Of Spoiled Girls And Former Assassins (Tal)

[Poludnica]

Ambient

By the Maker, she was surrounded by idiots;well-manicured azure fingernail reached up and massaged the tender spot between her brows. Before the burgeoning stress-headache could develop further, the woman stood up and headed for the doors, leaving the baffled guests alone. It was just one of these days when everything would set her off. A word, a careless gesture, a wrong expression. She could already feel her temples throbbing with dull pain.

The sky was calm today, only few traces of unruly clouds moving overhead. Danica took a deep, refreshing breath. The Sah'c Town was not her favorite place. Too many memories of awkward, harrowing and long dinners with Cassius. Too many painful arguments and bitter tears spilled over meaningless matters. The young woman shook her head, trying to disperse the intrusive thoughts. It didn't matter, not anymore. It was time to do something for herself today.

Salei Corner, read the signage off above her, halfway nestled beneath the leafy foliage of an artificial plant. It was a small, shady bar in the middle of the Factory District. A place Danica had visited before,if only to enrage Devon. In a snowy white, short cocktail dress and exquisite hair dress the woman certainly stood out but she didn't care. Already tipsy from those few expensive drinks, the girl walked toward the bar. She could feel glances glued to her through the entire time, not many of them flattering. An oddity in this bar for sure; the rich and glamorous rarely visited such places if any. Not that she complained, Danica enjoyed attention. Every time and everywhere, not matter if it was good or bad, damaging or useful.

The crowded interior reeked of sweat and alcohol. The amalgamation of many races mingled here, something the woman was not used to. It thrilled her, this taste of a forbidden fruit. She wondered what would it be like...WHAM!! Kchtttttt...A groaning noise turned everyone's attention toward the dimly lit corner. Someone was abusing the battered jugebox which immediately got Danica's attention. The woman giggled like a little girl and moved closer to see the spectacle. Something like this just didn't happen where she was from.

Verdant eyes gleamed with expectation when few others joined what looked like a beginning of a bar brawl. You could sense primal tension gathering in the air. The woman poked her nose farther in front of the crowd, oblivious to any threats that might come from this. Curiosity, was indeed a sin – as her beloved father used to say.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

It had been the least expected thing she could possibly do, going to the core worlds...let alone Coruscant. She would, hopefully, be expected to remain as far away from places where her odds of being sighted or captured would be highest...after all, that was the most intelligent thing for her to do according to their training. So, it stood to reason that she should do the exact opposite and head directly for places where she would be least expected. There was risk either way, but by being as unexpected as possible, she could (hopefully) remain a free woman...and despite the risk factor on Coruscant, there were infinate possibilities as far as escape routes and hiding places. It seemed like a rather logical choice to her.

It didn't hurt that there were also a plethora of jobs available on the planet, either...

Truth be told, she missed the company of Axle, and Victor was constantly on her mind, not to mention her hope that Whiskey was also alright and keeping as far away from the GM compound as possible. Life without a companion was rather lonely and silent, neither of which did she enjoy (she had discovered), but it couldn't be helped. All she could do was keep moving and keep an eye/ear open for any sign that the proverbial noose was closing around her neck. She'd done well in obtaining a new ident-card for herself and allowing her hair to grow out a bit, the already unruly curls becoming more so and giving her an almost wild sort of beauty.

Tango, now Irreal Drallen, was now a fully functioning Mercenary and Bounty Hunter with a habit of only taking jobs that required her to keep people alive, rather than killing them. At least, that was the idea...she didn't have delusions that, on occassion, killing people couldn't be helped. Still, it was this reluctance to kill that had her inquiring after a particularly interesting job for a lawyer, of all people. It seemed that the man wanted someone to scare the sense into someone of importance so they didn't go poking around the seedier parts of whatever planet the target was on.

Well, it certainly seemed simple enough: find rich girl, chase rich girl, catch rich girl, scare rich girl, return rich girl to designated drop off point, receive second half of payment. Maybe it wasn't the most rewarding job ever, but perhaps it would lead to other, more lucrative, opportunities...or at least an aquaintence with some clout and connections to help cover her tracks should her siblings come knocking. She had learned well during their training how useful the right connections could be...not that she remembered half of them now...or that she could use them without being caught...but the idea was the same.

It was that job that had her frequenting a certain bar in the Factory District at that particular moment, in fact...

