Private Needles and Birds

[Corazona von Ascania]

Denon
District Seven

In a few scant hours, Cora had gone from on death row to a being free woman. Her year-long marriage to Prince Horace had ended the moment his body had hit the courtyard below an open window.

It was jarring. Being yanked from Ukatis to Coruscant, back and forth was like being pulled into two planes of existence. Stripped of the duty she'd carried since birth and exiled from the home she'd tried to nurture, Cora was deprived of the attributes she'd always used to define herself.

She had no idea who she was or what purpose she held. Yet somehow, as she stood anxiously in front of a dingy tattoo parlor, she still retained that annoying little voice inside of her head that cried you shouldn't do this!

There was something she had to do. Makko Vyres had disappeared from the Coruscant temple, and she had to find him. If only to yell at him for being so stupid.

Gathering her courage, Cora held her breath and pushed the door open. The establishment was cramped by her standards, the walls covered in a portfolio of artwork. For a moment, Cora's curiosity got the better of her and she peered closer to see—oh, yup, that was a nude woman.

Shielding her gaze with one hand, Cora turned abruptly to find a young lady in her undergarments laid on a table receiving needlework. A shock of blue hair ignited her memory, and she did her best to steel herself.

"Are you Hex?" She ventured, cheeks flaming brightly. The young noblewoman was sorely out of her depth.

If anyone knew where to find Makko on Denon, it would be her.

Hex

 

[Hex]

​

Tag: Corazona von Ascania
Location: "I have an Ink'ling" tattoo parlour - Denon
Objective: A retouch and refresh

Spoiler: Equipment

• Neon Lady suit
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 3 gas)
• Firebee swarm - inferno pattern
• Chewing gum
• Dancer repulsor board
• Jade Void Amulet
• Dervish Knife

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

Hex's back arched off of the table and she murmured to herself as the fire of the artist's needle drew across her abdomen and round her side. Her eyes were closed as she felt him work on her. To Hex, this was bliss and every nerve that triggered reminded her that she was alive. "How is it? Not to painful?" Evann said to his blue haired canvas as he worked on some of the fading blue ink on her side. She didnt speak but shook her head as she smiled and bit down on her own lip.

It didn't even register for the longest time that another person had entered the dimly lit room, one who probably would have stuck out like a sore thumb had Hex not been lost in her enjoyment.

"Are you Hex?"

Hex turned her head and opened her eyes as Evann withdrew to get more in. Hex's eyes had lost most of their blue and rivulets of pink stretched out from her pupils across her Irises. "Depend's who is asking?" she said with a slight grin on her face.

'...that's...'

"Oh chit... your a Jedi! I went to your thing!" Hex gasped as she reached for her blaster and it hummed as it charged up quickly. Hex had a bounty on her head for trying to blow up the queen of the Jedi, she did not expect to see one showing up during such a personal time with her presented like this. "What do you want?" Hex had recollection of the woman from the engagement party when she married some obnoxious chit that even the prudish Jedi wanted dead, and also from the fight with the droids on coruscant where she ran into Makko Vyres .

'...Just kill her and have done with it...'

Hex did consider just pulling the trigger, but she kind of felt something about this particular Jedi, maybe it was the small encounters that she had had with her that perhaps they had some strained commonality.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

In hindsight, this had been all been a very stupid idea.

Cora's hands went up, spread to either side of her head as the blaster was leveled at her. A dusting of red touched pale cheeks as she fought the urge to look away from the partially naked woman who seemed very comfortable in her skin.

"I…I’ll take that as a yes."

Her lips twisted into a haughty pout at the demand. Given the obvious power imbalance, if made sense. Cora just didn't like being ordered around.

"You were the one flirting with my boyfriend at my engagement party, and you've the nerve to point a blaster at me?"

Never mind the fact that she was not getting engaged to said boyfriend at said event.

