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Post by Lishra Elaric on Oct 10, 2013 19:56:08 GMT -8
“I wish I wasn't afraid.” It was so quiet it could have been a sigh, but she knew he’d hear it. Lishra studied Lex’s face, emotion running high at his answer. Things shifted so quickly with him, with them. She never knew what to expect, and while it made things difficult and frustrating, there was something wondrous about that. Fury could cool seconds after it boiled over, a tender gaze could turn passionate or just as easily freeze over, a slap could become a caress. She could hate his guts and love him deeply in the same moment, understand and misunderstand, rake him with cruel words and kiss his pain away. It was a toxic, convoluted, hazardous way to care for someone, and she knew that eventually it would change, grow into something better, more solid, less complicated. But for now, they had to muddle through, hurt and be hurt, bury feelings and present blank faces. Because he was not safe, and she was not ready. “But I’m not the only one who’s scared. You are too.” She saw it in his own hesitation, in the pause of his hand near her face, wanting that touch so desperately she could feel it radiate from his whole being. He was afraid of her, of what she did to him with every glance, of what he felt every time she broke through his icy defenses. And he was afraid of himself, of what he thought he was still capable of, the dark possibilities he’d not only entertained in his mind but carried out in the flesh, deep in the Underworld. He thought he was a monster. Maybe he used to be. But he wasn't anymore. Even as her insides recoiled in fear at the idea of being so close to him again, she knew he wasn't. And even as the fear quickened her heartbeat, she knew she wanted to be close to him, more than anything. Lishra knew she should back away, shut her mouth, and encourage his cold distance. She should have done it the moment he lifted his hand. But there was something so…tortured in his eyes, so distressed. And there was a hopeless quality in his tone, a defeated slope to his shoulders. It was such a shocking change from the two weeks of constant expressionless indifference that she was almost relieved to see it there. She knew what she was asking of him when she’d begged him to stay, knew the consequences for him, knew it was heartless and selfish of her to keep him here. It was killing him, this situation, wearing him down. But she couldn't let Lex go. No matter how many ways she tried to reason it, she couldn't. And she knew he couldn't let her go, either. Lishra’s eyes dropped to his hand, wishing he would touch her, glad he hadn't. “You've changed so much, you know. So much.” She sighed heavily. Part of her was still angry at him for the engine room. She felt it there, a hot current under her calm. But all the rest of her wanted to do was shrug into his arms, bury her face in his chest, and let their problems just…melt away. The brunette drifted a little closer, crossing her arms defensively over her chest. And then the words suddenly bubbled up her throat and they had to come out. “Look, whatever I've said to you in the past, you have to know… You make me so angry sometimes. You annoy me on a daily basis, you’re a danger to my sanity, and you’re harsh and cold and brooding and have this horrible, morbid sense of humor that just makes me want to smack you,” she finished animatedly, a little breathless. Lishra met his violet eyes squarely. “And yes. You do occasionally scare me. But Lex? … I would rather spend every second of my life with you, at your side, angry, and frustrated, and afraid… than be safe and happy and fearless without you.”She watched him for a moment, making sure he knew she was serious. “But don’t think I've forgiven you for shutting me out. Because I haven’t.” And then she brushed past him, making for the galley with a thudding heart and shaky limbs.
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Lex Ryjin
Member
Posts: 32
Traffic Light: Red
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Post by Lex Ryjin on Oct 10, 2013 20:40:16 GMT -8
Lex's eyes closed and his body tensed as she brushed his arm on her way past. Her scent caught in his nostrils as he inhaled and it took everything in him to stop himself from turning and grabbing her arm. Spinning her back toward him and wrapping his arms around her, tell her he was there for her, that she could trust him. But she can't.
It took just as much resolve to stop himself from pinning her against the wall and taking her right there in the hallway. He knew she wanted it, she'd said as much. So why not? Why can't I have her? She said she wants me too. He almost turned and dragged her back. The fear was the only thing that stopped him. Hers as well as his own. He knew it would kill him to see that fear in her eyes renewed. So he did the only thing he could and let her walk away.
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Post by Lishra Elaric on Oct 10, 2013 21:42:58 GMT -8
Two days later, Lishra woke to the same irritating conclusion she’d come home with last night.
Her job at the spaceport was turning up nothing.
After all, that’s why she was there. To keep in the know. And she was most definitely not in the know. It had been bothering her for days, and she’d refrained from talking about it to Lex because she knew he wouldn't like her solution. As far as he said, he hadn't found out much either, but he’d at least found out a few helpful things. She was tired of feeling useless. It was time to have a chat. Rolling out of bed, Lishra washed and changed, fed Kiita and, much to the tailrings disappointment, closed her door and left, beginning her ten minute search for the elusive Umbaran.
