A Miscalculation

EXT- Street Vendor, Lower Levels of Coruscant

Loki NeDolo walks up, forgetting he is in disguise he says, “What up?”

 

Dev Marioan walked into the market, soon finding himself before the droid who seemed to be offering an array of liquor. The Corellian took out his now empty flask and held it out to the droid, taking out some credits and sliding them across the table as he did so,”Ay bolts. Needa refill… If ya got any Corellian whiskey, that’d be grand. Anyfin’ hard’s fine though mate, cheers.” The droid overviewed the Corellian before taking the flask and filling it with an odd blend of hard liquor, soon after taking Dev’s credits and putting them away somewhere.

 

Kassie looks askance at the person who addressed her so casually, tilting her head, and glibly replying, “The awning, I suppose?”

 

Loki NeDolo looks to Dev for a moment as he walks in, noticing his presence. He turns his head back to Kassie and replies, “Wha-?”

 

Dev Marioan took a long swig of the liquor, letting out a elongated sigh and looking at the flask,”Fokin’ nice ale.” He turned to look at the two conversing. If they looked over, he’d give a sly smirk and a wave of his hand,”‘Ey, folks.”

 

Kassie stops perusing the produce offerings altogether and steps more out into the open, as if considering the likelihood of rabbiting, and instead of trying to understand the inscrutable mask, turns and offers a brief smile to the enthusiastic shopper.

 

Loki NeDolo eyebrows raise up and he steps backwards. Surprised at her actions. But he thinks, ‘im am wearing a mask’ he lets her deal with the customer.

 

Kassie backs away from the masked one, letting paranoia take the sort of precedence it should in the lower levels and puts the ale consumer in as much danger as she herself might be in–as he too has a blaster. “So… yeah… drinks and things, mmhm.”

 

Dev Marioan gave a light nod to the one in the mask, chuckling a bit,”That a fashion statement mate, or are ya jus’ that damn ugly?” The Corellian chuckled a bit. This was the attitude that had earned him many, many barfights and problems with Imperial authoriy,”S’ppose it could be both though, sorry fer ya, lad.” When the woman approached him more, Dev looked her over and tried to assess her threat level. She seemed skiddish, not used to undercities, the places that he had in fact grown up on when he wasn’t learning his father’s piracy. He nodded a bit and smirked, holding out the flask,”Aye, drinks an’ things. Wonderful thing, innit?”

 

Loki NeDolo smiles underneath his mask, slightly offended by the man’s ignorance. He is, however, entertained. He watches the two for the moment saying nothing. Enjoying his own creepiness.

 

Kassie lets her smile open up to a higher wattage, feigning substantive conversation, just long enough to be on the far side of the Corellian, “Mmmhmm.” She leans nearer to sniff at the man, or what he’s been drinking, whatever traces of it are left in the air, as if it was the most interesting thing in all the worlds and suggests, “It isn’t nice to mock masked people, especially if they need the masks for cosmetic reasons. Besides, I don’t like getting shot. And that does smell like a nice vintage…. I’d buy it, if I were you, anyway.”

 

Dev Marioan canted his head to the side at the tall figure standing off to his right, looking over him again and giving a nod to him,”A’right then. Be spooky an’ such, see if I mind mate.” He chuckled a bit at her and shrugged his shoulders lightly,”Yeh well, some would say it ain’t smart t’ correct an armed man with alcohol in ‘is system. But you’re doin’ that anyway right?” Dev took a long swig and looked her over once more,”What’re you doin’ ’round these parts anyhow? Ya don’ belong ‘ere much, do ya.”

 

Loki NeDolo thinks for a moment and, looking over the man, decides he isn’t a threat to him, to much of a criminal, but seemingly harmless. “Kassie, its me, loki.” he says. Lifting up his mask for a moment showing his face, before putting the mask back on.

 

Kassie balks outwardly at this suggestion, that she does not belong here, and laughs at the end, letting off some nerves. “I belong here as much as anywhere. I’m not so posh as all of that, finishing school or no. For all you know, Mister, I was born in that alley over yonder. And anyway, I’ve rarely met a Corellian who wasn’t used to be corrected.” All that her jibe was missing was sticking her tongue out at the end, and it seemed she forgot that she was using him as a human shield from the masked one… who revealed himself as none other than her contact. Then the laughter really came, in upheavals of composure that saw her double over from the hilarity of it (and relief besides).

 

Dev Marioan was pretty freaked out when her demeanor completely changed. He then leaned back against the bartop and took a long swig of his flask,”Aye well yer previous mannerisms an’ whathaveyou were pretty damn convincing me otherwise lass.” When the masked figure put a name to himself, Dev looked over to him,”Loki’s a good name, fer an Outlander escort.” He gave the tall-standing man a wink,”Ya workin’ tonight, cute stuff?”

 

Kassie was just about to get herself together when Loki was propositioned and far from getting in the way of what could mean more money, looked to the masked one with wide eyes to see how he’d respond. And fell to further titters of laughter.

 

Loki NeDolo walks forward slowly. “I seem to be interrupting your current business. I’ll be outside miss Kassie.” He walks forward slowly through the two and out of the market, standing just on the outside. He pulls out his communicator and starts tapping away.

 

Dev Marioan watches the man walk off and waved as he passed,”Have fun at work, babe! Hope t’see ya ’round.” The Corellian laughed a bit and sipped out of his flask, wiping his mouth with his jacket after and looking to the woman beside him,”Kassie eh? I’m Dev, and I don’ swing the way ya think I do.” The smuggler put out his hand and gave his usual sly smirk,”Nice t’meet ya.”

 

Loki NeDolo perks a brow as he walks by and his jaw slightly drops at the man’s words. He furiously distracts himself with his datapad.

 

Kassie offered a gloved hand to the Corellian, not just taking his and shaking it, as if she expected him to kiss it, feigning further airs, given the teasing. “Pleasure to meet you. And you’re right, I was rude to ever have corrected you. Before I realized it was who it was, I thought I might have to make a quick egress. Can you tell me one thing?” Her grin had gone one-sided in anticipation of the one thing she was going to request.

 

Dev Marioan looked at the hand and scoffed, shaking his head,”Yeh, no.” As he returned his hand to his side, naturally floating near his blaster as it always did, the other hand wrapped around his flask,”Aye, whatever ya want I’ll tell ya lov’. Jus’ fer a good price, I’ll do anythin’ for ya too.”

 

Kassie looked offended at the refusal, again, overplayed and quite clearly feigned. She took a step back, and another, before asking a question she had no intention of paying for an answer to, “Mostly I just wondered how you all manage to make such smooth whiskey. Your ships are like you all- loud and fast, your liquor… not so much.” She grinned as she stepped back just once more, in case he thought better of not having shot her before, and she needed to run again, having let her big mouth get ahead of her.

 

Loki NeDolo , although appearing distracted, takes in what he hears. He begins to think that Kassie, although lovely, may not be able to be trusted, as she wanders so close to the edge.

Loki NeDolo takes in thoughts about Dev, or particularily, his mind digressing to his race. ‘never met one I couldn’t trust to get paid’ he thinks.

 

Dev Marioan ‘s features grew grim, an expression that others had seldom seen. His hand floated to the hilt of his blaster,”Ain’t wise what yer doin’ here lov’. Watch yerself, ya don’ know what it means to a Corellian to insult their culture. If I were any other b’sides meself, you’d probably already have a goddamn bolt in yer side.” Dev maintained a stern and stoic, if not dark and foreboding, expression while maintaining unwavering eye contact.

 

Loki NeDolo ceases to tap on his datapad after the man’s words. He stands still, his mind fixated on his blaster.

 

Kassie did not lose one iota of that shine on her smile. And she notably did not quail, turn or run, skittish as she’d been. “I did not think you’d take it as an insult, when I was complimenting the whisk– Ah never you mind. Miscalculation on my part. No need for the getting touchy. Enjoy your drinks.” She made a big show of reaching into her pocket, so as not to give the offended Corellian any ideas about her reaching for weapons, for a credit chip to flip at the droid for Dev’s libations. That done she’d turn and walk away, calm as houses, to find Loki. Luckily that was easily done as he was so near by. To his masked self she suggests, “Seems I’ve upset that… gentleman. Shall we do this elsewhere?”

 

Loki NeDolo nods and motions left, as the pair attempt to walk down away.

 

Dev Marioan muttered something about confusing women dressed in all black before starting to walk off towards one of his more favored cantinas, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a pack of probably expired cigarettes, lighting one up and puffing on it.

 

Loki NeDolo walking says, “i have the crates stashed down here, an acquaintance is watching them.”

 

Kassie followed her hooded and masked compatriot of the moment and put a hand on his arm to halt his progress. “Loki?” She stops walking altogether, looking dubiously down the way, and explains, “I’ve worked for some truly frightening people in my time, and while I’d love to believe you have no harm in mind for me, accompanying you to a secret location filled with people the likes of which I do not know is not a great way to stay alive.”

 

Loki NeDolo stops short of his contact, a Trandoshan smoking a long spiceblunt. He turns around and looks at her through the mask. “I thought a girl like you could handle herself? What exactly is it that you do, for real. Kassie?” he says, his hands at his sides. The Trandoshan, just beginning to take interest, as he is fried.

 

Kassie shook her head looking at her boots instead of the blank eyes of Loki’s mask, and sighed a long-suffering sound. “I can handle myself, even if it sometimes means running. But I’m not a squad of mercenaries. I’m not invulnerable.” Looking up to his obscured face again she sidesteps the question of her profession with, “Apart from trying to get the best tea I’ve ever tasted, I do a great number of things. Remember, art? I found a buyer for the reliefs, and I’m leaving this world tonight. Its better not to be in town in case the provenances are carefully examined and what’s left of the the closed circuit cameras around the lower levels recognize me.”

 

Loki NeDolo nods his head, “of course.” he was always suspicious of the ‘tea’. Now certain, he turns to the Trandoshan. “Here” he says, handing him a few credits. “Go get the crates now.” He motions his hand to his speeder bike, that lies on the right side of the alley. “Place them on the back of that.” he finishes turning back to Kassie. “No need to run. I promise. This mask isn’t for you.”

Kassie shoulders the rather large bag she’s been carrying so that one strap is on and the other is off and rummages in it until she produces a little clasped wooden box. It is full of small denominations of credits, totaling about a thousand and a half. This she hands over to Loki and illuminates him, “That’s for your trouble. And I know that your mask isn’t for me. You nearly scared me half to death in the market when you spoke to me. And, are the crates so large as that, that they need a bike? How will I ever get them to the docks? If I carry them I’ll be stabbed twice over before I make halfway to my ride offworld. Can you be a dear and help me with that? I think you’ll find I paid you enough to demonstrate how little I care to leave enemies in my wake or bridges burned.”

 

Loki NeDolo takes the credits in his hand as the Trandoshan loads the crates on his speeder bike. He takes half the credits and extends them back towards her and says, “I do believe we can do business, as long as you do me the honor of forgetting me name and face. Just remember the mask.” He turns to his bike, stepping forward, he says “Care to take a look?”

 

Kassie steps over toward the bike, waving off the offer of returning any of the credits. “Easy come, easy go, easier living, I always say.” She does not try to pry anything open, only bends over to sniff at the seams for the fragrance that she expects… and seemingly finds. “Smells like the Hapan springtime. Wonderful… and it is a shame to have to forget that face. But, since you insist… and since I need your help getting these where they need to go?”

 

Loki NeDolo replies, “which is where?” stepping forward, looking over her shoulder at the crates,

 

Kassie turns to look him in the mask again and hesitates for a moment with narrowed eyes, that second set of eyelids visible for a bare moment. Then after making some obvious mental calculations she gambles with telling him the truth, “Bay 37, at docks near the meat packing district. Say, when you said you wanted me to forget the name, the face and remember the mask… I am to take that to mean this business is our last?”

