Chalmun's Cantina

Auri leaned back in the booth, her finger twisting her hair into ringlets before releasing them again, he mind completely absent. She was bored. This place had been fun once, the scum and the villains seemed a little low on the ground unless she counted herself and at a stretch the man who sat opposite her. He had been talking about himself for a good two hours now, and she guessed that he might have said something interesting but she had stopped paying attention after about ten minutes and her eyes had been scouring the bar for other prey... ah... company. She would have stood up and walked away if it had been a normal date, but he was paying quite well for her company and it was half on completion, sadly he'd paid for another three hours so it was going to be a long and excruciatingly dull evening. Every-so often she would flash him a smile, her sharp canines giving it a predatory glint, but he seemed to accept it as enough and she guessed that he didn't get to sit with women of her calibre very often, she wasn't going to deny her attractiveness but it was in the genes. Her other hand hovered near her blaster pistol strapped to her thigh, the cantina might have been quieter than she expected but it didn't mean that there wasn't the possibility of danger, well she hoped there was anyway, anything to liven up the evening.

"...So anyway I burst into the room and it was empty. My fiancee had vanished. I searched for her everywhere but whoever had taken her had done a good job as there was no trace, at least they had let her take some clothes before they went so she might be being kept alive somewhere. I just would have thought they might have sent a ransom note by now, you know I'm not sure I would pay to release her anymore so they have missed out by being so slow. Sad really..."

Auri smiled and zoned out again, amazed that he'd managed to keep a woman long enough to get engaged, maybe he'd drugged her. If he had she wondered if he could do her a favour and offer her some. A slight ironic smirk pulled at her lips, she had just spent most of her money on rehab for a glitter habit that had threatened her livelihood, probably wasn't the best thing to be wishing for more a few weeks later.

Her eyes followed two males as they crossed over the bar, they had stood out as soon as they had come in, mostly because she knew them, one was Human, the other Trandoshan. Also they were walking straight over to her table and seemed quite pleased with themselves. Sitting up a little straighter, she met their eyes and the human smiled a little wider than she thought possible.

"Hey Auri, small galaxy! You don't normally do bounties?" His brow furrowed a little in concern and he glanced at her companion opposite.

Her companion had faded to an amazing shade of white, his eyes wide as he glanced between the three of them,"You're a bounty hunter?" He eventually spluttered at her, the first time he had managed to speak with any emotional engagement all evening.

Auri just laughed and shook her head, "No, I'm exactly what you paid for, female company to chat to. These two on the other hand, they are bounty hunters, why were you expecting some?

"Oh come on Auri, you are a better criminal than you are an escort, give up the dates and get back in the thieving game! Or at least visit the boss more and you might get some better payments for your time!" The Trandoshan laughed at his Human friend's words, but he just wordlessly pointed a blaster rifle at her date's head, as the first continued "He's wanted dead, by the way, no need to waste food bringing him in alive."

The sound of a blaster seemed especially loud in the confines of an underground bar, but the rifle hadn't been fired; Auri's companion keeled over, his head smacking on the table designed for ease of cleaning than style. Probably not a bad thing considering what had just happened. The bar paused for a moment, eyes turning and looking their way, before everyone just turned back around to their own drinks, probably because there was a Trandoshan with a blaster rifle glaring at them.

"Hope you don't mind, had a feeling that I was about to not get my full pay and I don't take kindly to non paying customers."

The Trandoshan pulled the body off the bench seat and flung it effortlessly over his shoulder, "No problem, Auri, good luck with business."

They both turned to walk away with their prize and Auri slumped back in her seat, she could have really done with the rest of those credits.

The hum of the weapon was enough to get her attention but the man slumping to the floor next to her was definitely a statement, her eyes flicked between his still form and the dark haired man standing looking at her. His half smile was slowly returned by hers, her lips curling to reveal her long canines, the dancing glint of amusement that appeared in her eyes turning it from predatory to fun loving. Standing up, she moved across to the bar, stepping over the body on the floor as she did so but her eyes didn't leave the man standing in front of her. Sliding a cred chip to the barman, she wordlessly indicated to get herself and him a drink.

"Lady? That's a name that I don't get addressed by often. And as for friends, I think I can count them on one hand, apparently I'm not very good at playing nicely with others" As the barman placed the drinks down, he muttered something about the body count not being good for business, but Auri just waved him away. "So, sir, I think I owe you a drink for saving my life." She wasn't about to tell him that she wasn't the easiest person to kill, men loved to be flattered after all. "I'm Auri, and may I ask the name of my saviour?" 