After a quick ride up the tiny service elevator on the starboard side, she found him on top of the ship, working on something that looked important. Lishra didn't know much about ships. She left most of the technical work to Lex and focused more on the interior, doing small repairs and making the place live-able again. Maybe it was time to read that massive manual in the cockpit, get familiar with parts and tech speak. “Morning!” she called as she stepped across the hull towards him, a little too chipper perhaps. “Hey so…” She paused next to him, hands nervously bunching the edges of her sleeves. Things had been a little better between them since she’d talked to him. Not quite so frigid, conversing more. They still weren't anywhere near ‘good’, but it was slightly less of a bad vibe. She grimaced at her next words. “I gave it a try. But the spaceport idea really isn't working out, I’m not finding out anything even remotely useful, no one talks as much as we thought, and so I did some searching and I found a part time bartending/waitressing job at this...uh, little club place a few blocks over and I think it would be a really good position because I mean everyone talks to a bartender and waitressing is easy and I wouldn't be in any danger just mixing drinks so I was thinking it might be a better choice than the spaceport,” she finished in a blur, glossing over the ‘little club place’ details. Lishra smiled at Lex.
So what if it was a stripper bar? She’d been absolutely one-hundred percent assured by the owner that she wouldn't have to dress up or down. It was just making drinks. And maybe sometimes serving them. But nothing sketchy. Guaranteed. Besides, there were body guards all over.
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Lex Ryjin
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Posts: 32
Traffic Light: Red
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Post by Lex Ryjin on Oct 10, 2013 22:24:39 GMT -8
"No." He finished fastening the cover back in place and stood, very purposefully not looking at her. "We already went over this. Too much exposure. Nobody pays attention to the clerks at a spaceport, but everyone will notice an attractive bartender. Most will probably want to take you back to their ship, bounty or not." He tried to hide it, but his tone and the set of his jaw still made it perfectly clear what he wanted to do to those that succeeded. He stepped over to the port engine and began repeating the process he had just completed on the starboard one. "You're staying at the spaceport. End of discussion."
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Post by Lishra Elaric on Oct 10, 2013 23:16:07 GMT -8
"But I'm useless there!" Lishra tossed her hands in the air, frustration exploding inside her. She hadn't missed his tone, either. Suddenly she was glad she'd decided not to go into detail about the club.
Determined, she followed him across the hull, jaw set. If there ever was a time to press her luck, well...it probably wasn't right now, but she was going to anyway. The authority in his voice irked her; he'd sounded too much like her father, and even though she knew he was right, the young woman was too focused on her own feelings to care. "Wasn't the point of the job to find things out? I need to be somewhere with people who would actually divulge something once in a while. Somewhere social and...like a place where people go to relax." Lishra huffed, flicking hair out of her eyes, and fixed Lex with a pointed stare, arms crossed. "And for the record, I CAN take care of myself when it comes to men. No one wants a girl who is too much trouble, especially not half drunk guys. I'm not the complete victim you met in the alley anymore. "
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Lex Ryjin
Member
Posts: 32
Traffic Light: Red
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Post by Lex Ryjin on Oct 11, 2013 22:18:26 GMT -8
She just has to keep pushing. He set the hydrospanner down on the engine casing and turned slowly to face her. "These aren't fat, greasy salesmen we're talking about Lishra." He moved fast, and he was on her in a single step, one hand brushing aside her startled attempt to fend him off while the other snaked behind her head and grabbed a handful of hair. He kept moving, pulling her backwards by her hair and keeping her off balance until her legs ran into the starboard engine casing and she couldn't go any farther. He should have stopped there, or not done it in the first place, but the desire to touch her was almost too strong to resist and if this was the only way then he'd take it. He kept pulling until she was bent backward over the large casing and pressed himself against her, close enough that her legs would be useless in self defense, then leaned in on top of her. His breath came slowly, in then out as the moments ticked by, one of her hands pinned behind her head where it had gone to try and pull his free, and the other tucked securely behind her back where he'd forced it. She was at his mercy, and he was painfully aware of that fact. His lips hovered centimeters from hers, and his free hand rested on her right side.
It would be so easy... His hand began to slide up under her jacket, across the soft, supple skin that her short little top didn't cover. His breath came slower and the ache in his chest grew hot, he knew he should stop, but his hand kept moving. Higher and higher until his fingers touched the fabric of her top, just below her breasts. Breath in. Breath out. This was a mistake Lex. Just like in the captain's cabin. Don't think, just leave. Leave before you lose her forever. "Those men would take me apart in less than a minute, and you can't even fend me off for five seconds. You're staying at the spaceport." Then he shoved himself violently back, unable to make the separation painless for her with his hand tangled in her hair as it was, and stormed to the lift, not bothering to raise it before dropping into the ship below and closing the hatch behind him.
