The Spice Is Not Nice

[Kinsey Starchaser]

Empress Teta

Back in the deep core. Kinsey didn't think she'd be this far away from the outer rim so soon. But the girl had to eat and she had to afford more ship fuel so she could keep running her exploratory tours. Tough life being an independent operator. Not to be under the thumb of any of the major empire was worth it though.

She just didn't do wars.

Operating between the lines was more her style.

Folks just didn't always appreciate that style though.

Nose itched from all the spice in the air. Booted-feet pounded the pavement. A red-bolt sailed over her shoulder and buried itself into the dusty wall of the corner building just ahead of her. Seemed like the cloud of spice hung over every surface of this world. Kinsey dashed behind a high-end looking speeder.

"Hey! Heyhey," she hollered from her cover, fingerless-gloved hands gripping her sidewarm tightly. "Your boss got what was in the contract. Ain't my fault he wasn't more specific."

That got her a few more bolts buried into the vehicle she was behind. Poor sap whoever owned it wouldn't be happy, either. Still. Wasn't her fault if the crime lord said rathtar. Wasn't like he said adult rathtar. All he had to do was wait five to ten years and BAM.

Blues with tiny-pricks of starbursts frantically looked around. She was outgunned and numbered. Too far from her ship. Best bet might be to dodge inside one of the street shops. If they were open.

[member="Julian Imani"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

Coincidentally the one she dashed through was open.

She'd be immediately greeted by the scent of various herbs, spices (the food kind, thank you very much) and smoke. Other than that there was a man sitting in a chair in front of the counter, practicing some woodcutting on a small piece of lumber, while arguing with himself. Seemingly anyway. "In mah own shop? Nah, nah, breddah, that dun' work for me. I jus' fixed it up again!"

His finger rose up to shush her if she approached or tried to say something.

"One second, star-childe, mah friend an' me got an argument."

There was no one else there though or was there? Maybe, very maybe, Kinsey would feel something through the Force. A presence. Old. Slow. It seemed to coil around the place, but centered around the shadows.

The argument went on for a few more seconds, before Julian threw up his hands and agreed. "Fine, fine. Who ya piss off now, lady la? An' how long we got 'ere?"

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Julian Imani"]

Just great.

The ONE shop she happened to dodge into and it was owned by a crazy person. Talking to himself. The girl just didn't have that many options when a whole murderous gang was chasing her. And if she felt any sort of presence, she didn't show it.

Had to be a mighty big thing for her to sense anything. She'd never been good at that sort of thing. Plus her force signature was well masked. If it had been Astro navigation? Anything with reversion and Star travel? Sure.

Could probably go boot-to-boot with Jorus and her Uncle on that stuff.

Wait. Was he talking to her now? Lips parted and eyes welled up as the spice from the street mixed with the spices from ((food)) in the shop. The man was met with a loud sneeze just as the yelling outside increased.

Something, something where'd she go.

Kinsey ducked behind one of the shelves. Some hanging plant and vines mixed and tickled against the top of her head. Index finger smashed against her lips as she made a shushing gesture to the shop-keep. A shush for a shush.

Mister Crazy Man.

Cerulean orbs seemed to silently plead with him as the door was shoved violently open. Kinsey assumed this shop owner wouldn't help. Those folks in the verse were few and far between. However. It was in his best interest not not give away her location because the look on her face told him that she'd fight with everything she had against those gang members. And his shop would, unfortunately, become collateral damage.

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

"Rassclaat, that door just be painted, man!"

In came four armed and dangerous thugs. One missed her eye, the front leader missed half his teeth, the other two were short and stumpy. Brothers too by the way their faces seemed like reflections of one another. At first they seemed to be scanning the room, before their attention centered on Julian. He was still sitting on his chair in front of the counter with the knife out.

Piece of idol in his hands.

"Shut the kark up." One of the brothers barked out. They leveled their barrels at him. Jul blinked, but before being able to say anything more- "Ya hide the girl, eh? EH? Spit it out, where is she and we won't remodel ya shop, got it?"

A pause.

Silence.

Then the thug spoke up again. "Well?! What ya staring at?!" Julian's head tilted at that. "Ya be tellin' me to shut up an' now t'talk, whatcha be wanting from me, breddah? Make up ya mind, eh?" "Shut the kark up!" One of the brothers shouted again. Then realized how stupid that was, considering they were asking him questions. Seemed infuriated by that realization.

