Someday After A While, Locked; Lysen

[Mac Cheydin]

The Alliance hangar was peaceful, or as peaceful as a hangar could get. Rush hour was clearly over, and most ships that had been there previously to Mac’s trip to Tralus were absent. The run had been short, merely a pickup from the original carrier so that this new smuggler wouldn’t know their location. That information was on a need to know basis, Mac had only been given the information because someone had signed him up for a high profile trip. He’d said yes to that himself, though, so it had all been his own fault.

Having the hangar almost to himself, with only a few Alliance mechanics hanging around, meant that he felt comfortable with letting Sam and Tysk hang out outside the ship. Lately they’d found themselves cooped up inside the Centurion, neither had been happy with that arrangement, but Mac couldn’t let them roam free much in the areas he was hanging around in. The last thing he wanted was a hapless Alliance soldier to shoot one of his vornskrs because they didn’t know better. Now, however, they’d been demanding the chance to stretch their legs, he’d rather scare the Alliance mechanics than have a couple angry vornskrs to deal with, not that they’d do anything to him, but he felt keeping them content was important if he was to cooperate properly with them.

Giving Sam an absent scratch under the ear as he stood before the Centurion, he took in the battered ship. While she looked much better than she’d done before the pirate assault, she was still the same old ship. He’d only replaced and fixed what needed to be replaced and fixed, he didn’t have the credits or the heart to completely replace her old rusty innards unless he needed to. With the constant reminder of the past before him and the recent meeting with one from the Kingston family, Mac found himself thinking back to those times, when he’d left the Confederation to look after his daughter by the means of working like any honest man, instead of serving those responsible for the death of one of the women he loved.

It still hurt considerably to think back, but somehow the nagging pain had decreased in volume since he’d completed his vendetta. He’d found peace of mind by finishing off the murderers of his daughter, and with it, he’d found room to put it behind him, lessening the pain of thinking about it. Which had been lucky for the young Roy Kingston, or the kid would’ve been nursing a black eye now. It still didn’t feel entirely comfortable to think back to it, but the only way to make it comfortable was to make a habit out of it. He wanted to forget the event, but he didn’t want to forget her.

With those thoughts in his head, he took a brief tour around the ship, with Sam lazily wandering after him and Tysk settling down to sprawl in front of the lowered ramp. No doubt this was a sort of attempt at being guard dogs while still relaxing. After the round, he settled down on a crate near the Centurion’s ramp, ridding himself of the heavy duster and rolling up his sleeves. Picking up a piece of machinery, most likely coming from some part of the Centurion, he pulled a tool from his belt and set to work, Sam settling down by his feet as he did so.

[Lysander Odakota]

The maroon and silver Aurek fighter slipped through Corellian air space towards the Alliance hangar, the pilot at apparent ease with the controls of the small, recently hyperdrive equipped starfighter. Lysander had decided to finally give in and purchase himself the upgrade when he’d figured hunting down Michael Cheydin needed to be a one man job. He’d decided to go a-hunting when he’d received word from his big sister that she was going off again to help the Alliance. Shay had included a quip about how ‘things turned out better with that smuggler than I thought’ and some notion of how she’d gone and gotten herself shot. Being the smart boy that he was, Lysander had put things together and decided that going and checking out this “Mac” for himself was a dire necessity. It was his brotherly duty, after all, and with his current lack of official missions (and the knowledge that Gandon would have approved of this one had he told him) he decided to take the time to do so.

Figuring out where to find him had been the hardest part. Shay hadn’t exactly told him everything about the fellow. But lucky for Lys, he was good at research and had eventually figured out where to find the ship called Centurion’s Blade which Mac owned and piloted himself. A lot of very serious stalking later, he found himself here, on Corellia, hopefully heading towards his mark.

He knew that Mac probably wouldn’t be happy to see him. In fact, what he’d gathered from Shay implied that the smuggler would be anything but happy to have another nosy Jedi turn up on his doorstep. The thought that Mac had a pair of vornskrs he could sic on the canine-phobic Jedi had almost stopped Lysander in this quest before it had started, but eventually he had made up his mind that a pair of force-hunting canines were worth the risk if that meant he was looking out for his sister.

Of course, had Shay known he was doing this in the first place, she probably would have tried to stop him herself... Hm.

