Nowhere to Run
Surrounded by dozens of beings her age was something Daiya couldn't remember experiencing since she was a youngling, something that should have made her skin crawl. It would have been obvious to the others, today she was showing legs, arms and shoulders she ordinarily kept under more modest clothing. The more revealing dress —and it was a dress today, a slim-fitting blue dress whose satina folds and gathers accented a body the fourteen year old hadn't appreciated enough until seeing herself in the mirror today— was far from the girl's normal wardrobe and gave her far less places to hide the weapons that provided her self-assurance. On any ordinary day, she should be feeling like a Mon Cala on Tatooine.
Instead, Daiya was having the time of her life.
She didn't know Kanner Cobral's daughter, a Human-Zabrak girl named Kasathé, but Daiya had come to the Cobral family's house for an extraordinary day; the girl's fobobaroy, her fifteenth birthday celebration. She wasn't on the guest list, either, but the Frego crime family's party was easy enough to bribe access to. The sweet music that drifted out from the start had turned into a techno-synth mix, perfect for dancing and mingling with the other partygoers. Most of them were complete strangers to her, but she wasn't alone in that respect either, it seemed like half the Core's youth had piled into the courtyard today.
Daiya wasn't alone in crashing the party, either, she was accompanied by others today. Four teenage girls like her, all dressed up to look like guests, and all the right ages to blend in with the other partygoers. On an ordinary day, they would have been content with merely crashing the party and enjoying the fobobaroy to the fullest extent. Then again, this was no ordinary day.
And they were no ordinary partycrashers.
Daiya knew the spacer girl, Brie, best of all, making fast friends with her on Denon and working together on a handful of missions before. They had been joined by a new girl, a Zeltron girl named Zo'i, who seemed as eager to get away from her chaperone as Daiya often was with Tawrro. Finding safety in numbers, they had teamed up to take a job on Frego, leading to partnering up with a Mikkian girl named Thalassa. Thalassa was not like the other girls, and if her shapeshifting demonstration in front of them had been any indication, Daiya wasn't even sure if she was a girl in the first place.
Still, the fobobaroy was well-supervised, attended by the Cobral family's trusted enforcers as well as adult members of the family. That made the girl feel safe about accompanying a questionable girl into the party, but all those mobsters made their task once inside a bit more difficult to pull off. But as Thalassa had put it, posing to them in her uglier form before she had shifted to the more pleasant tentacle-haired version she used now, they needed those family members for their knowledge not for their wisdom.
Or, in simpler terms, blackmail. They were there to dig up dirt.
Whether it was for revenge, or information trading, or just fuel for a Corpo plot, the rationale didn't much matter to Daiya. It all worked out to attending a party and getting paid for it, which drew a grin on Daiya's face. Now that she was in its midst, Daiya felt that grin with every fiber of her being; the unfamiliar music was gorgeous, the diverse crowd was affectionate, and the beings were stunningly dressed.
"Hey Brie, I think that guy is looking at you," Daiya said, taking a sip of the fizzy beverage she had selected from the colorful array available at the punch table. Their group was taking a well-earned respite from the exuberant dancing music, which had mellowed now into a slow ballad for which none of them had the right partners. No doubt Thalassa was going to use the opportunity to remind them what they were there to do again. "He keeps staring at us, but he only looks away when you turn toward him."
The teen giggled, considering the thought of catching a boy's eye at a party like this. If it had been Daiya, she would have been blushing through her foundation. Or disgusted, depending on how attractive he was. She eyed the enraptured youth who had picked her friend to ogle, he wasn't too bad looking, and the girl had to admit it was pretty cute to see him trying to hide his glances their way. "You should go ask him to dance!" Daiya suggested, and then after a moment added with a wink towards Zo'i, "And if he has any friends to share."
Oh, Daiya knew they were there to do a job, but they couldn't well do it if they didn't first act like they belonged.
Instead, Daiya was having the time of her life.
She didn't know Kanner Cobral's daughter, a Human-Zabrak girl named Kasathé, but Daiya had come to the Cobral family's house for an extraordinary day; the girl's fobobaroy, her fifteenth birthday celebration. She wasn't on the guest list, either, but the Frego crime family's party was easy enough to bribe access to. The sweet music that drifted out from the start had turned into a techno-synth mix, perfect for dancing and mingling with the other partygoers. Most of them were complete strangers to her, but she wasn't alone in that respect either, it seemed like half the Core's youth had piled into the courtyard today.
Daiya wasn't alone in crashing the party, either, she was accompanied by others today. Four teenage girls like her, all dressed up to look like guests, and all the right ages to blend in with the other partygoers. On an ordinary day, they would have been content with merely crashing the party and enjoying the fobobaroy to the fullest extent. Then again, this was no ordinary day.
And they were no ordinary partycrashers.
Daiya knew the spacer girl, Brie, best of all, making fast friends with her on Denon and working together on a handful of missions before. They had been joined by a new girl, a Zeltron girl named Zo'i, who seemed as eager to get away from her chaperone as Daiya often was with Tawrro. Finding safety in numbers, they had teamed up to take a job on Frego, leading to partnering up with a Mikkian girl named Thalassa. Thalassa was not like the other girls, and if her shapeshifting demonstration in front of them had been any indication, Daiya wasn't even sure if she was a girl in the first place.
Still, the fobobaroy was well-supervised, attended by the Cobral family's trusted enforcers as well as adult members of the family. That made the girl feel safe about accompanying a questionable girl into the party, but all those mobsters made their task once inside a bit more difficult to pull off. But as Thalassa had put it, posing to them in her uglier form before she had shifted to the more pleasant tentacle-haired version she used now, they needed those family members for their knowledge not for their wisdom.
Or, in simpler terms, blackmail. They were there to dig up dirt.
Whether it was for revenge, or information trading, or just fuel for a Corpo plot, the rationale didn't much matter to Daiya. It all worked out to attending a party and getting paid for it, which drew a grin on Daiya's face. Now that she was in its midst, Daiya felt that grin with every fiber of her being; the unfamiliar music was gorgeous, the diverse crowd was affectionate, and the beings were stunningly dressed.
"Hey Brie, I think that guy is looking at you," Daiya said, taking a sip of the fizzy beverage she had selected from the colorful array available at the punch table. Their group was taking a well-earned respite from the exuberant dancing music, which had mellowed now into a slow ballad for which none of them had the right partners. No doubt Thalassa was going to use the opportunity to remind them what they were there to do again. "He keeps staring at us, but he only looks away when you turn toward him."
The teen giggled, considering the thought of catching a boy's eye at a party like this. If it had been Daiya, she would have been blushing through her foundation. Or disgusted, depending on how attractive he was. She eyed the enraptured youth who had picked her friend to ogle, he wasn't too bad looking, and the girl had to admit it was pretty cute to see him trying to hide his glances their way. "You should go ask him to dance!" Daiya suggested, and then after a moment added with a wink towards Zo'i, "And if he has any friends to share."
Oh, Daiya knew they were there to do a job, but they couldn't well do it if they didn't first act like they belonged.
Last edited: