Bounty Into the Oni's Den

[Ghorua the Shark]

LOCATION: CORONET CITY, CORELLIA
OZAI
OBJECTIVE: Maou
EQUIPMENT: IN BIO

When on the hunt, it's important to stay on your toes.

A surprise could come from anywhere, at any time. There will always be factors unaccounted for, hitches in the plan, undiscovered daggers in the back. Therefore, the prospective hunter simply has to keep an eye out for everything, everywhere, at all times.

Yeah. I know. Easier said than done, obviously. Some solace can be taken in the fact that this watchful eye isn't just for danger.

Opportunity could be found around every corner, if you know to look for it.​

​

The nightclub's energy was nothing short of electrifying. The red and blue strobes fought against each other, each one piercing the other to establish dominance, neither one quite getting the upper hand. The dance floor was packed tonight, with the local Corellians mixing and mingling, enjoying the ambiance and escape from mundanity. Some electro-rock fusion was playing over the speakers, drowning any polite conversation in bassy synths and savory guitar licks.

Guards seemed to be on high-alert. Most of them were run-of-the-mill bouncers, paid to throw out the odd drunkard, but a few seemed better equipped. Probably paid agents by the Yōkai. Cameras covered every angle of the room, keeping an eye on what the organic help could not.

It was lucky that, at least for now, all of these eyes overlooked the relaxed Gurlanin in the corner.

In his suit's disguise, Ghorua observed the scene with an attention to detail rivaled by none. He subtly checked every face for trouble, marked every guard with his HUD, mapped the camera's sightlines. Seeming like an unarmed brute thanks to the hologram that cloaked him, the disguised Shark had sat down in a corner booth, ordered a few drinks, and exchanged pleasantries with whoever was brave enough to approach him. For all intents and purposes, Ghorua was the perfect fly on the wall.

The Shark was here for information on the one they called 'Maou'. Perhaps even the man himself, if Ghorua were lucky enough to catch him here. That slim chance was why he came armed to the teeth, in the perfect position for an ambush, with back-up plan upon back-up plan prepared. It was the veteran hunter's first official bounty in years; he was going to pull out all the stops. He'd even gone through the effort of acquiring that finicky Alliance certificate.

All there was left to do was find the perfect opportunity.

- Kyric - Valery Noble - Bernard -

 

[Atsushi Ono]

Corellia - A-Town - Ozai

Tonight was Atsushi's day off. After that fiasco Sai had taken all the runners off the streets and Keiko had pulled the swoops have the skylanes which meant he was furloughed until further notice. Luckily the big boss Oyabun came back though. He figured that if it weren't for him he'd have been dropped with no pay. Instead, he was sitting pretty with at least half a cycle's wages. He took a long drag of his deathstick as his piece siddled up to him and slung her arm through his.

"That bad?" This was why he liked Reina- She knew his moods and could suss out when and why things weren't going his way. They both knew this couldn't last though. She was one of the Madam's girls and that public lynching had her scared most of all. They both knew come next week she could be on her way to Hosnian Prime. He grimaced, letting the sound of his rowdy companions and the thumping music of Ozai drown out what he had to say on the matter. She ribbed him.

"I can't help if you won't tell me what's wrong." Atsushi spat out his death stick onto some chump's table( Ghorua the Shark ). Right into his drink actually. Didn't matter. He wasn't Atrisian, wasn't even a lieutenant of one of the non-Atrisian gangs. Just some nobody.

"It ain't that babe. I'm straight. The Maou set us up good. Not to say Aniki would have just left us out to dry-" he winced. Poor choice of words. "But nah, I'll be good for a minute. In fact," He grabbed her hand and pulled her up to the bar. Wasn't Sai at the bar tonight, thank the stars. Just some Jar'Kai.

<Round for me and friends here. Flameout.> The monkey-faced bartender grunted and twitched his nose.

<Don't waste the Maou's good graces on impressing some girl young blood.> Atsushi shrugged and slapped down a cred card. The bartender sighed and turned around to make his drinks.

"Oi! Thanks aniki! You won't regret this- I swear!"

"Yeeeeah! We're livin' it up tonight! Long Live the Maou!" Atsushi couldn't help but smirk as he wrapped an arm around Reina's waist.

"Hey, us Yokai- We might be demons but we look out for our own."

 

[Kyric]

Outside the club, a luxurious speeder hovered close to the entrance. From what Kyric could see, hundreds of people waited in line for entry. He eyed them with a smirk, hopped out of the speeder, and passed an activation card to the valet.

