Symphony of Destruction

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

((I think I've ignored poor Rem here for far too long....he's mad at me now you see, so this post might not be the best one ever. <_< sorry?))

Remiel had simply nodded to Ocelot and followed him out toward the galley. Even as the captain had called them all there he gazed at the man and shook his head chuckling slightly.

You know, Ocelot, you could have asked me if they were scattered about. Most of them...no...all but one...are already in the galley.

Yes, he'd still been keeping track of the crew through the force, especially the gen'dai. He didn't trust that man...he didn't want to judge him yet, but he didn't trust him. Gen'dai...especially bounty hunters...tended to be a bad omen for jedi, like a curse that wasn't easily negated and gotten rid of. This wasn't to say, however, that all gen'dai were bad. He'd met two others in his life, both had been relatively calm and non-combative toward him, relatively, but one couldn't judge an entire race on two people. Either way, he had been meditating on the situation and he felt that he had a relatively good grip on how to combat the behemoth that was now with them if he should feel the need to go down that road.

Remiel certainly hoped he didn't feel the need.

Even as the two men reached the galley, so did the gen'dai, and the blond man had to tamp down on his emotions, a few threads of yellow appearing across his deep blue eyes. Luckily there wasn't really enough yellow there to notice. Probing outward, his senses ran into a veritable wall of emotions and thoughts, he blinked slightly at the sheer confusion of them all. Even after so many years as a jedi it was sometimes a wonder to him just how easily emotions mixed and twisted to form a confusing net that his mind might get trapped into trying to unravel. Sighing, he let the thought go and simply searched the 'wall' he'd run smack into. He chuckled slightly at the single word that came to his mind.

Angst.

A small smile crept across his face at the thought and he shook his head, closing his eyes and lowering his head slightly to try and hide some of his green eyed amusement. Another breath and he had a hold of himself again, though the blue of his eyes was now highly mixed with a deep green. That green soon faded.

There was, of course, still a deep resounding of mistrust throughout the crew, it was all but a garish neon sign through the force, but below that…

He brought all the emotions in, testing them, pulling them apart like one would a particularly interesting puzzle. Hints of lust, embarrassment, nervousness, interest, sarcasm (well it was good to see someone had some humor around here), sadness, a mild tinge of confusion, a healthy dose of curiosity, and fear. Ah yes, he could attach the fear to several people easily…and the antagonists of this fear. One was Lanara. Not only could he feel it rolling from her, but he could see traces of it in her eyes…no doubt it was the gen’dai, those emotions from her seemed to cling to him the most. Then there was Melody.

He sighed heavily through his nose at that.

Yes, that fear was attached to him…and he’d have to try and remedy it soon, for her sake and his. It was bad enough that he felt guilty for everything he’d done in the past, but to add her fear of him to it was painful to the man. He hadn’t wished to frighten her in the first place, and once he’d learned of her fear he’d attempted to keep from her sights so that she might be more at ease, but it couldn’t be that way forever. If they were to work as a crew, she needed to be able to trust that he wasn’t going to hurt her if he could help it. Shaking his head again, Rem leaned casually back against one of the bulkheads, arms folding across his chest. Right about now he was really wishing he could just go into the hold, lock it off, and practice with his saber, if only to lose himself in the calming motions of the forms. Maybe in that way he could ease a little of his own angst.

Despite his appearance of supposed nonchalance and vague apathy toward what Ocelot said, the rilan had taken in every word. So, they were going after a Hutt’s treasure? He wondered just what that might be…more slaves perhaps? More little girls? Blue eyes narrowed slightly at the fact that Ocelot hadn’t deigned to tell them just what their quarry was. First, how were they supposed to steal something if they didn’t know what it was they were after? Second, Rem didn’t like surprises. He doubted any jedi, or force user of any kind, did like surprises…at the worst surprises meant dead people or dead jedi, at the best the meant a whole mess of trouble…neither of which appealed to him in the slightest. Ocelot, however, vanished before he got the chance to question the captain. Huffing, Remiel glared slightly before standing straight again.

It would have been nice to know what our quarry is. I just hope this time it doesn’t involve little slave girls. I’m glad we could help them, but KNOWING we were helping them would have been better than going into it blindly…not knowing much about our target seems to be a growing trend with this man.

It was a surprisingly acerbic statement coming from Remiel, but it was how he felt. The undertone of his words was one of pain, almost guilt, and there was no hiding the fact that he wasn’t at all liking being left in the dark about what their target was after the last mission. With that he headed toward the landing ramp to wait.

He would be there, settled casually against the bulkhead, long before Ocelot arrived.

[Squee]

“Oh, sure, not a contract but it’s a giant crime slug. No surprises from any contracts but there are bound to by ugly things whenever something or someone does things with or around a Hutt. Bad things.” Melody would know. She’d almost gotten herself killed doing a job for a Hutt. Well, arrested or killed. Would’ve depended on how good the bounty hunter guy was at avoiding arrest. And then the arrests would’ve depended on Melody getting caught, which she hadn’t. She was very sure though that, if the Republic guard dogs had caught her on that run, the hunter would’ve turned around and blasted her brains across the console.

All very well that she hadn’t allowed herself to be captured then. And because she hadn’t, she was alive, half well, without a job of her own, no ship of her own, and stuck around people ranging from loners to freaks of nature. At least her brains weren’t spattered quite yet. At the moment, she was currently wondering with the giant person in the corner, the complete anti-social of the group, was going to just grab her head and crush her.

One day she would have her ship back. Or she’ll have a different ship. And she can do all her runs for the more… honest criminals of the galaxy. Not a Hutt. The slime balls didn’t deserve the money they had, the bounty hunters they could hire, or the several pretty women they kept their chubby, sickly colored hands on. On Tatooine, a vital Hutt world, things were more disgusting. Slaves and criminals of all kind, many belonging to a slime ball in some way or another, through money or force. Melody didn’t envy those people. Quite frankly, the money wasn’t worth doing a job for a Hutt. Transportation price was correct; it was the trouble that should cost extra. And Hutts didn’t like paying for the trouble. It was “you’re problem, brought the trouble on yourself”. Well don’t sell out that your name is on the goods being transported on her ship, pha! That was an almost angry gulp of juice there.