 

Loki NeDolo nods and makes a mental note of the location. He takes all of the all of the credits and extends them to her person. “Not at all. I was hoping we could do business for a long time. But I’m guessing someone like you really listens to this. You must meet all sorts of people working like this in the lower sector-” he says walking slowly over nearby his speeder bike and the crates.

 

Kassie had gone over to look at her prize haul once more, only to notice that one box seemed to have been pried open already and haphazardly redone. She’d been ignoring any offers of credits handed back to her and was just answering, “Well, I do meet my fair share of people, in passing and in earnest in my lines of work, but… …” She only needed to use her gloved fingertips to pop the wood open again, and did. Then, after looking inside, she shifted her bag over to her other shoulder and put her hand on the grip of the blaster holstered under her left arm, and turned to look at Loki again, this time without much of her former pleasantness and civility left upon her face. In its place was something almost feral in the slight curl of her lip and wrinkling of her nose. “What’s the game here, hm?”

 

Loki NeDolo leans forward to looks at the crate quickly while raising his arms up. Knowing that he, did nothing, he slowly turns around facing the warehouse where the Trandoshan had gone back to. He open his mouth, “It seems the game is on. I knew there wasn’t tea in there. . .” He sighs, “I’ll go and take care of it, if you let me.” standing with her blaster in his back.

 

Kassie hesitates, trying to figure out what the con is. Then she drops the hand that had been about to draw on him, and responds with sulk in her voice like a thwarted adolescent, “It was MEANT to be tea! LOKI! What in the name of the everpresent wind is this all about?” She obviously has given up on shooting the man when she cranks the lid open further and uses one gloved hand to leaf through the contents, then with an almost audible gulp, she hurriedly closes the crate again and looks to him with utter confusion and being put out all over her face.

 

Loki NeDolo shocked, turns around slowly, while dropping his hands, to look at her saying, “what are you playing at? I picked up what you told me to! what’s in there!?” he turns to the crates hoping to get a look but his hand hovers hear his blaster. For a brief moment he introspects, fear taking grip but is pushed out by his anger. The mask. giving him some, but little, assurance.

 

Kassie is immediately outraged by this being turned on her. And she stomps one foot before speaking again and informs him, “Me? What am I playing at? You are trying to tell me that you did not take the tea out to keep some for yourself? And add… anything? Sir, I am not who you think I am. I am not some arms dealer, or whatever. I only wanted to get back home, take a nice long bath to get the lower levels off of me and relax on my terrace with a hot cup of tea. Is that so much to ask?!”

 

Loki NeDolo takes a-hold of himself, realizing that his actions are spurring things out of control. He walks over to the crate to get a closer look, witness the explosives within it. His mouth gapes open and eyebrows raise. “Woah, you’ve got too be kidding me-” he says turning to her with a glare in his eye. “That must have been one high Trandoshan. He’s got at least one grenade in there.” he mutters looking away for a moment. Looking back sternly he states, “You really didn’t know this was in here!?” looking for any sense of flaw in her.

 

Kassie does not take her eyes off of him until he asks this last question at which point she merely shakes her head and then palms her forehead as she seems to be trying to think her way out of this. “They don’t look active, or to be on timers or anything. Let me think… alright. I’ll take them. I’ll take the crates and you can deal with your friend. I wouldn’t take them back if I were you, no one will believe it was an accident. So…” She puffs out her cheeks while expelling a long breath. “You can either give me back my money, or deliver my goods where I told you. Either way, I’m not traveling through customs anywhere.”

 

Loki NeDolo leaning over the crate, shakes his head back and forth. He then drops his hand to his blaster, sticking it out quickly at her. “I’m afraid not.” Once more, he presents the credit to her, tossing them on the ground in front of her. “Please, just take them and go-” he finishes as an a burst of fire and metal crashes out behind him explosively. He stammers-

 

[20:54] Kassie was just reeling over being drawn on, when she did not intend any of this and so narrowly escaped being shot earlier by the Corellian, but then the explosion happened and with both hands over her ears she began to back away. Maybe it’s the way the sudden noise and light affected her hearing, or nerves, but she’s rather loud when she says, “I WILL JUST BE GOING THEN! I TRY NOT TO TAKE MONEY FROM PEOPLE WITH BLASTERS DRAWN ON ME! I LIKE BEING ALIVE.” She backs away very slowly, mostly through the power of will.

 

Loki NeDolo  recovers from his stamper, drawing the blaster back on her while she speaks. Sighing he lets out “Forget this!” jumping on his speeder bike, he quickly shoves the pedals with his feet, rapidly rising into the air and out of the alley.
Kassie turns and her bootsteps can be heard ratatat clacking away as she hightails it out of there. Credits on the ground and contraband in the crates… on the motorbike.

for the love of Hapan Tea

INT- Outlander Bar, Lower Levels Coruscant 

 

NeDolo walks into Oulander and looks over the scene briefly. He walks towards the bar, never noticing the woman in the corner to his right. He places down some credits and orders a rather expensive beverage.

 

Kassie stuffs the communicator she’d been fiddling with into her pocket as she sighs and makes her way to the bar. She seems to regain her presence of mind and purposefulness as she sidles her way up to the bar. She edges her way onto the recently abandoned stool and drums her fingertips on the glowing surface by way of getting attention for her order. Almost as an afterthought a little smile plays about her lips, to bring that process to fruiition sooner. Yet with the barkeep occupied her gaze rests on her neighbor, where it becomes a little sheepish.

 

NeDolo , taking a sip his liquor, turns his head to Kassie. His eyes meet her sheepish gaze. He is dumbstruck by her beauty, but looking only for a second, thinks of someone else. The Barkeep turns his attention to Kassie as her gaze meets Loki’s..

 

Kassie clears her throat and gets back on task, the very important task of getting herself something to imbibe, nearly singsonging it, “Might I have your top shelf Corellian whiskey, pleeeeeease? Up, and thanks.” She slides more than an ample number of credit chips over toward the woman, and when she goes, beats a little staccato of triumph and anticipation on the bartop with gloved fists. To her neighbor, or perhaps herself she murmurs, “At least I can count on this one thing going right today.”

 

NeDolo looks over her briefly, as he takes a swig and places his glass onto the counter. “It certainly does seem that way huh?” He reflects on his day. “But maybe theres a certain way about it, that makes it alright.” He reaches for his drink quickly after speaking, sipping it.

Kassie turns and definitely looks at him, this time without the coyness of shame averting any of that intent, and cocks her head to one side so that two tones of light and dark brown hair tumble over her shoulder. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get my pessimism on you. But don’t you just hate it when you can’t close a dea– Oo!” Her drink arriving seemed to derail her train of thought, and she reached for the glass to hold it under her nose and sniff the warm amber liquid with relish.

 

NeDolo lets out a single chuckle as his smile widens. He watches Kassie intently relish her whiskey, waiting to see if she’ll re-track her mind to her previous comment.

 

Kassie follows up her appraisal of the beverage’s scent with a rather conservative swig for all the show, and after a long, “Mmmmmmm,” sets the glass down to rub her belly where it burns and then looks to the man again and in fact finishes with, “A deal?”

 

NeDolo nods and says “yeah, for sure, i suppose. What business are you in, if you don’t mind?” Once more, taking a sip of his drink and placing it on the bar.

 

Kassie doesn’t miss a beat but there is an undeniable twinkle in her eye when she says, “Why the art business of course. At least presently. You know, acquisitions, auctions, the boring part. I shamefully admit that I have no such talent.” As if to stop herself speaking any more about it she drinks more from her glass.

 

NeDolo opens his mouth to speak overlooking the girl yet again. “What is a little business girl like you doing in the lower sector? Should be careful around here you know.” His eyes shift around the club and to his drink, swigging.

 

Kassie has set her glass down and turned by now to look her new friend soundly in the face, or profile as it were. “Me? Aren’t you a gentleman, which makes you as unlikely down here as someone the likes of which you seem to think I am. But… I am not as fragile as I look.” She doesn’t comment any further on what she’s doing in the lower levels, or the fact that her contact for the rather stolen art was to meet her nearby.

 

NeDolo raises his hands up and leans back a bit. “Of course, appearances can be decieving.” He says, grabbing his drink once more, finishing it and slidng it away. “You do be careful, miss-?” he says giving her an inferring look.

 

Kassie offers a gloved hand, and a bemused smirk, “Kassie, and you are….?”

 

NeDolo replies, “Loki, its been a pleasure to meet you Kassie” taking her hand for a moment, he smiles. He then stands up from his chair looks around the club, with a sense of conflict in his eyes. With all that was his day, he is quite confused with himself.

 

Kassie grins at him and picks up her glass when her hand is relinquished and turns on her stool to face him as he goes, “It was a pleasure, and… Loki… take care of yourself. Its a dangerous part of the city that never stops. Oh, and by the way, if you know anyone looking for a nice set of Art-galactic reliefs that’d just fill a wall with aesthetic glory….” Her other hand produces a small nondescript card with her mononym and contact information, but before releasing it to him she says, “Unless you’re law, though you don’t have that… stick in the mud look to you at all.”

 

NeDolo takes the card from here happily and grins. “Right back at you but like..in reverse..you know? Nevermind. Haha! I see now, maybe you have some work for me ma’am?” turning around.

 

Kassie had been about to drink the last of her glass, and almost did a spit take at being called ma’am. Instead she choked her way through it and laughed on the other rise of it, with a tear winking out of the corner of one eye. As she very unsmoothly did all of this, just a hint of her second, perpendicular eyelids would be visible for a moment under the others, but they vanished as she got a hold of herself and set her empty glass down. “Well, not just now, but there are places that I can’t be seen. And you know how masks just make you conspicuous sometimes? My contacts on Coruscant just don’t seem to be what they once were… which I suppose is obvious by my inability to close a deal… There is one thing, actually…. do you know that Mando tea house in the upper levels, its on a barge?”

 

NeDolo shakes his head back and forth, “im afraid ive never been to the upper levels of coruscant…”

.

Kassie looks appalled and shocked. “Never?! Well, my good man, let me change that for you. I’ll make it worth your time. Here….” She reached into her inner pocket and handed over some credit chips, “First things first. Find yourself something… unassuming to wear. Then… I just need two crates of the Hapan stuff. Theirs is the freshest this side of the Consortium. Call me when you have it and… I don’t know, treat yourself to the spider dumplings.” She licked her lips at the thought of them, momentarily revealing rather pointy eyeteeth.

 

NeDolo shocked and wondered by the realization that this woman is not a woman at all, but an alien to him. His minds digresses, “Clothes, Hapan stuff, and dumplings, got it.” He puts the credits in his pocket and turns to leave. “see ya then Kassie!” He walks out Outlander with a smile on his face.

Wanted Criminals

EXT – Coruscant Lower Levels

Kassie makes her way through the lower levels unobstrusively as a sentient might who is not looking for trouble. Stepping into the pool of light outside of the Outlander, she tugs off her gloves and stuffs them into her pockets while grey eyes search the faces near the entrance. Tucking the gloves into a pocket she seems to decide on and thus approaches within arm’s length of the black-clad woman nearby, and clears her throat before asking, “Pardon, can you spare a moment?”

 

Jen’sarrai loitered outside the Outlander, by the taxi. She narrowed her eyes as the taxi driver revved a bit. “Kriff you,” she’d mutter to the impatient driver, looking for a new tab. Her red-orange gaze then fell upon the woman before her. “Oh, Sure..” she’d say, her gaze wandering the greenish-complexion of the woman. “Can I help you?”

 

Kassie let a smile break out all over her face upon achieving a positive response, seemingly oblivious of the cabbies or any other such background noise. With an almost conspiratorial cast to her tone, and the way she dipped her head forward like she was sharing a secret, she asked, “Have you seen a human about yea tall–” She indicates a height only a handful of centimeters above her own with one hand, then goes on, “wearing what would have been probably at least six different shades of blue?”

