Overdose (lmr)

[Ash]

Bit could never figure out how many people could like Coruscant. He had spent his time here, but never had he needed to go this far into the undercity. Guess that happened when one was on the run from the law. His ship was hidden, so all he needed to do was burn some time, then make his little way off planet without the fizz all up his exhaust pipe.

Zipping up his dark jacket, shielding himself from the cool air, he strode down the walkway, hands deep in his pockets: his right wrapped around his blaster pistol in case someone tried to pull a fast one on him. Then why would he walk around? Not even he knew why, but he never knew what could happen, and that peaked his excitement, and got his blood flowing.

Veering to the right, Bit walked right into a cantina, and the music was pumping. The pulsating lights and pounding bass was almost overwhelming, and really dug deep into his body, and made him wanna let loose, but he held himself back, heading for the bar. Once there, he ordered a simple rum and cola, then spun his chair around and looked into the crowd of animals in their natural habitat.

Bit felt a tap on his shoulder, but when he looked over, he didn't see anyone but the bartender setting his drink down. Bit paid the credits for it, then took a sip. It was a bit strong for his taste, but still good. In fact, it a rather odd taste, but it could have been the rum. He shrugged, and continue to watch the crowd, wondering how hard it would be to take back one of the women to his ship for a night of entertainment. He smiled slightly, and let his mind wander off.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Ervisa Therani was in the bathroom of a gaudily lit cantina, fumbling with a small bag of spice with shaking hands. She'd just finished a long night 'on the job,' and hadn't even bothered changing out of her cheap attire. She looked exactly like what she was, a prostitute working in the lower city. Her eyes were sunken and had a glaze to them, her hair was loose and tangled, and she was clad in the cheapest-looking clothing available on the market.

Green hands laid out a line of spice with a razor blade, and a straw was used to snort up the red powder. Within seconds the Mirialan was high, soaring in ecstasy that made her forget about all her problems. Even her addiction.

Her hands stopped shaking and she put the rest of the bag into her purse again. Ervisa took a few rapid breaths and her eyelids fluttered. Then she made her way back out into the loud music and flashing lights.

Without a care, the green ex-Jedi started to sway and dance on the floor, unsteady on her high heels. She lost her balance and staggered back, falling onto a man at the bar. She fell to the ground and rose awkwardly to her feet again laughing uncontrollably.

When she regained her footing, she slapped the counter to order a drink.

"Hahaha, sorry. Sorry. Clumsy of me."

[Ash]

Bit had just stuck a cigarette in his mouth and was digging in a pocket for his lighter when someone crashed into him. He caught himself on the counter, pushing himself back into his seating position. He dropped his cigarette on the floor on the otherside of the counter: a waste of money, but at least it wasn't his fault. He just grabbed another one and stuck it in his mouth again.

He was digging for his lighter once again, when a women stepped up right next to him. With a trained eye, he looked her over, and her words confirmed that this was the person who slammed into him just moments ago.

"You're fine, giggles. Everyone has their little falls."

Bit allowed his eyes to track over the woman again, slower this time so he could take in more detail than his first once over. Someone ate at the back of his mind: the way the woman looked and held herself. The woman was probably high out of her mind, but most people would be around here. Bit lit his cig.

"Hey giggles, let me buy you your first round. Th'names Bit, by the way."

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Giggles.

That made Ervisa giggle all the more, though she nodded eagerly when his offer to pay her drink came up. Drinks were good. In fact, drinks were great. Hell, life was great. There wasn't a thing in the galaxy to worry about.

Who cared if she was a fool or a mess? It didn't matter one bit. Not here, not now.

Of course, Ervisa wasn't fully herself. But lately, that was a good thing. Ervisa in her right mind was too depressing, too drab and worn. This was happy Ervisa, carefree Ervisa. It was like having her good old days back, even if it destroyed her when she wasn't under the influence of narcotics.

"Gimme the bigges' an' stronges' drink you got," Ervisa told the bartender with a ridiculous smile.

It only grew larger as the bartender returned with the drink, and the Mirialan woman raised it to her lips and guzzled it. In one long, surprisingly speedy gulp, the glass was drained and set back on the table.

Ervisa hiccuped and laughed again. She turned her head and saw the man again, and giggled harder.

"Sorry, forgot you were there. *hic* Name's Ervisa."

[Ash]

Yup... this woman was definitely high out of her mind, and now that much closer to being just as drunk. Bit dealt with this problem before, and knew how to handle these people, but something about this woman struck. He couldn't place his finger on it. After a few hearbeats, he gave an internal shrug, and drove on.

"Giggles Ervisa; nice name."