“Wait, wha?” Melody looked up at Lanara as the brunette spoke of something. “Oi! The people who ever promoted me the… the… Chancellor of Adding Words to the Dictionary told me wrong that I was the only one! Unless you have some kind of badge, ya know?” Melody wiggled an eyebrow at Lanara and broke out into a grin. “Enragify… Just sounds silly. Well, heptoomanygohineygoshucksteboomtelasayyoohoo sounds much sillier, I suppose.”

And then Melody sighed, her bright and smiling face losing its happy glow. “I don’t like the idea of dealing with Hutts. Or even around Hutts, it sounds like it happening. I don’t like them. I assume everyone here has a reason to hate Hutts.” She paused again, looking down at the swirl in her juice as she twisted the cup. “Just hope everyone understands that if the ship gets torn to bits, like my darling was a couple of years ago, that it’s coming out of everyone’s paychecks to repair her. That’s assuming that we may escape what’s trying to kill us. Alive, that is, with throats and breath still inside our bodies. Dying a slow death in the cold vacuum of space or flailing around as an explosion goes off are not my ideal thoughts on how to die.”

There was another pause as Melody drained the last bit from her glass. She stared at the bottom, at that very thin line of liquid that would never make it to her mouth. Blue eyes snapped back up at Lanara. “Wonder what the goods are though. I know Hutts can have… extremely good cargo, with… stuff people will pay the thousands to have their hands on it. Legal, illegal, mostly illegal, but some of the best cargo, though. If we can get it away from him without the worm knowing much, with the fine quality goods, it’ll be worth it. Or so I like to believe.”

Melody stood, walking around to take care of her glass. “Landing soon, so he said. See you out there, Lanara and… er… everyone else.”

And the blonde haired woman half walked and half slid out of the galley and followed back to her room. From there she scooped up her blasters, securing them in holsters and making sure they fitted snugly directly on the outside of her thighs. Melody switched out her tank top, tucking that in, and rolled up the sleeves higher on her trench coat, just so the sleeves ended about mid forearm. Datapad and a couple of other choice things went into pockets and belt slots and then she reclined and thought to herself for the remainder of the time. It hadn’t been but a few minutes before she felt the familiar lurch of the ship landing. Melody patted the ship’s interior. “Good girl,” she whispered to the ship. Melody stood from her seat and slipped to the ramp of the ship, stalking down it, blinking against the sharp glare of the two suns.

“Hot, as always. Ugly, ugly planet.”

[Necro Stormborn]

Jorgun's head moved to the side as Ocelot spoke. he was carefully watching the jedi. She had, as well as the android, been an interest to him. He'd killed many, hunted down and dragged back many in his past. He was glad he didn't have to do that now. In fact, he was glad that being a Hired killer was something of the past. His skills were still sharp as ever, for he never dulled. He trained constantly, and as always venturing for something that would seriously challenge him.

That was his reasoning for staying aboard Ocelot's ship. The man he'd once worked with, as a partner was still as inviting as always. Though Jorgun was seriously curious, had Ocelot really gone from being a sharp blade to a knife only suitable to cut butter? He certainly hoped not. Regardless, Jorgun would help Ocelot do what ever he needed to do, and minimize casualties when possible. He realized that some of the people in the room, when looking at him or facing him had their heart rates raised well beyond the point of normalcy. He could understand it. He was very intimidating... and if they had even a remote idea to who he was or is past.... he wouldn't blame them for shying away or trying to put space between the two of them. He would displace any shirkings the crew did towards him. When the time came they would come to realize he's not here for them.... he's not here for work. In fact, he's not even working anymore.... bounties are something he did for 600 years.. until something very big and peculiar comes along. he was retired for all intents and purposes.

His hand ventured towards the wall... clinging his fingers together in the form of a palm as Ocelot mentioned his name. He looked away from the jedi and back to him. He'd asked if he was going to assist them or not. He didn't need to ask. Jorgun had made up his mind by following ocelot onto the ship that he would help his friend do the runs he needed to do so he could get out of this business.

Ocelot finished up and mentioned the location and next job, and jorgun already knew his purpose. The slugs would not like seeing him one bit.. especially on the opposition. They would not like seeing their prized killer as a possible enemy... his very presence could set them into a threatening position. Jorgun realized he may have to stand back on this one.... then again, he could give ocelot the leverage he needed should things come to a negotiation. He nodded slowly as everyone left. He also noted two crew members, whom he'd witness raised heart rates walk out of the room eyeing him suspiciously

He shrugged it off, and having his equipment already on him, he simply waited a few minutes for the room to clear out then headed towards the landing ramp. He felt the ship slowly descending and growing closer to the ground before touching down.

The eyes behind that helmet of his slowly closed, then opened to view the hallway... as he stepped towards the group already growing in that area. He spotted the jedi and Ocelot again. He walked up to him and made a "hmph" sound... that was his way of letting someone know he was smiling. The ship rattled a bit, but he seemed undisturbed by it. he nodded to the jedi then looked straight at ocelot, ignoring everyone else.

"Whatever it is your planning, I have your back. I'll make sure the rookies don't die too quickly. You just be careful here...things have changed."

Jorgun crossed his arms and walked down the ramp slowly, behind melody watching her walk into the sun... and stepped down beside her. He stared off into the sand, then into the streets of the cesspool they had wandered into.

[Jace]

(Sorry it took so long everyone >.<)

Met by a wave of heat and dust, Ocelot was suddenly reminded why he didn't come here often. It was still better than Balosar, that was for damn sure. Melody and Jorgun had already exited the ship, they were probably thinking much of the same. Ocelot was glad that Jorgun had decided to stick around. He had more experience then most of crew combined, not to mention he was next to invincible. The wily captain checked his pistol once more before venturing off into the streets.

The first order of business was to meet with his local contact, get the necessary gear and information. He had been a little sparse with the crew about the details of the job. He didn't even mention what they were stealing, he wanted confirmation first. Just like Balosar, people barely gave them any notice. They were just another group of smugglers in the ocean that was Tatooine.

Ocelot was sweating by the time they reached the meeting point. It was just another run down hut, albeit a vacated one. A man sat there, blaster pointed straight at Ocelot's face. He lowered his blaster slowly, then stepped forward and then extended his hand. Ocelot shook the man's hand and he ushered the rest of them in. He waited until everyone was inside, making sure all the exits were clear before finally speaking.

"Everything has been confirmed, the presence of medical supplies has been verified. Greegar has been stealing them from relief organizations and such. You could grab yourself a good deal of credits if you brought them to the right people in the Rim.