Tango had started to become a regular at the establishment, spacing out her visits over the duration of a few weeks to make it look like a natural progression. As she did, she'd inquire about local jobs or rumors, or just sit and mind her own business...listening and watching. It was amazing what one could hear just by pretending to mind your own business, and she knew that (eventually) her mark would come. After all, she'd been assured by the employer that this was where she tended to haunt when she slunk around the shadows. Really, Tango couldn't possibly figure out why the woman would want to come here...it was dirty and smelled of some of the worst odors a living being could produce...and alcohol.

Nestled against one of the walls and 'minding her own business' once again, the woman passively watched the crowd as it moved, gaining and losing members all the time, but none fitting the profile she'd been given...until about two hours into her stay. A seemingly snow-clad figure stepped into the bar with an air of privilege and strutting as if she wanted all the lecherous looks she was receiving. Well, from what she'd learned about the woman (both outright and through inference) she likely did enjoy the looks. Without a word 'Irreal' got up from her seat and made her way to the machine in the corner, knowing full well that it wasn't about to work properly for her...or was it?

Picking a song at random, she swayed slightly on her feet as she narrowed her eyes at the machine, leaning forward enough to give the man sitting right behind her a good view (and easy access) to her rump. Growling a bit at the machine, she gave it a good, hard, hit with the palm of her hand, the motion making her body sway and tempting the half-drunken man behind her further. The machine gave a slight groan and she smacked it again...this time her motion earning a nice grab from her unwitting pawn. Standing straight, she whirled around, pretended as if she was attempting not to stagger in the process, and began cursing at the man in Corellian before taking a wild swing at him.

The action was flawlessly flawed and the hit went wide, allowing the burly epicanthix to get to his full, towering, height and take a return swing. Obviously, she ducked...but that wasn't the good news...the good news was that her target was falling for it hook, line and sinker. As a crowd began to gather, another wild swing from her drunken pawn went wide and clocked a twi'lek who'd gotten a bit too close, allowing the full diversion to start. Glass shattered somewhere behind her, a table flipped over off to the side and she was long forgotten in the throng as it slowly grew into an angry mob of drunks. Her target seemed quite entertained, and not at all concerned about the real danger of the situation....and that wasn't counting Tango herself.

Finally, after what felt like a very long obstacle course, Tango managed to slip up behind her target and catch hold of her wrist in a vice grip, twisting the adjoining arm back behind the woman and leaning in close to her ear. "You do what I say without a fuss and you'll live...now walk."

...And with that Tango would start to (at least try) and steer the woman toward the door to the place.

[Poludnica]

In the middle of this beastly racket was a human woman of an average height and built. From what Danica could gather she was the cause of it all. Aside from these two traits, however, nothing else was average about her. Storm of curly, auburn hair and softly sculpted features were certainly attractive, even if the woman couldn't highlight them with a flattering make up. Danica felt a pang of jealousy gnawing at her but the feeling quickly faded, replaced by the excitement and curiosity as she watched the scene to unfold before her.

When the large alien joined the show, trying to return the favor and punch the human girl who looked ridiculously undersized next to his burly form. Danica couldn't be sure what earned the Epicanthix' ire but his clumsy blow landed on an innocent Twi'lek standing near by. ”Iiiii....” The high born human let out a sound of excitement and awe when the red skinned alien fall down on one of the tables. Sound of shattering glass filled the air mixed with shouts coming from the crowd of spectators ; one by one people joined the brawl. Like some kind of plague, violence spread among the patrons soon swallowing the entire bar.

”It's a brawl!” Danica said breathlessly, earning an odd look from a Wroonian who was arming himself with two glassy tulips. A thought occurred to her that it would be better to leave the bar, quickly. Even through haze of drank alcohol she had some shreds of self-preservation instincts.

The girl ducked behind a counter, where she found a yelling Rhodian bartender who tried to pushed her away. ”Don't touch me you filthy beast!” The woman shrieked like a furious banshee. Couple of glasses whizzed over their heads causing rain of sharp shards to fall down, forcing another cry out of the black-haired woman.

Ignoring verbal whips from the bartender Danica darted toward the doors, trying not to fall over her stilettos. Finally hours of brutal training regime in classical dances paid off, allowing the woman to swiftly dash and swirl her way toward the inviting rush of fresh air. Until someone didn't grab her wrist, twisting the imprisoned hand behind Danica's back.

”Ah!” The young woman yelled out; surprise and anger ringing in it. ”What the...LET me go RIGHT now!You...you...” She demanded but it only made the grip on her arm to grow stronger. The voice belonged to a woman, cold and calculating. Danica shuddered while her green eyes widened in horror. This is bad... Feeling rush of adrenaline pumping in the rabbit heart, she made one last attempt to get free from the vicious grasp and tried to stomp on her attacker's foot with one of the stilettos.

