Private One Spray Away

[Cartri Keswoll]

Location: Denon Streets, Corporate official residents
Objective: Make a statement by vandalising a Corpo house
Tags: Iris Arani​

"Derek... DEREK!" one of the security men shouted at the top of his lungs, his face getting increasingly annoyed over the malfunction of a camera outside. A few moments later his fellow workmate walked in "What?!" he grunted back as he glared over to the fuzzing screen in front of them "The camera at the front gate is karking up again, take a look for me would you" the man ordered as he sat back in his chair and folded his arms grumpily "Fine... but next time you're going to fix the piece of crap alright?" and with that, he stomped out into the courtyard and marched towards the gate.

Snapping his hand to the keypad he typed in the passcode and made his way outside with the torch pointing up to the camera "How the..." his voice gasped, taken back by how the camera was hanging off the wall by a thread. Suddenly, a few footsteps came from behind him leaving him little time to see a boot colliding hard with his knee. The figure before him leaned forward and swiped the stun baton from his holster and slammed it into his chest, electrocuting him until his body fell back to the floor unconscious.

A sigh came from the intruder as he leaned down and wrapped his hands under his armpits, slowly but surely dragging the security out of the quiet street and back into the courtyard of the house. Leaning him against the wall the figure shrugged his shoulders and looked at the open door of the guard tower, the stun baton off but still in hand.

"Where is that fool..." the guard said to himself as he rocked backward and forwards in his chair. For now, his attention was turned to a shockboxing live stream which was halfway through a match, leaving him open for a surprise attack he wasn't expecting "Sorry I'm late..." the voice said from behind before the stun baton slammed into his neck, almost instantly leaving him in his chair slumped.

The masked figure finally relaxed and took a deep breath. Now that the guards had been taken care of all he had to do was turn off all the security systems and delete all the camera footage, a simple job that took away a lot of problems in the long term.

"Alright, let's have some fun," Cartri said out loud while he along the courtyard to the front of the Corpo's house. Taking his bag off and placing it to the ground, he unzipped and reached out a bag full of spray paint grab a bright green color, iconic for representing Darkwire everywhere. With a few shakes, he began to create his masterpiece one spray at a time. As long as no one interrupted, this was surely going to be one to remember.

 

[Iris Arani]

Denon was.. Darker than Iris expected. Not the lights. Even the slums had their own neon signs that lit up the night sky. But the colors. The Force, as others would call it. The swirl of blues, yellows, reds, and everything in between that she saw emotion and life as with her unique connection was usually bright. But here.. Dark. Dim. People were.. People weren't okay. That's what she was steadily coming to realize as she walked down the street. Watching, learning. Observing.

Then a startling red. Pain. Hurt. No death, but how long would that last? She rushed off, sprinting down the rain soaked alley to where she'd felt someone getting hurt. Another flash of red in the colors. Someone else had been hurt. Again, not killed. But something was happening. She rounded the corner, immediately finding a fallen security guard. Was this a robery?

Briefly she checked on him, just to make sure he was alive and okay. Knocked out cold, but in no danger of dying. Good. Forward she went, leaning just enough to peek through the open doorway just a few feet away. Another unconscious guard. And someone else. The smell of fresh paint filled the air, all too familiar to the young Jedi.

She stepped in the doorway, lightsaber in hand.

"Stop what you're doing."

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Iris Arani​

Gracefully, he sprayed the bright green paint along the white wall of the house, each line slowly leading up the resemblance of the Darkwire eye. Many runners used it to prove a point and let targets know they were watching them. Dropping the can to the ground he leaned down and grabbed a grey paint can this time, using it for the next part of the simple yet effective eye.

At the same time, he hadn't noticed a curious Jedi slip through the front entrance and investigate what was happening. It was a clumsy move, considering he should of shut the door and placed the guards together, yet that would have been too much effort for the teen.

