A Zeltrochiss & a Zabrak Walk Into a Bar... (Zatten Black)

[Avery Rose Garter]

"I don't mind at all." Kadrak smiled and took his arm, glancing over their handiwork for a moment. "You know, I'd say we didn't do half bad for the night. A few fights, a few drinks, and we both got to brush up on our skills. And no one tried to exorcise you. All in all I'd say things worked out for the better. Especially since we both managed to find ourselves a new traveling companion."
She reached down to check that her blaster was fit snugly in its holster, double-checking that the safety was on. "If we keep tempting fate like this we might find ourselves in another fight out on the streets. And the ones who haven't been drinking are always the more dangerous. Not that either of us mind the prospect. Near-death has a way of keeping you on your toes."

[member="Zatten Black"]

 

[Zatten Black]

"Who says another fight isn't exactly what we're looking for? No sense in rushing, when there's fun and games to be had in the streets of Nar Shaddaa."

I looked up, and saw the giant golden statue of Karagga the Hutt looming over us.

"We should climb that. For some reason, I've never had the opportunity to do so. I'm certainly drunk enough, this time."

[member="Kadrak Jalaan"]

 

[Avery Rose Garter]

Kadrak looked up at the statue for a long moment, looking back to Zatten with a grin and a shrug. "I say go for it. I've never really climbed much of anything. But I guess a night of drinking does warrant a few more wild escapades." She looked to him with a slight smile. "You're drunk, really? I never would have guessed, with how you've been acting. Your drunk looks an awful lot like what I'd consider average for anyone. Unless you're a really good actor and spend too much time trying to act sober."
She stepped up to the base of the statue and looked up at it again, glancing around the surrounding area for a moment. "Doesn't look too hard. There should be enough handholds. Are we going all the way to the top, or just halfway up? I suppose I don't even have to ask."

[member="Zatten Black"]

 

[Zatten Black]

"Why don't we go sit up on the giant bell-hat? Maybe scare some tourists?"

I grinned at the thought of screaming beings in woven hats and ugly shirts. I winked at Kadrak.

"Oughta be fun, and who knows what we can do up there?"

[member="Kadrak Jalaan"]

 

[Avery Rose Garter]

"Well, I have a few ideas myself..." Kadrak winked and looked to the statue, noting the relatively gentle way it sloped up. It wouldn't be too difficult, until they got higher up on the smooth surface. But with multitude of handholds available even that wouldn't prove much of a challenge. "We'd better get to climbing, then. I'm not sure how many tourists we'll run into this time of night, but this is Nar Shaddaa."
As she began her ascent she was thankful that she'd had the good sense to stop drinking when she did, otherwise this feat would have been made nearly impossible. Things were straightforward until she began getting high enough that handholds were becoming a must instead of a nice boost when she needed it, and then she took her time, picking out her next step carefully.

[member="Zatten Black"]

 

[Zatten Black]

Jumping up after Kadrak, I grabbed onto some of the lumpier bits of the statue and began to climb, hand over hand, foot over foot. It was easy getting halfway up, but when we got up to where the 'neck' would be, it got tougher. A lot steeper, and a lot more likely to fall and hurt myself. I always kept a couple feet below, and to the left, of her, so I could catch her if she slipped.

"So much fun, eh?"

[member="Kadrak Jalaan"]

 

[Avery Rose Garter]

Kadrak grinned as she continued climbing. "Oh, yeah, the time of my life. This isn't quite what I imagined things would end up like, but all in all I can't complain. Until one of us falls." She pulled herself up the last few feet, using the brim of the hat perched on the statue's head for leverage, situating herself on the brim before she reached down, offering a hand to help Zatten up while keeping the other braced for balance. "You know, of all of the ways I imagined this night ending, climbing a statue of a Hutt was not one of them. A bar fight I could see. Passing out in a hotel, even. Maybe a near-death experience or two. But definitely not this."

[member="Zatten Black"]

 

[Zatten Black]

"Why not a barfight in a hotel on top of this giant Hutt that ends in us passing out?"

I grinned and stuck my tongue out at Kadrak. I sat down next to her on the brim of the hat, my legs dangling a bit.

"Now, wasn't that fun?"

I dug through my pockets, finding the remote that would call the walker to come up to us, so we could get on directly, rather than climbing back down the Hutt. A short beep announced the walker's presence, and it began to run across the terraced area of the Promenade.

"I do believe this is the best night out I've had in a while. And our ride is here, in case you want to get down from here."

[member="Kadrak Jalaan"]

 

[Avery Rose Garter]

"Why not, indeed?" Kadrak flashed a grin in return. "We might have to see about arranging that the next time we find ourselves here. Which shouldn't be in too long, if this gut feeling of mine is correct. But first we'll be raising hell on Coruscant, from what plans we managed to make. That's something I definitely won't mind. Though being arrested was definitely not on my bucket list, despite what your idea of fun might be." She nodded. "It was fun, I'll give you that. Probably the strangest thing I've ever climbed, at least."
She studied the walker below them for a moment. "Not a bad piece of machinery in the least. I'll say it again, you'll have to let me have at least one chance to tinker with things. I won't add on anything or blow something up unless I ask nicely, promise." She stuck her tongue out at him. "Besides, I'm sure it'll be interesting to study regardless. Unless you have any objections?"

[member="Zatten Black"]

 

[Zatten Black]

"Go ahead and study it... I like it when women get their hands dirty."

I grinned crookedly at Kadrak, and keyed in the code for the walker to activate its repulsorlifts and hop onto the statue. It did, and it landed easily on the golden Hutt's shoulder. I gestured to the vehicle, and offered my arm and shoulder to help Kadrak get down.

"Your chariot awaits, m'lady."

