First Reply Catch That Cat! - Fluffy's at it Again!

[Katarine Ryiah]

Location: Tatooine - Outside Mos Espa
Objective: Catch the Cat
Tags: Open

The twin suns had begun their slow descent when Katarine Ryiah finally powered down the last of the moisture farm's converters. The air shimmered with heat even at dusk, carrying with it the ever-present whisper of sand sliding across durasteel. Sweat clung to her brow, but she welcomed the labor because of its simplicity, its rhythm, its silence. It was a welcome counterpoint to the storm inside her. The Barash Vow allowed no missions, no interference, no entanglements. Only reflection. Only stillness.

She slung her pack over her shoulder and made her way into a small market just outside Mos Espa, the dusty thoroughfare pulsing with evening activity. Traders barked prices, speeders hummed past, and the scent of fried nuna drifted from a vendor's booth. Katarine kept her presence muted, her hood drawn low, searching the scrap stalls for a replacement motivator for the farm's aging service droid. Nothing more. No distractions.

She had just leaned over a table of mismatched droid parts when a shrill voice pierced the chaos.

"Fluffy... NO!"

Katarine straightened in time to see a blur of cream colored fur rocket between her boots. A Loth-cat darted past, tail bottle-brushed, eyes wide with mischief and panic. Sand kicked up in its wake as it threaded through the crowd with feral precision. Katarine blinked after it, the Force prickling at the edges of her awareness. A heartbeat later, the boy came barreling through the street, nearly colliding with a Rodian vendor. "Fluffy! Get back here!"

But the creature was already disappearing into the one place Katarine had hoped to avoid: the wretched hive of scum and villainy itself. The kind of den that promised trouble with every shadowed corner. Mos Espa.

Katarine exhaled slowly. The Barash Vow forbade involvement. The Force, however… whispered otherwise.

She adjusted her hood, stepped away from the stall, and followed the Loth-cat's trail into the murky glow beyond.

 

[Kesh Hevro]

CATCH THAT CAT
Wayward Son - Chapter 1
———
TAG: Katarine Ryiah

MOS ESPA, TATOOINE

Kesh Hevro is all too familiar with the underworld. Gambling rings, spice dens, casinos, that’s the world he was raised in. Mos Espa isn’t special in any case, just that he as a Pyke is not exactly a common sight deep in the rival territory. Yet that doesn’t stop the Prince from stepping his foot at the busy marketplace.

The scorching heat of the twin sun saunter over Kesh’s head as he ordered local delicacy from a hawker stall. He can feel dozens of eyes practically piercing his skin through his beige robe and armor underneath, a reminder that he is far from home.

As he chewed through his food under the shade of an old building, a creature sneaked close and pounced at his chopstick and the slab of Bantha meat the Pyke was just about to put in his mouth.

“Karkin’ hell!” his head turned sharp at the creature who had stopped 5 meters from him, he was so ready to pull a blaster out. But upon a second glance, it’s just a Loth-Cat. A white, fluffy Loth-Cat. Even the big game hunter himself can’t help but feel amused at the cute creature, who’s mischievously looking at him while chewing the piece of meat.

To hell with it, I’ll get a new one, he thought to himself as he offered the Loth Cat another piece of meat.​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Tags: Kesh Hevro

Katarine was hot on the trail of the small animal. She could smell cooking Bantha meat and wondered if that was what attracted the creature? Sure enough when she rounded the corner Fluffy was sitting there chewing meat that a Pyke was offering. Fluffy purred as the male offered more meat.

Kat smirked in amusement and started to approach the pair.

“Fluffy… your family is looking for you.” She was calm, trying not to upset the feline but Fluffy seemed to know she was here to ruin his fun.

The cat hissed at her and then spun around, picking up a wallet that was laying on the table and dashing off with it in its teeth.

Katarine sighed. “I hope that wasn’t your wallet?”

If it was then it seemed they both now had a reason to chase Fluffy through the crime laced streets.

 

[Kesh Hevro]

CATCH THAT CAT
Wayward Son - Chapter 1
———
TAG: Katarine Ryiah

MOS ESPA, TATOOINE

“Fluffy…” Kesh muttered the name mentioned by the woman approaching. He glanced away from Fluffy to observe the woman. A human, possibly in her early adulthood, looking out of place in Mos Espa, just like him albeit for a completely opposite reason.

Just before he got to greet the woman, Fluffy swiped his wallet away from the table and ran away towards the street of Mos Espa.

“Fluffy you piece of chit,” the Pyke grumbled, both at the Loth-Cat and the woman who he presumed to be Fluffy’s owner. Hie eyes darted at where Fluffy was headed, scanning for high ground to track the rascal easier. It’s not like it’s the end of the world if he lost his wallet, he only had credit chips in there, but he’s not exactly in the right mood to concede defeat to the small creature.

“Can you jump and run fast?” Kesh asks the woman, but without waiting for her answer, he showcase his unmatchable verticals, using his long, muscular Pyke reach the roof of a one-story building, where his electro-magnetic soles will help him traverse the crime-laced street to get to Fluffy.​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Tags: Kesh Hevro

"Fluffy you piece of chit,"

Katarine chuckled at the comment. She knew exactly how the Pyke felt. A moment latter he had leapt up onto the building. She summoned the Force and joined him. From this vantage they could see the bottle-brush tail sprinting down an alleyway. The cat jumped up onto a crate and then zoomed inside the window of a cantina.

"Well... looks like its time for a drink."

She eyed her new partner and indicated he should lead the way. Hopefully the place they were about to head too wasn't a den of trouble... but in Mos Espa the odds were against them.

 

[Kesh Hevro]

CATCH THAT CAT
Wayward Son - Chapter 1
———
TAG: Katarine Ryiah

MOS ESPA, TATOOINE

The cat jumped up onto a crate and then zoomed inside the window of a cantina.

"Well... looks like its time for a drink."

She eyed her new partner and indicated he should lead the way.

“Ugh, fine…” Kesh led the pair walking into the cantina. Cantina in Mos Espa always smells like a disaster waiting to happen. While Tatooine is de jure High Republic territory, he knows that in practice the local overlords of most townships work for the Black Sun, and if there’s one thing the Black Sun hates, it’s the Pykes.

They were welcomed by the bustling chatters of local workers, spacers, and possibly some dealers. Three guards are stationed on the three corner of the establishment. Finding Fluffy without looking like suspicious bystanders would be a challenge, especially when you are obviously, transparently a Pyke.

“Uhh… what’syourname? Can you help me distract the guard so I can snuff for the little chit? And please get me a drink while you’re at it,” the Pyke whispered to his new partner, feeling that the guards’ eyes are already transfixed at him.​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Tags: Kesh Hevro

"Uhh… what'syourname? Can you help me distract the guard so I can snuff for the little chit? And please get me a drink while you're at it,

"Kataments later, Distractions are my specialty." She moved through the crowd over to the guard and put on her best flirtatious smile. A few moments later they were chatting, with Kat laughing at the most mundane jokes and batting her pretty little eyes. The guard had at least forgot about the Pyke.

Meanwhile Fluffy was over in the corner, chasing a mouse that had ran under a table where a bunch of thugs were gambling.