From the details she managed to scrounge up—which hadn't been a lot to begin with—Cora was only vaguely aware of Hex's criminal record. She didn't know that the teenager was suspected in the train bombing that had nearly killed Valery.

Cora just knew that she knew Makko personally, given he’d told her as much. The details on their relationship still sparked jealousy. Clearing her throat, the noble tried a different approach.

"I'm not here as a Jedi." Though she spoke evenly, the flush of her face betrayed how out of her element she was. "I'm here because I need your help…finding him."

Hex

 

[Hex]

​

Tag: Corazona von Ascania
Location: "I have an Ink'ling" tattoo parlour - Denon
Objective: A retouch and refresh

Spoiler: Equipment

• Neon Lady suit
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 3 gas)
• Firebee swarm - inferno pattern
• Chewing gum
• Dancer repulsor board
• Jade Void Amulet
• Dervish Knife

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

Hex laughed slightly manically as she lay there causally gesturing towards Corazona von Ascania as she spoke. "I was flirting with your boyfriend at your engagement Party?... let's see a replay of that shall we?" she made a rewinding motion with the tip of her gun, all to relaxed holding a weapon which didn't have a safety catch.

"Just because you are rich and hot doesn't mean you can claim them all, but I can't blame you, your husband is a chit... he know you are here?"

Hex murmured again as Evann wiped some of the excess ink from around her pant line on her hip, there was a disappointed noise when he withdrew and didn't apply any more art. "You're not done already are you?"

"I am for now honey, you're pointing at a gun at a Jedi, I'll let you sort that out first"

Hex scowled, then scowled at Cora, that hadn't done any favours, interrupting her fun.

'...We can still have fun with her...'

Hex smirked as she looked at the blonde Jedi, deciding what to do. She shrugged as Cora tried to convince her she wasn't here in her official capacity.

"You want to find Makko right? Does he want to be found? Can't be easy knowing the girl be likes has has been taking another guy's.... OW!!" she flicked her head round at Evann "Be nice Hex". Hex rolled her eyes and looked back at Cora, finally relaxing her arm and lowering the gun. She shifted over on the bed to make room for Cora to take a seat next to her while she also shuffled up into a more seated position. "come on then, sit"

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Rich and hot?

Cora's blush deepened, but she didn't correct Hex. Having been cutoff from her bottomless royal bank account, she was perhaps only one of those things now.

"No, he doesn't know." She responded stiffly, her face flashing between annoyed and wary as Hex flicked the blaster around casually like it was a toy. Despite her Jedi training, spending the past year locked in an ivory tower playing Princess had her used to giving orders.

“Can't be easy knowing the girl be likes has has been taking another guy's.... OW!!"

Cora let out a scandalized gasp, one hand clamping over her mouth at Hex's implication…which would have not been an implication had she been allowed to continue. "Th-that's quite enough of that!" She insisted behind burning cheeks.

Perhaps the tattoo artist was the only one in the parlor who had his head on straight. Cora's shoulders sagged in momentary relief as Hex lowered the gun and invited the Jedi to sit beside her. Tentatively, Cora sidled up next to the blue haired teenager, tense as ever.

"Uhm…" She began, fidgeting with her hands. "Horace has passed away. No one at the temple has seen Makko for a month, it's like he…disappeared." Lifting her gaze tentatively, she continued. Noble as ever, Cora chose her words carefully. "I haven't heard from him in a while, and I just wanted to make sure that he's alright. I know that you two have a…history, so I thought that if he came back to Denon, you might know something."

Biting her lip, Cora let her gaze wander over the artistically decorated walls. Makko had brought her to a tattoo shop on Coruscant, though this place appeared…less sterile.

The blush still clung to her face, stubborn as ever. It didn't help that she was sitting next to a pretty girl who happened to be in her undergarments.

"I'm not here to cause trouble for you, I promise."

