Private Big Trouble in Little Seoul

[Ria the Cat]

Carved out in the Imperial Sector of Nar Shaddaa, was Little Seoul. Not to be confused with the ever-popular and overplayed Little Atrisia several neighboring sectors over. Little Seoul was filled with Seoularians stuck in the Core doing what they could to get by. The sounds of speeders and shuttles choked the airwaves, what little sound remained was fought over by conversation, song, and advertisements. Each one trying to be louder than the other, wet streets where leaking pipes flooded waste and sewage into the alleyways. Dilapidated droids with motors that could scarcely function did their best to clean it up. Shacks occupied drier spots in the alley, the main streets were packed with vendors and people. First Imperial Stormtroopers were guarding one vendor, an officer with the First Order's immigration system.​

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It was clear the officer was overworked, but there was little support out there for him. A few stalls over and it was the Royal Seoularians working to help get their people back home. It was a rough go, and from the dirty, scorched marked armor the troopers wore - no one was paid enough in any currency to do their jobs. Even so, there were still sounds of delight, singing of folk songs. Little Seoul had its good neighborhoods the affluent and wealthy living in their glittering towers above them, while the rest slummed it out on the lower levels. Somewhere in between the shit falling down and the crap rising - the supposed middle class who in reality, were only just above the poverty line.​

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Along one of the main avenues where paper lanterns swung in damp, musky air where incense burned strongly but not quite strong enough. A food court with the kitchens facing inward and the stalls outside, in a square-like shape. Tteokbokki rolled deep in gochujang sauces, tempura fried rolls, seafood and veggies, handmade soups with a variety toppings, bibimbap served in hot stone bowls. The shouts in Seoulian of the latest happenings in the war, and there among the people along the ambulatory aisles of the food court an IG-88 droid with a small orange felinoid creature on its shoulder. Haggling with a customer over the price of a ship, "if the price is not agreeable, you can move on."​

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The customer decided to raise their hands, the IG-88 stunned the man. "Next," called the droid, summoning the next customer.​

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Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Nar Shaddaa
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Link
Necklace: Link
Weapon: Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Ria the Cat

"Thank you," Valery said with a warm smile as she accepted her food.

For a little while, she had walked through little Seoul to find a place to eat. Her mission on Nar Shaddaa had been to look into potential Sith in hiding who were trying to establish a power base in the underworld, but it often required her to be undercover for several days. So after a long day of looking into leads, she had been walking through the district to find a place for dinner.

A stranger had recommended the soup at this particular stall, so that's what she went with — something spicy and something you could only get at a place like this.

But right as Valery prepared to take the first sip, she noticed something peculiar. An IG-88 droid was talking to someone, but it had a cat on its shoulders as if it was the most normal thing in the world. From where she was, it was difficult to hear exactly what the exchange was about, but it ended with the civilian being stunned by the droid. It caused the woman to blink, and with the bowl of soup in her hand, she made her way over to the droid and its little companion.

"Something wrong here?" she asked with a calm and friendly tone

 

[Ria the Cat]

The IG-88 droid used its foot to push the stunned customer out of its path. The next customer arrived and began the bargaining process, they were bargaining for a ship, one that the cat was happy to part with for the right price. The cat's tail swished this way and that, slow and measured in a wabi sabi sort of way. The customer's eyes drew from the cat to the droid as it offered up Mon Calamari currency in addition to credits and aurodium. The cat moved its paw and raised it - an acceptable bargain had been reached. The droid issued the keycard and gave the customer details on where to get the ship and then it accepted payment.​

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The musky odor in the air couldn't mask the scent of a Jedi's arrival. Ria would know their scent anywhere, after all, she spent many a day among their person. The IG-88's motors whirred and looked at the stranger who approached with a bowl of soup. "Move along," remarked the droid, and casually called for the next customer. The cat however was intrigued, never had they seen a Jedi with such eyes before. Curiously the cat rose to all four paws and stretched out its body, letting out a yawn in the process.​

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A single mew from the creature and the droid turned back to the stranger, "please hold still, master wishes to speak with you."​