((Go ahead and drag her outside :3))

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

The shouting of the woman in her grip did little to disturb Tango from her own actions...besides, it wasn't as if anyone was paying attention to them with the bar in an uproar. As the former assassin kept moving her charge toward the door, she could feel the muscles in the other woman tense...it seemed as if she was getting some hair-brained idea about struggling. Biting back a sigh, Tango found herself rolling her eyes in growing frustration, the RELIC chip doing absolutely nothing to hold back the emotion.

That, of course, only frustrated her further.

It didn't, however, keep her from recognizing the tell tale signs of movement...or lack thereof. As Danica readied herself to stomp on her captors boot, she had to pause and resist the forward motion from the woman holding her arm captive. It gave Tango all the information she needed to go on the defense. The slight shift of weight in her captive had the lavender-eyed woman shifting her foot away to brace and twist her body away from any injury the offending heel could bring even before it came. The shoe, instead of launching backward (like she was expecting), slammed down toward the floor. It landed hard enough on the tile floor that it sounded as if the thin heel cracked a bit.

Whatever she heard certainly wasn't the tile cracking...

"Are you done now?"

The question was a rhetorical one, made particularly obvious by the rough handling of the woman she held in her grip and forced out the door. No quarter was given as Tango, getting quite fed with the woman's antics already, 'guided' the obtuse woman into the adjoining walkway toward the dark parking structure. Inside, she had a rented speeder parked in one of the darkest corners...but she wasn't going to wait to get there before further restraining her mark. No sooner were they in the shadows of the lot than Tango, rather forcefully, shoved Danica face-first into one of the supports and pinned her there. The jangling of binders would be heard a moment later and just seconds before one half of them was snapped securely (if a bit tightly) around the wrist she held, the other half going around the secondary wrist.

"You're lucky that my employer wants you alive, because personally...I don't like snobby rich girls who go trying to skewer my feet with their heels." Of course, Tango really had no opinion on the matter of rich girls, or snobs...though it was true she wasn't exactly happy about the woman having tried to stomp on her foot. She certainly didn't have enough of an opinion to want the woman in her grip dead, but...her employer had made it quite clear that he wanted this snow-queen frightened.

"He didn't, however, specify that I couldn't rough you up a bit."

That was the proper phrasing for such a threat, correct? She certainly hoped so. From what she could remember of her last assassination it was the proper sort of terminology.

"So it might be wise of you to mind your manners while you're in my care...if you want to keep your pretty face pretty, anyway..." There, that should be sufficient. Though, maybe she could add just a bit more to the lie...the question was...what would be a particularly good addative? What did most people find particularly repulsive?

That question was easily answered...

"Though, considering the Hutt you're going to, you might prefer to have your face a bit damaged...he might like you less."

A cold, hollow, laugh echoed from Tango's throat as she pulled the woman away from the support and jostled her around to face the direction of the speeder before pushing her forward again...one hand always tightly on the girl's arm....just in case.

[Poludnica]

What little satisfaction she could derive from hurting the woman with her heel was not to be. Danica felt her shoe hitting the hard floor. There was crack and the black haired girl lost any balance. If not for the strong grip, she would certainly fall over. The stiletto broke, the heel was now loosely hanging on a piece of leather strap. ”Ah!” Danica cried out in pain and surprise, feeling joints in her arm protesting under forceful grasp. This certainly stopped the woman from any more physical struggle but did little to silence her. She was far from done in that regard.

”Let me go you b*tch! Do you know who I am? You will not get away with this!” String of cruses, empty threats and shouts continued while Danica was dragged toward what looked like a multistory parking lot. Not that she noticed it, too busy with angry tantrums that were cut short once the attacker unceremoniously slammed her into a support column. Danica gasped, feeling dust and gravel getting into her mouth; the strength of this blow knocked air from her lungs in a loud whiz.

Instead of another insult and protest, a small whimper echoed in the empty garage space. Something closed on her wrists, biding them together tightly. ”Ow!' She could sense throbbing in the throat from all the screaming. The sound of cold voice vibrating close to her ear made Danica realize in how desperate situation she was. ”What employer? Who...” This was not happening....This was not happening... Such things were a plot for holovids or something to occur in filthy places like Nar Shaddaa but here? In the Galaxy Capital? To her? It had to be a nightmare.

As the anger washed away and panic began to creep on her, Danica's body started to tremble like a thin leaf on windy day. ”It won't be necessary.” She said breathlessly, scared to the core of her being. It made her wonder if it was better to be dead or horribly scarred. When the woman mentioned the Hutt Danica felt her knees bending.

