In-betweens

[Adder]

Wasn’t often you caught a breather in this business. All the aspects of this karking business, dirty and brutal and full of lies.

Shisa could shower all she wanted – and did – but it didn’t help any with the persistent film of filth clinging to her skin, to her mind, to her heart.

Unclean.

After their little episode with those pirates, those loudmouthing the Circuit fell awful quiet. Now, almost a whole week later, Thalvi was left with a budding sense of unease. Things were never as simple here. Something was going to happen, she knew it…

Just couldn’t put her finger on it.

With a tired sigh, the enforcer dropped her head into her hands.

“Yer caf, boss.”

Shisa nodded her thanks, accepting the warm cup from one of the club guards. Good guy. Name was Erik or Edrik or something like that. “Elizabeth in yet?”

Erik or Edrik shrugged his broad shoulders. “Dunno. Seems a bit early fer that, don’t it? But what do I know.” He patted his sidearm, tipped his head, and returned to his post.

Just relax, for kark’s sake.

It could be an honest-to-Force lucky break. Really, it could.

But what were the chances with her karked track record?

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Shisa Thalvi"]

Elizabeth stepped through the entryway of Circuit wearing a scowl.

She was in a foul mood today, and it wasn't just because of Nar Shaddaa. This planet was difficult to get used to on the best of days, but it seemed that as of late she was having more and more difficulty in coping with the filth and refuse all around her. She was used to a cleaner environment, something more...pristine, polished. Everything here was starting to get to her. The garbage on the street, the filthy people walking around, the killers and the murderers.

All of it was stacking up. The young Woman frowned slightly, her lips thinning as she stalked forward. As always the crowd practically parted in front of her, moving like a reactive way to her presence. Without a word she moved passed the bar, motioning towards one of the guards. "Find Shisa."

She knew the enforcer would already be here.

Despite her mood things had been going rather well as of late. The pirates had been truthful, their little cantina was now in their sway, and everything seemed to be going according to plan.

"And bring me a drink." It was early but...well her mood needed improvement. "Something strong."

 

[Adder]

[member="Elizabeth Castille"]

Erik or Edrik shot her a meaningful look across the VIP lounge and canted his head upstairs.

Shisa sighed.

Her knees creaked as she rose to her feet, swiping her mug off the table before heading upstairs. On the way, she pinched the tumbler of Corellian brandy from his hands, and he flashed a thankful grin.

Great. So at least she wasn’t the only one feeling like shet.

The balcony was deserted save for a blonde figure seated all the way at the end. The enforcer approached with quiet steps. Not like it mattered with the music blasting at full beat down on the dance floor. Force of habit.

She plopped down next to the Underlord and offered her the glass without a word.

Sayin’ anything would make her a hypocrite, after all.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Shisa Thalvi"]

Elizabeth took the glass, her lips thinning for a moment.

She hadn't really wanted to turn into the type of person that day drank because of all of this, but here she was. Her fingers wrapped around the glass and she took a small sip. There wasn't really anything for her to say at this moment, at least not about the drink in her hand. "I hate this."

There, she said it.

"Sitting in this club." A groan passed her lips. "This planet."

Nar Shaddaa was a wreck, it was a trash heap. She had never really hated a planet before, she never even really felt dislike for a world. Every planet had some sort of merit to it, even Korriban had its good qualities, but Nar Shaddaa? The longer they stayed here the harder it was for her to find any of them. She frowned and placed her drink down on the table in front of her, eyes wandering around the club as she tried to think of something else to say.

"I need to get out of here, soon." Even if it was only for a day.

 

[Adder]

Shisa, for her part, simply watched the caf ripple inside her cup in time with the distant beat of the heavy music. The circles danced to the reverberating bass – she could feel it in her throat, in her gut, in her legs.

For what felt like minutes, Thalvi said nothing at all.

“What did you think it was going to be like?” Her face was blank as she turned to look at Elizabeth.

“Better than the last time?” A snort. Shisa took a long swig from her mug and set it down next to the tumbler.

“It’s a karking shethole. You knew that going in. I knew that going in.” The enforcer stood, offering the blonde a steady hand. “Come on, boss. Let’s go for a ride.”

One of the few perks of running a criminal outfit – sweet, sweet tuned speeders.


[member="Elizabeth Castille"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Shisa Thalvi"]

She frowned for a moment. "Sure."

It wasn't like Circuit would fall apart if she left things alone for a few hours. The club now practically sustained itself and most of the guards here were men and women that she trusted. A small smile touched her lips, but only for a moment. This place was something she was oddly proud of.

Even if it was on Nar Shaddaa.

"You drive." She told Shisa. "I just got a manicure."

