Book-Hunt! (D9, LA)

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

"Ghosts? I hear stories about creepy things in the swamps. But if there were any actual ghosts, I'd expect them around the crashed ship, and Nara hasn't mentioned anything like that." Dhel pauses, considering that Nara might just ask if they wanted a beer and turn on something to watch if any ghosts did show up. "But why wouldn't they be real?"

Flipping to the blurb as Raven had suggested, Dhel's eyes widen "Oh wow...fiction, but set in the fields of Coruscant? How long has it been since Coruscant built over the entire surface?."

Manny gets a quizzical look. "Sick kids? Was your family that big that they needed a whole other space for them?"

[Manny Donos]

Manny turned to look at the two of them. "You don't know?" But then he sighed relief as Dhel went on. "Yeah, that's a good point. And Nara would've said if she's seen a ghost. And probably tried to shoot it."

He looked back at Dhel. "No, it was a group home. Orphanage. So, a bunch of kids, a few people feeding us and stuff." He shrugged. "It was alright, except they kept moving us around."

Idly he poked at some books, but he didn't really have the attention to page through them. "I feel like these need more pictures."

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

"Oh! That sounds kind of rough." She wonders if he even knew his parents then, but there's a lot of built in etiquette that says you shouldn't dig too much into someone's past out here. Instead, she runs her finger across book spines, reading silently. "But now you've got a ship and keep moving. I guess it's different when you're the one deciding where to go, huh?"

She pulls something down with a food word in the title to page through, then grins and hands it over. "Seems recipe books have pictures. At least this one does."

Then she casually attempts to look random while reaching for the book Raven put back on the shelf.

[Raven Cadera]

"Pictures huh?" That at least was interesting, even if it wasn't she had been looking for for Praxton. But still she had to check out what Dhel found.

She was very oblivious to Dhel going for the smut-novel.

"I never got to ask, Manny, but... what was it like? Growing up at an orphanage?"

[Manny Donos]

"Ooh, pictures, huh?" Manny went to look over Raven's shoulder (standing on his toes)

He shrugged casually. "It was okay. I mean, there were always other cool kids around, so that was fun. But they kept shifting us around as one house or another got money, or needed to clean the dorms. And sometimes they'd move just a few of us, like or you got to old for a home, or because you broke too many dishes or took apart the refrigerator or something." Another shrug. "So you'd make friends, but then you couldn't see them any more. That sucked."

He brightened. "So then I ran away! That was better."

[Raven Cadera]

"That sounds kinda rough. But, you're right, it's much better now. Now you got your own flying home with lots of friends onboard, right?" she offered Manny a smile at that.

"And you know, you'll always be a friend of me and mine. You might not be Mandalorian, but you've proven time and time again that you're a friend of ours."

Shifting her stance a little, it made it easier for Manny to see the pictures in the book she was holding.

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

Dhel nods, flipping through the book in hand without really pausing to read it yet. "Yeah, running away sounds better." She closes the book but keeps it in hand.

"The ship is a lot better than that kind of getting moved all around." For a moment she seems about to say something, but then flips the book open to look at, then closes it again and finally asks. "You really meant I could stay as long as I wanted...even if you leave here?"

[Manny Donos]

"Totally!" Manny said brightly. "And hey, thanks Raven. That means a lot, y'know? And you know you're one of my best bros too!" He raised his hand for a fist bump.

And then he grinned at Dhel. "Totally!" He said again. "You can stay as long as you like. I mean, I'm not the kinda guy who says that you're in my crew, but only for a little while or something. When you're in my crew, I've got your back for life!" And he raised his other fist for a second fist bump.

[Raven Cadera]

Chuckling, Raven gave Manny the fistbump he wanted, making sure to not apply any force to the gesture.

"... Are you thinking about travelling the galaxy with Manny?" she asked idly, handing the recipe book to Manny as she turned to look at the shelf nearby as it seemed to have books that looked more austere.

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

Dhel raises her fist to return the fistbump, blinking slightly. "Maybe? Even that other trip was definitely not intended as like...leaving for good. But I guess if anyone had asked then, I'd have said I wanted to leave. Now, I"m not as sure. There's family and whatever happens with this thing that we're doing." She doesn't really mention Korvin in there as things holding her to Bellionas.

She looks at Manny, a little agitated. "I mean...I can't help with anything. I don't know how to fly a spaceship, or shoot things, or fix anything. I'm not even good at keeping stuff clean! Singing doesn't earn much."

