Private Road Trip: What now?

[Klar]

"Hey - HEY! This one's tryna rake us over the coals!" The Zabrak protested heatedly. "The coals! He's rakin'! US!" The complaint was more incredulous than it was anything else, as though he were astonished by the sheer act. Or, perhaps, the gumption to jump the script entirely. Homar continued laughing. "Grabba choh kon niko hanka bah" He advised. "Nuhto wanni wanga. Bo tutta! Hohna bo chunni wanga." He continued, waggling a finger at the two. The Nikto kicked a large bolt across the junkyard in frustration. "At this rate, they're just gonna jet off to Dever-Tet Zhallo and buy from Piston Pete!!!" He spat angrily. "We blew this one."

No wonder the Hutt was so relaxed about the goons negotiating and translating so poorly. It wasn't his product, it wasn't his money. Was he doing them a favor? Maybe he was some sort of consultant or executive coach? Klar wasn't sure. Surely the cost of a Hutt business coach would coast way, way more than a dinky little shop like this was even worth, right?

Did this even count as misdirection, anyway? The Hutt was clearly in charge, even if he didn't seem to have any ownership in what was going on. Leaning in, Klar murmured quietly to Xuko. "I think the Hutt is a teacher or something." She explained softly. It wouldn't do to leave him without context and struggling to understand what was going on. "I'm not sure, but that's my read on the situation."

Honestly, the Nikto getting frustrated and not only kicking a bit of trash like a petulant child but also giving them the name and location of his scariest competitor? Not even a Hutt could help THAT kind of incompetence.

 

[Xuko Pagoi]

Xuko, fortunately, had lots of practice holding a stern expression, because until Klar leaned in and quietly shared some much-needed context he was grasping at straws to interpret the fallout from his gamble. Even so, the truth sounded wilder than anything he could come up with; even if it made an odd sort of sense, given the dynamics he and Klar had observed. A Hutt business coach? Truly the galaxy was a strange, unpredictable place.

At least that understanding helped bring some clarity to the negotiations, even as the Nikto gave a backup option in Devar-Tet Zhallo. Xuko guessed that it was a nearby settlement; very near, if Piston Pete was considered a serious competitor. As the Nikto continued venting his frustration on random bits of junk lying around the yard- a surefire way to break a toe, in Xuko's opinion- Xuko considered his next move. On one hand, he had the two goons on the back foot, and pushing the advantage might result in a better deal for him and Klar. Faced with the prospect of a long trip home, he knew that he and Klar would have to stretch their credits as far as they could. On the other hand, both Roppei and the Nikto hadn't taken this latest setback particularly well; and pushing them further was only likely to cause resentment, if not more outbursts.

So as much as Xuko wanted to clonk the two would-be scammers' heads together, he decided to extend an olive branch. Teaching these two knuckleheads the benefits of dealing fairly would be a service to the citizens of Devar-Tet Whai, he told himself.

"My partner and I"- that was getting easier for Xuko to believe- "would be willing to overlook this, so long as we can come to a fair deal" Xuko said, catching both Roppei and the Nikto's eyes to drive home that this was the last chance they'd get. "Otherwise we will go and buy from Piston Pete." Either they would come back to the negotiating table, or he would get more time riding a speeder bike with Klar.

A win-win, as far as Xuko was concerned.

Klar