Hex

 

[Hex]

​

Tag: Corazona von Ascania
Location: "I have an Ink'ling" tattoo parlour - Denon
Objective: A retouch and refresh

Spoiler: Equipment

• Neon Lady suit
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 3 gas)
• Firebee swarm - inferno pattern
• Chewing gum
• Dancer repulsor board
• Jade Void Amulet
• Dervish Knife

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

A delighted smile crossed the lips of the blue haired girl as the Jedi squirmed, it appeared she was right. As the blonde sat next to her Hex pulled up and crossed one of her legs to make more room.

'...Could still be a trick...'
"Yeah.. maybe" Hex replied to herself, baffled by the turn of events.

"Horace has passed away.

"Passed away yeah? How unfortunate..." she giggled and reached up, drawing a finger down the neck of the other woman, if for no other reason than to see what happened "From what I hear you deserved a freebie on that one, so nice work." she didn't expect the Jedi to confirm her suspicions, but its what she would have done.

She thought about what Corazona von Ascania said about trying to find Makko, and her supposed history with the boy, she let out a little sigh, slight disspointment, slight nonchalance. "I think our history amounts to us chilling with a beer in my bedroom, him forgetting to call me and then whatever that droid thing was on coruscant." she shrugged and reached over with the hand that had briefly contacted Cora and grabbed a nearly full bottle of cheap beer before sipping it and offering it to her guest. It wasn't the best beer on Denon, but it was cold and it was cheap.

"So, I don't know where he is... but I know how to find him, his gang and mine are on good terms."

'...is that a good idea...'
"Of course its fething not..." she rolled her eyes.

"The thing is, if I give up fractal to a Jedi, they'll have me killed..."

'...or they'll try...'

"Or that... either way, things will get a bit chitty, you know what I mean right? Its not just a case of me sending you to an adress full of shadowrunners?" she felt an urge to trust the woman in front of her, for no real reason why, maybe she was using some Jedi trick on her, or maybe it was because she could feel that the woman was a little bit broken too.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora stiffened when the tip of Hex's finger traced down her neck. She shuddered, goosebumps igniting on pale skin as she leaned back to put a bit of space between the two. It wasn't far, given that they were in a rather cramped space.

"Nice w-?!" Blue eyes flared wildly at Hex's assumption, but Cora didn't try and correct her. She was right after all. Hands clasped in her lap and legs crossed politely, the former Princess seemed to sink in on herself.

"I see." She sighed, reaching for the bottle as it was offered. It was part reflex, part manners; it would be rude to deny a drink when offered. As her hand closed around the cold bottle, Cora was reminded of the time she and Makko had spent pregaming a concert. She'd tried his beer. It was awful.

A cursory swig from Hex's bottle had her face pulling in disgust, and she swallowed heavily before handing the container back.

"Is that where you showed him your bombs and rocket launcher?" Arching a brow, Cora recalled the conversation between her and Makko regarding how he knew Hex. She'd been jealous then. She didn't know what she was now.

Hex didn't know where he was, but she knew how to find him. It would be risky for her, of course.

"I understand. I just…I need to see him." She murmured softly. Cora didn't have a plan. It was a miracle she'd made it this far on Denon without being robbed or assaulted.

"I wont give you up if you help me, Hex. Even if they beat me—I can take some punishment."

Cora glanced to Hex, one corner of her lips lifting in a sad sort of smile.

"Is there anything I can do to make this worth the risk for you?"

Hex

 

[Hex]

​

Tag: Corazona von Ascania
Location: "I have an Ink'ling" tattoo parlour - Denon
Objective: A retouch and refresh

Spoiler: Equipment

• Neon Lady suit
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 3 gas)
• Firebee swarm - inferno pattern
• Chewing gum
• Dancer repulsor board
• Jade Void Amulet
• Dervish Knife

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

"Is that where you showed him your bombs and rocket launcher?"

