A Gray Return

[Gray Raxis]

Gray was waiting at the counter of a local bar on Coruscant. He was wearing his armor with his duster over it to help keep people from freaking out so much at seeing an armored man. His blaster pistol was strapped to his right leg and his infantry rifle was leaning against the counter next to his stool. He had a glass of whiskey and his helmet was facing him on the top of the counter. He took a drink from his glass and just idly looked around the room.

Gray was looking for the other person that had been hired by the same wealthy trader that had just hired him. The man had some kind of valuable item stolen by him by a local gang, and due to the nature of things couldn't get the guards to help. He had instead hired Gray and some other person to get it back for him. All the information that was given was the name and location of the territory of the gang as well that the item was in a locked box. It was kind of a shady job, but the pay was good so he took it. Now he just needed the other person to show up so they could get started.

[member="Amata Santii"]

 

[Vaermina]

So she was back in One Sith territory. Though it was unlikely that Amata would be recognized in the masses of Coruscant, she still thought it a good idea to keep a low profile. There might be people looking for her, though she doubted anyone was expecting her to show up here. In an effort to fit in, she now looked more like a mercenary, forsaking her tribal look. She had even dropped the face-paint for this occasion. Amata was not used to this kind of armour, but considering it was light armour, she figured she would endure. On top of the armour, she wore a long, dark, hooded cloak. As for equipment, she had two blades, one sheeted on each side of her hip, and one shorter than the other. Slightly further down on her hip, so as to not be in the way of the swords, there was a blaster pistol. Her long blonde hair was pulled backwards, and tied together in a ponytail.

Amata didn't have much to go on, but soon after entering and scouting out the bar, she believed she had found her man. Normally she would work jobs alone, but on this one there would be two. That might become a problem. Perhaps this one would be more insightful, and know his place without needing too much persuasion.

She strolled up to the side of [member="Gray Raxis"], leaning against the counter of the bar, looking him over. Was he the right guy? She wasn't about to spill the beans about their mission before that was confirmed. No way she would accept anyone else trying to claim her reward. "Looking for someone?" she asked casually by way of greeting.

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="Amata Santii"]

Gray could feel a presence approaching him. He took a drink from his glass as the person came up to the counter. He looked over at them as they spoke. He saw a young woman in light armor and a cloak. Glimpses of blonde appeared under her hood. She was a pretty one, but he could tell she was no stranger to combat. The way she carried herself was a testament to her life of conflict. He knew how to spot that, because he himself was much the same. He smiled to her and said, " Well how would you know that beautiful? Perhaps you are the one I was looking to take my breath away? If so, you have done a great job of it twice over already." He gave her a wink and a smirk after he spoke. He tried to remember the description the client gave him about his partner for the job. He knew they would be female, young, and knew what they were doing. So far she fit the description, but he was going to get a feel for her before he asked. Better to safe than sorry.

 

[Vaermina]

[member="Gray Raxis"]

She looked him over once more. Though she thought he had the look of the guy she was looking for, in truth, she hadn't the foggiest idea. With his helmet, pistol and rifle surrounding him, there was no doubt he was a fighting man.

When he replied, she wasn't sure if he was toying with her, or mistakenly thought she had been hitting on him. In return to his smirk and wink, Amata was met with an urge to roll her eyes. Instead, she never broke away from eye contact, maintaining a gaze both intense and confident "I often find myself doing that. Usually after slitting throats." she said with a smile. Though her tone made no indication of threat, the words were not exactly up for interpretation. If anything, she was a hard one, and unlikely to easily succumb to empty flattery.

Pausing, her eyes quickly scanned him once more. She feigned an unimpressed look, before lifting her eyes back up to him. "I'm supposed to meet someone here" she revealed, though Amata kept it vague. Was he the one? And how could she really be sure?