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"Mrrrrow." Began Ria as she then crossed over from the droid and came to rest along the Jedi's shoulders, and soon Ria whispered into the Jedi's ear. "You're a long way away from home. Sith catch your tongue?" The whisper came as the cat curled its body into the Jedi, after all, it would be quite strange to have a talking cat.​

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Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Nar Shaddaa
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Link
Necklace: Link
Weapon: Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Ria the Cat

For just a moment, Valery thought she was tripping — this bargaining she had believed to be between the client and the IG-88 droid seemed to actually rely on the cat. She blinked and stared at it a little longer, but it really seemed to be the case. With a shake of her head, the woman accepted it and stepped forward to talk to the droid... which tried to send her away.

Valery was about to just turn and leave, but the cat seemed to have different plans.

"Please hold still, master wishes to speak with you."

"Speak with me? It's a..."

She blinked again when the little feline friend got close and curled up into her, "Aren't you a cutie," Valery said playfully as a finger moved to its little head to scratch it. But right before she made contact, a whisper reached her ear that started her just a little. She turned her head to really take a good look at the cat, and she seemed highly confused.

"You... can talk?

 

[Ria the Cat]

The cat swayed its tailed, slow, calculated. It turned to clean its paw and then its face, the paw moved up to its ears. The orange feline carefully pawed its way to the Jedi's other shoulder. Its tail curled around the Jedi's neck, the IG-88 droid' motors could be heard whirring again as it resumed its detail, bargaining with another customer. "I can," remarked the cat quietly into the Jedi's ear, "but you...." a soft meow from the cat. "Have not answered my question, Jedi."​

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The odor of the food court, the overly worn perfumes, and the colognes, mixed with the scent of the recycled air. The semi-wet floor beneath their feet and the myriad of customers with their lekkus and tendrils, horns, and scales. Fur and metal as it was the case, "you are not from the Outer Rim, I would know if you were." The cat remarked rather accusingly as it then tiptoed across the Jedi's shoulder once more. "So why have you wandered so far from Coruscant?"​

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The IG-88 droid turned to the cat, "please, inspect the currency, master."​

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The cat leaped from the Jedi's shoulder to the droid's. Soft padded steps down the droid's arm, and the cat inspected the currency. The felinoid arched its back and hissed uttering the word; "lies." The customer began to laugh nervously, as other vendors turned their heads. "LIES!" Shouted the cat once more, and this time other vendors began to whisper they had dealings with the person. Before the customer could react a set of droids descended upon him.​

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"Sotta the Hutt wishes to speak with you," it wasn't a request, the droids took the man away. He cursed the cat as he was being hauled away, the next customer stepped up and the cat returned to the Jedi. It yawned and looked at the Jedi with an enigmatic expression - almost as if it was judging the Jedi. "Tell me," it began to speak in soft, whisper-like tones, "what is your purpose here?"​

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Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Nar Shaddaa
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Link
Necklace: Link
Weapon: Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Ria the Cat

"but you...." a soft meow from the cat. "Have not answered my question, Jedi."

Valery glanced at the cat on her shoulders and her fiery eyes would narrow for just a moment — the little furball somehow knew she was a Jedi already. Perhaps her scent? Or had it been able to see the lightsaber hidden in her jacket? Either way, this was no ordinary house cat, and she'd likely have to be a little careful with what exactly she told it.

"I'm not from here, but I visit these places often enough," she said with a smile as she brought up a hand, the knuckles close to Ria in case the little feline wanted to rub its head against them. "Just here on a business trip," Valery clarified before she watched the droid summon the cat to inspect the currency, whatever that meant.

A rather strange interaction followed that ended with the cat calling out "LIES!"

Huh.

Not wanting to interfere with this type of business, Valery just quietly watched the client being dragged off by droids and readied her shoulder to accept Ria on it again. "I was here for work, but now I'm just looking for food before I head off to bed. Traveling back tomorrow," she explained while Ria stared at her.

"Unless I'm already dreaming..." A talking cat really did make it feel like that.

