Corellian Rum [open]

[Reisier]

Character being used

The air is heavy in the Drunken Drummer, dank and hazy with the smoke of cigarra and illicit substances burning into the air. Most of the creatures sitting in this godforsaken place are well known in the slums of the Galaxy, infamous in fact. For the most part, it was a place most avoided like the plague, terrified of what they could find inside.

But to Amaris Sataj, this was the lifestyle she had learned to love – even if it was at arm’s length.

Leaning lazily against the bar, elbows digging into the countertop, Amaris finds herself staring, studying her surroundings. How she loved it all; the ambiance, the people, the alcohol. She especially loved them combined. Alright, so perhaps she didn’t find escape in alcohol, the substances having no effect in the Zelosian, but Amaris enjoyed the amber spirits’ taste and the conversations which they often opened up. Over the years, experiencing these niceties had created a sort of placebo effect on the female, making her more relaxed whenever she drank. It was beyond rare, however, to find the woman drinking alone, but considering the circumstances starting early sounded like a good plan.

“Whyren’s Reserve.”

“Sorry, don’t serve that.” Amaris grimaced – since when?! Just last week she had dropped by and asked for the Corellian drink. Yes, the liquor could be quite expensive, prohibited in most of the Galaxy. But, hell, they were in Nar Shaddaa! It had to account for something. “Oh come on, Yassu; you’ve served it to me before.” She pleaded, balancing her weight on the heels of her boots. “Please,” she chirped, “one glass; s’all. You can change me to the cheaper stuff afterwards.” The male released a heavy sigh, rolling his eyes as he placed across from the Zelonian. Grinning, she watched as the glass was filled, the amber liquid splashing from one side to the next, it’s woody scent now clear even while the cigarra smoke managed to overwhelm everything else.

“Thanks, Yass. Keep the change.” The male deserved it. Hell, whether he knew it or not, he had just saved a life. The more relaxed the Zelosian was, the less chance she would be killing anyone tonight. And by anyone this namely meant her future client, Fosu Rudaq. Fosu was a pain. Honestly, Amaris often considered Fosu to have been sent into this life for the sole purpose of making her miserable. From the way his voice drawled out, to the excess cologne he wore, to the way he trailed his fingers across whatever bit of exposed skin, Amaris often fought the urge to shoot him in the face More than once, she came very close to doing it too.

She felt a body settle next to do, legs brushing softly against the woman’s hip. “Well, hello there, babe.” Speak of the devil. She was honestly surprised she didn’t smell him before she heard him; maybe he had finally gotten the hint regarding his cologne. She shifted her weight, placing as much space between her and the male before he gave a small grin. “What are you drinking?”

“Whiskey. Your point?”

“Why are you drinking that in the first place?” He cooed, placing a hand around the Zelonian’s waist, which she was quick to swat away. “Because I like it. Can’t blame you from not grasping the concept. Must be hard to understand what being liked involves.” The man chuckled making Amaris cringe; did this guy never take a hint? “You know, nothing comes quite as close as Rum, you’ve tried it before?” He breathed in her ear, the sudden closeness making Amaris squirm. “No.” Now get the frack away from me – the hell’s his problem?! Then, all of the sudden, Fosu pulled away, motioning for two glasses of Corellian rum.

“Try it. You’ll enjoy it.”

Amaris hesitated slightly as she brought the glass to her lips, the distinct scent of ethyl ethanoate burning her nostrils. The smuggler grinned slightly as she took the first swing, the curious taste suddenly invading her senses. The dark liquid was smooth and rich, deliciously smoky, Amaris was quick to notice as the liquor rolled across her tongue. While there was a slight heat going down her throat, warming her slightly as only alcohol could do, Amaris seemed unfazed, smacking her lips absentmindedly “Cinnamon,” she said after a few moments, rolling the amber liquid in her glass, “and Vanilla?” Actually, the aftertaste was quite pleasant, not as harsh as she would have originally expected – perhaps a bit [sweet but nothing the Zelosian couldn’t handle.

“Take it you like it, babe.”

Fosus’ voice rolled through the cantina, making the smuggler glance momentarily at the male. She rolled her eyes before her attention was redirected towards the glass once more. “Suppose I do. Can’t say the same about the company, though.” Fosu chuckled, his body leaning more towards her. “No need to be so feisty.” His fingers trailed softly along her arm, the sudden exposure between their skin causing her to shudder in disgust. “Seriously – touch me one more time and I’ll show you ‘feisty.’” And he better believe that the result wouldn’t necessarily delight him. Amaris was never keen to unwarranted touching, specially when it came from an a**hat of a man like Fosu Rudaq; in fact, after so many years of serving in the smuggling industry, Amaris had learned that the best way to keep guys like that away was to be perfectly clear. And, well, what was clearer than getting a blaster round through the thigh? Though, quite frankly, when it came to Fosu, she often contemplated aiming a little bit higher – teach him about thinking with the wrong head.

She shot the drink back, a heavy sigh following the ‘clink’ of the empty glass against the countertop. “I’m pretty sure I can change your mi--” Unhinging the safety across her blaster, the Zelosian pulled the gun out, jabbing it hard against the male’s side. Amaris saw a hint of fear in his eyes as he glanced down at the blaster pressed unto his sides, which only caused Amaris’ lips to pull back as a grin. “Like I said, babe, touch me again and I swear you won’t be walking the same.” Her arm moved back and with it so did the blaster, following the motion and returning it to its holster.

“Another glass – on him, and make it double.” Frack, just dealing with him required the Zelosian to drink. Her unusual eyes followed the bartender as he retrieved the glass. With the glass served and a small grin rolling across her lips, Amaris spoke up. “Now, tell me about this proposal you had for me.” Hell, that was the only reason she had decided to give this piece of crap a chance. Her emerald eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, her full lips turned in clear disdain. “Unless you were only looking to get laid – ‘cause, if that’s what you were looking for, no way in hell was that going to work, sweetheart.”

“Actually,” Amaris shifted her gaze at his sudden interruption, “as tempting as that is, I have to decline. Have other plans tonight, honey – so strictly business this time around.” Amaris snorted into her drink, taking a hard gulp of the aged rum. Felt sorry for whoever this ‘plan’ was. “Ever been to Ylesia?” Ylesia – Hutt world, wasn’t it?

“No, can’t say that I have.” She admitted with a shrug, glancing momentarily at the male next to her. “The hell am I supposed to do there?”

“Oh, nothing major. Just need for you to drop by a couple of packages, that’s all.” Though, quite frankly she highly doubted it could be that simple. “Once there, I’ll take the packages off of your pretty little hands. Simple, no?”

Simple. Yeah. Right.

“If it’s that simple why don’t you do it?”

“Well, sweetie. Gotta protect my assets, if you know what I mean.” She rolled her eyes, he certainly gave himself much more credit than he deserved. Her common sense screamed for her to decline, to leave the said client and wait for something else; something was bound to come along, right? But, the voice was soon drowned by her more brazen side, the more desperate one, the one who realized that she was short on credits, without work for the past couple of months and she was ready to accept everything, regardless of whom the client would be.

“Fine.”

“Great. I’ll give you a call tomorrow morning.” He drawled, peeling himself away from her side, his hand reaching towards the bartender with a card in hand. “That should cover her drinks – and, add two more rounds, on me.”

Fracker. Something was not right and she knew it; he always had something up his sleeve. Always. And she hated every little bit of it.

“Well, you heard him. Keep ‘em coming.”

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Nar Sha- Nar Sha-dada Sha-dadadaduh?

