Hit That Jive

[Arage Bao]

NAR SHADDAA​

LOWER INDUSTRIAL SECTOR​

​

Nar Shaddaa was his scene.

Also his home, but his scene. It was the atmosphere, the ability to blend in and become forgotten amidst thousands of unwashed bodies, the ability to do anything and get anything as long as you either had the smarts, the muscles or the credits to get either of the aforementioned. Well, Daro barely had the muscles and he burned credits like it was a diseased-ridden wrap that needed to disappear, but smarts?

Eh, sometimes.

He was settled on a crate in a no-name nothing abandoned warehouse... that was how many of those stories went, didn't they?

Every once in a while he took a swig from whiskey flask, while peering down at the numbers on his datapad. Throughout it all the older man was ignoring the looks [member="Eryn"] was sending him every few seconds or so. He had hired her for muscle- mostly 'cus the girl was cheap compared to some of the rates those crazy bastards were asking these days. But right now Daro was reconsidering it again.

"Why don't ya sit down, eh? It will be a while before we get this started."

This.

It might have helped if Eryn knew what this was, but she hadn't asked (well, not insistently enough anyway) and Daro didn't pay her to use his own mouth.

 

[Eryn]

Hey, the man wanted to pay her to loiter? She certainly wasn't gonna argue with him. Eryn paced in front of him for a moment longer, half considering ignoring the request like he'd ignored her probing looks and demanding a little clarification. He'd given her little to no upfront information on the job which was usually an immediate pass for her. But it was the only one available right the kriff now, and the fugitive had reached that rare point where leftovers from the trash and three swigs of stale water every other day just wasn't cutting it for the amount of time she was spending dodging bounty hunters. The need for more fuel to burn was high and the credits in her pocket were…well, not there at all.

Thus, paying job, as shady as it was.

She sent the man's datapad a scathing glare. Normally, his aloof manner would've been appreciated by the standoffish street rat. Eryn wasn't a fan of socializing on any platform. But she was on-edge from her latest encounter with The Collector's minions and the smell of the nerfburger stall she'd passed on the way here was still fresh in her nose. Her stomach growled, but it went unheard under her three layers of leather.

Half considering turned very abruptly into a solid decision.

Eryn paused in front of her employer, broke through his personal space and snapped her fingers in his face a few times to break his attention. "How about," she said firmly, leaning down to catch his eyes with one hand resting casually on the hilt of her blade at her hip, "you tell me what 'this' is, who you are and what you'll need me to do, and then I'll sit down."

| [member="Daro Tarsi"] |​

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Eryn"]

Daro didn't try to hide the heavy sigh escaping past his teeth.

This is what you get for hiring a girl for half the going-rate, Tar, skimp around the corners and ya get saddled with a girl that can't shut her trap.

"Hey lady, if ya want to cramp up ya calfs while standing around, that's your business." Tarsi retorted as if she wasn't currently snapping her fingers in his face like he was some kind of drooling hound. A few more moments passed, enough to underline the fact that shouting in his face wasn't gonna get her any result she wanted (in all fairness Tar was also nursing a hangover, so her risen voice felt like a hammer trying to break through his skull right now), before tapping a button on his datapad.

A blue hologram started filtering from it and passed straight through Eryn.

"Ya mind, sweetheart?"

His prosthetic hand - stronger than Tarsi had any right to be - pushed her firmly to the side by her hip so both of them had a clear view of the blue shape. It were the blue-prints of an illicit chop shop a brisk walk from here, an experienced eye would notice the details. The way it had the capacity to move illegal ship-mods and other crap almost on the daily, high-tech machinery, guards up the waazo. This was a professional operation and then some.

"We are breaking into that- from what I could coax outta their outer systems today is collection day for 'em. All the profits of the month is stashed in the main office, waiting to be transported out."

A shrug as he took another swig from the flask.

"We taking 'em for all they got an' then some. That, girl-" He looked her straight in the eye for the first time. "-is what this is."

 

[Eryn]

Girl? Ohh, if she didn't need this job so badly…

Eryn held his gaze a few moments longer than necessary, teal eyes dissecting him from the inside out before circling around the hologram and studying the layout. It wasn't an overly complicated design but there were more than enough 'roadblocks' to break through, and by his descriptions this was definitely not an easy, casual shakedown.