 

Jen’sarrai tongue plays against and presses to her upper teeth as she considers. “Different shades of blue? No can’t say that I have. Armor you are talking about?” she’d ask. “Orange and black I am quite familiar with, not so much blue,” she’d speak, a smile teasing to her lips. “I don’t believe we’ve met…” her voice smooth as her gaze lingered over the woman before returning to her face.

 

Kassie expresses the mildest possible disappointment that her contact hasn’t been sighted by the onlooker she’s politely accosted, a shrug. But there’s little time for that consideration to linger since she’s emitting a peal of amused laughter, tossing back her head the slightest bit to let it out in response to being asked if they’ve met. Eyes roving all over the other woman’s face for a moment before settling on the warm hues of her eyes again, she holds out her hand to shake presumptuously, and explains, “I’m certain we have not. I would definitely remember you. Kassie is who I am. I hadn’t spent much time on Coruscant until recent months. The lower levels aren’t as bad as GNN would have one think.”

 

Jen’sarrai reaches out her own hand, grasping her greenish complexioned one as it was extended. “I’m Jen. Nice to meet you Kassie,” she’d greet and then introduce of herself. “Until recent months… so you are new to planet?” she’d ask. Suddenly concious of her bare toes as they pressed to the concrete below her, the hem of her skirt mostly masking her bare toes. “Bounty hunting? Or simply trying to find an old friend?” she’d ask, curious.

 

Kassie shook hands, but not pressing so hard as though she had anything to prove, beyond the fact that she was apparently very warm blooded and temperature-wise as well. “A pleasure to meet you, and bounty hunting, me?” She reaches up her left arm and points with her right at the blaster she has strapped there as if it’s a culprit of its own, explaining further, “Oh because of this? I nearly forgot it was there. No, no… I mean it was business, and he’d just sent me a message that he had to go because something came up, but I thought I might yet catch him if he had to settle his tab. And I’m only on the world for work, there’s a lot of travel in the job.” She finally winds down her meandering explanation with a return question, “Are you a Coruscant native?”

 

Jen’sarrai recoils her hand as Kassie recoils her own. “Well.. no harm in being armed,” she’d say, motioning to the blaster that was positioned on her own hip. “Coruscant native? Not really.. I grew upon Dathomir,” she’d say, not usually so forthcoming with information, but she looked Dathomirian enough. Dark haired, pale skinned, tattooed.. “How about you, Coruscant native?”

 

Kassie was relaxed as her gregariousness demonstrated, though she did spare a moment to look behind her into the dim cityscape and subsequently cast a look over Jen’s shoulder at an exiting patron of the joint behind her. Looking keenly at Jen again she double blinked while considering whatever it was she knew about Dathomirians, which let her second set of nictitating eye-lids momentarily be visible. “Oh, oh…” The second utterance had the ring of some sort of realization to it, but she didn’t expound on it, she just shook her two-tones of brown hair along with her head and said, “Oh no, I’m from a backwater planetoid that no one really ever goes to. I mean, its a lovely place, but I haven’t even been there in pffff three standard years. My mother is so cross with me. Kinooine is the world. Though… Dathomir was quite nice.” She seemed about to say something else but halted herself just in time to snap her mouth shut and reset with, “Pity about that war though.”

 

Jen’sarrai opens her mouth, drawing in a breath of air. “Yeah.. shame about the war,” she’d echo, distractedly. “I mean, the landscape and all that. Not that I’ve been there in years,” she’d ramble on. “Maybe I prefer to remember it for what it was. But then again, I remember different things as a child. Not as violent.. well.. maybe not completely void of violence.” She’d chuckle a bit and then clear her throat.

 

Kassie winkles her nose and face into a little smile in response to that last remark about violence, and happy to be able to leave the topic of the war which she herself brought up, offers blithely, “I don’t kid myself. Violence is here to say. Its a state of nature. And like the platitude says, ‘To be violent in order to destroy is evil, to be violent in order to restore is heroic,’ right? Not that I go in for that sort of thing, mind you. Mine is more a world of reports and bureaucracy, so maddening it’ll drive a person to drink herself blind.”

 

Jen’sarrai nods and takes a breath, looking to the Outlander to her right and then returning her gaze to Kassie. “I could use a drink.. lightly spiked with wine,” she’d speak. “You can tell me more of your reports of bureaucracy over a drink? A little bit of both perhaps,” she’d speak with a sultry smirk.

Jen’sarrai added. “I’ve heard of a place I’d like to check out.”

 

Kassie clapped her hands together in delight before looking at a chronometer on her wrist that simply wasn’t there and responded, “Why NOT? It isn’t like Tino is coming back any time soon. Please lead the way.” She held her arm out with flourish to punctuate. The alien was clearly not in any way mistrustful of where this was going, and the way she licked her lips in anticipation of a drink might have indicated her realization of her thirst, though her gaze momentarily lingered upon the pretty pierced lips across from her.

 

Jen’sarrai dared to take a step closer, just about brushing against Kassie as she did so. “Then what are we waiting for,” she’d purr, her voice low and smooth as she hailed the ever impatient taxi fellow. “It’s been awhile since I had a drink with a female.. friend,” she’d speak, a sultry smile playing to her lips as she dared to grasp her fingers around Kassie’s wrist and tug her into the taxi with her. Though it was a rather short ride to their destination…

 

Tayla’Ani fished out a credit chip to pay for her drink while she waited patiently, until the woman next to her exclaimed at her. She blinked and gave her an uncertain look while she tried to figure out how drunk she was, but gave her a little friendly smile “Uh…thanks ah guess…dun’ usually get folks sayin’ like tha’..” then directed her attention to the barkeep, although she glanced at Jes’tula over i nthe corner every so often.

 

Tess Bonde pushed the whiskey in front of Tayla and gave her a smile. “She had something really strong as an appetizer. Now we watch and enjoy..” She said offering her a wink. She leaned back against the shelf of liquor waiting to see if there were refills needed and she took the opportunity to pour herself a glass as well. She realized she had not had anything to drink yet today, that was surely against a law somewhere. As Jes was in his quiet corner she picked up one of the extra corks from behind the bar and took aim planning to bounce it off his head, and then she tossed it.

 

Kassie had gone easily, with ready laughter at getting pulled along like a giddy girl. She insisted on paying the cab fare herself, producing credits from the pouch on her hip, and upon looking around when they got out, asked her new friend, “This one of those places you’d never find unless you knew someone? I adore such places!” She’d bite her lip to stop herself gushing and reveal that unlike most Firrerreo (not that most people knew what they even were), she had not the prominent canines. She shuffled her booted feet where she stood, uncertain which of the structures might be the place.

 

Sofia Boots grins back up at the very busty Twi’lek “Ya welcome!” sorted that did Boots alright. She takes another chug of starshine, then ale, then plugs the newly rolled rankweed joint between her lips and lights it over the purple flame of her old lighter, puffing it to life. She takes a deep drag, then exhales the plume with a pleased expression on her dirty red face “Good…”. She empties her drink for the third time, pushing it over towards Tess with a stupid drunk smile on her face “Can do one more!”. Most people would be on their ass by the first or second starshine no doubt, Boots needed just abit more… Or so she thought, maybe it was the empty stomach… Suddenly she feels herself slipping off the stool, landing on the floor below with a thud. Was a brief pause, then a loud snort-filled laughter from down there “Kriffin’ seats!” she just leans up against the wall again, hand goes above the counter to wave at Tess “Hold da forth!” she said slurred.

 

Jen’sarrai reached a hand outward to encircle fingers about Kassie’s wrist. “I think so. If it’s a dud I know of another place,” she’d speak, a sultry smile playing upon her lips as she pushed through the door to the small bar. “Coruscant cooler.. light on the wine,” she’d order from the bartender, her gaze lingering about the bar before focusing upon the bartender. Her grip upon Kassie’s wrist having released itself after they reached the bar.

 

Tayla’Ani tossed her credit chip alongside her drink before she picked it up with a smirk “S’long as she’s enjoyin’ herself ah ain’t one ta complain.” She smiled once more before she downed her drink, then slid it back along the bar for a refill “Good fur another?” She turned her head and chuckled at the woman that had christened the floor, stepping over a little to offer her a hand “Ya need ah lift hun? Wouldn’t trust those stolls if ah were ya!”

 

Jes’tula Tor’dok was jostled at the feeling of a cork hitting his head. He’d look over towards Tess with a raised brow, chuckling. He’d then look up to Tayla’Ani and waves to her, “Why ‘ello mi’dear!” He’d exclaim as he got up from his seat just in time for Boots to fall off of her stool. He’d grin and rushes on over to her. He’d stand over her and crosses his arms, chuckling quietly before he’d offer her a hand to try and help her to her feet with Tayla’ani. He’d look over his shoulder to Jen as she entered the bar and chuckles.

 

Kassie followed Jen’s lead like it was a dance she already knew the steps to. As they entered the establishment she did look around at the other patrons, but no one for too long before coming to lean so near Jen it would be an invasion of her personal space bubble. This was an aid of tacking her order on, “And I’ll take whatever whiskey you have that has a kick, up. Please and thank you.” A sheepish smile punctuated.

 

Sofia Boots locates her rankweed joint and goes back to puffing on it, then starts to snort-laugh down there on the floor, something funny came to her drunk mind. She looks back up as the Twi’lek steps over, shaking her head with a grin “I be fine miss!” patting the floor next to her “Is’a good spot!”. The drunken Zeltron mechanic would just sit down there and enjoy her very intoxicated state it seems. This wasnt her first time being drunk of her ass no doubt. Giving Jes’ a thumbs up as he steps over too “All good!”. Her perpetual drunken smile lingers, watching the new people come in… all four of them!

 

Tess Bonde laughed as she saw her go down, she was officially the worst person to fall around. It was obvious because she laughed so hard it brought tears to her eyes and it made it impossible for her to help. “Careful now lady, that floor cannot feel too good no matter how much padding any of us have back there.” She leaned over the counter to make sure she was alright just as she saw more people coming in. This place was either feast or famine. “Whiskey and cooler it is.” She said still shaking off the laughter. An arm came up to wipe the tears from her eyes as she gathered the glasses to fill two more orders.

 

Tayla’Ani gave the woman on the floor a wry smile “Alrigh’ then, if y’ur comfy then enjoy.” She turned her attention to Jes’tula next to her and gave him a look into those yellow eyes of his, seemingly conveying some familiarity “Heya Jes’tula, wus ah pirate like ya doin’ in ah dive like this?” then gave him a smirk while her glass was beign refilled.

 

Jen’sarrai enters into the small establishment, Kassie in tow. Her slender fingers didn’t move to release until she just about found a seat. She just about tugged Kassie into her lap, “Oops, sorry,” she’d muse, though perhaps her apology wasn’t genuine at all as she just about pulled the woman into her lap. “Light on the wine,” she’d echo of her order, glancing to the brunette bartender and then back to Kassie. “Never been to this place, but might as well have a drink, right?” she’d muse, looking to the rest, including the gal on the floor. “Seems like a fine place,” she’d add with a smirk.

Billy Bones wandered within the seclusions of an archaic shanty, it’s dimly lit innards providing some mystique to the wayward frame which aroused an ominous crimson glow. The slender cylindrical chemstick providing this saturating ruby aura, a dulled pulsating brilliance which flickered ever so often upon whims of a suckled toke. Similarities were shared in excess of relieved smolder, as the wriggling fumigations carried a sentiment of scarlet hue in their relief. Disinterested paled ocular beads fought past the shrouds of shadows, alluring their radiant deadened glare upon the beings whom rest within. No less the heels had already bounded across the sedimentary surfaces with a wildly waltz, protesting confidence as they’d reverberate under the pressures of this eclipsing male embodiment. It’d soon conclude itself to the means of a chair, allowing the metallic alloy to embrace the weight of this frame in slightest lazed seat.

