[Day 2 - Mid Evening] Knocking On Wood (Open)

[Vala Roke]

After a long day, Vala decided to venture out to see what sort of 'watering holes' (or at least that's what she thought that's what they called bars on quaint planets) Kandra's Run had to offer. Most of her interactions with the locals were mainly labour-related as they worked hard on setting up proper defences for the town and that didn't leave much room for chatting. If the Mandalorians were able to take down a Republic starship, then they really had their work cut out for them when it came to round 2. Hopefully, they would be ready for them by then...

She strolled into the establishment and took a look around the place, finding the site of wood on the walls to be more alien than many of the patrons of the place. It looks rather garish, especially with all the random patterns on its surface. However, she wasn't here to be an interior commentary, just here for a drink and maybe some information.

[Hatoful GM]

The Woodsman was the respectable bar of Kandra's Run. Some pleasant folk music played over speakers; no live band at the moment. Ordinary looking sentients, many of them still wearing outdoor clothing, sat, eating and drinking, enjoying themselves.



The person behind the bar could very well have been Vala's grandmother. If Vala was a Pantoran. Perhaps she was someone's grandma, anyway.

"What can I get you, dearie?" She greeted Vala, giving her a weathered smile. "Kandra's Rum is great if you'd like a drink, and we've got a woodland stew on the stove if you'd like something hot to eat."

[Vala Roke]

After another glance at the local folk, perhaps sizing them up as potential suspects for both of her cases, Vala gave the Pantoran a respectable nod when she approached. "Good evening...and yeah, I'll have a woodland stew. I was thinking about a beer, actually but if they mix well then sure. Everything..."

She narrowed her eyes for a moment, perhaps hesitant to ask considering the situation. It did almost seem like business like usual in some parts. "...Good?"

[Othym]

Othym stepped in out of the chill, taking a moment to dust the light snow off his robe and boots before stepping past the entrance and into the warmth proper. And the place did feel warm, both in the obvious way and the overall feel, which his extra sense only heightened. About as he remembered it, even if their selection of music was a little up beat for his taste.

He stepped up to the bar and nodded a greeting to Reyi. His last visit here had ended with a short brawl as he apprehended the man he'd been tracking. That was six years ago, but he was sure that Reyi remembered. He'd paid for the damages of course, but you never knew whether it was the principle or not. "Could an tired tog get a bowl of the stew?"

Once he'd settled himself at the bar, he nodded to the woman next to him. "Vala was it? Thought I'd seen you around the ship, though" he leaned in a little "I'd probably have guessed you weren't a local regardless" he said with a kind smile "what brings you to the woodsman?"

[Hatoful GM]

After another glance at the local folk, perhaps sizing them up as potential suspects for both of her cases, Vala gave the Pantoran a respectable nod when she approached. "Good evening...and yeah, I'll have a woodland stew. I was thinking about a beer, actually but if they mix well then sure. Everything..."

She narrowed her eyes for a moment, perhaps hesitant to ask considering the situation. It did almost seem like business like usual in some parts. "...Good?"

"Coming right up, dearie." The Pantoran grandma bustled about, getting her order ready.

As she slid the rum across the bar to Vala, she smiled. "Oh, yes, everything's fine. There's a lot of excitement with that ship crashing. I was worried we were all going to blow up, but it seems like we'll be alright!"

He stepped up to the bar and nodded a greeting to Reyi. His last visit here had ended with a short brawl as he apprehended the man he'd been tracking. That was six years ago, but he was sure that Reyi remembered. He'd paid for the damages of course, but you never knew whether it was the principle or not. "Could an tired tog get a bowl of the stew?"

With narrowed eyes, she stared at him for a few moments. Then, with a curt nod, she went into the back room. Vala got another 'dearie', while Othym got a 'hmph!' as the bowls were delivered.

[Vala Roke]

"I'm glad that you've all taken so well to our arrival," she did find herself slowly turning her body to survey the other customers in the establishment to see if they also shared the same sentiment. "I kind of saw that you've rolled out the red carpet pretty early when we arrived and we haven't been chased out of town, so that checks out. Something like that wouldn't fly on my world. You'd likely get slapped with lawsuits with all the proper damage, that's if you didn't get your legs broken first for flying into the wrong neighbourhood first."

"That would be me," she would answer Othym with an affirmative nod. "And...Otyme, right? I would you're not here to slap me with loitering charges, I was only hitching a ride with the Republic but we can see how far that got me exactly. As for me, just hoping to relax and get a feel of the people. Maybe get some information about the place on the side."