This ain't gonna be no easy job Ocelot. The only way to get into that place is with a security card that Greegar's 2nd has on him at all times. The warehouse is also heavily guarded, so even if you have the key it ain't gonna be no cakewalk.

All the necessary info is on the datapad, and all the equipment you requested is here. All I can say is that at the end of this, Greegar better not know it was you who stole his stuff."

It had taken only minutes, and just like that the man left and the crew remained in the room. Even if this mission went off without a hitch, it would be just as hard as their previous mission gone wrong. Now if this mission went wrong, well Ocelot would rather not think about that. Now it was time for some planning, the first order of business was to get that card.

Though his old friend hadn't said it, even once they had the card it was going to be a very truncated timetable. It would only be a matter of time until they realized the card was gone. Which meant they needed to steal the card, then get into the warehouse, and get out with the goods before Greegar realized the card was missing. There was one way to easily get into a Hutt's lair without arising suspicion. Ocelot walked over to the corner of the room, picked up an article of clothing and then held it up for everyone to see.

"So Melody, how bout it?" He asked as he held the skimpy dress up for everyone to see.

"Alright, its time to do a little reconnaissance. Arc, Jorgun, and Axle are going to check out the warehouse with me. Melody,Rem, Sylbia, and Lanara are going to pay a visit to Greegar's lair. We meet back here in three hours"

He nodded to the three that were going with him and made his way out the door. Ocelot needed to see the place he was stealing from with his own eyes. He wasn't about to run into any unwelcome surprises such as turret emplacements or a squad of Mandalorian mercenaries.

[Latus]

Something was amiss. The feeling ate at Axle as he exited engineering and turned in the direction of the egress ramp. Pining, he spun his arm around his body fastening his belt, laden with tools of all sizes, around his midsection. Belt accounted for he pulled on a shirt; white, linen. It was constructed in the same manner as his others but meant for the heat. Something in his gut told him that he would have need of its velcro flaps. The ship was unusually quiet as he reached the living area, the other crew members undoubtedly preparing themselves for the mission ahead. The moment the exterior door opened the Axle knew he didn't want to be outside for long, especially when it came to flying. The heat mixed with the dust and glaring suns was a potent recipe for heat exhaustion, not to mention the larger exposed area that his wings represented. It looked down right hopeless. Cursing under his breath he moved down to join his Captain and others of the crew. Faking a smile he flashed Ocelot a thumbs up, trying to catch his breath in the scorching heat. That and get his thoughts off the feeling of foreboding.

Whew! Out of the frying pan and into a bigger frying pan. Captain, I'd like to suggest a hotel for our next job. Something with a buffet and air conditioning.

His feelings of paranoia were certainly getting the better of him despite the income he stood to make on this little job. The Gen'dai was still there, apparently named Jorgun. Thought it was hard to make it as inconspicuous Axle refused to go near the beast. Ocelot obviously trusted the thing but that gave the jumpy young man little consolation. Keeping one eye trained on the Jorgun, Axle found a comfortable piece of hull to lean against until the rest of the crew made their appearance.

Several minutes and an unnecessary amount inhaled dust later they were finally moving. Each of them looked ready to do what needed to be done, some of them in ways that Axle only saw hints of. It was an odd feeling when the young man realized that he also was ready for a fight. Now that was something; the concept of belonging had never occured to Axle. His wings twitched in both anticipation and contentment as they trudged through the blowing sand. As they passed low built huts and he saw the inhabitants of the small planet, Axle wondered how anyone could live in such a place.

Ocelot paused outside of one of the brick huts and the group of them followed his example. It was small, run down, a looked to be abandoned. Much to Axle's surprise the door was opened with a thrust and they hustled in, such a large group making the small place feel even smaller. The man before them, the same one that let them in, was almost unidentifiable to Axle. He wore concealing clothing that masked his face. His voice had little distinguishing characteristics other than he was indeed male. He spoke quickly, right to the point about everything he knew about the job; Axle was nearly sure that this man was an old contact of Ocelots. Probably received something the past that needed paying off. As he finished, the group turned their attention to Ocelot who, after thrusting a piece of skimpy clothing at Melody, addressed them all.

Axle had settled himself against a back wall, trying to keep his hydro-spanners from jabbing him in the ribs, as Ocelot spoke. Though he would much rather it not be with the Gen'Dai, Axle begrudgingly nodded when Ocelot assigned him to reconnaissance. The winged youth nodded at this, at least he would not want for company; good or bad. Looking around the room his eyes crossed Rem, Sylbia, Melody, Arc, and Lanara. They all had the same look about them, a mixture of confidence and nerve. They all knew what had to be done, as did Axle. Slipping behind his Captain, Axle stepped out of the door and back into the sweltering heat of the Tattooine suns.

A warehouse... fantastic. Lets go see if anyone's home.

[Grawn]

Tatooine was a hellish planet in the terms of heat. Arc had decided to ditch the duster this mission, leaving only his muscle shirt to cover his chest but allowed his flesh to breathe as he stepped out into the warmth of the twin suns blazing overhead. His crimson shades on, he looked about the area outside of the ship but caught nothing that needed his attention or seemed dangerous.

Pistols in their holsters on his belt and ammo in various places on his person, he was ready for combat. A last minute addition to his weaponry was a knife concealed in his boot. If something needed killed silently, Arc thought the knife would serve that purpose well. The muscle shirt didnt hold much protection in terms of blaster weaponery, so if he was hit, it would hurt. Like hell. But then again, the bounty hunter didnt wear much in protection in the first place, more relying on quick wit and body to move out of danger.

The meeting with Ocelot's informat had gone without a hitch, the man spoke quickly and without pause and had disappeared rather quickly as well...Arc didnt care for this. He hoped Ocelot trusted this man because a double cross situation was something he would like to partake in. Those were the annoying ones, when you quickly realize that anyone could be bought for a price and that trust wasnt a easy gain anymore.

The man's words echoed in his head as Arc analyzed them through his mind slowly.

"Everything has been confirmed, the presence of medical supplies has been verified. Greegar has been stealing them from relief organizations and such. You could grab yourself a good deal of credits if you brought them to the right people in the Rim.

This ain't gonna be no easy job Ocelot. The only way to get into that place is with a security card that Greegar's 2nd has on him at all times. The warehouse is also heavily guarded, so even if you have the key it ain't gonna be no cakewalk.

