Chillin with some twi'lek bussiness.

[Dean]

The sound of silicone dispersing into the hull of her ship made the action all the more sweet. Before leaving for Korriban she would make a stop at Nar Shaddaa, she couldn’t exactly reason why but it seemed like an obvious thing to do after being held back of all the fun that can be had for all those long years. Maybe she romanticized the fun that could be had, she didn’t know. She would go and find out though.

She planned to go out of republic space and venture into Hutt space for the fun that she would have. She didn’t feel threatened by the possibility of getting in trouble. She knew she would get in trouble. She also knew that she had a pretty good argument dangling from her belt.

She silicone smell was from her beacon. Well you couldn’t say that it was a beacon anymore. It was now a heap of scrap metal. She had used the force to crush the ‘’life’’ out of it. It had just been like training the force ability she had learned from that dark jedi’s holocron. She thought him a pretender but in death he had yet been a little bit useful.

She planned the course for Nar Shaddaa and punched the button that would send her in to hyperspace. She went into meditation as soon as the stars became long lights that were only visible because of the speed at which light still travels.

After a decent journey she arrived in the planets vicinity and soon got permission to touch down in a spaceport. She used the money she had left to pay the abnormal fee that the Hutts charged for just passage. The good thing was that it was an anonymous fee so no one had to ever know she had been here.

She made a point of leaving the spaceport as soon as possible and quickly ventured into the moon wide city that was Nar Shaddaa. Unlike Corusant crime ran rampant in this part of the galaxy and even with her sensing skills she could feel at least three sentient beings lose their life in the first hour of her journey. She didn’t care anymore. Even three months ago she would have ran and halted the people who had done this in an insane act to help the weak survive the strong. This foolish notion had ended when she had ventured into the depths of the dark jedi’s holocron.

She bumped in to a Rodian bounty hunter. At least she thought he was a bounty hunter since Rodians didn’t venture for from home otherwise. The beast turned around and demanded an apology but only a glare silenced him. She didn’t even pay more attention to him than that.

She saw neon lights from a bar of some sorts and decided that it was time for a drink.
She entered the venue and saw that it was quite your stereotypical bar. The bartender looked happy enough because he had some costumers and the personnel quite grumpy because they got paid to little.

Ara sat down at one of the tables in the center of the room and waved at a barkeep to bring her come Correlian Ale.

’’All is well, just relax and treat it like a vacation’’

That was her only thought.

[0bserver]

Nar Shaddaa was not a pleasant place to live or spent time, for most people. Oh, no, why would it? If a certain bar on Tatooine was a wretched hive of scum and villainy, this planet was capital of all things dark and shady. No laws, except those imposed by the hutts, no police, no nothing. Nowhere was safe, and you can never be sure when the trouble comes - from around the corner, or knocking at your door. Or, at times, bashing it open.

Nika detested this place, quite frankly. After having to live around here for several years, due to her self-imposed exile back at the days, the least she wanted was to stick around here for longer than she was required to. And sadly, she had to come back to this place quite often - because Nar Shaddaa was not only the capital of scum and villainy, but also capital of bounty-hunters, assassins, smugglers and mercs. And she was part of all four. This was the place she had most of her income from.

And right now the twi'lek was chilling in a shady bar, enjoying a drink. A small task for the Hutt earned her enough money to allow a little special something to enjoy. Whatever was in her glass had a toxic, greenish color, and tasted somewhat weird. Nika had odd tastes, you could give her that.

Her appearance helped her blend with the rest of the patrons of this place - if back on Ryloth everyone would gaze at her for having a blaster strapped to her hip, around here nobody would give a flying bantha - here, EVERYBODY was carrying a blaster. It was like a passport around here - without it, you're prey, a easy one too. Like a rabbit thrown into a cage with the lions. Nika knew this, so she carried two. And armor. So that nobody would be having a bright idea of causing her trouble.