Questions were formed.

She flicked her gaze at him, eyes narrowed the slightest bit. "You got a plan, Flask, or do you want suggestions? Not that I'm doubting my skills…or yours, whatever those are… but this looks a little big for two people, even if you're goin' the stealthy route." Eryn flicked her wrist, the thin blade of a knife sliding forward. She gripped the handle, using the tip like a pointer as she paused at various places on the blueprint. "Collection day means security will be extra high. Bad for us. All exits and entrances would be impossible, and I'd guess they'll have some kind of anti-stealth field equipment active, so sneaking in wouldn't be any easier. There's some 'roof' space we could look at, but…"

She knew most of Nar Shaddaa well, from the darkest corners of each decaying layer to the best places to find cheap but functional gear, but every once in a while the smoggy city surprised her. "Unless you wanna make your own entrance or play dress-up to get in, I'm not sure we'd make it that far."

| [member="Daro Tarsi"] |​

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Eryn"]

Flask?

Daro smirked at that nickname, before taking another swig from it to underline another point. This wasn't something he was ashamed of or worried about. Neither was she for that matter, just fresh body to throw into the grinder while he busied himself with slicing into their systems from the inside. He doubted she'd be breathing by the end of the day, but that wasn't his business. This was practically charity- from her going-rate to the riches at the end of this if she pulled her weight.

It could set her up for quite some time if she didn't kark it up.

"Oh, getting in ain't a problem, girl." He had noticed that little twitch in her neck muscle when that last bit had fled from his lips. Oh, lady, sweetheart... those were fine, but girl? That seemed to tick her off like nobody's business and that amused him like nothing else. "Once we make our approach their security systems..." His hand made a fist and then released the metaphorical hold, boom, his mouth made. "Some of 'em will turn against them, turrets, droids, it will be chaos."

"Ideal situation we just walk in while they busy elsewhere, then get out, but-"

He shrugged and took another swig from his flask.

Well, she knew the but- this was Nar Shaddaa, this was this Galaxy and nothing was ever ideal. "You are here for if we end up needing to... improvise. Questions, girl?"

 

[Eryn]

"Kara," she snapped through clenched teeth as she slid her knife back in its sheath, fixing Flask with a look that would freeze water on Mustafar. "The name's Kara." Because why the feth add any more complications to the mix? The bounty on 'Eryn's' head would probably buy this slippery sonnovabitch his own planet, no robbery necessary. The fugitive circled the hologram once more before passing through the digital map, blue-white image lines fluttering around her as she moved towards him. "And yeah, I've got a few questions. You're a little stingy on the details but lucky for you I'm a huge fan of the lock, load 'nd roll in blind strategy, so I'll skip the questions and jump straight to closing statements."

The man's plan was skeletal at best and the way he sucked down that whiskey (well, it smelled like whiskey. Eryn had half a mind to borrow the flagon for a minute. It'd been months since she'd touched anything halfway decent) meant he was well on his way to being hammered or fresh off a hangover. Definitely not the ideal situation for a robbery, and Flask certainly wasn't inspiring confidence. Then again, she probably wasn't, either. Off to a great start. Thank the Whills 'trust' wasn't necessary here.

She stopped in front of him, blocking the hologram. "If you flake out on me in there?" 'Kara' bent slightly, gaze harsh on his face. "I'll peel you like a grape." No need to elaborate. The meaning was clear enough. "So are we doin' this, Flask? Or do you need some hot caf and a cold shower first?"

| [member="Daro Tarsi"] |​

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Eryn"]

'Kara'

If her name was Kara his name was Daro Tarsi.

But if Daro had a right to his secrecy than Kara had the right to hers and he didn't really care enough to lean into it. Maybe if he suspected that a grumpy arse like hers had a bounty worth a planet? That would be a different story, because yeah. The old scoundrel would have sold her out without even giving it three seconds. He didn't know her, she had big mouth on hers and most importantly-

"Ya a bit too young for me, sugarbun, need some more meat on the bones to get me stirred."

He pushed himself up, legs surprisingly steady for the amount of flask consumed, the tip of his prosthetic finger prodded right against her and pushed her back an inch. It was enough that Daro wouldn't have to walk into her.