Bit sent off a lopsided grin, then slapped down some credits on the table to pay for Erivisa's drink. He himself merely took a sip of his own drink, not like the emerald skinned woman next to him. When the bartender went for it, Bit motioned with his head for him to come closer. He spoke to the bartender in a quiet voice.

"Keep her's coming on me. Keep them how she wants for now, but in a bit leave out the alcohol, and maybe add something in to clear up her head."

Bit leaned away, laughing as if he just heard a joke, then spun around back to the woman.

"You're a hell of a drinker."

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Ervisa hiccuped again at the name giggles, and fell into another giggling fit. It was just so FUNNY. Nothing else had ever seemed as funny as it did now. Plus, the drink was affecting her too now. She felt this giddy happiness welling up inside her and bubbling out.

It was great.

Hell of a drinker. Now there was a true statement. Ervisa was a girl who had, before her big fall from grace, been able to tuck away a full bottle of whiskey, plus a few beers. She was a champion among drinkers, but today the drink was affecting her far more than normal.

"Hellz of a drinker. I ushed ta drink waaaay more dan dis. But for shome reason is affectin' me more todaaaay!"

Ervisa swayed on the bar stool and managed to straighten herself out shortly before falling over. That prompted more giggling, at which point another drink appeared before her and she slammed it back too.

"Giggles. I like it. I liiiike it."

[Ash]

"Another!"

Bit threw his drink down his throat, then slammed the glass on the table. His shout got the bartenders attention, and waited for his drink to get to him. He kept his eye on Everisa next to him. Whatever she was drinking some some serious kick to it. Another drink or two and she looked like she would pass out right where she sat.

Once Bit's drink got to him, he resumed his slow sipping of it: savoring it for a while. Everisa was still giggling away like a little school girl, just as content as could be, and without a care in the world. Bit knew it was a fake happiness, an artificial one, but he couldn't do anything about it.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Ervisa was fading, and fading fast. It wasn't as if she was about to die, but when she woke up... She was going to wish she would. That was for sure.

The Mirialan woman stole Bit's refill and downed it before turning to her own refilled glass, already swaying precariously on her stool. It was a battle to chug down that last drink, but somehow she made it, raising the glass aloft in victory before setting it back down on the counter.

Her swaying grew more and more pronounced, until finally, off-balance, she fell off the back of the stool, her legs intertwined with it. They tumbled down in one mass, and no sooner had Ervisa fallen than she passed out, snoring heavily due to a mix of drugs and alcohol.

It was rather dangerous to be a woman alone in a night club, passed out. There were plenty of perils to be faced in that situation, but Ervisa was blissfully unaware of a single one of those in her deep sleep. She had every intention of resting peacefully until she woke up again, and then she would reevaluate her scenario again.

[Ash]

Bit kept his eye on the older woman next to him as she put down another drink right after she stole his own. He gave a chuckle at that, but didn't order another. Once she put down her most recent drink, she raised her glass in victory, then passed out, falling backwards with her stool.

Bit made an attempt to catch the woman before she hit the floor, but he was too slow, and before he was off his stool. He grimaced as he watched her dead-like body hit the floor, observing everyone else and their mainly comic reactions. He tossed a credit chip to the bartender, picked up Ervisa, and tossed the woman over his shoulder. Carrying her like a sack, he walked right out of the cantina.

Bit's ship was too far away for him to carry the emerald-skinned woman, so he just made back the way he came from originally. He say a hotel not too far back, which would be a good place for him to bring the woman to sleep. He set a quick pace down the road, avoiding any and all contact with the local population. A short time later, he was at the hotel.

Bit set Ervisa against a wall before heading inside the lobby to rent a room for a night. Nearly cost him an arm and a leg, but he got a room. Going back for the woman, he picked her up and brought her to the room. It was almost a challenge getting the door open, but he managed. The first thing Bit did was set the woman on the bed, for her to sleep. Bit threw himself in a chair, pulling his pistol out of his pocket and setting it in his lap. It took him a couple of minutes, but eventually he drifted off into a restless sleep.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Ervisa stirred ever so slightly on the bed on which she had been laid, many hours after passing out. Of course she had no conception of time. In fact, she couldn't remember everything. She'd blacked out somewhere, and there was a big fuzzy gap between taking that line of spice and regaining some semi-conscious form.

A throbbing pain echoed through the Mirialan woman's skull, and she winced and groaned. Tentatively she opened her eyes, and the light in the room seemed agonizingly bright. She tried to make a sound of disgust but noticed her mouth was dry. Ervisa tried to clear it and it took a couple attempts to succeed.