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="Amata Santii"]

Gray chuckled at her reply to him. He figured he would get a response like that, because that is how it went for him half the time anyways. The really cheesy lines he used were kind of loved or hated with no real middle ground to them. He took a drink from his glass as she mentioned she was suppose to meet someone as well. That pretty much settled it for Gray that she was who he was waiting on in here. He smiled at her as he set the glass on the counter. He said, " Well now you might want to be careful. A pretty lady like yourself saying she is suppose to meet someone here might give a guy an idea." He winked at her again before he added, " Maybe one about how she is looking for a guy to go on a fun little walk with to pick up an item, say a nice box, and then go give it to someone who really likes nice boxes. That is just something off the top of my head. What do you think about that idea Beautiful?" He just smiled at her as he waited for her to respond. He was normally more direct with this kind of stuff, but you never knew who might be listening in on Coruscant. For all either of them knew, one of the gang members had their eyes undressing the pretty young woman standing there with him and just happened to hear something he shouldn't have.

 

[Vaermina]

Her eyes followed his hands. One was safely on the drink, the other rested elsewhere. No sudden moves or other threat indicators. "Good thing you know better then, right?" she replied with a sly smile, at his his suggestion that what she said might give a guy an idea. She wasn't here for that. That would get her no closer to accomplishing her goals. The credits, however, would. "Besides... I can handle myself" now it was her turn to send a wink his way, while she leaned sideways on the counter.


Her eyes never left him. Intentionally she dragged out the moment a little longer, before responding to what information he had given her. She was processing it. Meanwhile, her hand reached out. For a moment it seemed like she it was going to land on his hand, but instead it went ahead and grabbed his glass of whiskey. Still smirking, she lifted it and took a sip. Free alcohol best alcohol.

Only after putting it back down where she found it, did she follow up with: "I do like boxes." her eyes gave him a knowing look. "What do you say? Let's go some place else and find ourselves a box or two" at this point she was near-certain he was the guy she had been sent here to meet. If it wasn't, and his mind was on something entirely different, she would discover it soon enough. Just like Gray, she too was unwilling to reveal sensitive information within earshot of any rival mercenaries.


[member="Gray Raxis"]

(OOC: Sorry for making you wait! It's been a weird week, haven't been able to post at the pace I would have wished. Hopefully back in shape now)

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="Amata Santii"]

Gray chuckled as Amata became playful with him. He always enjoyed those moments even if he wasn't ever going to act upon them anymore. His significant other thankfully was okay with him being flirty so long as he kept his hands to himself. He watched her reach over towards his hand just to steal his drink. The girl was bold that was for sure and would make a great tease. He just smiled as she drank down the last of his whiskey. She spoke to him and confirmed that they were on the same page, so he smirked to her as he said, " Well then how about we go get you that box? Hope you are ready for things to get a little rough, that is the way it tends to go with me." He gave her a wink before he set his payment for the drink on the counter top.

Gray had gotten his rifle and his helmet before he left the bar. He walked to a private spot a short distance away from the bar. He closed his eyes as he got there and focused on the force. He checked to see if anyone was nearby just in case and confirmed it was all clear. He was glad he had been taught this trick because it came in handy at times like these. He opened up his eyes and turned to Amata. He smiled at her and said, " Alright we seem to be alone here. The name is Gray, Gray Raxis. And you must be my partner for this little job we have." He extended a hand out to her for her to shake as he added, " So tell me a bit about yourself, or at least as much as you feel like sharing. It is best we get a feel for each other's abilities before we walk into a firefight."

 

[Vaermina]

[member="Gray Raxis"]

With that out of the way and their identities identified (most likely), Amata set out from the bar together with Gray. She knew she was supposed to reply with a ‘I like it rough’, which she did, but she dodged it by instead saying “Good. We might get along then” Amata had little patience for anyone too weak or unprepared for what they were about to face.

Finally out in the open and in a more private location, the need for discretion and talking in codes decreased significantly. “I’m Amata” she said, avoiding the mention of her last name. She never would have given him her first name had they remained inside. It was probably uncalled for paranoia, but being on the capital world of the One Sith, she was slightly on edge.