"Thanks, man," he shoved his hands into his pockets and looked over at the pale-skinned arkanian. "The line won't be a problem. Just follow my lead."

Kyric stepped up to the bouncer manning the entry flashed his most charismatic smile. "Just two. My boy and I," he motioned to Bernard at his side.

"You on the list?" the towering human asked.

"Vyr Sirak," Kyric stated.

"Hmm..." the bouncer flicked through the list with a finger, eyeing the holographic display. "Here we are," he unclasped the velvet barrier and pulled it aside for them. "It's good to see you, Mister Sirak. Are you here for business or pleasure this evening?"

Kyric offered a slight nod to his side. A sheathed vibro-knife hung comfortably.

"Pleasure."

"Very well, sir," the bouncer stepped aside and nodded to Bernard. "Welcome to the Oni's Den, gentlemen. Enjoy your evening."

Striding past, Kyric took stock of the moving sea of people. Strobe lights flashed periodically. Servers weaved in and out of the crowd, carrying beverages or food to and fro. Most people crowded the dance floor, holding their drinks aloft while grinding against one another. Kyric ignored the dance floor entirely. A group of teenagers discussing something about the Maou were far more interesting.

"You want a drink?" Kyric asked of the Jedi Knight. "They've got a mean sake, here. A real eye opener, if y'know what I mean," he motioned to the boy leading the group to the bar with a turn of his chin.

The kiffar sidled up beside the group and rapped his knuckles against the countertop.

"House special," Kyric said. "Let's get a taste of what you demons drink."

He looked at Atsushi with a smirk on his face.

Atsushi Ono | Ghorua the Shark | Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Location: Correlia​

Valery: Appearance​

Outfit: Link!​

Tag: Kyric Ghorua the Shark Atsushi Ono Bernard ​

​

Leaning back against the bar, Valery observed the room quietly, paying little attention to those who had gotten lost within the rhythm of the music, so she could instead focus on those conversing away from the deafening drums and guitars. She had gotten inside using a fake identity and with a fitting outfit on and a drink in her hand, she drew very little attention to herself. At least, that was until a young man looking for a fun night had made his way over.​

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"You waiting on someone?" the man asked as he stepped just a bit too far into her personal space. He gave her a visible look over and smirked, but she wasn't looking at him at all.​

​

"No." She said flatly, her eyes following a group of youngsters who were making their way over to the bar. She had overheard their conversation, and they had piqued her interest.​

​

"Good, then why don't you join me for a dance?" the man asked, but her body language still showed no sign of interest.​

​

"I'm good," Valery said with the same tone, but suddenly her pupils grew wide for just a second as familiar faces stepped into the nightclub. What are they doing here?​

​

The question was answered immediately, as the two Jedi followed the group of youngsters towards the bar. Normally, she would have greeted them but she wasn't stupid — they were here for similar reasons, and had their own cover to uphold. So while she looked at the whole group the way anybody would, she showed no signs of great interest. ​

​

"House special," Kyric said. "Let's get a taste of what you demons drink."​

​

Valery pursed her lips and kept her eyes focused on the room as a whole, but she was very curious about the direction of that conversation. ​

​

"You sure? A woman such as yourself shouldn't be all by herself, you know?" the persistent man continued, as he moved in front of her to block her view into the room. He was standing awfully close, looking down towards her orange eyes.​

​

"I think you should leave."​

​

​

 

[Atsushi Ono]

Valery Noble | Bernard | Ghorua the Shark | Kyric
Corellia - A-Town - Ozai
​

The bartender eyed the new youth suspiciously before turning around and grabbing a bottle of the cheapest sake he could find-which still wasn't cheap, but also not a 'house special' He poured the liquid into a small cup and set the bottle down beside it.

<Karking Gaijin> he muttered before turning back and walking down to deal with some other customers. That brought a chuckle to the group of 'kids' who were already enjoying their flameout. Atsushi wasn't laughing.

"Ne, gaki" he turned and leaned on one elbow to look the "You even old enough to be drinkin' the 'Devil's Piss'?" The ice in his voice caused the others to quiet themselves and listen in. He felt Reina tighten her grip on his arm. Atsushi nodded at the pale and awkward one. "What's his deal? He never been to a club before? Looks like he'll wet himself if he so much as bumped into someone. Let alone if one of these demons showed up."