Hearing a commanding voice to his right, he turned his hooded face to the source and slowly stopped spraying the wall. He stared for a moment at the girl before looking down at her hand which had a tight grip of a lightsaber. What in the name of kark was another Jedi doing down here? was she seriously trying to stop him?

"What are you doing here, Jedi. You're getting involved in something you don't understand." the boy finally spoke, his body slowly leaning down to get a grip of the bag full of spraypaint. He knew she wouldn't go peacefully, especially with all the knocked out guards that she probably saw by now. Choosing to keep hold of a red can, he kept the bag open in his hand as he stared down at the girl before him, only half of his face showing under the dark hood for now.

 

[Iris Arani]

"I felt people getting hurt."

The lightsaber in her hand stayed extinguished. For the moment. Her gaze shifted to where Cartri Keswoll was holding the pack, then to the can in his other hand. Then to the mural behind him. She didn't recognize it, but then again she didn't recognize much iconography. She really needed to learn more about these sort of things, huh. "You didn't kill anyone, but you can't assault people either."

Right. Tagging was illegal, as she learned. But assault was too. Maybe she wouldn't care about the spray paint. The hypocrisy with how many buildings she'd tagged in her life would be too much. But the groaning body between them?

"I'll bring you to the police. They should be lenient."

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Iris Arani​

"I could have killed them, but I'm not a psychopath compared to the sith. They probably have families, so I doubt a little shock to their bodies will change seeing them"

Cartri knew they were going to be fine when they woke up, but the way they constantly groaned made it as if they were shot through the chest with a blaster. He knew what he was doing, and it only proved when they were safely leaned up against the wall with no serious injury. However, the guard he hit in the neck may have been a bit too far in his standards

"No... no! you really don't know how things work around here do you? if those Corpo karks find out I've been thrown in jail they won't have any hesitation in giving me to them. Everything on this damn planet is corrupted, you hear me?" The boy grunted to her, his hand getting tighter on the bag below

The only way out of this joint was back through the gate, something of which was blocked off by the nosey Jedi "Please... Just move aside Jedi."
Cartri warned, his eyes focused on the deactivated lightsaber. He really was stepping on eggshells here, if she intended on using it he was going to be in a world of trouble.

 

[Iris Arani]

He.. Wasn't lying. The colors around Cartri Keswoll held no shade of deception. Only honesty. Fear. Desperation. Iris stayed quiet for a moment, then hooked her saber on her hip. She wasn't going to bring him in, yet. There was something else going on. "Fine. But, you take me with you. Tell me everything that's happening, who these.. Corpo people are." Then she'd decide if she was going to turn him in or not. That was the Jedi way to do things, right?

"Okay?"

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Iris Arani​

She seemed to take in what he said for a few seconds and pondered, almost as if the Jedi was judging him in silent thought. Then, with the saber being placed back on her hip Cartri was finally able to relax. His tense body took a deep breath, thankful that he didn't have to be cut into pieces by the girl.

"Fine..." the boy said with a mumble before a hand pulled the hood away from his face. He put a hand through his well kept hair and looked back to the eye, one of which was one spray away from completing the outline of the logo. With one swift motion, he nonchalantly sprayed to the left to complete his little masterpiece. Even if it was a bit cheeky considering he agreed to stop and follow her.

Cartri threw his backpack over his shoulders and cautiously walked beside the girl, a part of him urging to run considering it could have been a trick.

"So, what do you want to know first, master Jedi?" The teen said sarcastically as he look back at the warrior. It was strange to see another Jedi on the streets of Denon, at one point you barely saw one. When it was a better time, he was sure to raise some of his own questions as to why she was here out of all places.

 

[Iris Arani]

"I- wait!" She raised a hand just before Cartri Keswoll turned to finish his tag. She saw it in the colors, in the Force. Except, she was no where near fast enough to stop him. The painting was finished, and she just stared. The disappointment was clear, yet.. Well. She'd probably of done the same thing with her own art. Probably had, now that she thought about it. Not that she could remember specifically though.

She lowered her hand, her gaze still lingering on the art piece before a sigh escaped. And she turned to follow after him.