All the necessary info is on the datapad, and all the equipment you requested is here. All I can say is that at the end of this, Greegar better not know it was you who stole his stuff."

The card was on a second in command...well that was bothersome. And of course the warehouse would be guarded, Hutts werent usually known for stupidity when it came to their inventory. Arc would go with the flow for now he supposed.

He hadnt really payed attention to anything after the informat had left until Ocelot started up again. His arms crossed, he watched the boss hold up a rather skimpy dress you would see on a dancer at a cantina and apparently the intent was for Melody to wear it. Not something the bounty hunter wouldnt mind seeing but whatever Ocelot's plan was...it had best not put the girl in danger.

At this point, Arc had mended himself emotionally. It was to far in the game to start "feeling" now. However, the girl reminded him far to much of Michelle and in honor of her memory, he would at least watch out for her.

Well...thats what he told himself anyways.

"Alright, its time to do a little reconnaissance. Arc, Jorgun, and Axle are going to check out the warehouse with me. Melody,Rem, Sylbia, and Lanara are going to pay a visit to Greegar's lair. We meet back here in three hours"

So he was being used this mission! Thats good, he would certainly need to have a word with the boss if he wasnt. Behind his wired framed circular shades his eyes shifted to Jorgun. He had learned about the Gen'dai quite a bit from the Hunter's Net, he was no rookie so Arc had little concern for his safety in anything. Axle was a bit of a void because Arc had taken little time learning about that one and Ocelot was Ocelot so the crew that would "check out" the warehouse was solid.

Now he just had to wait for the fun part.

[Squee]

For the few minutes Melody had been standing at the bottom of the ramp, in the bloody, twin-sun blazing down, heat, waiting for the other to get there, she was regretting being one of the first people out. Seriously, people, could you not gather your things quickly? Well, maybe some of them had issues and liked to say good-bye to all the stuff they left behind every time they walked off the ship. Melody smiled to herself as her mind came to this outlandish conclusion. Hey, from the kind of stuff she had seen, such a conclusion wouldn’t be too far behind.

And that’s when her galumphing mind decided to place itself back in reality. She had heard Jorgun call everyone else rookies. Stupid bounty hunters. Thought there was all there was needed to know. She didn’t give a damn if the bounty hunter was a Gen’Dai of however many frackin’ years of age. Her thumbs hooked into the waistline of her trousers, the blonde tossed her head back, twisting the upper body too look at the Gen’Dai. “Rookie? Look, we can’t be all as old and weathered and aged and grouchyfolks like you. I think that’s a lot to be calling some of us rookies. I don’t shoot one hundred percent correctly, but I don’t practice on moving, breathing targets, got it? If it’s security and smuggling, I’ve been doing that since I was five. I know it upside down and backwards. And if nobody has caught me yet, I think I do my job rather well. Rookie? I think not. And, yes, I’m sassing you and know I am, and I think you’re just going to have to live with it.” “Not to mention that being a woman can get you outta some pretty rough spots as well.” But she had thought of that after sassin’ Jorgun. At the end of that last sentence, she had turned back around and walked a little ways from the ship, somewhat into the streets and watched as different criminals bypassed her.

When the crew finally emerged and Ocelot began to walk through the streets, Melody found her place behind the captain, falling alongside the funny, red-eyed Arc; whose face had, earlier, also brightened up a shade of red. Melody smirked to herself, but forced herself to drop it. It looked funny every time she made a face to her own person, like she was still alone back on Eagle Strike. Bah, well, if she planning to remain close to any sort of group, she had better get her facial expressions under total control.

The walk to this meeting place seemed to take far longer than it really had. It was the heat that had made it near unbearable. Melody constantly swiped at the sweat trickling down the side of her face, touching shoulder to cheek. Her coat would have a wet spot for about a minute before the suns evaporated it. And somehow sand had managed to get up her trousers and in the sleeves of her coat. Sand, how she hated the stuff, and even more so now. It simply got everywhere, made one so itchy and irritable. Sometimes she wished she was like a clam, or an oyster (whichever made the sparkly, valuable pearls). Sand was the reason Melody never went to the beach. Because of sand, beaches were out of the vacation list. Though she didn’t go on many vacations. Maybe she should have one sometime, when off of the crew.

Upon seeing the man with the blaster, Melody for a hair of a second believed they had been tricked. But the man lowered his weapon when he seemed to recognize Ocelot. She breathed deeply as they were ushered inside the ramshackle hut. The man was speaking as her eyes wandered over their chosen meeting place, and the first thing her ears detected was “medical supplies”.

Wait, they were snatching up medical supplies from a hutt? Did anyone else see the irony in this? Hutts and medical supplies. That was not always the pair Melody would think. Blue eyes settled onto the man, taking in his words. She frowned hearing the bane of the bad news: the card they needed was on Greegar’s second in command. If they wanted those supplies, they needed the card. Which meant that, if Ocelot went through on this, they would have to be within the belly of the beast, right next to the beast himself. She let out a small groan, eyes rolling to the ceiling. Perfect.

With his information spent, the man dismissed himself. Ocelot seemed to be thinking to himself for a moment or two, then his face livened up as if he had an idea. The captain moved off to the side of the room and turned his front back to them holding up a sort of… a dress. Now what could he possibly want with a dress?

"So Melody, how bout it?"

Melody blinked and stared. “Captain say what?” the surprised splutter got through. “Oh no, you are not thinking I dress up in that for some slimy worm. I’ve done my share of lowly things, but being a dancer girl… is… just…” Another groan. “Awww man, why me? Give it here.” One hand running down the side of her face and the other outstretched to take the damnable “dress”, she accepted her role after a quick little thought: she was probably the one most comfortable with her body. Lana hardly wore anything above her knees in the presence of others while Melody would walk around barefooted and in thigh hugging shorts and usually a semi-low cut top. Looking at the “dress”, Melody assumed it could look worse. It was red in color, with a kind of bottom skirt and a part that would cover at least SOME of her upper chest. There were strips of cloth that would obviously circumference her body. She sighed, then looked up when Ocelot announced she was with Rem, Lana, and Sylbia. That couldn’t be too bad. She had Lana with her and Rem was a witch doctor anyway.

“Okay then,” Melody mumbled beneath her breath. “I guess it’s time to get a job or enslave myself. Wait, Ocelot, what are you wanting me to do? Be sweet on the hutt’s second in command?” She grimaced. No telling what the second command was going to look like. He could be some other species or just plain ugly.