”What....No...nonono. It's the damn center of the Republic.” Something was not right here. As her analytical mind worked feverishly to make sense of the whole situation's absurdity, body protested with being manhandled, instinctively tensing up. ”Listen, I have money, I can pay you more. My father...Ah!” Danica twisted her neck to see the other woman's face but cold sweat and dust from the pillar was getting into her eyes. ”Please.” There was no demand in the girl's voice anymore but simple, pathetic pleading.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

The emotionally stunted woman actually managed an honestly amused chuckle as the woman asked if she knew who she was. Of course Tango knew who she was…she wasn’t going to just go and capture anyone, after all, but she ignored the question in favor of getting them out of the bar and into the parking structure. The questions and words that followed there were far more interesting to her anyway…

Not once had Tango considered that her words would elicit such a reaction so easily! If she’d known it would be this easy, she would have taken the job far sooner, instead of debating it so thoroughly before hand. Were most ‘normal’ people this skittish? No, not likely…at least that’s what her training and limited memory told her, as well as this growing internal guidance that she could only associate with the term ‘gut instinct.’

”Hmph…did you think Coruscant didn’t have its dark secrets as well? You’re a fool as well as a snob,” she countered, really beginning to get a feel for the part she was playing as if it was second nat—well, she supposed it was second nature to her. ”What did you think would happen if you left the protection of your castle walls for the real world? Did you really believe there wouldn’t be people out there who would want you, the figurehead of a well off corporation, to disappear? Do you really think there aren’t people around who hold grudges or want you out of the way or to teach you a lesson? And if you think I’m stupid enough to double-cross a Hutt, you should think again.”

Reaching for her belt, she’d unlock the speeder, which replied to the clicker with a soft chirp as the alarm turned off.

”Your money means nothing to me at this point…only the contract with my employer.”

She’d keep hold of Danica even as she reached for the door and opened it. On the seat was a dark cloth bag (more for ‘flair’ than actual use…after all, by now it really was pointless to use it), which she reached for and easily slid over Danica’s head, her other hand moving to grip the hair at the base of her head near the scalp to keep her from running or struggling. Using her body to pin the other woman against the speeder, she would let go and use the drawstring in the back to tighten the sack around Danica’s head.

[Poludnica]

A sharp intake of breath ended any further pleadings when Danica heard the woman speak. At first she was scared, scared that it was the end of her but then, one single word made the girl to gasp in shock. Figurehead... No one called her that, no one aside from few people that had enough power to do so. Everywhere she was treated like a true CEO, because she was one...legally but the fact that this was just a show put on to keep PR demands satisfied was another thing not many were privy to.

The thought was brief but managed to flare up so much anger, it swallowed any fear Danica felt before. ”Oh I know, just the person...” The black haired girl hissed. Whoever had hired the attacker knew where she would be, knew the true nature of her position. The question stood whether Devon finally decided to get rid of the problem forever. He would lose stockholders, would lose everything she was entitled too. ”There is no Hutt!” Danica screamed and began to struggle again, only to be quickly pacified. The bindings were already bruising her skin, causing stinging pain in the wounded wrist; fight only made it worse but Danica was not a person to give up easily. She wouldn't survive as Cassius' daughter if that was the case.

The speeder let out a faint click but the young woman was too busy trying to bite her attacker's fingers . ”He will not get away w...AHHH!!! My hair!” Danica yelled out partially from pain but mostly – anger. No one touched her hair without permission. It earned the other woman another heel aimed at her foot. ”Bit...” The cuss was cut short when darkness closed on the girl's eyes. Smell of moldy cotton filed Danica's nostrils, causing a wave of nausea. Devon..had to be Devon...I don't want to die... A cry of protest escaped her when she was pressed against the speeder.

Another attempt to free herself or at least trying to be an uncooperative menace resulted in only more punishment but it didn't stop her from forcing her body backward, trying to push the assailant off her or at least get some space to breathe. Pain from pulled hair effectively stopped any struggle but only when she waited for the grip to loosen.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

So the woman thought she knew who was behind all of this, did she? Well, Tango couldn’t say one way or the other if she was correct, but to act so certain was foolish. As she dealt with the woman, Tango had to negotiate her footing to avoid yet another poor attempt to stomp on her foot.

”Did that work the first time? No. Why would you assume it would work the second? And for that matter, what makes you believe that you know anything about who hired me, hmm? Are you really so delusional as to think that only people you know would possibly see you as nothing more than a figurehead?”