 

Jes’tula Tor’dok looked to Tayla’Ani and smirked, pulling his hand back from Boots. “I own this ‘ere dive, lass.” He’d say to her before turning to look at the two people who just came into the bar. He’d clap his hands together and was about to give them the standard greeting before he’d say, “Wait a sec… I know ye’!” He’d say, pointing to Jen’sarrai. “Yer on tha’ Bounty board!” He’d say to her before crossing his arms. “Well so is most o’ the people in this ‘ere dive. Welcome ta’ the ‘Whatever’ Bar!”

 

Sofia Boots would linger around in ‘her corner’ for a while. Her tactic seemed to be get really drunk fast, then stop drinking and instead just enjoy the intoxication until it wears off, reverse drunk? ((And AFK for a while to sort some things, post and step around the drunken Zeltron :))

 

Tess Bonde blinked as the numbers kept doubling inside the bar, it was like it was breeding with itself. She contemplated going for the self serve option but realized Jes might take that out on her hide so she just muddled through serving them, when she was not pouring the wrong cocktails. She counted who had what, her eyes skimming across in a line before she would lean back and give a small smirk. “OK then, who still needs what?”

 

Kassie made of a small show of being scandalized by getting pulled around, bringing a hand up to cover the yelp, but it all just acquiesced into laughter and her leaning on Jen while she ginningly replied, “I don’t have the first complaint. And I don’t think we’d have to worry about them pouring light here.” With a small nod she indicates the woman on the floor. “What luck that I found you instead, I’m actually rather glad Tino bailed.” Though there was all manner of usual commotion for a place such as this she did fairly well at keeping her eyes on Jen’s face.

 

Tayla’Ani chuckled as she collected her drink, casting the bartender a grateful nod, before returning to Jes’tula’s side “Fair ‘nough, so ah take it those’re y’ur guys ya were sat with huh? Dun’ mind me stayin’ here fur ah while? Need’ta unwind some.” She glanced at the two that had entered and offered them a little smile, although she was unsure of what Jes’tula was up to.

 

Jen’sarrai perched herself upon a stool, though Kassie was still only a shoulder brush away. Her red-orange gaze focused upon Kassie for a lingering moment, a sultry smile gracing her lips as she perhaps purposefully shifted her stance as to brush up against the pretty brunette. But other words caught her ears. “Bounty board?” she’d echo aloud, her attention snapping to the two standing on her left. “What board?” she’d demand before turning her attention back upon Kassie and smiling, as if nothing was amiss.

Jen’sarrai: *standing to her right ((directionally confused))

 

Jes’tula Tor’dok grinned at all of the activity around him and turned to look to Tayla’ani. “I don’ mind at all. An’ ye. Ye guessed correctly, lass.” He’d say before turning to look over his shoulder to Tess, “Get me me’ usual, lass. Jeeves knows what it is.” He’d nudge Tayla before saying, “Ye’ will like this drink. Fruity an’ highly alcoholic!” Now his attention turns towatds Jen’sarrai. He’d simply point at the BHG Terminal that was at the end of the bar, “Ye’ have a Bounty on yerself, lass. But fear not! Nobody will claim it ‘ere. At least, I don’ think they will.”

Radiation Queen 1.08 whispers: Now playing: dota

 

Kassie smooshed herself in beside Jen, and while she’d missed the bounty board business, she would glance over to take another look at the Twi’lek pair. She’d put a hand on Jen’s leg to presumably steady herself while she got her beverage from the bar, and would look with interest to Jen while she answered the man, quietly sipping. Her eyes watered a bit, but she savored the burn.

 

Tayla’Ani grinned a little to Jes’tula before giving him a grateful nod “Huh. Alrigh’ then ah’ll give it ah try.” She downed her second drink and brushed against him as she reached back for a refill “One of those tha’ he’s on ’bout too if ya dun’ mind hun.” She stood up straight again, yet still nudging her leg against his while she stood there, her eyes glancing over the pale woman that seemed to be wanted “Ain’t after bounties mah’self an’ ah ain’t checked tha’ board lately either. Ain’t somethin’ ah care for if ahm honest.”

 

Avadrie Sathel storms into jestulas bar as she is a pissed off mood cussing up a storm in corellian she says, “Frink muha acen lumo’sinior..lo Minmin devas havil Min Wagyx Valle ahend. <<fucking dumbass jedi..just you wait I will get his ass.>>” She avoids bumping into any of the patrons and approaches the bar rapping on the counter to get attention of tess she smiles and says, “I have had a nasty day love any of that rotgutt left.” she would ask with a smirk. She stands off to the side though as not to get in the way of the other patrons turning she spots billy and arches an eyebrow, ” At it again Olys hom? <<old man>>.”

 

Tess Bonde gave the droid a kick in his metallic shin seeing how helpful the bucket of bolts planned on being tonight. “You heard the boss Jeeves.” She said trying to spur him in to action to at least pick up the slack from the sudden volume of people in the bar. Considering it was mixed it was indeed far safer to let him mix it. She collected the ale mugs from the bar and set to refilling those first, before she took the various bottles, taking care to repour whiskeys and whatnot where they were needed. She sure as hell was not staying late to wash extra glasses, they could reuse them. She grabbed Jes’s drink in one hand, the bottle of rotgut in the other with a glass and moved with them both to the opposite end of the bar. “There ya go dear, I think you need more than one and I trust you with the bottle, you have the credits.” She slipped out from behind then to deliver the boss his drink.

 

Jen’sarrai lifted a dark brow as she twisted in her seat to view Jes’tula. “Those are pretty threatening words, fella,” she’d muse. Her first time in the place and already she was a wanted criminal it seemed. Though she looked towards the board that was pointed out to her. “So it seems you share space with wanted criminals,” she’d muse, a smirk gracing her pierced lips as she looked back upon Kassie. Lifting her Coruscant Cooler to clink against her own glass.

 

Billy Bones remained ever more relaxed, confined to the chair as if nothing more than a gargoyle perched upon it’s aged stone pedestal. Mere maneuvers of a palm slowly curdled across the slender cylindrical chemstick, a fluid maneuver which relinquished it’s moistened filter from the maw. Coiling fumigation spilled from the puckered skeletal tattooed kissers with a lavish exhalation, dwindling into the atmosphere of this cramped container as it’d flutter into the ease of the ceiling. The rough voice emerged from behind the longing discarded plumes of scarlet smoke, “Was just about to ask you the same question, Kaprito «Kid».” Billy’s eyes traverse the few beings, only to relay themselves to Avadrie, “Far ia plu dul’skal malfrua? «Making any more friends lately?»”

 

Kad’la Kata (Nora Saria) made her way into the crowded bar and took a spot off to the side.

 

Kassie clinked glasses with Jen and smiled a toothsome smile, complete with merriment and mischief in her eyes. Before taking another draw of it, she’d ask through the persistent smile, “Would you be more disappointed if I said it was or was not the first time I’ve found myself in such excellent company? And part b-is that why you asked me, back on the street…hahahaha” That was it, she was into peals of laughter again, that were only moments stanched by drinking. Even then a giggle threatened while she was in the process of doing so.

 

Jes’tula Tor’dok reached over for his glasses and winked at Tess before he’d move on over to Tayla’Ani, offering her the fruity drink with his right hand as his left hand brings his to his lips and he takes a sip of it. “We’re all scum in ‘ere, lass.” He’d say to Jen’sarrai before his attention falls once again to the jedi, “Aren’ ye guys supposed ta’ arrest me on sight o’ somethin’?”

 

Avadrie Sathel accepts the bottle from tess a nod of thanks she replies, “Ya I got the credits and you are correct I do need it.” she drags the bottle closer and the glass lifting it up she pours herself a liberal healthy shot, possibly a triple. She turns the glass three times before tapping it onto the counter. ” lo Minmin Bey jusha chia far dul’skal…Sel ne Valle Cnous Minmin Bey chia tia popular<<<Oh Im just always making driends..Didnt you know Im ever so popular.>> She would say gesturing towards the board as her picture cycled through boasting a  bounty of 40k. She tilts her head back throwing the shots down, her lisp twisting in a grimace form the burn as she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth.. Leaning back against the bar she adds in a musing tone, “Per Uhl tiamanier Valle mieno Al far dul’skal Olys hom.<<By the way you looking to make friends old man?>>”

 

Tayla’Ani smirked again to Jes’tula as she took the drink that he offered her. She swilled it around in it’s glass for a moment while she gave him an amused look “Somethin’ like tha’..so ah hear. Ya want me to?” then grinned before she took an experimental sip from the drink. It was indeed fruity and quit strong, but she gave him a grin as she hefted it towards him “S’not bad, migh’ grow ta like it so ah thank ya…back on topic, ah s’pose tha’ arrestin’ ya in y’ur own bar when ya ain’t doin’ nuthin’ other tha’ enjoyin’ tha’ company would be ah lil’ rude dun’ya think? Ah know tha’ rules, wus scum once mah’self if ya remember righ’ly..”

 

Jen’sarrai smirked and figured why the hell not, grasping Kassie’s wrist and pulling her in closer. She would attempt to place a kiss upon Kassie’s lips. What was that saying.. only live once? Besides, apparently she was a wanted criminal. “Apparently I am a criminal,” she’d muse, a chuckle escaping her throat as she looked around the bar. “But apparently, I’ve come to the right place,” as the talk of arrest was freely spoken. It seems she had come to the right bar after all, as she smirked to Kassie.

 

Tess Bonde gently nudged Jax out of the way as things were just entirely too busy back there right now. She gave Jeeves another kick to get him moving so he could handle the refills. “Fucking hell.” She muttered under her breath as she saw person after person coming in to the small bar, it was starting to get stuffy in there, even claustrophobic. “You wont find much in the way of innocence here.” She said offhandedly catching snippets of conversation as she would start to clean up where it was needed while Jeeves handled the pouring.

 

Billy Bones subtly cycled the cyldrical chemstick about the bountiful digits in a playful mannerism, dancing it a circular motion which pertained some carelessness. It’d eventually return to the clasp of this wry skeletal maw, clamped in a pressure quite suitable of it’s smoldering filter. A longing puff invoked within this pallet, alluring the sentiments of addictive properties to envelope within the innards of the lungs. In moments these orbs would succeed in feigning their gaze upon the bounty board; perhaps, investing in the comedic value considering most were patrons of this establishment. “Depenti char Zals de mia dul’skal hav kretiho, Il li ai a chia kresk cparemo malacid kor… Companionship Bey tut mulhecost tiu tal. «Depends because all of my friends have credits, and it’s an ever growing economy sweet heart… Companionship is quite expensive these days.»”

 

Jen De’Voka enters the little bar yet again, this place was becoming her regular, her spidery like legs yet again clinging to the door frame and pulling her through as she enters. Upon spying Avadrie in the corner she slowly makes her way over, with her one remaining hand resting on her chin jiggling her jaw a little. “So this is where you ended up..” she asks in her growly way, although her voice seems a little smoother. She glances over to the bar droid “Whiskey as per usual, with a little soda if you will.” she says to him before pointing one of her bladed arms/legs at Billy “Whose this..Did you make a another new drinking friend?”

 

Jes’tula Tor’dok takes another quick drink from his glass. He’d smirked a bit before saying to Tayla, “I be’ wishin’ all Jedi knew all o’ our ways like ye’, Ms. Jedi. Most o’ them would come in ‘ere, glowsticks a flyin’ an’ then they’d wind up runnin’ away five minutes later….” He’d laugh at his wit, looking back around to Jen, who just entered. He’d raise his glass to her before turning to look over his shoulder to see what all of the other patrons were doing.

 

Kassie was caught completely at unawares, despite her flirting with the pale-skinned woman when kissing was what was happening, but that surprise was the only momentary hitch of resistance before she let herself enjoy the soft silken press of lips interrupted by less forgiving piercings. When it was done, Kassie would sigh a small sound that could only be a happy one, and lifted the hand that loosely held her drink from where it’d moved to steady her on the bar to down the rest of the amber fluid before responding, “Apparently we both have.” She’d push the empty receptacle toward the barkeeps’ side signalling her need for another, then, asked Jen, “You uh… I mean… I uh… criminal, huh? I should have known. The most… interesting people aren’t the ones who pay their taxes and live on bankers hours. And wear shoes… apparently.” Her tone was playfulness.

