act not having an audience? It's hard to make the case that no one knows your pain when you're talking to those who have had their family, friends, even their sense of self taken away from them under the boot of the Empire. If anyone was going to understand, it was us" Sol shakes his head.

"But it's cool you think I'm like the Jedi! My pack" There is a twinge of pain, even now, all these years later, "was hired to do dirty work for the Empire. They wanted a group of troublemaking monks gone...a band that called themselves the Guardians of Whills. They had a little out of the way temple, and someone wanted a message sent. The only thing is, why pay a band of mercs when you can let them do the job and then wipe them out all after that. We only managed to fight back at all because an Imp had an itchy trigger finger. Afterwards, it was the Guardians who nursed me back to health. They had plenty of stories of the Jedi." Sol offers a nostalgic smile. "It's nice, hearing that I seem like one, even if your reasoning was off base"

"You talk a lot, you know. It makes it obvious you're trying to distract from something."

Yes. She pushed the proverbial button next to the other proverbial button.

Solork seems unconcerned about the accusation that he's hiding something. "Ah! I'm afraid that I don't get to chat with humans much. Many seem to be, well, terrified of me. I am told that my personal manner is odd, but I've never quite gotten the knack for vocal conversation"

"But I notice that you did not answer my question"

"Just as I've noticed you're still trying to distract," she said. This time it barely even sounded like an accusation. It seemed pretty casual, the way she said it.

She considered the best approach forward for a moment then, before settling on one. Voice still seeming pretty casual. Like they were just having any ordinary conversation.

"Let's see now," she looked off to the side in an exagerated 'i'm thinking' display. "Why am I here? On this planet? Could have something to do with that lightsaber hilt that you really should keep better hidden. Could have. Probably doesn't, though."

Sol lets the matter lie. He isn't actively discouraging her one way or another on the point.

Let her think what she does.

"I have people to protect in my stories. If I ramble around the edges to keep their safety, I'll take the heat for it."

Sol blinks hard, his face twitching at the "lightsaber" comment.

"Well, then I suspect that you would appreciate my discretion with others secrets...as I would with your own"

"I do," she answered with that same casual tone. "But part of the secret is out now, as is the secret that I've noticed that part."

She shrugged.

"So that begets the question: what now?"