Yet another attempt to get the former assassin to ease up was met with staunch resistance. Tango, for as light as she appeared (and was), was practically all muscle…and well honed muscle at that. The shove from this softer woman (who wasn’t at all dressed properly to put up a good attempt at resistance) hit the female version of a bendable brick wall. Bracing herself a bit, she allowed the shove to happen, using her grip on the woman’s head to press forward with one hand (roughly pressing Danica’s covered head into the top of the speeder) and used the other hand to push the woman’s body sideways away from her at the end. Given the fact that Danica didn’t have the use of her hands to steady herself, and was in heels, it didn’t surprise her as the woman staggered a bit.

”I am attempting to be patient with you, but you are pressing your luck. Money or no, my employer does not know what I look like, so I doubt he could track me down if I killed you.”

Those words, unlike the others, were laced with a tone of seriousness like the edge of a very sharp blade laced with poison.

Pulling back on the bag around the woman’s head, and the binders around her wrists, Tango decided to stop handling the woman with kid gloves. Controlling the woman’s walk through a combination of strength and practiced finesse, the liberated MoD brought her struggling charge around behind the speeder to the opened trunk. Lifting the hatch further with the hand that had previously been holding the binders, she all but tossed the other woman inside and slammed the trunk closed without so much as a word.

There wasn’t a single thing in the trunk of the speeder other than the thin carpeting that lined it…Tango had been sure to take everything out, and cover everything else as much as possible. There would be no escaping for this woman…not that the lavender eyed woman believed Danica knew how to pick a set of binders while they were behind her anyway. Even so, that meticulous attention to detail was what set the MoD assassins apart from others around the galaxy.

From her position in the trunk, Danica would be able to feel the speeder start up and pull out into the city.

Tango didn’t take a direct route to the meeting location with her employer, instead taking a meandering route there before stopping in a lot across the street and out of sight (but with an easy view) to their destination in order to clip on her voice scrambler and make the call to the employer. Fitting the earpiece into her ear so that the call was heard only by herself, she entered the com code into the ‘business’ com she had procured for herself with the pay from her last job.

”Yes, Mr. Lucas?” she inquired, once her employer answered. She had already instructed the man that she would be addressing him by a pseudonym…and what it would be. ”I have completed your task. How long will it take you to arrive at our meeting point?” The voice scrambler distorted her voice well, only leaving enough hints of her tone to indicate that she was a woman as she watched the constant movement of people and speeders around the buildings across from them.

[Poludnica]

”I know for certain who does!” Danica snapped back in before her head was roughly pushed against the metallic surface. The girl cried out, feeling pain exploding in her forehead. The feeling of vertigo overwhelmed her and for a moment she lost balance hitting against the hood with the bone of her hip.

Another wave of panic hit her like a hammer at the coldness of the attacker's words. Of course Danica couldn't know for sure who was behind this for sure and now doubts began shake her again, causing physical tremble. What if that wasn't Devon? Cassius had enemies, enemies who wouldn't wait for him to die in his coma. What if someone really paid for her to be shipped as a Hutt slave? The sheer idea caused nauseate of fear to wreck her frame.

There was no more strength left in the girl's body to fight back. Slowly Danica began to give up, letting the other woman to drag her into unknown. She slowly lost any orientation to where the speeder was. Soft clanking noise told the girl something was about to change and she braced herself for anymore manhandling but it didn't do much good.

Strong push made her to lose footing and Danica landed head down into what she believed was trunk. No seat in any speeder would be this hard and smelly...Loud cry of protest left her lips once the trunk's doors closed. Suddenly she felt there was no air to breathe once panic crushed her chest. Noise of violent gasps filled the trunk. Danica tried to kick around a bit, though it caused only more pain. Resigned and helpless the fiery woman finally surrendered, weeping quietly.

Up in his penthouse suit, Devon made himself a quiet drink. His thoughts slowly wrapped around the proposal. It was tempting to have this chance and bring Cassius back. No one like him could lead the group and since his accident Danica grew more and more bald. Someone had to bring everything under control again and as usually it would be him. Always cleaning up Cassius' mess.

High-pitched, vibrating sound cut the air and the fair haired man pulled out his comm device. ”Yes?” He responded, lilting of Coruscanti accent could be audible in the man's closely controlled voice.