The Aurek fighter received clearance to land in the hangar and moved in. First thing the Jedi noticed was that the Lucidity was present. There was no mistaking that thing. A quick feel made it clear that Shay wasn’t around--she must have left her bird here while she was off playing Alliance games--and he didn’t know whether he was disappointed in that or grateful that she wouldn’t be here to, er, interfere.

But he pulled his mind away from the Lucidity, scanning now for the Centurion. It didn’t take more than a cursory glance to spot the YT-1930, as the hangar was quite about empty this time of day. He moved past as he came in, spotting a man who he was quick to conclude was his mark. Mac wouldn’t be knowing to look for anyone arriving in an Aurek, so he’d probably not even notice the small fighter more than in passing, if even that. Surprise was quite on Lysander’s side.

He also saw the canines and had to fight back a shudder. He was going to have to play his cards right or...

Settling his fighter down a little ways off, he exited, locking up the Living Force and leaving her behind him as he approached the much larger bird. He was dressed down in his casual blue flight suit. There would be nothing to mark him as Jedi, really, as the only visible weapon on him was his blaster pistol which hung from his belt. He kept his advance casual enough. He knew Mac wouldn’t be the first to notice he was being approached, though. The vornskrs would feel him first, despite his wish to keep it otherwise.

[Mac Cheydin]

Mac, busy with his minor repair work, barely gave the Aurek a second glance, deeming it unnecessary to pay attention to. No one really had any business with him here, maybe a few who wanted to pitch a few more jobs to him, but they were probably off working on something else. If they wanted to bring something to his attention, they’d use the comm. rather than meeting him personally. Compared to other things, chatting with a smuggler was pretty low on the priority list for them. With that brief dismissal of the fighter, he turned his full attention on the object in his hand, tweaking a bolt slightly as he frowned at it. This work was making his fingers all greased, but he found the smell and appearance of it quite nice, actually. Being a mechanic meant he was used to it. It reminded him of more carefree times too.

So focused was he on his work, that he only barely picked up on the light growl his two canines were emitting. Looking up, he gave them both a glance, noticing that Sam had stood up and straightened in a posture clearly communicating the fact that he was all business now. Tysk had done likewise, modified her posture to one of a more ferocious nature, but she had refrained from standing up. She knew Mac would tell her if she needed to be more ready than she was. Directing his gaze to where the two canines’ eyes were fixed, he saw someone in a blue flightsuit approaching, no doubt the Aurek pilot. Mac’s back straightened slightly, but he didn’t stand, nor did he put down what he was working with.

There were several options as to why the two canines were reacting like they were, the man could be a simple Force Sensitive or, the more serious option, the one approaching was a Jedi. He’d realised pretty quickly what Shay’s presence in the Alliance meant, she didn’t need to tell him anything, and she hadn’t either. A Jedi didn’t just work for a resistance movement on a whim; there would be a reason behind it. He had several theories, but he hadn’t explored any. What the Jedi did was their business; he didn’t want to be involved in politics of the Force users.

However, assuming this man was a Jedi wouldn’t really be wise either, for all Mac knew, he could just be a hapless Force sensitive wanting to ask directions around the Alliance base. He’d keep the options open for now, jumping to conclusions wouldn’t be profitable. Not that anything involving Jedi or the Alliance was profitable.

As he watched the man approach, he remained silent, turning his attention back to his work as if he didn’t know the man was purposely walking in his direction. He didn’t work for either faction, he didn’t need to pay attention to any of them unless he wanted to. The only Jedi he wanted to pay attention to wasn’t here, anyway.

[Lysander Odakota]

As he approached his “target,” Lysander saw the two canines stiffen at his approach, clearly sensing him for what he was. He bit down on the initial snap of fear, keeping that paranoia out of his posture, though anyone adept at reading eyes might have seen it there in a flicker of hard light. He would have preferred to talk to Mac away from the vornskrs, but it just wasn’t going to happen at this rate, and now that he’d found him, he wasn’t going to wait. He just had to assure himself that he could handle the canines should they decide to attack or, Force forbid, Cheydin should decide that to sic them on him was a good idea. That wouldn’t get bonus points with Shay, that was for certain!

Of course, stalking her boyfriend wasn’t going to get Lysander bonus points, either, but at least it was harmless enough.

Giving the dogs as wide a berth as possible, Lysander let himself draw nearer to the man he’d been searching for. He’d noticed Lysander but was currently behaving as if he didn’t think he was coming to see him or else he was hoping Lysander would go away if he was ignored. Something to that effect. Either way, that didn’t change Lysander’s initial approach plan.