Slowly Elizabeth stood from her place on the Acceleration couch, stretching for half a moment before adjusting the fuzz on her coat. There was still much to be done here, but they could take the afternoon off without encountering too much trouble.

Hopefully anyway.

 

[Adder]

[member="Elizabeth Castille"]

Her only response was a loud scoff. Who else would drive this baby?

Shisa twirled the keys around her finger as she opened the door for the Underlord. Blaster- and bullet-proof glasteel, reinforced hull, an ion engine that could make a TIE hide in shame.

The enforcer slid into the driver’s seat with an excited grin. Fingers flew over some decidedly non-standard controls. With a deep purr, the speeder came to life.

“Gonna ruffle your furs a tad, boss,” Shisa said through an unapologetic grin, and floored the gas.

Nothing quite like being flattened against cushy bantha leather seats to start off the day.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Shisa Thalvi"]

Luxury.

She supposed that was the other upside of them being here. They were living like Queens. It was all part of their design, their appearance. Elizabeth had never suffered for comfort a day in her life, but here on Nar Shaddaa it had been kicked into overdrive.

"I have another coat." Elizabeth said as she adjusted the fluff around her collar.

The thing wasn't at all as comfortable as she would have liked, it squished her chest and tightened a bit too much around her ribs, but at least she was able to forget about it most of the time. She wondered briefly if anyone would notice if she began to wear something else but...given the current situation she didn't want to chance the idea of someone thinking something was wrong. A slight scowl pulled at her lips, but she said nothing as they swooped lower in the sky.

"Don't go too low." She reminded Shisa. "I still have enemies here."

 

[Adder]

[member="Elizabeth Castille"]

“I won’t,” Shisa murmured, hands light on the wheel as she pulled them up between speeding shuttles. There were no traffic laws on Nar Shaddaa – one of the few good sides to the Smuggler’s moon, in her opinion. At least she got to have some fun despite all the shet they shoveled every day.

Just a little bit. A breather.

Green eyes were wide open as she directed them this way or that, roaring around tight corners and doing loops that’d make a lesser engine splutter into death.

“Relax, boss,” the enforcer grinned, tipping the nose of the speeder back down, “I’ll get you home safe.”

In more ways than one.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Shisa Thalvi"]

She scowled.

Elizabeth had never really done all that well in vehicles of any sort. It wasn't exactly that they made her uneasy, but...well there were just better ways of traveling she had always thought. Her fingers dug slightly into the seat, her lips thinning with every passing second.

"Slow." She said with a breath. "Down."

The Speeder banked.

There was no need for her to say please at least not really. Elizabeth was still in charge and even as they hurtled down towards the lower reaches of Nar Shaddaa she still felt somewhat in control. Her ring began to dig into her finger as she gripped the handle of the door tighter. "Now."

She just didn't like speeders is all.

 

[Adder]

[member="Elizabeth Castille"]

“Sure thing,” she replied, voice even.

And slow down she did.

Foot came off the pedal in an instant, and they began to lose speed like a Republican senator trying to outrun his campaign promises.

Trouble was, Nar Shaddaa traffic couldn’t give a rat’s ass about Elizabeth’s preferences. A couple honking speeders wheezed by, angry faces plastered against darkened glass. Shisa flipped the bird at the next karker that shaved it too close, turning her head halfway to the Underlord.

Trouble was also, they weren’t getting out of the downtown jam while crawling like snails. But ‘least nobody could say Shisa didn’t obey order.

“What now, boss?”

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Shisa Thalvi"]

She looked glum for a moment, if you could describe it as that.

This city, this world, was obviously weighing heavily on her. She really didn't like Nar Shaddaa, the tight and cramped spaces, the small alcoves, the sense of wrongness that hung over the place. Elizabeth couldn't help but wonder if she'd ever be able to get the stench of the place out of her clothing. She sniffed slightly, then immediately regretted it. "The Hutt District."

She said calmly, pointing towards a sign.

"There's a few casinos there." It wasn't all garbage supposedly. "Luxury hotels."

Not too different from the promenade, but of course all controlled by the Hutts. "Let's check them out."

 

[Adder]

[member="Elizabeth Castille"]

Green eyes darted away from the traffic to glance at the boss for a moment. “What? The Hutt district?” Shisa quirked a brow. “You know they don’t… like you there, Liz.”

With their presence slowly spreading over the Promenade, sure, they were garnering clients – but they were also stealing business. Plenty of people were alright with their kind of trade. They weren’t muscling in on any drug deals, or slave trafficking, or chipping in on arms races; but they were new, and for some folks, that was reason enough.

And hell if they didn’t run enough risks every day.