 

[Ria the Cat]

Ria had taken advantage of the offered hand, yet softness aside...

The cat didn't speak, rather it allowed the silence to weigh heavy between them. Tension thicker than the musky odor that clung to the air around them. A narrowed gaze from the feline whose tail stopped moving, and the droid quietly finished up business. Vendors returned to their businesses and the cat spoke, "lies." It was a whisper, hushed tones, not quite loud enough for anyone else to hear - but it spoke like a warning toward the Jedi. "You seek something..." the cat began, its tail still had not moved.

"Careful of your movement Jedi, there are eyes upon you. Sotta knows when one of your kind enters his realm," continued the feline, its warning went on, "Sith will be the least of your problems, for there are many who remember the sins of alliance past and present." The cat moved back toward the Jedi its tail straight in the air as it curled its body around the back of the Jedi's neck, "but I can help you... "

And then it whispered into her ear with malicious intent, "for a price..."

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Nar Shaddaa
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Link
Necklace: Link
Weapon: Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Ria the Cat

Why did she feel any tension? She was talking to a cat...

Perhaps it was the silence the furball allowed to linger between them, but it was more so the sudden lack of tail movements and the words it whispered into her ear. It sounded like a warning, maybe even a threat — it caused the woman's eyes to narrow at the cat, who still sat on top of her shoulders.

"I'm sure there are eyes on me, but I'm not helpless or unprepared," she said before the cat's offer piqued her interest. "Why are you even interested in helping someone of... my kind?" she asked as the fluffy little cat wrapped around the back of her neck.

"But name your price, and your plan."

 

[Ria the Cat]

The cat merely yawned then it moved to sit on one of the Jedi's shoulders. A few chitters and chatters of its teeth along with an accompanying meow. "As you wish Master," the droid moved to collect the cat its servos whirred as it articulated its joints. "Master will find you later on tonight, and wishes you well." Its voice was more haunting than comforting as was par the course for a droid meant for assassinations and not meditating between a cat and its prospects.​

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Little Seoul would quietly begin to pack itself away as its louder and more disruptive elements came to life. Imperials who had clothes ragged and torn, uniforms from various remnants and enclaves. Their emblems were still brightly displayed, a matter of pride, some might say as they loitered in the alleyways that were clear of feces - or at least its stench. Neon signs glittered the streets some with a haphazard glow as only part of the signage worked, and others were so well light - it should have been a capital offense with how they offended the eyes.​

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Working girls and boys arrived on their spots to lure someone for a night of fun. Rooms for rent weren't of the highest quality either but they were clean, if somewhat claustrophobic with how small they were. Capsule hotels they were called and they littered the sector in between its districts with the more well off looking down from their lofty and posh rooms. The cat wound its way through the streets, sliding into the shadows - tracking down the unique scent and aura of the Jedi they had met earlier.​

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Crawling through duct space, vents, and holes they would manage to find the Jedi. When the Jedi was alert they would turn to find a set of glowing eyes looking at them from the safety of a high perch - whatever that might have been.​

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Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Nar Shaddaa
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Link
Necklace: Link
Weapon: Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Ria the Cat

After the rather strange interaction with the cat and its IG-88, Valery took the droid's words with her and left the area to go for a walk. There wasn't too much work she wanted to get done anymore today outside of maybe some paperwork, but she didn't particularly feel like sitting still in some tiny hotel room for long either.

So instead, she moved around through the streets of Nar Shaddaa with her hands in her pockets and her eyes turned up to take in the environment. With all the shady business and dangerous people walking around here, looking away might have been better, but Valery wasn't afraid to show her confidence and she genuinely was interested in getting a better look at this place.

It had everything, after all — from Imperials to ex-Alliance military and nobody was afraid to show past allegiances. It made her wonder how often things got hostile just over that alone.

But eventually, after passing by some of the capsule hotels, Valery got the feeling that she was being watched. A few quick sideglances into alleyways revealed nothing, but that's when she remembered the droid's words. Her eyes went low first, looking for the small furball, but after a moment, she stared up at the perch where it was looking down at her from. Valery stopped, looked around if anybody else was paying attention to this, and finally stepped closer.