By then she'd become aware of a few simple facts. She was lying on something somewhat soft, and the place was lit. To her adjusting eyes it seemed too bright, but in actuality she supposed it was a normally lit room. She looked up, raising her head and wincing at the fresh pain it brought. Yes, she was in a hotel room.

Hardly unfamiliar.

These scenarios happened. In fact, the one thing that really seemed odd was that the man was asleep in the chair and not in the bed with her. ANd come to think of it, she wasn't even undressed and tucked between the sheets. Her shoes were still on- Although some people liked that.

Hmmm. Maybe this wasn't what it seemed.

The Mirialan sat up and looked around, pulling wayward locks of hair off of her weary face. Her purse was sitting on the nightstand, everything seemed perfectly orderly. Of course it was far from the nicest hotel she'd been in. The real question was what she was doing here. Obviously not plying her trade.

Her eyes flicked back to the man and she noticed a gun. Promptly she reached into her purse and drew her lightsaber from it, keeping her thumb near the button as she held it in a back-handed grip she was most at ease with.

"Who are you, what am I doing here?" Ervisa asked in a tone that revealed she was uncomfortable, if not quite afraid.

[Ash]

Bit was quite glad that he didn't but have a few drinks the night before. His dreams were uncomfortable at best, but not outright horrific. By the time they were over and he was in a state between awake and asleep, he pushed what was going on in his head aside, and was working his way to awareness.

It began with simple sounds: flesh on cloth, and a slight groan. As the man became more aware, he realized he was sitting down, his legs outstretched on... something... a table, that was it! In a final mental tug, Bit made himself fully awake and aware. He opened his eyes, stretching and yawning in a long motion.

He caught motion out of the corner of his eye, and turned to see the woman he brought here last night scramble for her purse, and pulled out a lightsaber. Though it wasn't activated, she held it at what he assumed was a ready position. He just smiled slightly, standing up and tossing his pistol on the table where his feet were once at. When he spoke, his voice was relatively quiet.

"Easy, killer. Figured you wouldn't remember. My name is Bit. You passed out from drugs and a very, very strong drink last night. I brought you here so you can sleep it off."

Bit made his way to the back of the hotel, making a small pot of caf. It didn't take but a minute, and it was ready. He poured two cups, nearly emptying the pot, and set one on the nightstand near Ervisa, attempting to make a not-so-obvious attempt to stay out of a possible striking range. Bit went back to his chair, taking off his jacket, and tossing it on the back of the chair. His hands were darker then his arms, which was odd for many people to have. Bit didn't bother sitting down, but went to the window with his caf, sipping it as he checked out outside.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Ervisa stared at Bit for a long second before returning the lightsaber to her purse. While the sense abilities she'd learned as a Jedi were hectic and disorganized by her drug addiction, she really doubted that his intentions were ill.

Besides, as it belatedly occurred to her, he could have done anything he wanted while she was passed out.

The Mirialan woman sat down again on the edge of the bed and sighed.

"Sorry. Sorry. I was just a bit nervous and confused."

If her life had been better and she could find the cheery words, she might have made a joke about only one drink shutting her down so hard. But, mixing drugs and drink could have weird effects. She was lucky it wasn't worse.

Play with fire and you might get burned. If you can't stand the heat, don't hang around in the kitchen.

That would have been easy, except the kitchen was where the food was. Not that spice was food per se, but it might as well have been. If she went more than a day or two without spice she'd start having withdrawals. She knew that much from experience.

Ervisa wrapped her fingers absentmindedly around her hair and played with a long, black strand as she avoided eye contact. When she was sober and clean she always felt like this. Self-conscious. Highly aware of her own profession and what she dressed like. It wasn't showing off her body that she found annoying, it was the feel of how it was done now. The clothing was cheap, and rather than being something practical with a hint of sexy, it was all sexy and not practical at all. It didn't send a message she liked, it reminded her with every look in a mirror of one miserable fact.

Ervisa Therani did not like who she was.

She'd been running from who she was every day since she lost her Padawan on Felucia. She'd tried everything, and now she was at the bottom hiding behind spice and the mask of a common prostitute. Not even the dignity of a stripper, or the honest work of a waitress. But it was all she could do.

The Mirialan looked back to Bit, who had been forgotten in her thoughts.

In a very sad voice, Ervisa spoke as she stood and picked up her purse.

"I'll be going now. Goodbye."

[Ash]

"Don't worry about it. Just take some time to clear your head"

Bit turned around when he spoke to Ervisa. The woman was making conscious effort to avoid looking at Bit, making it hard for him to get a good read on her. This woman was an enigma: a creature filled with... sadness? depression? He didn't know.