She held out his whiskey before her as she gave a casual sip of her own liqueur, leaning slightly back against the bar, she wasn't completely sure that this man was any safer to be around than the one that had just tried to shoot her in the back, but she was curious enough to find out. Her golden eyes looked him up and down, the weapon he had wielded wasn't a common one to be seen, especially in a place like Mos Eisley. Also a man drinking alone in a bar was strangely rare around here, you tended to be hooking up or doing a deal to want to hang out in a place as bad as this. He was a puzzle, and she wanted to solve this one, it would at least give her something to do with her evening now her customer had departed. Also he might have creds, ones that could be parted from him during the course of a few drinks. Her mind wandered back to the rapier weapon and she wondered how much that would be worth to one of the traders up on the junk market.

Auri wasn't sure if she wanted to explain how she knew the two bounty hunters, or why she'd just shot a man and earned his friend's revenge. Instead she glanced towards the door and then back at Patrick, indicating towards it with her drink, "Well there's the door and I'm not blocking you from leaving, after all you seem quite capable of fighting me off if you desire and bruises are bad for one aspect of my business." She hoped that he wouldn't take her invitation to leave, she had only just learnt his name. Straightening up, Auri walked back towards the booth that she had been sat in before, glancing over her shoulder at him before sitting down. "You can always take a chance though and join me here instead, if you survive the night it might turn out to be a lot of fun, or at least more entertaining than drinking on your own"

Placing her drink down, she turned back to him and her face and voice took a more serious tone. "I won't charge you for my company, consider this a thank you for saving my life, but I don't do more than provide company, you want something more... active, shall we say, there are other women in this place that I'm sure can be arranged for a price. Just wanted to get that up front, I'm not going to be accused of leading you on." Her demeanour softened with a teasing smile, "If you want to stay that is."

She turned and slipped into the seat, taking a sip from her drink but deliberately not turning to face him again, she had a feeling that he was as curious about her as she was about him, neither had given their full name, but she hadn't used hers in years, it was a reminder of the family she had lost. Did he have a reason to hold his back from her? Patrick might not even be his real name, maybe if he was well enough lubricated she might find a way of getting more out of him, and that rapier... She really wanted that, she might be able to get enough creds to pay for transport off this dust ball before he was able to catch back up with her.

The drink, warmed her as she sipped at it, the strong cheap alcohol burning her throat but she had grown used to these types of places that the harshness was almost reassuring, settling back in her seat Auri considered Patrick's question. Was there any reason to lie? He already knew that she wasn't the most innocent of women, maybe he wouldn't even believe her honesty, but it didn't really matter he just wanted to talk.

"I was on Correlia before coming here, I sometimes take jobs to acquire objects that others desire or have lost and wish returned. I had been given the contract to get hold of a necklace that a Hapan lady had gifted to a secret lover as a token of her affection. Apparently it was quite valuable, and the Correlian in question had taken it and run. As you can imagine if you know anything about Hapan ladies they don't like being played by males or losing jewels, if the necklace was made public it would have revealed the affair and she would have been disgraced." Auri paused a moment to study Patrick's face, to see if the story was being taken seriously or not, taking another sip of her drink she smiled as the recent memories of Correlia played across her mind. "Anyway, I managed to make contact with the man and he seemed to like blondes at least, so he was very agreeable to a few dates. Eventually I managed to get an invite back to his apartments, apparently he was a diplomat, had been on Hapes sorting a deal with the government there and he must have been good at his job given the size of place. I mean, I've met some rich people, mostly criminals, but rich and they had nothing on this place. Anyway we had a few drinks and cozied up on the couch, and I might have slipped a little extra ingredient into his because he didn't take long to fall asleep. It gave me enough time to search his place, which as I've implied took a while, and I found the necklace and left. I had been told that when I'd acquired the jewels I was to meet with a contact of the Hapan who would pay me for my services and return the piece to its home." She sighed, "Only problem was the Hapan was happy about paying, instead they had orders to close all loose ends before their return. I went to hand over the necklace and they pulled a blaster on me, she would have shot me if it wasn't for luck, good or bad I'm not really sure. The next second the door burst open, the diplomat's security rushed in looking for me, the Hapan's contact opened fire on the new threat and there were plasma bolts screaming around the room, and in all the confusion I managed to escape out of the door. I ran to docks and bought a ticket for the next transporter leaving. Unfortunately it took all the creds I had on me and it brought me here. I have no more creds, only this. "

She pushed her hand into a pouch on her belt, pulling free a gold chain encrusted in jewels. She guessed that now he might believe her story. She stuffed it back into its hiding place before anyone else in the bar could see it. 

"So that's how I got here, now I just have to find a way to get back off Tattoine and home, so I need to earn some creds and quickly because I'm guessing that at least two people in the galaxy want me dead right now."