However it was spelled, it was a really unusual place to find Kira Jeseledai. The Hutt moon renowned for smugglers and illegal activity was not exactly the Jedi Temple, or Rhen Var, or New Holstice. And for practical purposes, that was all Kira had really been to.

For a Jedi Knight, she wasn't really well-travelled.

Her minder tugged her into a bar by the sleeve, and Kira followed the other woman in, wide-eyed and confused. Her long and lean body seemed a little strange in the navy blue pants and the white shirt with brown vest she wore. The boots were old friends though, the typical red-brown comrades she wore in her Jedi robes.

The Tholothian headdress a Youngling had once dubbed 'Mister Tentacles' was still on her head, the dangling tendrils not quite brushing her shoulders.

She didn't exactly blend in, but she didn't quite stand out either. Her counterpart blended in much better, her old master Daria. The Miraluka woman, now a Master, was much more at ease in the midst of scum and villainy as well.

"Daria," Kira said, forcing herself to call her master by her first name, "Why are we here?"

"Because a Youngling taken on a field trip went missing on this planet."

The caramel-skinned young woman smiled a silly little smile. "No, I meant why are we in a bar?"

"Oh. Well, sometimes the easiest way to find things is in the bar. Also, I'm thirsty."

Kira laughed. That answer was fair enough. Of course in her 24 years the young Knight had never once had a glass of alcohol. Given the fact they both had lightsabers concealed on them, she wasn't sure it was a good idea either.

They both settled at the bar anyway, and Kira looked around, not nervously. She was merely... Interested. There were so many people of so many races here, but there were no children. That was a little sad, as she vastly preferred dealing with children over the company of adults. She liked their straight forward honesty, and their cheerful demeanor. Even when they were sad it just gave her an opportunity to cheer them up. Really-

"Hey, you gonna order anything?"

Kira looked back and saw a burly bartender demanding to know her order, and she noticed Daria already sipping her drink.

"I'll just have a ginger ale."

"Cupcake," The bartender grumbled as he prepared a glass of the soft drink.

That didn't damper the Jedi however, as she just giggled over the insult. What a great thing to call someone. Of course it was really funny as cupcakes were definitely not bad-

"Oh hi there," Kira said cheerfully with a wave as she noticed a lovely young woman seated next to her, with remarkable emerald eyes. "My name's Kira. What's your name?"

Daria put a hand on the Tholothian's shoulder and spoke loudly to her.

"Kira, she doesn't care."

Knight Jeseledai looked sheepish and shrugged. "Sorry," She quipped cheerfully as she turned her attention to her glass.

[Reisier]

“Hey, Yassu,” a dainty finger trailed the glass, emerald eyes never parting from the liquor. “…what is Rum anyways?” She glanced up, quick enough to see as the bartender froze, swinging a rag over his shoulder. “Well, depends which type you’re looking at,” Yassu’s gruff voice interjected, resting his arms unto the counter. “Which means…” Amaris’ voice trailed off, a brow quirked inquisitively at the much larger male across from her; hell, if he was going to be that vague, he might’ve as well not have said anything.

“Which means that it can be made from fermented molasses or sugarcane.” So, in other words, sugar. Amaris snickered, shaking her head. Fossu was an a**; leave it to him to offer the Zelonian a sugary drink. Granted, he was pretty smart – got out of Amaris’ sight long before she figured it out. If Amaris had managed to get a hold of him, a slap to the head would be in order. Yet, as much as she wanted to fume, Amaris couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking her head as the fiery strands of red rolled in waves over her shoulders.

“Anyways, what did Fosu want with you?”

“Eh, job.” Anahid’s voice was slightly clipped, a nasty result of speaking mid-sip. She shrugged her shoulders lightly. Her posture relaxed, leaning forward as she dug her elbows unto the counter.

“You know the guy’s a kriffing.”

“I know – but I’m short on credits.” She ran her fingers through her hair, pushing the strands out of her face. What other choice did she have? Well, ignoring the obvious ‘not taking the job and waiting for something better to come along,’ she had been backed into a wall. She hated it, no doubt about that, but, hell. She had already borrowed money, needed to send some more home, and all she had left was used to keep Decipio up and running. She was running on fumes.

It was suddenly impossible for Amaris to hold a sigh; the breath rolled out from the depth of her chest, her head tilted back, eyes examining the pale ceiling that stretched above her head. “Dammit.” Before she knew it, her head had snapped down, settling on the amber liquid that sat across from her. Her mind didn’t process as her fingers clasped around the glass, or as the glass was brought to her lips; all she felt was the spirit rolling down her throat, burning slightly as it did so. She heaved, smacking her lips as the glass was returned to the table.

“Shouldn’t you slow down?”

A chuckle escaped her, hand rubbing gently at her eyes, “What for, hon? I really doubt it has that much sugar in it– won’t hurt me at all.” Well, it could, but it would definitely take a while – much longer than if alcohol did, in fact, affect her. It was kinda funny, really, now that she thought about it. How many times had she out drank men three times her size as a bet? Fifteen, twenty times maybe? Well, regardless, it was easy money; besides, it was their damn fault for not knowing any better. Suddenly, Yassu excused himself, his attention torn from the Zelonian to a pair of women that had settled besides her. Amaris was soon left to her own devices, eyes staring off into the nothingness across from her; that is, until a voice suddenly shook her thoughts away.

Amaris quirked an eyebrow at the sudden interruption, the warm-skinned female besides her somehow finding it within herself to start small-talk, a bucket full o’ sunshine as far as she was concerned. “Heh--” A short chuckle escaped through the woman’s lips, grinning lightly, head cocked significantly to her right. Well, wasn’t this an odd sight? It was a bit – what was the word – endearing. Yeah, that seemed right. It was endearing to see how the woman carried herself; an odd type of liveliness she had seen plenty of times before. Then again, this liveliness often came from children – innocent, inexperienced, unaware of the nastiness that this Galaxy held. It was comical, hilarious in fact, it was not every day that the Zelosian met someone like that. Even as her Miraluka companion had spoken up, resulting in a short apology from the woman besides her, her sheepish grin and the way she turned her attention unfazed made Amaris laugh a bit more freely.

“Amaris Sataj” she mentioned after a few seconds, leaning back haphazardly on her stool, “I take it, sunshine, you two are off-world?” It was more of a statement rather than a question. After all, it was not hard to tell; perhaps if the miralukan had been alone, but the Tholothian made it pretty clear. This was not the place for them. When it came to these types of places it was always easy to spot a new face. Sure, visitors were not unusual, making the great majority of the patrons at the Drunk Drummer, but an experienced fringer could always tell. Some would call it a bit of a tall tale, an exaggeration brought as a result of overconfidence and alcohol, but Amaris would say it was nothing but the truth. She couldn’t explain it, but it was a feeling that came suddenly, out of nowhere; it was a gut feeling, one that most of the time people opted to ignore. But in this lifestyle, gut feelings were worth more than credits.

“So, what brings you to this slum of a moon?”

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

"Yes," Kira confirmed after a sip of her ginger ale, which was refreshingly sweet and flavorful. "I'm from New Holstice. She's from Alpheridies. We came here because we're looking for a missing person. He's ten years old, five feet tall, brown hair, brown eyes. His name is Rolly. Here's a picture..."

The Jedi pulled out a holoemitter from a pocket and activated it, calling up a holographic likeness of the boy's face. It was darling, with dimples in his cheeks and freckles. He even had a gap between his teeth.

The poor boy was probably lost, alone and afraid. And on Nar Shada. Shadaa. Shadda. Shadadadaddada Dammit.