Then- a hank yanked out a pot with a plant in it (coincidentally it was right next to Kinsey's head too, but the thug was only paying attention to Julian right now).

Smashed it to the ground.

"Kark with us an' ya weed shop is done, ya hear? Anymore smart words?!"

Imani was still staring at the shattered pot. Eyes hardened, gleaming a bit, the hilt of the blade shifting just a bit for better purchase. "...dat weed, as ya say, took me six months to harvest from Dathomir, ya dunce bat!"

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Julian Imani"]

A wince crossed her face as the pottery shards skittered across the shop floor. She looked around without trying to move much. Really. If anyone of that gang looked down at just the right angle, they'd see the wanderlust explorer. The girl quietly went to hug her knees closer to her chest, one hand still firmly wrapped around her sidearm. Finger itched on the trigger.

"Wut you call me?!" The one with the missing teeth stomped forward, kicking the debris aside. Gaze with a clear threat of murder locked onto Julian. The thug girl smirked and reached out, letting her hand shove some ceremonial looking plates off a top shelf.

As far as they were concerned, they outnumbered and outmatched the lone shop-keeper.

One of the stumpy brothers, had buckteeth too, was busy picking his nose. His bored and lazy gaze locked eyes with Kinsey. Took him a longer minute to realize what he'd seen. Kinsey used that minute to bring up her pistol and shoot a stun particle beam at his massive chest. His body seized up and he fell backward like a stalky, short kashyyk tree.

The bantha chit certainly hit the fan. Swearing, Kinsey scrambled to find better cover, trying to get her wrist shield generator to actually turn on. Last time she bought from a discounted holonet site.

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

The moment Kinsey blasted the buckteeth in the chest everything slowed down for a trickle.

"Ugh, dis gon' be annoying."

That was the last thing Julian managed to get in, before all hell broke loose. They stopped caring about the shopkeeper (impudent, but they'd deal with him later) and started to all turn towards the one with the blaster. As the man-with-no-teeth turned towards the sound Jul stepped in. Knife lashed out, cutting through throat as easy as if it had been simple paper.

Fingers curled into the hair as the thug gasped- or tried to anyway.

Then Jul stepped aside and slammed his head into the corner of the counter. Good measure. Left him bleeding out there, before refocusing on the rest of the scene. The second brother was grappling with Kinsey.

No matter.

Mostly because a big vibro-sword was swinging his way.

"That was my boyfriend!" The woman behind it was screeching like a banshee. "No teeth? Really?" Oh, right, because this was the time to judge her for her partners.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Julian Imani"]

Yup. The explorer was grappling. Didn't have to for long, though. Got a solid punch into her temple before the shop keep's vibroblade came to her rescue, barely missing her own stomach by centimeters. He was skewered and a look of surprise sprinkled across his gruff face. She managed to hitch her knees up and roll out from under him before he slumped completely into a dead weight.

Crimson splattered across her shirt and jacket. Dripped down the side of her swelling cheek.

For kark's sake, she just had this stuff washed. Still. Worth the stain to still be breathing. Yeah.

The woman with one eye was screaming. She took a dagger from her jacket pocket and tossed it with surprising speed at Imani's torso. Kinsey lunged for her sidearm, managed to get it in her hand and point it at the right angle, finger squeezing down on the trigger.

One-eye seized up and tipped unconscious toward the shop keep. Kinsey winced and let her form slump against a scroll shelf. She needed a minute. Getting up from the floor seemed like too much work.

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

The flying knife was hit by the stray blaster bolt.

It went bouncing up where it embedded itself into the ceiling.

The woman was still screaming, but at this point Julian had quite enough of that. "Ya be Shadowman, can ya do sumthing, eh?" The shadow clinging to his feet tugged itself away. Ripping out and leaving Julian without one as it went hunting for the woman. She seemed to see more with one eye than most with two. It went wide when she saw the shadow, moving from floor to floor and cabin to cabin towards her. Smart enough that she went running.

Staggering and half-falling as she went through the door.

Shadowman went with.

Once the two of them were alone... another plant pitcher fell to the ground, smashed against it.