But the twi'lek wasn't around here for a weird drink. No, she was looking for somebody. Her neverending journey lead her from one planet to another, without any particular goal or direction, aside from earning money to maintain herself and the ship, as well as sending some to her family back on Naboo. And her spaceship had a room for an extra person, so the girl was hoping to find a passenger, who needed fast, safe and discreet transportation. For a price, of course. Alas, so far, no fish.

Suddenly, a door opened, and a few heads turned to see who it was, before returning to their drinks. But Nika's eyes remained on the stranger. A woman, and an obvious outworlder. Why obvious? Well... she was too clean to be a local. Those who live here have this weird ... greenish tint to their skin, or, at least, it was what she was seeing. The twi'lek's eyes scanned the figure once more as the woman made it to the table. Something was odd about her appearance... What, no blaster? But she spotted something else dangling on her belt. Ooooh... Could it be my lucky passenger? - she thought with enthusiasm, and quickly finishing her own drink, in one gulp, and brushing against her mouth with a sleeve, Nika went straight for the woman.

- Hey there! - she waved friendlily, and unceremoniously sat at the woman's table, pulling herself a chair. She let her trademark grin say that she wasn't about to cause trouble. -Name's Nika by the way. Sorry for the intrusion, but you don't look like you're from around here. Would you be any chance looking for transportation? If so, look no further, I can give you a ride faster and cheaper than anybody else on this planet would... - her talkative ramble was interrupted by the waiter bringing the stranger her Correlian ale. It was a young human, obviously new on the job because he blushed a bit when approaching two women. Nika giggled, and pulled at the side of his shirt when he was about to leave.

- Oi, and bring be some of that weird green stuff while you're at it, sweetie. - she winked to the boy, making his cheeks tint with red. Letting go, the twi'lek turned back to the woman. - So... interested?

[Dean]

While she was waiting for her drink she took her first look around the bar and noticed that most beings were just minding their own business. Most of them weren’t interesting anyways. Being strapped with weapons seemed norm rather than exception in this place. That was good, the strong should struggle to keep their power at the height of the food chain.

She noticed a Twi’lek girl looking at her as her eyes moved over her. It was a pretty one alright, but then again, all Twi’lek girls appeared to have that attribute. It was about the only species next to humans that she could stand to talk with. As if they had made some connection she could feel that the girl had stood up and came over to her. Maybe she carried around the misconception that Ara was a weak one that could be used.

She could feel something else too. It wasn’t trained in the girl so it was raw. There was a fire burning inside her that was different from the others here. It was raw and fed with emotions. She was a force sensitive that had never honed her skill. Which was interesting because then she might not know that she possessed it. Ara was not one to give other people more power than necessary so she wouldn’t tell her.

The girl sat down and shot a smile at her. Ara considered for a moment her options. Strike her down or smile back. ‘’What the hell, I’m on vacation’’. She chose to smile back. She would talk to the girl and maybe have a little fun as long as she was on this planet anyways.

The girl started with stating her name, Nika didn’t seem very twi’lekish. On the other hand you would be mad to give out your full name on this smugglers moon. Smart girl. Then she started with an offer of giving her transport to wherever she wanted to go. Ara wasn’t interested in that but she was interested in the girl. She couldn’t have emitted a pleasant aura for the people that weren’t attuned to the force but those who were, even unknowingly, would be expected to keep some distance.

The waiter came back with her drink and the girl pulled his shirt and asked for another drink. Ara looked up at him and concentrated hard, her nearly non existing powers in telepathy could prove usefull since the boy was charmed by Nika. She probed his mind to plant the seed of suggestion.

’’Maybe you could give it on the house?’’

The man nodded and walked away.

’’ I am Ara, nice to meet you’’

She leaned back against her chair and smiled at the girl.

’’I have my own ship, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make money’’

[0bserver]

Awh, so she did not need any transportation. Sad. Oh well, so much for that idea. Why does everybody happen to have their own space-ships these days? There were a lot more people willing to get the hell out of Nar Shaddaa a few years ago. There go my extra credits for flying somewhere... - Nika thought to herself with a sigh.

