Happiness Is A Warm Gun

[Nara Phln]

"Someone has to," she said matter-of-factly, then switched tack. "What's your name anyway?"

"Hmmm? I go by Nara, Nara Phln."
The Chiss automatically extends a hand.

[Tyllia Demici]

"Tyllia Mantero," she said as she took and shook the offered hand; the name put forth had came naturally, any hint of falsehood completely absent. No wonder, the name was as much her own as the one hidden behind it.

[Nara Phln]

"Tyllia Mantero," she said as she took and shook the offered hand; the name put forth had came naturally, any hint of falsehood completely absent. No wonder, the name was as much her own as the one hidden behind it.

"Nice to meet you Tyllia now...where was...oh yeah-"
Nara starts leaning again
"I was saying you were antagonising me and then you actually had a pretty sweet response of-" Trying to imitate Tyllia "'-someone has to'. That was kind fearless which I respect....but if you're just a colonist, which um, doubt. But if you are you seem to have experienced significant emotional trauma in the past."

[Tyllia Demici]

She didn't seem to know how to quit. "There's a galaxy full of traumatized people, in case you haven't noticed. You don't have to be anything other than a normal person to have suffered during the war, or from what came after."

Tyllia looked toward the direction those kids had darted off to. "Some of them are probably orphans, you know. Or half-orphans. Or have lost siblings they've never gotten the chance to know. They don't need to have the violence that took those things from them glorified."

[Nara Phln]

She didn't seem to know how to quit. "There's a galaxy full of traumatized people, in case you haven't noticed. You don't have to be anything other than a normal person to have suffered during the war, or from what came after."

Tyllia looked toward the direction those kids had darted off to. "Some of them are probably orphans, you know. Or half-orphans. Or have lost siblings they've never gotten the chance to know. They don't need to have the violence that took those things from them glorified."

"I dunno, might help, right? Your parents die in a sprawling uncaring universe for no reason? Lame.
Your parents died heroically protecting you from evil something or others? Highly motivational."
Waving at a distant child
"They gotta learn how to take care of themselves unless someone else is gonna do it."

[Tyllia Demici]

"They're just kids," she said, voice even, "they're innocents. They should get to stay that way. If you're that worried about them, then maybe you should be the one to protect them, rather than trying to teach them the ways of violence."

[Nara Phln]

"They're just kids," she said, voice even, "they're innocents. They should get to stay that way. If you're that worried about them, then maybe you should be the one to protect them, rather than trying to teach them the ways of violence."

"Hmmmm. I mean, being a kid was pretty great. Laws were much less strict since I was underage. But I am trying to protect them."

Holding up three fingers
"It's all part of the plan:

1." Taking down a finger "Get them interested in military hardware, ideally as a lifelong passion
2." Second finger goes down "They get themselves some firearms and actual training.
3." Now they were all down "Now they can protect themselves and possibly make for some skilled future opponents."

Frowning slightly
"It's much easier than them just paying me to protect them. I charge pretty high rates for boring."

[Tyllia Demici]

Now she was starting to get annoyed. "I don't think I'm the one with the trauma if that's how you treat life and death. You're not protecting anyone like that, you're just trying to raise the next generation of killers."

[Nara Phln]

Now she was starting to get annoyed. "I don't think I'm the one with the trauma if that's how you treat life and death. You're not protecting anyone like that, you're just trying to raise the next generation of killers."

"Next generation of kids still alive. The badass future rivalry and gunfights are just a added bonus. What? Are you going to protect them?"

[Tyllia Demici]

"It'd be better than teaching them how to get themselves killed."

This woman really had a screw loose.

"Listen, you want to be a badass so much, go blow up some imperial goons or something. Go out in some stupid blaze of glory. Whatever. Maybe someone will think you're all whizz for it. Maybe that's the best thing to do for someone who seems to think this is all just some game. "

[Nara Phln]

"It'd be better than teaching them how to get themselves killed."

This woman really had a screw loose.

"Listen, you want to be a badass so much, go blow up some imperial goons or something. Go out in some stupid blaze of glory. Whatever. Maybe someone will think you're all whizz for it. Maybe that's the best thing to do for someone who seems to think this is all just some game. "

"Yeah, I've certainly considered it."
Nara rubs her chin
"I need some more explosives though I think. Just walking into the nearest Imperial bunker and opening fire would be a little blasé, anyone can do that. You didn't answer my question though. If I'm out there doing my part trying to teach kids how to defend themselves and appreciate the recoil of a good blaster rifle, what is it you're doing? How are you looking out for 'em? I've heard a lot of 'you should go kill yourself' but not a lot of 'I'm gonna kill myself doing X' which is getting me down."

[Tyllia Demici]

"I already looked out for them when I told them to get out of here."