"Enjoying the view?"

 

[Ria the Cat]

The cat didn't respond instead it jumped up on the Jedi's side and crawled up toward the woman's shoulders. "Keep walking," the cat whispered as it purred, delicate paws traced a careful balance along the Jedi's shoulders. It came to rest on the other side and perched there as the Jedi walked. "Sotta's always hated Force-users, but the Jedi often disrupt his business, the Sith at least pay him." Began Ria as she looked as if she were cleaning her paws. "There's a few hits out for you, bounty boards alive with Jedi heads - yours among them."

"Turn left," ordered the feline as it curled itself into the crook of the Jedi's neck, "a former Knight of Ren from the old days has been concealing themselves from you, stalking you. Don't go back to your ship the way you came, in fact - have someone else pick up your ship and have it inspected." The cat warned its eyes were open scanning the dark, dank, and decrepit alleys and streets of the district. The feline's ears fell back as it turned to look behind the Jedi. "I recognize that Cyborg, it's one of Sotta's hunters this is going to be harder than I thought."

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Nar Shaddaa
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Link
Necklace: Link
Weapon: Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Ria the Cat

"Keep walking."

It didn't have to say that a second time — with the cat on her shoulder, Valery walked through the streets pretending that it was the most normal thing in the world. Of course, other people only saw a woman with a cat on her shoulders. They didn't hear it speak and order her around like it had authority. But even with a furball like this, she could feel that its intentions weren't hostile towards her, and that it for some reason was actually interested in helping.

"Not surprised there's a price on my head," Valery said in return. She had made a ton of enemies within the Brotherhood of the Maw alone, and plenty outside of it too. Jedi in general had a price on their head but that meant she had a special one from some.

Valery then turned left and listened to the cat's instructions. Having someone else check her ship or finding a different way off-world wouldn't be a problem, but it seemed the Ren waiting at her shuttle wasn't the only threat. Something was behind her and without looking, Valery acknowledged Ria's words with a nod. "It'll be alright, let's draw him closer and catch him by surprise," she whispered,

She kept moving and hoped to use the turning alleys to briefly break his line of sight. All she needed was to disappear behind one corner, and wait for him there, so she could ambush this cyborg, "I'll handle him," she said as she drew the metallic hilt from her jacket and waited.

 

[Ria the Cat]

"Don't," cautioned Ria, "your lightsaber will be like moths to the flame."

The cat turned itself on the Jedi's shoulder, "place is too crowded for those kinds of shenanigans, head to the speeder, right turn, then another left head up to the next level. Grab the newspaper, and head to the cheque exchange. He only takes sovs if you want his help, he'll distract the Cyborg long enough to get us some distance."

"Just consider this a favor," remarked Ria as her tail began to swish - back and forth with increasing agitation. The cat let out a warning, a low growl as she moved forward onto the Jedi's shoulder. Orange fur stood out against the Jedi's clothing. "That cyborg's an ass, had to deal with him a lot when I wa- uh... " She stopped and looked behind her, "once the Imperial gets the coin, we're golden."

Antsy didn't quite begin to cover Ria's fear, the cat dug her claws into the Jedi's shoulder instinctively. "Good, there goes the Imperial, get to the speeder and book it to the main casino district. It'll be easier to ditch him in the crowd."

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Nar Shaddaa
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Link
Necklace: Link
Weapon: Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Ria the Cat

As much as she wanted to deal with trouble herself, she agreed with Ria. The activation of a lightsaber this late, and in a place like this, was going to draw a lot of attention. So with a frustrated sigh, she put the weapon away and followed the cat's instructions to clear away from the area.

"Don't worry, he won't catch us," Valery said as she paid up and hoped for the man at the exchange to keep the bounty hunter busy long enough. Normally, she would have used the Force to move a lot faster than these hunters could, but that too would draw unwanted attention. "Ow, can you stop putting your nails in my neck?" she asked with some of her own frustrations audible.

"I can carry you with my hands if that's easier..."