Well, at least the Jedi lady was friendly about it. Usually her proposal, if the person in question was not interested, often ended up in cussing for interrupting their ... whatever they were doing at the moment. So instead of standing up and leaving, to look for another customer, the Twi'lek stayed where she was. The waiter approached to bring her a drink anyway.

- Thanks Bob. How much for it again? - Nika asked, already reaching for her wallet, but the man stopped her with a jest of his hand.

- No pay necessary, miss. It is on the house. - he said with a somewhat blank smile on his face, before going away. The twi'lek blinked a few times, not certain if it was what she heard, before shrugging, and turning back to the female. Her name was funny. Ara, right? Ara - Nara. Heh, sounds like one of my friend's, only without the N. - Nika remarked. She gazed at the green ooze in her glass, before drinking a bit. The taste was ... odd, to say the least.

- Nice guy, huh? - she chuckled, nodding towards the waiter, who was already serving some beverage to another client. - I wonder what do they put in this drink, however... No. Wait, never mind. I don't think I want to know. - Nika said, joking a bit. But really, it is safer for your gut not to know what your favorite grub is made of. There were some ... incidents. The twi'lek's gaze then drifted to the woman again. Yeah, she definitely wasn't wrong the first time she made her guess. This ... Ara, was definitely a Force-user. The sword on her belt attested to that. Plus, there was some ... odd feeling about her. Nika got that one each time she had to give a ride to a random Jedi or dark Jedi, or whatever. And there were a few, believe it or not.

- Fancy sight seeing a Jedi in these parts. They rarely come over to dark places of the Galaxy. And when they do, it's usually heard from a mile away. What's it about if I may ask? Cutting down bad guys or something? - Nika asked, drinking a bit more of her ooze-like beverage, and exhaling. Yep, it was alcoholic, and it was starting to get to her a bit, pinkish color on her green skin.

- And what did you say about money over there? Because I'm all ears. Can never have too many credits.

[Dean]

The waiter brought the new drink for the girl and said she didn’t have to pay. Ara smiled grimly as her force trick had paid off. She had never been good at tricks like that one. Her skills in that area of the force were pathetic at most. On the other hand, the tricks seemed to work if you had the advantage of suggesting something that person already wanted. This one had been a little suggestion and an easy one at that. Her talents lay in other directions anyways.

Nika didn’t seem to notice it really, she commented on how nice the bus boy was. Ara had to hold back an eyeroll that she would have given any other time. But now it was time for live entertainment. People attuned to the force could be very ‘’lucky’’ so in gambling they could earn big money. The problem was that when people saw your lightsaber you were pretty much banned from every casino in the galaxy.

The girl called her a jedi. Did she actually know something of the force in her? No. The girl explained that her lightsaber was a dead giveaway. So much to learn this girl. Naïve maybe? Or was this one of those people that thought jedi never died. Ara didn’t plan on dying anytime soon but that was beside the point now.

’’Never go on first appearances Nika, they kill. I’m not a jedi.’’

She was the first one to officially know this. Ara noted that fact with a grim smile, surely the temple would know that her beacon had disappeared by now. She wondered if that would ever have repercussions.

’’I meant conning people, you seem like a very good gambler.’’

[0bserver]

If the Jedi lady expected some sort of mouth agape and a gasp of horror from the twi'lek, she would have another thing coming. Not even an eyebrow arched on the girl's face, a faint shrug in acknowledgment of the fact. So it wasn't a "good" Jedi, but a "bad Jedi". Didn't change a lot of things really. To a simple bystander, who is not very versed in history of all those religious groups, the difference was faint. And completely irrelevant.

- Alright, are you a Siff then? Eh, I'll just call you Ari, ok? - Nika asked, gulping a bit more of her beverage. She wasn't too resistant to hazy pleasant state it induced, she was no Zeltron, after all. Though envying them much. Having two livers beat having two stomachs by a mile. Twi'leks were given with the latter. But as much as she wanted to mull this thought over, the Jedi lady's proposal was far more interesting to think about.