Hex laughed aloud, "Yeaahh... and that's not even a euphemism. It's OK, turns out he's less my type than I thought anyway. Not that he's not cute, and I mean I would, but I think I like girls anyway... blonde ones" she knew herself she was talking about Daiya , but it was fun to watch the Jedi princess squirm just a little bit more.

The woman's comment about taking a beating struck a note at Hex, something she didn't understand with her emotional childishness, but she felt sorry for her, it was a smile of a person who knew she could take a beating because she had taken one already, Hex wanted to hug her... but she had a better idea. She spun around slightly so her legs opened around Cora, "Turn your back to me and take your top off... please. I'm not going to do anything weird, but... if you want me to trust you, you're going to have to trust me first, I want to give you something."

Hex had a wicked look on her face as she surveyed the blonde woman, there was no malice coming across either her body language or her speech, Hex was just a girl, talking to another girl who might too have suffered at the hands of someone who sought to control her. The tattoo artist looked at Hex and then at Cora, "OK, i'm out, I'm not being a part of this." he laughed and placed the tattoo gun down on the side of the table next to the bed.

"Chicken chit!" Hex laughed and poked her tongue out of the man. He knew what she was upto, but knew her well enough not to try and divert her from a plan.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"Wh-what? I most certainly will not!"

Cora balked at Hex's bold request, crossing her arms defensively over her torso. The flush of her cheeks now overtook her face and spread down her neck. It didn't help that Hex had expressed her preference for blonde girls, though it could be that she was simply teasing.

It was a bit difficult to get a handle on what the blue haired teenager was thinking. Cora couldn't exactly pin her down. She glanced over to the tattoo artist for help, but he had backed out of the situation and left his gun behind.

"This is the first time we've talked, and within a few minutes you expect me to trust you enough to start removing my clothes? Even I'm not that naive!"

Cora's lips pursed into a pout as she glared at Hex. The hardness dropped a little from her eyes when she remembered why she'd come here.

I need to find him.

"Just…what is it that you plan on doing?"

Hex

 

[Hex]

​

Tag: Corazona von Ascania
Location: "I have an Ink'ling" tattoo parlour - Denon
Objective: A retouch and refresh

Spoiler: Equipment

• Neon Lady suit
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 3 gas)
• Firebee swarm - inferno pattern
• Chewing gum
• Dancer repulsor board
• Jade Void Amulet
• Dervish Knife

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

Hex gave slightly annoyed, slightly baffled look to Corazona von Ascania . "Like you wanted me to trust you and give up my friends on your word... you do know I have a jedi bounty on me right?" she sighed and looked at Cora.

'...Abusive marriage chithead...'


Hex's eyes widened as if she had just realised something. "Listen Cora, I don't care what your queen or her husband might say about me, I'm not a bad person... just...different. Look around you, look at me. When Evann told me to take my clothes off, why do you think that was?"

'...You were already half undressed by the time you got in the door...'
"Not the point" she giggled.

Hex had been looking forward to this appointment for weeks she loved her tattoos, they made her feel good about herself and getting them was always so much fun for her.

"I want to give you a tattoo, I've something in mind that I think you'll like, but you'll have to trust me until it's done." Hex shrugged nonchalantly and relaxed backwards just gently running her fingers around the outline of her own blue explosion tattoos while she waited on the Jedi. "Or you could give me that plasma sword I know you have on you somewhere." Hex laughed.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"You have a what?? No, I was not aware of your bounty, Hex! What in Ashla did you do?"

Cora practically spat the words from her lips, hugging her arms even tighter around her torso as she bristled. If she knew about the girl's bounty, would she have approached her at all?

Her gut told her yes. The aristocrat deflated a little, suddenly embarrassed about her bitter language. Her brow creased in confusion at the mention of the Queen and her husband, and it eventually dawned on her who she was talking about. Valery and Kahlil. Her Jedi Master and mentor, who'd taken Cora into their own home with open arms and without a second thought when she'd had nowhere else to go. Rejected by the biological family she'd tried to please, exiled from the people she'd tried to protect.

