Diablerie

[Irella Toldreyn]

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diablerie, noun; reckless mischief, charismatic wildness, deals with the devil.​

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Nar Shaddaa, The Red Light Sector, A Particularly Unsavory Corner Of It, Twilight
Hell Hath No Fury-- | Interacting with [member="Aryn Teth"] ~ Arsonist's Lullabye ~ "When I was a child, I heard voices."
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Isn't there something just magical about returning home.

Except when it was the Smuggler's Moon, apparently. Irella had a certain relationship with the rock that had been her playground since she could pickpocket, long before the Praxeum had put a blade in her hands, but this time when she had stepped off the port of her stowaway ride and faced the intense landscape of Nar Shaddaa the rogue Healer found herself not so happy about it. Perhaps the serenity of her sabbatical, and the relative ironic peacefulness of her encounter with the dar'manda [member=Rohak Vizsla] on some estranged planet she couldn't bother to recall, and the nightmarish experience with the other Vizsla that brought a scowl to her face to even recall had left her with an ire for this place that she should have cultivated long ago.

No matter. She was home, and home meant a hustle. The jacketed figure leaned against the wall of a familiar cafe, kicked a leg up against it. Her 'corner', if you would. Waiting for those who knew her to find her.

The locals of Red Light knew Irella's face well, knew her kindly demeanour and knew of her gifts in fixing unfixable people. They called them miracles; she called it the Force; they paid either way for her services to repair body, mind, soul. Nobody turned up a nose to a skill like saving lives, nobody questioned where it came from, and nobody bothered to bring it to the attention of those who might exploit or harm her for it. Well, then again, there had been the Chasm, her reasoning for being included in it's fights still lost on her. Maybe a friend had ratted, persuaded the fight's leadership of how a former Praxeum member would have made excellent bloodsport.

Thinking of it yet again made a flinch pass through Irella as she glanced down at the palm of her hand, fingertips brushing over the scars still healing there. Despite pouring her efforts into it, they had yet to fade entirely, gory scraps from her tooth-and-nail escape from that hellish fighting den alongside Ronan. No, nothing had compared to that, the savagery of man, the distrust between two people forced on the same side. Well, 'forced' -- She still suspected even now he really would have cut her throat and not lose a second of sleep, so it had been more like she had simply shadowed him and avoided that mad dog's wrath by the skin of her teeth. A wistful exhale left her, white puffs in the surprisingly cool night. Quite a few moments ticked on by, the neon of the district lit the sky crimson, a light sprinkle of rain started to fall and the blonde tugged a hood up, memories lost. Nobody stopped to seek a Healer's touch.

Would it be a hungry night if no one came by? Yes, indeed, maybe, perhaps. Irella's stomach groaned protest. The near-Human sighed and bit the inside of her cheek hard.

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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The Red Light Sector, Nar Shaddaa, Hutt Space, The Outer Rim Territories​

Interacting With: [member="Irella Toldreyn"]​

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A thin plume of white smoke left Aryn's lips as he dropped the stub of the cigarra to the ground. It was a bad habit, one he'd picked up over the last few months during his mercenary work, especially on more covert job - more often than not it allowed him to blend into a crowd better, particularly on a world like Nar Shaddaa. He had asked around the area, and everyone he approached for information seemed to bring up the same name, pointing towards the woman out back of the cafe, offering healing for a few credits.

The Chasm wasn't exactly what Aryn was searching for, he knew that much, but he knew that it was not the only establishment run by the same people. There were other pits spread across Nar Shaddaa, but as for where they were, or how he could find them, that was what he needed help with. Whether or not the woman actually knew exactly what he was looking for would remain to be seen, but if she was out behind a cafe offering healing for a few credits, he was fairly sure she wouldn't pass up the kind of sum he'd brought for her.

As the crowd filing through the streets cleared for a few moments, Aryn casually made his way across and towards her, the rain beginning to pour down around him as he reached into a pocket, dragging a credit chit out as he stepped over towards her. Holding it out, he pressed a button and allowed the small, yet discreet hologram to display the modest sum, a whole two-thousand credits. He was fairly sure that would be enough to get her attention at the very least as he turned off the hologram and tucked the chit back away. "I could use some information, and a guide."

Briefly his gaze flicked up and down, sizing her up. From what he had heard of the Chasm, he was surprised she had made it through. He could feel the force resonating from her, that much was evident, and he had deliberately made sure to hide as much of his own signature as he could, if she were able to detect it, he'd seem like little more than a barely trained force senstiive. These days, that was just how he preferred it. Still, the force would not have been enough to get her through the Chasm alone he figured, it was likely she had help, whether that was backup she still had around, he didn't know, but he would stay on his toes, just in case.

"I've heard you've been to a place called The Chasm?"