"GRRHAAAAHHH!!!" The hallway echoed as both his fisted hands slammed into the galley door and the adrenaline surged through his body. He'd wanted her touch for so long, wanted to feel her in his hands again, and now the only time he could was to push her further away. He turned around and leaned against the door, his hands shaking, unable to open his fingers from the fists they'd become. "Aaaaahhh" The cry was quieter than before, filled more with anguish than anger, and his hands went to his head as the surge of energy began to leave him. He had no words to express what he felt, no curse could do the feelings justice. Unintelligible moans of anguish was all he had for what he felt in that moment. He had been so close he could taste her on his lips again, but she was still completely beyond his reach.
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Post by Lishra Elaric on Oct 12, 2013 16:00:28 GMT -8
Limbs trembling, Lishra drew a ragged breath and slid slowly down the engine casing to sit in a stunned heap as the hatch hissed shut behind Lex, eyes smarting at the stinging agony lancing across her scalp. Her thoughts ran chaotic, she couldn't think, couldn't breathe without recalling his scent, couldn't feel without remembering the coolness of his hand over her warm flesh, the sharp sear of pain in her head as he pulled cruelly at her hair, the hot, heavy pressure of his firm body against hers, every inch of her excruciatingly aware of him. His violet eyes had trapped her gaze easily, never straying, drinking her in as she drowned in his grip, and she clearly saw everything he felt for those few intense moments. She’d felt the barely contained control in his body, seen the limits straining in his gaze. And the self-loathing for actions present and past, the hurt as he forced himself to watch her fear roil in her eyes, the exhilaration when she tried to free herself or made tiny, pained whimpering sounds, the ripe anguish right before he pushed away from her. There was something else there, too, something deep and tender, even as he twisted her arm and wrenched at her hair.
She couldn't think.
Gradually, her heart stopped its wild, fearful hammering. Lishra closed her eyes and pushed her hair back from her face, trailing her fingers over the back of her head, torn and throbbing, around to her lips, untouched and moist, down the front of her body to her right side, tracing his movements over and over again, clinging to the sensations, memorizing them…
…No. What the hell was her problem? Her eyes flew open, cheeks flushing pink with shame as her months-long battle with her twisted feelings broke through the haze. He raped you, her obstinate voice of reason shouted. He violated your mind and made you his puppet, and he will do it again eventually. Look what just happened! If you feel anything but hatred and disgust for him, then you’re just as sick and wrong as he is… But the voice was growing fainter each day, held less and less sway over her decisions. Lex had proved it wrong day after day, time after time. She’d watched him change, learn to care, to love, to be selfless. In agreeing to stay, he put her before his own peace of mind. But she hadn't yet been able to accept her own growing feelings for him. Maybe it was time to change that.
But not right now. It took some serious effort, but she forced Lex from her mind and brushed away the heady memory of his touch. Lishra rested her head on the engine casing, immediately regretting the action as her sore scalp burst with fresh pain. She winced. Pain turned quickly into anger, clearing her head with haste, and she paced back and forth on the hull for a minute, gathering her thoughts.
So maybe he was right. He hadn't said it, hadn't needed to, because he’d shown her instead. Forced her to face it. She was still a victim. It didn't matter how far she’d come since Coruscant, didn't matter how aware she was or how well she could use a knife or disarm a Zabrak or dodge bounty hunters. Her self-assured words were just bluster, her confidence an illusion, her sense of safety and self-reliance a foolish, false attempt to deal with her own shortcomings. At the end of the day, she was just as stupidly easy to bend over backwards and manipulate, no matter her efforts. That bothered her. She’d thought she was making progress, and now… It hurt, and she hated it, and it had to change somehow. Had to change.
Suddenly, she needed to feel useful. She needed to do something, anything to occupy herself.
And she needed to talk to someone. Someone who would understand.
Like a madwoman on a mission, Lishra opened the lift and descended into the ship, making for the ramp with purpose, hoping beyond hope she wouldn't see Lex. She didn't. She ran all the way to work.
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Post by Lishra Elaric on Oct 12, 2013 21:32:59 GMT -8
“Go on, sweetie.” Teela Rannick gave the nervous Cathar an encouraging smile as she held back the beaded curtain, gesturing for her to enter. The girl hovered uncertainly on the threshold, eyeing everything from the curtain to Teela to the small room beyond with cautious, cat-like eyes. Teela sighed. “Here, I’ll go first. See?” The Twi’lek entered, beads clinking behind her, and sat on the small single bed against the far wall. The ceiling light swung a little as the tenants on the fourth floor walked noisily around, casting odd shadows across the sparse room. “Nothing to be nervous about. They’re just shadows. My room has them too, and you’ll get used to the noise.” She patted the bed in a relaxed manner, beckoning.
Slowly, the slender Cathar stepped into the room, bag clutched in her hands, nose scenting the air. She made a sour face. “What is that stink?”