Once he was within a decent talking distance, he started. “Michael Cheydin--or Mac, rather, as you prefer to be called? You don’t know me, but I think we have a common point of interest.” He remained wary of the vornskrs even as he kept his voice casual and his stance steady but relaxed.

“I understand you know Shay Marin rather well,” he said, putting emphasis on the last word in an attempt to confirm his suspicions. He was a nosy little brother, and he was going to prove as much right here and right now.

He almost felt bad for Mac, being approached like this out of the clear blue. Almost. If he was made of the stuff Shay claimed he was, he’d have to get over it.

[Mac Cheydin]

”… common point of interest.”

‘What now?’ Mac looked up from his work, fixing the man who had approached him with a mild scowl. His expression and attitude fairly easily conveyed his feelings on the matter of the new arrival. He didn’t want him to speak to him, and he certainly didn’t think they’d have anything to speak about, his standard reaction to people who came up to him and said cryptic things like that. This ‘common point of interest’ hadn’t exactly been revealed yet, and despite what some might think, he couldn’t read minds, even if his girlfriend could.

Girlfriend, what an odd word to use. It certainly didn’t apply correctly to the situation they found themselves in. If he was to give a word to the relationship he found himself engaging with a Jedi, it would be a more elegant word than mere girlfriend/boyfriend situation. It made them sound like a couple of dotty teens, something they definitely weren’t. He didn’t think teens knew how to do what they’d found themselves doing. Lovers was a word that fit more, but he wasn’t about to give this thing a title at the moment.

Not with the discovery of a ‘common point of interest’ with some idiot popping up.

He maintained his silence, but having courtesy enough to put down the piece of equipment he was working with. Sitting comfortably on his crate, he stared up at the man, noting that he seemed to be avoiding the vornskrs. His expression was similar to what one would give a child who was having difficulty explaining something, patient but expectant.

“I understand you know Shay Marin rather well,”

An incredulous eyebrow quirked, easily conveying the words ‘what the kriff are you getting at’ without the words leaving his mouth. It turned out his suspicions about this being a Jedi was correct, unless Shay had another lover out there who had gone through the same thing Mac had.

He doubted it, and that wasn’t even his manly pride speaking.

At least, he wouldn’t give this Jedi any sort of response yet. In truth, he didn’t see how the fact that he knew Shay Marin ‘rather well’ was any of this random guys business. Fellow Jedi or no.

[Lysander Odakota]

It was quite amusing to Lysander how Mac proved to express himself very well without saying a word. Being the natural empath he was, it was increasingly easy to read Mac’s reactions. He was incredulous but curious enough he was listening, though skeptical that Lysander had anything of interest to discuss with him. Or rather, not so much something of ‘interest’ but something that was Lysander’s business. Well, he supposed that made sense. Mac didn’t know that Shay had a hyper-protective “little brother” roaming the galaxy.

Apparently unfazed by Mac’s devout silence so far, Lysander bowed his head slightly. “I suppose I should lessen the knowledge advantage I have over you and at least give you a notion as to who I am, Mac.” He said the name easily, as if he’d known the man forever, despite having never laid eyes on him before now. “My name’s Lysander Odakota. And as Shay Marin’s ‘little brother’ I felt it necessary to come and meet you for myself.” Whether Mac would take the ‘little brother’ as literal or not didn’t matter to Lysander right now--he probably would be smart enough not to, given the fact that Shay and Lysander didn’t exactly look related, nor did they share the same surname.

“I hear your escapade against some pirates went well, though Shay did say she’d gotten herself shot. That’s pretty intense stuff, you know, if someone actually managed to tag her. You pull those kind of stunts often?”

A weird step into more detailed territory. Lysander knew far more about Mac than he probably should have, but for some reason he felt compelled to “show off” this knowledge of his.

Still, Mac Cheydin was proving so far to be as difficult a man to talk to as Shay had made him seem, and he hadn’t even gotten to the interro--er, main conversation yet!

[Mac Cheydin]

”… notion as to who I am, Mac.”

The eyebrow remained in its position, but the emotion behind it shifting slightly. The way the man said Mac’s name was slightly annoying, like they were old acquaintances just meeting up after a time away. This man was certainly not an old friend, and this knowledge advantage the guy claimed he possessed had the effect of making him exceedingly annoyed. He hated when people decided to beat around the bush rather than give the bush a solid whack.