Julian eyed that for a bit, then the other destruction throughout his shop. "Ya be trouble, miss Star, ya know dis, right?" The only problem with that was... she hadn't ever said her name, had she? He pushed himself off the counter. Approached her with ease as he crouched down next to her. "All dis took weeks to build back up, yah?" Glancing at the sweat sheen brushing her temple. That had taken something from her. Jul hummed a little bit to himself.

Staying in her personal space.

As if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"How ya gon' pay da damages, eh?" In the distance a female cry rang out, screeching with fear and agony.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Julian Imani"]

Star.

Yes. Part of her name. One she rarely used because it was worth too much to too many folk. Blues the color of a twilight sky with stars beginning to peek out from the darker hues narrowed on the man. One hand still gripped her sidearm. She didn't point it at the shopkeep but she didn't release it either. Not with the shadow-thing and the screams from the women filtering in from the busted door.

"Whelp," she took a steadying breath. She felt more sluggish than normal and frowned. And if his close presence bothered her, she didn't. show it. The girl had grown up on a colony ship. Personal space wasn't a luxury most could afford.

"I've got a few questions for you. Who...what are you? And ever think about moving your shop, eh?"

He'd said he'd just fixed it up and she wondered, what happened before all this? "And cost is one thing. Which. I'd like to point out this wasn't ENTIRELY my fault. Not to mention, you'll have bigger problems if their boss comes looking for yah." There was something wet pooling from her leg. Eyes flickered down thinking it odd.

Oh.

Blood.

When she'd grappled the man she vaguely remembered the feeling of something jumping up to bite her thigh. It was the slug. No wonder why she felt dizzy. And glued to the floor.

"Chit."

She went to move.

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

His hand pushed her back down by her shoulder.

"Naw, ya dun' move, cyattie, dem's be making da only worse, ya?" Gunshot wounds weren't great, but moving with them was basically forked. "Dun ya worry, I won't led ya bleed out here. Da ownership price would lower, eh?"

A bright chuckle there.

Not like they had just slaughtered a bunch of thugs in the middle of the shop. If there had been any value in the building.... well, another body wouldn't have added to it. The real reason why Julian cared about her was simple. They both knew it. He had already said it. There was debt here and that would be paid. But he couldn't extract it from a dead body, yeah? So, it was pretty logical to patch her up now.

Then figure out the rest later.

"Da fault is ya's, cyattie, dun' argue. Ya could'a pick any other shop, eh? Ya picked mah an' da consequence got sealed."

He left her there for a bit as he bustled about the store. Plucking some herbs here, some vials there. Seemed they were going for a more natural healing process here.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Julian Imani"]

"Okay, well. You just answered NONE of my questions, mister." And what was with him talking about debt like that. It was very creepy. "I don't need your help," Kinsey voiced weakly, a spark of stubbornness in the spacer's tone. Sitting up, she began shrugging off her jacket. Taking the sleeve, she fumbled with tying it tightly just above the gunshot wound.

Wooooooooweeeeeeeee.

Shop spun a bit as she yanked down hard on the knot. Hot-fiery pain lanced down her thigh to her knee. "I ain't got a lot of creds but I'd be good for damages, eventually."

There went her new power converter she'd been saving up for. But she didn't think arguing with a man who skewered another on the edge of a vibrio-sword was a good idea. Not to mention, the girl still didn't think it was ALL her fault. Blame it on the spice in the air. Made folk lose their chit.

"You don't seem too worried about their crime boss sniffing this way." Starburst blues shifted from the dark-skinned man to the door. She might be able to hobble up and hobble out.

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

"Answers be costly, miss Star, yaaah. Bargain for bargain, but ya already owe."

A glance over his shoulder to notice the quick-way she stemmed the bleeding. Julian couldn't help but whistle there a bit, the sound sharp and piercing through his teeth. "Dem's be pain, kinswoman, but ya dun' seem to mind it, eh?" The fact that she seemed to be sneaking quick looks over at the door every two seconds wasn't lost to him either. He laughed there. Hearty, relaxed and free, it didn't seem like something he was worried about.

"Door's be open, cyattie, ya wan' take ya chance there? Free."