- Conning people out of their money? Hmm... - Nika reiterated what Ara said, toning her voice down and looking around. Every bar, big or small, had some sort of a table where people played their silly games, usually Pazaak. Theirs was in the far corner, not particularly crowded. The idea seemed alluring to her hazy brain, but spikes of caution still managed getting through.

- Hmm... I've never exactly tried conning anyone. I play a bit of Pazaak though. - the twi'lek looked over at the participants, sitting at the table. A Trando, and a human. Another two humans were standing close and watching. Humans. Why there are so many of them? Must have spread like rabbits or something... - an interesting thought came to her mind. But returning to the players, they looked pretty scummy.

- Well, I have a bit of money to waste, and I doubt I would feel bad about these guys losing, so... You have a particular plan in mind? - a somewhat greedy smile appeared on the twi'lek's face. They say never to gamble with a Jedi... But what if the Jedi tells you to gamble?

[Dean]

She studied the woman’s face and saw no visible reaction to her announcement that she wasn’t a jedi. Maybe she was used to dealing with dark siders, or maybe she just didn’t care. Ara liked the confidence that came of the girls actions. Not judging people could be a dangerous business but maybe the force had served her well in the past to do the judging for her. Another example of the ‘’luck’’ that beings could have when attuned to the force.

She pronounced the word Sith in a strange way, that indicated that she didn’t have dealings with them in the past. Neutral or working for the republic. Also the implications didn’t escape Ara. She deduced that there were actual sith roaming around the galaxy. In the last four months she had only left the dark jedi’s holocron to eat and sleep. She had learned much from it but alas her knowledge of events got short circuited. Maybe she would find sith on her destination but she wouldn’t know until she eventually reached Korriban.

She followed the woman’s vision towards the pazaak table in the corner of the bar. That would be a good place to start gambling. With pazaak she couldn’t actually cheat the table, but she could instruct the girl what to do without giving away anything. A smile formed on her lips and she started to speak.

’’ I am not talking about actually conning people. You just strike me as a lucky girl. Lets go to that table and do what your heart tells you to do.’’

[0bserver]

She's totally manipulating me into losing some money...

A somewhat hazy thought went through the twi'lek's brain. But with the green ooze doing what it was supposed to, she didn't mind doing it. After all, she wasn't going to bet EVERYTHING, and the majority of her credits she precautiously left at the ship. Plus ... gambling was always fun! The thrill, and being actually afraid to lose something, sharp emotions turbulating through the process, win or lose.

- Arright, lets do it! - the exclaimed somewhat cheerfully, standing up, her stance a bit shaky, and put her glass away. She wasn't drinking THAT until she was out of the club, with, or without her money. Even tipsy as she were, she did not lose her common sense just yet. Winking to the dark Jedi lady, she then dwelt over to the far table, where men were indulging in their little game. Leaning over on one, her appearance immediately attracted attention of all players.

- Hiya boys. Who's last in this line? - she inquired, and one of the humans pointed at himself sheepishly. This was the indication she needed. Booze making her a bit more bold and playful that usual. Approaching closer, she bumped her hips against his a bit, one of her lekku's touching his cheek softly.

- Oh, such a handsome young man. Would he mind letting a lady play a tad bit instead? - she asked, moving uncomfortably close to the guy. He blushed, trying to back away, and nodded nervously, a sheepish grin on his face.

- Why... yes, yes of course... Go right ahead miss...

- Good boy. - Nika chuckled, and kissed him on the cheek, before moving towards the table. The human who played, apparently, lost to the trandoshan, judging by the angry look on his face and his grumbling as he left. Something about ... "filthy cheating lizard", oh but who cares! Nika took his place, leaning a bit on the table, and took her pazaak deck out of her pocket. Winking playfully to the lizardman, she said:

- So, wanna play, Scalie?

[Dean]

Nika rose to her feet and stumbled a bit. In response Ara grabbed her glass and smelled it, it seemed to be rather heavy for a little girl like that, but who was she to bestow judgment on other peoples drinks? She smiled as she looked at the twi’lek walking over to the table and slowly rose too ready to follow her.