“Incense.” Teela smirked a little, watching her explore her new surroundings. “It’s burnt in all the rooms, except the themed ones. You’ll get used to that, too.” Her lekku gave a tiny, amused twitch. “Mistress Verith says it adds an exotic element, makes the men wild with passion. I think it’s really just to mask the stale sweat.” After a few moments, she rose, the chain of tiny bells on her ankle tinkling prettily. Teela gave the jumpy girl a comforting pat on the shoulder, her voice smooth and calming. “Don’t worry about anything, alright? You have a whole week to relax and get familiar with everything, and you’ll have lessons and learn everything you need to know. The girls here are very helpful, and the payment is good.” She quickly swept her grey, colorless eyes over the Cathar’s soft, light orange fur and youthful features. “You have lovely coloring.”
The girl stared at the Twi’lek uncertainly.
“Hmm. We’ll have to work on your bedside manner though,” Teela said softly. With a last squeeze of her shoulder, she smiled, heading for the doorway. “You settle in, alright? My room is two doors down if you need anything. And if anyone messes with you, you just come see me, yeah? I've got your back here. And don’t lose your keycard!” With a tiny wave, she left the girl to her thoughts and headed down the long hallway. She paused to check her appearance in the long mirror decorating her room, rub a little more oil into her pure white skin, add the headdress to match her costume, and hurried out again. It was her hour to ‘work the glass’, as the girls called it; a wide glass cylinder about four feet around stood near the entrance to ‘Sisters In Sin’, framed by colored lights, and looking out over the streets. Every day at the height of traffic, one of the girls would enter it for a few hours, dancing provocatively to pounding music and teasing people passing by in hopes of attracting more customers. Mistress Verith said it worked better than holograms. No one argued with her. The swelling list of clients spoke for itself. And being the establishment’s only albino Twi’lek, Teela found herself working the glass fairly often.
The brothel had three floors. The third housed the staff and working girls who either chose to stay or had nowhere else to go at the end of the day. It was barred for privacy by a thick metal door that required a keycard to enter, accessible only by a narrow flight of stairs. Each room had its own shower and refresher, and held only the essential furniture. The second floor was quite large, containing the three themed mini apartments for the high rollers, the massive communal dressing room for the women, and most of the ‘working rooms’, where the girls took their clients. Every room was decorated differently, some better than others. On the first floor was the entrance room where the clients met their women, modestly ornamented with cheap leather and gauzy fabrics, with a small bar in the far corner and plenty of curtained little areas for quick private ‘chats’. A lift connected the first and second floors, but there were stairs in case that wasn't fast enough for you.
Teela made for the first floor, running over her routine in her head and counting the hours until she could change out of her costume. She’d chosen a sort of glittering netting that she’d bound around her body in strips, leaving nothing to the imagination, and the fabric was far scratchier than it had looked. But it looked great, and it would catch the colored lights perfectly, so she shrugged off the discomfort. Leaving the rapturous noises and heated thudding of the second floor, the Twi’lek arrived on the first, nodding to Mistress Verith, who was scrolling through her datapad near the bar. Probably checking our liquor stock, she thought, hastening to the front. Many of the girls, especially the youngest, stole from the bar and stuck bottles up to their rooms, which was against the rules. Teela always tried to make sure none of them got caught.
“Teela?” Mistress Verith was a broad, busty human woman with a smooth, accented voice and long red hair. She was older, perhaps mid-forties, but beautiful, and the heavily drawn black eyeliner gave her a severe but sultry look. None of the girls liked her much. She might be all silk and sweet smiles with the clients, but she treated the girls harshly, always suspicious, yelling at them in disgust when they didn’t rake credits in fast enough. Verith was all about the profit.
The Twi’lek turned slowly, keeping her face blank. She was the one woman Verith didn’t push around. “Yes, mistress?”
The owner paused, frowning at Teela as she surveyed her appearance. “Hmm. That’ll catch the lights nicely.” It was as close to a compliment she’d ever get. “I want you in there an extra hour tonight. We’re behind on rates. Understood?”
Teela nodded, adding a joyless smile. She doubted they were behind on rates. ‘Sisters In Sin’ saw a lot of business. “Of course. I’ll get to dancing then,” she said flatly, already dreading the experience. Deflated, she headed for the entrance. She’d been planning on surprising her little brother at the spaceport tonight. Guess that would have to wait. Again. With a deep breath, she entered the glass cylinder.
When Ethan asked her why she looked so distressed, Lishra chose her words carefully. She couldn't tell him everything, he simply wouldn't understand unless she told him her entire life story, and she wasn't about to do that. So she left out Lex’s actions and her feelings, and focused instead on the problem that had started the whole frustrating thing. This job was not getting her anywhere. Ethan knew she wasn't just there to make money. She’d told him only that she and Lex were hiding out on Nar Shaddaa, and that they needed to keep informed on the movements of bounty hunters.