”Bring her to the Sah'c District. I will send you the address.” His facial features didn't change one bit, if you didn't count slight relaxation in muscles around his chiseled jaw. Carefully, he put in an address for a private landing zone for high ranking Livco CEO's. Finally the little harlot would get a lesson and for once she may even be taught something important. If it was up to him, Danica would be out of the business right after Cassius' semi-death, unfortunately not always you could get what you wanted – a lesson for another time possibly.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

jebus....fixed the bold that I didn't know wasn't there that was supposed to be >_<

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“Bring her to the Sah’c District. I will send you the address.”

”Unacceptable, Mr. Lucas. We had an agreement, right down to the meeting point. If you cannot uphold your half of the bargain than that is a breach of contract and I can let the girl go right now and tell her everything.” Even with the voice scrambler the tone would be clear enough through those words…Tango was quite serious. ”Do not play games with me, Mr. Lucas. It is the agreed upon meeting point or none. If you are not here within the hour, I shall consider our contract null and release the girl. Considering the places you tend to frequent, an hour should be sufficient enough for you to arrive.”

With that, she cut the connection. One simply didn’t trifle with a Green Meadows assassin…especially when they did their homework.

Tango had, as previously stated, done her homework. She was already picky with her jobs, but that was the easy part…the difficult part was finding an acceptable employer. By acceptable, it meant the person must have enough information on them for her to know more about them than they would know about her. Habits, photos, information on what places they liked to frequent, people they were associated with…and considering this man was a high-end lawyer there was no shortage of information to be found on him through the holonet and local sources. It made her fairly confident that, if necessary, she could deal with the man…or, at least, keep him from bringing the authorities (or worse, GM and her siblings) down on her head.

At the very least, she could offer her services to the woman in the back to get even with the man. Hell, just bringing the whole thing to the public eye would cause such a scandal as to permanently tarnish the ‘good’ lawyer’s reputation and severely damage his business. After all, no one wants to work with a lawyer with a reputation for getting their clients abducted when they needed a lesson taught to them…especially not the upper class clients she was certain he worked with.

With the ultimatum given and only an hour to be had before the man arrived, she set to work. Colored contacts were added to her eyes (giving them a natural brown color), cream make up was applied to give what was visible of her skin a golden hue, a quick straightening of her hair was done and a swift apply dye was added to her hair to give it the final touch of looking two-toned…now, as she looked in the mirror that she’d produced from its hiding place under the back seat, for all intents and purposes, she was a Firrerreo.

Taking what was left of the evidence of her transformation, she went to the near by trash bin and dumped it inside. Moving back toward the speeder, she pulled her hair up and into a tight bun, the hairdo helping mask any imperfections in her swiftly done straightening and coloring. It was passable to the untrained (and unexpecting) eye, certainly, but she hadn’t had time or means to do it perfectly. For an assassin like herself, perfection was the only acceptable result, so when it wasn’t perfect…she had to make absolutely certain the imperfections wouldn’t be noticed.

Heading around to the trunk, she unlocked it and opened it just a bit as she crouched down, making certain she would be able to shut the trunk swiftly enough to stop any attempts to lash out. ”You had better hope that my employer doesn’t show himself in the next twenty minutes, or breaks our contract in some other way. If either one happens, I let you go free and give you the opportunity to cause a scandal for him so big that he won’t be able to make a decent credit on this planet, or most other ‘respectable’ planets, ever again.” Honestly, part of her wished Danica would do that anyway…this employer was less and less appealing to her every time she spoke to him.

Peering around the edge of the speeder, she kept an eye out for her employer to arrive at the posh hotel that was to be their original meeting point…neutral ground, so to speak. Coming back, she looked at the woman half a moment before speaking once more. ”Honestly, I’d suggest doing so anyway.” With that, she’d shut the trunk again, and continue keeping a lookout for the employer’s arrival.

[Poludnica]

Nestled under his arm, the plainly wrapped package rested, waiting for a time when Devon would need its contents. He left the guards farther away so his contact wouldn't feel threatened. It pained him to hire such low lives and scumbags, but for many years Danica was dragged back by the Livco guards and it hadn't made any difference. They were not scary enough, they were too nice. Foolish goose needed much more painful lesson. Hopefully it would do and with no consequences as there would be no proof. The girl had worked on her reputation very hard and very successfully. In his file so many law breaking stunts were gathered Danica couldn't lift a finger to hurt him.

It made the lawyer unhappy to do bidding of such scamp, but it wouldn't be reasonable to just walk away even if Cassius' daughter was powerless to cause any scandal for him. She had too many of her own to worry about him. It did bother him a bit, this blatant threat coming from the brute. A bit – there were more important matters than this. Like finally showing Danica her place. This girl could have so good, safe life. Married to some senator or Republic Army high ranking officer – of course of a proper mindset. And yet the silly mare chose to spend her time with aliens and rotters. It left Devon baffled.

