A Quest of Odd Parameter [open]

[Mr.Bøbert]

"Fine." Zeth grunted. "It actually is my weekend off, but I came here searching for a root. Supposedly, its very useful. I'm assuming you all came here for this root too?" He did not holster his blasters.

[Sinvrick]

Sinvrick waited around whilst the others ignored each other. He went and reclaimed his jet pack and helmet leaving his sniper rifle back at the log. He though about if he should just leave the competition behind and make a break for the root, hoping the rest of them would get eaten by some large creature.

As Sinvrick picked up his jet pack with the others still in sight. He looked around towards the roots location and back at the band of misfits that sat around behind him. Ten thousand cash is a lot of money, but between all of them, it would hardly be worth it.

Sinvrick thought some more and more and more about the situation. Attempting to hatch some brilliant plan, allowing the evil twisted portion of his brain to really think about how he can change the whole situation to add to his benefit. He began to assess each individual that squabbled by the pond.

The one named Grizzelda, seemed to interest him, she was by her self, like him. A sarcastic individual which often means that they have some form of intelligence, she also only had a pistol that Sinvrick noticed. He imagined that she would be quite good with it.
Then there was the group of spies. One of which injured. Sneaky bunch, tactical most likely. Then the other who Sinvrick didn't catch the name of. The one who caught him completely off guard.

Sinvrick began to think of which he could gain the favor of to win over to his side. A knew partner perhaps he thought for the time being. He put his helmet back on in place and walked back over to the group, with a large twisted grin that none of the others could now see.

He grabbed his rifle and swung it over his shoulder. "Now, how badly wounded is that one there, I have some meds here in my jet pack, I would like to help," Sinvrick spoke as truthfully as he could manage.

[Kella]

Grizzelda would allow Strae to field Sinvrick's offer. She had some... other business to attend to.

"A deal's a deal," she said to Zeth. "Name's Grizzelda." She quickly sized up her options... she could dis-arm him, she was certain of that. However, the usual pressure points probably wouldn't work on a grit-trained, (and possibly slightly insane,) Mandolorian. Those men were born to fight, born to drill and die. They lived for the slaughter, their god was the god of Battle, their kingdom a field where a thousand corpses lay. And they were nastily unpredictable... sure, she could get his blasters, but how deadly was the rest of him? No, that wasn't going to be the proper course of action. She could, at least, catch him a bit off-guard. Well, that was the idea.
"Fine." She shrugged, smiling apathetically. "Keep your blasters out, if it makes you feel more the man. Only cowards are afraid to holster." She shrugged, then glanced around, as if she was looking for something.... there, a small leaf; no more than a hand's breadth long. Twenty feet away.
"See that leaf?" Grizzelda pointed with her left hand, then waited to make sure Zeth was watching it...
Faster than a bolt, Grizzelda flicked her blaster into her right hand, fired, and holstered it once more. If one were to blink, they certainly would have missed the whole event. One thing was unmistakable, though. The crisp, singed hole in the exact center of the leaf.
Grizzelda was quite pleased with that particular talent. Six months, training non-stop, had made her fasted draw in Corellia's underbelly. She'd had plenty of experience since then. She still wasn't fastest, of course... there was this one Rodian she'd met, crazy fellow. But he could shoot so fast it made hyperspace look like a space-slug. Even so, Grizzelda lived by the blaster; she pushed it, and herself, to the very limit.
Grizzelda looked at Zeth then, her voice mockingly pleading. "Now please, don't make me do the same to your blasters. I know a fine piece of craftsmanship when I see it. Laser sights are expensive."


((ooc// There are actually real people who can draw, shoot, and holster a gun that fast... it's amazing. ;D Watch it on Youtube.
Also, major bonus points to whoever can figure out the reference in Grizzelda's description of the Mandolorians. ;D Brilliant poem.))

[Mr.Bøbert]

Zeth was sure of it. The galaxy had gone insane. Totally and completely insane. Zeth finally complied, and holstered his blasters. However, while still staring directly at Grizzelda, he raised his arm, aiming towards the same leaf, and then a huge burst of flame erupted out of his armor, burning a large radius around where Grizzelda's shot had hit. "Trust me," he said threateningly. "I don't need them."

Then he thought about the group a little bit more. If they could work together, they would most likely be able to get to the root faster, and easier. Of course, scaring them with his weapons probably wouldn't help them get along. He turned his thoughts back to Grizzelda. Judging by what he had seen so far, she would most likely try to find a way to somehow remove him of all his weapons. Deciding to change the subject before she could do so, he pulled out his own water filter, and headed towards the small pool of water, dipping it in, letting it clean out the water.