She wondered for a moment if she really meant to call it home, she had never referred to it as that before, but she guessed it was the closest she had to one these days. She hadn't been there for so long she just hoped her defences had held up and there weren't going to be any surprises waiting for her.

"Home? Nar Shaddaa. Got a little place there I can sleep at least, wait for things to die down and work to pick up. But why would you help me? I haven't got the creds to pay for passage in your ship, I have given you every reason not to trust me." She paused, looking at him thoughtfully for a moment, her head tilting a little and a small frown appearing on her face. "Unless you are planning on taking the necklace and dumping me in a vacuum somewhere? I wouldn't advise it, I'm a very light sleeper and not the weak female that most would take me for. I know how to fight for my life." Her lips curled back to show off her canines, not snarling, just revealing her most obvious weaponry.

She had no intention of refusing the offer though, she had never gotten anywhere in life by being careful and jumping aboard a ship with a man that she knew his first name and nothing else was an adventure that was far too exciting to resist. It amazed her daily that she wasn't dead yet. Her lips curled back into an amused smile at the thought, her eyes lit up with the fun this night was proving to be and she wasn't even drunk yet. She raised the glass to take another sip and found that it was empty, the amusement shifted to disappointed and then on to hopeful.

"Perhaps another drink to go along with the free ride?"

Watching him walk across to the bar she settled back into the bench, her eyes starting to wander around the bar to the collection of randoms that had gathered here tonight. She didn't recognise any of them, but she wondered what had brought them to this bar knowing that very few people that didn't have things to hide would come here. So many secrets could be heard if the walls could speak their memories. Her eyes flickered back to Patrick as he rejoined her with a drink,

Auri grinned, she loved being herself. All her life had been lived on the wrong side of everything, and she had no regrets. She should regret losing her family, being alone, but with the virus and the stasis that would probably have happened anyway. At least knowing that they weren't with her in stasis she didn't have to see their bodies ejected into the vacuum, she held onto the belief that they had lived happy lives and died of old age years before she had even been awoken.

"You could put that on my obituary, unrepentant, I like it." Picking up her glass, she continued to smile over the brim with a little pride at being called that. "I would love to say I'm just a thief, I'm not deadly but you've been here all night. Anyway, so tell me something about you, doesn't have to be the truth I just want to hear a fun story. I don't really care who you are and where you've come from, everyone tells lies so what's the point in the truth anyway."

Claps of a slow walk echo from her boots as she walked into the cantina. A more frequent pass time of hers as of late now. The sun glared in the entry and cast an almost angelic halo off her platinum hair, only to quickly fade as she stepped into the cascading shadows of the less than well lit cantina. Her eyes glowing in the darkness painting a much more accurate picture of the sith.

She felt the gaze of the other patrons on her, perhaps it was her sabers they were looking at; the subtle clanking they made as they hung from the chains that bound their hilts together. She look left and right slowly then found a seat at the bar. One of the overhead lights just barely lighting the space in front of her.

::What can I get you there young lady...?::

The bartender seemed overly friendly for a place like this. Her less than threataning apearance was missleading and had resulted in the deaths of many who thought they could take advantage of her. She gave the bartender a solid glare, but knew now was not the time to make a scene. Trying to keep a low profile unfortunately was her new way of life for the moment. A quiet sigh followed by a less than friendly response.

"Spare me the small talk...give me the strongest thing you have."

The bartender looked here over quickly then turned his back, pouring her a drink as requested; setting it in front of her. Though he left his hand on the glass and leaned forward alightly; speaking under his breath.

::You know, Lotta people here don't take well to you sith kinds. I'd watch your back if I were you::

In kind she leaned into him, nearly nose to nose. She spoke softly but with the force only a sith could speak in.

"You'd see everyone in this room before you could pour another drink... and you'd be pouring your own blood for me to drink. Now let's say you let go of that glass and let a lady drink in peace"

The bartender froze; she clearly had some kind of grip on his mind through the force as a look of pure terror crossed his eyes. The bartender slowly let go and turned away helping other guests as though Aria didn't even exist. Aria sat back down slowly and shook her head before kicking back a swig of her drink.

Aria returned to the Cantina. The bartender giving here a strange look

::Back so soon?::

He joked with her. Aria just glared at him..making a motion with her hand that she wasn't above force choaking him. She found an empty, dimly lit booth near the back of the cantina, taking a seat with her newely found acquaintance. A serving Droid came by dropping off some appetizers and taking orders for drinks.

"Give me.. the second strongest thing you have..."

she grinned knowing she should probably maintain an attempt to be sober this time