(D8 LA, Mando Safehouse) Kit-Bashing

[Varina Ordo]

"I know I'm not alone. That's exactly why I can't forsake the path laid out in front of me." Varina picked up one of the wrist guards, picturing what sort of weaponry she could put there. "Maybe if I lived in another era, things would be different. But right now, the only way to keep people safe is to fight. I'm just lucky all of you can take care of yourselves. Can't really say the same about Jyrvess or Manny."

She wrinkled her brow. "Did you know that Manny has, like, two girlfriends now?"

[Raven Cadera]

"Manny is surprisingly good with a blaster though, I'll give him that," she remarked with an amused smile. "But yeah, Jyr certainly needs protection still."

Raven blinked at that. "Two...? I thought... hmmmm... who?" The news was clearly confusing, and she wasn't quite sure what to make of it right away.

[Varina Ordo]

"That's why he has that dumb other nickname, 'Both Hands', right?" And Jyr certainly did need protection, though not the sort that they'd met over...

Varina shuddered. "Uh, some Bothan and... Sholua? I feel like that was the name."

[Raven Cadera]

Raven for a moment thought about Both Hands in a completely different light since they were also talking about him having two girlfriends. And she looked away for a moment as she felt herself blushing.

"Yeah... I know those two. Dhel and Sholua. Dhel is very sweet and friendly. I didn't think she was, hmmm..." Raven was trying to make sense of it all, without making accusations in her mind. "They joined his ship-crew, as I understand it?"

[Varina Ordo]

Unlike Raven, Varina had no concept of hands beyond their non-lewd uses.

"Oh. Oh no, he shouldn't get involved with somebody on the ship. That's, like, bad luck, right? Or at the very least, super awkward if things don't work out."

[Raven Cadera]

"Is it...?" Raven brushed a hand through her own black hair, clearing her head a little. "Didn't know that. But, I dunno... they all seem like fairly reasonable folk who would handle it ok if it didn't work out? I don't think Manny would just dump them on some planet either if they broke up. He's too nice for that."

[Varina Ordo]

"If I kicked Manny in the groin and told him it was for his own good, he'd just nod along with me," Varina said. "I probably shouldn't do that though... Unless?" She waited for Raven to give her a reason.

"Anyways, yes, it's like a ship thing. I heard it from one captain and saw it in action while squatting on others." She shook her head. "Breakups are really ugly in an engine room."

[Raven Cadera]

Raven gave her a rather stern look. "Don't go kicking Manny in the groin. Please. He might be an idiot a lot of the time, but he's our idiot, hm?" Her expression softened, but she still meant what she said.

"Did you see that with the Pyke Syndicate, or someone else you flew with... or stowed away onboard with?"

[Varina Ordo]

"Okay, okay, I won't kick him in the groin. I guess he hasn't done anything that stupid." Varina shook her head. "Isn't he supposed to be older than me? Maybe he forgot what year he was born in."

She shrugged. "I traveled to a lot of different planets. Us meeting on Kamda... total coincidence. Us meeting again here? Well, your wedding aside, also a bit of a coincidence. Mom's around, ex-friends with Carid, that sort of thing. I'm just glad that she wasn't onboard for, well, attacking Praxton."

[Raven Cadera]

"... That, would've been awkward, to say the least." Raven inhaled sharply, trying not to think of what it would've been like if all the Raiders had been on Carid's side. It probably would've been a warzone here.

"I'm glad you came though. To the wedding. I really am." For a moment she favored Varina with a smile, watching the younger woman work. "I consider you like family, you know. Even if you're somewhat like a stray that wanders off when she feels like it and comes back again to eat my food when she's hungry," she snickered.

At least Varina would've been well-supplied with food to eat at the safehouse, considering most of them could cook and would cook enough to feed everyone.

[Varina Ordo]

"Yeah, yeah, you've told me you were glad to have me here and all that before," Varina said. She shook her head and looked at her armor with a faint smile on her lips. Prickly, like always, but clearly appreciative of being welcome. "Food has been pretty good, I admit."