On the Smuggler's Moon there was no real law enforcement, no authorities to turn to. Certainly the Hutts wouldn't cooperate with the Jedi without a great deal of effort, which meant this was the way to search. Granted there were ten other Jedi scouring the rest of the moon. If Kira tried very hard, she could sense their presences. Her own senses were too weak to pinpoint one lost Youngling. Not ever Daria could acheive that feat.

"He's probably lost and frightened now. We have to find him and take him home. I hope you can help us Amris, it would mean a lot, to the boy and to me."

Daria gave Kira a look though, the look that suggested she was barking up the wrong tree, which would have been an ironic turn of phrase had either party known the woman was flora rather than fauna.

The Jedi had a very soft look on her face as she spoke, the care she put into the task showing. Daria laid a hand on her shoulder again, and telepathically sent a quiet message.

I told you they'd eat you alive out here.

Kira ignored the comment and folded her hands together in a gesture of pleading.

"Please help us Amris Sataj."

[Reisier]

“New Holstice and Alpheridies, huh?” Well, wasn’t this proving to be all the more interesting? Here sat two women, clearly of different origins, soft-spoken and kind, in the middle of a place that could eat them alive. Yet, they sat as comfortably as if they were spending a pleasant afternoon in Coruscant. It was odd. Very, odd.

“Never been to either, heard a lot of stories about them though – about those, force users, or whatever they’re called.”

Amaris quirked an inquisitive brow; watching as Yassu refilled her glass. “Alright, that’s the last one Fosu covered.” Amaris grinned, lifting her glass, an obviously grateful sign, gaining a rolling chuckle from the bartender. Yet, the woman’s sudden sentence made Amaris stop, frozen by the words that shot through her mind. They were looking for someone. Well, generally the sentence would have gone unnoticed; everyone was looking for someone in this place -- for a client, for boss, for a companion that would bring a night of unadulterated fun. But who the women were looking for, hell, it felt like a joke. They were looking a ten year old in Nar Shaddaa.

Let me correct that. A kid lost in Nar Shaddaa.

Amaris stared blankly, her mouth drooping in disbelief.

Again, this was something that required major clarification; they were looking for a little kid, alone, lost somewhere on the surface of Nar Shaddaa. This boy was lost in the cradle for the scum of the galaxy; the boiling pot for smugglers, weapon dealers, bounty hunters, mercenaries, and criminals of every imaginable background. Nar Shaddaa, the moon where, more than once, slavers had been known to pass through, silent trades being made and, in rarer occasions, new merchandize being acquired. Seriously; on Nar Shaddaa, of all places? Was she the only one that saw the seriousness of the entire situation?

“Oh being scared is not something I would be worried about.” Hell, Amaris would be more worried of finding him unharmed. Granted, not everyone was necessarily evil in this slum, but genuinely good people were harder to come by. She glanced up, meeting the troubled stare of the women. Well, what did they expect? This moon wasn’t particularly famous for their soft, cuddly, sweet-smelling characters. “What?” She asked flatly, a frown wrinkling her brow. She sighed, straightening up as she rubbed the base of her neck. “Look, I’m sure he’s fine…” Well, mostly sure, “…but you seriously need to get him off of here as soon as possible.”

Then came that look. That same look her siblings would give her whenever something was really bothering them, eating at their inside. It was a look that annoyed the hell out of Amaris, though, it was mostly because the Zelonian never found it within herself to be able to say no. “Frak.” The curse was growled into her drink, the sudden change in her demeanor causing the woman to slam the glass against the counter.

“Fine.” So much for a peaceful, relaxing night. First Fosu, now this. Honestly, it seemed like there was no way in hell she was going to be able to unwind, relax, and drink the night away. “Look, not going to make any fraking promises, but I’ll see if anyone has seen anything.” After all, if the kid had been near here, she knew the perfect guy to see about that. There was nothing that went on about the moon's surface without the Bothan knowing. Her green eyes met Kira’s own, studying them silently behind the trudging of heavy lashes.

“Just... Don’t get too caught-up in anything these people say – the minute they think they can take advantage of you, believe me, they will.”

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Kira positively beamed when she heard Amris' intent was to help, though she'd had a quizzical and worried look on her face while the Zelosian was cursing.

The Tholothian woman took the advice to heart, and she nodded eagerly before peeking back at Daria to confirm a course of action.

"I told you," Kira said with a grin.

"Actually you never said anything."

"Well I thought it?"

"I stand corrected," Daria said. You go with her, I'll explore on my own. Meet at the ship in six hours, earlier if you find the boy.

Kira received the message telepathically and slowly nodded, finishing her glass of ginger ale and looking at Amris again, her omnipresent smile as bright and cheery as could be, seemingly undaunted by her presence in the premier safe haven for scum and villainy in the galaxy.

"I'll come with you Amris, and we'll look for Rolly together."

The Jedi Consular rose to her feet and smiled broadly at the bartender, who glowered back. Some people just didn't like people who smiled. It was weird, and she didn't understand it, but it was an actual thing.

Kira stretched, her long limbs arcing with the movement, then she swayed from side to side, getting out a stiffness in her waist that had been there for hours.

The tendrils on the headdress swayed a little with the movement, and she batted at one absentmindedly before finally looking to the other woman with a cheerful grin.

"Shall we?"

[Reisier]

Something told Amaris that perhaps this wasn’t the brightest idea; that is, letting this girl tag-along with her. Perhaps it was the way she bounced out of her chair after their little exchange, or maybe it was the way she grinned dumbly around the bar, but Amaris stomach was turned at her words, ‘I’ll come with you.’ Yeah. No, that really wasn’t going to work. Okay, time to back up slightly – when the frak had Amaris agreed to bring her along for the ordeal? She remembered saying that she would ask around, find out if word had gotten out about an odd kid, but never had she mentioned or insinuated that she needed a buddy for the ride.

Besides, while Amaris enjoyed talking to perfect strangers, others in Nar Shaddaa weren’t so keen to do so, looking at strangers wearily and avoiding them like the plague. If Amaris was going to help them in any way, which she apparently now was doing, and was going to try and get any information, which she was going to have to do, it was better if she did it alone. Hell, she was on friendly terms with half these guys and if this girl somehow managed to frak this up, Amaris could kiss her connections goodbye.

But this person wouldn’t have any of it, and before Amaris could so much as complain, Kira had stood up, waiting eagerly on the Zelosian. “Crap.” Amaris sighed, her shoulders drooping lightly. Amaris emptied her glass, shuddering before she sighed. Hopefully this last glass would make up for the rest of the night. If not, she really wasn’t going to be a happy camper. Amaris felt movement, her eyes shooting up, watching as the Miraluka walked off.

Well, one person less to worry about.

Amaris shifted, pulling out a few credits from her pocket. Resting them on the counter, the woman slid the bills towards the gruff-looking male. “Should cover their drinks, Yass.” She was shot a curious look, the bartender leaning over the counter as he reached for the credits “You’re kidding, right?” She gave no answer, instead pushing herself to a stance. “Amaris, you are kidding; you seriously going to help these – these people?” And for free, to top it off; which surprised her just as much as anyone else.

“It’s a kid, Yass.” She added gruffly, straightening her jacket out, “’sides, the faster he’s found, the least likely they’ll come back.” She adjusted the blaster on her holster, pushing the fiery strands out of her face as she started to walk. “Yeah, yeah.” Well, seemed like the male necessarily taken with the two curious women, but Amaris couldn’t blame him, it was in their nature to be weary of unfamiliar faces. “Just make sure they don’t come back here.”

“Sure thing, catch you later, hon.” And with that said, the woman turned. She glanced momentarily at Kira as she walked, green eyes meeting the woman’s own. The gaze swallowed Kira’s warmer stare, before the emerald eyes were averted, focused on the bar ahead. “Yeah, ready to go, sunshine.” She crossed the bar without much effort, snaking her way around moving bodies and chairs. The front door was soon in her reach, forcing it open she was quickly greeted by the sharp, cold breeze.