"So.... I heard a screeching noise earlier. You run into an acklay? Nasty beasts..."

[Deceit *Drinker of Jawa-Juice*]

( Ooc: Stephen Crane's "War Is Kind". )

Strae turned stood in a way that her body fully faced Sinvrick, but allowed for her eyes to trail off and watch how fast Grizzelda fired. It was quick, no doubt. Her hat was tilted over her head and allowed absolute shadowing of her eyes and face. She then flicked her eyes back to the matter at hand, "Hit by the side of a Acklay leg. Nasty thing. Only a minor concussion. If you have something for hellish headaches, go ahead." She started to walk away, but then turned and said, "But if he dies, you'll follow him." Then she turned around, leaving the treatment up to Sinvrick. Will would be awake soon, and aside from the dizziness he'd be fine.

Walking over to Tal, who had by now stepped away from Zeth, she leaned in and asked quietly, "Anything?"

Tal shook his head, "Nope. These guys are the most interesting things here. What do we do about them?"

"If it were just Grizzelda, we'd be able to split it unevenly in our favor. But since there is more we no longer have the advantage. I say we tell them our fears and see what they think." She replied.

Tal shifted his weight for a moment as he thought about it, "Those two seem tameable. But you know exactly where I stand on Mandalorians."

Strae smiled, "We're not going to kill him."

"Don't expect the same hospitality from him." Tal shot back gruffly, bumping into Strae as he left to go to Will. "But your the damn diplomat here."

Strae turned and looked at him as he left. Her eyes narrowed secretly as she glared at him. She had hoped there was another one of her spies she could have relied on, but he was the only one who knew anything about Felucia. He was the one with the biggest attitude as well. For that act of simple defiance, she was even now considering hanging him in the Shadow Arks wreck-room to set an example. Slowly, she drifted over to the Mandalorian and Grizzelda.

Even now, her right arm was hidden underneath her great robe, holding tightly to her blaster, aimed right at the Mando.

Strae heard what Grizzelda had said about not holstering being a form of cowardice. Assessing her present situation, which was about the same as having a conversation with someone over a tavern table with your weapon secretly drawn underneath it, she decided that either Griz was a fool, or she was playing against the man's ego. Either way, Strae always took precautions.

Strae stood so close to Grizzelda that her wide brimmed hat almost touched Grizzelda. "We should get going as soon as Will is up. Maybe sooner. A cave rumored to have the root is only a half hour from here."

[Kella]

"Thank you, kind Zeth. But tsk, tsk; look, you've gone and scarred the poor tree..." Grizzelda sighed, gazing at the charred leaves. 'Clumsy things, flamethrowers', she muttered under her breath, as if making mental note of something. She'd accomplished her intent; Zeth had holstered his blasters. Males in general, and especially Mandolorians, had the tendency to be egotistical... if one knew how to rub them the wrong way, one usually didn't have to lift a finger. Such was the present case, and Grizzelda was willing to milk it... her mental tone was smug.
In reality, she had nothing against keeping a blaster aimed and ready, though having it holstered usually tended to put the enemy off-guard. Whatever got the job done, be it sniping or subterfuge. Grizzelda adhered to her own code of honor, though it was a smidge... unorthodox.