This wasn't really getting her anywhere, she realized. Tyllia wasn't sure why she even cared; and it wasn't as if the woman was *completely* wrong about *everything*.

She sighed.

"Look. I'm sorry. Maybe you're right, and helping kids learn how to shoot is a good thing. Just maybe wait until they're a little older. Or do it when you know their parents aren't going to freak out when they find out."

[Nara Phln]

"I already looked out for them when I told them to get out of here."

This wasn't really getting her anywhere, she realized. Tyllia wasn't sure why she even cared; and it wasn't as if the woman was *completely* wrong about *everything*.

She sighed.

"Look. I'm sorry. Maybe you're right, and helping kids learn how to shoot is a good thing. Just maybe wait until they're a little older. Or do it when you know their parents aren't going to freak out when they find out."

Nara pauses and then breaks out into a broad smile, the white teeth very bright against her blue
"Social compromise! Oh, let's see, I learnt what to do here."
She reaches forward a hand and awkwardly parts Tyllia's shoulder
"I will meet you half way!" As if reading off a mental script "You have made some good points and I respect your position, thank you for moving towards my side slightly, and I will do the same."

[Tyllia Demici]

This encounter was so very much like that encounter with the two droids; an idle thought occuring to her that maybe this woman was actually just a droid in disguise.

"Uh... okay?"

This ride she'd hitched certainly exceeded its quota of 'weird'.

[Nara Phln]

This encounter was so very much like that encounter with the two droids; an idle thought occuring to her that maybe this woman was actually just a droid in disguise.

"Uh... okay?"

This ride she'd hitched certainly exceeded its quota of 'weird'.

"Great! It's so nice to have made a new friend! Sometimes people say I come on too strong but honestly weight training has been really good for my mental health as well and I don't want to stop now."
Still very animated
"Are you going to get off on Bellionas? We should hang out and do those boring but important social things people do."

[Tyllia Demici]

As much as she was still feeling frustrated with certain things... as crazy as this woman appeared to be... and as much as she'd said the things she'd said... Tyllia recognized the value of being friends with firepower.

"Uh yeah sure. Bellionas is my stop."

[Nara Phln]

As much as she was still feeling frustrated with certain things... as crazy as this woman appeared to be... and as much as she'd said the things she'd said... Tyllia recognized the value of being friends with firepower.

"Uh yeah sure. Bellionas is my stop."

"Awesome! I'm heading there because a bunch of my recent jobs have been pointing me in that direction and I'm kinda hoping there's a big conspiracy behind it or I'm one of 11 hired to rob a casino. I'll be completely satisfied by either of those."
Hmmm, but good friends show interest in others
"What are you heading to Bellionas for? Probably not an interplanetary conspiracy?" ....But a chiss could hope.

[Tyllia Demici]

"Oh?" She seemed curious enough to keep talking, at the very least, "How have these jobs pointed you toward Bellionas?"

Conspiracies were not quite so crazy a theory as one might think.

[Nara Phln]

"Oh?" She seemed curious enough to keep talking, at the very least, "How have these jobs pointed you toward Bellionas?"

Conspiracies were not quite so crazy a theory as one might think.

"It's been really interesting. So I shot this guy right? Crazy, I know. And he fell onto a star chart and the only sector he got blood on? Bellionas."
Getting quite into the stories and speeding up her telling

"Then on another job we were doing some surveillance on some Mandolorian or Mandolorian cosplayer, hard to tell them apart until the shooting starts. And they wouldn't stop talking about Bellionas either. Something about a gathering or whatever, that and they would not stop giving people directions. 'This is the way' 'That is the way' 'You are on the way'. Helpful but you know, just focus on your own driving I guess?"

Leaning forward on her toes and lowering her voice to a whisper
"And on my last job where I had to escort this family around and nobody even attacked them which was laaaame they were going to rendezvous with their uncle on Bellionas. Now, what are the odds you get three jobs in a row where this boring little world comes up?"

[Tyllia Demici]

"That's just the Kowakian monkey-lizard paradox though, isn't it?" She ignored the woman's expected antics in regards to violence.

"Nobody really cares about them, because they're just monkey-lizards right? They're rare and unimportant. But try it, keep an eye out for them, and you'll find signs pointing to them everywhere. You'll hear someone talk about them in passing, see some local company use them in their logo, or even see one being peddled on a market. You see the pattern, the monkey-lizard conspiracy, and now your mind is blown. Except, it doesn't mean a *thing*. There's no pattern, no conspiracy. It's just random chance, and you didn't notice before because you hadn't bothered to care. For one dumb reason or another, you decided to pay attention to the name Bellionas. Then you started seeing it everywhere. But why should that mean anything? Besides, if the universe were trying to tell you something, don't you think it'd tell you more clearly?"