Private Curiosity killed the Gatz (Almost)

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio
Location | Coruscant
Tag | Gatz Derrevar

When it came to finding the right hunting locations, Adeline had been a smart little cookie. Each handful of victims were in new locations, no evidence either... The missing people were just.. Gone? Like they had vanished out of existence, or got kidnapped and ended up halfway across the damn galaxy by now working in some mine.

People had got weary of course, but only in those chosen hunting grounds. Considering there was never any evidence left behind, it had left the police force stumped... Only getting worse as a Padawan had gone missing.


Tonight was a prime time, it was the weekend and everyone in this section didn't know about what had been going on. Each getting hammered, placing bets, playing games... Or getting too drunk and getting into fights. Nothing was out of the ordinary at a surface glance, and it would be almost impossible to do deep enough digging to find the wolf hidden in the herd.

Adeline was dressed in her usual attire, ruby eyes glancing around the room as she sipped a whiskey on the rocks. So far none here really attracted her maw, the flesh may be tender but the soul was weak.

And so she sat, one leg crossed over the other as her mind pondered about trying another spot.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

Gatz did not like Coruscant.

Truth be told, Gatz wasn't partial to any worlds in the Core. When he'd still called himself a scoundrel, they'd been far too civilized (and far too secure) for his tastes. Security was everywhere on Coruscant, especially in the space lanes, and for someone of his former profession, that wasn't an enticing thing. The only way for a smuggler to get their goods down to the planet was to hope that they were showing up on a busy day, and at a time when security would be far too busy to scan every single ship coming into the system.

Thankfully, Gatz had given up that life, and suddenly trips to Coruscant weren't nearly as stressful.

But it was still far too "rich" for his tastes, at least on the upper levels. The lower levels were just scummy enough for his old tastes, but he didn't frequent places like that these days. Now, instead of smuggling illicit goods to crime lords on the lower levels, he was delivering goods and amenities to the Coruscant Jedi Temple. Because even space-wizard-warrior-monks had need of supplies.

But now, with that delivery finished, he was (thankfully) free of the Jedi Temple, and had opted to stay the night on the upper levels. When he found the upper levels to be dull as dirt, he figured the cantinas here couldn't be any worse than the ones back on Naboo, and made a beeline for the nearest source of alcohol.

And, admittedly, the cantina he just walked into was pretty nice. It was a classy place, clean and orderly, and far removed from the hole-in-the-wall bars he often frequented. It was just as busy as any cantina in the Red Light District back on Nar Shaddaa, but the people here were clearly of a higher echelon of society. Merchants, bankers, politicians, and trust fund kids, as opposed to pirates, smugglers, and back alley muggers.

Gatz dressed nicely for a man of his past: clean, groomed, and hygienic, but a man in a red leather jacket was just slightly out of place in a bar like this.

Oh well. He decided not to let that stop him, and approached the opulent bar for a drink, blatantly ignorant to the fact that he'd just walked into what was currently the most dangerous cantina on the planet.

---

Tags: Adeline Noctua

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio
Location | Coruscant
Tag | Gatz Derrevar

The hunter had detected her prey as soon as he entered the building, catching glances of him throughout the crowd of people.

This wasn't a Jedi, nor was this a Sith...Yet he held more force than anyone else here. Rather lucky since she was just about to leave this place!

Adeline would take her drink and wander over to the man, seeing he was drinking by himself.

"You drinking all by yourself?"

She asks, sitting in the seat right next to him. With a brow raised in a slightly smug fashion she sips on her drink, ruby eyes watching him as she waited for an answer.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

As the bartender slid a beer down the bar to him, Gatz sighed. This day had been long, and he was weary. He'd thought that visiting the temple, even if he'd only stayed on the landing pad, might have brought him some measure of peace. Instead, it had just made him more anxious: reminded him that, despite all the good he tried to do these days, he hadn't belonged to the Jedi Order in fifteen years, and never would.