"Who are Corpo? And why are you afraid of them?"

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Iris Arani​

"The corporate authorities are the people who run the ins and outs of Denon, nothing happens without their say" he explained as they passed through the gate and walked back onto the streets. For now, his goal had been complete, it was only a matter of convincing a Jedi that he was doing a good deed.

"In the public eye, they may look like good people but behind the scenes, they are the most hideous people you could possibly meet. Any citizen who works for them is considered slaves, with no amount of safety or law to protect them. For the Corpo's, money is life and they are willing to do anything to get a piece of it"

Everything he said was nothing but true, they were monsters who only cared for themselves

"And by anything, it even includes the means of trafficking, drug smuggling, data mining... you name it, they've been proven to do the whole lot as far as I'm concerned."

Looking back to his Jedi companion he couldn't help but be curious as to what she was doing here in the first place "By the way, why are you even here? this is a strange place for a Jedi..."

 

[Iris Arani]

Again, he wasn't lying.

Which only made it deeply unsettling for Iris. She didn't know what Data Mining was, but for it to be listed alongside the other two only made it seem that much worse. "Trafficking.. As in, slavery?" Her voice was a lot softer than she meant it to be. The black glove she wore over her scarred hand squeezed a different scar on her opposite wrist. A thin line, from where she'd been in chains herself.

Iris closed her eyes for a moment. "Visiting." That's all she'd say on the matter. Her Master was here, in hiding. Even if Cartri Keswoll seemed trustworthy through the colors, she couldn't just tell anyone.

"Why did you attack them? And what's the eye about?"

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Iris Arani​

"I'm afraid so..." The boy confirmed, slavery was no joke, especially to Darkwire. He noticed her hand squeeze something on her wrist in the corner of his eye, but he chose to ignore the showing of vulnerability for now.

"Visiting family I'm guessing? well, I hope they are doing well to stay out of trouble" using the sincere tone to hide his suspicion, something seemed off about her answer. Everyone on Denon had a motive, but it was probably best to not dig deeper on the matter for now.

Cartri raised a brow on why he attacked the guards, two people who were possibly innocent and doing their jobs to simply feed their family "Why? because they would have brought a patrol on me if I didn't. There was no way to disable the cameras without taking care of them so I simply put them to sleep for a short while" the boy said with a small, turning around the corner into another silent housing district.

"The logo is of my own design, I spray it on their walls to indicate that I'm watching them" This time he had to lie. Even though she was honorable, he couldn't expose Darkwire to some random teenage Jedi. Who knew what she'd do with that information.

Playing with the spray can he still had in his hand, he lightly hovered it for a few seconds before catching it again "You'll find some strange and wonderful things down here; red witches, sand dude, underground fight clubs, and a black market the size of the planet itself..."

"You never know, Jedi like yourself might like the adrenaline rush down here."

 

[Iris Arani]

"I don't have family." She practically hummed out her words, dismissing what Cartri Keswoll suggested. Simply to correct him, though. She wasn't one to live on lies, and she wouldn't mislead anyone. Though, she frowned at his answer. Not about the eye, that she believed. But at the same time.. "So.. You attacked two random security guards that would've called a patrol so you could.. Paint? That's it?"

She didn't know much about laws, but assaulting two people to throw up paint wasn't something she'd ever do. Or allow. "Why did you attack them? What does it have to do with Corpo? If it's just for tagging, I'm going to take you to the police."

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Iris Arani​

"No family?" Cartri said to himself before coming to a stop, his face confused from what the Jedi was saying to him. What on earth was she here for then? she wasn't adding up anymore.

When he went to question her further she was faster to the gun, accusing him of beating up a few guards to spray some paint on a wall. Cartri tilted his head and sighed to the remark "Of course not! the guy who I was targeting very much deserved it. He was lowering workers wages past the very boundaries of liveable. He just needed a little reminder that he was being investigated" the boy answered in a slightly agitated tone.