 

[Irella Toldreyn]

Nar Shaddaa, The Red Light Sector, A Particularly Unsavory Corner Of It, Twilight
--Like A Jedi Scorned | Interacting with [member="Aryn Teth"] ~ Arsonist's Lullabye ~ "Some would sing and some would scream."
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A blonde eyebrow raised, her mouth twisted, and Irella tipped her head back a little to stare over her nose at the one who'd at last approached her. The expression there was unreadable, placid, eyes a hair kinder than her expression flicking down to his proffered sum. To contrast, it seemed impossible to hide how truly powerful she felt in the Force. Gifted, you might say; there was no doubt that she'd have made attractive pickings to Jedi or Sith alike due to that potential alone, able to rival the best of them even untrained. Of course, she'd never learned how to obscure it like Aryn had, never seeing a need to. Nonetheless. It seemed as though she anticipated his speak, something in her face tightening before words even left his mouth. She hadn't flinched at his words (Though, something inside her did let out a long and weary sigh) but she had flinched at his very action of talking. The sound passed over her like a haze, making a very noticeable 'twitch' in the Force from her, like someone cringing after being burned, or stung by something sharp. Loss. That's the emotion Irella perceived after listening to his voice, a heavy feeling within that persisted even as she gathered herself in milliseconds, moving off the wall, speaking in a low voice that couldn't conceal all she wished she could.

"I may have been," The rogue Jedi murmured, still studying him like animals study another, "I can't imagine why, in all of Corellia's hells you'd want to go there, though. Because I promise you it's worse than all of them combined."

It seemed like a cruel joke that this Force-sensitive individual would 'stumble' upon her mere moments after recalling the Chasm itself. The Force, it seemed, had games in play for her yet. But, two-thousand credits was two-thousand credits. But was two-thousand even close enough to tempt her into re-treading that old, but bitterly fresh, ground?

She narrowed her eyes, briefly. And in a statement that seemed entirely genuine, Irella grumbled, "--You're not a Mandalorian, are you?" Before rubbing the back of her neck, nose wrinkled, clearly expecting an answer of some kind before proceeding with this odd transaction. The reasoning behind it would be lost on him but for her, it was a matter of some importance.

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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The Red Light Sector, Nar Shaddaa, Hutt Space, The Outer Rim Territories​

Interacting With: [member="Irella Toldreyn"]​

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The answer that Aryn received from the woman was guarded, much as he had expected it to be. Someone that was a local to Nar Shaddaa tended to survive in only a few ways, and he figured her for the kind that tried to stay out of trouble, to lay low and avoid unecessary danger when she could. The Chasm was not just 'unecessary' danger, he figured to many, especially considering the way that she had described it and he had heard it spoken of by others, it was practically suicide to go there. Luckily, Aryn had no intention of going to The Chasm itself so long as he could avoid it. If things came to it he would travel there, but that was a bridge he'd cross when he came to it.

"I don't. But I need to go somewhere that's owned by the same folk." He wasn't honestly sure just how knowledgeable this woman was of the people running things at The Chasm, she had been there, though, and he figured it was at least possible she'd heard of the other rings dotted around the district, and across Nar Shaddaa. With any luck, she could bring him to the one he was searching for.

The next query that came from the woman wasn't one he had expected, not just from her, it was a question he'd never quite expected from anyone. Aryn had a famous displeasure for the Mandalorians, in fact, it had been the buzz across galactic news for some times before the fall of the Alliance how he had assaulted and bombarded the Mandalorian world of Myrkr when he still held the title of 'Supreme Commander'. Aryn had spent much of his life, most of his life fighting Mandalorians, in particular the loathsome [member="Koda Fett"], and no one had ever possibly conceived that he could be one of them. Frankly, the question was almost comical, but he managed to maintain any possible laughter before it escaped.

"Far from it." His answer was plain, but his eyes remained focused on her, searching and gauging her reaction. He was unsure what had prompted the question, could it have been she was a far-flung member of one of the clans? Were that the case, it would be just his luck that he needed the help of a Mandalorian. Yet, much as he loathed the people, he doubted any of them would be found in as miserable a place as a back-alley on Nar Shaddaa, looking for credits in return for fixing people, rather than breaking them.

 

[Irella Toldreyn]

Nar Shaddaa, The Red Light Sector, A Particularly Unsavory Corner Of It, Twilight
Hell Or Highwater | Interacting with [member="Aryn Teth"] ~ Arsonist's Lullabye ~ "You soon find you had few choices."
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"Good."