"Ackley are indeed nasty. Unfortunately, I was denied the pleasure of killing one. Perhaps, if we're lucky, we'll run into another." Grizzelda cocked a half-smile, knowing the others would most likely disagree with the sentiment.
It was then that Strae approached from behind. Grizzelda resisted the urge to turn and look a the woman. She instead focused on her sense of sound, listening to Strae's footsteps. So close was she, Grizzelda could feel the woman's cool breath on the back of her neck. She tried to judge Strae's intent; it wasn't exactly a conversational distance.
Perhaps... there was always the possibility the woman was concealing some weapon. A blaster, or a shock-stick; her cloak would disguise either. That would certainly account for the tingling sensation that ran down Grizzelda's spine once more; for there was another imminent threat. Then again, that could as easily be due to a predator lurking in the shadows as to a blaster on her spine. And even if Strae was hiding a weapon, (which was probable, if not certain) it could quite possibly be aimed at one of the Mandolorians, who were the more obvious threat at the moment. Not that the obvious was necessarily the most dangerous...
"The cave would definitely be a good place to head to'ward." She was naturally distrusting of rumors, but a surprising number were true. If one was careful, and knew one's sources... well, rumors could take one a long way. Those rumors which pointed to the cave, and the vague directions from the Hutt, came together into a well-enough picture.
"Even if the root isn't there, we'll at least have a place out-of-forest to use as Shelter, at least until we can choose a better place to search. And we'll be out of the forest; As evidenced by our friend the Ackley, Big Predators have this nasty habit of being nocturnal."
Grizzelda made no move to slip away from Strae. She did not even turn as she addressed the others, she simply raised her voice.
"I'm leaving for the caves in thirty-five minutes, exactly. Best be ready by then, or I'll be regrettably alone."
Grizzelda then proceeded to remove her blaster from its holster. She then proceeded to extract a black cloth from a pocket, its velvet folds oddly catching the Felucian light. The different components of the blaster separated under her expert hand, clicking gently. Grizzelda then began to clean her blaster, expression benign. Precice and controlled, her cloth slipped over the deep ebony and shimmering chrome which comprised her weapon.
For one who carried only a blaster, such a move would have been one of trust, seeing as a dismantled blaster didn't exactly operate. However, Grizzelda remained confident in each of her five daggers; she was almost as accurate with them as she was with her blaster. Each was also equipped with a vibrator, just in case she was pressed by more... stubborn things.
She would pay close attention to how the other reacted... cleaning one's weapon sometimes served to diffuse tension. She also made to test their observational skills; few noticed her daggers before they were flying through the air toward their intended target.

[Deceit *Drinker of Jawa-Juice*]

Strae cocked her head, liking Grizzelda's proactive approach and odd mannerisms. It reminded herself of...herself. The thought was disturbing. Strae then gave a sort of shrug and walked over to find a good old spot on the ground. She sat down after thoroughly making sure that nothing dangerous was near it, and that if anything jumped out of the forest, she was far enough away for herself to get out of danger in time. She propped her body against a small, lone trunk of a tree, and propper her feet up on a bulging root next to it.

Slowly, she tipped her hat down over her head and went to rest. Her hand reached up and started to scratch her head, but on the way down it grazed her ear, where she had a small device implanted that amplified hearing by picking up trace sounds and playing them quietly into the ear, so from this position she'd be able to hear all conversations.

She also heard the soft clanking of sheaths coming from Grizzelda, and became acutely aware of back-up weapons.

[Mr.Bøbert]

While the water filter cleaned out the water, Zeth cautiously sat down on a large rock, and took out a small fuel canister, and poured a few drops back into his flamethrower's fuel tank. The flamethrower was very fuel-efficient, and combined with this special fuel he had purchased from a black market dealer, just a few drops could keep it going for nearly almost two minutes. He put the fuel canister back, and the water filter let out a beep, signaling that it had filled itself with as much water as it could hold, and had cleaned and sanitized it. He reached over, pulled it out of the water, and then put it back in his storage area in his backpack jetpack. He was thirsty, but he wouldn't take his helmet off until either nobody was around, or he got to trust these people better.

Zeth reclined against a tree near his rock-chair, and noticed that the woman with a large hat scratched her head as she sat against a tree. Such a move was subtle, but to him, it meant she now probably heard every little sound. Zeth decided to play a little trick, but also see if she was indeed hearing everything. He turned his helmet's sound output down, quiet enough that a human standing a foot away wouldn't hear, but perhaps a sound amplifier could. "Be ready to bombard this position from orbit," he said. "I'll be out in thirty seconds." This might not be the best way to gain her trust, but perhaps a joke would lighten the mood some. He sure hoped it didn't backfire.

[Sinvrick]

"Hit by the side of a Acklay leg. Nasty thing. Only a minor concussion. If you have something for hellish headaches, go ahead." Strae responded. "But if he dies, you'll follow him." She finished attempting unsuccessfully to threaten Sinvrick. He was use to death threats on an hourly basis on the slaver ship, to him they were compliments almost.

"Don't worry, he will be fine, I have just the thing," Sinvrick responded, yet Strae had already walked over to the others. Sinvrick reached into the jet packs storage compartment, and pulled a vile out. Painkillers, strong ones too. He lifted the unconscious man's head and opened his mouth, he then placed the a pill from the vile in the mans mouth who then bit down on it. Sinvrick looked at the wound, it seemed to be slightly minor, more like just a nasty scrape. The pain killers would help with that as well.