[Jace]

"I want you to do whatever is necessary to get that key without drawing attention which may or may not entail being sweet on the 2nd" He replied to Melody with a half-grin.

That being said, Ocelot stepped back out into the oppressive heat. Luckily the warehouse wasn't all that far from here which Ocelot counted as a blessing. The though of messing with a Hutt even bothered him a little. Ocelot wasn't afraid of dying but that didn't mean he wanted to. The damn Hutts had armies of bounty hunters and thugs at their disposal. Being chased around the galaxy by them didn't strike Ocelot as something enjoyable.

He looked to either side of him and was immediately reassured by the presence of those beside him. They were a motley mix but they all had there stuff together. Arc, the man had the look of a killer about him, but one who was in control. Ocelot had encountered his share of sociopaths and lunatics. Then there was Axle, honestly Ocelot had a hard time reading the guy. He kept his cool though, and that was key. Finally there was Jorgun, what was there to be said? He was a Gen'dai and a damn good bounty hunter to boot. Ocelot was glad he had become friends with the man, few who had crossed him still lived.

The lack of unseen beings stalking them relieved Ocelot. Their last job had really played havoc with his thoughts. Children, traps, immolation, just a little too much fun. His hand subconsciously found its way to his shoulder holster. He stopped well short of drawing his gun but it was always a comfort to know it was there. He took no pleasure in killing, well except for the odd one or two, but in his business a man needed to defend himself.

The journey to the warehouse had been pretty much uneventful which was just fine with Ocelot. Complications meant problem which usually ended up with someone getting shot. Smuggling had given him a somewhat conservative outlook on life. All he wanted to do was transport whatever he was paid to transport from one place to the the other, anything else was unnecessary.

Surprisingly enough, the warehouse didn't seem as inaccessible as he had imagined it. It was tucked in a little corner of town but not necessarily isolated. As he looked around he noticed that were other buildings adjacent to it which was good news. He had imagined the warehouse in some open area which any approach could be easily seen. It seemed like the prudent thing to do. Ocelot then remember that the Hutt's reputation combined with the whole security key made for powerful dissuasion.

"So...what do you guys think?"

He had brought the other three for the simple reasons of their skills. They had that ability to sense a guard where others couldn't. Their mind would immediately look at the pros and cons. Analyzing security and surroundings to form some sort of conclusion. Hopefully they would be able to see something that Ocelot had not.

[Squee]

((I apologize ahead of time. This post is extremely jerky and is crap. At least I wrote something though.))

Melody wasn’t entirely sure what she had been getting herself into. Things had run smoothly so far, and Melody hoped they would continue to do so. She had never, ever had such an easy time getting into a hutt’s residence as she had, dolled up as a dancer girl as she still was. Ocelot’s information man had been a good one, and must’ve known that Greegar was short a couple of dancing women. It had almost been as simple as knocking, striking a few poses, and she had been “hired” just about instantly. Easiest thing Melody had ever done for a job.

From there, all Melody had had to do to gain attention and popularity was dance. As always in a hutt’s palace, her crowd was drunk, drinking, or sober and serious bounty hunters. And of course the slug. She did her best to ignore what her crowd was and focus more on WHO was her crowd. Identifying the second in command had been the, well, second easiest thing Melody had ever done. He certainly didn’t try to blend in very well like a few Melody had crossed paths with in the past. A sort of a slight man, more wiry than bulk, rogue styled browned hair and a pretty green touch to the eyes, who always wore a serious expression and wandered constantly between other bodies and Greegar. He wasn’t the most gorgeous thing, but Melody figured that he could look worse.

The key here was for Arc, Ocelot, and the others to be patient. The keycard burden was on Melody. Somehow, she was going to retrieve it from that man without drawing suspicion. Once she had it, she had to let Ocelot in with Arc and the Gen’dai into the warehouse, and then help them steal the medicine without rising the alarm and getting killed. No pressure, Melody. “Yeah, right.” The blond woman’s plan consisted on just what she had asked Ocelot earlier: be sweet on the second. She had just needed his undivided attention for a short little while…

And that attention she received.

Quite a bit of time had passed by. How much exactly, Melody wouldn’t have been able to tell you. Between having found a joy in actually performing for the crowd of scum and having fun playing with little men’s minds she had totally lost track of the time. But, as she had mentally noted before, this job was about caution, patience, and skill. Her skill and patience had ended her up in the position she found herself in now. The musicians were having their break, which meant that the dancers had theirs until the Hutt got tired of watching the floating smog that was settled thickly in the main room. It was a party of sorts, hence why the dancers, including Melody, were taking their picking of flirting with the eager males.

A simple, stated innuendo had started it off. Mr. Second Commander Man had been sitting down, giving Melody the perfect opportunity to approach him and offer relaxation treatment. A bonus to getting him to say yes was she had singled him out, as if by random, during one of her dances and spun circles around him a couple of times, hand suggestively rubbing across his torso that had gotten a couple of wild calls from neighboring watchers.

She started by massaging his shoulders, eventually working her hands around his neck. From there, with a practiced seductive touch, Melody had dared to let her hands wander down his chest. She knew full well this brought her face closer to his face and neck the lower she let her hands slide, permitting the private whispers into the man’s ear. Whispers touched with a well-acted desire and pride boosting comments, which she had known were working by the lines creasing on the side of his face, telling her he was smiling. As hands wandered his upper body, she tested little kisses across his neck and following his jaw. Eventually, this led into return actions, as his own hands traced her bare arms and he turned his head to lock his lips with hers. Such little steps had dumped her, straddled, in his lap, kissing him while running hands through his hair. And then her little questions of the warehouse had begun. She asked him whether there were actually pretty things, like rumors had said, or was it a bunch of private rooms. This coaxed him to tease her about what he knew that she didn’t.

“But you have to tell me…” was Melody’s mock whimper in reply.

“Says who? And why?”

“I say so. And I want to know if there are pretty things in boxes or ugly things in boxes.” Melody made sure to drag out that last kiss. “Or is there someplace that we could simply be by ourselves…”

“You’ve asked that already…”

“I’m aware,” she purred in reply, leaning forward, continuing to persist in different phrases and ways. He finally withdrew the security card, waving it front of her face like a dangled toy. Melody tried reaching for it a couple of times, just to show she’d play his games when he taunted her. She whimpered, whined, pouted, all in a good-natured act, making her subject laugh and smile and sneak further intimacy against her neck.

