Public Above the Clouds of Bespin [Public]

[Cyran Vaas]

[SIZE=10.5pt]"I wouldn't say we need to worry about the Mrs. as amazing as she is she's still a bit of an odd ball. Which they fortunately take some pride in. They've been pretty understanding and open with having a relationship with a zeltron like myself. So we tend to keep things pretty open with others. One because she's a bigger player then me, and two because monogamy isn't very popular where I'm from. So you should rest easy knowing that me having a drink with an acquaintance such as yourself isn't an issue."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Cyran explained to her before his drink was served. Looking down at the glass, he understood that the beverage packed a decent punch, however he also understood that it tasted like a fluid that belongs in a combustion engine. But then again it was something from Tatooine so he understood that only a depressed bitter soul that used their yearly production of water by volume as a measurement of happiness could drink and say with a straight face that they were having a good time.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Taking a sizable sip from the glass it would look as though like all the pain and discomfort that he’d put the twi’lek through during their fight was concentrated on his tastes buds. Making a brief frown Cyran nodded his head and placed the glass down on the bar before looking back at her as she asked her question.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]“You’d actually be correct with your assumption. In fact, most of the time my friends and I don’t even want or use each other's help when on the job. We mostly use each other to fall back on for logistical purposes, or just because we like hanging out together. On occasion though we band together if we need the strength of numbers for a job.” He tried to explain to her. “We’re certainly no guild, more like a club of like minded, B tier bounty hunters.”[/SIZE]

[member="Tan'yill"]

 

[Amea Virou]

[member="Rekha Kaarde"]

No. No, that wasn’t the right way to deal with this. Being drunk was a fleeting experience and far from an appropriate way to deal with tension. If one could even refer to ‘this’ as tension, and mostly because dealing with tough situations through booze led to other habits that quite frankly she knew better than to fall into. Besides that she wasn't no Zef Halo. At least not yet, hopefully ever. Amea stopped in her tracks for a second and began to stare up at the ceiling above in uncertain defeat. The music was still booming, the feelings she had for this place very much the same. All that had changed was how she would decide to cope with it.

This place, the people and everyone around were far too busy. It was a perfect place to disappear in yet it seemed fate had its ways sometimes. Amea’s glance lowered and she threw one last glance around the room as if to truly tell herself that she was making the right choice by leaving. The crowd was a blur of varying colors that swayed back and forth. Her eyes stung a little but nonetheless Amea would find that at the end of her look around the room she would lock onto a set of green ones and stop.

Crap. She had seen her too.

Amea straightened her back and continued to look towards the other woman. Distant as her stare was she tried to put on a smile but it just didn’t happen. That pale skin that Rekha might have expected to see had clearly tanned, the blonde bangs were brown, but the blue eyes were the exact same that had hid an otherwise amber-colored hue that day on Bespin. Amea would have hoped she had dealt with this by now. Perhaps there were still the smaller details that needed to have a tidy little bow wrapped around them.

But, she remained silent. Amea tried to speak, but she remained silent. What would she even say? Sorry that we lost Bespin? Sorry that I wasn’t strong enough to push past what had happened? How are you? What are you doing here? Nothing felt like it would steer the conversation in any direction that Amea wanted it to.

 

[Kai and Gerda]

While the clubgoers enjoyed themselves on the first and second floors of Solstice Vine, a private party was being held in one of the exclusive suites far above. A private party to which Alyosha was not invited. Yet the assassin was on his way upstairs, intent on finding a way inside.

He stood in the lift, looking somewhat uncomfortable in flashy clothing meant to blend in with the colorful wardrobes of the other patrons. When the doors opened, however, his posture immediately slackened into the unsteady gait of the heavily intoxicated. He stumbled out of the lift and drunkenly wandered into one of the rooms. There, three businessmen were lounging on couches, several scantily-clad women draped beside them.

“Who the hell are you?” one of the men demanded. “This is a private suite—you’re not supposed to be here!”

Alyosha slurred an apology and started to back away, only to trip over his own feet, falling in a heap on the floor. He didn’t get up.

Swearing, the same man who had demanded to know who he was stood and walked over, looking to see if he was injured. “C’mon, get up,” he murmured. "Don't make me call security.”

But Alyosha was clearly too far gone to be reasoned with, and the easily embarrassed businessman, feeling the eyes of his two companions on his back, just wanted to be rid of this unwanted guest. Rather than wasting time calling for assistance, he grabbed Alyosha under the arms and dragged him into the lift, pressing the button to take them down to the first floor. The doors closed, and Alyosha, still propped up by the businessman, sprang into action.

He hardly had time to react before Alyosha twisted his arms, maneuvering him into a headlock. Terrified, he lunged for the button panel, trying desperately to re-open the doors, but Alyosha held him back. The lift began to descend.

Reaching inside his sleeve, Alyosha pulled out a small blade and jammed it into the man’s neck. Some blood trickled from the wound, only to be burned away by the heat of the blade. But it was not yet fatal. The man continued to fight for his life, flailing wildly, his fists hitting Alyosha’s head and shoulders.