It was better that way, he knew. He didn't have a Jedi's dedication, or discipline. And he certainly didn't possess the moral fiber. There was too much blood on his hands to ever call himself a good man.

Gatz had been too caught up in his own shortcomings to hear the woman approach him. He certainly felt nothing in the Force, but with his faulty connection to it, that wasn't surprising. What was surprising was that she had come up to him. In his experience, he usually had to go out of his way to attract someone's attention. Especially someone as lovely as this.

Maybe his day was looking up.

"Usually," Gatz answered her question, "but not anymore, it seems."

He flashed her a small smile, trying to seem happier than he felt.

"What brings you over to me? I can't imagine it's because of how well I'm dressed."

---

Tags: Adeline Noctua

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio
Location | Coruscant
Tag | Gatz Derrevar

She knew his kind well, once being a whole mix of underworld professions including smuggling.

"I can take a guess of what kind of work you do, I can tell you aren't used to places like this... Even if you were properly dressed."

Adeline gives him a smug snicker, when it came to the underworld she knew too much about it.

"And no you don't need to worry about me ratting you out, I used to do it myself."

The woman takes a drink, raising her finger to gesture "just a moment". Coughing a bit as the cold whiskey hit the spot, she chuckles a bit.

"What? I can't come over and meet people?"

So far her soft voice and more forward approach should give off a welcoming and laid back person, she takes a cig out of her coat, offering it to him.

"Any news on the outer rim? Been a while since I was there... I grew up on Nal Hutta, don't miss it a bit."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Gatz winked at her, before adding, “but, honestly, I walked away from that life a while ago.”

And life hadn’t exactly been better since. He wouldn’t say he regretted leaving his criminal ways in the past, but things had been a hell of a lot simpler when all he cared about was himself and making credits. Now he had problems like moral quandaries, self-doubt, and whether or not the few people he cared for actually had any faith in him.

It was all so… angsty. He hadn’t been like that before.

The woman offered him a drag from her smoke, and he politely declined with a raise of his hand.

“Outer Rims just the same as it’s always been. I used to spend a lot of time on Nar Shaddaa. I don’t miss the smells, or the people… but in an odd way, it became home. I don’t get back there as much these days. I almost wish I did.”

Hutt Space was dangerous. No doubt. But the bars were great, and so was the pay, provided you knew the right contacts.

“But Hutta itself… if you grew up there, and you’re not a Hutt… Well, I get why you wouldn’t miss it.”

Gatz trailed off. Only Hutts actually called Hutta home. Anyone else who did was, well, usually a slave. And there were plenty of slavers on Nar Shaddaa too. Maybe he didn’t miss The Smuggler’s Moon so much after all.

---

Tags: Adeline Noctua

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio
Location | Coruscant
Tag | Gatz Derrevar

She rolls her eyes in a sarcastic yet playful manner in response to his first reply.

"Pfft, charmer."

Adeline tucks away the refused smoke, she didn't wish to smell it anyway...

"Well I did in fact grow up mostly as a slave yes, but I got my freedom after a family of scrappers took me in. I have that old man to thank for my jumpstart when it came to engineering, but it wasn't like there was much to pick through."

Part of her became slightly interested at least to perhaps hear more about his past, seeing as she did just in fact share part of her actual background. Perhaps the two had both been scavenging rodents at one point? Though... Her hunger set in, supernatural urges screaming at her to feed on his very force.

"I did the same work as you for a bit, far better pay than I got scrapping but it tends to ruffle the wrong kind of feathers ya know?"

She takes one last sip from her drink before setting the cold glass on the bar for a refill.

"So what do you get up to now?"

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

"I do my best."

Alright, good. His time away from the criminal underworld hadn't dulled his charm, it seemed. It had dulled every single one of his other skills, so that was a pleasant surprise. Gatz really didn't want to chase this girl away. She was pretty, sophisticated, and something of a charmer herself. He almost felt as though he was the one being charmed here.