He could interpret that as he liked. To her, it didn't matter; Aryn was still a nameless passerby with the promise of something more, something sadder, something that will likely end in violence and end in tears, one way or another. Rubbing at her eye briefly to kneed some of the creeping exhaustion out, she spoke to address his first sentence at last, the one that had undeniably perked up the attention of the more vengeful side of the rogue, "'The Chasm', as much as I'm aware, isn't run by one group but a coalition, and their operations are spread, with that one being the largest," A pause, another soft exhale of painful memories, of blood-soaked rocks and an Alor teaching her to maim, "Can I narrow this down for you, --?" The pause, coupled with the faintest smirk of implication and the tilt of her head all combined to speak to one thing, she had been looking for a name. Real or fake, both counted here, but she, at least, had intentions of being truthful. The Force said as much.

It wasn't as if she'd recognized him from news statements or military speeches, though. That much was cruelly plain to see, across her face, in the depths of her spiritual senses. In fact, the only thing he'd feel were the echoes of her Synesthesia springing forth more melancholic feelings in the woman due to the now-unique symphony of noises around them, the unexplainable feelings blooming like poisoned flowers in her mind. Utterly fascinating to witness, but she wasn't expecting any watchers. Still, it might be a good thing that Irella was too disconnected from the galaxy to know a who's-who of warmasters, or she might have ran.

No, she definitely would have.

Whatever he said in response to her query, whether he was honest or not or just straight-up evaded, she would shift in place, offer a quiet, "Just call me Irella." Before rubbing her thumb over her scarring palm in thought, in recollection, pondering the worth of this situation all over again. This time it took her less time to conclude, head tilted in curiosity again with that same animalistic nature, "Are you looking to join it or something else, there are easier ways to blood yourself here, you know."

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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The Red Light Sector, Nar Shaddaa, Hutt Space, The Outer Rim Territories​

Interacting With: [member="Irella Toldreyn"]​

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"Aryn." He introduced himself plainly, quickly, he had gotten the idea from Irella's and the way she acted that she did not recognize him. Had he figured it was more likely that she might have, perhaps he would have considered using another name, one that would at least allow him to go a while longer without any particular concern over who exactly he was, or who he had been. In a way it was refreshing, being in the company of someone completely oblivious to the actions he had undertaken over the past few years, of the battles he had seen and the wars he'd fought in, it almost made him miss total anonymity.

Almost.

He raised a curious brow as she questioned his motives, giving a sage nod as she explained what she knew of the Chasm and those who ran it and the other pits. She did, at the very least, seem to know something, and something was far better than the leads he had been following on his way here, it was the closest he had thus far gotten to any real leads on this particular endeavour. It was particularly irritating how clandestine fighting pits had a tendency to be hard to find unless you were involved with the who's who of local scum. When it came to Nar Shaddaa, Aryn was far from local, perhaps visiting for the second time in his life, if that.

"Actually getting into the ring is about the last thing i'm looking for, but I need to talk to one of the people running one of the other rings, a Gank that goes by the name of Stitcher." He hoped that the name would potentially ring a bell for the woman, if she had heard the name spoken before when she had been at The Chasm previously. Otherwise, he figured there was a long night of searching ahead of them, or at the very least, ahead of him, if the woman decided that the endeavour wasn't worth the money he'd offered.

 

[Irella Toldreyn]

Nar Shaddaa, The Red Light Sector, A Particularly Unsavory Corner Of It, Twilight
Hell It Is | Interacting with [member="Aryn Teth"] ~ Arsonist's Lullabye ~ "I learned the voice died with me."
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Tourists.

Irella hated tourists, especially here.

They were a particular breed of individual that seemed to multiply issues exponentially, which, ironically, was occurring in this very moment. But not only that, they were hopelessly prone to getting lost on this particular disaster of a planet, which led to more issues, which led to more guidance needed, which led... Right here, to this street corner, to this very sacred moment in time. Not daring to wonder, much less ask, what the fellow had done to get on this Aryn's bad side, she blew a piece of blonde hair from her eyes. An exceptionally shrewd gaze meeting his eyes a little brazenly, before she responded at last in a casual, contemplating tone, "Heard of Stitcher in the Chasm, I think. Then again, half the people stuck down there are bloody mad from not seeing sunlight in months, so I can't say how reliable it all was."

Of course, that wasn't exactly helpful. Acutely aware of how she definitely wasn't earning her keep, the rogue stuck her hands in her pockets-- Ironically grasped at the handle of her lightsaber, if only out of habit and not out of distrust for this man --and offered a dip of her shoulder to act as a shrug, "Mmm. There's a chance I can guess what ring he's in, though. Heard something of a Gank in those parts; hope you don't mind a scenic walk through a chithole, though. It's in Shadow Town, 'least, I think is, probably some of the ancient prison complexes converted into fight rings." Better than nothing, right? A forlorn sigh still wove it's way from her chest and her eyes dropped to the mud-trodden ground, "Best I can do, though." There could have been a touch of self-disappointment, sure, but also a modicum of relief. He wasn't after the Chasm per se. She wouldn't see that black void and face those gaunt faces and break those spindly jaws ever again.