A cigarra quickly found itself lodged between Amaris’ lips, the ashen tip glowering in an odd orange light. She breathed out; the hot refuse held momentarily in her lungs before being released in a soft sigh. Great. It had already gotten dark – Fan. Fraking. Tastic.

Now, Zelosians were a bit odd, and Amaris was well and aware of this fact. Unlike the many species that inhabited this Galaxy and enjoyed the nightlife to its full, light-less extent, she couldn’t necessarily do the same. She was blind, sorta. Well, to be more specific Zelosians suffered from a little nuisance known as night blindness. Generally speaking, Amaris often attempted to avoid the outside at this time, making as many excuses to avoid the shadow’s inescapable grasp. Usually, the excuses would fall flat, left the woman to brave the nightmares outside. Okay, so it may sound slightly ridiculous to the majority of the galaxy, a full-grown woman scared of the dark – but she knew better, FAR better. There were things out there that they couldn’t explain, wicked things that could eat them alive – like zombies. She visibly shuddered at the thought, gripping the cigarra tighter between her lips.

Frak, she hated zombies.

Thankfully, Nar Shaddaa was a bit of a haven for the woman – a city of endless, incandescent lights and neon lights that crudely shone into the night. It didn’t particularly save her from the blindness, but it certainly prevented it from coming while they glowed. She pulled the jacket a little closer to her as she walked, glancing momentarily at Kira before she spoke. “If you don’t mind me asking, how the hell do you loose a little kid in a place like this?”

Her boots ‘clacked’ away in the silence of the night, interrupted only by drunken voices or the sudden sound of a speeder passing by. She led the woman deeper into the city, towards a lone apartment complex that sat in the nicer areas that Nar Shaddaa could offer, “I mean, hate to break it to you, sunshine, but what kind of idiot brings a kid here, anyways?” Fraking morons if you asked her.

“And it’s AMARIS – not Amris,” or whatever the frak she was calling her.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

"Sorry Amaris, takes me a little while to learn names," Kira said sheepishly, caught a little off-guard by the brusque questions.

She wasn't used to such... firm... ways of putting things. Generally tone alone conveyed what was needed of Younglings, and a serious face. While she could handle being firm, she genuinely wasn't sure if she'd ever said frak, or hell or anything.

And she didn't really call anyone an idiot either.

Yeah, Kira was considerably different than the woman she was trudging through the dim streets of Nar Sha- Nar Sha- Nar Shadadadada? Da? Daada?

That one planet with the name.

The Tholothian woman wondered how exactly she was supposed to teach Younglings anything when she couldn't even spell Nar Sha- That name. That one name.

She banished that infuriating thought from her mind and decided to answer the question instead, her tone as patient and optimistic as ever, though she did notice something a little odd.

"No one brought him here willingly. Rolly was with other children on a field trip when he strayed from the group. We managed to track him to a ship, and it was headed for here. When we caught up to it, the ship was empty. So now he has to be here somewhere, we just don't know how he is. Normally we would have just called the authorities, but here there aren't really any. It's not like the Hutts care about one child from the Republic."

It clicked. Finally. The woman next to her was exuding a low level of fear, a nervousness...

"What's the matter?" Kira asked. "You seem a little frightened. Is everything okay?"

[Reisier]

The auburn woman let out a small sigh as she continued to advance down the road, a few blocks away from their destination. “Eh, I understand, but was just clearing that up, s’all.” Her response was soft, as she continued to move along, brow furrowed as the smoking trail from the cigarra vanished into the air. The faster they got to the bothan, Efad, the faster she can know where the kid was, the faster she knew were the kid was, the faster she could get him back to Kira, the faster she could get him to Kira, the faster she could get her off her back. Fraking awesome. Of course, doing so would require work, using some of her saved-up favors and probably costing her a favor or two in the process. Eh, but whatever worked, couldn’t possibly get any worse than this anyways.

The Zelosian responded without really thinking, “That can’t be good.” Ships came and went all the time; it didn’t necessarily mean that he had somehow managed to get stuck in criminal ship of sorts. Though, considering the situation, it’s what most likely happened. The thought trailed off as she continued to drag the other woman down the road at her own pace, trying to get to the apartment as soon as possible – the least amount of time she had to spend wasting her time like this, the better – and, well, the bonus of not having to wander around in the dark as a plus as well.

At the very least it made a helluva lot more sense now, anyways. At least they hadn’t brought the kid here on their own free will – kudos for them, they weren’t as stupid as she had originally thought them out to be. And she did bring up some pretty good points; authority, in Nar Shaddaa? It sounded like a bad joke to be honest. Alright – so she may have, sort of, kind of possibly had a point there – maybe. But Amaris was not about to let this get to their head.

A new topic, however, was soon brought up; one which the Zelosian generally avoided. Amaris tried her very best to ignore it, to make as if the question was never asked, but it was clear how much she was failing. Her face felt as it was burning, a deep shade of sickly green visible across her cheeks. The words struck her harder than she thought, making the pit of her stomach twist into a knot. Amaris chewed furiously at the inside of her cheeks, eyes darting nervously between Kira and the road before her.

Amaris’ heart sank, her face grew darker, the green sheen becoming more and more visible. “Tch. Me, frightened?” Actually, more like terrified. “I’m not some little kid to be scared of the dark…” More like a grown-ass woman jumping at the slightest of shadows, “…or monsters under the bed…” No, not monsters – just zombies, which were on a league of their own; she felt herself stiffen up even more as she noticed the Tolothian’s amused expression, the glittering eyes, the knowing grin. Crap. Frak.

“Look, even if I was scared – which I’m not…” That nervous fidgeting was perfectly normal and completely not fear related, “… it’s nothing you should worry about.” She already had a hard time from her friends when it came down to this fear, and she sure as hell did not to hear any more crap from a perfect stranger. “Can we, erm -- " It had suddenly become very hard for her to swallow, “…can we just drop the subject? Please?” She begged, just for good measure.

She flicked the cigarra butt away. Honestly, she really didn’t want to be talking about irrational fears at the moment.

With the topic hopefully dismissed, the smuggler made her way towards the brightly lit apartment foyer; unlike many of the buildings she had come to explore in the moon, Amaris would admit that this always struck her as the classiest. Clean, crisp, and modern – with a pure marble floor that made her wonder how they kept it this neat and clean.

“Come on, this way.”

Amaris strode past the service desk shoulders back, head held high – if it looked like you belonged, the least likely you were going to get stopped. Amaris pressed the elevator button, chewing on her cheek, glancing back only once to see if Kira was still following her.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Kira gave Amaris the same look of quiet understanding that she gave to frightened Younglings, and she would have coupled it with admonishments that there was nothing to fear, save for the fact she thought the woman might resent that.

Probably she'd find a few more choice words to use in which she vehemently protested.

Far too many people were like that, hiding their sensitive weaknesses and lashing out when anything came near them even as they denied their importance. People liked to hide everything when a dose of honesty would help them. Poor Amaris, if she had just come out and said she was afraid of the dark, maybe it would have helped her.

"You don't have to lie to me," Kira said, but she didn't press the issue any further.

If the woman wanted to lie, then she could lie. Kira would know the difference, and that was enough.

They passed into an impeccable lobby more suited for a ritzy Coruscant hotel than an apartment complex on the Smuggler's Moon. Kira could readily admit that her jaw was hanging open a little at the sheer splendor as her boots clicked against the marble floor.