“And I’m just not coming up with anything here,” Lishra sighed, rubbing at her forehead in irritation. The stinging, throbbing sensation across the back of her head wasn't helping her concentration. She glanced at Ethan, trying not to sound like she was whining. “I mean, you’d think a spaceport would be a relative goldmine of information, especially on Nar Shaddaa. The security here is worse that horrible. And I've tried, I really have. But this is just…” The brunette tossed her datapad on one of the crates Ethan was busy shifting around. “…I’m useless. I hate it. I need to be somewhere I can do something helpful.”
He nodded understandingly. “Like a bar.”
“Yes!”
“No.” Ethan shouldered a box and thudded past her, setting it down in the corner. “Your guy was right.” He wiped sweat from his brows, blue eyes serious as he looked at her. “A little thing like you in a bar? On Nar Shaddaa? You’d be snapped up faster than you could blink, end up chained to some drunk spacers bed or sold to slave traders.”
Lishra scowled at him. “Now you sound like Lex. Does no one have any faith in me? At all? I get it, I’m not very good at defending myself, and I’m a little oblivious sometimes. But I have to start somewhere, and if I’m going to live here, I need to start relying on myself a little more.”
Ethan paused, watching her doubtfully. “I have faith in you. I bet Lex does, too, to a certain degree. But it’s not about faith.” Concern laced his voice, and his expression turned earnest. “Look, this place is rough. I don’t know what you’re used to, but here, everyone is a target, especially a lone female. Being tough and smart and knowing how to defend yourself is no guarantee you will make it through the day, no matter your species or gender. So go easy on Lex. I know you’re mad at him, it’s all over your face when you say his name, and I don’t know what happened, but… he’s just trying to protect you. That’s how you stay alive here. Watching each others backs.” Ethan hefted a small crate, placing it on the stack. “I have a sister. I know every time she goes out, I worry myself sick. I know how it is. And she’s thirty years old.”
Some of her anger drifted away, softened by Ethan’s warm, honest tone. Lishra picked up an empty box, mulling his words over as she helped him re-stack. “Alright. I’ll…try to go easier on him. Which is not going to be easy, by the way. You don’t know him. But there’s still the issue of being in the dark here. We need to be in the know, one step ahead, we can’t afford not to. If someone is looking for us, we need to know. I need to know, Ethan. We've been caught before unawares, it can’t happen again. And Lex isn't making much headway, either. So if there’s a way I can stay informed without jeopardizing my safety, I want to explore it.”
Silence fell as the two finished stacking. Lishra went back to sorting data on her datapad, pacing the floor. Ethan seemed deep in thought as he set down the small cleaning bots he carried around on his belt, organizing them across the dirty floor. They raced over the surface like synchronized mice, scrubbing at the soiled duracrete. “You know…” He scratched thoughtfully at his chin for a moment, looking hesitant to say whatever was on his mind. When he saw her looking at him, he caved. “My sister might be able to help you. She hears lots of things at work, and she’s always interacting with the hunter/spacer types.”
“Yeah?” Lishra’s eyes lit up. She slipped her datapad into her pocket, giving Ethan her full attention.
“Yeah. I mean... I could take you to meet her, after work if you want. It’s kind of a hike, but—“
“Of course! Definitely. As long as I’m not gone super long.” Excitement at the possibility of some kind of progress filled her. But Ethan still looked a little nervous. Lishra frowned at him. “What? Does she not like visitors or something?”
He shook his head slowly. “No no, she’s great, she loves people. It’s just…well, there’s kind of a catch.”
“Psh. At the point, I’ll go anywhere, I just need information.”
“She works in a brothel.”
Oh. “Oh…” Well. Lishra paused, rethinking.
Ethan watched her carefully, probably wondering if he'd regret suggesting it. “Lex wouldn't be happy, I bet.”
She clenched her jaw, heat creeping over her skin. “I’ll pay for the taxi. We leave after work.”
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Sirena
Member
Posts: 2 
Affiliation: The Shadows of the Night
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Post by Sirena on Nov 6, 2013 15:26:39 GMT -8
Sirena sat at her table as strangers flooded into the local bar. Her dark cloak hiding her face from everyone. She gulped down her large glass of beer as a grimy, middle aged man sat down in the seat across from her.
"The cash?" Sirena purred, her voice like silk.
"It's taken care of," the man said slyly.
Sirena threw back her hood revealing her deep brown locks and pale skin. Her lips shone deep red in the dim light of the bar. Her eyes were as green as emeralds and they sparkled with what light was in the room. She stretched her arms and unhooked her cloak to drape it on the table's edge. The man stared in awe at her beauty.
"Who's the lucky someone, Torin?" Sirena smiled and patted her pistol that lay on the table beside her cloak.