[Raven Cadera]

"You know how to talk to people though, and got your wits about you. More than I can say for Captain Manny here," Raven remarked with a snicker. "Every crew needs a face, someone to do the talking, make the deals and smooth things over with the local law."

Picking out a book from the shelf, she shot Dhel a smirk. "But your boyfriend would probably be sad if you left."

[Manny Donos]

Manny's already bright expression grew brighter as he received not one, but two fist bumps.

"Hey, I've got tons of wits!" Manny said, grinning. "I'm as witty as a Monkey-Lizard!" He cleared his throat. "But yeah, I could use someone to help make deals. Like, sometimes its okay, but sometimes they're like 'sure kid, whatever'."

He smiled at Dhel. "Besides, friends aren't about what you can do for each other. It's about doing what you can. And being awesome, which you are!"

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

Dhel is clutching the book rather harder than necessary. Good thing it's not remotely squishy. "Oh." There's a long pause. "I guess yeah, maybe I could have helped smooth things over with the ones that came and fined you the other day?" She smiles a bit, "he does have wits...they're just...kinda scrambled sometimes...like the eggs." She grins at him, and reaches over to to pat around for one of the egg-filled pockets to tap for emphasis. "Thanks though. That's all...really nice to hear."

The smile fades a bit with Raven's mention of Korvin and she sighs. "Korvin's going to be sad regardless, and he knows it, and...I wish he wasn't so intent on smashing his heart up that way, but that's how it is. I'm not into him the same as he's into me. Simple as that. He could take up a room on the ship and all of us go together, and he'd still be hurt."

[Raven Cadera]

"Ah, I see..." there was some sympathy in the look she gave Dhel, even if she couldn't quite relate. "... I'm sorry about that."

Korvin didn't seem like the type to leave it all behind to travel the galaxy with Dhel's friends aboard the Manka Cats Rule. "Well, whatever you choose, you have our support, Dhel. If you need me to knock on his door and tell him to tone it down, I can do that too." While it seemed like she was joking, there was that underlying sense that she probably would do it if asked.

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

Dhel shakes her head. "Nah, he's not like that. If I told him to back off, pretty sure he would, even if it made him really sad to do it. But thanks. I'm not used to folks from outside having my back...it's kind of nice." She looks down, flipping the book open just to have something to look at. Her eyebrows lift with a smirk, and she closes it again, keeping it in hand.

[Raven Cadera]

"I always look after my friends," she said with a touch of pride. "And well, I like you. Not only because you are a very good singer, which you are, but you're nice. Just like Manny." Grinning, Raven patted Manny on the shoulder for affirmation then grabbed a different book to look at.

"To be honest, though, I had an ulterior motive to ask if you were thinking of travelling with Manny..." her words trailed off as the book's contents caught her attention.

[Manny Donos]

Manny took the cookbook instead, paging through it very carefully.

"Oh yeah?" He said, looking up at Raven's comment. "What's that?"

[Raven Cadera]

It took a moment for Raven to respond, as she was trying to digest the somewhat heavy text (by her reading ability's standards) of the book in her hand.

"... Right." Closing the book, she focused on Manny. "Since it seems you're putting together a crew now, so it's not just you and Leah, I was wondering if you wanted to work with our Enclave, as our trusted friends. There are places you could go easier than one of us could, even more so with your own ship. In return, it could lead to some business opportunities, and you'd have us watching your backs as well."

She held up a hand to stop Manny from just blurting out something like of course. "I would ask that you consider it for a while before saying yes. Likewise, I would have to speak with Mand'alor about it, but... considering the aid you have given me, us... I think he would agree."

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

Dhel listens, idly brushing a thumb over the spine of her book. She doesn't want to speak *for* Manny but something's caught her attention in all that. "That sounds like it's a bigger deal than just calling on friends for help then? Or more like...now the whole group is friends and not just you?"

[Raven Cadera]

"Yeah... I know it's a lot, it's why I don't want Manny to just accept right away because a friend is asking," she nodded, sighing a little as she knew it was much she was asking. "If approved, it could mean that the crew would have a safe haven with us, and it could mean we could arrange for potential jobs to benefit the ship and crew. So... yeah, it would be something more formal. An alliance, or partnership."

Not that she had aired this idea to Mand'alor, but she figured... if Jyr could prove herself to him, Manny who had assisted in tracking down Carid and the rogue Raiders could surely do the same.

"If you say no, you're still my friends, and I have no ill will over it. It doesn't change our friendship. You must consider what's best for yourselves and your family, as it were."