Warrior ◊ Star Wars

chapter two; cute

"A quarter ration? You do realize I'm not skinny because I try, but because I starve? You do understand if I die of hunger, you will never see my pretty self again? You will never look upon my gorgeous face once more."

Mara was squabbling with the hideous dealer Unkar, which was one element of her day that she could count on as much as she could the rising dawn. Ever since she'd met the slimy, smelling, repulsive thing, she'd had just felt a bad taste in her mouth. Maybe it was his looks, or the fact that she'd dealt with people like him her whole life, or maybe because her first impression of Unkar was how little respect he had for Rey. Hell, he seemed to take a liking more to the crap they sold to him than the sellers themselves.

Mara hated the entire establishment as soon as she had gotten there and had made Rey very aware of her opinion soon after. The first time the scavenger had shown Mara the Niima Outpost, she helped scrub down their goods and then quickly positioned herself near the corner of a tent right next to an available exit if she needed to run. While Rey made her way through the line and did their daily trading, Mara took note of every small move anyone or anything made.

Each day for the first few of her arrival weeks, this became a continual routine; them both cleaning off anything they had found, then Rey getting their food and Mara's gaze lingering from afar. Rey initially thought the woman just didn't like crowds or perhaps the non-human inhabitants of the dingy place. She didn't mind the blonde's weirder behavior, until one day Mara just came up in line with her to get the daily rations. Despite the foul company and less than polite traders, she seemed to get along with them just fine.

It took a few days for Rey to figure out, but Mara wasn't specieist towards the common folk of Jakku or anxious around crowds, but had merely watched every single passerby very closely for the first few weeks after Rey finding her, perhaps wary or maybe just curious. Mara soon knew all their names, habits, the junk they brought in, their friends, fighting techniques, their enemies, even picking up bits of the native language.

So of course Mara had watched how Unkar the Ogre(her designated nickname for him) treated Rey in comparison to the other scavengers, and took a disliking to the man. Sure, she realized he was quite bigger than her, but Mara never picked fights when she wasn't confident she could win.

At least that's what she kept telling herself.

"Shut up Correllian." Unkar grumbled, about to take back the portions before Rey snatched them, anticipating his move.

"Listen, you know how this goes. I will if I get more food. It might be junk, but last month it was worth more. It's probably worth a full portion if the guy behind was carrying it." Mara practically spit, matching the slimy native's sneer.

"Listen here you scruffy-" Unkar started, but Rey had already pushed the angered blonde back. Mara went back a few steps, but never broke her glare with the fickle trader.

"Let's go." Her companion whispered fiercely into her ear as she began to drag her away by the wrist. Mara swallowed whatever remarks she'd saved for later and broke away from the scene to head towards the rusted speeder parked just outside of the outpost. Rey finally let go of her as she began to retie the net she had been dragging onto their transportation.

Mara helped lift it up to its proper place, beginning to thread knots while mumbling, "He still thinks I'm Correllian. I don't even have the accent!"

Rey shot her a warning look, the kind a disapproving mother might give an obnoxious child, "You were doing more harm than good. He was going to take away the scrap he gave us. Unkar isn't reasonable. You've been here long enough to know that."