Ignoring the blows, Alyosha dragged the hilt of the heated knife across the man’s neck. The smell of burnt flesh filled the lift, the wound cauterized as it cut. Soon the man was dead, deprived of blood flow to his brain.

Breathing hard, Alyosha hid his knife in his sleeve once more and reached out to press another button on the control panel—but he was too late. The doors opened, and he was greeted by two young women waiting for their turn in the elevator. Their eyes widened at the sight of him holding a limp, motionless man, and one of them began to cough, waving her manicured hands in front of her face to dispel the pungent odor emanating from within.

“Sorry—” Alyosha blurted, glad the man’s head had fallen forward, obscuring their view of the wound. “He’s had a little too much to drink.”

They moved out of his way. Alyosha, dragging the man's corpse, stepped out onto the first floor of the club, praying no one else would notice him until he could get back in the lift and dispose of the body elsewhere.

 

[Kat Decoria]

Watching Amea and Yula leave, Kat was a little disappointed that they had left but it seemed that Kyra and Acaadi were arguing and there would be more fun here than going back onto the dance floor. Sipping her drink more, she listened in as Acaadi tried to defend himself with Kyra unhappy with his loose tongue. "Why would she warn you of people unless it was her family? Zeltrons aren't aggressive naturally so no Zeltron would be causing at an place like this." Kat commented, she knew the basics of the species, reason Zeltros never been invaded was the passive pheromones that filled the air of the planet.

Looking around, if Yula was Kyra's sister that meant she was a Perl, which was the name of the owner of this club so Acaadi's second question was fair. "Yeah, seems risky coming to a place like this but, she can also bluff her way past the bouncers easier if they know she is related to the owner." Kat pointed out, it was quite the club for Joza to own. Stretching out, she was curious to hear what Kyra thought of the dance floor, she had her own views but it was interesting to hear another person's view.

[member="Kyra Perl"] [member="Acaadi"]

 

[Kyra Perl]

Kyra gave Acaadi a heavy pout anyway, holding his gaze as she took a long draw of his confiscated drink. There was something off about her eyes. And her attention kept skipping to the sides of his head... She smacked her lips at him, deigning to a vaguely familiar Echani do the explaining --and sassing-- for her.

"Why would she warn you of people unless it was her family?"

"Exxxxactly," Kyra backed up, raising her glass in a cheers towards Kat. "The dance floor was..." Her disjointed attention landed on Kat, the girl squinting and blinking ... and abruptly shaking her head. "Hey don't we know you!" She declared. Maybe it was the way the lights kept vibrating off Kat's nose but... "I coulda swooooorn I've meditated in front of you before." No context was given to the statement. "Course I don't meditate- I hate meditating-- but I know your nose!" She stared at it for a whole session because sitting silent and closing her eyes had simply been too much.

[member="Acaadi"]
[member="Kat Decoria"]

 

[Acaadi]

Acaadi shook his head looking from one to the other.

"I really don't know how exactly the two of you think that's obvious, but I give up," he laughed.

"We came all this way and we found another Jedi," he bemoaned. He didn't actually recognise Kat. He recognised most people at the academy because in the last year not many members, staff or pupils, had gone without being his current crush for at least a day. Currently it was Luke Grayson in his telekenisis class, but that would likely change within a day if being back.

"Do we need to scedaddle Kyra or can I try and steal another drink and maybe get to keep this one myself?" He cast a glance towards Kat who was definitely old enough to get served.

 

[Kat Decoria]

Acaadi seemed to be a lot slower on the uptake than a normal person, or at least she was thinking much faster than he was in this situation. Perhaps she was just taking notes of Kyra's body language or more wider view on the matter since she knew with hindsight what Kyra had meant. Kyra hesitated on her answer about the dance floor and Kat knew that it wasn't a good sign, that it was dangerous out there, that some guys were too forward. Sipping her drink slowly, she raised an eyebrow to Kyra who was staring at her nose.

Kat went cross-eyed looking at her nose, worried that there was something on the tip of her nose. "Does it look funny?" Kat asked as she rubbed her nose then smiled slightly as she looked over to Acaadi then at the bar. Guy was thirsty, she could sense the need coming from him, desperate for a drink, desperate for a girl. "I am around the Temple, I tend to be busy with work and training. Been doing a lot of healing at the hospital of recent." Kat explained to them as she finished her drink and stood, slightly shaky from the drinks.

"Grab your stuff, I think we should go. Plenty of good clubs to hit if we want that aren't Perl owned." Kat winked to Kyra as she threw her leather jacket on.

 

[Kyra Perl]

Kyra glanced up, finally catching sight of that familiar set of eyes... Rekha Kaarde

She grimaced in guilt, looking away quickly and burying her head into her arms. "Maybe go," she stated, forlorn. She had many other plans for tonight than coming in and splitting before things got good, but she was beginning to realize that maybe it wasn't the best idea to come to her own mother's place.

At least, not until she's legally allowed in past the door.

