The Show Must Go On (D6EA, Manka Cats Rule)

[Manny Donos]

It took a while. Manny stared at Sholua with his usual earnest blank stare, mostly devoid of thought. Then suddenly his eyes widened.

"Ohhhh!" He said. "You're a..." Both hands came up to cover his mouth. A few seconds after that, and one hand set down the deck of cards he'd still been holding. Then that hand covered his mouth again.

Finally, he lowered his hands. "Really?" He asked softly.

[Sholua Tempes]

Even know she couldn't be sure He'd figured it out. This was Manny.

"So now you know why I use a sword, neh?"

[Manny Donos]

"Yeah..." Manny bit his lip. "But, uh, do you have, y'know, another sword. One that, uh..."

He mimed swinging a sword. "Vwoom, vwoom. Vwoom?" He looked at her, eyebrows going up.

[Sholua Tempes]

"Vwoom, vwoom . . . . . . really?"

She shook her head.

"I had one once. I lost it at the very end of the war. When the clones turned on me. I haven't needed one since but current events have spurred me to attempt to make a new one. Parts are pretty hard to come by so and the Imperials watch for . . . . ok short answer. Had one, don't have one now."

She stared at him.

"Really? Vwoom, vwoom?"

[Manny Donos]

"Uh... Manny brushed a hand back through his hair as he smiled awkwardly. "I mean... isn't that what they do? I've only heard one, like, one time."

His expression grew more serious as he looked at her. "Well, your secret is safe with me. And hey, thank you for telling me. That really means a lot." He chewed his lip a moment. "As it happens, you're not the first... Jedi I've met." He'd conditioned himself so well to avoid saying it, it was hard to say it even when it was okay.

[Sholua Tempes]

"Really?"

She didn't look surprised at all.

[Manny Donos]

"Yeah." Manny swallowed slowly. He took a deep breath. It wasn't easy. But... he could trust Sholua.

"Leah. Leah's a Jedi, too. Or... learning to be one." He frowned. "Wait, both of you are dancers. Is that a Jedi thing?"

[Sholua Tempes]

Now she looked surprised, she had been certain he was going to say Phroth.

"Well, that explains why she is so quiet then. Good way of hiding from any attention. As for dancing . . . Force use can enhance a person's grace and movement, but it's not exactly a career choice for those like me. I do it as part of hiding, and I don't use any extra . . . enhancement when I do."

[Manny Donos]

"Oh yeah, I can tell." Manny nodded. There was a brief pause. "Oh, you mean you don't use The Force. Right, okay." He nodded again.

He took a breath, then spread his hands. "So... are you training, then? Or do you want to?" He tilted his head, regarding her. "Do you want to... fight the Empire? That's what I want to do. Or, maybe not fight, but do stuff to. You know what I mean."

[Sholua Tempes]

"I plan on being the biggest inconvenience to the stuck up tschads that calls themselves Imperial. Call it a fight or resistance if you will, but Palpatine's Empire isn't right and I won't be part of it. Glad to know you agree. I knew you were a good one the moment you realised you'd thrown an egg in our tips."

She grins.

"And on the subject of eggs, any food around? I had quite a hike this morning. Part of that training you just asked about."

[Manny Donos]

Manny laughed at that. "I'm really glad I did, y'know? I could pretend that it was a way to get noticed. I mean, everyone would be like 'huh, that guy has eggs, maybe we should talk to him'. But I really did just get my pockets mixed up."

He nodded. "Yeah, sure thing." He rose to his feet, strolling casually over to the kitchen, and opening the refrigerator. "Let's see..." He frowned. "Leftover omelette. You want a fresh one? I'll make it. Some kind of fish dish? Probably Phroth's. Dhel made some cookies yesterday. They're good."

[Sholua Tempes]

"Hmmm a fresh omelette would be better. I'm surprised there are leftovers, Dhel normally spirits those away when she thinks we aren't looking."

She sat back in her chair, totally at ease with him cooking for her.

"Cookies? Sounds good, maybe after the main event."

[Manny Donos]

Manny laughed at that. "Yeah, so I just make twice as many omelettes now. Hey, it's what I'm good at. I like showing off my skills. Just like..."

With both hands, Manny reached into the lightweight jacket he wore. With a flourish he produced... two eggs in one hand, and a television remote in the other. He frowned at it. "I'd wondered where that was." He muttered, tossing it onto the couch.

He produced another pair of eggs, and turned on the frying pan. "So, uh..." Manny cleared his throat. "Some Jedi can have boyfriends, but some can't, it seems like. What's up with that?" He waved a hand over the pan, judging its temperature.

[Sholua Tempes]

"The Order used to frown on attachments. They were actively and officially discouraged. Didn't stop them from happening. The breeding instinct exists in all creatures after all. Jedi are no different in that. They were just supposed to suppress it and rise above it."

Lecturing tone over, she continued.

"But . . . the Order is gone, Cutey. I guess some of us remnants remembers the right ways. Others don't. I've been separated from the Code for ten years. Even if I was to go back to it . . . it wouldn't be straight away."

[Manny Donos]

"Oh. Yeah. Cool. That makes sense." Manny flashed her a smile, even as he started cracking eggs into the pan. They sizzled quietly.

He cleared his throat again as he pulled some ingredients out of the refrigerator. "Well... you know you're always welcome here, right? Like, no matter what? I know it sucks to lose your crew. I kinda had a hard time whenever I had to change homes, but I knew the old home was still there. So, hey, just remember I've always got your back if you need it!" He grinned.

[Sholua Tempes]

There was silence for a while.

"You know. I've been running for ten years now. Never stayed long anywhere. Not even at Madame Saphs, but I guess that was good thing to bail out of."

She stood up and walked over to him.

"Maybe it is time to make things a bit more permanent. Things are changing faster than they ever have before now. Kamda blew up so quickly, and maybe Bellionas is going to too."

She slipped her hands around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"A place I can rely on would be really nice right now."

[Manny Donos]

Manny slipped an arm around her. It was an arm holding a spatula, but that wasn't his primary concern at the moment. Besides, the heat was pretty low.

"Yeah." He said softly. "Stuff gets crazy. Friends have to watch out for each other. And if one of those friends is an awesome, spinny, pretty, green, awesome Miralian, well, that's great!" He smiled gently. "I'd really like if you stuck around..."

Tilting his head he kissed her cheek, his face lingering, angled towards hers.

[Sholua Tempes]

"Then it's a deal, Manny."

That was probably the first time she'd actually used his name to his face. Well side of his face. Then she turned and returned the kiss, a little more forcefully than he might have expected.

"I know a few more tricks as well, you know. Ones that only a few get to see."

[Manny Donos]

Manny turned to face her. "Oh yeah? If you show me yours, I'll show you mine." He grinned. "And I'm a magician. That's really big for us y'know?"

And then it was his turn to kiss her, about as forcefully as she'd kissed him, arm tightening around her waist.

At the same time, his other hand turned off the burner. Things were heating up, but that was no reason to burn eggs!

[Sholua Tempes]

"Hmm maybe we delay that omelette a little? Just a brief postponement while we . . . explore over options?"

This was definitely not Jedi speak.