Either way, Valery quickly approached the taxi point and offered the credits for a ride away to the Casino district. It's not a place she had been to before, but as long as none of these bounty hunters were waiting for them there, it would be a lot better than this chase through the streets of the Seoul district.

"Where do we head to next? I'm starting to think it's better if I get off-world somehow, but the spaceport can't be safe."

 

[Ria the Cat]

"Please don't carry me," pleaded Ria, "it's so... infantile."

Ria did retract her claws temporarily from the Jedi's neck just as they got into the taxi. Jumping down onto the seat beside the warrior, the feline looked up and remarked, "no, but it's your only way out, and I've got my bucket of bolts working on securing a hangar for us." Cleaning her face in the meanwhile she thought about how they would get there. "Th-ewe," still with a paw over her muzzle, "not a lot options." Still mid-way through cleaning her face.

"Right, casino, we can slip out to the civilian ports and grab a ride to the spaceport. I know the Cyborg will have security looking for us, we'll want to avoid direct eye contact with droids." The cat sighed and looked up at the Jedi, "and I'm going to need a set of clothes, while I'm sure I can hack their systems with paws - using things like blasters just goes a lot easier with thumbs." A sigh escaped the cat again, "hate being human..."

As a cat it was a lot easier to get around and stay unnoticed, but not as easy as a human. Leaping back onto the Jedi's shoulder as the taxi came around to the casino district's stop. "There's a button on my collar, the sigil of the Royal Echani."

"Press it once we get to a locker room, until then I can keep droids off of us. Collar's equipped with minor Force abilities."

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Nar Shaddaa
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Link
Necklace: Link
Weapon: Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Ria the Cat

"Please don't carry me," pleaded Ria, "it's so... infantile."

"You're a cat..." Valery muttered before the cat jumped down and into the seat. The taxi driver had given her a rather strange look for carrying around a cat and talking to it, but right now she didn't care. She just wanted to get off this rock in space and return home so she could forget about what happened here.

"We'll make it work."

The cat then went on to explain how they could get to the spaceport, and what they needed to do to avoid droids catching on to them. But what drew Valery's attention most was something else, "Wait, you're not just a cat?" she blinked and narrowed her gaze at the furball, "Okay, that does actually make sense." She considered asking why she was currently in cat form, or what had caused all of it... but that was likely none of her business, and they had a lot more important things to focus on right now.

"You plan on stealing some clothing in the locker rooms? I don't think they sell anything here..." she continued as she picked up Ria and moved through the casino area without making eye contact with anything or anybody. She walked fast, but not so fast that it would draw attention, and headed straight for the locker area. It was only when they finally made it there, that Valery snatched the cat from her shoulder and put it down on the ground in front of her.

She crouched low and with a quick tap, she activated the button and turned around immediately. It wasn't said directly, but Valery knew exactly why she was going to need clothing.

 

[Ria the Cat]

Ria sighed when the revelation finally dawned on the Jedi, "please tell me that not everyone in the order is as gifted as you are." The sardonic tone even as a cat, wouldn't have been lost on the Jedi, "good, excellent, I was hoping we could make it work - it's not like either of us have a choice. Cyborg knows who I am and once he's spotted me in human form, we're as good as toast." A beat later, "toast sounds really good right now." Ria shook her head, she had to focus on the job ahead especially if she was going to help smuggle the Jedi and herself off-world.

Once she was placed on the ground, Ria turned and presented her collar as a cat might. Sitting on their haunches shoulders straight and head held high. However, when a few more moments longer than what was necessary had passed - Ria realized the Jedi was playing lookout. Another sigh of exasperation, at this rate the cat was only glad this wasn't a drinking game. She cleared her throat, "uh, excuse me, Jedi Too-Tall."

"I don't know...." She began to rotate her paw in the air, rolling it like she might a hand, "how you expect me to ... press the button on my collar, y'know..." her voice trailed off a moment and then with a deadpan remark, "without hands." A low and irritated growl emitted from the cat who then stood and walked into the locker room. "You, here, press button... and I get clothes."