A shrug as he walked on over with a few vials and some herbs. "Mah frend's dere tho. Ya bleed an' dun' think he cannae smell ya a parsec away." If she wasn't weird about it Jul would crouch back down next to her. Poking at her leg and the raffled cloth around the wound. "As for da crime boss.... no, cus I go to him first." In that Julian didn't really believe half measures were good. They had already killed his men.

Might as well figure out the rest too.

The last thing Julian needed was the idiot rushing through the night and throwing a grenade into his shop, while he was sleeping.

That would be more concerning.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Julian Imani"]

"Something tells me you're not a stranger to pain, either." It was the way he said it. And yes, Kinsey has been through a lot in her short 22-years.

Unfortunately, the girl didn't think she'd get far even if she managed to stand on her own. Too much blood loss. She may be stubbornly independent but she wasn't stubbornly foolish ALL the time. "You keep strange company for friends," she hissed in discomfort as he went to poking. "Yah sure those the friends you want to be keeping?"

Sandy-brows rose along her forehead.

"And what makes you think I haven't run from worse than your shadow...friend?"

Back leaned against one of the broken shelves where she sat on the floor, trying to give him space to work. Not to mention, better to keep her side arm pointed on him. Well. It moved between him and the doorway. Finger wasn't on the trigger. It was more of a comfort thing.

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

"Pain and me be familiar company, yah... yah yah."

You didn't survive a decade more in the Netherworld without feeling pain. Becoming familiar with it. Friends, even. A constant that steadied you in an extreme environment. It was always there to greet him with a bloody smile. But that was in the past. It didn't matter now. That didn't mean he couldn't sympathize with her particular brand of pain though. A bullet wound was a right schutta to deal with at the best of times.

A glance upwards at her.

"Kinswoman, who ya to judge a man's friends, eh? Be jetii? No... no, ya ain't. Da self-righteousness ain't set deep in ya bone yet." He rubbed something into her wound. First it relaxed the area, cooled it, almost... numbed it.

Then-

Scalding fire would start to flow through her veins.

Pain even more.

"Sshh, s'good, Star, da liquid fire will cleanse ya... mmhm, it will, yas." He leaned in a bit there. Close enough that an inch more and nose would touch nose. If it weren't for the fire burning through her veins? It might have even looked like the closeness of a kiss. "Cus I can see ya eyes, cyattie, ya dun' have da taste of Shadowman in ya. Das not sumthing ya lose. It keeps with ya... ya.. yah. Trust, yeah?"

He pushed himself off.

Rubbing the dirt and ointment into his pants, before stretching a bit.

"Ya eyes git heavy mebbe. Mebbe sleep. Dun fight if it comes... will only make worse, trust da too."

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Julian Imani"]

There was a brief reprieve. But that was nothing compared to the inferno that came next.

Tiny pinpricks of starbursts within her shifting blue-depths seemed to flicker and flare as the man's face came closer. His beard and features came in and out of focus but his eyes remained clear. Sharp. Those browns, like the upturned earth of a fresh marked grave. Warm, ancient, and deadly all at once.

Sidewarm came up as if on instinct only - her limbs were like lead and fire at the same time.

"What did you...," breath came out as hot puffs of air along his chin and jawline. Pain contorted her own features as a shiver racked down her spine. "I ain't no forcer," she ground out, water spilling over her eyes - pools cascading from deeper oceans. And he was right. She was certainly no jedi. Would never be one.

As if from somewhere far off, she felt her muscles suddenly loosen. Sidearm went loose in that one fingerless-gloved hand that had held tightly to it just a moment before. Sticky hair plastered across her face fell forward as she too, slumped down to the marred shop floor. "Can't. Can't fight the Eden magic," she murmured cryptically. Let the Shadowman figure that one out. Perhaps it meant something. Perhaps it didn't. Maybe it was just the babbling of a girl being forced down a long, dark tunnel.

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

Eden... magic.

Julian mulled on that for a bit, before shrugging and pushing it aside for now. There would be plenty of time for that later.

She was a lightweight, didn't take much energy to carefully pull her up. But before he could carry her anywhere the door fluttered open again. Nobody came on through... except the smidgen of a shadow creeping from corner to corner. It brushed against his heels and then melted away. Losing its shape, before creating Julian's. "Mar de mar, brejin, watch da shoes, eh? Jus' had 'em cleaned the other year."