With the card in his hand, Melody didn’t feel like she had a chance of taking it away from him unless he hopped up to do some bidding and dropped it. However, picking up the card and running away with it would raise suspicion. They didn’t need suspicion. They needed secrecy. It was better to try to lure him toward the warehouse under a false sense of safety and privacy.

Soon enough, Melody managed to establish the false senses, finally convincing the stupefied and lusting man they needed to get away from the others and get to the warehouse. As she was taken by the hand and led forward, Melody prayed that Ocelot’s group had managed to hide themselves decently and out of the way. The pair was slow on their walk to the warehouse, due to the several long pauses to lip-lock or give subtle little pleasures. He stayed attracted and relatively stupid to what he was doing, other than what he had planned, thanks to Melody’s influence. There was a stumble around the last corner, the two applying short, quick, kisses to each others’ lips, the man pulling Melody with him by her arm. With a soft tug, Melody was pulled against him, in yet another lip-lock, as he turned them around. He had one hand braced against the wall of the warehouse, searching for the door as he forced Melody to walk backwards.

He stopped suddenly, yanking his head up and looking over her head. She blinked up at him, her heart beating wildly. They were close, so close… “What’s wrong, babe?”

“Coulda sworn I saw movement…”

“It was nothing, nothing. Just me. Only me…” Her hands rested on either side of the man’s face, directing his attention back onto her. A touch of the lips and he was completely warped into again; enough that he pivoted, shoving her back against the wall, kissing her neck hungrily. Melody fought against bodily instinct to close her eyes against the man’s actions. Her blue eyes searched the other building corners, looking for maybe a hint of Ocelot’s presence. Her hands, while her arms rested on the man’s shoulders, made signs: pointing at the man’s head, signaling with one finger. She did her best to point at the warehouse without moving her arms too much, and then once again point to the man, then almost urgently made a beckoning signal with her fingers.

“Moving hands much…”

“Just an itch,” she replied, twisting her wrists and putting her fingers into the man’s hair, blue eyes darting widely across the buildings.

Hopefully someone could see her and make out her signals. He was the only one, and hopefully they’d get that he was going to let her into the warehouse. They needed to act quickly. Something needed to be done about the man, and Melody was in no position to do so; she had no weapons and she didn’t have the strength to counter-act a lust driven man, especially when she was trying to focus that lust onto her to keep him from getting suspicious of anything.

[Grawn]

From a shadowed alley, two crimson eyes had been watching the warehouse for some time. Arc had seperated from the group, exchanging comm frequencies with Ocelot before going off to scout the surrounding area. He did this more for the fact to feel as if he was solo again, not having to worry about others other then himself. It had been a few hours since Melody had departed to retrieve the man and all he had to show for his time alone was removing a man from a sniper roost in a tall building overlooking the warehouse. Single shot, nothing fancy, it was kind of disappointing but he didnt mind the simplicity all to much.

In his hand, he turned the comm unit over and over and blew a bored stream of breath that moved a strand of hair that had gotten in his face. The dry air wasnt a bother to him but he was glad he doned only a light armored muscle shirt for this trip of Tatooine. He recalled one time actually wearing the coat and nearly passing out because of the added burden but that was many years ago. Looking up into the night sky, he stared blankly into the black. Arc didnt care for waiting for unfortunately this mission required a bit of it.

However the boredom evaporated as he registered movement near the warehouse. Quietly he flipped open the comm and patched into Ocelots frequency.

"Movement near the warehouse, checking it out"

Closing the device while still looking at the two bodies moving in the darkness, Arc turned around and walked down the alley. To his right were a flight of stairs that went to the roof of the small building and when he reached the top, he took out his shades. Putting them on, he clicked the part of the frame that concealed the binocular modification and zoomed in on the two.

Melody.

Still watching the pair, Arc retrieved the comm once more and patched another message to Ocelot.

"Cat has the mouse. Moving in."

Pocketing the comm once more, he spun around and descended the stairs. From there he navigated the alleyways, doing his best to not reveal himself in the open as he made his way around to the side of the warehouse. With Melody and the second in the front, within five minutes he was around the corner where the two were. From his current position he could hear words.

“Coulda sworn I saw movement…”

Arc cursed silently. If it wasnt Ocelot or the other two, it had most likely been him. They were to close to screw up now.

“It was nothing, nothing. Just me. Only me…” he could hear Melody say. Arc smirked, amused at the situation but dropped to his business face as he looked around the corner. What he saw made his stomach twist slightly, seeing Melody locked with the scumbag. It look all he could not to draw Onyx and shoot the man but he dared not fire, hitting Melody wasnt a option that he cared for all that much. The second was to involved with the girl to notice his presence, the shadows not helping him in the least as he watched for a opening.

One soon did as from behind the second's head, Melody pointed with her hands while still trying to maintain "intimacy".
“Moving hands much…”. Arc's head darted back around the corner when the man spoke but soon realized it was a comment to Melody's odd hand movements.
“Just an itch,” she replied and Arc decided it was time to end the charade. Drawing Integra from its holster, the silver weapon gleamed as he turned the corner.

The sounds the two were making made his blood boil as he walked around the corner. Moving quickly he closed the distance and placed a hand on the mans shoulder. "Hope im not interrupting anything" Arc growled. The man let go of Melody and spun around in time to see the butt of a pistol slam into his face, falling him to the ground. From the ground and his face bloody, the second opened his mouth to speak but found a pistol barrel shoved into the crevice.

"As much as im willing to pull this trigger, im sure we have a use for you alive" Arc said, a grim frown on his face. His eyes went up to Melody. "You ok, hun?"

[Talau the Ever-Lurking]

((just so everyone knows…I’m really dreading this thread so I’ve been avoiding it like the plague >.> no point in my beating around the bush with it. I would really like to get this over with asap. Maybe it’s just me, I dunno, but it’s horribly difficult for me to post with Rem at all these days and I’d like to just have him bail but…I’m a bit too stubborn for that, so sorry if this is crap. It isn’t intentional crap.))

Remiel was, surprisingly, used to the heat. True, he didn’t LIKE the heat, but he was used to it from his time on Rilia. The planet was warm, it had little water, much of it was savanna grasses, wastelands, deserts…very little of it was the more comfortable green of other planets, and there were no beaches to speak of, so as he stepped out into the baking sun of Tatooine, the lanky man simply shrugged in his long coat and gazed around from behind blue eyes. He watched mildly as the others appeared to be melting under the heat of the twin suns and let out a little chuckle.