[member="Kadrak Jalaan"]

 

[Avery Rose Garter]

Kadrak smiled and rolled her eyes. "Good to know. But before that entire business even begins, there's still that blanket to contend with." She winked and accepted his help into the machine, studying the controls for a moment before glancing around the entirety of the cockpit. "Not bad, not bad at all. I can see myself getting used to this, definitely."
She ran a hand over the controls, searching absentmindedly for the beacon that had allowed the walker to come remotely to them, finding it after a moment. It would be easy enough to rig it to fire any armaments if needed, provided the walker had any. And if it didn't, she would be able to remedy that with a few good months of work. She finally sat, awaiting Zatten's arrival.

[member="Zatten Black"]

 

[Zatten Black]

I winked, pulled open the cargo hatch in the floor of the walker, and pulled out a rather large, and very soft, camo tarp. In a pinch, it'd be able to cover the whole walker, with the legs folded, but it often served me well as a very servicable blanket.

"Well, that's the blanket. Or the thing I use for one, anyway. At least I have actual pillows, somewhere in here."

I looked up to see Kadrak feeling around on the dashboard, probably searching for the homing beacon I'd used to call the walker.

"If you like it, I'll let you drive it later. I needed somebody other than myself to test it, anyway."

[member="Kadrak Jalaan"]

 

[Avery Rose Garter]

Kadrak shrugged, turning around in the chair to face him. "It's really your decision. I wouldn't be opposed to the idea at all, no. But I also wouldn't be opposed to a lot of things that are out of proportion, so you can't go and base it all on that." She turned to the dashboard for another moment, studying the buttons, switches, dials and other controls, searching for any that looked familiar before looking to Zatten once more. "I'm not going to assume that you don't have any weapons for this, but if you don't I could always rig something up. It wouldn't be a quick job, but it'd work. And we'd have to find the right materials too."
She stood, stepping up to stand beside him. "Hey, if it works, it works. I don't see the point in being too finicky about things. Besides, I get to travel the galaxy with you, so who am I to complain?" She looked to him with a wink and a smile.

[member="Zatten Black"]

 

[Zatten Black]

I shrugged, and smiled again.

"The weapons on here are good, but not all that. Scatterguns and a cannon."

My expression turned a bit more wolfish, and I looked at Kadrak again.

"And if the beautiful Zabrak flying around with me is also a brilliant techie, that's just an added bonus."

[member="Kadrak Jalaan"]

 

[Avery Rose Garter]

"I do try my best to impress, you know. It would be horrible of me if I didn't." Kadrak smiled and shook her head at his compliment. "Again with the flattery. Not that I'm complaining, because it's certainly not a bad thing. Besides, you aren't half bad yourself." She looked him up and down with a grin and a wink. "If you do find yourself in need of a few augmentations, don't be afraid to ask. And I promise not to blow anything up, either, or do any unnecessary damage. To your vehicles, that is. Anything else is fair game in my book."
She stepped a bit closer to him with another grin. "And, just so you're aware, if you keep it up with the compliments someone might start to think you're suggesting something beyond the bounds of companionship. And we wouldn't want that, now would we?"

[member="Zatten Black"]

 

[Zatten Black]

I stepped closer to Kadrak, and grinned.

"Of course I'm going to keep up the flattery. I spent too long with my tongue as my only weapon. Make of that statement what you will."

I winked, and twisted my expression into one of mock horror.

"Oh, no, we wouldn't want anybody to think a Jedi and a pretty mechanic were together. How horrible."

[member="Kadrak Jalaan"]

 

[Avery Rose Garter]

Kadrak smiled and nudged him playfully, rolling her eyes. "Keep it up and neither of us will be getting much sleep tonight. Unless, of course, that was your intention. In which case, do continue. But, see, I can't be held responsible for my reactions if you do. So you know." She winked and stuck her tongue out at him.
"Oh, your only weapon, huh? Somehow I find that hard to believe, having seen you with that sword of yours, and in bare-handed combat besides. Though you certainly are well-versed in flattery, I'll give you that. And it just so happens that I have no issue with people assuming we're together. I'm not against the entire idea myself, as it were."

[member="Zatten Black"]

 

[Zatten Black]

I laughed, and winked back.

"I have no problem with skipping sleep for a good reason. And talking to you definitely constitutes a good reason."

I grinned widely at the thought of Kadrak and I being chased by an angry mob of elderly Jedi Masters chanting about passion and serenity and whatnot.

"I have no problem with the assumption, either. I was just imagining the slap on the wrist I'd probably get from your stereotypical Jedi Master. Old men ranting about serenity and chastity."

[member="Kadrak Jalaan"]

 

[Avery Rose Garter]

"Well, I don't believe that there's a such thing as true and pure serenity or peace or anything similar. Chastity is more of a person choice, and if someone decides to live that way, more power to them. It's the entire inner peace and achieving a state of true serenity that bothers me. If you ever manage to figure out how to accomplish it, be sure to let me know your secret. It's something I'd be interested in knowing." Kadrak grinned at the thought of the two of them being chased down by a mob of angry Jedi. "With their ways insisting on non violence, I don't think we'd have much of a problem. Unless we happened to provoke them, which knowing us we probably would."
She sat back down in one of the two chairs, spinning around for a moment and stopping when she faced him. "If neither of us have a problem with the assumption, then I'd say that officially makes us a couple, unless you have any last minute objections. I'm warmed up to the thought myself."

[member="Zatten Black"]

 

[Zatten Black]

I swung down into the chair right next to Kadrak, and spun it around.

"I couldn't object if I tried."

Of course, the angry group of old doddering Jedi was still tromping around in my brain.

"Those Jedi insist real well, but they know they can't argue their point in reality."

I shrugged.

"Screw 'em, though. Serenity causes complacency, and chastity is no fun."

[member="Kadrak Jalaan"]