Of Sith And Street Rats

[neverwantedtobesith]

Between thinking it best to steer as far away from the Core as possible given the current regime, and needing repairs to his ship, he finds himself on some backwater planet in the middle of nowhere. Not only that, but so far as he could tell, there were only a handful of cities worth the name with one of them being the capital city. Which was also oh-so-imaginatively named Capital City. It seemed to be his best bet, so it was the one he chose to land at.

While his ship was undergoing repairs, he heads out into the city. The workers don't need him breathing down their necks, so he may as well see what, if anything, was of interest. So lightsaber firmly hidden in his jacket, and anything the mechanics didn't need access to firmly locked, he heads out. May as well start with the market. Wherever it is.

Comments

[lothrat]

Ezra jumps in surprise when the door slides shut without Garth'zel being near it at all. Whether he did it with a remote or with his abilities doesn't matter. Ezra's escape route just got cut off.

Immediately, his eyes dart around the room looking for another way to get out. There are vents, of course, but it would take too much time to get them off if Garth'zel is trying to catch him.

"You can't keep me in here!" he protests, thinking fast. If he can't get out himself, he'll have to get Garth'zel to let him out. "I can't take a bath if you do!"

[neverwantedtobesith]

"Scrubbing up at the sink would be a pain in the behind," Garth'zel agrees, censoring himself slightly due to Ezra's age. "What would it take to convince you that nothing's going to happen to your food while you're washing up?"

[lothrat]

Don't worry, Garth'zel. Ezra's young ears have already been exposed to plenty of bad words. You're not likely to shock him there.

He scowls instead. "I'm too big for a sink!"

He is! Even if it's not by much.

Still suspicious, he looks at Garth'zel, as though trying to find the catch in his words. Will he really give Ezra what he wants, or is it just a trick that he'll go back on as soon as Ezra's in the 'fresher? "I wanna keep it with me," he demands. "An'- An' I want a box to put it in, so rats can't get it." There. He thinks that's perfectly reasonable, and then he can make sure no one takes his food himself.

[neverwantedtobesith]

"You are aware there are no rats on my ship?" Garth'zel asks with a raised eyebrow before shrugging. "I'd need to find one that's a reasonable size. The crates in the hold are ridiculously large for what you want."

[lothrat]

"No rats you know about," Ezra says stubbornly. "Rats get everywhere." He knows. He's seen them get in places people don't think they can.

He lifts his chin now, looking Garth'zel right in the eyes (never mind how much he has to look up). That wasn't a no, so maybe he can keep pressing this. "That's the deal. I want a box, or I won't take a bath."

[neverwantedtobesith]

"Shower, actually. There's no bathtubs on board ships," Garth'zel says mildly. "Regarding the rats, I know exactly where each living thing on board is. I can sense them. If there were rats, I'd be able to feel them. Along with convincing them to come out from wherever they hid so I could remove them from the ship."

[lothrat]

Ezra sets his jaw. "No way. No one can do that. An'- And even if you could, the ship's too big! You can't be sure!"

[neverwantedtobesith]

"Every living thing has its own presence in the Force," Garth'zel says patiently.

[lothrat]

Garth'zel's point goes right over Ezra's head. The Force is still an unknown to him. "But rats are little. No one sees them unless they're lookin' and only if they're not hiding!"

[neverwantedtobesith]

"Size doesn't really matter when one has the Force. After all, I knew you were there without ever having seen you, didn't I?" Garth'zel points out before thinking of something and going to a cabinet to rummage around, finding something meant to transport meals in.

"I just thought of this. It's meant to carry one's lunch or supper in if one is going to be out somewhere and either can't or don't want to buy food when hungry."

[lothrat]

"I'm a lot bigger than a rat." Even if people do call him a street rat sometimes.

But now his face lights up a little when Garth'zel comes back with a lunch box. He can remember using those to take his lunch to school before. That'll work perfectly!

"Yeah!" he says. "I can use that! Mom used to let me use one of those before, but- but it had Loth-cats on it." Look, he likes Loth-cats, okay? But even though this box doesn't have any childish designs on it, he still reaches his hands out anyway. A box is a box, and a deal is a deal. This way he can keep his food with him!

[neverwantedtobesith]

Garth'zel hands it over. "I forgot I had it since I don't need it very often."

Maybe now he can get this child to get clean. He can figure out what to do afterward later.