The rain grew a little heavier overhead, forcing the Near-Human to pull the hood a little more over her face, creating a shadow that seemed just suited to the situation, greasy back-deals in a greasy alley on a greasy planet between individuals who no doubt had so much red on their hands you'd think they were Lethan Twi'leks. Except no lekku. Irella could certainly go without those.

"Need directions or something?" The silent implications of an offer of personal guidance were there, of course. Probably for an extra finder's fee.

 

[Aryn Teth]

Aryn Teth

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The Red Light Sector, Nar Shaddaa, Hutt Space, The Outer Rim Territories​

Interacting With: [member="Irella Toldreyn"]​

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Aryn listened intently, taking on board everything the woman said as she confirmed his information. The fact that she had heard of the Gank was particularly useful, considering the fact that he was aware just how minimal the information he'd had really was in the grand scheme of things, he was playing a hunch. While he listened, his gaze flicked over her face, trying to take in the microexpressions that crossed her face, scanning for any hint of untruth, any indication that she was really playing him for a fool. Aryn had no idea who this woman was, what her intentions were, for all he knew, she could be leading him on a wild loth-cat chase, in the hope she could take the credits proferred and run before he came back.

He almost smirked as she asked if he wanted directions, already unsure if she would be trying to give him the slip, that played even more into the suggestion gnawing at the back of his mind. He was new around Nar Shaddaa, certainly, but he had been among the scummier parts of Coruscant and a hundred other worlds enough times to be able to avoid a potential scam whenever one came along. "How about this, i'll give you five-hundred credits for the directions, and the full two-thousand if you can take me there." He raised a brow as he gave his offer, watching her closely for any reaction that might have indicated the scam, if there was one.

Aryn knew of Shadow Town only vaguely, it had been much more thriving in the ancient times, when prisoners were dragged there by Republics and Empires alike to be forgotten, locked up far below where anyone would really care about them. These days, with no major power controlling Nar Shaddaa, the place had fallen much more into disrepair to his knowledge, frequented mostly by pirates and criminals looking for a hideout or a place to conduct their business without prying eyes. All in all it was the perfect place to have a fighting ring like The Chasm.

If this lead ended up turning out to be nothing, Aryn figured he would have to venture to The Chasm itself, a journey he would have much preferred to avoid, the Gank he was looking for was elusive though, only trodding familiar ground to Aryn's knowledge. With some good luck, this Irella would be more honest than he expected, and her information more worthwhile. With some better luck, this whole thing would go without any degree of violence either. Though, usually Aryn's luck was never that good.

 

[Irella Toldreyn]

Nar Shaddaa, The Red Light Sector, A Particularly Unsavory Corner Of It, Twilight
The Nuances Of Faith | Interacting with [member="Aryn Teth"] ~ Arsonist's Lullabye ~ "When I was a child, I'd sit for hours."
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Her mouth parted and soft laughter sprung forth, tongue flicking up to lick over her lips and she shrugged. All in all, a subtle, habit-like motion, one that didn't seem to give off any particular emotion except many incredulity. As if the fact he wouldn't trust a street rat here to be utterly ridiculous. That might have been a part of her angle, the hustle -- Or she truly was that naive and kind. It was one or the other, and if one thing was for sure, it was that Irella was definitely comfortable in not letting him know either way. The flickers across her face in reaction to his speech didn't seem to imply any forthcoming betrayal, nor did the Force -- All that was there was how his sounds were translated by her brain. Ruin. That was a good word for it. He sounded like ruin.

"What, think I'd play you for a fool?" Sardonic words left her, lips still split with a smooth smile that seemed all too genuine, "To be honest--" Her voice split, Irella sized him up, eyebrow quirking, "--You have some height on me."

That was true. Famously short, they had called her in the Praxeum.

Still, he had laid down a fair option. five-hundred could settle her for the next few days, but two-grand could last a week or more. So it was with a reluctant but jubilant heart that the rogue Jedi nodded lazily, jerking her head a bit more to indicate their walking path, "This way to Shadow Town. You got a ride? It'd be a lot safer unless you want to fight some muggers. The ones around here know to back off from me, but, the further we get from Red Light, the sketchier it'll get, can't guarentee safety."

True enough, again. Red Light had been her playground since she was a child, she could recount many of the faces, criminal or otherwise, that lurked hear. Kindly people she could rely on, cutthroats she wouldn't trust with an innocent animal, much less herself. And, there was the crucial fact that whilst she was certain Aryn could handle himself, she doubtlessly would fumble. Lightsabers were death sentences on the Smuggler's Moon, only drawn by herself when necessary; and even then, her technique...

...Lacking. She stifled a sigh as she began to walk down the street lightly dusted by rain, head turning over her shoulder, "Coming?"