[Othym]

Othym attempted a smile at the owner as the stew arrived. It might have been easier to get his fill elsewhere, but the stew here was very good. "thankyou mam"

He listened intently to Vala before letting out a gruff laugh "Ha, no, no loitering charges. Not really sure if it'd be my juristiction, and if I'm being honest, I'm not even sure these folks even have a loitering change on their books"
"Hell of a situation to get stuck in hitching a ride, where were you trying to get to? Can't help too much about this place though, been a few years since I had to come up here"

[Vala Roke]

Vala would likewise nod back in return when her stew arrived as well. She had to admit that she was never a fan of stew herself prior to arriving on this planet but it did the trick whenever there was lousy weather. Supposedly it was a medicinal remedy of sorts. Still, a far shot from a hearty and juicy nerf burger. She found herself stirring her bowl in thought about what she was missing.

"Well, maybe not the people of Kandra's Run but I was talking about more Republic military types," she shrugged on that note before taking a spoonful of her stew. "I was trying to get back to Corellian before the Mandalorians thought it was a great idea of encroaching this orbit. I was on a previous case where we were trying to pin this gang of repurposing stolen parts. Chop shop, that sort of business. Apparently, this was one of their drops. I don't know if that information is good for anything when there are obviously bigger fish here now. How about you?"

[Othym]

In contrast Othym was hungrily devouring his stew, not quiet a starved man but given his build you'd be forgiven for thinking so.
"Mm - well I'd hope they'd give a pass on most things to anyone helping out" he took another huge spoonful "bigger fish, but you never know how things are connected. Whether these 'crusaders' had connections here. Or if they're looking for them now their invasion hasn't brushed this place aside" he shurgged "the force doesn't put us where we expect, but where we're needed"

"Me? Oh I've been here forever, in one way or another. Though it was near the end of the universe when I landed, fresh from Coruscant. Now the only time I leave is when im chasing something Archive related"

[Vala Roke]

"I'll agree that life does seem to put us in the strangest of places. Personally, I hope my assignment wasn't connected with the Mandalorian invasion because that would make it very complicated. That said, I think I'm sort of looking for someone who is connected to them," she brought up with a frown. "A bit of a missing persons case with a kidnapping involved."

"I keep hearing something about the Archive around here but I'll didn't do any of the reading, so to speak," she smirked momentarily. "Okay, I'll ask, what's so important about this Archive and what's your interest in it?"

[Othym]

"Complicated? Well that's just inviting trouble" he laughed for a moment, before putting his spoon down "in all seriousness, kidnappings are never pretty. Who got taken?"

"The archive - well, the short version is easy. Imagine a library that's been curated since the birth of the republic. By now its about as large as a city, and easily takes as much to run - and protect. I've been trying to manage the more sensitive aspects of secuity, like the fact that it probably houses the most detailed records of the order outside of coruscant. An entire invasion feels a little out of my scope though" he said with a dry chuckle

[Vala Roke]

"A kid, Markos," she said with a sigh before reaching for the glass of beer that sat beside her bowl of stew. "I wish I had more to go on about him but we just met on the ship. Next moment I find myself losing a duel with a Mandalorian and then he gets taken for reasons beyond my understanding. I don't have much of a lead, although I should see if his parents survived the crash..."

She nodded at that. "Ah, so kind of a buried ruin with a finding of a lifetime or some sort of business? I can see why all sorts of people would be interested in something like, mainly for scholarly or archeological reasons, I take it? How come something like this has been hidden for so long? What happened to the original inhabitants then?"

[Othym]

"Im sure it was that at one point. Now it's well staffed, a bustling hive of archivists and researchers compiling enough data to overload coruscant's central processors. I wouldn't say its hidden, just that most people aren't interested in that sort of thing."

Othym grimaced. "A kid - even worse. I may not be a local here exactly, but I know a few people. Any plenty in the circles that make a business of that sort of thing. If you need a hand looking, let me know. Hard to say no to finding a lost kid"

He pushed his empty bowel back towards the matron, and stood "I better get going, but the offer stands"

++
(only a week late - work got pretty bad for a stretch)

[Vala Roke]

"It does sound interesting to know what might have happened to the people who were living in the area and what happened for the ruins to become...well, ruined," she gave a shrug of her should before taking a sip of beer.

"I'll ask for help when I get a better idea of what I'm dealing with around here, thank you. The kid might have been taken behind enemy lines at this point, if the Mandalorians were behind it. It would be good to find out what became of his guardians or parents. But yeah, I'll keep you in mind. Have a good night," she gave him a nod as he made his leave.