Welp, I suppose we’d best get moving before you all turn into puddles of mush out here.

He said good naturedly, smiling around at them and following after Ocelot down the dusty city streets. The city was bustling, as usual, with all manner of beings trying to take advantage of other beings. Just like the last time he’d visited the place. Falling in beside Lanara, he settled a hand gently on her shoulder and patted it a few times giving her a bright smile. He figured that, after the news he’d given her, she would likely be a bit on the jumpy side, and so he opted to stay near by her. The meeting went fast enough, nothing too difficult to remember, and he nodded to Ocelot’s orders. The tall blond had meandered casually along behind Miss Melody on the way to the Hutt’s palace. It was easy enough for her to get in, but he’d hung back just out of sight, allowing her to go in on her own. There were…other…ways for him to get entry and he doubted that Melody wouldn’t be suspected of some trickery with two…rather mercenary looking…people following on her heels. Once she was inside, Remiel nodded to his counter part and stepped around the corner, a rather chipper expression on his face.

I’m Remiel Archibald assistant bounty hunter to Miss Skysiri here.

His smile faltered slightly as the guards scowled over at him. Inside, however, he was rather pleased with the way it was turning out. The guards were idiots, their mental barriers well below average…but what did he expect of the gamorreans who stood guard over the entrance? He raised his hands then, casually waving one of them in its motion to lace behind his head with the other as he spoke.

We have an appointment with Greegar. You need to let us in.

The two guards grunted at each other for a moment before the larger one entered a code into the panel beside him. Keen blue eyes watched the sequence and attempted to commit it to memory as he allowed Lanara through first, taking up a subordinate position behind her. The interior was dimly lit, even for the bright day outside. Melody was dancing about, the hutt well entertained and his attention far away from them.

—Lanara, we’re going to need to distract Greegar when Melody makes her move. Scan your data pad for any bounties the hutt has put out…and hurry if you can, Melody will be making her move soon.--

With that he started whistling a perky little tune and mingling with the more…inebriated…members of the hutt’s court. As Melody drew closer to who Rem had managed to learn was the second in command. There wasn’t much time left at all. Finally, something slipped and he ‘meandered’ back over to Lanara.

Lanara, now is our chance. There is a bounty that the hutt has put out and he’s searching for the best mercenaries and bounty hunters. We need to approach him now. The bounty is on a wookiee named Rorrshak.

He just hoped that their distraction would be good enough for Melody to get the key and the hutt not to miss his second.

[Squee]

She had been pinned to the wall for a little while now. At least it felt like that to her as she was the one locked in a pseudo intimacy with a gullible man. No matter how false, Melody didn’t lack. She didn’t hesitate, and if something was different – like her signaling to the rest of her team – she was witty and prepared for questions she may have to answer. She breathed when proper and moved when necessary. She was fool-proof in her seductions. It was all so well choreographed and performed that Melody doubted that she would not have uncomfortable questions to answer. “How and where did you learn to do that” were usually the common ones. Thank the heavens for bars and goofed up assignments. Not to mention dancing, for dancing was all an act within itself.

Her nails scraped lightly across the man’s scalp within his wild-styled brown hair. They traveled south to her cup subject’s neck, brushing thumbs across the slight lump in the front. He hummed, nose tucked up beside her ear with lips touching the curve of her jaw. She refused to smirk. That would be a very bad amateur mistake. “Stay cool, don’t smile, play the submissive one… I need to influence by word, though, need to get us close to the warehou--”. Her thoughts were cut off as she gave a high-pitched squeak. In her thinking she hadn’t been paying attention to the man’s arm movements. They had slid off the wall and one had looped around her waist rather comfortably. It was his hand that had caused the squeak; it had descended from her waist onto her rear, which the man had groped heartily. His chuckle was light and almost breathless. Dry lips touched to hers briefly and then her chin. Melody tilted her head upward, allowing him to her throat.

“Shouldn’t… we… be more… private?” It was an innocent question that meant more to Melody than she was letting on. She sounded just like the newcomer to the area as she should be.

“You see anyone?” was the husky return question.

“No…”

“We’re fine.”

Panic struck Melody’s heart like a lightning strike. “Ocelot, Arc, friggin’ Greegar guard, SOMEONE COME!” She had no true intentions on satisfying what she had stirred in the man. In order to not be caught up in that, she needed someone to interrupt and take care of the second-in-command.

This man was obsessed with her neck. Her hands were around his head again, and she encouraged him into her neck by drawing him close. It allowed her moments to peer around at the dark, looking and hoping to see someone come. Blue eyes glittered harshly at the shadows, flicking around as some unsettled bug. Her head fell more to the side as the man proceeded to the base of her neck, shoulder, and collar bone. Then she caught him. The shadow approaching them was a good sign and she almost smiled, knowing it simply was not a guard. It was one from her team. All the more important to make sure the man stayed with full attention on her. Her hands fell from his head to shoulders, carefully wedging their way to circles just beneath her subject’s armpits. Simultaneously she turned her head to finally return his kisses by nipping at him. Her hands and arms were in no danger now as they rubbed across his back.

"Hope im not interrupting anything"

The shock of the victimized man was almost ridiculous. Arc’s hand had clamped down just beside her cheek, which startled her more than she had actually anticipated. As she jerked back and traced the hand to the head, she caught a slight hint of his red eyes. Yep, Arc. Her subject was confused, she sensed, but he let go of her rather quickly and turned his body slightly to meet the newcomer. Bad mistake. Arc’s other hand flew blindingly fast and crushed against the man’s nose. Blood spurted immediately, some drops dotting Melody.

“ICK!” was the first response. Melody didn’t have to pretend. It was gross. Someone’s nose blood on her skin. Gross!

And when she looked up, the man was sprawled on the ground with Arc’s pistol shoved into his mouth. Arc addressed the man first and Melody did all she could to keep a stunned expression painted across her face instead of glaring at Arc. As Arc craned his neck and spoke to her, ending it with a question, she let her face curl into a glare with a frown. “Arc, you can’t give us away, not yet…” As soon as his question was out, Melody lifted a hand and brought the brunt of it across his cheek with a loud CRACK! that made her own hand begin to sting.