Amata looked at his extended hand. For a moment it appeared as if she wasn’t going to return the gesture, but after a moment’s pause she reluctantly shook his hand. The sudden question for her to reveal more information about herself made her slightly uncomfortable. For a moment, her paranoia flared to life, and wondered if this mercenary was not hunting boxes, but instead chasing her. If that was the case, however, seeing as she had already confirmed to him her first name, there was really no harm in divulging further information.

“Suppose that makes sense. I’m more of a close quarters fighter. Get anyone within range of my swords, and they’re done.” she proclaimed confidently. Whether he viewed it as a boon or a threat depended entirely on his intentions. “I’m decent with a blaster, but I’m more useful up close. What about you?” she hoped he wouldn’t be as hesitant as she had been to reveal some information about herself.

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="Amata Santii"]

Gray could both tell from watching her body language and from feeling her emotions through the force that she got very paranoid at his suggestion of them getting to know each other. He raised a bit of an eyebrow at that, but figured there was good reason for it. He listened to what she had to say and it fit with the way she handled herself. She seemed more like a warrior or a huntress than like a soldier or ranged fighter. He smiled to her when she finished speaking. He said, " No need to be so paranoid darlin'. I don't know what reasons you need to be so on edge are, but they are not needed with me. I am good at all ranges honestly. I am as good up close as I am with a blaster, so I can cover you as you get in close. Are you any good with stealth? The way you move suggests you are, but some times you can be surprised....Just like if someone sneaks up on you." He smiled at her as he finished speaking. He tried to send a calming wave to her through the force as he had felt others do before. He hoped it worked with her, but who knew how she would react. He would just rather not have a paranoid partner on a mission with him. They never seemed to go well by the end.

 

[Vaermina]

[member="Gray Raxis"]

Amata's eyes narrowed at the notion that she did not have to be paranoid. She voiced no verbal answer. The tension in her shoulders eased a little but her guard was far from down. "Jack of all trades, huh? That can be useful." she remarked on his skill-set as he described it "I'm decent with stealth" she replied calmly. Again, she wasn't giving too much away, but she did feel fairly competent in that area.

Why was she so worried in the first place? He seemed alright enough. So far she had not picked up anything that would indicate ulterior motives. They were partners on a mission. Her time was better spent focusing on that rather than secret plots of betrayal. The calming waves he had sent at her through the Force had done their job...

"So" she started, only after having checked her surroundings once more to confirm no one were listening in. "Do you know anything about the target?" she was curious if he knew more than her, or if he'd done some research that would be useful. Now that they had found each other it was time to start thinking about how to approach this.

 

[Gray Raxis]

[member="Amata Santii"]

Gray could feel that she had calmed down a degree or two, which was good. She was still alert and on edge, but that wasn't exactly a bad idea for their current objective. They were going to head into a gang's territory and infiltrate their home base to steal from them. That was like asking a gun crazed maniac to shoot you after insulting the person they loved most. They were going to have a rough time trying to get into the place and an even rougher one getting out of it. But the woman was carrying herself well right now and gave off the impression she wasn't going to ruin things. That was a good sign in his book.

Gray smiled at her as he said, " Good to hear you know how to sneak around a bit. As far as what we are dealing with, it is a mostly human gang with some rodians mixed in with them. They seem to favor automatic blasters with a shorter range. They aren't the best shots, but they are trigger happy and willing to pump a full clip into your for fun. They are brutal in their tactics, so any lack of intelligence on their part is made up for by it. Their leader is as brutal as they are, but also seems to know what he is doing. He is a cautious person, middle aged human male, and seems had spent some time in the military. As far as their home base goes, it seems they keep it guarded all of the time. Not military or even para-military at all, but there is always someone watching all sides and entrances. Course they might not be keeping a very good eye on things if their general behavior is to be believed."