She stuck close by Amaris, accompanying her to the elevator. She was uncharacteristically silent, as she didn't know quite what to say. Finally though, she ventured a comment, merely because she felt like some words had to be exchanged.

"So, who are we going to see?"

[Reisier]

How the --? Okay, just how in the frak did this girl know she had been lying? Granted, Amaris wasn’t the best of liars, but she did have a decent poker face, that is, decent enough to get her out of trouble in a couple of occasions. “Who said I’m lying?” She was just outright avoiding the truth – big difference. The trip to the penthouse floor was rather uneventful, an awkward silence soon making its presence known. It was half-way through the ride that the stillness was finally broken, shattered by Kira as she spoke.

“A friend of mine,” Now who was the infamous Efad Nay’tey? Well, none other than the eyes and ears of Nar Shaddaa. The Bothan was a philanthropist, so he would boast, a self-declared playboy millionaire that made his money by selling information to the highest bidder. His business had developed so well that he eventually became a member of what he dubbed the ‘RAT pack’ – the Retired At Twenty club. It was by pure per chance that she had come to meet the male – had somehow managed to get himself stranded in Nal Hutta after pissing the wrong people off. The Zelosian felt sorry for him, in a way – he was being taken advantage off left and right, cheated out of his money by trusting people too much. After a couple of hours of talking, she offered to take him back to the moon, free of charge. “if that kid’s anywhere near here, he’ll know about it.” And, if he didn’t, he could always find out.

It was not long after that the elevator stopped, a single ‘ding’ announcing their destination. The doors opened and the women stepped off. Music was the first sound to greet their ears, loud and redundant as it bounced off the spotless walls. Once or twice they passed a cluster of people, dressed in fine clothes and cocktail glasses in hand ’The hell?’ Amaris pressed on, excusing herself more than once before she found herself standing in front of the bothan’s home – and the source of all the commotion. Her eyes narrowed at the party’s discovery, a grunt rumbling from her throat as she pulled a cigarra from her pocket and lit it. Great. Just – great.

“Come on.”

Somehow, Efad always managed to surround himself with people that were really fraking chirpy all the damn time – it wasn’t a bad thing, but it was strange. The smuggler wasn’t quite used to it still; sad to say she had grown accustomed to the terrible temper of the slums: people always running fraking late, throwing hateful glances at each other, grunting unintelligible responses. She took a deep breath, the cigarra’s refuse burning her throat as it traveled down to her lungs. For a second, Amaris held-on to the frail haze, before releasing it in a soft breath.

The apartment was chaotic, to say the least, people packed together as far as the eyes could see. And even while the Zelosian strained her eyes to catch a glimpse of the male, she had no luck, and instead found herself patting the shoulder of a Nautolan male. “Excuse me, have you seen Efad by any chance?” He glimpsed back at her, wide eyes studying her before looking at her companion. There was a noticeable shrug, “Eh, sorry, he’s kind of, erm, busy.” Amaris’ mouth stood agape, processing the information. Busy? Seriously? For the love of – Amaris strode past the Nautolan before he had a time to protest. She heard him calling, waving his glass frantically in the air before drooping his shoulders in disbelief. Soon enough, Amaris lost sight of him, followed by the mass of scantly dressed females of all colors and shapes, as well as many handsome males, some which, she will proudly admit, caused her to double-back in more than one occasion.

“Mind you though, as you can figure out by now, Efad is a bit…” Strange? Odd? Weird? Eccentric? No, something nicer, more politically correct. “Quirky.” Close enough. It was a bit hectic getting past the group – inexplicably loud too. Finally, it was minutes later that she caught sight of the male, out in the patio enjoying the cold night air. A small smile flew across her face, but was soon replaced by an inquisitive glance. Yeah, that was the bothan alright sitting in a bubbling Jacuzzi with two female twi’lek by his sides.

They huddled close together, the females clinging to him, words spoken softly into his ears. Amaris cleared her throat – though it went unnoticed. The smuggler furrowed her brow in clear disapproval. Seriously? She cleared her throat again, loud enough to catch the attention of the Twi’lek. “Out. Now. Thank you.” Nasty glances were thrown in her direction as they exited the tub, grabbing the towels in their way out.

“Hey!” A male’s voice suddenly yelped, the bothan spinning around in the water, “You have any idea how long it took me to track down those two?”

“Oh, I’m sure they’ll be back, sweetheart.” Amaris leaned against the doorframe, watching as the scantly clad models brushed past her. “More curious about knowing how much you had to pay to get them here.” The Bothan threw his head back laughing, pushing himself out of the Jacuzzi, his bare feet clacking against the wooden floor. Sadly, Amaris was not quick enough to realize that the male was completely au natural. Fully bare from head to toes. Gritting her teeth, she turned her head, eyes focused on the building besides them – and what a nice, pretty building it was, fully naked-bothan-free.

“Could you please get something on?” Sheesh! She did not need that image burning her retina out. The Botan chuckled, “Fair enough.” movement heard as he made his way towards a table where a series of towels and bathrobes had been set out. She grimaced slightly as she saw the surprise -- though some could argue horror – in Kira’s face, the smuggler mouthing a ‘sorry,’ accompanied by a shrug before she went on almost casually. “You’re having a party?”

“This? Nah! More like a get-together.” Huh – she could only imagine what his definition of a party would be.

With the bathrobe secured, thankfully, the Bothan spun to meet the two, “So…” He grinned, arms spread open as he sprung in her direction. Before the smuggler could react, she found herself embraced – clasped uncomfortably against the barely clad Bothan. “Okay!” Amaris wheezed, “Okay, okay, okay – alright!” The hug grew tighter before he pulled away, hands clasped around the Zelosian’s face. “It’s good to see you, Ama!” With a kiss planted on her cheek, Amaris crinkled her nose, Efad’s whiskers tickling her sensitive face. “Yeah, good to see you too, Efad. But, please – don’t do that again…” Or, at the very least it would be nice if he wore pants next time.

“So, what brings you to my neck of the wood? I assume you’re looking for something…” Amaris smiled weakly as she straightened her jacket out, “Actually, looking for someone.”

“Ooh – kinky! This, I like!”

Amaris laughed, shaking her head. Yeah, how could she forget his odd sense of humor? “Cool it – we’re looking for a lost kid.”

“We? Eh, brought a friend?” The male gave a toothy grin, glancing up at the female to her right. Taking Kira’s hand in his own, the bothan planted a kiss on them, “…Efad Nay'tey at your service.” Amaris laughed gently, crossing her arms, honestly amused by the little exchange. Efad often came out as odd to most – touchy, huggy, kissy, even if he meant no wrong. Amaris cleared her throat, “Efad, the kid?”

“Oh – oh, right!” His head snapped up, arm hooked around Kira as he led her back indoor. Taking an immediate right they were led through a brightly-lit halway that opened to a large bedroom. The grin now became wider, tugging at the female’s full lips following closely after. What she wouldn’t give to know what was going on through Kira’s mind. Entering the crisp white room, they were soon led away, towards the back were a single door stood still. Amaris watched as the Bothan pushed in the door and disappeared with Kira inside.

Amaris rubbed the back of her head as she followed after the two – to Efad’s mancave, his studio, whatver – and soon enough found herself greeted by the humming of computers. Stretched as far as the eyes could see, Amaris saw screens, giving off a ghastly blue gleam. While the rest of his home had been pristine, if a little full at the time, the studio was untidy – cables hung from the ceilings and walls, and others snaked across the floors. More than once Amaris stopped, shaking her foot to try and pry a cable off, once nearly falling in the process. “Seems like you’ve expanded – cool.” She grumbled lightly, nearly falling a second time, only managing to stop herself as she clung unto the wall. “You kiddin’? Very cool.”