Sinvrick propped up and took his helmet off. He placed it down by his feet and pulled a canteen out of his pack and drank some water, listening to the others continue to be un easy around each other.

Sinvrick looked over as the Mandalorian, that snook up on him earlier, fetched some water for him self. Sinvrick's had it in his mind that befriending this Mando could possibly benefit him. The Mando was fiddling with his helmet while Sinvirck briskly walked over. He was standing near him as he looked back to see what the others were doing.

Strae was sitting listening to everything that was going on, and Gizzelda was unsheathing some blades, didn't take a Jedi or saith to notice that. Sinvrick then knelt down in order to fetch some more water for himself. "Listen, I can't say much now, with un wanted ears listening in, but I know you probably don't want to through yourself in with those lot. You probably don't want to through yourself in with me either, yet, a partner ship could be beneficial in these types of situations I find, talk to me later if your interested," Sinvrick whispered facing his back to the others as to not allow any lip reading either.

Sinvrick then stood up still facing the same situation, and whispered again, "Think about it." He then closed off his canteen and walked over to the closest tree and sat and waited for the group to finally leave and stop making ourselves a presentable target.

[Kella]

((Actually, Grizzelda's daggers are still quite entirely hidden. She's even got special hilts, so they don't bulge as much. I'm thinking Strae could hear them rustling, but unless Sinvrick's going to study Grizzelda's anatomy, he probably wouldn't notice them. She's going to keep them hidden as long as possible. ))


Grizzelda listened, catching every other word of Sinvrick's statements to Zeth. Surreptitiously, she studied Sinvrick's face for a moment. Mandos usually didn't leave their helmets off for long. After making sure she hadn't seen him before, Grizzelda filed the face away. She'd know Sinvrick if he ever turned up again; however far in the future. Grizzelda had a thing for remembering faces.
Satisfied, she returned to reassembling her blaster, each component clicking happily into place. Insects trilled nearby in the forest, buzzing low like a lightsaber's humm. A low bellow rang far off in the distance, a herding call of some sort or other.
A gentle breeze blew across the small clearing, bringing with it the sickly sweet scent of jungle flowers, along with the sharp twang of rotting flesh. Probably some animal, long dead. A few wispy clouds trudged overhead, trying but failing to obscure the night sky. The stars twinkled incessantly, waves distorted by the thick and steamy atmosphere of Felucia.
To pass the time, Grizzelda again disassembled her blaster, then again put it back together. She would tweak this, tighten that more, loosen this bit. The process calmed her mind, let her think. She repeated the process over and over, sinking into an almost trance-like state. But it was in this state that her awareness spread, that it pushed far beyond the limits of where it should.
She didn't know for certain, but she could guess; it was a bit like the meditation the Jedi so religiously practiced. She could see why; when one's mind was clear and body at peace, much more made itself apparent.
Somehow, Grizzelda's innate sense of time kicked in again, and she glanced at the time-piece on her wrist. Thirty-five minutes had come and gone.

"Let's get going, or 'Until Next time', whichever applies." Grizzelda called, standing. She made her way over to the river and began to walk down its length, boots squeltching in the soft, muddy bank. She was looking for a place where the low light glinted off the river differently... where it was shallower; a place to ford. She could swim across, but doing so would take far too much time; she did not want to be soaked to the bone on this planet.
Ah! That'll do. Ten yards upstream, a huge, flat boulder extended halfway into the river, slowing the flow and providing a shallow spot. However, it extended from the opposite side... and that's when Grizzelda noticed the tree overhead, thick branches extending over the rushing water. A plan fell together in her head, as she walked upstream...

[Sinvrick]

OOC: Okay just two things I would like to point out
First: Sinvrick Isn't a Mando he is a human
Secondly: Sinvrick is whispering, unless you have like dog like hearing it would be pretty hard to hear him.

Everything I have just typed is not meant to be said in hateful words, just pointing out that is all.

[Kella]

((ooc: Of course! ;D By bad. At one point, I thought I heard mention of him as a Mando, threw me off with Zeth 'round too. X) I'll keep that in mind. (Might even compel me to go fix that in my last post. ) Grizzelda would probably only be able to tell he was whispering, you know how the 's's and the higher notes tend to carry? We'll probably just say she knew something was said, seeing as even above she didn't really glean much from that particular bout of eaves-dropping. X) Much thanks for the correction, don't hesitate to let me know if I goof anything else. ))

[Deceit *Drinker of Jawa-Juice*]

Strae didn’t move. She heard, very well, what Zeth had said. Though she had at first took no action, her mind raced to a million different possibilities. After a moment she lifted her hand to a communication piece, tilted her hat so that nobody could see her lips move ( All in a movement to make it look as though she was just shifting in her rest. )

“Strae to Shadow Ark…I need a confirmation. Mando just said he was going to bomb us, are there any ships preparing for bombardment?”