Finally he reached the destination and the first thing the lawyer did was to adjust his suit. It was after all a business meeting even if with someone so beneath his contempt. At the beginning of his career it was not a rare occurrence; he had enough time to built himself defenses against rude, uneducated fellows. After all a man of higher standing should always show class. ”The things I have to suffer for this ungrateful harlot... Devon sighed heavily.

It seemed like forever. Harrowing eternity filled with pain and stench of a speeder's trunk. After initial struggle, kicking and yelling Danica fell flat on her back, whimpering like a kicked kitten. She was too tired to even make out sounds coming from the busy street. The woman only perched her head up when a rush of fresh air couple with a noise of the trunk being opened. The girl inhaled sharply hearing the words. Her tired, fear numbed mind had problem at first making the sense out of it but after few heartbeats everything clicked together. She was more and more sure now who had planned this little scheme though the only thing that her attacker would get was a stubborn silence.

Especially last words put the seal of confirmation on Danica's suspicions. That little, yellow headed rat. Slowly, cold fury replaced the initial dread. ”I will do more than that.” The girl hissed, her voice muffled by the bag. It was for now an empty threat but the woman was vindictive. Despite her father's claims, Cassius and she had more in common than Danica wanted to admit. In time, someone, somewhere would help her to make him pay.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Sorry if it seems a little rushed, but I wanted to get them up to the meeting in one go rather than prolong it. xD

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Waiting in the speeder, she watched the traffic pass by through a small set of binocs, filtering through those entering and exiting the building to find the man she was looking for. It took a while, but sure enough…there he was, ascending the steps with some sort of package under his arm and one or two men for security purposes. Well, that was at least expected. She wasn’t planning on getting into a fight here anyway…it certainly wouldn’t serve a purpose other than making things worse for herself. Turning the speeder on once again, she let the lot they had been parked in and out into traffic. It took only a few moments to enter the proper parking structure for the building they were to be meeting in, and only a few more to find an appropriate parking space.

Sighing to herself, she got out of the speeder and wrapped that old canvass serape around her, Victor’s MAP holstered and hidden at her back under the layers of cloth. She didn’t even bother to count the various other, much smaller (and more typical), weapons hidden around her person. Shutting the door and locking the speeder, she headed around the back of the speeder and opened the trunk. Reaching inside, she would pull the woman up and out, slamming the trunk shut once more as she turned the woman about so she faced away from her. Untying the bottom of the black bag, she slipped a hand up and gripped Danica’s hair close to the scalp, pulling the bag off with her free hand and tucking it into her belt easily.

Pulling her away from where Tango had her pinned forward against the trunk, she kept that grip on her hair and used her other hand to keep hold of the woman’s forearm. Guiding her toward a door that led directly into the hotel from the lot, the Firrerreo-looking woman only waited long enough for the doors to slide open before letting go of her hair and pushing Danica through the opening, then turning her around the first corner toward the lift. It took some finesse to get to the lifts without any questions, mainly because it took finesse to guide the woman through the least populated areas. Any attempts to call attention to them, or struggle were met with the sharp jab of a small throwing knife against the woman’s back or other measures of discrete force. Eventually, however, they reached one of the many lifts and Danica was forced inside, Tango closing the doors before anyone else could enter.

From there it took considerably less time to get to the meeting room, the halls of the hotel itself fairly empty of people. So, once they reached the correct door, Tango let go of Danica with one hand and knocked three times…then another three…then two more…and waited for the door to open.

[Poludnica]

She tried to detach herself from the experience, try not to feel but the longer Danica forced her feelings down, the worse they got. The woman's body was trembling; she lost any orientation, sometimes not even being able to discern what meant 'up' and 'down'. The bag made breathing difficult and after long minutes in it, the girl felt dizzy and nauseous. When it was taken off, a sudden rush of fresh air in the lungs almost blinded her. Danica gasped, greedily swallowing every breath. She tried to move her head but every attempt was effectively blocked.

Instead the woman focused on the district she had been brought into. Danica had no idea where she was and what. Even the very possible scenario, the scenario where the sleazy lawyer had orchestrated all this didn't give her any consolation or a sense of safety. What if he really wanted to sell her off to some off-world slaver? A move not below that scum, for sure.

For now, the black-haired woman obeyed the silent force that directed her step. The pressure of something sharp was unmistakable and Danica clenched her teeth, learning fast what any odd behaviors would cost her. Without any word, too tired to fight back, the girl let herself to be led into a filthy hotel that reeked worse than that speeder's trunk. Her body tensed at the sight when the doors opened and lips formed into one, venomous.