As he had expected, this woman had started her life in slavery. That both saddened and angered him, a slight tremor in his presence in the Force. As rough as it was, maybe taking on Kragan Garr and his institution of slavery wasn't such a bad idea after all. Maybe, if he worked hard enough, he could stop women like the one next to him from growing up under a slaver's whip.

"Yeah, I get it," Gatz took a swig from his beer, "the money's nice, and the excitement is... exciting. But eventually you end up pissing off the wrong person, and then you get to spend the next few months looking over your shoulder, expecting an ambush in every shadow. I don't miss that part of it."

He missed the money, missed not having a moral dilemma every ten minutes, and he missed not being guilty about who he was and what he'd done. Thing was, he'd grown a conscience, and it wasn't going away any time soon. Even if he went back, it wouldn't be the same. He'd probably feel even more remorse than he did now.

So be it. That chapter of his life was closed.

"These days?" Gatz shrugged, "I just... I try to help out the little guy, I guess. The people like me, whose issues aren't important enough to warrant a Jedi's attention."

Well, he supposed his issues had warranted a Jedi's attention. But few were lucky enough to have a guardian angel in the form of Valery Noble. Those were the people he wanted to help: those who weren't as fortunate as he was.

---

Tags: Adeline Noctua

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio
Location | Coruscant
Tag | Gatz Derrevar

"As a little girl I always wanted to be a Jedi, not for any reasons like power no... I wanted to come back home and be a hero for everyone. Little did I know that we find heros in the most unlikely of places, I didn't need to be a Jedi to right a wrong."

She was of course referring to "Jackal" a chaotic mind that ended up forming thanks to trauma and abuse, being something like a big sister for the young Adeline at the time. She needed a punisher, someone who could take down the bad guys... Jackal made the alley run red that night.

"Now days I actually follow a more academic pursuit, you could call me a scholar of things not understood by the common mind."

Her glass had been refilled, allowing her to take another sip from the thing before she would cast her line.

"Do you umm.. Have any plans for tonight by the way?"

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

Hearing that this woman had wanted to be a Jedi wasn't shocking. He'd wanted to be one once, too. Could have been one, if he'd just stayed with the Order. Leaving was something he had recently started to regret. His life hadn't exactly changed for the better after he'd renounced the Jedi Code. But, in truth, he'd never really belonged with the Jedi. His visit to the temple today was all too cruel a reminder of that.

"You don't have to be a Jedi to do some good," Gatz agreed, "anyone can look out for the people around them."

She then went on to explain that she was a scholar of sorts, on the kind of subject matter that most people didn't understand. Well, there were a lot of things that the people in the galaxy didn't understand, but Gatz was guessing that she was talking about the deeper intricacies of the Force. And while he was certainly interested if that was the case, he forced himself to keep silent on the matter. Men like him were far too tempted to abuse the Force for selfish purposes. So the less he knew about it, the better.

Of course, she could have been talking about literally any other subject matter too. But she had moved on to her next question anyhow.

"Plans?" Was she propositioning him? He was usually the one who propositioned, "besides drinking myself into a stupor? Not particularly."

---

Tags: Adeline Noctua

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio
Location | Coruscant
Tag | Gatz Derrevar

She slowly shakes her head, gesturing a "no no no" with her finger at him.

"It doesn't take a genius to realize two things, the first being that drinking yourself into a drunken stupor alone is just asking to get robbed... The other being me wondering what in the world happened for you to resort to such a thing."

While it would be nothing but useful for him to be heavily intoxicated, she had to play the part of concern. That is what people normally do, yes?

"Besides, how are you meant to catch a lady while being a miserable drunken fool?"

Perhaps just her own preference, but a non drunk fool was far more attractive.

"Clearly whatever path you were walking before has lead you to this state, perhaps with my help I could teach you a better path filled with earned pride."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

Was she... wagging her finger at him? She was. Did he... like that? He did. Why did he like that? Gatz would have blamed the booze, but he'd barely had half a beer. No, there was no credible excuse for this one. He just liked women who chided and nagged him. To be fair, he was definitely the sort of man who needed something like that. He was too brash, too egotistical, not to be knocked down a peg every now and again.