There was a moment of silence as the Shadow Ark, close enough to monitor the space around Felucia, scanned for other ships. “There are no ships preparing to bomb Felucia.”

Strae mumbled something before shifting one more time, “Tag me and inform me on anything.”

Finally, she heard Sinvrick and Zeth. After a while, Grizzelda got up. It had been about thirty minutes already. Will was starting to get up. Strae stood and said, "Well," Looking directly at Zeth, making it obviously that she had heard him, and was even now questioning his motives, "I think its about time we all got moving to the cave as well." With that in mind, she walked up and her and Tal started to lift Will.

As they lifted him Will whispered, "I can move fine."

Strae tilted her hat back so that her face wasn't shadowed, "No you can't." She winked.

[Kella]

Grizzelda heard the others begin to follow behind; just as she had expected. She still wasn't sure whether she'd help them or not. Depended on whether or no they were against getting their feet wet. Either way, she would be more productive from the other side, and so she set her mind to accomplishing that fact.

Grizzelda moved until she was under the tree branch, gazing up at its moss-laden bough. It ran perpendicular to the path of the stream, then split off; a right angle forming between the two branches. She'd hit the far rock from an angle... but that would do.
Grizzelda flexed her legs, and in one quick motion, flung herself up into the air. She grasped one fork of the branch with her hands, fingerless gloves slick against the moss. The muscles of her arms and chest strained as she suspended herself from bent elbows. She swung back, then forward, then back again, forward once more and...
Grizzelda let go, her trajectory taking her right toward the outstretched point of the wide, flat boulder. Her feet hit its surface, and just as she expected, began to slide, hydroplaning on the rushing water. Grizzelda bent her knees smoothly to absorb the impact, holding her legs steady as she skidded across the rock. She came to a halt near its center, now facing the direction she'd come from, bent in a stable crouch. Smiling, she stood, fingers of river water licking and hissing around her boots. Grizzelda brushed her hands off, noting she was in only two inches of water.
"That was fun," she said, expression relaxed. Three strides brought her the rest of the way across the rock, and onto the springy moss ground of the other side. Grizzelda steered clear of an acid-violet plant which oozed a putrid-smelling puss.
"Yuck." Her voice was flat. She turned back to gaze across the river, watching the others.
"You comin' or not, slowpokes?"

[Deceit *Drinker of Jawa-Juice*]

Tal frowned, then pulled off his back-pack. Rummaging through, he found a long coil of rope with a grappling hook attached. "Standard gear for anything..." He murmured. "Never go anywhere without it." Jumping onto a small rock outcropping, he started swinging the rope, throwing it out expertly to hook on a large tree sized flower. It was bulbous, but strong enough in the stalk to support his weight, he knew. As the hooks pierced, he saw a green pus like substance oozing out. Cringing for a moment, he held the rope out for Strae.

She walked onto the rock lazily, slowly groping the rope until her grip was tight. She held the rope with one arm, and held her hat tightly with the other, swinging across the river in one smooth motion. As she hit the other shore, dropping into a crouch to absorb the shock, she grinned, swinging the rope back, "Hold on as tight as possible Will."

Will did, but it seemed like a weak and frail grip. He got safely on the other side, but then fell flat on his chest as he fell down, still a bit disoriented, or so it would seem. Strae frowned and helped him up, swinging the rope across. Tal's ride was done in an instant, professionally swinging across. He looked back to Zeth and Sinvrick, offering the rope swing to them, "If you want?" He asked.

[Sinvrick]

The others were on the move at long last this quest could be underway once again. They swung across the river. The one known as Tal offered the rope to Sinvrick and the others on the other side of the river. He checked his fuel for his jet pack. It was getting low as well he might need what's left later on. "Through the rope back then," He shouted.

Going over his plan in his head, looking over at Zeth, wondering what his decision would be Sinvrick hoped that he would take his side on this whole scheme of his. If not there where other interesting individuals here as well. One of which that had just put on a little display of aim and athletic ability, maybe Grizzelda could be an interesting accomplice instead. He simple shrugged it off, and waited for the rope to be swung back. Then it was, and Sinvrick grasped it tightly, pressing off with his feet. Swinging to the other side. Landing with a loud thud due to his armors weight.