 

[Bernard]

Bernard reached past Kyric to pick up the bottle. He read the label, inspecting the shape and make of the it carefully. For this mission, he'd opted to wear a partial disguise. A new hair colour, black, a remarkably real-looking moustache, and contact lenses that gave him yellow-orange eyes that, upon first glance in a poorly lit room, glinted almost sulfuric. The last one had been a personal touch, inspired by the braggadocious youths of Coruscant who delighted in one-upmanship when it came to disturbing accessories.

"I'd take some sake," he replied to Kyric's original question, "but if their house special is cheap enough that not even a Chagrian would consider drinking it, I'll pass."

Not a full bluff. He'd learned enough about Atrisian liquor to differentiate the good stuff from the bad by label.

He picked up the full cup, briefly taking in the smell and grimaced. He was quick about it, not too dramatic. Then he eyed the teen, flicking his gaze between the kid and the cup with mild disgust, seemingly contemplating whether dumping the cup on the teen's head would count as more of an insult to the person or the sake. Ultimately, he settled on harmlessly placing it back on the counter.

"Big talk for someone who still has to message his mom when he'll be back for bedtime. Are you sure you don't want to call her? All this talk of demons not making you scawed?" He bunched up his shoulders and mimicked a kid crying, then turned back to the bar, rolling his eyes.

Ghorua the Shark Valery Noble Kyric Atsushi Ono​

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

The holographic disguise that obscured Ghorua's form let out a long huff as a young Atrisian man spit a cigar into his drink. The Dowutin's face scrunched in annoyance, his thick brow wrinkling over his beady eyes. But he did nothing, didn't even offer an insult back, simply letting the youth continue on, joking and laughing with friends.

He was actually rather pleased with the interaction. It meant he was looked down upon, not considered a threat. Effectively, he was unseen. Which was perfect, because until the Shark had more information, he had to keep a low profile.

Thankfully, the source of his feigned annoyance also had loose lips, spilling the name Ghorua was so hungry for; 'Maou'. It was hard for Ghorua to keep a straight face, hiding his smile with a hand under his nose, staring after Atsushi Ono. With a silent command, the bounty hunter's aural amplifier activated, and all noise seemed to dim, draining away like water down a sink, until only the youthful merriment of the band of young Yōkai at the bar remained, clear as crystal to the Shark's ears.

As he watched them, Ghorua couldn't help but grin. They were kids, having fun, struggling through their hard lives together. The Herglic had been in a few gangs himself growing up. That kind of camaraderie, of you and yours against the world, was intoxicating. It was as if you could do anything.

Of course, he also saw someone getting horrendously, hilariously rejected at the bar, and refusing to acknowledge it, which made him lose focus a little. Take a hint, Ghorua thought passively, before returning his attention to the group of youngsters again.

Inevitably, they began butting heads with some obvious off-worlders. It was almost too good to be true. Ghorua looked away, as to remain inconspicuous, and subtly placed a canister on the booth next to him, hidden by his girth, and confident that the brewing tension at the bar would draw eyes away from the hidden hunter.

All that was needed now was a spark to start the metaphorical fire.

- Kyric - Valery Noble - Bernard -

 

[Atsushi Ono]

MUSIC
Valery Noble | Bernard | Ghorua the Shark | Kyric
​

The group looked around at each other, then back to the mustached dweeb, and then threw their heads back and laughed. The tall one in the back of the group seemed to be wiping tears from his eyes.

"Yabai, yabai!"

One of the guys, a short kid with a brown coat and a red tie, stepped up to Atsushi's side. The sulky youth in pink still wasn't laughing, but the kid in brown clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"C'mon Atsushi, don't be such a downer!" He leaned in and poked Atsushi in the ribs. "These guys seem pretty cool, yeah?"

"Besides," said one of the girls, "The one with the glasses ( Kyric ) is ikemen!"

"De shou?!" All at once the guys rolled their eyes but took their places around the new group anyways with their drinks and started chattering away. Atsushi sucked his teeth and turned back to the bar. He relented though.

<Oi, Takuto. Get these two gaijin something better than that spit. My treat.> The Jar'Kai bartender glared at him but slid down a bottle of Falcon Reserve. Not the best Corellian Whiskey, but rich enough for his blood. Atsushi nodded in thanks. and started pouring a glass for the two newcomers.

"Just cause' we're Atrisian by blood doesn't mean we drink like it. Corellian Whiskey's just as nice with the right company."