“Oh, and close the door, will yah? Don’t want any weirdos sneaking in.” Yeah, even more weirdos, wouldn’t want any more of them added to their little cluster. Locking the door behind them, Amaris stiffened up, the sudden realization that she was back in the dark hitting her like a ton of bricks – fraking great. Thankfully, salvation soon came, a lamp behind her being lit. Her shoulders relaxed a little, a sigh rolling out from her lips.

“You’ve got any pictures of this kid?”

“Yeah, just a second – Kira?”

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

The elevator doors opened onto a fancy party. Kira stared down at her 'smuggler clothes' as she'd taken to calling them, and uttered a few simple words non-directionally.

"I think I'm a little under-dressed."

But Amaris was off through the crowd, and it was all the Jedi could do to stick behind her through the packed room of prettier people in nicer clothing. Or lack thereof, as she registered a few dancers were definitely not approved for all audiences.

She averted her eyes and focused only on the back of her ally's head, tracking her in between moving people and shoving herself through with grace.

"Quirky? Got it."

Kira confirmed what was said, that the man was quirky. Sure a party wasn't that crazy. Maybe he was just a friendly guy, who liked having fun. That wasn't so bad. Was it?

At long last they emerged out onto an uncrowded balcony, with a bubbling hot tub and a pair of Twi'leks, which Kira suspected might have been under age. The girls both left, and Kira was just opening her mouth to greet the Bothan when he emerged from the tub... Au naturale.

"HellOH. Ohohoh." Kira's hand promptly snaked up to cover her eyes after a second of sheer mortification, her cheeks taking on a pink tint below the caramel skin of her face.

There were some things the Jedi didn't prepare you for. It wasn't like as a Youngling she'd ever had a health class where they talked about male anatomy and showed pictures. Additionally, even on a human or near-human she probably would have averted her eyes.

On a Bothan, she felt like she was blinded.

Experimentally she peeked again and was relieved to see a bathrobe, letting out a held breath. Before much further thought could take place, the Bothan kissed her hand and she felt the need to introduce herself.

"Kira, Kira Jeseledai."

Soon they were in a room full of cables and computer displays, and the Tholothian woman was trying very hard not to trip. She almost didn't notice when Amaris called on her for the picture.

She nimbly clambered over a large box and handed the holo to the Bothan.

"His name is Rolly Oril, he's from Coruscant. Can you help us? Please?"

[Reisier]

“Oh hey, look! What a cute kid! Dimples and all.”

Amaris emerald eyes lost the mischievous glint they held for the past couple of minutes, instead replaced by genuine concern as she studied the flashing screens around her. Faces – thousands of them – flashed faster than she could process. The cool light that danced before her eyes changed, shifted into livelier scenes – restaurants and casinos were many men and women sold their souls to the game, hoping to, as they say, ‘catch a break.’ There was a second shift, the focus turning to their faces. Some laughed, others cried, some seemed weary and frail after dealing with a long night – but all of them were so young! No older than ten, without a doubt, and yet, some were curled in the middle of an alley, wedged between a cardboard box and a trashcan. Amaris’ eyes widened, horrified by the scene – she had no idea this many children lived under those conditions; at least not here, not in this moon.

She could honestly not understand how easily Efad watched on through the scenes, how he didn’t feel a pang of guilt or horror. Maybe he was used to it? Perhaps, but somehow Amaris knew it was because it was his job. What one would do for the sake of a job, it could honestly be sickening. The smuggler felt as her stomach dropped, a chill rolling up her spine, “There’s so many of them...” The words were nothing more than a whisper, ignored by the Bothan that sat on his desk, hunched over the keyboard. “…are all of these kids homeless?”

“Nah, not all of them.” She glanced back at the Bothan after hearing his voice. He didn’t even fidget, he was completely enthralled -- Amaris gave a heavy sigh and turned, eyes watching as Rolly’s face took up most of the Bothan’s main screen, his facial structure broken down to lines and measurements. “…most of these kids are working for someone – usually for big gangs, can’t get out and nobody to help them get out.” ‘Gangs,’ the words didn’t comfort her at all – instead she found herself restless, swaying from side to side. Her teeth chewed harder on the cigarra, the tip burning and continuing to grow shorter by the minute.

Then, the blue monotonous light that spread across the monitors ceased. One by one the scene shifted, replaced instead by the familiar face of the young boy, Rolly. Except, that while the young boy was laughing in the image Kira had shown, this Rolly was frowning, a silent scream frozen across his lips, pulling away from a hand that held on tightly to his wrist. Amaris cursed, spat out the cigarra to the floor, extinguishing it under her boot. “Frak – Efad, when was the image captured?”

“Eh, about eight hours ago.”

Shit. Too much time – there was way too much time; that is, enough to make sure the boy disappeared. “Can you see who was taking him?” If that was the only image of the boy, the next best thing to do was finding who the hell was heaving him away. The image shifted, a second angle pulled out. The image was beyond crappy; the figure down, twisted in an angle making it impossible to make the face clear. However, the race was identifiable – a reptilian specie, more likely a Trandoshan.

“Oh crap.”

Emerald eyes shifted, falling unto the Bothan across from her, who looked more and more uneasy. “What?” There was no answer, her question followed by a series of curses, “Oh crap! Bantha poodoo!” Amaris gritted her teeth, trudging over to Efad. “The frak is it?” He better not avoid her question again, otherwise the Smuggler would be less inclined to see him as a friend.

“Okay, Ama – have good news and bad news for you two.” The Zelosian stiffened, raising an inquisitive brow as the Bothan continued. “Good news is, I found your kid.” Her heart skipped a beat – shit, for a second there she was getting scared. “Okay, great where is he?” Bad news? Screw those – she’d deal with that problem once it came time to face them.

“That’s the bad news – I can’t tell you.”

All signs of pleasentness dropped from her face – her jaw was tight, eyes narrowed, and for a woman so small she almost seemed to loom over the Bothan. Her hand slammed down, colliding unto the desk causing Efad to jump at the sudden interruption. “Why the frak not?!” This was definitely no joking matter – this kid was out there, alone, with that creep and all of the sudden Efad didn’t have the courage to speak.

“I just can’t.”

Her eyebrow twitched, taking the Zelosian her very best not to strangle the male right then and there. “Like hell you can’t.” The voice was dangerously low, every synapse dripping with venom, sinking into those that surrounded her. It was not a sight that those who knew Amaris were commonly exposed to, and more often than naught came out when she truly was troubled.

“Look, just can’t. No way am I getting in the middle of this.”

In the middle of what? He seriously made it sound like they were stepping into the middle of some goddamn war – seriously, they were just dealing with a creep; a fraker that had it coming to him. Amaris opened her mouth to interject, but found herself silenced as the Bothan continued. “What I can do is get up to get a few drinks for the three of us…” Yeah, drinks, good – would swallow their guilt away once the kid wound up dead by tomorrow morning. It surprised her, however, how untroubled he seemed – it was very unlike the Bothan, who often went out of his way to get the information they needed, specially when the information was going to go to a friend.

“…And I can forget to close to image of the Trandoshan that has him…” Wait, what? Amaris furrowed her brow, watching as the Bothan pushed himself up, the top of his head a little shorter than her own, “…and, oh, look at that – I accidentally opened his credit history, showing that the last place he spent money was in a motel.” Yet, as she saw the male rising to a stance, her confusion was slowly replaced with relief. He walked, body brushing past Kira and Amaris as if nothing had changed, his hands held unto the bathrobe, ensuring that he looked presentable enough to return to his little gathering.

