“You will get your tools, regardless of whether or not we see each other again.” Calista assured, accepting the list and choosing to ignore the Forde-null ignorance of her warning.
She calmly followed Hawkin out of the office but caught up to him and matched his speed. “Well, that could have been worse. So much for your organic drama, Dex.“ she smiled briefly with a light chuckle. “Are you alright, Hawkin?” she asked gently, understanding that this was a big change for him.
Dex let out a whistle that could only seem to be of mock disappointment.
"I was getting ready to put bets on the metaphorical table to see when Hawkin would start swinging. Glad to see I was wrong. However it would have been very entertaining."
Hawkin huffed in frustration. He stopped walking for a second and took a deep breath.
"Dex, it was a high possibility. I almost lost it. That man drives me insane. As for being okay Calista, I think so? I'm not physically hurt, but I'm mentally frustrated? It's confusing. I don't know what to feel. I just know Karavos made me angry, and then treated me like a small kid. Granted I'm only fifteen, but come on. He didn't have to treat me like a five year old. And information on me? I don't even know what he could have had. I've looked for everything that I could ever find on Kiffu and the Kiffar people, and me. There's not much. Only things that really showed up, is what a Jedi put in the archives. And that's because he was Kiffar. I wish I could have met him. He was probably like me, in some way."
(Welcome back! Best of luck on your finals. I'm glad that things are calming down for you. Just hang in there a little longer.)
Calista only rolled her eyes at Dex's… goading, for lack of a better word, but chose to focus on Hawkin. "Karavos was deliberately trying to get under your skin. He's known you for a long time and knows what buttons to push." she reminded him gently. "He was probably trying to use your emotions to get me to make a better offer. I know it doesn't excuse his behavior, and it probably doesn't make you feel any better, but… you have good instincts. You kept your anger in check very well. You didn't let it control you." she smiled softly. "Those are good skills for a Jedi. That Jedi you're thinking about… he'd be proud of you for this. And so am I."
(Fanfic, what a break and what a first week back at school. Nothing was relaxing, everything was very stressful, and I attempted to go to LA, but you know, it was kind of burning. Which was wild. Are we back? No clue. But we'll see. But I'm back for the moment.)
Hawkin sighed.
"Thanks. It's nice to know someone in this galaxy is proud of me. As for Karavos? That's what he does best. It's how he bleeds other people dry, and outpaces his competition. He drives a hard bargain for everything and gets under everyone's skin. As for the buttons to push, He's been been doing it ever since I ended up on his radar on Coruscant. He's gotten really good at that over the years. As for me. I'm shocked, and kind of proud that I kept my anger in check. It wouldn't have happened without you being there Calista. You do make a good teacher. As for me now? Let's get away from this place. I don't want to be here unless I absolutely have to be. I think I'd rather get looked at by senators and asked questions than deal with Karavos again."
He shuddered, and Dex chimed in.
"Well pretty boy, you're going to get your wish. You're going to be a Fantailed Laa Fish in a big Snakefish pond."
Hawkin rolled his eyes.
"Dex. I come from a desert planet. I've never seen those fish. I barely know what a fish even is! That is irrelevant to me."
Dex whirred as if he was laughing. Hawkin turned back towards Calista.
"Alrighty, it's time for some senators. I think I'm ready. Nothing can be worse than Karavos."
He let out a soft sigh and stood tall.
(Winter! Always good to see a friend pop back up! I've been semi-watching the news about LA… I hope things get better there soon. And I hope things settle down for you too.)
Calista nodded, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "I don't blame you for wanting to get away from this place and him with how he treated you. I know Karavos is a businessman, and he knows what methods work best for him. He's not the first one I've had to negotiate with, but I never enjoy those kinds of situations, especially when they deliberately irritate people." She shook her head as if physically detaching those moments. "I doubt we'll, personally, ever do business with him again."
She cleared her throat softly, her smile growing slightly, as he called her a good teacher and headed towards the Senate building. Though she rolled her eyes at Dex's comments. "Senators can be… an interesting crowd and I half-expect some of them to be challenging in their own ways. I doubt it'll be worse than dealing with Karavos." she smirked, not denying Dex's claims. "You'll be fine."