”… meet you for myself.”

‘Little brother?’ He prevented his brow from furrowing in momentary confusion as his brain caught up to him. He remembered Shay mentioning a couple of Jedi who were considered her ‘brothers’ in a way, when he’d specifically asked if any Jedi would hunt him down for defiling one of their own. Not that much defiling had been going on; he liked to think they’d both enjoyed the time together. She’d also been giving as well as getting, surely that couldn’t be counted as defiling of anything. If the guy was the overly protective sort, well, Mac wouldn’t mind easing his mind as to what his ‘sister’ was up to in private. It would be his own fault, in any case.

“Nice to meet you,” he paused, trying to get his mouth around the man’s name, but finally settling for something simpler. “Dakota.”

”You pull those kind of stunts often?”

A rather mean expression crossing his face, it flashed away to be replaced with something of a bit scalding nature. If there was one base emotion he knew how to put down well, it was most of the forms of anger that came within the human emotion scale. Slowly rising to his feet, the youngest of his canine companions reacting in kind, he turned to face the man before him. It was obvious the two canines could keenly sense what sort of mindset their master was in at the moment, the way Sam was regarding the Jedi before them also gave a sign that the canines themselves felt pretty similar at the moment.

“I don’t like what you’re insinuating,” he growled, his words further pressed by the light growl from Sam as well.

[Lysander Odakota]

“Nice to meet you, Dakota.”

The dropping of the “o” off of his surname to form yet another ‘nickname’ of sorts amused Lysander faintly. His name wasn’t the easiest in the galaxy, but in comparison to, say, “Shae’andri’lar,” “Lysander” was an easy. “Epic” easy in comparison, in fact. But if Mac wanted to call him Dakota, he was alright with that and would respond to it accordingly.

Of course, at this point Lysander also wasn’t sure Mac meant it when he said ‘nice to meet you.’ And even if he did, his opinion could probably change very quickly as Lysander got down to business.

Which it did.

“I don’t like what you’re insinuating.”

The scalding look Lysander received to his prodding question was anything but good. Especially when Lysander realized the canines had picked up on their master’s mood immediately. The one Lysander assumed was the puppy of the two (he was big enough that “puppy” struck him as off) seemed especially keen on it, staring him down...

He did his best not to let his paranoia about the animals show. Sam’s growl startled him enough, however, that he couldn’t help his eyes shooting to the animal briefly, his breath hitching once before he had control over himself again within the first heartbeat. It was a miniscule slip by human standards, but by Jedi standards, it could be very telling.

Lysander shook his head, hands coming up in a warding gesture to Mac almost immediately. “No, no, don’t mistake me. I’m not here to accuse you of anything. She’s just put a lot of stock in you and as her emotional broker, I have my duties.” Frankly, he wasn’t here to pick a fight. Shay would so tell him off if he picked a fight with her man. Of course, Lysander wasn’t making any promises. Mac was so far living up to his previously noted reputation. Ly would have to tread careful.

[Mac Cheydin]

Mac noticed the glance the Jedi, Dakota, gave Sam at the growl. This was not surprising in itself, as that same reaction had come from some even without the canines showing outwards hostility. People just weren’t used to seeing vornskrs lounging around, but this wasn’t ‘people’, this was a Jedi. Surely a mere canine, easily fought off with their mystical Force and their lightsaber weapon, wouldn’t strike them as very intimidating, or surprising. The impression he’d gotten, while flawed, was that all Jedi were fearless individuals who calmly stood in the face of danger and got rid of it. A growling canine was hardly anything that could be thought of as ‘danger’.

”I have my duties.”

The quick warding gesture Dakota came with clearly told Mac what the guy’s whole point was. He wanted to have a talk, but not a talk that would turn violent. That was too bad, he couldn’t promise anything as of yet, the man had already gotten him angry and the conversation wasn’t even started properly. Already he felt bothered by the whole direction the Jedi seemed to want to take this, and it was a direction he didn’t want to take with a stranger. Friend or ‘little brother’ of Shay or not, these things were elements of his private life he’d very much prefer to keep to himself.

“Maybe it would be better if you left her emotions to her,” he said, a sneer easily surfacing. He sat back down on the crate, giving Dakota a look of contempt. His opinion of the man was clear. “She’s a grown woman, after all.” He was tempted to add something to that, but decided trying to provoke the guy now wasn’t the moment for it. He’d bide his time, and when the Jedi was really getting on his nerves, provoking would be fitting.