 

Avadrie Sathel smirks and plays with her glass as she listens to billy. Deciding her temper was best sated with the bottle straight out she discards the glass and takes to drinking straight from the bottle. She spins the bottle why well because she feels like it three times tapping it down and taking another drink. The liquid burns down her gullet into her stomach as she turns around to face billy she leans back against the bar top propping her elbows on it. ” Dul’skal de kretiho Bey Uhl nur bon Al hav. <<friends with credits are the only kind to have.>>” she would say with a smirk to billy. Hearing jen she gestures between the two, “Billy bones met Jen, Jen meet Billy Olys hom corelli <<old man corellian.>>” she adds with a wicked grin. “Excellent timing billy was jsut saying how he loves to make friends with those who have credits to do so.”

Avadrie Sathel (Piper Burner): was just saying*

 

Tess Bonde kept herself busy enough with this crowd, seeing the glasses shoved forward for refills she filled in where Jeeves had not yet. When the alcohol flowed, the credits poured in and that always made for a decent night. She refilled Kassie’s glass when she saw it slide forward before she would come to lean against the bar where Ava was, propping one foot up. She leaned back with a slight grin as she saw her going straight from the bottle now. “Thatta girl.” She said with a playful wink. “Feeling any better?”

 

Tayla’Ani chuckled softly at that as she sipped on her drink again, her head feeling the buzz “Tha’d be somethin’, ah figure most Jed-ah forget how’ta be polite dun’ these parts.” She glanced at the newcomer and felt the atmosphere seemingly drop a few degrees, as if someone had turned the heating off and opened all the windows, yet she gave her a wry smile. She shifted up agaisnt Jes’tula without really thinking about it, her eyes locked on the cybernetic newcomer, yet she seemed to be here for a drink like everyone else. Her eyes looked back up at Jes’tula with a reassuring look, as if answering an unspoken question “Ah know how’ta behave.” then sipped on her drink again.

 

Jen’sarrai “Kriff,” she’d hiss, her bare toes curling to a rung of the stool on which she sat. Shoes seemed to be an afterthought, and she had thought none the wiser.. but she was proved wrong. “You’re not supposed to notice that, just like they aren’t supposed to notice I’m wanted. Or so they say..” eyeing Jes’tula before turning her attention back upon the bartender before her.

 

Billy Bones’s hands fumble amidst the realms of the Corellian trench, instinctively feigned to a lazed posture while the wriggling bone tattooed talons hook across withering pockets. A subtle nod succeeded it delving itself to the female whom entered the establishment (Jen), despite the unusual wears it’d seem quite compatible with the demeanor of this particular tavern. “Nyeve dir mi via dul’skal ai Bey tia…. shranla.. «Never told me your friend’s were so…. eccentric..»” The cocky baritone vocals seize across the toothy cramped chemstick, pluming smolder behind the rasping speech. The paled eyes were ever more warranted of the bladed mechanical appendages, even as the edged outward in animated point. “Pleasure is all mine… Jen is it?” Billy resounded before inducing another round of fumigated chemicals into the lungs, pillowing their excess upon perked skeletal kissers.

 

Jes’tula Tor’dok chuckled a little bit and finished his drink He’d place the glass down on the counter behind him. “I know ye’ know ‘ow ta’ behave. Which is why ye’ ain’ gettin’ thrown out.” He’d say to her nudging her a bit with his elbow playfully, “Don’ worry yer head, lass.” He’d say, now looking to Jen’sarrai. “While yer here, yer safe.”

 

Kassie leans close to her companion enough to feel the tickle of black hair on her nose, and imparts like its a secret that needs such proximity to share, “I may or may not have tried playing footsie with you in the ca–” She stopped because of a buzzing in her pocket. Her communicator. She stood away and complained, “Kriff’s sake, now? I am sorry but I have to take this. Listen, don’t let me stay a stranger.” Reaching into her pocket she produced two things, one, a simple paper card which she handed to Jen, and the other and handful of credits which she piled on the bar. She’d reach a hand to Jen’s shoulder once either one was empty, and then beat a hasty retreat.

 

Jen De’Voka glances over her shoulder to gaze at the various people in this small space, she was surprised it was this busy in here, however her business wasn’t with these people it was with Ava and her new friend and so, she simply collects her drink when its offer and places it on the table Billy was sat at, the redhead then uses her spidery legs to crawl over the table and lower herself into a seat. “Sedriss Veronica Kraai’ta Jen De’Voka, Heir to the throne of Dathomir and intergalactically accepted bad ass and queen of all bitches. A pleasure to make your acquaintance Mr Billy. “

 

HUMINT – Report 12042015 (eyes only)

IMPERIAL INQUISITORIUS HUMINT REPORT 12042015 – Designation: EYES ONLY

Location: Coruscant, The Crimson Rancor restaurant and bar
Keywords: Coruscant, Crimson Rancor, Jedi leads

Crimson Rancor, restaurant and bar on Coruscant near the Jedi compound, very amenable to their kind; offers members of that group complimentary food and drinks, limited only to non-alcoholic beverages. There is a droid-operated food delivery system that runs dishes to and from the kitchen.

Disgruntled, potential asset medic? Name as yet unknown. Potential substance abuser, claimed to see arcs of light around Jedi when they perform their acts of wizardry. Dark hair, Human, female, approximately 1.6 meters tall, curvy, approximately 25-35 years old. The doctor’s hair was worn exceptionally long, at the time of the encounter, nearly to her knees. Doctor also complained of Jedi noncompliance with medical recommendations, and proclaimed gratitude that she was not born Force-sensitive. (This disdain and source of frustration with work might entice her to talk more under the right circumstances?) Alleges to have trained at Rhinnal State Medical Academy, and served in the military directly afterward before her tenure with the Jedi. Combat experience seems likely, as it was hinted at. She had a medical scanner on her person. A young (harder to tell age with them?) Chiss in Jedi attire seems to have corroborated the woman’s claims on her employment, as they spoke with one another in a familiar way, though they entered the establishment separately. Additionally the barkeep, woman of the name Rose (Corellian?), was on familiar terms with the doctor as if she might be a regular.

Addendum:
The barkeep, Rose, like those of her profession is likely a treasure trove of casual information about their nearby neighbors. Potentially useful for information too.

INQUIRY TO MANAGEMENT: Could I have expensed my meal, if I got a receipt?

Report Filed by Agent NAJOON

Second and Last Chance

The doors slid open with a soft hiss, and while most of the threshold had been shadowed, there was something about the room that opened its maw forwards and away, that gave it a more cavernous feel that the slinking halls on the way there had not provided. The former 2nd Lieutenant Jack Shepherd stepped across and then to the side, taking up a spot, and filled it with a stiff spine and his chin lifted, gaze set hazily forward. Once an officer, always an officer, or at least something that resembled it. “Shepherd, Jack .. reporting as requested.” He had no discernable accent, nothing that would peg him to any particular planet or region. He’d adopted a rounded well thought basic, that rolled off his tongue with a warbling gravel of his baritone.

 

Clana’thaly’nuruodo stood in front of the lit presentation screen when the discharged officer entered the lecture hall, her features hardly determinable in this light. She just stood there for a long time, not reacting to the man’s introduction, it would seem like a lifetime before she finally spoke up: “Have a seat, Mr. Shepherd.”

 

Jack Shepherd waited all those long moments, without really moving, hands clasped behind him, and feet spread and planted in place. His eyes didn’t roam, and didn’t look at the lone figure – till she addressed him finally and gave instruction. With that, his eyes drifted to her as he approached, measured careful steps, hands hung easily at his sides. As he got closer he paused only a moment really giving her a looking over before turning and having a seat before her, and then turning his gaze to her face.

 

Clana’thaly’nuruodo again waited for a long while, scrutinising the man’s body language, as was her habit. Her posture was statuesque throughout the timespan until she slowly folded her arms behind her back, then spoke up in a calm, yet commanding voice: “Give me your definition of loyalty, Mr. Shepherd.”

 

Jack Shepherd shifted slightly and pulled one hip to lightly cross one leg over the other, as if he was making himself comfortable, pulling one hand up to rest his chin against his fingers, elbow propped on the chair’s arm, the other hand splayed casually on the top of his thigh. He narrowed his eyes as he considered her question, and gently stroked a spot on his chin before opening his mouth to respond. “Loyalty.. Not just finding a purpose, and serving it.. it means living it. Every .. breath, every beat of your heart.. or hearts in some cases, .” He tapped his chin once then pulled the corners of his mouth up a fraction. “.. it’s a faith, heeding a call to preserve and sustain, strengthen. An overly simple idea to anyone that has ever truly been loyal to anything in their lives.” He held that face and met her eyes and let his hand fall to lay across the other, “.. or that might just be my personal definition.”

 

Clana’thaly’nuruodo didn’t change her posture during Shepherd’s talk, every once in a while it seemed as if a slight smile appeared on her face, but it was hardly noticeable against the lit screen behind her. As Shepherd had ended, there was again a seemingly endless silence until she asked: “And what is the meaning of ‘JUSTICE’ to you?” Her emphasis on the word Justice seemed a little out of place. Almost it appeared as if she added a nuance of aggression to it.

 

Jack Shepherd responded clearly to her nuance, and replied immediately and almost without the careful consideration he’d had for his prior words. “Exacting whatever is necessary to uphold your loyalties and purpose… to strike down those that seek to usurp or be divisive. Justice…” it was his time to almost smile, the hint of it playing at the small crows feet that were formed at the corners of his eyes. “.. isn’t about bringing anything to the light, it’s about keeping focus, ..even in the shadows.” He let out a bit of a breath and folded his fingers into his fists he kept on his lap, before lifting his chin again and watch her steadily.

 

Clana’thaly’nuruodo did not let time pass like she had been before, instead immediately picked up the conversation when Shepherd had ended: “Now, Mr. Shepherd, would you please sum up the events that recently led to your dishonourable discharge from the ISM, but in light of what you just have so eloquently defined for me.”

 

Jack Shepherd huffed a light breath out of his nostrils, and looked down at his hands. Of course this was about that. He had prepared himself for a million causes, or purposes for his being called here. More questions. He licked his tongue across the fronts of his teeth behind his lips and took a measured breath before slowly pulling his eyes up to her face as he spoke. “I was… exacting needed ../justice/.. on .. an individual that needed a reminder of his loyalties.” he emphasized the word, and then paused a moment, before continuing. “… justice I was, clearly, not in the position to give, officially.”

 

Clana’thaly’nuruodo raised an eyebrow at the last part of what Shepherd said. She moved closer toward him, her features would become more visible therefor. Clearly she was smiling now: “Mr. Shepherd, do you believe in coincidence or do you prefer to assume that at least from time to time…things happen for a reason?” She stopped in front of him, her voice still sounded commanding in a way, but there was something more to it, a nuance that hadn’t been there before, she displayed a certain level of respect for him.

 

Jack Shepherd quirked his brow a bit, one side arching upwards gently as she asked, and approached him. “I .. am of the mind that things happen when you make them happen. Anything else is arbitrary, but for sake of simplicity.. call it fate, force of the universe working it’s ways.” he sort of shrugged, pushing a momentary thought of his babbling mother going on about something similar, ages ago, another lifetime ago.

 

Clana’thaly’nuruodo says “Let’s say it is your lucky day then…although, we both don’t know what the future holds for you, right? I want you to join the Imperial Inquisitorius. I am sure you have a vague idea of that organisation?” She folded her arms again, any notion of respect that would have been traceable previously seemed to have vanished and with her voice having returned to its initial commanding mode she added: “I will see to it that your record will be cleared from all charges. This is your second – and last – chance, Shepherd. I suggest you use it wisely.”