Torin grinned, "A certain Cain Young. He's in the area but I haven't been able to track him down for stealing my money. He's pretty good, but I know you're better."
Sirena's eyes held a dark glance, "You'd better know."
Sirena reached to her side and pulled out what looked like a cyborg mask that covered half of a face. She put it on and the orange lens covering her left eye glowed slightly. Torin watched eagerly waiting for her to say something else. After a minute or two Sirena removed the mask, rolled it up and slid it into a black pouch tied onto her belt.
"I know where to find him," Sirena said darkly while sheathing her pistol and pulling on her cloak.
She was on her way toward the door when the bar tender yelled after her, "Hey! You gonna pay for that?!"
Sirena paused mid-step. In a shadow like blur she was at the counter pinning the bar tender against the wall of alcohol behind him with her pistol at his throat.
"Consider your life as payment," she growled through gritted teeth.
With that she shoved him to the ground shattering a bottle of brandy along the way. Sirena grinned with malice and silently exited the bar with eyes watching her from every angle.
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Diath Skirata
Member
Posts: 6 
Affiliation: None
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Diath Skirata on Oct 27, 2015 12:04:43 GMT -8
He sits alone in the corner of the crowded establishment. He preferred solitude. Always had. Hell, anyone who even tried talking to him would get nothing but a cold stare at best. He never talked to anyone but his employers, and then only to define the details of contracts. Besides, in his business talking constantly usually led to problems. No one wanted a bounty hunter who couldn't keep his mouth shut. Diath sighs and takes another swig of the drink he has. His latest contract had paid well, but unfortunately most of it went into fixing the damage his ship had sustained. His target had been a rather irritating bounty. He just hadn't known when to give up and insisted on blowing a bantha-sized hole in the hull of the cargo bay. Loamy nearly blew a circuit assessing the damage on that one.
He turns to look at the one companion he kept, who stood nearby out of sight. The LOM-series protocol droid who he called 'Loamy', much to the chargrin of the droid, was the closest thing he had to a partner. He'd bought the droid at a junk dealer several years back, and upgraded him with a few...special packages to turn the droid into a killer just like him. For the most part, the droid guarded the ship, though he had joined the tall bounty hunter on a few of his missions. He wouldn't ever consider calling the droid a friend...well, maybe the next closest thing. Closer than his supposed family.
He fingers the one thing he has of value, hidden in the folds of the cloth rags over his armor. It was a simple medallion, at least until one turned it over to see the underside of it. It bore what his mother claimed was a clan crest...a Mandalorian clan crest. The way his mother told it, she'd been kidnapped in a raid, and eventually freed by his father. The two had supposedly had fallen in love, but she couldn't stay with him. More likely than not, it wasn't true, and his father had been a worthless bum or spice addict and his mother had just made something up to make him think he had two good parents instead of one. Still, he'd never tried to sell the medallion. Even if it was worth a few credits, it was still the last gift of a dying mother to her son. For a brief moment, his mind wanders back to his early days. They'd been poor, destitute, starving...but they'd been together.
He jolts back to the present with a shake of his head. He wipes his eyes, brushing away what had been the beginnings of tears. He glances over and sees Loamy staring at him, his head tilted.
:: Master, I do believe your eye ducts have developed a leak...you may wish to have yourself repaired. ::
IC: chuckling "It's...just something in my eye. Irritating me is all. C'mon. Let's go."
He tosses a few credits on the table to pay for the drink, drains it in a gulp, and makes his way out of the bar with his droid companion right behind him. He walks out onto the streets, heading toward his small apartment near one of the nearby dockyards.
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Dack
Member
Posts: 5
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Post by Dack on Aug 19, 2016 21:20:43 GMT -8
Peering out of the shadows, the lad spotted the store front.
Typical of most peddlers and mobile shops, this one was hastily set up on a storage crate or two with a metal plank as a table with the merchandise spread across it.
Many shiney things laid there.
The duros owner calls out to passers by, attempting to entice interest in his wares splayed across his makeshift table.
The lad, tall and lean, scans the table from the shadows, and there! Finally he sees it. The shiney rock he saw once before.
And it stirred in him those same feelings he had before.
Something calm yet piqing his curiosity.
Almost like the feelings of a dream or...
It didn't matter. He had to have it.
He started imagining a way to get it.
The old distract and grab.
Hmmmm it had gotten him into deep water more than once before...
Perhaps a little slight of hand....
No this table was small and not many people around to hide his actions.
How would he get it...
If he could just hold it.
Just have it in his hand.
To hold.
To have.
His own...
He closed his eyes.
And imagined hard having it there.
The small shiney stone on the table shifts.
Like all the other things he dreamed of, he pictured it in his mind.
And how happy it would make him.
How special it made him feel being around it.
It moves some more under the duros' less than attentive eye.
The lad squats and stares into his cupped hands imagining the small rock and it's almost inner glow laying there.