Cora didn't feel like she had the right to judge anyone, let alone Hex. From what Makko had told her about Denon, life here was hard for anyone who wasn't wealthy. Sometimes people had to do unsavory things just to scrape by, not that she would be able to appreciate that fully.

"I…had a tattoo once." She mumbled. On the eve of her wedding, she had wanted to do something rebellious. Makko had agreed to take her to a tattoo parlor on Coruscant and ink a symbol into her skin; the shattered crest of House Cholmondeley, the family she'd be unwillingly married into. It was not the needle that frightened her, but the way Horace had seared the marking from her skin with a hot iron that gave her pause.

"I don't like needles, and I don't like being unclothed." She stated firmly, "But perhaps…I can manage."

Do it for Makko.

Turning so that her back was to Hex, Cora swallowed thickly as her fingers began to work the top few buttons of her blouse. She would not disrobe entirely, but ease the fabric down from her shoulders a few inches. Hex would have to avoid a smattering of healing bruises that trailed from her left shoulder, down beneath the rest of her shirt.

"Just make it quick." She murmured. Cora was used to being uncomfortable, and what was one more marking?

Hex

 

[Hex]

​

Tag: Corazona von Ascania
Location: "I have an Ink'ling" tattoo parlour - Denon
Objective: A retouch and refresh

Spoiler: Equipment

• Neon Lady suit
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 3 gas)
• Firebee swarm - inferno pattern
• Chewing gum
• Dancer repulsor board
• Jade Void Amulet
• Dervish Knife

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

The blue haired girl laughed "Well, technically the bounty isn't on me.... well, it's is... but no one knows my name so... yeah, if you spot another girl with four foot long blue braids and a hoverboard, you make sure the Jedi get her." Hex winked, if Cora didn't know about the bounty, she didn't need to know the intimate details of the train bombing.

Hex picked up the gun and looked at Cora's bare shoulder. "Do these hurt?" she tentatively touched Cora's shoulder "I get these dreams sometimes that..."

'...STOP...'

Hex shook her head briefly as her deeper psyche stopped her accessing her repressed memories and she returned to the room. Her year in the crib watching her older sister be beaten nearly to death by their mother, the very trauma that created her... locked away tightly.

She started gently working on the other girl, Hex was no professional, but she was an artist, she knew what she was doing and this had now become more than just a pointless show of trust, she wanted to do something good for the clearly damaged woman in front of her. It would take a little while, doing tattoos was not instant of course, and Hex didn't talk much while she concentrated, not unless Corazana interrupted her or asked her questions.

Before long though, she was done, and with a cool wet cloth she wiped away excess ink and any blood that might have come to the surface. "OK, it's done..."

She pulled up a mirror and showed Cora three small swallows rising from her shoulder blade, they were done in black lines but with bright pink and blue colouring. "It'll look better when the redness goes down. When someone goes to prison and comes out, the get a swallow tattoo. It means they've done their time, they've taken their punishment and now they are free.... do you like it?"

For someone who was previously screwing with the girl and seeing her as a potential hostile Jedi come to ruin her life, she now came across almost like a puppy, eager for validation, her moods as changing as the winds.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora huffed. She really wished Hex hadn't told her about the bounty. It was difficult to push that from her mind, and she tensed when Hex's finger ran gently over bruised flesh. Her face showed only a flicker of a wince.

"They do." She said softly. "Not terribly so anymore."

The buzz of the needle was the only sound between them for some time. Both seemed preoccupied by their own thoughts, quietly going through the motions until Hex had finished. A sudden surge of anxiety leapt in Cora's throat at the reveal, hoping that Hex had marked her with something tasteful.