Kyra gave a heavy sigh, flipped her head up. Her hair flew about, catching glimpses of the colorful lights of the room, a fact with held her attention for a moment before she focused back on the two before her. "Nooo, your nose is fiiiine. Lessssgoo. Before Yula comes back and she tries to stick me under her shirt." She hopped off a stool, huffing indignantly.

"You know I'm practically an adult now, I don't get what the big deal is. I could go out all the time on Zeltros-- it's not like I'm going to get in trouble."

She tossed back Acaadi's drink, handling him the empty glass.

"Bleh, my hand's are sticky."

 

[Acaadi]

Acaadi raised a dark eyebrow, but after Kyra stammering over her time on the dance floor he decided it wasn't the time for a joke about phrasing.

"Hey? You wanna just go somewhere quiet for a while?" he asked Kyra. She had been bubbly and full of energy when they first arrive. Acaadi had assumed that she would dance the night away without him and that he would have had to slink off and find his own way home.

They had been through a few scrapes together and he had seen Kyra at her very worst. This was supposed to be an escape from that.

 

[Rekha Kaarde]

Rekha walked forward towards the pair of unblinking eyes. You know eyes are the windows to the soul...Rekha smiled. Eyes told a lot of things really you just had to learn how to read it.

What she saw made her pause she shrugged as she got closer, "Hey..Hi...I feel like I know you....I do don't I? I mean I know I've probably lost of a few memory cells but...something."

It was because so much about her had changed that Rekha was operating more off a gut instinct rather than knowledge...if she was wrong this was going to be a bit embarrassing, but if she was right...well......drinks for everyone?

Amea Virou

 

[Amea Virou]

Rekha approached Amea and the girl stood still. There was an out here, the tiniest white lie that could get her out of this. Just a simple ‘No’ and Amea-

“We’ve met before.” Amea nodded. “It was a long time ago now.”

She didn’t use the lie then.

“We met in your bar, flew out on some kind of flying creature and then…”

Her voice trailed off. Didn’t have the strength to quite finish that.

Rekha Kaarde

 

[Kai and Gerda]

A few tense minutes passed as Alyosha waited for the lift to return. In the meantime, a young couple approached. They were engrossed in each other and paid him no mind, but he wasn't looking forward to getting into the elevator with them.

The doors opened, and the passengers inside filed out. Alyosha squeezed in after them, holding the corpse close to his body in the corner farthest from the couple. As soon as the doors closed, they started kissing and hanging off each other as if he weren't even there. He recognized the glazed look in the eyes of the woman. His drug-addicted mother often had that same clouded, vacant gaze whenever she could get her hands on her precious "party drugs".

He turned away from them and bided his time. The doors opened with a melodic chime, and he dragged the body out, using a secret route to the starport he'd heard about from an associate who knew the layout of the area...

 

[Rekha Kaarde]

Amea Virou

"Ohhh i remember the squirt and " Rekha listened this time the scream with such a sense of loss that it cut to the soul that stuck in her mind. Pain. Anguish somehow she remembered that.

"A thranta its a flyer. Buy you a drink. We can catch up or we can walk about Bespin. Its nit vad when its not on fire with people shooting at you." Rekha smiled hoping it would make her lauugh. "Kaida is that your name? Im usually good with them but sometimes i get caught. "

She may have this time but only she could tell her.

 

[Amea Virou]

Rekha Kaarde

Thranta, that was the name of those creatures. It hadn’t been the most difficult of rides, save for the way back. Though she wasn't quite sure if that was how she even got herself back home. The means used to leave Bespin was little more than a blur, something that had been repressed and shoved in the back. It was a lot to cope with, a lot of memories that burned and etched their way onto her mind in an instant with nothing that’d give her a reason to want to remember it.

“It’s- uh, no.” Amea looked around and shook her head. “I can’t tell you in here, too many eyes and ears.”

“Though that walk sounds like a good idea. Clear my head, if that’s even possible. That is, of course, if you want.”

 

[Tan'yill Vizsla]

Her green-yellowish gaze rested upon the zeltron as he gave her a crash course on zeltronian relationship dynamics. He spoke of they and in such a natural way that no questions would be needed if wether the zeltrons prefered monogamy or polygamy. Of course, it was of no surprise to her and most of the galaxy.

Her mind were drawn to a couple of months back, to the beach party she had enjoyed on Zeltros together with her yellow compatriot and friend Tin'tinag . Oh my, they certainly had a blast there going all in with dancing and drinking wine. A lot of wine. The zeltrons hospitality had shown in many ways til they could crash at Tin's place.

What this one said basically sounded like they could to quite a lot more than just sharing a drink together. What'd you expect?

''Well then, cheers to the open-minded ways of your race! And may you never have to recieve a contract to come after me! For your own sake, that is...'' she stated with a sly smile, and raised her own glass in a toast. She took a sip and let it settle down her stomach, letting her gaze glance around softly.

The risk of her getting a price on her head had been next to none since she left Corellia for the smuggling business, sometimes it felt like there were more smugglers than stars in the galaxy and the bounty hunters had more valuable targets to go after. Things would maybe change soon after hooking up with the Blood Matron, Zenva Vrotoa again, and other criminal elements.

Cyran Vaas