“Unless you have something productive to discuss, I think you should be on your way,” he said. It was more or less his way of saying ‘bugger off’ with a few more words and not so rough.

[Lysander Odakota]

“Maybe it would be better if you left her emotions to her. She’s a grown woman, after all. Unless you have something productive to discuss, I think you should be on your way,”

Force, Shay hadn’t been kidding. This guy was complicated and snarky as all get out. Mac clearly didn’t think it was his business and in a way, it was true. But the fact of the matter was, what mattered to Shay mattered to Lysander and there was nothing that Mac could do or say that would get Lysander to back off at this point. No, he’d come for answers and a serious knowledge of this man his sister loved, and he wasn’t leaving until he had what he wanted.

Other than a faint frown--more of thought than feeling--Lysander seemed complete unfazed by all that Mac had said. If there was one thing Mac would learn Lysander had in common with Shay really fast, it was that irritating patience and stubborn tenacity.

“I didn’t come all this way and track you down just to be turned away, Mac. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think it was important. That woman taught me a good deal of what I know, and if you know her as well as I think you do, you know what that means.”

He paused a half second before adding. “I know how she feels about you. Question is, how do you feel about her, Mac?” It was dangerous, personal territory he tread on, but he didn’t care. Having talked to Shay about all of this, he’d become emotionally invested as well, though Mac may not have known or understood the extent of it. Force Bonding was something that was typically hard for non-Force users to understand. Lysander could not so easily separate himself from this situation. It went beyond “little brother” and into a realm much deeper than that.

[Mac Cheydin]

The faint frown the Jedi wore while still looking unconcerned told Mac pretty much that his attempt at chasing the Jedi away had failed. The words had been heard but the Jedi had no intention of honouring Mac’s preferences as far as who he wanted to speak with went. Which was bad for him, because he really didn’t want to talk to Dakota about this. He could pretty much see that if he put up a fight, he’d be on the losing side of a rather pathetic battle. Millions of men and boys went through this, this ‘talk’ with either the brother or father of whomever they found themselves courting. While this was far from ordinary, the whole Jedi thing coming in, the scenario was rather ordinary. Among the Jedi would be the last place you’d see it, but it seems the Force was enjoying yanking the chains of those involved in this. Mac especially felt like his chain was being yanked. He didn’t want to face this.

”… you know what that means.”

Standing up, he stood in front of Dakota, looking both bothered and annoyed at this persistence. He knew where the guy was coming from, if he’d gotten the chance, he’d have done the same thing with guys who wanted to mess around with his daughter, just with less patience and more death threats. Having only brothers, he hadn’t been able to go through this with them. Thank the Force.

”Question is, how do you feel about her, Mac?”

He held up his hands, warding off more of this sentimental speech the Jedi was spewing if he happened to have more in store. Remaining silent, he mulled things over in his head. He’d have to say something, but this something was hard to conjure up. He never found himself contemplating things like this, and if he’d known in advance that someone would track him down, he’d have made a speech just for this occasion to avoid being unprepared.

“Look, Dakota, I don’t know Shay,” he started, slowly piecing things together in his mind as he continued speaking. “I have an idea of who and what she is, yes, but I don’t know her.” This no doubt needed explaining, as he didn’t think the Jedi would take it well to him admitting he didn’t know her, if he currently was talking about the normal sense of knowing.

“I met her on Tatooine, months ago, and she wasn’t Brin Trell, she wasn’t Shay Marin, she was Nara Andros. I thought she was going to truss me up like some prize pig, ship me off to some nameless Hutt Lord I’d managed to piss off, which would pretty effectively end my life. Not the best of circumstances, if you know what I mean.” He brushed a hand over his forehead, looking down at the hangar deck as he thought back. “I was just lucky I wasn’t the man they wanted, I was just lucky I could get out of it by lending a helping hand.” He wouldn’t say where his hands had ended up, either. Dakota would find it interesting, but it was hardly something you told the ‘little brother’.

“Now, after that, I thought I’d seen the last of them, but no, she tracks me down, because of some little bounty, where we ended up arguing most of the time.” Well, he’d been the one arguing, but Dakota didn’t need details. “We sorted out our differences,” he stopped being an ass, “and sorted that out. She was still Nara Andros. I didn’t get the Brin Trell name fed to me before the start of the mission to Dolomar, you know, getting that Loran guy.” He didn’t care if he was dishing out confidential Alliance business; he wanted to get Dakota out of his hair.