Tiny birds. Cora canted her head to the side, sweeping long blonde locks over her opposite shoulder as she took in the brightly colored swallows. Surprise pulled at her features. It actually looked…nice? The explanation behind the tattoo had her biting her lip. She hated to think of her marriage as a prison, but the analogy was apt. Cora had desperately grasped for any sense of agency she could get while being Horace's bride, so it was difficult for her to admit that she'd been a victim of the ancient systems that governed her people.

"I…"

She swallowed thickly, pushing down the emotional swell past the tightness of her throat.

"…I-I suppose that I will, in some time."

It was the best that Hex was going to get from a noble brat who'd been taught that ink was for gangsters and harlots.

"I don't exactly feel free, if you know what I mean." It was a sudden admission, but an honest one. Cora may have been out from under the yoke of her painful duty to Ukatis, but she was both saddened by her personal failures and unused to living unimpeded by Horace. "I don't feel like I've earned it, if that makes any sense."

Hex

 

[Hex]

​

Tag: Corazona von Ascania
Location: "I have an Ink'ling" tattoo parlour - Denon
Objective: A retouch and refresh

Spoiler: Equipment

• Neon Lady suit
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 3 gas)
• Firebee swarm - inferno pattern
• Chewing gum
• Dancer repulsor board
• Jade Void Amulet
• Dervish Knife

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

Hex smiled as Corazona von Ascania gave her something of a half acceptance of the tattoo, but it was done and Hex liked it at least. "I get what you mean, there is always someone wanting to keep us caged, a husband, a corpo, some religious cult on coruscant," she poked her tongue our between her teeth teasing Corazana. "True freedom is a rare thing, you should be able to do what you want, when you want, with whoever you want."

'...her?...'
"Sure, why not?" Hex shrugged at herself as she spoke, smirking at Cora.

The blue haired teen wiped down her ink stained hands and looked around for her top and shorts, she swung her legs back over Cora and stood up, walking across the room before sliding her loose t-shirt on. She looked back over her shoulder, I'm going to take you to meet some people from Fractal, this place isn't a nice place, and you are going to see some stuff that might make you want to Jedi up. Keep your saber out of sight... unless a tall rodian with a bionic antenna shows up, he thinks I owe him money." she laughed.

'...You do owe him money...'
Hex just placed her fingers on her lips before sliding her shorts up over her ass and zipping herself in.

She started picking up her own weapons, a pistol here, a belt of party poppers there, it probably took longer than necessary for her to get ready, but Hex never went anywhere without being ready for trouble.

"Right, let's go find your boyfriend."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora gave Hex a sideways glance when she mentioned a cult on Coruscant.

"Everyone needs some sort of limitation." She insisted, mumbling while adjusting her shirt. "Perhaps…there is a thin line between guidance and abuse."

Hex's own muttering earned her a quirked eyebrow, then Cora's reluctantly bashful attention as she slipped her clothing back on.

"Really? I mean-"

Sitting bolt upright, Cora scrambled from the table and patted herself down as if to make herself appear more presentable. Her simple shirt, skirt and boot combo didn't exactly scream Denon native, but at least it didn't telegraph uppercrust brat.

No, her posture and general mannerisms did that for her.

"I don't have my saber anymore." She admitted, wondering if that was an appropriate thing to tell Hex. "Where exactly are we going? A-Am I dressed appropriately? Is there anything I need to do to prepare?"

Hex

 

[Hex]

​

Tag: Corazona von Ascania
Location: "I have an Ink'ling" tattoo parlour - Denon
Objective: A retouch and refresh

Spoiler: Equipment

• Neon Lady suit
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 3 gas)
• Firebee swarm - inferno pattern
• Chewing gum
• Dancer repulsor board
• Jade Void Amulet
• Dervish Knife

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

No saber? That was am interesting development. "That's a shame, always wanted to try using a lightsaber, they look fun." she giggled as she led her new friend put. "But here, take this...just in case." she offered the blonde her SIMP pistol, whether she took it or not was a different matter.

Where exactly are we going? A-Am I dressed appropriately?