She perked a brow. "I guess Rezzie picked up a bit of the slack too, didn't she? At least since my injury." Damn leg.

[Raven Cadera]

Seeing the little smile, it distracted her for a moment. It was good to see Varina occassionally let her guard down like that, and accept that there were people who cared for her even if her mother did not. Her father though, she couldn't really speak on that.

"Did she? I wouldn't know, but... she seems to be interested in being your friend, yes? Have you given any thought to that, if you want to stay with the Raiders after this is over?"

[Varina Ordo]

"You didn't see her around? I guess she has been mainly hanging out with me." Weeks of being injured had been quite the long ordeal for her, at least. "Definitely not tagging along with them though. Mom aside, they're not exactly my type of crew." She did a fake bang at an imaginary foe, more morose than playful.

[Raven Cadera]

"I see..." it wasn't clear if she meant the matter of the Raiders, or Rezzie helping out. Raven had been fairly occupied during their return to the Enclave, she hadn't been able to keep up with everyone during the time there.

"I'm not sure how I feel about their... uh, raiding ways, to be honest. I mean, I guess doing it to the Empire is fine with me, those bastards deserve everything they get. But raiding other folks who are just trying to get by in the galaxy? I don't know. Doesn't sit well with me either. I just don't see there being any honor in it."

[Varina Ordo]

Varina shrugged. "I think that's just the nature of war. Kill some stormtrooper, maybe he had some pregnant girl waiting for him. Blow up a communications tower, traders can't get their shipments in time. It's not going to be pretty but I guess there're better ways than the Salky Raiders."

She patted her helmet, her future visage. "Only honor I see is defending oneself, one's own, that sort of thing. But then you can argue that blowing up Imperial shuttles is doing that ahead of time... I dunno."

[Raven Cadera]

"There is certainly something to nipping a problem in the bud before it becomes a threat," she agreed... and was painfully reminded of her confrontation with Dex.

"I don't know though. I feel like when it comes to the Empire, people make their choices; and they sided with the tyranny of the Empire. All the Imperials I've been confronted by, none of them have made me think their cause is sympathetic." It was cold, but it was the truth for her. "You sign up as a soldier for the Empire, you know what to expect. You sign up for war."

[Varina Ordo]

"I dunno, I barely knew what I signed up for when I killed those Hutt enforcers. I didn't really understand my decision." Varina sighed. All she could do now was not repeat that mistake.

"I guess they could try to defect or something. That can be hard though, especially when a family is involved."

[Raven Cadera]

"It can be," Raven agreed, nodding thoughtfully. "Growing, learning from our mistakes, it's something we can all do. Introspection, and seeing our own mistakes, our own faults, that is the most difficult thing to do. Trust me, I've had a lot of that myself lately, feeling like I'm not living up to the expectations others have of me."

It wasn't a complaint as such, as Raven rarely complained about things coming her way. She tended to just shoulder it and move onward. But sometimes even she needed to air her frustrations.

"You always have the power to change who you are, Varina, and what you wish for your future to be. We all have the power to make those choices every day. Not saying that the choices are easy, but... we rarely talk about the easy choices we face in life, eh?"

[Varina Ordo]

Varina set down her work to listen to Raven's words. They were part of why she appreciated her, looked up to her even, but also why they were completely different people. She was inexplicably better at the big-picture and, admittedly, better at being an adult.

"I guess life's a bit like the armor, huh? Always able to be changed, defining who we are, that sort of thing."

[Raven Cadera]

She breathed in softly, and exhaled again through her nostrils. "Something like that, yeah. But your beskar'gam, it is an extension of yourself. It protects you, it helps you protect those important to you... you tend to it as you tend to yourself. And yeah, you can change its colors, its decorations, as you see fit, to reflect yourself better."

With that, Raven grabbed her own helmet from her belt, and placed it on the table in front of them. Making sure not to upset Varina's project. "... I've been thinking of adding some new details to my own lately. To better remind of me those I looked up to before."