It's Difficult To Remember...

[Laz]

The little Rheinland wraith slowly descended onto the landing pad, just outside where Aaron ran his dealings. Once again under the unobstructed light of day, the ship finally showed everything that it had been through. Black scorch marks dotted the hull from firefights, scratches and dents line the ship from top to bottom. If it wasn't for the miracle of technology that was nanobots, this thing would have fallen apart long ago.

Leere breathed in and out as he guided this ship down and parked it on the pad. The ship had finally touched ground, after all this time. Leere shut down the ship's engines and then, for the first time in what seemed like an age, the ship was silent. No engine, no cloak, just silence. Silence. Leere stood up slowly from his pilots chair and made his way down into the cargo hold.

His head hurt and his bones aced, but he'd finally found some sort of salvation - albeit temporary. Within the cargo hold he rooted around his many crates that he'd gathered he needed to find something to make himself look better, anything really.

"This.. there is hardly anything here." Leere complained to himself. The only thing that he could really ware was a worn jacket, but even that was better than what he was currently wearing. He wasn't exactly spoil for choice so, once again, he had to make do with what he had.

That all being said, the jacket was at least a little bit stylish. It was jet black and matched his hair perfectly, but his hair was an absolute mess. Leere tried his best to use his hands to clear it up and make it somewhat presentable, but it was near impossible thanks to how long he had sit in such squalor. There was little use in trying further, he'd improved his looks to the best of his ability but he was still a shadow of his former self.

Once again, breathing in, Leere smashed his hand into the side of the wall, hitting the control panel square in the centre. As he did, the doors out of the ship slowly opened and the ramp extended before Leere. The doors opening slowly let natural light creep in letting a massive glare strike down upon Leere. His eyes squinted at the change and the light almost felt like it burned. Nevertheless, he was happy.

Leere slowly made his way down the ramp, each step feeling more natural than the last. Being outside was something he didn't realise he missed, but it was something he truly enjoyed. He breathed in the nice Cardamine enriched air, taking it like it was the purist thing he'd ever had. This was odd, odd but nice. His headache disappeared as swiftly as it had arrived and he felt more alive than ever before - but unfortunately his looks still didn't reflect that.

He cleared his throat, and walked in through the door, eagerly expecting to see Aaron. Behind the counter, like it was any other store, stood Aaron. He was a tall and slightly grizzled man. He a slight skin colouration as was commonplace here along with matte black hair and facial hair. As Leere approached, Aaron had a look of disbelief written across his face.

"L..-Leere? That you? Damn if you aren't a sight for sore eyes." There was a slight amount of stutter in his voice. He was evidently confused, especially since it had been well over a year since they'd last been in contact. "What the hell you doing here?"

At first, Leere had no clue how to actually respond to that question. It was quite hard to answer. "I'm here because... I'm here because I need your help, friend." There was a small amount of emphasis placed at the end, as if to add a sinister undertone, but really it was Leere's particular phrasing.

Immediately in response Aaron raised a finger up, with a hint of aggression. "Hey, hey, hey! We were finished with our business. I repaid my debt to you in full when I setup that ship for you. If you want my services, you're going to have to pay like everyone else."

"That's right." Leere agreed. "I am in great need of assistance. I'll spare you the story as I know you're a busy man, so to cut to the end: I've been stranded for months upon months and have next to nothing left. The only thing I have is my ship and my skill. I need somewhere to rest and recover, and most importantly shower. Somewhere secluded on Malta, and you're one of the only contacts I've got left." Leere very quickly summarised everything, but his explanation was quite comprehensive in explaining his situation.

"I know you are not a charity my friend, but you also know that I am useful and I can get things done. I have a few captured slaves-to-be in my hold, and they are yours if you decide to help me. I know they wont fund everything I need from you, but they should at least get enough for us to get started, no? If you help me, I'll be in your debt, and you know that a valuable thing."

Aaron had a look of confliction upon his face. He was as he normally is: cold and calculating. This was a business transaction and in his mind being treated as such. "I'll.. I..." Aaron hesitated. "I'll help you, but, you best not make me regret this. You know what will happen if you do. Now, come 'round back and sit down. We'll discuss matters there."

After the initial phase of aggression, Aaron gestured him around the side of the counter. These talks were going to be long, and it was best to get comfortable.

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