He looks up and closes his eyes reveling in the moment. Til he feels something drop there.
He looks down imagining some passers by has dropped a credit chit in his hand thinking him a beggar again.
But no! There was the crystal!
He looked wildly about searching for how it got there. To no avail.
He looks up to see if the duros has noticed but he keeps peddling his wares.
The lad slinks off, wide eyed, quickly wondering how it all happened.
He sits and ponders, as he rolls the beautiful crystal btwn his fingers.
Then he realises, did he make it come to him?
There was a way to find out...
He sets the crystal on the ground in front of him in the empty alleyway he has escaped to.
He holds his hand out...
Nothing.
He clenched his fist...
Nothing
He imagines it flying through the air into his hand from the table.
How could it be possible?
The crystal suddenly plops into his hand.
Wide eyed, he sets it back down again, and imagines it floating into his hand, and this time concentrates, hard, on the imagery.
And low and behold it shifts.
Then shakes.
Then flips up into his open hand.
At first he is scared.
Then his mouth turns into a wicked grin...
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Dack
Member
Posts: 5
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Post by Dack on Aug 19, 2016 21:38:20 GMT -8
He had felt something similar once before at the old store front on the other side of the sector.
Another rock perhaps?
Marching by the various restaurants made his belly ache with hunger.
How long had it been since he ate?
Days?
A week?
He didn't want to part with the crystal because of how it made him feel, and wasn't sure how much it would get him anyway.
Oh well, time to check out this other store front.
Another peddler, but this time with a much bigger spread.
Hiding not too far away near some crates, making sure no one was watching, the lad of his 20s scanned the table.
He felt it again, but stronger now.
The same feeling as before.
And there it was. On the table on the far end, another crystal. Different color.
But still.
So, he closed his eyes. And imagined the crystal there. Then saw it in his minds eye landing in his hand. He wanted it too. He needed it.
He would have it also!
Tink, tank, chunk.
It landed in his hand. But not without making a lot of noise on the way hitting into various other goods.
And alerting the Rodian peddler!
The lad ran as the Rodian started calling out after him.
Later, hiding amongst the restaurants.
Two crystals. His all his.
And they were special. Just like him.
And somehow, they made him feel different.
More aware, or thoughtful. His mind felt....clearer, clearer than it had been in a long time.
As if the fog of hunger had been temporarily cleared away.
It was....almost intoxicating.
And so was the smell nearby.
Suddenly.
An idea.
Why not use this new...ability...to get some food...?
A large spice loaf on a counter nearby.
He eyed it....
The bar owner turned away.
The lad imagined hard the loaf in his hand, how good it would taste, how amazing it would be to not be hungry for once. A full belly!
The loaf shook.
And blasted toward him.
His all too eager hands reached out and caught it.
And he scampered off to chow down.
Not far away I'm an alley, he did just that.
It was a little spicier than he was used to. It made his eyes water and throat burn. But he was so grateful never the less. Work wasn't available and humans weren't favored in this part of the moon.
He decided it wise to save some for later....but the thought occurred to him why? He could just get more....
And maybe some other things....
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Dack
Member
Posts: 5
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Post by Dack on Aug 19, 2016 21:49:04 GMT -8
Going back to the corner he sometimes called home, or really a bed, he laid in the dark amongst the flimsies and bits of cloth he used to stay warm.
A full belly and two new special items and a new sense of.....he wasn't sure...wisdom?
It was time to rest.
Soon he was fast asleep. The adventures wearing him out.
And the crystals, laid in his tightly closed pocket...
Tomorrow was a new day.
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Dack
Member
Posts: 5
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Post by Dack on Aug 21, 2016 16:47:53 GMT -8
And so it was a new day.
Or night rather.
As a hum and a scream and sounds of searing metal and death gurgle filled the night.
The humming was the different part.
The lean young man checked for his crystals in his pocket with a grab and after securing them he scrambled to the edge of his hiding place amongst the crates he slept upon high above the alleys.
Below, many dark figures closed in on one wielding a bar of blazing blue light.
Blaster bolts seemed to bounce off it and there was so much ricochet and death the young man could barely tell what was going on.
Then the scatter guns' deafening blasts added to the crescendo.
And soon, it was all over.
Only the blue blade remained...
And then it suddenly went out. And the final shadow fell.
The young man immediately slipped down to salvage what he could.
One corpse where the bar of light weilder was had an odd cylinder of metal on it. He grabbed it, some utility belts, guns, comlinks, grenades, even some rations and left before the real scavengers came.
What luck!
Later, after selling the items he didn't need, he had compiled the utility belts' various items into one super belt of sorts, had a nice heavy blaster pistol, a rifle, skattergun, that wonky cylinder, and some food.
And a whole lot more credits than before.
Life was looking up.
