Private Dishonest Dealers

[Arris Windrun]

Lily Rhodes
​

Horde? Arris snickered at that. "What do I look like, the cult's recruiter?" A rhetorical question, of course.

"Nah," she shrugged. "What happens then is I pay you more, yeah?" Her arms uncrossed and fell at her side.

Before she was a Triumvir, Arris Windrun was Black Sun, and before that, she was like Lily - a street rat with a lot to prove. The cyborg wondered just how big the chip on this young woman's shoulder might be... It wasn't anything that Lily said, not particularly, but Windrun's intuition screamed it. This thief had baggage, and for no good reason in particular, Arris wanted to know more.

She reached into her pocket and idly tossed the remaining chits in her hand; the promised payment. Then, she closed them tight in her fist before slowly offering them in her open palm.

"I'm gonna guess your question means you know who I am. But that doesn't matter, right?" Her smirk returned something fierce. "What does matter is that I'm oozing credits like a sabacc addict in New Vertica. And, if I might lick my own boot, you want to know me." The smirk widened; it couldn't have been more smug.

 

[Lily Rhodes]

No?

No horde. No being roped into something she didn’t want to be in. Just the simple exchange of credits and a new contact, one that had enough credits to throw five thousand on a whim that Lily was the real deal.

“Yeah, I’m not gonna lie, it didn’t click till your face started melting.”

Her eyes dropped to the floor, as she chewed the inside of her cheek in thought, her weight shifting between her feet and she let out a heavy sigh. She was right, it didn’t matter. It should have, but then when had Lily ever taken anyone’s allegiance into account. So what if Arris was a Sith?

That annoying little voice in the back of her mind reminded her of exactly why she was avoiding them, but she ignored it. It was just a new source of income.

“Alright,” she said, finally looking back up. “Lets make it three for three then.” She moved, heading back towards the main street, passing Arris as she did.

“You coming with or...?” she asked.

Arris Windrun

 

[Arris Windrun]

Lily Rhodes
​

The cyborg reached up and touched where the blaster melted synthflesh. Honestly, she hadn't even processed it. Yeah, she remembered complimenting the guy for his shot, but it wasn't like she was all that 'ganic anymore... pain didn't exist in the same way for her.

"Oh," she said as the fact settled on her. "Right."

Was that disturbing? She wondered. There were those little bits and moments where Arris was reminded of the stark contrast between her and everyone else. Hell, it wasn't all that unusual for someone to mistake her for an HRD, or to just call her a droid out of spite. She was just about to settle into that thought process until Lily pulled her back out with an air of confidence, if Arris wasn't mistaken.

She suddenly looked over her shoulder, clearly distracted. "Yeah," Arris said and fell into step beside her. "Y'know, you could just take the money and run. I'm sure you would've escaped those two. My intervention forced the fight, right?" She asked.

Arris was ready to gauge her reaction - to satisfy some curiosity.

 

[Lily Rhodes]

The smirk fell away from Arris face as her fingers reached up for the exposed chassis of her face, losing herself in thought for a moment before Lily pulled her out of it. They left the mercs where they lay, one whimpering quietly clutching his arm while the other lay face down.

Lily didn’t look back, even if she hadn’t wanted the fight, both of them would live to see another day and ruin someone else’s in the process. She cast a sidelong look at Arris as she fell in step beside her. Curiosity got the better of her, wondering what was going on in her head when she’d reached for her face.

She reached for her mind, expecting to be detected or deflected but what harm was there in trying? Lily didn’t get either, she didn’t even get surface thoughts or emotions. Her mental fingers pressed against something dark and twisted and distinctly inhuman, and yet full of hate.

Sucking in a sharp breath, Lily recoiled from it, shrinking away from the contact as Arris asked her question.

“Yeah.” she answered, trying to keep her voice even as her gaze flicked to the street around them before back to Arris.

What the fuck was she?

She blinked, shaking herself, forcing herself to focus on the conversation and not the unease that settled deep into her stomach. “I don't fight unless I have to, but I’m not going to run from a job. Call me deluded, but there is some honour among thieves.”


Arris Windrun

 

[Arris Windrun]

Lily Rhodes
​

So that's the type she was? It reminded her of the old days, running with the Shens on Talus. But that also brought up another point.

"Sometimes we don't have a choice but to run," she remarked. "Anyway... I appreciate it. Really."

Arris didn't bother to look back at the thugs. She would be off this rock soon enough, and doubted they had the means, resources, or courage to come after her.

"Lead the way." She gestured towards the street, which ran in either direction. "And try not to get attacked, yeah?"