𝗔𝗵𝘀𝗼𝗸𝗮 𝗧𝗮𝗻𝗼

Chapter Two

To the inexperienced eye, the lively din of the small diner was next chaos — but to Dex, it was routine.

The Tholothian that always ordered a glass a jawa juice at 2100 standard time was right on cue, slipping into a booth next to the window.

The group of Duggs who loved a good sabaac game every other night were just over in the corner, dealing out cards and placing bets.

Regular, routine, normal.

Dexter Jettster knew his diner and the people in it — new or old. From his experience of running a restaurant on the bustling city-planet of Coruscant, the repetition in the same types of beings, although different sentients, had given him a watchful eye and careful expression.

Over the years of constantly playing referee to the fights and brawls that ensued, Dex had become pretty good at reading people — the quick scratch of a chair, the tensing of muscles, the clenching of fists, the glaring of eyes — all tell tale signs of a conflict just waiting to happen.

Needless to say, the observant eye of the Besalisk had developed an aptitude for interpreting beings and their body language.

The inconspicuous background noise of the diner washed the night shift into a lull of familiarity. The regulars that frequented the place were as lively as ever, and the new-comers seemed to catch onto the buzzing atmosphere.

The community of the diner seemed to group all the beings together in a single, although separate, semblance, allowing beings to slip away from their surroundings, ignoring the rest of the room in favor of their comfortably unobtrusive privacy.

So when the door opened and closed behind what appeared to be a new-comer, Dex was the only one who really noticed.

Wait a minute, he felt a pang of recognition, though he almost dismissed it. I think I know her...

The blue and white montrals of a Togruta female bobbed through the packed room as the younger girl moved through the crowds.

He kept his eyes on the Togruta, but his four hands never stopped moving from one task to another behind the counter.

Still studying her out of the corner of his eye, trying to place where he knew her from, he noticed some of the slight body language cues that he had become so good at noticing — and to him, it wasn't hard to figure out that something was very wrong.

The Togruta held herself with straight posture and an air of benevolence as they made their way to the counter, but something was off... it was almost as if it was only out of habit that she held herself that way, because her eyes were what gave her away.

The deep blue of her eyes, contrasting her orange and white face, seemed to scan the room without having a real purpose, nervous or lost, unlike what her demeanor of confidence suggested.

The slight tensing of her muscles and twitching of her fingers told Dex that she was anxious or in duress, but it would have been hard for anyone else to tell from the barely noticeable social cues — the only thing that really confirmed Dex's assessment that something was indeed wrong was the slightly swollen and red eyes, and the ghost of tear streaks on her cheeks.

She hid her distress well, Dex noticed, and her demeanor seemed all too familiar to him...

That's when it hit him — A Jedi.

But no, he realized as his eyes dropped to her hips, searching for the tell tale sign of the famed blade of light they always carried, Where is her lightsaber?

He didn't get too much longer to think about it, because by then she had stepped up to the counter, her startling blue eyes seeking him out.

The previously white towel glided over the surface of the bar as Dex took his time finishing up with his previous task of wiping it down, before fully turning his attention to the teenaged Togruta, throwing the now soiled towel over his shoulder.

"What can I do for you?" He asked, now examining her up close, taking in the orange cheeks, white face markings, blue and white lekku, and sharp, analyzing gaze — though he wasn't blind to the puffiness rimming her eyes, or the dried salt hastily wiped away from her cheeks.

He studied her, his curiosity keeping him rooted to the spot as he awaited her answer — it wasn't everyday you saw a Jedi with evidence of emotion, now was it?

She seemed to be doing the same with him, and the way her eyes seemed to really see him, not just look at him, confirmed his suspicions of her Jedi background.

"Are you Dex?" She questioned, her voice a little hoarse and less assertive than her confident demeanor suggested, but not so much so that it was easy to notice unless you were looking for it.

She met his analyzing gaze with her own intense look as she waited for his response. Something was off in her eyes, though — almost like she was forcing the look of calm and collected out of habit, the typical reserved look of a Jedi.

"I am." He replied, crossing his four arms, still trying to place her face in his memory. "Who's asking?"

The girls calculating blue eyes searched his face, almost as if deciding how much information she should tell him, before responding: "A ... friend of Obi-Wan Kenobi's."

The slight hesitation suggested that the two had a more complicated relationship, but Dex hardly paid attention to it — at the promoting of his old friends name, his memory finally clicked into place.

"Ahh... " He hummed, recalling a day at least two years ago when the Jedi Master in question had dragged two other young Jedi into the diner — one of them being a small Togruta female. "I remember you now. You've grown since the last time I saw you, Padawan."

Immediately, he knew he had struck a sore spot. The stiffening of her limbs, the white knuckles as they gripped the counter, and the sharp intake of breath make Dex mentally recoil. What?

He searched her eyes again which seemed to be filled with a mix of emotions. Was that regret, that he saw; guilt? Or just pain? All three?

She hesitantly stepped back from the counter. "This wasn't a good idea..." she murmured, mostly to herself. The look in her eyes reminded Dex of a trapped animal as she flicked them nervously away from Dex's face and to the counter instead. "I should go. Just... forget that you saw me..." She hardened her voice into a tone of finality, still not completely meeting his eyes, backing slowly away from the bar before turning on her heel and striding briskly away from the Besalisk.

"Now wait a minute —" Dex threw down his towel and slipped out from behind the counter. He crossed the floor in four strong strides, just missing the Togruta as she hurriedly slipped out through the doorway, leaving Dex on the threshold.

Still not giving up, Dex reached out and put a strong hand on her shoulder, making her seem smaller than she really was due to the stark contrast in the size of the Besalisk's hand dwarfing her slim frame.

She tensed up, her muscles reminding Dex of a lothcat about to spring away at a moments notice, but she stopped none the less.

Now that he had caught her, Dex didn't really know what to do. He wasn't even sure why he had gone after her in the first place, but he was curious about her behavior none the less — that seemed justification enough. Besides, this girl was a friend of Obi-Wan's; of course he would help any friend of his.

"Come inside," he decided after a moments hesitation, beginning to steer her back toward the door. "Let's talk."

::::

Okay, chapter two! Kinda short, but it would have veered too much away from the point of the chapter if it was any longer. So please tell me what you think, and leave any feedback you have in the comments.

I focused more on an outsiders (Dex) perspective this time, so I hope I was descriptive enough with that...

I rewrote this chapter to change what I had originally wrote because it was overall bad, but I did incorporate (*ahem* copyandpaste) some of the original chapter into here, so if some parts are a little confusing or just generally don't flow completely, that is why, and please let me know.

Anyway, thank you for reading, and I'll try to update soon! Bye!

*unedited

9/30/20

Word count: 1444