“What are we gonna do down there? Get our targets painted?”

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Shisa Thalvi"]

She drummed her fingers.

"We'll be fine." Elizabeth said, though her voice didn't exactly swim with confidence. Still, the look she gave Shisa made it clear that she wasn't really in the mood for an argument. The Enforcer was right of course, the Hutt's didn't like her, but they wouldn't kill her.

"We're neutral." She stated plainly. "We have no dog in any fight."

That was an important thing to remember. She didn't intend on taking over Nar Shaddaa, she didn't want to quarrel with the Hutt's, Black Sun, or anyone else that might've been hiding in the dark. She was here to work on her own little project, nothing more and nothing less. The Underlord shifted slightly, her gaze falling on the other woman.

She could already see Shisa's disapproval. "Look, the last time I tried to have fun assassins came after us."

Elizabeth let out a sigh.

"I just want one night to enjoy myself." She pushed the glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Even if its in this dump."

 

[Adder]

[member="Elizabeth Castille"]

For a moment, Shisa lifted her hands off the wheel to give a defensive shrug. “Fine – you’re the boss, boss.”

The enforcer sniffled, eyed an opening in the traffic rush, and steered them down through three lanes – a wild turn at the last moment had them breezing a hair’s breadth away from a blinking neon sign before they disappeared down a shortcut between two massive casinos.

“So, m’lady…” Thalvi drawled, side-eyeing the blonde, “what’ll it be? Games of luck? Pit fights? ...strip club?”

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Shisa Thalvi"]

As they came down onto the speeder parking lot Elizabeth immediately hopped out, almost repulsed by the speeder itself.

She frowned for a moment, glancing at the vehicle for just a moment before drawing her attention back towards Shisa. She gave the enforcer a rather flat look, clearly unamused by her last suggestion. The Underlord shifted, drawing up her fluffy coat. "Games."

The last time she'd tried her luck she'd been rather good at them.

"We can win a few thousand credits." She had a little extra...help when it came to that. "Then we can find a nice restaurant."

She assumed the Hutts had those.

 

[Adder]

[member="Elizabeth Castille"]

Shisa let out an open laugh, green eyes twinkling – even if they weren’t real. In this district of fake smiles and cold hearts, nobody would notice.

Dusting off her jacket and flicking the keys to a starry-eyed casino valet, the enforcer caught step with her boss. Her lips pulled into a sideways smirk as she dragged her fingers through fiery hair. She’d almost gotten used to having them on both sides by now.

Almost.

“Why Liz,” Shisa drawled, quirking a brow, “are you taking me out on a date?”

There were comfort and confidence in Thalvi – a certain ease she carried herself with. Like she were wielding a Westar even when she was speaking.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Shisa Thalvi"]

She blinked. "I'd hope not."

Elizabeth said absently.

"Otherwise I'd have some explaining to do to a Courier I've never met." The Underlord said the words with a hint of humor to her tone, though she didn't explain any further to Shisa. The topic wasn't one they should be discussing here, especially not here. Without another moment of hesitation the young woman strutted forward into the entryway of the casino, the hustle and bustle of gamblers and killers reaching her ears in half a heartbeat.

She took a breath, an odd smile quirking on her lips.

"There." She pointed to a table. "Sabaac."

Elizabeth had only learned how to play a few months ago, but she was quite good at the game. "Let's try our hand."

 

[Adder]

Lucky that she was walking a step behind Liz – her smile froze on her lips, soft chuckle dead in her throat. She swallowed the knot of emotion, sneering at nothing in particular. With a few quick strides Shisa made up for the stunned delay. Caught up with the boss just as she stopped beside a sabacc table.

“Uh,” he voice was all scratchy. Focus, the enforcer hissed, giving herself a sound mental slap. “I don’t… play.” Shisa shrugged, half-hearted.

The other half was bleeding out on the stairs into the casino.

Crossing her arms, Thalvi hovered with a watchful eye behind the blonde as Elizabeth bought into the game.

[member="Elizabeth Castille"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Shisa Thalvi"]

"You'll be fine." Elizabeth insisted, looking back at her friend.

There was a certain obliviousness to the way she looked her hand looping around Shisa's army as she wrenched the other woman down into the seat beside her. Gambling wasn't really everyones cup of tea, particularly because some just didn't like to lose money.

Well she'd make sure that wasn't a concern here.

"Here." Elizabeth reached over to the droid dealing cards, paying for a full ten rounds for Shisa as she had done for herself. "It's easy, and you won't lose your money."

Just hers. "Relax, enjoy yourself."

That was why they were here after all, to have fun. Shisa was in the exact same situation as her, trapped on this miserable world and forced to bare everything that went on here.