"Oh, nothing to worry about," Gatz shrugged, and took another drink, "just... reflecting on my past. Thinking about regrets. They say drinking is supposed to put an end to all that depressing garbage, but I guess it's not exactly the most healthy habit to have."

Wait. So she was coming onto him! Maybe he wasn't so rusty at this wooing thing after all. Well, she was really the one doing all the work here, but he could pretend he'd made an effort.

"I don't know," he chuckled, self-depreciatingly, "I don't "catch" many ladies these days. Probably better that way. I've got... too many things I need to work on."

He was giving her an out. Gatz knew he was certain to be miserly company this evening, and this kind young woman didn't deserve to be stuck with him. She even offered him a... "path," but Gatz already had one. He didn't have the time, or energy, for another.

"I have plenty of pride," Gatz explained, "that's often the problem. You're kind to offer, but I'm already walking a new path. One I think is worth the journey, even if it isn't always the most rewarding."

---

Tags: Adeline Noctua

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio
Location | Coruscant
Tag | Gatz Derrevar

She listens to his words, sipping on her drink yet again before squinting at him, the kind of squint that told him she was either upset and or about to speak her mind in a way he might not like.

"Sure sure, plenty of pride... Is that why you are here by yourself trying to get drunk? Harsh words I know, but you can't bullshit a bullshitter you feel? You wouldn't be in this state if you held yourself to a higher level of respect, even if you weren't catching anyone."

The toughest thing for people was to admit they were wrong, and the huntress had become more focused on refining this dulled man over eating him for now at least.

"You gotta hold your head high, respect yourself. We are getting you some fresh air, away from the drinks."

The strange woman gives Gatz a smug wink before tugging him by the sleeve, dragging him out if need be. Was it authoritative? Yes of course, but something told her the man was in a spineless state and wouldn't resist.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

"If I didn't hold myself to a higher level of respect," Gatz said quietly, measured, "then I'd still be delivering spice, and shooting whoever got in my way. If I'm here to get myself drunk, it's to forget the half a decade I wasted on ruining people's lives."

Because ultimately, that's what he'd done, right? Spice ruined people's lives, addiction turned them into husks of what they once were, selling off all their possessions just to get their next hit. He may not have sold it himself, but he made its purchase possible by delivering it to its dealers. He couldn't just... undo all that, and no matter how much good he did now, it wouldn't fix the lives he had broken and taken.

He didn't particularly like this woman's assumption, but he could see the wisdom in getting some fresh air. She'd partially missed the mark, but that didn't mean she was entirely wrong. So he shrugged, left a few credits as a tip on the bar, and let himself be dragged outside. Why not? As boring as Coruscant was, at least it wasn't as shabby as Nar Shaddaa.

"I understand what you're going for here, but I'll respect myself once I actually do something worth respecting."

---

Tags: Adeline Noctua

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio
Location | Coruscant
Tag | Gatz Derrevar

"Sorry, I understand.. I have a different way of getting through life I suppose, just try to power through it despite whatever pain I am going through."

She lets out a huff, gazing at the night sky.

"I will stand rather firmly that drinking won't help, perhaps you should find another way to relax."

Adeline gives him a smug glare, perhaps he would get the hint.

"As for doing something respectable, do you have any ideas of what to do? You got some skills ya? Bounty hunt the bad guys, free slaves and give them another shot, use your smuggling skills to sneak medical supplies to areas where say a corporation is pushing people down."

The woman takes a seat on a bench nearby, leaning back as the cool air gently brushed against the two.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

"No I..." Gatz sighed, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have reacted like that. My day may not have been great, but that's no reason to take it out on you."

Come on, he was better than this. Getting drunk off his ass, lashing out at other people for things they weren't at fault for... that's the kind of thing he would have done in the past. He'd come a long way this past year, and he had grown beyond such petty reaction. He couldn't let himself fall back into old habits now, just because he was upset.

That wasn't the man he wanted to be.