"And speaking of questions, you still haven't answered mine. Out of all the places to visit you choose Denon? one of the most horrific and dismal places in the galaxy? If you don't have family, what in the name of kark are you visiting here?"

Both of them weren't being clear with each other and it showed. None of them seemed to be giving way either, other than her having the obvious advantage of throwing him in prison at a moment's notice.

"How can I be honest if the person I'm talking to is throwing lies back into my face? For all I know, you could be hired by those karks to get as much information out of me before you take me in. Well crap, you could have even stolen that lightsaber from a dead Jedi!"

 

[Iris Arani]

It was the sincerity that Cartri Keswoll spoke in that kept Iris silent. Well, not his tone. But the colors. No lies, no deceit. Frustration, fear, annoyance. All were on display. The Padawan just watched him, though even her placid seeming demeanor cracked as he mentioned her lightsaber. For the briefest moment, she felt annoyed. First time in her life, at that. She stamped her foot, turning her body to put herself between Domxite and the boy.

"They were not stolen. They are my friend."

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Iris Arani​

The words he spoke about her lightsaber seemed to pull a cord, one that forced her to suddenly stamp her foot and turn away from him with a brief moment of annoyance. If that wasn't funny enough, when she mentioned the lightsaber as her friend he couldn't help but release a giggle. A weapon for a friend? these Jedi are crazier than he thought.

"I-I'm sorry, your friend? come on now. Next thing you're going to tell me is that it has its own bed..."

Cartri burst out laughing from the tease, a hand coming up to his chest to stop himself from chuckling any further

"You Jedi are some funny people..."

 

[Iris Arani]

"They don't like beds." Wasn't that obvious? Iris full on pouted at the teasing though, her hands curling into fists. Annoyance was back. She didn't like feeling annoyed. But it was Cartri Keswoll 's fault! Her gaze shifted to her lightsaber. The gem within was just annoyed. Or.. Laughing? Iris wasn't sure which Domxite was doing, but there wasn't really anything she could do.

"It's not a joke! Domxite uses the lightsaber to help me."

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Iris Arani​

"Domxite?!" Cartri asked with another burst of laughter, his face turning a slight shade of red from forgetting to breathe. This girl really was an oddball, it was almost like she treated her lightsabers as a teddy bear. Looking back to her he finally put a hand up to his mouth, only to release a muffled chuckle this time.

"Oh man, what kind of things does he like then?" he said sarcastically, lowering his hand to reveal the wide smile spread across his lips "Is he a spooky ghost that loves to paint in his past time?"

 

[Iris Arani]

"They enjoy painting, yes. Their droid body lets them." She huffed in annoyance. There was no hiding it now. Her frown, her glare, how her arms crossed over her chest. Cartri Keswoll was infuriating for the Padawan. And Domxite wasn't helping either with their silence.

"You're very mean."

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Iris Arani​

"Ohhhh... he's a droid?" he said back. His laughter was dying down now and considering how annoyed the jedi was he'd have to be careful just in case she had any thoughts of slicing his head off. Composing himself, he put a hand through his hair and grinned widely at the way she was looking at him

"Come on, you Jedi don't have a sense of humor!"

At this point, he could tell from the way she acted the girl was the real deal. All the Jedi he met took no messing, and most didn't have a single laugh in them.

Cartri slowly came up beside her and nudged the Jedi lightly on the arm "Don't worry, at least I'm not a sith huh?"

 

[Iris Arani]

"No, they are a stone. And not a him." No, she wasn't finding this amusing. But at least she wasn't getting hostile with Cartri Keswoll . Just.. Annoyed. Her gaze shifted to her lightsaber, which she took off her hip to hold in her hands. "You can chime in at any point you know." Yeah, she was lecturing her weapon. For good reason though. Sure enough, the Rainbow Gem within reached out. No voice, just emotions. Humor, mostly.

Carti had gotten Domxite to laugh quite a bit, and now the gem was thanking him.

"If you were Sith your colors would be darker. It's why I didn't just call the police immediately. Your colors are still bright."