She looked the woman up and down again. She didnt carry herself like an oppressed indiscreet, but it wasn't too obvious. "You'll be fine, your free remember, you dress how you want. Just try not to tell them how much your might be worth in a ransom" Hex cackled, it was a joke, but only just. "We are going to a nightclub called Digital Enigma its a few miles away and a couple of hundred levels down
A few Fractals like to hang out there, it's a pretty cool place, someone is probably going to try and sell you something... just... don't... OK?" Hex grinned, she smoked, but pills and anything harder were off limits to here, she had always been warned just how bad things could get if she let them.

"Oooh... now I fancy some weed for our night out" she giggled and made a puffing action with her hands in front of her. "So... I have to ask, where you and Makko cracking on while your dear departed husband was still about?" There was a mischievous grin on Hex's face as they walked and Hex pulled a hoverboard off of a rack outside the tattoo parlour, the same one Cora might recognise from the Tangle escapade. Hex put it on the floor and stood on it, beckoning Cora to join her for the ride.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"It's not a-!"

Cora had begun to chide Hex for the lightsaber comment before stopping short when the other woman offered her a gun. She stilled for a moment, startled, before taking the pistol and examining it with wide eyes. "How did you get something like this?"

It was not a question she was supposed to ask, but Cora was curious over how a street punk came to acquire a military grade weapon. Her face pulled as an afterthought struck her; maybe she didn't really want to know the answer.

"I'm not that naïve!" She protested again, scrunching her nose as she slipped the blaster into the waistband of her pants – before checking to ensure that they safety was on, of course. "I have no interest in telling people who I am – er, was, nor do I intend to imbibe in any illicit substances."

If Hex wanted to, then that was her – wait, no, she didn't want to be around Hex if she did anything illegal. Little did she know that apparently being Hex was, in a way, illegal.

"Th-that is…not an appropriate question to ask and you know it!" She balked with the appropriate scandalized measure of a proper Lady. Of course, if she and Makko hadn't gotten up to anything, she would have likely said as much. Pale cheeks flushed bright red as Cora tentatively stepped onto the hoverboard, just behind Hex. She recalled a snippet of a memory where Hex had given Makko a ride during their escapades in the Tangle and how he'd grasped onto her waist for stability, and how Cora had subsequently chewed him out.

"Erm…" Her gaze tightened. "What do I do with my hands?"

Hex

 

[Hex]

​

Tag: Corazona von Ascania
Location: "I have an Ink'ling" tattoo parlour - Denon
Objective: A retouch and refresh

Spoiler: Equipment

• Neon Lady suit
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 3 gas)
• Firebee swarm - inferno pattern
• Chewing gum
• Dancer repulsor board
• Jade Void Amulet
• Dervish Knife

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

Hex didn't answer where she had gotten the SIMP pistol from, in honesty she couldn't quite remember herself, the thought it might have been a heist, or maybe it was on that planet were her Hilal Vizsla nearly went up against a giant walking robot when the mawites attacked? Oh well, it was hers now, and she did feel a slight bit of regret as she saw its barrel slide inside another person's waist band.

"Th-that is…not an appropriate question to ask and you know it!"

Hex snorted with laughter at the response she illicited from the more refined woman in front of her an gave her slight shrug and side eye eyebrow raise, "Hey, I'm not judging." she giggled again as she got comfortable and pulled Cora's arms around her stomach.

"Anything above the waist is good, i need my hips free to steer." Hex enjoyed these having passengers on her board, it was a bit of fun to see how much they could take. The moment Cora was ready, ready being a slight mosnomer for what they were about to do, Hex leaned forward and the board acelerated.

"Hold on tight gorgeous!" she said as she took them of the edge the balcony and they dropped in near free fall about fifty metres before levelling out and heading up the speeder-way. Hex weaved in and out of traffic, eliciting more than a few beeps and flashes as she did, but this was her world and boarding made her feel freer than she could possibly describe. She took corners steeply, using the walls of the steel canyon like a pipe. Hex's long blue braids followed behind her as she rode. She could feel the other woman behind her and and wondered how she felt. Cora was a Jedi, they could fly anyway so even if she fell off, she should be OK.