“Just who the hell do you think you are??” “Oh stars. Arc, it’s an act, see through it, please.” “I don’t know who and by what standards you believe it necessary to barge in on business that really isn’t yours. Good planets! Get that gun from his mouth!” By now, Melody was crouching, trying to wave off the gun with played nervousness, being the unsure woman trying to be sure. “Look at your nose, babe. You fracking blacking out or something?” She twisted her head once to glare at Arc, the words “blacking” and “out” rolling from her lips with some emphasis. “Knock him out, Arc. Unconsciousness. Come on, read me.”

[Grawn]

Arc had always thought that when you rescue or assist someone, a usual thanks or smile would be what you would get. The last thing he had expected was a slap! The flesh of his cheek was on fire and for a moment so were his eyes as his mind raced.

For the love of the Force did she fall for the bastard? had been his first thought. This was received with a rather mixed array of emotions. Confusion and anger were among the top two for the reason that is always what came to him when things didn't go according to plan. And when things didn't go according to plan, Arc didn't get his money.

And when Arc didn't get his money, people DIED.

"Just who the hell do you think you are??” came her voice as his head realigned to straight instead of the slapped configuration it was currently at and his eyes glared at her. So far the man with the gun in his mouth had watched the events with a wide eyed expression as they darted from Melody to Arc. The bounty hunter's eyes searched the smuggler girls face. It would be a great shame to have to harm her to complete the mission. How Ocelot dealt with betrayal was unknown, but Arc really didn't wish to have it happen to this girl. He continued to study her, her cute face twisted in anger.

However her eyes told a different story. And as the gears in Arc's head started to grind and function, Melody continued to talk.
“I don’t know who and by what standards you believe it necessary to barge in on business that really isn’t yours. Good planets! Get that gun from his mouth!” She was crouching beside the man now and waved Arc's gun from his mouth which the bounty hunter withdrew as he thought he may have caught on.

What a damned fool he was!

Arc stood up straight, his face devoid of emotion as Melody "nervously" attended to the fallen man whom still couldn't seem to speak. "You fracking blacking out or something?" the smuggler continued to ask, her eyes coming up to meet Arcs. Her lips emphasis "blacking" and "out" more then the rest of her sentence and the bounty hunter made his move. Either she was telling him to knock the bloody bastard out to avoid suspicion or this was all a misread by him and he was going to have a pissed off, love struck girl to deal with.

"My apologizes" he said slowly and with as much concern and apology he could fake into his voice as he pulled back his foot. The man didn't even see this however, as his eyes were to fixed on the girl that he perceived as his savior as the boot quickly flew forward and caught him in the side of the head hard. Eyes rolling in the back of his head, the man went limp with only the rising and falling of his chest any indicator he was still among the living.

Silence passed as Arc folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at Melody. "Your lucky your cute" he said sternly but with a smirk as he pointed to the red hand imprint on his cheek.

(((OCC: If you dont catch the Dr. Evil quote in there, im getting sharks with freaking lasers on their freaking heads to kill you in the night!)))

[Squee]

If there was surprise in Arc, Melody did not seem to pick up on it. There weren’t any or many hints that he dropped to show that something didn’t go according to plan. She doubted seriously she was following the plan he had created. Well, he sure as hell did not follow hers. He deserved that slap since he almost gave away her cover.

Secrecy, secrecy, secrecy was her practice during this “mission”. Ocelot said as little suspicion as possible. Melody could avoid all suspicion as long as other people didn’t act like fools. She could not have her cover blown in front of the man, otherwise he would go right to his boss and blab everything that had happened the moment they released him. Melody would be singled out as a fraud. Even if no one else’s identities were discovered, they’d have Melody’s face and she could, and probably would, be tracked. Smugglers tended to have some issues when they’re being tracked.

Arc had made himself the bad guy to the man and tried to appear as the good guy to Melody. It was so much simpler to play it off as the woman who didn’t appreciate her business being interrupted. It certainly made her appear like the whore she had been personifying all night but at least it saved her hide.

For now. Arc’s red eyes were nerve-racking as it was just casually looking at them. Now they were narrowed and that hard crimson glare was damn intimidating. Melody kept up her façade and refused to betray it by swallowing the great lump formed in her throat as she “saved” the man from getting his brain matter splattered across the ground. Arc withdrew, giving the man a sense of some relief as he sat up and wrapped hands around Melody’s arms. She stared up at Arc. “Now, now, now, now, now…”

"My apologizes"

“What?” The tone in her head was flat and for a moment she was struck with the horror that he didn’t quite understand. Her gaze dropped to the man and she pretended to fuss over him. Arc’s foot moved, she had seen it from the corner of her eye. She drew back her hand that had been on the man’s head. It was luck that she had when her hand was replaced by swift foot delivering knock-out power. The man’s body fell, limp, and his hands loose on Melody’s arms. She instantly shook them off and shuffled at least three quarters of a foot away from the man’s limp body. She let herself fall back onto her bottom, back to the wall, buckling her bent legs so the knees pointed to in one direction. She exhaled and lifted her head against the wall to look up at Arc again. She smirked when he pointed at the side of his face and commented how lucky she was to be cute.

“D’oh… big, bad bounty hunter got slapped by a cute, lil, in-character smuggler. I’m not kissing it better.”


Melody rubbed her arms, wrinkling her nose. “He didn’t smell so hot. I doubt I do either. Might as well spare you anything related to close vicinity. Remind me to shower when we return to the ship.” Melody as leaning off the wall, shifting her legs under her. She picked up a life-less arm belonging to the man and moved it aside. “If you had let him kiss me one more time I would’ve screamed at you to kill him. Been half a ragdoll for half the night. Didn’t really feel like being screwed like one. Thank you for sparing me any more moments of acting and feeling like a prostitute.” All the while, she was burying hands into pockets, trying to find the warehouse key she knew was there. Roughly, she rolled the unconscious man over onto his stomach. She patted the back pockets and finally slid a hand into one of the pockets and brought out something like a wallet. She tipped the opening down and into her palm fell the warehouse key.

“Here it is. Damsels in distress know how to do their jobs. Just need a few good men to take out some bonehead.” She stood up and glanced at Arc, then shrugged. “Or one bad boy to knock out a bonehead. Whichever floats your boat more. Where’re the others?”

((Jackal and I figured we’d do a couple of posts between Arc and Mel since no one else is posting. X.x Likely, we’re going to start a second thread. But, if anyone is out there who wants to wrap up this open thread, we’d kinda like it.))