"It's not like you haven't seen a female form before, or have they gone back to making the Jedi celibate again?"

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Nar Shaddaa
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Link
Necklace: Link
Weapon: Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Ria the Cat

Valery just rolled her eyes at the sass she was getting from a freeking cat, and kept walking through the casino area until she reached their destination. The comment about toast, she completely decided to ignore — must be the cat part of her speaking, she figured. She finally set Ria down and turned away, her eyes scanning the environment to make sure nobody had followed them.

"uh, excuse me, Jedi Too-Tall."

"My name is Valery, and what?" she asked, as she turned around and looked down at the little furball. It rotated its paw around and while it began to speak, Valery raised an eyebrow, "You can rub your own face, can't you? How hard can it..." she stopped herself, sighed and followed the cat to the changing room.

"It's not like you haven't seen a female form before, or have they gone back to making the Jedi celibate again?"

"No... not quite," she chuckled to herself, "But don't get sassy with me, I don't want to see your... female form." She then crouched down, and took just a second to look the cat in the eyes, her own narrowed as if to say that she was only doing this because she had to. Her finger then inched closer to the button on Ria's collar, and pressed it.

Without missing a beat, she stood back up and turned around to get out of the changing room and stand watch. Finding clothing was going to be her own problem to deal with.

 

[Ria Misrani]

Once Ria was in the locker room she sighed and looked around, starting with the one farthest from the door she started rummaging through them. Albeit forgetting about benches and still getting her balance, there were several slams, thuds, and a lot of cursing. A lot of it Huttese, some of it Twi'Leki, and others in Nautoluan which proved to be the more colorful sort of cursing. The blonde hair, Nar Shaddaan native screamed about being unable to locate a bra in her size. Followed by trying to find the clean linens closet, "Force cursed benches, blasted shins - ow, ow, ow." Ria managed as she emerged from the locker room dressed as well as she could be.

Adjusting the shoulder strap on her bra she grimaced, "this is a little tight, but whatever it'll work." Ria turned around and perhaps she was just trying to move down past the Jedi but ran right into her. "Right... I'm still short, let's start over, names Ria Misrani." She held out her hand briefly and then looked around. After a quick shake of her hand, she motioned down the hall. "Okay, somewhere over here should be the network room that we need." The collar that she had - transformed into a choker Ria adjusted the coat, "this is also just..." she moved her arms, "tight, Force forbid a short curvy chick try to find clothes around here."

Ria stood around five foot five which while still shorter to the Jedi, wasn't nearly as comical. "Once I bring the network down we've got a minute to haul our asses to the freight lift, head down to the sublevel, and grab a ride to the port." The woman then added, "for the record, wherever you're going, I'm going with you I need to get off this rock and get back to Kal'Shebbol." Remarked the blonde, making conversation while doing her best to check around without raising suspicion.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Nar Shaddaa
Appearance: Link
Outfit: Link
Necklace: Link
Weapon: Lightsaber (concealed)
Tag: Ria Misrani

"Force cursed benches, blasted shins - ow, ow, ow."

"Don't break anything in there, I'm not paying for it," Valery called back with a smirk on her face — she perfectly understood that adjusting to a new body was likely not the easiest, but it was too amusing not to say something to this cat full of sass. But after a few minutes, Ria finally appeared in some stolen clothing, and Valery would take a moment to look her over.

"Shorter than I imagined," she joked before she took the offered hand and shook it, "Pleasure to properly meet you, Ria." Finally, she no longer felt weird because she was talking to a cat, even though Ria likely preferred it that way. Her gaze then extended out and after she covered the plan for their escape from this planet, Valery nodded. "You're sure you can do it? If you can't bring it down, we're going to be in a lot of trouble."

She wasn't trying to doubt the woman's skills too much, but she had to be sure that this was going to work.

"I just want to get off of this planet, so you're free to join me," Valery said with a nod, as they began to walk in the direction of the network room. She had no idea how to even begin bringing down anything technological in nature, so all she could do was stand guard again while Ria would slip inside and take care of business. "One minute you said? That's gonna be tight..."