The woman, whose name he still hadn't asked for, made a pointed suggestion about how he ought to relax. Was... was he being propositioned? Or was that just the half a beer talking? No, he wasn't even buzzed, so he must have heard her right. Which was crazy, because... well, that didn't happen. He usually did the propositioning.

Still, he didn't quite get a chance to respond. She moved to a new topic, about what he could do with his skills.

"I've been doing my best to use my skills for, well, good. There's only so much a former smuggler can do on the right side of the law, and bounty hunting isn't for me, but I'm trying to make it work. But, I have to admit, I miss the money I used to make."

Philanthropy wasn't exactly a booming business these days.

---

Tags: Adeline Noctua

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio
Location | Coruscant
Tag | Gatz Derrevar

"Life is a rather short thing, personally I think we should do as we please."

She shrugs, perhaps hinting that he could just continue doing underworld activity.

"You don't need to say sorry, I understand. You are only human, emotional outbursts happen. I can't say I have been the most charismatic myself... Maybe it that is thanks to the drinks I had before?"

Adeline leans her head back, resting it against the bench while looking at the night above.

"So, you have any interesting stories to share?"

The woman gestures for him to take a seat next to her if he so desired.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

The woman, whose name he still didn't know, patted the bench she was sitting on. Gatz figured he really didn't have anywhere else to be, so with a small sigh, he lowered himself down on the seat next to her. He followed her gaze to the night sky above, and found it wanting. Coruscant had too much light pollution, even up at the highest levels of the ecumenopolis, and it made the stars appear dim.

Coruscant's night sky had nothing on Naboo's, but Gatz decided to keep that to himself.

"I've got a good story or two," he admitted to the pale woman, "but before I regale you: I never caught your name."

Now, this was far from the first time Gatz had spent an extended amount of time with a lady without learning her name, but those days were better left in the past, with the version of himself he no longer wanted to be. Whoever he was becoming, Gatz wanted that man to be a bit more interested in the people around him, and a little less interested in pointless debauchery.

"You can call me "Gatz," on account of that being the name I was given at birth."

Eh, clumsy joke, but he'd had a bad night so far. Not everything that came out of his mouth could be hilarious.

---

Tags: Adeline Noctua

 

[Adeline Noctua]

Equipment | In Bio
Location | Coruscant
Tag | Gatz Derrevar

"An interesting name to say the least, reminds me of nicknames I would hear when I was part of a gang on Nal Hutta. Not by choice mind you, my mother sold me to them when I was still very young."

She keeps staring up at the sky, also being disappointed thanks to the smog and light pollution.

"I get called a great many of things, but you may call me Adeline."

Adeline crosses her arms, a slight frown on her face as she still gazed upward.

"I don't know about you, but I can't see anything."

The woman softly chuckles a bit before turning her gaze to Gatz.

"Do share a story, I would share some of my own but they are hardly appropriate to talk about... Then again I suppose you already got a little of my story."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

​

Well it was good to know that his mere name reminded her of some of her worst memories. That was flattering. But... The more Gatz thought about it, the more that made sense. He had, in a way, been like those gang members she'd grown up around. He'd never transported slaves, no, but he'd done a lot of unscrupulous work for the Hutts. So, maybe he ought to remind her of them.

Theirs was a filth he'd accepted when he'd taken their credits. That wasn't something he'd ever wash clean.

"Your name is regal. Fitting for you, I think."

Gatz still wondered what a woman like her could ever want with a man like him. It should have been very clear to anyone that the two of them were definitely not cut from the same cloth. Former slave or not, Adeline was worth about ten of him. And clearly she'd made something of herself since escaping Hutt servitude.

"Well, I could tell you how I got into smuggling in the first place. Or how I got out: admittedly I prefer that one. Or..." Gatz trailed off, "I could tell you about the time I stormed the heart of a crime lord's slaving empire, and took back some children he'd stolen from my homeworld. That's probably my best story, even has the Sword of the Jedi in it."

---

Tags: Adeline Noctua