 

Jack Shepherd let the other brow join its mirror and his mouth to open in a bit of an ‘ah’ moment, and nodded his head a few times. “I .. am familiar with the notion of them, yes, of course.” He unfolded his fingers and sat back up straight backed in the chair. “If I may be so bold as to ask… why me, .. now? Second.. and last chances are rarely free of of hindrance, or.. agreement of terms, ..not to say I’m not agreeing to take said chance.” He tacked on as he spoke, carefully now, seeing that whatever moment of ease she’d had about her had slipped away.

 

Clana’thaly’nuruodo glared into Shepherd’s eyes, folding her arms, as she looked down on him: “Let’s just say I like your outlook.”

 

Jack Shepherd raised his brows up and then relaxed a bit, making a discerning frowny sort of face, “Well, ….that is a pioneering choice, ..and I suppose I thank you for it. What exactly…what position, does my outlook fit into?” Janitorial service seemed likely.

 

Clana’thaly’nuruodo says “We shall discuss the details of your future employment when you make your way to the Inquisitorius Base. These walls here…have ears…if you know what I mean. I can assure you that the payment will be appropriate, the workload inhuman and the chances of survival slim…sounds like a deal, right?”

 

Jack Shepherd nodded softly, and stood, although he was not asked, and extended his hand to her, stoically, but with a glimmer in his eyes that had not been present before. “I would expect no less, and would be suspect if the odds were too good.” he looked down at his hand and back to her. “I fear I don’t know how to address you, …other than perhaps as ‘boss.'”

 

Clana’thaly’nuruodo smiled and reached out her hand, accepting the handshake, with a surprisingly firm grip: “‘Director’ will do for now. I will see you soon then.”

 

Jack Shepherd returned the handshake, impressed with the exchange, – not what he thought would happen today. “Thank you, Director. I look forward to sharing an outlook.” He nodded to her, and lowered his head in a more formal type of bow before taking a step back and turned crisply  in a practiced fashion, finding his way towards the door.

 

Clana’thaly’nuruodo simply nodded and exited through a hidden door, behind the presentation screen, after Shepherd had left.

On Odd Robes and Battle Zones

INT – The Crimson Rancor; Coruscant. (Core)

Kassie walks to the bar, making her way from the door around the other patrons, slipping onto a seat so recently vacated it was till warm. Counting herself lucky, she reaches for a nearby menu she licks her lips in anticipation of a quality meal.

 

Rose Colton smiles. “Welcome to the Crimson Rancor. Please take your time with the menu. If you’d like a drink I’d be happy to mix one up.”

 

Kassie raises her grey eyes up to the woman’s face with a closed-lipped smile cresting over her mouth. She’s courteous, it seems, because the Firrerreo offers, “Thank you, I am half-starved. You ever have one of those days when no matter what you eat, you’re still hungry? I’ll take your top shelf Corellian whiskey, up…. and… what do you recommend for steaks?”

 

Rose Colton turns and grabs the bottle from the top shelf then fills a nice heavy short glass. “I’ve had those days. That’s when I order an appetizer, entree, and sometimes dessert as well.” She sets the drink in front of Kassie. “I’d suggest the Gale’s Fillet, I always have mine right between medium rare and medium.”

 

Kassie set the menu down, replacing it with the glass, intoning, “That sounds just perfect, temperature and all. Emperor’s salad on the side?” Lifting the glass to her nostrils, with gloved fingertips, she inhales deeply and, Mmmmms. She casts a glance around the room and when the other woman seems to be unencumbered by the business of her job on the other side of the bar, the Firrerreo speaks her, “You must do pretty good business, Celebrity chef and all. The place came highly recommended”

 

Rose Colton moves down to input the order into the nearest terminal which in turn translates it into a language the Chef understands. Clanging, banging, hissing, and trashing about is heard from the kitchen as the Beskar Chef goes about preparing the meal. “So far we’re doing okay.”

 

Kassie peels her gloves off, and pockets them inside her jacket which too comes off. Its like she has to preemptively let off excess heat before she drinks in earnest. That done, she intently, almost methodically downs the glass in a series of goes at it that are somewhere between gulp and sip. Licking her lips and sliding the glass toward the tender’s side she exclaims, “SO SMOOTH! Another one of those please.”

Rose Colton grabs the bottle again and returns down the bar to refill the glass with a grin. “Your food should be out fairly quick.”

 

Kassie raises the glass to the woman, and regales her, “To your very fine establishment, may it and you be shielded from the wind.” Sipping more gingerly at this second round, then once its swallowed, she purses her lips and blows out the strong flavor, as if to prolong its taste. Only when this is done does she speak on business, “Oh that’s wonderful. I’m only on the world a couple hours, but I’m not too keen on spaceport food. I mean if you’re gonna spend, might as well reward someone who’s staked out an actual trained chef, in a location with some class and scenery.” Maybe it’s the drink that’s loosened her tongue, or maybe its just how she is, though again she casts a quick glance to the door when it opens to let out another patron.

 

Rose Colton nods. “I know what you mean. It’s hard to find a decently cooked meal when you travel. Don’t get me wrong I like my locally praised greasy Bantha burgers but they get tiresome after awhile.” And as if perfectly timed given the topic of discussion a droid emerges from the back with the traf of food.

 

Kassie’s eyes light up and rove around the various items set before her. She looks at them all and begins with little preamble to start first at cutting away at the steak. While she does this, nostrils flaring just a bit from delectable the fragrance of the steam rising off of it, she extols, “You can sayyyy that again. And you know, I think my boss is a vegetarian. I don’t know about her protein profile, but I know about mine… and this…” she just nods as she lifts the prime morsel from the plate at the tip of her fork. Before she sets upon it, she asks, “So, you get a lot business from across the way? I bet those types probably go in for salads too, huh?” She only obliquely mentions the Jedi’s proximity, and her own apparent biases about their type. But not for long, soon she’s chowing down, tearing down the food, steak first, much as she’d done with her first drink.

 

Rose Colton nods a few times. “Mmhm. They come in often but they get to eat for free. I do charge them for alcohol though. It’s a mixed bag, really. Some are salad types but most are normal eaters and normal people. Or seem that way anyway if you look past the odd robes.”

 

Katherine Foxtrotter comes walking in and sits at the bar, shruging slightly resting her chin upon her hands.

 

Kassie seems to have the ability to, almost magically, make food disappear, with obvious little sounds of relish issuing from her throat. While most of her species normally has more developed canines, hers are scantily longer or sharper than the average human’s. Though she’d nodded when the woman spoke to her, she only paused after moments of intent nommage. Then she sets her utensils down and pats her belly. “Woo. Wow, you weren’t wrong. Tremendous. But uh… I thought the thing about them was they didn’t let anyone past their odd robes…” With a mischievous twinkle in her eyes she takes up her whiskey glass again.

 

Rose Colton smirks at Kassie. “I believe these kind allow such things so long as they’re discreet? Kind of discreet? All I know is that one of them tried to get a colleague of theirs laid one night by setting the colleague up on a date.” Doctor Kat is given a smile. “Welcome back. Can I get you something?”

 

Katherine Foxtrotter rubs her temples, “Yes, Please a corellian brandy…make it a double…..no a tripple….”

Kassie chuckled a brief tinkling cascade of laughter in response to the barkeep, then used this drinking break from her steak dinner to also take a moment and again, casually glance around at the other patrons. Thinking she’s caught the other patron in white’s line of sight she nods in her direction but doesn’t stare, just continues her casual perimeter scan, turning even to spy on the band.

 

Rose Colton grabs the brandy bottle then fills the nice heavy short glass to the top and sets it out in front of the Doctor. “Here y’are. Whatever your problems are it won’t solve them darlin’ so take it easy hm?” A wink is given in Kassie’s direction.

 

Katherine Foxtrotter does not even seemto notice kassie as she would pick up the glass and drinks down about half of it looking up and laughing lightly, “your suppose to be talking me into drinking more.” gives a wink, “I tell you these jedi are kriffing nuts. I got the job, but was told that I must stay out of jedi affairs, A little hard, when two of their people get poisoned right in front of me and I have to carry them to the medical center…….I get one of them clear of the toxins and release them, then the other one decides they can just leave without a medical discharge. and what can I do, fill out a freaking report….that will get ignored…” sighs

 

Kassie had grinned at the barkeep’s wink, and suggests to the woman, the apparent doctor, leaning on the bar so that the woman can tell she’s being addressed, “I think our friend here means, that doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying to drown them, a little. She’s got to keep her patrons alive, they pay better that way!” That said she nodded again as if to punctuate and then set upon the end of her very fine meal again dainty as voracious could be.

 

Visha’obaiw’vlecezz walked in with a polite smile as he reached out to take a menu, quietly looking through it for a moment.

Visha’obaiw’vlecezz: “Hmm, I’lll have a citrus juice, if that’s acceptable?” He’d say quietly towards Rose as he approached the counter

 

Rose Colton gives a small lift of her shoulders. “They are what they are. I’m sure you’ll be able to figure out a way to productively work with them.” A grin is flashed at Kassie. “Or maybe I just like people more than I do profit?” The blue man Jedi is given a wave. “Welcome back to the Crimson Rancor. Take your time with the menu, remember that Jedi eat free and non alcoholic drinks are free.” Another nod is made. “Sure darlin’.” Ice is put into a tall glass then citrus juice is poured therein. Said glass is then sat in front of the Jedi.

 

Visha’obaiw’vlecezz smiled as he took the glass with a polite, warm “Thank you.” He’d then move over to a window booth, sipping his drink as he glanced out at the vast cityscape.

 

Katherine Foxtrotter laughs lightly as she looks to kassie, “No….rose here is a doll, she is genuinely concerned..” finishes the glass as she looks to Rose, “oh I will figure it out I mean if I can deal with a bunch of soilders, then I can surely deal with the jedi……..thank heavens I am not a force sensitive… I could not see myself running around with a glowing stick, and what not.”

 

Kassie eyes the male in Jedi apparel for a bare moment, eyes trailing him to the booth while she eats, and peels her ears for half-listening into the conversation in progress. Given that she’s demolished the savoriest parts she puts down her silverware again, and dabs at the corners of her mouth with a napkin before rejoining, “Well, not outside of a Zeltros rave, anyway….”

 

Visha’obaiw’vlecezz chuckled softly at both Katherine’s comment and Kassie’s joke, sipping his drink idly as he looked towards the counter for a moment, quietly shaking his head as he smiled to himself.

 

Rose Colton smiles as she’s praised then nods. “Yes, that’s the spirit. You’ll figure it out.” A small shrug is made. “I like having them around and close by. They give off a sense of security and peace, plus some of them are very easy on the eyes and with the robes being what they are it’s always fun to try and guess what lies beneath.”

 

Kassie almost did a spit-take of her precious whiskey from Rose’s reply, and when the glass is safely down again she indulges in a belly laugh.

 

Visha’obaiw’vlecezz couldn’t help but go just a little slack-jawed at Rose’s comment, his eyes widening slightly as he took another hopefully-distracting drink-sip and try to regain composure. He seemed more surprised than embarassed.

 

Katherine Foxtrotter laughs lightly as she looks to rose, “oh and sometimes you are surprised once you find out what is beneath those robes.” gives a wink, “though I will say……jedi….I always see strange things around them…….like…..arks of light when they do their voodoo……it really sort of gives me a head ache.”

 

Rose Colton hum all thoughtfully. “I always picture lingerie.” But before she can continue with that thought her shoulders shrug again. “All I know about them is what I’ve seen so far and what old holo’s show them as being. Although I am pretty sure none of them can fly”

 

Kassie had recovered enough from the effervescent hilarity that she could push the rest of the food away, her untouched salad as part of it. Content to listen for a moment, passively; apparently enjoying the end of her whiskey. “Well, they can if they can afford a ticket to fly, Rose. And I say, you’re named well. You are a flower. And everything was top notch.”

 

Katherine Foxtrotter grins looking over at Visha seeing the reaction as she yells over to him,’ naked Breasts, tits, nipples! strippers and sex!” laughed lightly as she would look to rose, “umm…let me get whatever your special is today.”