[lothrat]

"If you don't need it, can I keep it?" Ezra doesn't think he'll get a yes for that, but he thinks it won't hurt to ask. Either way, he's already pulling out the bits of sandwich from his pockets and putting the sorry pieces in the box. Once he's done, he closes it up, feeling satisfied that his food is protected now, even if a rat's sneaked onto the ship.

He looks at Garth'zel now, expecting to be led to the 'fresher.

[neverwantedtobesith]

"I said I don't need it often not that I never need it," Garth'zel corrects gently. In other words, that's a 'no'.

"Come on. I can get you one of my shirts to wear while you're waiting for your own clothes to be clean," he says as he opens the door to head in the direction both his room and the refresher are in.

[lothrat]

"Okay..." Well, he hadn't expected a yes, so he can't exactly be disappointed. It's too bad, though. He could use a box like this once he goes back home.

Carrying it with him, Ezra follows Garth'zel, paying attention to where they're going so he can find his way back out if he has to. He still isn't ruling out the need to make an escape at some point.

[neverwantedtobesith]

Garth'zel finds a shirt of his that just needs to be pulled on rather than buttoned and turns it over to Ezra as well before showing him where the refresher is.

"While you're in there, I think I'll check on how repairs are coming along." No point hovering outside the room the entire time Ezra was in there, after all.

[lothrat]

Ezra hesitates for a moment before he nods, clutching the shirt to his chest. This could be his chance to escape if he wants, he realizes. But...

But food and a job. Money he can save to buy more food later, after the job is done. And he made a deal. He promised. A box for a shower in the 'fresher.

I can always leave later, if I don't like him. Another nod, this time to himself, before he closes the door.

Sometime later, a little boy emerges wearing a too-large shirt and miraculously (mostly) free of dirt. He's got his box of food and, if Garth'zel isn't back yet, Ezra's going to explore. Garth'zel didn't say not to, after all.

[neverwantedtobesith]

It actually didn't take Garth'zel too long to check on the progress of the mechanics.

Most of the time Ezra spent in the 'fresher was spent doing work around the ship, although by the time he's found, he's reading.

[lothrat]

Ezra wasn't just looking for Garth'zel, of course (though that's what he'd claim he was doing if asked). Every room he's come across, he's poked his nose in and explored, getting to know the layout of the ship and what might be in each room. Garth'zel's probably had plenty of time to read before Ezra finally finds the room he's in.

"I finished," he announces before even crossing the room. Then curiosity prompts him forward. "Whatcha reading?"

[neverwantedtobesith]

"A history book. You probably wouldn't be interested," Garth'zel says, looking up. "Ready for me to get your clothes washed then?"

He knows better than to trust an eight-year-old with doing laundry. He's aware of little kid logic that leads to the reasoning that more soap is better and doesn't want to have a sea of bubbles.

[lothrat]

Ezra shrugs in response - and then immediately has to hike his shirt back up on his shoulder. It really is too big for him. "I guess," he says. It would be nice to wear clothes that fit. "I left them in the bathroom. I didn't know what you wanted me to do with them."

If there had been a bathtub, though, he might have taken the initiative.

Yes, with lots and lots of soap.

[neverwantedtobesith]

"Since I know better than to let an eight-year-old who most likely has never done his laundry before do it, leaving them for me to deal with was the right choice," he says, tapping on the screen to mark his place before shutting it down to head to the refresher to retrieve Ezra's clothes to clean them.

"You think about my job offer yet?"

[lothrat]

Ezra trails after him, much like a small puppy, but really, what else is he going to do? Just sit around waiting for his clothes to get cleaned, bored?

Besides, it's kind of fun having someone who'll talk to him.

"Could I try it just to see if I like it?" he asks, still a little bit cautious. Garth'zel's been nice enough to earn that much at least, but Ezra's hesitant to make a commitment for something without any experience.

[neverwantedtobesith]

It takes Garth'zel a moment to work out which Ezra was responding to, since 'it' wasn't very descriptive before nodding. "That works. You have somewhere safe to sleep tonight, or are you spending the night here?"

So he knows if there's a risk of tripping over a small child before he's properly awake.

Clothes fetched, he takes them to the laundry room to get them cleaned.

[lothrat]

Sorry, Garth'zel. Eight year olds aren't exactly known for having clear communication skills.

"I got somewhere to sleep," Ezra says quickly. Safe is a relative term, but he thinks it's safe enough. Besides, he wants to see if Garth'zel will even let him go. "I just need my clothes first."