She saw the girl work her way to the front of the row. She flirted some with the human standing in line and got access to the table. She did it quite experienced, she must have done it more often. Although even Ara had felt in the force that she wasn’t completely trusted it was fun to see that the girl still did what she said. Although that could be the drinks talking.

She stood behind the rope that separated the gamblers from the onlookers and crossed her arms in front of her. Nika sat down and pulled her deck from her pocket. This would be fun to see. She could use the force, that was quite the advantage in a gambling game. As long as she did what her heart told her to do. Well it wouldn’t really be her heart telling her, it would be the force. But nonetheless it should be fun.

She taunted the lizard for another game. The night like species looked like an experienced player, but you never knew how people could surprise you.
’’just go with the moment girl’’

[0bserver]

The Trandoshan was definitely having a good day today. First making a human leave with empty pockets, and now this. A pretty twi'lek wishing to try her luck? Well... he would certainly oblige. His nose felt the smell of alcohol coming from her. Ah, so she was drunk also. Maybe, if he played his cards right, he could go home with a bit more than just extra credits in his pocket. But for that, a bit of foreplay was in order...

- Sssshhaaaartainly misshhh.... - he tried to sound polite, despite the broken speech pattern his kind had whenever trying to speak anything aside their barbaric notion of language. Nika only winked back, and tapped her fingers at the table. Looking over to her own deck, and then to his. Tilting her head and smiling a bit.

- So ... how big the stakes would be, deary?

- Letshhhh ssshtart ssshmall. Hundred creditssshhh would do. - the lizard hissed, and tossed a few credits unto the table. Nika did the same, and each began shuffling their respective decks. The twi'lek looked rather confident in herself, but then again, so was the opponent. I think I'll let her win a few times, before putting on bigger bets... - the lizard honed a cunning plan, in order to achieve success. The girl looked like a newbie, it wouldn't be too hard... Though he didn't quite like the way her 'friend' was eyeing him.

The game finally began, and the twi'lek had a relatively nice draw. One +-1 card, one +-2 card, one -5 and one +3. She grinned to the lizard, and said: - Awh, shame we didn't wager more. I am totally gonna mop the floor with ya. The Trandoshan only smiled back, revealing his sharp teeth, and said:

- We sssshall ssshheee...

And luck was indeed on her side this time. First card out of the main deck fell at 9, second was 2, and third was 6. Smiling, the twi'lek put in her +3 card, making it 20, and leaving it at that. The lizard wasn't so lucky. He had a 10 and a 5, and with another card falling at 9 again, he found nothing to cover with - his cards were all plus, something that rarely happened. Shaking his head, the trandoshan grunted.

- Young Twi'lek issssshhh lucky tonight.

- Think that was luck? Alright, let's try that again! - Nika answered eagerly. The lizard grinned again, seeing his devious plan work.

- Oh, letsssshhh...

[Dean]

Ara couldn’t wait until she would get to berate the girl in due time. She was now just gambling on everything. This wasn’t what Ara had implored her to do. The girl would be steered by the force if she listened to what her instincts told her to do. Using the force to win games wasn’t a matter of luck, it was only a matter of knowing when to forfeit and when to bet big.

She looked at the lizard and their eyes met and interlocked for a second. She hold the gaze of his yellow eyes and raised her eyebrow. She didn’t care about the weak predator that seized her up as an enemy. She knew that she could hold her own on any battlefield here on Nar Shaddaa.

She followed the flow of the game and noticed Nika being very lucky actually as the cards unfolded. She smiled as she recognized the Lizards play. She had been in her share of gambling dens, where she wasn’t allowed to gamble ofcourse. She had however gained an insight on the workings of the games played and the people that played them. Being a predator by nature and a villain by environment she knew that he would go for the slow kill. Starting out small and getting dangerous in the long run.

The lizard had actually gotten pretty good hands for his scheme. If he got a decent hand now he would probably bet bigger. Time to see what the twi’lek was made off.

As many games in the Galactic Gambling business, this game was not about owning your own game as much as it was about controlling the players around you. In this one versus one match it was merely a battle of wills.