”You...”

The knocks echoed at around the forty-five minute mark. Devon reached beneath his suit to fish into a small pocket. Producing a long, thick cigar, the man placed it between his lips and lit it with a silvery , square object. Inhaling deeply, the lawyer closed ghostly pale eyes for but a second to revel in the comforting smoke filling his lungs. The acrid scent of the place pinned it as a giant ashtray anyway, so the residual smoke would raise no alarms. Flicking the ashes from his cigar on a hideous, already burned carpet, muscles in his face twitched in a wicked grin; it was somewhat liberating to see the princess b*tch in such state.

”Ah, Dany. You look well.” For a brief moment, the man enjoyed the image of messed hair, ruined make up and torn tights. Only then his attention moved to the...alien. Devon's mind immediately placed the woman in between human and Firrerreo but none of them pure. His mind's construction didn't allow this to be taken for a ruse – the man's strong need for putting labeled already to small imperfections in the disguise and marked it as some heinous crossbreed. A flicker of disgust wrinkled Devon's nose.

”Good job.” He just stated. Fair eyebrow went up in a small hint of surprise.

For now Danica was silent, as rage choked every word she wanted to say. Don't do anything, don't let him know he won... The girl's lips tightened to two, thin lines but on an oval face a crimson glow began to burn.

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

Sorry it's taken so long Pol, i've had half a post done for you for a week now, but only just got it finished =/

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“Ah, Dany. You look well.”

Her heart beat a thousand miles a second as she brought the woman into the room. Would her guise hold? Would they see through it? Would they question her if they did? Would she have to kill them all just to keep them silent if they did? For one frightful moment the woman felt extremely sick, wanting nothing more than to bolt from the scene, but every fiber of her being told her to stand strong…and she did.

As the man looked over to her, she saw not discovery, but what she could only assume was disgust.

Now that was an interesting reaction which she hadn’t planned on. Perhaps the man had something against Firrerreo? Ah well, at least he didn’t seem aware of the ruse and that was just fine with her. Of all things that Tango didn’t want, it was for her disguise to be discovered.

“Good job.”

She snorted slightly. Of course it was a good job…the very fact that he seemed surprised by it meant that he was sadly (well, actually it was good for her in this respect) unaware of her true skill. Something in her, however, rose up…a little voice saying that, perhaps, she should teach this man the true extent of her skill just to prove to him that she could…even if the lesson was taught with his own life. The thought process was uncomfortable to say the least…frightening may have been more accurate to the woman’s feelings, but she did a surprisingly good job of hiding it. Pulling out a data pad, she spoke as she turned it on.

”Of course it was a good job. We made a contract and I delivered….just as I expect to be paid the second half of my fee.” She held up the data pad so that he could see it more clearly. ”I shall watch for the transfer from here, if you don’t mind. Just to be sure there are no…difficulties…in receiving the funds.”

[Poludnica]

Why these aliens are so smug? She had the easiest job - scaring a spoiled brat. That didn't even deserve half the hefty price the Firrerreo thing wanted. Regardless, not wanting to be around such creature from low levels of society any longer than necessary, Devon scooped out the datapad and transferred all the sum from his private account. It was under a fake name though, an account he often used when made deals for...the other part of Livco. The less culture loving part.

His eyes trailed off to Danica who stood as if sculpted from stone. Not even the slightest expression aside from detached frown marred her features. Though eyes contained all the hate and this was something the girl couldn't contain.

I will kill you for this...

They seemed to say but Devon just smiled like a spoiled feline. She had no power to get rid off Broca, yet alone someone higher up. Silly, silly girl. ”Don't look so sour Dany, it is all in your best interest. We can't have you snatched from some sleazy bar by alien slavers or worse.” He said, grinning widely. ”Treat it as a new life lesson. Your father would be shaken if something happened to his little girl.” He added which finally elcited a reaction from Danica.

”F*ck you. My father is dead as you will be.” The woman drawled, not paying any mind to the bounty hunter. After all she was just a tool Devon used and a similar to what tool Danica might use next. ”I hate you, you pathetic pr*ck” The distraught woman closed eyes to trap tears that swelled there.

Devon shook his head. ”Such filthy mouth on a pretty lady, shame on you.” He sighed and move his gaze to the lowly henchman...woman....something. ”You are dismissed. I have no use for you anymore.” The man said and waved his hand. As if on cue, the two guards placed themselves outside the doors to make sure Danica wouldn't try anything stupid.