 

Visha’obaiw’vlecezz rolled his eyes as he let out a barely-audible, faintly-amused sigh in Katherine’s direction, his gaze soon glancing down at the city below, watching various ships and hovering speeders whiz by.

 

Rose Colton smiles earnestly at Kassie. “Thank you darlin’.” Hearing the yelling she glances back to the target then to Kat and pouts. “Aww, no need for that. Their introverted nature about such things is kind of cute.” Her head bobs in a nod and she taps an order into the terminal. “Special is the Spicy Pharple Sandwich.” The usual noises of Godzilla like hissing and trashing is heard in the kitchen.

 

Katherine Foxtrotter smile,s “I could not resist and thank you..” sighs lightly as she hollars over to the jedi initiate, “sorry I was being mean!”

 

Visha’obaiw’vlecezz spoke up a bit louder as he craned his neck over to attempt to look in Kath’s direction, though he’d trail back down into a quiet voice. “Oh, it’s fine! I suppose.”

 

Kassie gave Rose dual rows of pearly whites before she looks down at the jacket folded across her lap and seems to be lost in her deciding whether she has time for one more. Under her breath, she mutters, “kriff it.” And reaches into her jacket pocket for a cigarra, before lighting up she asks, “I think I saw the band smoking, that alright?”

 

Rose Colton nods over to Kassie. “Perfectly fine darlin’. So, are you finally full?”

 

Visha’obaiw’vlecezz took a few minutes to quietly finish his drink before he rose up from his seat to return his glass to the counter. “You three enjoy your evening, yes?” He’d say politely before he’d begin to walk out into the courtyard.

 

Kassie shakes her head, shaking curly bi-colored hair as she does so, and shoves the glass over for it’s third filling, “One more, and then maybe I’ll be up for my next flight.” Looking to the doc again, she inquires, being friendly, “I know a few doctors, where did you train?”

 

Katherine Foxtrotter nods, “take care young man, hope to see you around.” smiles as she looks ot Kassie, “Rhinnal State Medical Academy..”

 

Kassie waves goodbye to the blue-skinned man.

 

Rose Colton waves to the Blue Man Jedi. “See you, come back soon.” She then refills Kassie’s drink.

Crimson Rancor

 

Kassie shrugs at the Doc’s response and shakes her head, admitting, “I’m afraid I’m unfamiliar. Do you think that prepared you for the ahhhh… special challenges of your present job?” Looking to Rose, she takes her turn to wink at the renewed amber elixir.

 

Katherine Foxtrotter nods, “I think it helped but honestly nothing really prepares you for the universe more than actually going out into it. of course after graduation i joined the military and that was an experience….”

 

Rose Colton looks to the kitchen as the droid emerges with Kat’s food. “I couldn’t cope with the military. Too much travel. I stayed on Corellia all my life until deciding to come here and it will be a long time before I board a flying coffin to travel again.”

 

Kassie lights up and sips at her drink, before sliding it and herself down to the adjacent stool and spot at the bar when the patron between them has had enough of being talked around, or vacated the premises for other reasons. She comments, “I woulda thought they used their… magic whatever. But… I guess magic, sometimes, like culinary magic is somewhat messier and more hands on.”

 

Katherine Foxtrotter nods, as she looks at her sandwich and takes a bite carefully chewing it before setting it down, “I learned things in the military that I could not learn anywhere else.. I also saw things that i wish I could forget. ” shivers lightly as she looks to Kassie, and nods,

 

Pregnant Stranger gives a bit of a hum at the group as she aproached the counter, the pregnant lady slowly making her way over twoards it, turning herself a bit she carefully slid herself back by the seat on the other side of the two ladies at the counte,r looking to Rose, she offered a weak smile, her hands resting atop her belly as she said ‘Excuse me ma’am, may i have some water?”

 

Kassie seems to take great pains to ensure her smoke doesn’t blow the doc’s way, neither when she exhales nor ashes it out in the convenient tray. She doesn’t harp on the perhaps darker parts of doctoring, but finds that in her pause, a pregnant woman has appeared beyond the doc. WIth a look of resignation she stares at the cigarra longingly before she stubs it out. Grey eyes turn to her glass and she turns her longing to it, quietly telling the whiskey, “I guess I’ll have to make do with you, old friend.”

 

Rose Colton sets out a filled glass of water as well as a bottle with more in front of the pregnant lady. “Here y’are.” She then looks back to Kat and Kassie. “I couldn’t imagine what it’s like to be in battle or in a place where one is happening. I’d find the nearest rock and crawl under it.”

 

Kassie pipes up, “I’m with Rose. I like the idea of not having to go about armed with aught but wits and credits.”

 

Pregnant Stranger gives a very small nod of her head, telling the woman “Thank you.” with a bit of a frown at the mention of fighting, she said in a soft tone “I have been around fighting a few times, i don’t know, it is kind of a rush.” she offered, leaning back a slight bit on her stool, taking a big gulp of the water.

 

Katherine Foxtrotter nods as she takes another bite of her sandwich not seeming to be bothered by the smoke as she looks to the pregnant woman smiling softly, “are you sure all you want is water dear? I will be happy to get you something more” nods to rose, “being in battle changes you…….sometimes for the better sometines for the worst.”

 

Kassie leaned over to peer more fully at the one who was preggers and plainly showed in raised eyebrows how surprised she was to hear such a thing. This before she sets down the glass which has only a gulp left and begins peeling her gloves back on again. Standing, she shrugs into her jacket, eyes far away and words bottled for the introspective moment.

 

Rose Colton smirks. “Granted my knowledge of battle is limited to the holonews which we all know is heavily censored and to romance novels taking place in such conditions. You know the capable strong willed Jedi woman scoops up the vulnerable scared civilian that was accidentally left behind. They flee to some hidden location.. passion ensues.”

 

Pregnant Stranger gives a small shake of her head, saying “Ah, well i don’t know, i have never had a pretty lady buying me drinks before.” she gives a soft giggle, then she said “Well, it remains to be seen for me, i suppose.” she shook her head lightly, then she said “I don’t know ma’am, i guess you can pick, but i am pretty hungry, and broke.. os.. .yeah…” she offered a bit of a frown, taking another drink of the water at this. then she comented “It is a long story on how i was involved, but well, i guess it was pretty brutal.”

 

Katherine Foxtrotter looks to Rose, “rose would you please give this young lady anything she wants off of the menu, and put it on my tab…..No alcohol of course. ” smiles softly turns and looks at the woman, “when was the last time you have eaten dear?” takes out her medical scanner and begins to go over her right there at the bar

 

Rose Colton takes a menu from under the counter and sets it in front of preggers. “As the lady said, order whatever you want.”

 

Kassie reaches into the pouch she wears on her hips and produces a handful of credits which she leans over to leave in a pile on Rose’s side of the bar. “Yesterday was payday. I’ll chip into feeding the baby onboard, and here…” She fished out a few more adding them and said, “For the Sandy Tunes and your trouble. Fine establishment, unlooked for good company. Thank you.” The barkeep got a little bow and then she turned and inclined her head to the white-clad doctor, straightening her attire up and fretting with her hair vainly.

 

Rose Colton scoops up the credits with a smile. “Thank you kindly, darlin’. Come back next time you’re on planet.”

 

Pregnant Stranger gives a bit of a frown at the woman at her mention, she said “Please.. you don’t have to…” for a brief moment, but she gently ubbed her belly once, then offered “Ah, well i guess uhm, whatevers good i guess.” she looked at the menue for a moment, giving a bit of a “mm…” from her lips, offering “How about som Cheesy Tuber Strips for now, and a…” she strugled to pronounce it for a moment “Nab-oh? Pharple Sandwich.” she offered, giving a weak frown to the woman, offering “Ah, well about eight hours, since i got off the ship i have not eaten, so not to long, but you know, i’m fat…” she offered, giving a weak giggle at this.

 

Kassie gave Rose a prurient waggle of the brows as if to tell her she could be certain of that, before she started off, nodding to the pregnant woman in parting. The Toydarian at the door gets fingerblasters as she makes her way out, lighting up a new cigarra almost as soon as she makes the doors.

Dathomir Reconnaissance

EXT- Landing platform; Khayal, Byss

Clana’thaly’nuruodo turns around as Kassie arrived at the platform, where a shuttle was already being prepared for take-off: “Ah, Kassie…good that you arrived in time. I realize this is a short-notice mission. But something of utmost importance came up and as it turns out you will accompany me on what will be your first field-mission. Are you ready?”

 

Kassie smiled, though it was hidden behind her mask, though she shortly remembered to nod as well, and when she was jogging up the last few steps she said, a little breathlessly from her haste, “I am so ready. Not that I don’t enjoy Khayal, please don’t get me wrong.”

 

Clana’thaly’nuruodo returned the smile, as well hidden behind her mask and turned for the shuttle ramp, immediately starting to brief Kassie about the mission: “I have met an interesting informant, we will travel to Dathomir, which you are aware of, is a warzone currently. We can’t risk to lose any more time however. I will explain it to you during the flight.”

 

Kassie lifted her arms to show her blaster and storage pouches as if to demonstrate her readiness for the warzone that way, only responding as she followed along, into the shuttle, “Yes ma’am. Is this adequate armament? Or…?”

 

Clana’thaly’nuruodo nodded quickly, taking them to the confines of the room where they’d sit out the flight, explaining as she settled herself: “You’ll be fine! Now, listen. What I learned will have huge consequences, if we can prove it to be right. It appears that the One Sith have gained access to an ancient type of technology. What exactly the nature of this technology is, we don’t know yet. But, if it turns out to be true we must prevent the One Sith from controlling this device.”

 

Kassie nodded gravely once likewise situated, and considered the mission ahead, then hazarded a guess about how, pulling her mask away to reveal the way the ideas lit up in her eyes. “Are we… are we meant to steal it, or oh… blow it up?!” It was better to not think about the dangerous people who they were going against, the Firrerreo was pretty sure she was no match for any One Sith sorcerer or whatnot.

 

Clana’thaly’nuruodo says “I won’t lie to you…this mission is not without risks. But I can assure you, if the One Sith go through with it, it will be a huge threat to the Empire. We won’t blow up anything, nor can we merely take it away. But we need to gather as much evidence of its true nature – whatever it is – as we can.”

 

Kassie seemed to take the moment to get her wild flights of fancy back in line, and admitted, “That makes more sense. Intelligence gathering. Fact-finding. I can do that too. We don’t have to swipe anything. And frankly, I don’t know how to blow anything up, but I know a guy…. Though I’m sure your guy is better.”

 

Screenwipe to their entrance into the Sith Military base on Dathomir.

They pass a Rancor standing guard, as well as hungry-eyed Nightbrothers, though the Raven seems to have connections enough to all access codes they might need on their way. They head in with no delay, walking through the labyrinthine path to this one large central structure, different from the rustic yurts and tents of the rest of the camp, more similar to the walls and canons that surround the enclosure, yet also not. Once inside…

 

Clana’thaly’nuruodo looks around, studying the architecture. Then she sends her probe off to take pictures of the place. Addressing Kassie she says: “What do you think?”

 

Kassie’s hands seem to be endlessly tangled with each other, as she alternately clutches them together and pops finger joints, face turned up to look at the topmost parts of the structure. She comes very close to the boss lady so as to keep her voice quiet, “Anyone who sits in a chair like that has minions.” She shrugs in punctuation, otherwise, she has very little insight.

Kassie adds, “Maybe that’s his likeness behind the um…. throne?”

 

Clana’thaly’nuruodo didn’t seem to react at first, instead continued to study the surrounding: “Maybe you should focus on the less obvious first. What do you think of this architecture?”

 

Kassie had heard that before, about her appreciation for the obvious and the surface. So she goes on soft feet and looks at a wall that seems like its just a wall and peers at it, at the floor between her feet, and lightly knocks at either with her knuckles. “I… don’t know boss, the lighting scheme is erratic? Maybe they’re not just… lights? I’m rubbish at metallurgy, if that’s what we’re talking.”