“Thanks, Efa—“ There was a chuckle, interrupting the woman as she glanced back at the screen, “What for? I couldn’t find anything – Oh, an you better not be gone by the time I come back.” He winked, closing the door as he left the room.

“Goddammit, Efad.” Amaris grinned, scrambling to the computer to better get a look at the direction. Eyes scanned through the screen, glancing past the bills and names, all she needed was the damned direction. She scrolled down, snapping her fingers as she called Kira to take a look as well – better if they both memorized the address, neh?

“Alright, sunshine, you heard him – let’s get out of here,”

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Kira's heart sank down into her boots when the Bothan insisted he couldn't get involved, and she stared down at her feet with the expression of worry, though rightly it could have been that of someone whose puppy was just run over by a bus driven by a mid-level bureaucrat responsible for taxation.

The Tholothian Jedi had a personal philosophy. Look for the best, and don't let anyone get you down. There was always a bright side to be had. Granted she wasn't really seeing one right now.

They'd just find Rolly without his help-

Instantly the expression changed to an extremely happy smile. He really was helping them. She grinned and her heart took its rightful place in her chest. Promptly she peered at the screen and started committing information to memory.

Almost surprisingly for someone as ditzy and silly as she was, the young Jedi had a very good memory, which retained, admittedly, mostly pure bilge. Nevertheless, she was confident she'd remember the address. Despite that, she marked it onto a map on her datapad.

When Amaris proposed an exit, Kira obliged, and the duo made it back outside swiftly, Kira as grateful to escape the scantily-clad crowd as Amaris was displeased to return into the darkness.

Kira's natural curiosity was burning, inching closer and closer to speech. Just a short distance away from the luxurious building, she broke down and broached the topic.

"So, Amaris. Why are you scared of the dark? You know, I was scared of the dark as a child. I watched this episode of a holonet show where adventurers were trapped in a library, and the shadows were actually predators who ate people. I froze in patches of light for days. My mom told me not to be so silly."

[Reisier]

“Seriously?” Did she just reopen a dropped subject, one that Amaris had, quite clearly, disliked? Amaris thumbed a smear that clung to her glove as a token of obvious contempt; disinterest was etched across her body, eyes focused on the street that rolled beneath her feet. She tried her very best to ignore the voice; she ignored her recollections, the eagerness as she further pursued the topic. Couldn’t the girl take a hint? “Oh yeah? That’s nice.” Amaris drawled, maybe her mother should have taught her to stay out of people’s business instead.

She rolled her tongue, flicking past her lips. “This is fraking unbelievable.” But she went on, Kira that is, talking about a holonet show she had once seen. Honestly, Amaris tried her very best to ignore the Tholothian, to let her words be lost into the night, but it was becoming increasingly hard. The shadows were actually predators who ate people. – she let the dreadful words sink in. There was a curse – diminutive – as the woman shifted her attention, horror staining her otherwise clear visage. She fumbled with her jacket, hands buried deep in their pockets looking for something, anything to keep her mind away from the obvious panic that shook her limbs. And still, through her obvious uneasiness, Kira was still smiling, as if everything was completely peachy. She was honestly irritating – like a mosquito flying around your ear in the middle of the night.

“Look,” Amaris finally snapped, arms crossed listlessly across her chest. “I am not scared of the dark -” which, surprisingly, was partially true. “I just nyctalopic – suffer from night blindness. So standing out here in the dark really does make me fraking uncomfortable…” But the Tolothian knew that wasn’t it, Amaris could see it in her face. Her cheeks became tinged, a pale green shade that became more and more obvious over time. She coughed, averting her gaze, which did little to cure the uneasiness – if anything, it only increased. Her heart beat faster, eyes shifting from the woman to the street, then back again. Shit. Frak. Crap. “Would you quit that?” She spat out the butt of her cigarette, “Seriously, Kira.” But she didn’t stop, instead she focused on the smuggler, a quizzical gleam in her eyes.

Amaris gritted her teeth, her heart was beating harder, threatening to burst out through her chest. “BesidestheonlythingIwouldevenconsiderbeingscaredofwouldbezombies.” The once clear stretches of skin were now stained in a dark tone, a sickening hue that drowned the majority of the female’s face. Fraking zombies, goddammed things from beyond – walking, undead creatures that could tear you up to shreds if given the opportunity. Sure she had never seen one before, neither had any of her family members, but Zelos dripped with stories regarding the monsters, so they had to account for something, right?

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

"Zombies?" Kira repeated. "Zombies..."

A deluge of merry laughter echoed through the night air as Kira practically doubled over giggling. It lasted a few long seconds before she straightened and grinned broadly, still chuckling.

"Sorry. Sorry. Just, zombies. Well, I can't really blame you, I mean zombies are scary. But you can't really be worried about running into any on Nar Shada... da... dada. Nar Shaddydadadya?"

The Tholothian Jedi started giggling again over her own inability to pronounce the name of the moon (something which stemmed more from the unusual spelling), which was one of those things she doubted would ever change.

Kira started walking again, resuming their progress towards the motel where Rolly's captors were last seen.

"Night blindness must be a little scary, but there's plenty of streetlights. You seem to be doing pretty good at dealing with it too. I do think you're scared of it though. But there's no shame in that. People are scared of things. I'm still scared of things, like heights. Heights scare me a lot. But I deal with them anyway."

The Jedi trudged along the street, once again noticing her 'smuggler clothes' in the reflection of a store window, and thinking she might just keep them. She looked all cool, like some character out of a holonet program.

Maybe if the whole Jedi thing didn't work out she could take up smuggling blasters or spice. Certainly she looked the part now.

[Reisier]

Zombies? The word cut through Amaris better than she would have thought. Zombies… The second was a blow that shook her to the her heart. But nothing prepared the Zelosian for the humiliation that rolled through her veins, shaking the very core of her being.

Amaris’ eyes flicked to meet the Tolothian’s own. There was a mutual exchange of glances, the emerald orbs swallowing the clear reflection of Kira’s gaze. If eyes could kill, it was obvious Kira would have been dead and buried six feet under by this point. Amaris smiled wryly, as if the ridiculous spectacle she had made of herself hurt more than the idea of facing her fears. Irritation slowly crept under her skin, agitation taking a hold of every muscle – every sense of self-respect was slowly dragged out of her body – weakening, dying, being forgotten. It was very hard for the Zelosian to remain calm, so very, very hard. Even as steady breaths were taken in hopes of regaining her composure, Amaris couldn’t keep herself from blushing, the burning on her face becoming almost unbearable.

“See? You’re laughing!” Now that’s why she didn’t like talking about her fears – most people didn’t seem to understand them. They honestly thought that she was scared by something ridiculous, something non-existent and right out of a holonet horror movie. Amaris couldn’t wait for the day zombies came, that would certainly prove her rig– actually, never mind that thought, the farther they were away, the happier she’d be.

But even as the smuggler felt as every ounce of dignity was ripped from her body, shot and buried six feet under, the Zelosian couldn’t help but chuckle. At first it came as nothing more than a scoff, but it gradually began to roll. Her shoulders shook as she began to giggle, before her lips parted to release a full blown laugh. Maybe the Tolothian’s laughter was infectious, maybe she found her own fears ridiculous, but Amaris couldn’t help herself. The laughter only increased as Kira spoke again, her inability to pronounce the moon’s name only adding to the hysterical situation.

“It’s easy for me to deal with it here,” She chuckled, godamn her ribs hurt, “…but that quickly changes when I’m off world, specially in areas that are underdeveloped.” She shrugged lightly, a small smile still present on her lips as she began to walk. They were not too far off from the motel, would be best if they gor a move on.

Clank.

