『Son of Suns』
Hours later and Dooku, as his Master, ordered Ento and Vaylin to leave the Palace and make rounds about the City of Theed. The reason was to get more experience scouting a populated area, learning about the culture of other worlds, and interacting with other people. At the same time, both of them needed new clothes to wear.
His boots were worn, his tunic was faintly stained and there were light tears evident on his trousers. Vaylin's clothes weren't much different in their current state, thanks to their training, it seemed they both needed to buy a wardrobe.
For the first time, they were going to be using credits for something more than just foodstuffs.
Leaving through the front exit of the Palace, the two young people stood at the top of the steps leading into the central avenue of Theed, gazing out towards the crowds of people.
"There are so many people out and about today..." Vaylin shared a half-suppressed laugh as she ran a hand through her dark hair which had been growing in rather well for the past five months.
Looking over to her, brow cocked, Ento let out a chuckle. "Less than the parade though," he nodded in a bobbing motion before looking out towards the people that walked about.
Even though five months ago had been a nightmare for these people, regular life seemed to have resumed for the people of Theed.
Letting her hand drop to her side, a smile formed over her lips in a subtle nature. "You're not wrong, and probably less people wanting to kill us."
"Hah," Ento gave a brief chuckle, but he didn't look back on that fondly. A random person trying to kill him because he revealed Palpatine's scheme? That didn't sound all too good, did it? There had to be more people aligned with the Sith than there was known. How many people were in on it? It was clear that the one known as Nute Gunray was aware of Palpatine's duplicity. Trying to unravel it all at once in his head, actually hurt annoying circles of thought it went in...
Vaylin creased her brow when she saw the pondering expression on his face, as if he was searching for something in his mind. She reached over and grasped his hand in her own.
"You know, if you keep that expression on your face, it will end up staying that way." She quoted her mother on that one, a fond memory, kind of.
After the torture she had gone through, it was one thing that she did look back on and smile upon... There was just this hatred that she felt for the person who birthed her and sired her. Both of them had abandoned her, her father abused her and stripped her of her freedoms. Her mother... Left her to her father.
Ento looked over her face as she seemed to have a determined aura about her. What she was determined about, didn't necessarily come to him immediately.
Was it to move on? It seemed logical to him, so he left it at that.
She was the first to proceed down the steps and into the avenue, pulling him along with her. He was taller than her, but she was capable of easily pulling him along, especially since he didn't resist.
"So what are we going to do first?" Vaylin asked as she glanced over her shoulder, moving along the walkway in order to avoid getting hit by any landspeeders.
Blinking at the question, Ento straightened out his brows, "Weren't you the one leading me on?"
Vaylin's lips parted at his use of words before shrugging lightly, "It felt strange standing on those steps..." Her eyes trailed over to the sandstone elevations that lead up to the Palace. "It felt like we were standing on a pedestal. I just had to get off of it."
That was when her lips aligned into an open smile, showing her pearly whites.
"Hm..." Ento enjoyed the look on her face, the expression. Even though he could feel through the force how happy she was to be here, he could also see it on her face. She was to easy to read.
The girl then glanced away from him, after seeing someone from the corner of her eye, and towards a figure who was weaving about the crowd. Vaylin arched a brow sharply. The man's clothes seemed familiar, as did his elongated head. The person wasn't human, and they were rather tall.
"Isn't that the guy we saw in the museum that one day?" She pointed off in the person's direction with her free hand, only to find they were gone the instant she blinked.
Ento gazed in that general direction, his eyes surfing over the crowds. "I don't see anyone," were his first words as he looked back towards her.
"But I swear I --"
"That doesn't mean they weren't there though," Ento cut her off before she could finish needlessly defend her claim. "If someone doesn't want to be seen, they disappear, easy as that."
Vaylin felt warmed by his words as he didn't accuse her of seeing things.
"Now, you say you've seen a Muun with a breathing apparatus?" He closed his eyes as let his mind reach out through the force. He felt all kinds of droids and electronic devices nearby. However he was looking for that particular equipment from five months ago.
After a few minutes, he found the person, or in his case... They found them.
Standing directly behind Vaylin was Hego Damask, his eyes yellow and his skin pale. The being towered over the two teens. This particular man he had read up in the past five months, particularly when he went through files detailing members of the Senate.
Hego was a member of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, Galactic Senate and even the Republic Reserve Administration. He was in many seats of power and seemed to have a large influence relative to currency. Had he been connected to Palpatine? Ento couldn't answer this question.
"Hello, Master Jedi." The man referred to the young boy with the Padawan Braid.
"Hello... Hego?" Ento did not use a honorific or any form of title when talking to the man. He went straight on ahead and used his given name, which was identical to the man's father.
Vaylin turned her head to the side and glanced her eyes up at the man from the corner of her eye. She blinked twice, looking him in the eye.
The two quickly noticed that the man wasn't alone either. There were two humanoids clad in heavy yellow armor with T shaped visors. They were members of the Sunguard, and from what he recalled from their dossier, they were mercenaries.
"Oh, I see you know my name... May I ask yours?" The Muun narrowed his eyes on the teenage Jedi Padawan, who was still strange to sense through the force.
"My name is Ento Rhade, we are currently on an erra--"
"That was quite the show you put on, it was quite impressive..." The Dark Lord of the Sith chuckled into his breathing apparatus, coughing fluidly afterward.
"Show...?" Ento narrowed his eyes on Hego Damask the Second, "You're referring to the Museum. So you didn't really flee, did you?"
The alien's head lulled side to side, his long fingers grasped around a staff at his side. "Guilty as charged, I would have to say, but I made sure nothing got in the way of your career, Young Jedi." His eyes flickered over to the young girl which was holding Ento's hand. "And who may you be?"
He could feel the torment she held inside, the hatred she had for her mother and father. The longing for her brother Thaxen... There was so much potential, yet there wasn't.
"My name is Vaylin, it is a pleasure to meet you... Uh.. Hego was it?" She pursed her lips, she didn't know who the man was, but it seemed Ento was knowledgeable. So she just went with whatever her friend said the person's name was, that was reasonable right?
"Vaylin... A curious name." Hego's fingers tapped on the staff in his hand. He couldn't feel the boy's emotions or thoughts as well as he could with Vaylin's novicely tapped potential. "Does it come with a second part, if I may?"
The girl stared up at the alien for a moment before looking towards Ento, before returning the gaze once more. "Mecetti," she lied and the man could sense it despite how bluntly she said the name. Though it was an interesting choice, as Hego knew of the soon to be Count's connection to them.
"Oh?" Hego shook his head slightly, his eyes moved to Ento as he felt him protect her mind from incursion. The boy seemed to have been quick to do so, as if detecting he could see through her words. "I see... I shall let you be then, Lady Vaylin... Ento," The tall Muun would turn away from the duo with his Sunguard and begin to walk away with his staff lightly touching the ground with each step he made.
Ento and Vaylin stood there, watching until he vanished into the crowds like he had done before.
"That guy is kinda creepy..." Vaylin huffed.
Shrugging at her take on the man, Ento gazed over their joined hands. "I don't like his eyes very much," raising their hands slightly, he smirked to himself.
"Heh... That's what made him creepy," Vaylin said extremely quickly to the point that she almost bit her tongue as she talked.
Consciously agreeing with her, he would lead her off towards the shopping district of Theed City. The clothing here was likely to be flamboyant, but he was sure there were some shops that catered to the galactic standard attire. There were plenty who wore untraditional garb here.