"Good day to ya ma'am." Said a portly shopkeep. He was known throughout the Marketplace as Rollo and he was greeting what he had thought was a female Duros. After all, his eyes weren't what they used to be.
"Koochoo!" Came the bitter reply as the dangerous looking male Duros clutched his blaster but kept walking.
Rollo cracked a snicker as he noticed his mistake but grumbled as he translated the Huttese word for 'idiot' to Basic. "They all look the same anyway. Bunch of foreigners." He barked.
Just like any other day, he was standing watch outside of his shop and stale smoke plumed from a hand rolled cigar he had clutched between his teeth. He raised his hand to his face and began to twist his yellow stained mustache between his index finger and thumb but alas, his brief moment of solitude had come crumbling down around him as the distinct sound of metal crashing into metal blasted his eardrums. "Wha, what was that. Who's causing that ruckus?!" He wheezed, his eyes growing wide as his precious merchandise came rolling out of the doorway and collected at his feet. "That does it. Get out of --" The Human froze as he peered into his shop and saw what looked to be a scruffy looking kid burrowing into the piles of parts from his table displays and carefully inspected each piece before tossing it to the side, literally.
"Ahem." He cleared his throat, but the boy continued, completely disregarding the chubby owner's attempt to redirect his attention. "AHEM!" He got louder, his belly bouncing as he tussled the kids hair.
"Oh, hey!" The boy replied as he quickly spun around, startling the human shopkeep as he flashed a toothy grin which seemed to glow beneath large clunky goggles with a flipped out lense.
"Give me those!" The dealer demanded, ripping the goggles from the kid's face.
"Well, that wasn't very nice."
"Nice?!" Shouted the junk-dealer, "Wait a minute." He paused, opening his eyes as wide as he could as his weak vision picked up on the tan boy's facial tattoos. "I've heard of you." The old man said, in almost a whisper, poking him in the chest with his luxurious walking stick as his eyes narrowed. "Whaddya want, boy?"
"A probability module, perhaps?" The kid delivered with a shrug of his shoulders. "Micro-synapse?"
With a blank stare, Rollo pointed towards the exit.
"Get out. You're trouble aren't you?"
"Gah!" The Kid shouted as Rollo whacked him on the rump with his walking stick as he stumbled out of the junk and into the street.
"Ahh, Gui Sol. How did I know you would be down here rummaging through trash?" Came the almost robotic voice of Sa Ool. "Do you make friends wherever you go?" The Kel Dor ended with a quip of sarcasm, eyeballing the elderly merchant that shamelessly stared them down.
"Eh, this over-priced garbage isn't worth my time." Gui replied as the toe of his boot connected with a piece of Rollo's merchandise.
"Temper, temper." Flowed more words of the Mystic; and if seeing a gleam in his eye were possible, this would be the moment. "What do you expect from a Human?"
Gui raised a brow and Sa Ool saw an opportunity to teach in his own unique way.
"They are vile creatures." The Kel Dor added as he unfolded his hands from behind his back and leveled his dominant hand to the training saber attached to his belt.
All the while, the Kiffar's warrior mind hungered as his human blood began to boil. His father was a Kiffar and his Mother was a Human Colonist native to New Tython. While raised as a Jedi in the Arca Praxeum, he still holds a great appreciation for and takes pride in both cultures.
"What is that supposed to mean, you don't even know me!" Gui snapped, staying true to his petulant nature.
"I know that you are reckless. I know that you are a child needing to learn its place. I know that you have Human DNA in your veins. I also know that you are Rin's apprentice. My, what a disappointment you must be. But that?" The Kel Dor's clawed finger pointed at one of Gui's most prized trinkets, the saber hilt resting on his hip "I am unsure of what you can do with that. So, Rin's apprentice, show me what you can do without further embarrassing yourself." Sa, finished, using the Force to draw his hilt to his ever-so-eager palm.
"Here?" The Kid responded quizzically. But a moment had passed and the Kel Dor remained calm and silent, patiently waiting for Gui to catch the hint that he was quite serious.
'He's baiting me.' Gui thought, 'Rin would flay me if I fell for something so blatantly obvious.'
"Why were you looking for me anyway?" Came a question. He would go along with nothing until he had received more information. That was how things worked in his world. His Master made sure of that.
"Rin sent me to 'test' you, though, I'm not sure you're capable of passing any tests whether they be academic or physical in nature." He added, insulting The Kid's intelligence. "She's disappointed in you Gui. I've heard her talking to Master Liam about dropping you. It's only a matter of time before you're tossed away like the scrap you hold so dear." The Kel Dor continued, twisting words and toying with the mind.
"You're right, tests aren't my thing. But, I've been shown a thing or two." With a very flashy and cocky flourish, Gui activated his saber and revealed a blue blade. It wasn't the color he would have chosen, but it would suit him just fine.
"Impressive." Ool commented as he feigned enthusiasm and remained sarcastic.
"You can't be doin that around here, I've got a business to run!!" Shouted Rollo in the background as Gui leapt forward, using one of the merchant's table as a springboard to propel himself towards the 'freaky Alien Mystic.'
With a childlike chuckle, Gui brought his saber down upon the head of the seemingly motionless Jedi. But, Ool was lying in wait as he whipped his right hand out and unleashed a violet blade to catch the Padawan's own and with a forward thrust, knocked Gui off-balance.
With natural athleticism, the Kid flowed with the momentum and went into a spin as a slight electrical pop signified contact; the training sabers being much weaker than your typical lightsaber. However, they could still create a nasty burn if met with flesh. A minor hazard that Gui would witness first hand once Sa utilized his skills with Makashi and penetrated the boy's defenses, flicking upward to catch him in the wrist.
The Padawan yelped and released his grip but managed to stop the rapid descent with his right hand and a little help from the Force. It hovered and trembled a mere centimeter from the ground before it shot straight up into the Kid's hand.
"It is true what they say about you, you truly are a nuisance."
The kid just smirked and readied himself. This would be no ordinary walk through the marketplace.