Amaris’ eyes rolled up to stare at the endless darkness, the bitter nothingness that seemed to close around them. She stared and she stared, senses alert to everything. The air was heavy – dank and stale, a combination of gasoline and smoke carried in the breeze. But nothing came, no second noise, no bitter voices. Amaris straightened up slowly, hand falling instinctively to her side unhinging the blaster’s holster. She was unaware of the minutes that dragged by, those that wandered in the distance most at ease in the cover of the night. The smuggler was frozen for a moment, simply waiting for something to happen, anything truth be told. But she was greeted only by silence and stillness. “Come on, sunshine, I think we’d better go.”

Something didn’t set well with the smuggler and it was beginning to show.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Kira grinned broadly as the woman beside her laughed merrily, proving the old adage true. Laugh and the world laughs with you. Even Amaris had to admit it was funny.

The woman did have a sense of humor after all.

"Well yeah," Kira confirmed. "You never hear about zombies in some place with people. It's always in the woods or the bowels of some undercity-"

Amaris suggested moving on, just as Kira's senses were tingling. They weren't exactly in the best part of the moon, as was shown by decaying facades, broken glass in the sidewalk, and bars over the windows. It was also eerily deserted, abandoned and devoid of the presence of others, except for...

There.

In the darkness ahead there was a glow, the embers of a tabac cigarette as someone inhaled the smoke. Next to him were a pair of shadowy figures, and a low whistle emerged as they stepped out into a street light.

"Why hello there ladies. Fancy meetin' a couple pretty ones at this hour of the night, all... alone."

The man who spoke, clearly the ringleader, dropped the butt of his cigarette onto the crowd, and took a sip from an open bottle of some liquor. He was a human, and a nasty-looking specimen. Chipped tooth, scar across his cheek. His hair was slicked back and he wore a leather coat. His companions were rather similar.

All had blasters ad vibroblades in their hands.

"Three of us against the two of you, and looks like you've just got one blaster. Maybe if you just give us what we want," A chuckle came from the pair of thugs, "Then nobody has to get hurt. No scars across those pretty faces. What do you have to say to that sugar?"

"Sugar's right, cuz you is sweet!" One of the thugs chortled before a look from the ringleader silence him.

[Reisier]

You got all sorts of people in Nar Shaddaa: the beautiful crowd that Efad had paraded around not an hour ago, for instance, that made the Zelosian rethink her choice of work, then there was them. “Well, aren’t you something.” Her voice was flippant, waving off their advances to the best of her capabilities. She nudged Kira, motioning for her to keep walking, but their path was cut-off, the bulkier of the group standing between the women and the road ahead.

“Pity, sweetheart, can’t say the same about you…” Her head was cocked dramatically, hand resting on her chin as if studying the trio that stood not too far ahead. “…honestly, if I had that mug, would’ve done away with myself a long time ago.” Seriously, Amaris, stop. But it was too late, the words came coming – piercing, loud, striking the man harder than any blow would have. She could see his smirk fading, lips dropping to a snarl. There was a gurgle, an odd laugh of sorts, but it was quickly silenced by a slap.

"Besides, not to bust your bubble, handsome, but I don’t think we’re your type,” Amaris, you’re seriously pushing it, her mind plead, but it all fell upon deaf ears. “…we’re not inflatable.” And that was the drop that spilled the glass.

“B*tch.”

The man was fast, but Amaris was faster. As he drew the blaster, all hesitation was lost, the female pulling out her own gun and firing faster than her mind could process the thought. The cries of blaster rounds cut through the night air. White flashes ricochet off the floor, illuminating the woman’s face. She didn’t focus on the inevitable or on how she cried in pain, a blaster round connecting with the side of her torso. All Amaris could think about, if not hope, was that Kira had run before the bullets had started to fly. She did her best to appear unaffected, but her furrowed brow and clenched teeth were easy to read. She turned, the thought about running flying through her head, but before a step was taken, a fist collided into her gut.

Her head jerked forward, the force of a blow catching Amaris by surprise. Air escaped her lungs in a quist burst, causing the woman to cough and hack in distress. “Crap.” Amaris cringed amidst harsh breaths, holding unto the man for support. Eyes flicked across the area, desperate – Kari, where the hell was the girl? Please, just someone tell her the Tolothian was fine. All of the sudden, she felt her body slam against the cold brick wall of a building. She slid unto the ground, enveloped in complete agony – at that moment she knew it was over, she had gone too far. She glanced to her right, where a blaster lay forgotten. Amaris heaved as she reached for it, completely unaware of the dark figured that loomed near. As her fingers grazed past the grip, a boot cracked downward, boot connecting against her dainty fingers.

“F-frak!”

The pressure on her hand increased, making the woman wince. The body lowered itself until it was at eye-level, the male’s toothy grin increasing at the obvious pain he created. “Pity that you didn’t listen, sugar, things could have gone a lot smoother.” The ringleader sneered, his putrid breath wafting as a wave across Amaris’ face. A yelp was forced from the Zelosian’s lips, her head suddenly yanked back. The biting gleam of the vibroblade caught her attention, eyes widening as she felt its blade pressing against sensitive skin. The woman smiled wryly, as if the frivolous attempt to stop herself from talking hurt more than the reopening of her split lip “Like your face, babycake?” There was a trickle of blood as the words left her lip.

“And still, you’re talking – let’s fix that.”

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

One of the nice things about being a Jedi was those vaunted reflexes, the ability to react in a split second. Sadly, it didn't even take those to tell in which direction the encounter was going. Amaris was burning bridges faster than Kira could undo damage, and it was quite clear she wasn't going to get her way.

The Jedi let her hand stray towards the small of her back as hostilities seemed poised to erupt. It was galling for her, truly troubling. If Amaris had just been quiet and let the Tholothian take point, a simple use of force-persuasion would have dealt with the whole crisis.

Instead...

A blaster was drawn, and a caramel-skinned hand streaked down to a concealed lightsaber, pulling it free and hitting the activation switch. With a unique snap and hiss, the blade sprang into life just in time to catch the downward arc of a vibroblade.

One very surprised thug darted back and started muttering obscenities at a rapid rate, but he renewed his attack, more afraid of being thought a coward than he was of the Jedi weapon.

Kira caught his second strike, like the first. She also parried a stab, and she even launched her own attack on the extremities, almost leisurely. But she soon executed a perfect disarming slash, sending the vibroblade flying off to the side. A force-push sent the thug flying down an alley, at which point he turned tail and ran.

The Jedi Knight turned her attention onto the others then, becoming aware that Amaris had downed one of the bad guys, but the ringleader had her pinned at knifepoint.

With cool confidence that no one ever expected, Kira Jeseledai extended her lightsaber and let the brilliant green blade hover a few inches from the ringleader's throat.

"Let the girl go now. You're not a very nice person."

The thug swallowed nervously before dropping the knife and stepping back slowly, hands in the air.

"Listen to me carefully," Kira said. "You want to go now. You do not want to hurt people."

The ringleader repeated the words in a daze, then he walked off, leaving behind the body of his fallen comrade. The altercation was over.

Once she was certain he was gone, Kira deactivated her lightsaber, the blade retracting with a hiss. She reached out to sense the two figures on the ground, and she found one was dead. That provoked a nervous sadness in her, a nasty little form of panic. But the fact that Amaris was alive pulled her into action.

The Tholothian knelt down beside the Zelosian and she reached out a hand, placing it onto the blaster wound in the side, ignoring the sticky feeling of the blood or sap or whatever the green substance leaking was. Then she called upon the light side of the Force, working to heal the injury.

Kira maintained a silence as she worked, trying to keep up her focus. She did have just one thing to say though.

"I'm not gonna let you die."