'...no they can't...'

Hex giggled, OK, but either way it was someone else's problem if she fell.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"I-oh!"

Cora squealed in surprise when Hex pulled her arms around her abdomen. Mortification set her face aflame, red cheeks brightening just a bit more at the realization of how soft the other woman felt beneath her hands.

Her own stomach twisted as they took off, careening down a dead drop and around the district to the tune of speeder horns blaring. To stop herself from screeching, Cora buried her face into the back of Hex's shoulder.

A long blue braid whipped her in the back of her head, and the blonde finally managed to raise her face a notch. Squinting through the wind, Cora had to admit that behind the sheer terror, there was a sense of…thrill to it all.

"You're going to get us killed!" She hissed just as Hex swerved out of the path of an oncoming truck. "Do you even have a license for this thing?!"

She could guess the answer.

The cityscape was beautiful from this angle, all shadowed outlines illuminated with multicolored neon lighting. Even a girl from a rural planet had to admire its under-worldly charm for a moment.

"Were you born here?" She asked suddenly, raising her voice to contend with the rush of traffic.

Hex

 

[Hex]

​

Tag: Corazona von Ascania
Location: "I have an Ink'ling" tattoo parlour - Denon
Objective: A retouch and refresh

Spoiler: Equipment

• Neon Lady suit
• ap-25i SIMP pistol
• 'Candles' Heavy particle blaster
• 'confetti' Rocket launcher
• Party Poppers (3 explosive, 3 gas)
• Firebee swarm - inferno pattern
• Chewing gum
• Dancer repulsor board
• Jade Void Amulet
• Dervish Knife

Spoiler: Hex dialogue colors

Poor Hex hears voices in her head

Hex speech to others
Hex speech to herself

Hexes inner voices
'...Neutral...'
'...Doubt...'
'...Anger...'
Coloured '.....' are also words that Hex can hear , but I decided not to write them to reduce clutter

"A licence? You are funny Cora!" Hex laughed as she swung them back and forth, quite enjoying herself on the ride, and also the feeling of having the well manicured hands of the pretty blonde wrapped tightly around her waist. She looked down at them "Ooh, your nails are really pretty, where did you get them...."

'...Bus!...'

Hex flashed her attention back to in front of them just in time for her to barely miss and then grind her board along the roof of a speeder bus. "I saw that... don't worry..." she laughed again as they descended and Hex began to decelerate towards a speeder park filled with street racers and their neon decorated speeders.

"Were you born here?"

"Nah... maybe though, I don't know where I was born so I guess denon is theoretically as likely as anywhere else?" she laughed. Hex had been born of Seranno and spent her first eight years there and still maintained much of the accent, but everything before the day she escaped the juvenile psychiatric facility on Seranno was locked deep within her psyche in a place even her voices could go.

She brought them to a stop just next to a large lime green speeder van.

"Oh heeeeey... my man Hex is here boy!" A Zabrak teen about their age walked over to greet them and grabbed Hex's arm as a greeting. "And you brought a friend... whatsup? You and Powder Punk hit the brakes or something?" Hex returned his friendly energy "It's good to see you. This one isn't a date, this is Zana, she's looking for Fractal... seen any of them about?".

The Zabrak eyed up Cora curiosly "Fractal? They gonna eat her alive."

"I wouldn't be so sure, this one is tough, already got a kill under her belt back home." The Zabrak smiled and nodded before going to shake "Piper... pleasure to meet you Zana. Keep an eye on blue here, you see her giggling and running, make sure you run the same way.

Lads are inside, got Arran and Jace in there."

Hex nodded and looked over towards the door, beckoning that Corazana followed her.