“I found out she was Shay Marin by accidentally coming across her on Ossus. Are you going to say I know her when I’ve only known her, in reality, for a couple of months? I’ve seen three different versions, I don’t know who she is, I just know some aspects of who she is.” He threw up his hands in frustration, which was real in all degrees. His ignorance as to who she really was annoyed him to no end, but the only way of solving it would be to spend more time with her.

“Believe me, I’d love to spend more time with her, but if you haven’t noticed, she’s kinda busy!” His tone turned agitated again, showing clearly how much he didn’t appreciate Dakota tracking him down.

“As for how I feel, I don’t know that either!” He exclaimed, pointing an angry finger at Dakota. “She fogs things up! She always does! Spinning me about. I wish like hell I could identify this, but I can’t! So, please, find someone else to harass.”

Mac was proud of himself, he hadn’t even started yelling yet. This was probably the most words he'd strung together in years. He wasn't exactly known for having a chatty nature.

[Lysander Odakota]

Lysander hadn’t known what sort of reception he’d get in asking the question he had. He was a little surprised when the man began to give him a shortly summarized story about his list of interactions with Shay before she’d been knowingly Shay to him. Lysander could understand the confusion it put into Mac. Investigators were, as they said, a breed apart. They had to be many different people, and from what he’d heard from Shay when they’d talked, her recent exploits had confused even her own sense of self. It happened. But at the same time, if what had gone down between Shay and Mac had actually gone down, chances were very very high that Mac had gotten a very good look at the true Shay, despite how he felt.

As for the bit about how he didn’t know how he felt about her? Well, he couldn’t very well just give him that.

“First of all, I can understand you being confused as to who she is. She’s an effective role-actor and as an Investigator, she’s among the best. But believe me, I think you’ve seen enough of her real self by now that you’ll have that bit figured out in no time, Mac.”

He shook his head then as he go a little more... direct. “However, you can’t possibly convince me that you don’t know how you feel about her. Obviously you feel something or else you and I wouldn’t be bothered to have this conversation right now, nor would you feel inclined to defend yourself against me.” He shrugged. “Even if you don’t consciously acknowledge it, you know.” The fact that Mac was clearly angry at this point of the conversation didn’t seem to faze the Jedi who stood rather calmly, despite the fact that inwardly he was on full alert.

“What are you so afraid of, anyways?” Okay, accusing the smuggler of being afraid probably wasn’t the most cautious of moves, but Lysander couldn’t figure out why Mac was so up-in-arms about this.

[Mac Cheydin]

”…I think you’ve seen enough of her real self by now that you’ll have that bit figured out in no time, Mac.”

“Save me the assumptions,” Mac snapped at Dakota. “You don’t know anything as far as this goes!” He gave the Jedi a glare, finding his amazing ability to assume so much very annoying. Dakota had known Shay for most, if not all, of his life, if Mac interpreted the Jedi society correctly. In contrast, Mac had known Shay for barely a full year and even if he’d known her for that long, they’d only spent time in the presence of each other for a few weeks. Dakota didn’t know Mac, so the Jedi was sorely mistaken in assuming Mac knew Shay, as he didn’t know how Mac operated.

”… defend yourself against me.”

His expression melted into a withering glare, signalling the end of his already stretched thin patience. “There you go with the assumptions again!” He exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration. He never said he didn’t feel anything for her, he’d just said he didn’t know what this something was. It wasn’t easy to describe a feeling when you didn’t know what it was yourself. This Jedi was just making it worse. He’d been confused enough on his own, this guy meddling just screwed with his brain even more.

He hated meddling Jedi.

”… acknowledge it, you know.”

“And you’re the expert on this?” Mac said snidely. “I thought Jedi weren’t allowed to form emotional attachments, you’re hardly someone entitled to give advice.” The Jedi’s words, as far as listening to the so called ‘wisdom’ he seemed to think he possessed, went ignored. If he wanted advice on this subject, he’d go to someone who’d actually lived a proper life, and not lived as a celibate monk. He’d also find someone older than him, as it was apparent that Dakota was more or less a decade younger.

“What are you so afraid of, anyways?”