Bit half turned away, pulling out a cigarette, and lighting it. He kept half an eye on the emerald-skinned woman. Something was definitely eating away at her, but would she, even slightly, open up to him so he could help out? There was only one way to know. He went to say something, turning to her, but she was quicker to the punch.

"Why do you sound so sad? Anything I can help you out with?'

The words sounded extremely corny to Bit, and he almost wished he could suck them back in and rephrase them better, but it was too late now. He set his caf down on the table and took a long drag of his cigarette. He didn't want to see this woman walk out there and resume her current life. No, that wouldn't sit well with Bit at all.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Ervisa chuckled sadly as she leaned against the wall next to the door. She fished for a cigarette and lighter in her purse, placing it between her lips and igniting the tip. She inhaled deeply and held it for a second before blowing it all out in one long and smooth exhalation.

Then she walked back to the bed and sat down on the edge.

Nonchalantly she kicked off her ridiculous shoes and sighed as she stared at the smoldering cigarette. It was fading, like she was. It had gone from pristine to used, and its time would come. Like it, she was burning out.

She had nothing to lose by talking.

"It's a private story. But guess I'm not 'zactly a private person."

The Mirialan woman pulled her legs up onto the bed and folded them up, revealing more of her emerald skin, though it seemed a little leaner than was healthy. She took another puf of her cigarette before starting.

"A long time ago in a galaxy not so far away, I was a Jedi. Defenders of the Republic, fighting for freedom and all that. Well, guess I had a few issues. Parted ways with the Order, travelled the galaxy in a drunken party for a long time. Had a lot of fun, didn't worry about a thing. Well, nothing lasts forever. Strangest thing was when I fell in love. 'Course he didn't feel the same way. Was more interested in other women. I ran off like a fool, hit the nearest bar and got drunk. It wasn't enough, so I took a hit of spice. Bam. One hit wonder, addicted. From there it just got worse. Now here I am a couple months later. Cheap wh*re, dime a dozen. Turning tricks to put food on the table and drugs in my body. Quite a life."

Ervisa laughed one last time before rising, putting her feet into those damned shoes again and heading for the door.

"Here's where we part ways. Time for me to go, I don't get credits for talking."

[Ash]

Bit never moved as Everisa spoke her story. He finished off his current cigarette and started up on a second when as she spoke through her monologue, but besides that, he didn't move very much. Bit thought he detected a bit of a bitter note in her voice at the end there, and wouldn't be surprised if it was bitter. When she made movement ti leave, he pulled out a credit chip and flicked it to the woman.

"Stay and relax, Ervisa. You don't look like you should be on the streets. Why do you torture yourself like this; its obvious you aren't happy at all..."

Bit, the normally joking, aloof guy, had a rather serious look on his face. He normally wouldn't care about people such as this, nor even try to help them. What made him stay here, pass out his own, hard-earned credits to some woman he barely met the night before, was way beyond him.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Ervisa leaned against the doorframe. Relax and stay. Relax, and stay. Yeah, there was something that wasn't about to change. She couldn't afford to stay still without burning into her reserves of credits. She had to keep working in order to pay the bills and put food on the table.

The Mirialan woman couldn't relax and stay, or stay and relax. It was beyond her sphere of options.

In an uncharacteristically lively show of verbal wit she made a humorous proposition. Purely in an ironic sense, albeit one not really tasteful.

"I can't afford to stop working sugar. 100 credits an hour. That'll buy me as much relaxation as you want me to have. Otherwise, I'd better be going."

A slightly shaky hand grasped the door handle and pulled. And pulled again. Then she realized it was locked and she opened the bolt before pulling the door open and stepping into the hall, purse in hand.

[Ash]

"I'm not going to stop you from leaving then; I just wanted to help. Everyone, even you, deserves second chance. If you get bored, look me up, giggles; I should be around for a while."

Bit stood by, smoking his cigarette and sipping his caf, as he watched Ervisa attempt to get the door open. She failed first with shaky hands, only to fail because the deadlock bolt was locked. He pushed down a smile, keeping his face neutral. As soon as the woman walked out though, But stood just outside his door, watching her leave.

After a moment, he stepped back inside the room and quietly shut the door. For a long stretch of time, he didn't do anything. He silently finished his cigarette and car, and sat in the chair, lost in his own thoughts. After a time, he grabbed his pistol, sticking it in its holster, threw on his jacket, and walked out of his room.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Ervisa left, heading down the hall, and realizing then she recognized the hotel from previous nights with clients who didn't want services rendered in an alley.

She was able to find her way out, and then onto the streets headed for any seedy corner she felt like stopping at. It was time to work again, time to earn more credits for her next splurge.

That was life. And life sucked.