Something kept bugging him about the cylinder tho...
He kept finding his hand going back to it, resting on it.
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Dack
Member
Posts: 5
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Post by Dack on Jan 20, 2017 22:49:09 GMT -8
Waltzing into the spaceport, he was contemplating a little walkabout. He had seen what all he would need for now on this moon. It was time to see the galaxy. After all he wasn't getting any younger.
Though he was feeling it.
He felt life flowing through him like never before actually.
Or something at least.
Probably all that spice loaf.
He patted some more he had stolen and jammed into his backpack he had also stolen.
Walking toward the port for the refugee shuttles he suddenly walked upon a group of several men.
One suddenly turned in his direction and said "There he is!"
The other then corrected "wait...that's not him....but...it is his saber..."
Before any of them could continue to react however, one of their Zabrack comrades' head expoded from a sniper round because of the distraction. Bars of light blaze from the remaining two's hands. They deflected bolts showering from sniper blasters on full auto from both directions.
The lad ducked around the corner he had come, then turned back, and spotted another metal cylinder rolling around the ground near the fallen corpse with the exploded head.
He did his little trick again. The cylinder came straight to his hand, rolling across the ground.
One of the men with a green bar of light looked in his direction with knowing surprise, but this two was a distraction. And that man took a shot to the knee.
Then the shoulder. Then the head.
His ally looked to him and tried to grab for him and took a shot to the back.
The cylinder rolled to the lad's hand.
He saw the being who wielded the green bar of light fall. And decided in his greed, to take his cylinder as well.
The other shot man saw and tried to get it back. But the lad's imagination was stronger and forced it into his own hands at the fallen man's surprise.
Then the lad ran.
He ran down the alley to escape.
More shots intermittently fired.
Then suddenly the shot man with the bar of light showed up around the corner.
"Give me that!" He took the saber from the lad. "Where did you get that?!" He pointed at the cylinder taken from the body last night.
But before the lad could answer in his fear, a deafening blast echoed off the alley walls and the jedi's eyes grew wide with deadly surprise as he fell to his knees and dropped his saber hilt and his friend's.
The lad picked up all three and ran.
And ran and ran. And got on a shuttle headed for the anywhere.
"Ah, back to dantooine!" A male sentient's voice rang out upon seeing the sabers on the lad's belt and other passengers stepping in on the security screen.
He was unaware the pilot was under strict orders to return should anyone with a saber enter the ship.
Then the shuttle blasted off.
(Well. Off to some place. This should be interesting too.) He smiled as he smelled the food bar heating up with its complimentary meal.
Everyone kept looking at his cylinders funny. So he hid them and got food and ate.
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Post by Kingpin the Hutt on Aug 11, 2021 15:57:32 GMT -8
Ambask Pel loved crime. Which was a good thiing, as his entire society was essentially one giant crime syndicate. How exactly a species of slow moving morbidly obese worms, whom did not appear to be overly intelligent, or even cunning for that matter, managed to pull this off this stunt is one of the many mysteries of the might Universe. I digress. So, there he was, Ambash Pel, sitting like a bump on a lot when an underling approached -Ambash- 'Hi chuba du naga!?!" And the poor soul told. And Ambash listened. And it was good
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Twi'leck Triplet Dubh
Member
Pog mo thoin
Posts: 406
Affiliation: Óglaigh na Iarndóideanna – Warriors of the Iron Fists
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Twi'leck Triplet Dubh on Sept 15, 2021 14:41:07 GMT -8
Cutting swiftly across the acidophilus surface, Gid spoke out aloud -Gid- "The Corellian Sector...." A body suddenly flying into the ship splattered. With what was left of the corpse now caked all over the front window, not to mention the shock of the whole incident, Gid struggled to maintain control of the ship. Reaching out and hitting the button activating the windshield wipers, Gid was able to pull the ship into a shady looking shipwash. A group of slave labourers for a few measly credits cleaned the front pane. They scrubbed down the ship. Standing up Gid spoke - "Cover me." 'The hatch dropping, Gid began moving but the the green Twi'leck taking her left arm stopping her. Exiting carefully with a pistol in hands Alem did a quick investigation of the ship. Nothing was stolen. Climbing back into the ship -Alem- "We're cool." Looking to Shakk, then back to Gid -Alem- "It is disgusting out there!" The hatch shut and off the three went
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Twi'leck Triplet Dubh
Member
Pog mo thoin
Posts: 406
Affiliation: Óglaigh na Iarndóideanna – Warriors of the Iron Fists
Traffic Light: Green
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Post by Twi'leck Triplet Dubh on Sept 15, 2021 21:50:17 GMT -8
With Gid driving the vessel across the busy cityscape, Alem And Shakk were alight talking about Nar Shaddaa. Wasting no time taking a scenic route, Gid steered the ship straight for the nearest exit. And they made the jump
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