 

Clana’thaly’nuruodo says “You are right…I can’t quite say what it is. But this doesn’t belong here. Clearly it is nothing the Nightsisters would have built…this is….older….much older.”

 

Kassie turns around and looks at her boss, head slightly tilted, belying her rampage of ensuing questions. But she speaks again, haltingly, “Well, given their… religious tendencies… they’ve probably gotten… you know… help from more industrial… um zealous types.” Clearly the Firrerro firmly attributes all of the Force business to theology and theocracy.

 

Clana’thaly’nuruodo as the probe droid returned the masked Chiss turned on her heels, gesturing her associate to follow her: “I think we have everything we came for now. There is not much we can do at the moment. I need Curwen to study this material for me.”

Kassie swipes a gloved hand over her mask’s absence of a nose as if that’ll alleviate the itch she feels underneath. This while she takes one last look at the space, to see if she somehow missed something obvious, or less obvious. But apparently finding no reason to linger, she falls in behind the woman in black, and offers her usual sort of flippancy as they walk out, the insight gained from the life she’s lead, “I heard once that those Nightbrothers are tremendous in the sack…”

 

Clana’thaly’nuruodo raised an eyebrow, her Basic seemed fine most of the time, but she clearly lacked the capacity to understand what this reference indicated, instead she moved towards the exit as she absentmindedly replied: “You are probably right.”

 

Kassie mistook what she could see of the Chiss’ expression as something else and clarified, defensively, “Well I haven’t slept with one of them, yet. Nor a proper Zabrak. Not that I keep score… I mean more than anyone else does.” She does cut the chatter though, on the way out, as it defeats the purpose of taking care to tread so lightly.

 

Clana’thaly’nuruodo eyes the Acolyte, with a confused expression: “hm?” she simply asked, apparently not aware of the awkwardness of the conversation at this point. “What are you talking about?”

 

Kassie covers her mask’s mouth area with a hand as if it’ll stop the words that already came out. Thankfully her mortified expression is hidden, and though the mask has no mouth, her muffled reluctant voice comes through, hand dropping away, explaining, “I’m sorry. I realize its inappropriate. I don’t keep a ‘how many species have I rutted with’ list. But, some people do.”

 

Clana’thaly’nuruodo left it in the vague whether she understood now or not and instead pointed to the exit: “We should return to Byss quickly. It’s better no one notices we took these pictures down there.”

 

Kassie took that to mean stop fooling around and get your game face on, so she cleared her throat, squared up her shoulders and gave the Chiss a messy salute, as she’d come to do so often. The Firrerreo even jogs to said exit to get the door, and makes a show of bowing and gesturing to insist the boss lady go first after that, as there’s no time for them to get lost with herself leading the way.

 

On the way back out the gate, Clana’thaly’nuruodo says “don’t provoke the Rancor”

 

Kassie shadows her boss out of the village and then when they make the gates, quickens her steps into a scurry toward their ride out of the place without so much as a second look at the Rancor, which she’d prefer to imagine wasn’t there. “Provoke? Me? Never!”

 

Clana’thaly’nuruodo opened the hatch of the shuttle and gestured Kassie inside: “We’re off…you did well.”

 

Kassie gave the Nightbrother guards at the gate a parting glance before embarking, which she did turning backwards to face the Chiss. To mark the triumphant feeling of having succeeded she raised her gloved fist into the air, joking, “Oh goodie, that means I’m not a Rancor’s toothpick today?”

 

Screenwipe| Back to Byss

Clana’thaly’nuruodo stepped out of the Shuttle and turned to await Kassie at the ramp: “You did very well today. You are dismissed for now. Be prepared at any time though. Try to rest!”

Kassie pulls her mask from her face only to take a big gulp of the hot volcanic air, though it still feels better than being inside the mask, and uses it as a fan, waving it at her face as she disembarks the shuttle, “Thank you, ma’am. And I’ll be sure to eat too. I am starving. You know where to find me… may you be shielded from the wind.” With wave of her hand and a look back she heads off into the darkness of Khayal toward the HQ.

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Allegiance to the Empire II

INT- INQUISITORIUS HQ, Khayal, Byss

Clana’thaly’nuruodo turned around from overseeing the screens and addressed the Acolyte: “Well, I believe you accommodated yourself to your new situation by now? I suggest we begin with your training. First of all, do you know how to handle a blaster?”

Kassie walks back in from her brief tenure outside, and catfoots her way up to the boss. She shakes her hair enough that some of it falls loose, and proclaims, as if it were important,or apropos of what she’d been asked, “I just ate, not even an hour ago, but I’m hungry again. Hope its not a parasite. But…” With a nod, she seems to get a bit more serious, and goes on, “yes, ma’am, I do have some familiarity. I mean I can’t field strip one or anything. ”

Clana’thaly’nuruodo folded her arms, she nodded in approval: “What about rifles? Have you ever used a sniper rifle before?”

Kassie wrinkled her face a bit, and replied, “No ma’am. I’ve only used a rifle once, for game hunting, and that was a long time ago. I had this boss who… well. Its been years.”

Clana’thaly’nuruodo says “I hope you are prepared to learn all this, as it will be part of your training. But, in addition to that, we also need to focus on your other potentials. You knew that you are force-sensitive, right?”

Kassie blinks a few times past hearting that most recent question. Then like she’s been flicked on the nose she shakes her head a little bit, and makes herself ramble actual words, “No, I mean of course I’ll train however you’d like with guns, but I’m not a religious person. What, was that part of that medical exam? Am I alright otherwise? Everything came back… normal?”

Clana’thaly’nuruodo produced a seemingly genuine smile: “Yes, you are at pinnacle health actually. And, there are many approaches to force-sensitivity – in time you will realize. But it is vital that we unlock your full potential, my dear.”

Kassie reaches up a hand to scratch the back of her head, clearly thinking about this for a moment. Her eyes wander up to the Chiss’ face, and she asks, almost meekly, “Does that mean… more tests, or…?”

Clana’thaly’nuruodo says “It means that we will follow a very strict schedule from now on. In addition to that, yes, your conduct will be evaluated – by me, as I will train you personally.”

Kassie cleared her throat and squared her shoulders, to at least put on a good show, despite any personal misgivings about this information. Though some of that comes through anyway, in the way her mind works, clearly, when she responds, “I’m dreadful at mornings, but I’m sure I can cope. And um… thank you for taking a… I guess… personal interest.” Unnerving as all of this has been, the Firrerreo’s at least comfortable enough to have kept blathering on.

Clana’thaly’nuruodo raised an eyebrow to the statement about being dreadful at mornings, but decided to ignore it: “I want you to join me for the Empire Meeting in about an hour. I want you to familiarize with the people you are going to work with.”

Kassie looks over both her shoulders and steps a pace closer to the Chiss, to be able to speak in a voice just above a whisper, “Are- are you sure? I mean… those peop–” Her fright over those very people clearly made her quite anxious, even if she stopped short of saying anything further.

Clana’thaly’nuruodo moved closer to her, placing a gloved hand on her shoulder, applying a firm grip for a moment: “Don’t worry”, she said in comforting voice,”You’ll be fine.”

Darth Keres had walked in the door and up the elevator as the other two were speak… she had heard that someone here had an interest in her so well… she just walked in like she owned the place and took a seat at the table putting her feet up coughing a little just to show that she was there “Got anything to drink here?” she said quite loudly looking to the other two standing by at the other end of the room “I guess not” she whispered to herself.

Kassie looks the other woman in the face and musters a small smile, given this fortification from the boss. She explains letting out the nerves in a burst of talk, “I’m sorry. I’m still adjusting to the idea of being part of the– well… thank you ma’am. About that whole force thing… I’m willing to learn that too, but don’t you have to start when you’re a youngling, or someth–” She leaves off in favor of looking to the newcomer and asks her boss with her eyes if she should scurry to get the requested beverage.

Clana’thaly’nuruodo turned to the person that had taken a place at the table, she recognized her features immediately: “Darth Keres, we meet at last. I assume my associate told you about my interest in you?”

Darth Keres shrugged “Short guy with a hat and glasses… cute little thing” she chuckled a little “He said something about having reservations about having me back here… and so did I to be honest… I mean… I was in a better place, but my sisters dragged me back here” she shrugged and stood back up walking towards them “But yes we finally meet at last… you know, into flesh and all that… stuff”

Clana’thaly’nuruodo reached out her arm, offering a handshake to the Dark Lady: “You are a legend within certain circles…but my reason to seek you out has been primarily a personal matter. ” She turns around to Kassie, seemingly considering if the following matter wasn’t fit for her ears, then turned back to the Dark Lady: “I believe you remember a Dark Lady Raven?”

Kassie doesn’t wait, but with her ears perked when the Chiss turned to look at her, before she begins speaking goes to presumptuously fetch the other woman a beverage. Not knowing what she wanted, the Firrerreo comes back shortly thereafter with a bottle of water, which she attempts to unobtrusively deliver making not a peep.

Darth Keres frowned and nodded to the chiss woman “I know her… or knew… as a matter of fact I was an apprentice to… well we had the same master really, she betrayed him, I just let him die off…” she shrugged “I never got the chance to punch her in the face a whole lot for the last time we worked together to be honest” she smirked “Then again it was just… so long ago I had just forgotten” she looked to Kassie bringing her water and she reached out to grab it snatching it out of her hand looking at it from every angle with a bit of a disgusted look on her face “Look, when someone asks for a drink, chances are they want something that will knock them out after a few… I’m not five years old anymore” she rolled her eyes and sighed… she wasn’t exactly known for being nice or trying to… ‘obnoxious self entitled bitch’ had been used to describe her on more than one occasion she snarled out before tossing the bottle back to her

Clana’thaly’nuruodo folded her arms behind her back starting to slowly walk in front of Keres: “Apparently she is my mother. I would kindly ask you to stay around for a bit and tell me – everything – you know about her.”

Kassie had enough information about these Sith people, enough to, after staring wide-eyed while being dressed down, thereafter take the bottle and tamely depart to stand behind the Grand Inquisitor again. Though her flesh pales in color, she manages to get an impassive look on her face, and ears perked, stare at the the rejected water bottle in hand.

Darth Keres just looked on and smirked “Your mother was the punchable sort… really annoying…” she shrugged “Still I guess there was enough about her to hold on to some power… she did manage to get her master out of her way, I can respect that” she sighed again “Id call her a traitor but I think she had… something in mind… being the one that helped foil whatever that was well, I guess you would think I knew more, and you wouldnt be wrong… chiss… wait… she had a thing for blue people? wouldnt have known”

Clana’thaly’nuruodo says “Oh, I don’t believe she actually consented into having me. I believe my father is behind it. He was Apprentice to a Darth Vitia, as I have learned.””

Darth Keres frowned and nodded “Good I mean… having all that blue on top of you all over her and getti…..” she shuddered a little and tried to shake it off “I mean uhh… right… I just couldnt imagine… her having a child… right thats it… I um… what did you want to know exactly?”

Kassie listens with interest, though she feigns otherwise, standing by, and after a brief while opens the water and drinks it down herself. Whatever her opinions were she kept them to herself, tucked behind the professional smile she wore again.

Clana’thaly’nuruodo looked at one of the screens where a red light had popped up: “I’m afraid our chat will have to be postponed. The Empire meeting is starting and I need to attend. Feel free to stay here. I will get back to you.” She gestures to Kassie: “Follow me please.”

Kassie gives the Chiss a haphazard salute, and before falling in behind her, remarks to the redhead, sweetly, “Beg your pardon. Next time I’ll find you something stronger.”

Darth Keres looked up to the screen with a sigh “Right… boot licking time… enjoy it” she walked over to the table and took a seat again “Maybe I’ll be here, maybe I wont… ”

Clana’thaly’nuruodo nodded: “Fair enough!”