"Now, if we are done posturing, let's go an' get rich." Reflecting the scene right back to her as he pushed passed and hid the datapad in his pocket. There was a door, adjacent, he stepped through it and got himself into the alley. It smelled of piss and arse, but that was just the way it went on Nar Shaddaa. He studied left, studied right, then seemingly made a decision for the right.

Took another swig.

" 'ere, just enough for a single gulp of liquid courage, sugarbun." Daro decided he liked her reaction to sugarbun more. He wandered up to the end of the alleyway, which gave them a good look of the next alleyway.

The one that led towards the chop-shop.

 

[Eryn]

Sugarbun? …This mothaf*cka.

Why she had her knickers in a twist over this man and his fethin' nicknames, she wasn't sure. Maybe it was lack of food. Or sleep. Or, like, proper hydration, or the million other essential things she was lacking these days. Whatever the reason, she was two nicknames away from sending him home with a new scar, and he probably knew it.

He offered the last of his drink, no doubt teaming with backwash bacteria. Nice of him. Still a hell of a lot fresher than whatever she'd found earlier in that discarded bottle behind Benni's. Eryn downed it without a blink. She opened her mouth to let loose a scathing comment as she passed the empty flask back to him, but they'd reached the end of the alley and suddenly she was all business. She stepped ahead pausing at the corner, just out of sight of anyone (or anything) watching the surroundings. Guards and turrets were everywhere.

It wasn't pretty. In any sense of the word.

She backed away, turning to face her 'boss' with arms folded as she leaned on one hip, waiting. "Alright, Pops, you're up. Let's see this 'boom' you were so jazzed about," she sassed, copying his previous 'boom' fist he'd used inside. She honestly expected some kind of excuse or joke. This whole arrangement felt more and more like the man had just woken up today and went, 'I think I'll rob a highly secured building', and then had breakfast.

Were she not so cranky, she might have found it rather…fun. Eryn lived on the edge of the unknown, day in and day out, and it wasn't a GOOD life, but it was never unexciting.

| [member="Daro Tarsi"] |​

 

[Arage Bao]

[member="Eryn"]

...or maybe he was an approximation of a father figure she never had in her life.

Pops.

Daro was putting his stack of credits on that last part.

The flask was carefully dropped into an inner pocket of his as he leaned against the wall, studying the comings and goings of the security, the placement of the turrets. If Eryn bothered to study him for even a moment, this might be the moment she'd realize that while he was a drunk (his legs were already a bit unsteady, hence the leaning) there was a certain amount of... focus in his eyes. Daro knew where to look, how to look, when to do it too, while seemingly seeing everything at once instead of having to focus on one little thing at a time.

Military.

Mandalorian.

Mercenary, soldier of fortune.

Either option could explain part of it, but either way... Daro wasn't just some drunk stumbling out of an alleyway with raving plans. "Yeah, hold on a minute." He had a coin out, letting it flicker in the air, then catching it again on his palm. Over and over again- maybe not as drunk as he made himself seem, eh?

A beat.

Then out of nowhere a mouse droid wheered out of the shadows, crossing the road and scooting up to Daro's boot. It wheep-whoooopped to him. "Yeah, missed ya too, Clip." Tweeeeee-twaaang? "Oh, her? No, you aren't interrupting anything. Ya just saved me from a sudden introspective talk that would have bonded us as friends forever." Daro squinted over to her, lazy eye, sniffing a bit, before getting back to the Mouse Droid that had started a whole blurt of wheeps and whoops and beeps.

"Mhm, dat so? Boom time then, Clippy."

It circled around Daro in an excited beep and then suddenly froze.

Its smol antennas focused keenly on the other side, the adjacent alleyway it had just left to meet up with them.

Then- a shockwave originating farther, way farther behind the chop shop. They couldn't see it from here, but a computer panel had overloaded just next to a fuel tank and both were burning up rather nicely now. Daro seemed unimpressed, watching and waiting, until finally the front guards were suddenly pulled away to go check out the explosion. "I know, I know, Scowl, ya wanted a bit more razzle-dazzle, but I am more of the results if ya don't mind."

Daro pushed himself off, stretched, then started a relaxed track towards the front-doors while whipping out his data-pad with Clip in tow. (smol mouse droid still excited, doing its circles around Daro)