He visibly flinched at that, looking as if someone had just tried to burn him with glowing hot iron. It only lasted a second, disappearing as quickly as it had come. For most it would appear as if the reaction had never been there, as his face flushed with anger. It was clear that while Mac had been angry before, he was infuriated now.

“What am I afraid of?” He roared straight into the Jedi’s face, dropping all pretence to contain his fury. His fist came up to clench tightly together as he shook it slightly, as if he longed to punch someone with it. “Go away, before I make you!”

[Lysander Odakota]

“I thought Jedi weren’t allowed to form emotional attachments, you’re hardly someone entitled to give advice.”

It was incredibly clear at this point in time that Mac wouldn’t be listening to the younger man’s sound advice. At the very least, it seemed that Mac had decided that Lysander was not a credible source of such statements. Shame, really, as Lysander was relatively certain that he had a good idea of what was going on and the fact that Mac was bristling against the idea was only going to make things much worse. Especially since Lysander’s curious streak had combined with his stubborn streak and he wasn’t leaving anytime soon. To admit defeat now just wasn’t in his nature. Meddling Jedi indeed.

“I’m an empath, Mac. Just because my own relationships are few and far between doesn’t mean I don’t understand how emotions and their kin work.”

“What am I afraid of? Go away, before I make you!”

About now, he probably should have left well enough alone. He should have nodded, backed off, and headed for his Aurek. But he didn’t. In the face of fury--literally, really--he maintained that eerie calm. However, there was a definite darkening of his eyes, indicating that he wasn’t at all pleased with Mac’s current set of reactions.

“I’m here for my sister, Mac. Idle threats...,”--oh, did he just accuse Mac of blowing hot air?--”...will get you nowhere with me. All I’m looking for are answers. A simple ‘I’m not afraid,’ would have been sufficient.”

He knew he had the smuggler riled enough that a physical attack wasn’t out of the question. His danger senses were on peak alert and he was more than prepared that Mac might throw at him--literally or figuratively.

“You’re not doing much good in the way of dissuading me from thinking there’s something by acting like this, you know.”

[Mac Cheydin]

”… emotions and their kin work.”

Mac gave a snort at that, finding the Jedi’s words more or less worthless in the situation, no matter what he said. Empathic or not, feeling emotions didn’t tell you what they were thinking. Vague feelings didn’t beat specifics, and unless Dakota made a habit of swimming in people’s brains, specifics were lacking in this situation. Everything was going so very much out of hand. When he’d opened his eyes in the morning, he hadn’t been expecting to experience a slugging match with a Jedi. This would indeed turn into a slugging match. It was merely a fact, because he wasn’t going to let the Jedi push him around, and the Jedi wouldn’t piss off already.

”Idle threats...,”

His face visibly tightened at that, his anger increasing with the rather careless words of the Jedi. He didn’t threaten someone unless he meant it, and today he certainly meant it. He withdrew his fist from the Jedi’s face, locking it at his side as it clenched and unclenched as he tried a last attempt to calm himself down. It did seem luck wasn’t on his side today, as his anger would not dissipate, and, apparently, neither would the Jedi. He could do several things, one of them was walk away, but that option was more or less not for the choosing with the Jedi’s recent words. Others were of a more violent nature, but he knew better than to jump into a fight with a Jedi without evaluating the situation. He’d learned that much with Shay. Those had been verbal fights, but still, a fight was a fight. The concept applied to both types.

”A simple ‘I’m not afraid,’ would have been sufficient.”

Mac’s finger came up, his face stiff with anger. His whole being shook for a moment, longing to just explode and give the bloody Jedi what he deserved, but he held himself back still. Words felt insufficient at the moment, but they’d have to do. He didn’t want to punch a Jedi.

“You made a mistake coming here,” he snarled out. “You haven’t even thought this through properly.” The hand not pointing a finger clenched again. All this proved was that the majority of Jedi were selfish. Seemingly their ability to read others made them believe they were all knowing, which they definitely weren’t.

“Piss off before I do something I’ll regret.” Beating down his pride violently, Mac stepped back, his glare strong enough to melt durasteel. He turned his back on the Jedi, stepping quickly to his ramp, barking out an order in Corellian to his vornskrs, who followed him. Sam lagged behind and cast glances at the Jedi, obviously not liking the Jedi. Without looking back, he quickly made his way towards the innards of the Centurion, seeking escape from the Jedi more than anything else.