Day 26

This, if you'll recall, began here, and continued on Day 9.

***

"Pay?" The word was out of her mouth before she could stop it, and Nia cursed herself. If the man wanted to pay her, let him. He didn't have to know she would have fixed the droid for free.

"Yes, you silly girl. How much? Five credits? Ten?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a purse which clinked in his hand.

Nia bristled. What did he take her for? All she'd done was fix a loose connection, and she wasn't just another sleazy mechanic who robbed anyone in sight. "Two credits," she said, sticking out her chin.

The man stopped counting coins in his hand and appraised her again. His brows furrowed, and as he squinted at her she felt as if she was a Herlon desert beetle pinned to a display.

"You are a droid mechanic?"

She nodded, wondering where this was going. Wasn't that fact obvious?

"Would you like a job?"

The question was so unexpected Nia could only gape.

"I am a merchant and I own several ships," he explained impatiently. "One that is here for a few days is in need of a mechanic to repair the droids on board and keep them in good condition."

Nia grasped for something to say. A job! On a ship, no less! She didn't like this man, but if he owned the ships he certainly wouldn't be flying them. Just thinking of all the places a merchant vessel would visit made her dizzy.

"Yes!" The little hover droid beeped happily and she grinned at it.

The man abruptly turned on his heel. "This way then," he said, calling over his shoulder. "Quickly, now. I haven't got all day, you know."

Nia trotted after him, still too pleased with her luck to feel annoyed at his brisk manner.

***

Well, something's better than nothing, I suppose. I got a bit distracted today by a library book, Making Comics. A lot of it was more geared towards artists, but there was a chapter on writing. Much of the other stuff is helpful, too, since it teaches you how to think visually and imagine how best to write a story for an artist to illustrate it. Funfun. ^_^