"Well then, my computer tells me that we are about a half an hours walk from the cave, I'll take point," Sinvrick spoke, with out waiting for any response. He didn't leave yet however he just walked to the edge of the thick plant life waiting for the others to follow.

[Deceit *Drinker of Jawa-Juice*]

Tal and Will started to follow ( With Tal helping Will ) but Strae stayed back a moment longer. She looked at Grizzelda, "You know it is very rare that I meet a person like you..." She said, her voice obviously elated. She continued but in a lower tone so others couldn't hear, "It would be a shame if things turned up bad once we found the root. It would be even worse if you were to...Get injured. I wouldn't like that. With the right insurances, I might even go to lengths to make sure it didn't happen. Of course, I've always been one to never establish give and never take relations with people..." She let her voice drift off, then said, "Think about it." She tipped her hat forward and walked off.

[Mr.Bøbert]

Zeth, ignoring the rope, stepped into the water, and found it was only about waist-deep. For now. He trudged forward, his air-tight suit keeping him nice and dry. But then his foot suddenly had nowhere to go. It fell, with the rest of him following it, about four meters underwater. He cursed, then looked around. A few bizarre-looking fish swam by, all three of them with nasty-looking teeth. He decided it would be best to get out before they began to look at him as if he were food, and began climbing up the underwater cliff on the other side of the river.

He reached the top, then climbed up onto a rocky shore, and stood up. Clearing his throat, he pretended as if his moment of clumsiness had never happened, and began to walk forward, catching up with the one with the large hat, who's name he had not caught. Not bothering to hold back his laughter, he said to her, "You've got quite a sound-amplifier there. So, then... Who are you, and who do you work for?"

[Kella]

As Grizzelda began to follow Sinvrick, Strae caught up with her. After the exchange-- well, it couldn't really be called that, for it was pretty much one-sided, Grizzelda found herself with a skeptical expression.
She wants something. People don't talk like that, unless they want something... wonder what, though...
Grizzelda's thoughts soon trailed off as she dedicated her conscious mind to navigating the dense growth of Felucia. She was silently thankful she'd opted to leave most of her weapons back on the Slipstream. A heavy blaster would not have been fun to carry around. The same applied to her usual plethora of exotic weapons and items... she silently regretted the leaving behind of her Verpine Shatter Gun, but its delicate machinery never would have lasted long in Felucia's harsh environment. Her simple blaster had been the right choice. She, of course, also had her blades; but they'd yet to be commented upon. Grizzelda doubted anyone in their right mind would mention the weapons, even if they had noticed. It was usually best to make others think one knew less than one did... at least, that's the philosophy Grizzelda operated by.
It was not long before Grizzelda began to feel the strain creep up the backs of her legs and the muscles between her shoulder-blades. She was doing a lot of lifting herself, a lot of slowly lowering... and it was starting to take its toll. However, Grizzelda wasn't worried in the least. In fact, she would be able to go strong for at least another hour, though that wasn't necessary.
The cave with the root was quickly approaching... Grizzelda glanced up at the sky; she noticed a light blush begining to form over the tops of the trees; the sky was a gentle shade lighter. Sunrise was coming. She figured they'd reach the cave right about the same time Felucia's sun showed its face. From darkness to darkness, one nighttime to another.
Grizzelda drove herself forward, ever onward, letting not a hint of fatigue escape into her mannerisms.
With any luck, this'll be a quick mission. ... Yeah right, Grizz, since when did you have good luck...

[Deceit *Drinker of Jawa-Juice*]

"Thanks. You could have died you know." Strae replied, "Or does that just make the game more amusing?" She kept walking at a steady pace, the whole convoy moving quick-enough toward the goal, especially with careful Tal at the front of the pack, ever the one to move quickly but around danger. "Of course, my name is Strae Arhst, and I work for nobody. In fact, I hardly work at all. You?"

She kept moving, letting her hat shade her; even though she was ridiculously hot in her outfit, she didn't show a wink of it. Decorum was above comfortableness. Without it, you could reveal things that should not be revealed; and anyone who dealt in the information business had to be careful not to do that. It is why she always dealt with clients personally. As she heard Tal ahead of them shout that they were only a minute from the cave, she smiled under the shadow of her hat.