A smirk there.

After that he finally got busy with Kinsey. Got her up, carefully, before depositing her in the couch in the backroom.

It would be hours later that she might have the need to wake up. Hours where a cup of tea, hot, was already waiting on her next to her. Julian was in the backroom now too. Painting. Halfway through an image.... of their fight against the thugs.

But not that.

Abstract. Shades of black and grey. Red brushes and blue mixed in. The perspective angled from the floor, like it was someone... small looking at the scene.

Maybe as thin and small as a shadow.

"Cyattie be awake, eh? Shadow ya dun' need to drape ya self 'round 'er no'mo. She safe now."

There was amusement in his tone. Maybe it would take a moment for Starchaser to realize..... that she didn't have a blanket. That the thing warming her was Shadowman himself. Before it disentangled itself and slipped away again. Tittering. Amused? Maybe. It seemed both of them had a very strange sort of humor there. By the way Julian's laughter made room for her to wake up from the grogginess.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Julian Imani"]

It was a fevered sort of sleep. Dreams only came in fragments like shattered glass. It was the sudden absence of warmth and the booming rich voice that finally brought her to. With a fist swinging. Luckily for them both, it just hit air. Upper body jerked skyward, hinging at the waist. Oh right. The shop keep and his voodoo shadow.

She wasn't...she was okay. Relatively speaking. Leg moved and her eyes drifted down. The wound was healed. Just the scar. Add another to the list. Fingers moved a messy chunk of brown-sandy hair beneath one ear.

"Whelp. I was sure I'd wake up breathing fire after what you gave me." She found his pair of earthen hues. "Glad one of you slept comfortably at my expense," she eyed the shadow. Funny. You'd think she'd be weirded out by having him...it....so close to her? But she was an explorer. She'd seen many a strange thing.

Reaching forward, she carefully went for the tea, though eyed it suspiciously.

"This plain tea with no herbal enhancements, right?"

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

He watched her reaction with interest.

First the punch into the air. Which made him feel lucky he wasn't an up and personal physician. That would have been painful. Her hook looked strong from where he was sitting. Then her reaction to Shadow. It had amused him when Shadowman went to cover her.

Something about dreams.

Well, more power to 'im. But he had expected her to freak. "Naw, cyattie, when I say I heal.. I *heal*, ya?" It had to do with bargains.

And fairness.

Maybe Shadowman had a difference in opinion, but that didn't matter to him.

"Tea brewed by me. No..." brows furrowed in amusement. "Drugs or eh. Jus' chocolate spice. Is thick. Heavy feel on da tongue. Ya might like it."

A yawn before he went back to the painting.

"How da wound, heal good?"

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Julian Imani"]

The girl took a careful sip, eyes watching Imani off the rim of the mug. Huh. Didn't take him as the artsy type. Then again. Look at those planters he had in the shop. Vases too. Kinsey looked at him one more time, the type of glance when she thought he wasn't watching.

And the tea was good. Not caf. But still good. Seemed to warm her stiff limbs and flush out any lingering cold.

"Leg seems good. Might be a bit weak for a day or so but nothing like it was a few hours ago."

Another sip.

"Name's Kinsey but I think you already knew that. Who're you and your shadow blanket?" Atleast she hadn't called it the creeper. Or the murdering black thing. "Oh!" Kinsey set the mug down and dug out a comm from her belt. She brought it up to her lips.

"Yeah Pibs. It's me."

There was a series of trilling beeps and boops on the other end.

"I'm fine."

Index finger held in the air as she mouthed 'just a minute' to the shop keep.

"Calm down. Just keep the ship secured, yah?"

There was a razzle and she hung up the comm.

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

Julian watched the exchange between her and her commlink with amusement.

It sort of reminded him of him and Shadowman.

Who was deeply offended at being called a blanket. Enough that it crawled on over the floor towards the hearth at the corner of the room. It tittered against the logs. Then. Fire. it immediately slipped inside and curled up there. Satisfied for the moment. It truly did look a cat in that moment, but Imani didn't say that out loud. It would already be petulant for the remainder of the day. Once Kinsey ended her phone call Jul stretched lazily, before offering an even lazier smile.

"Kinswoman. Miss Star. Yah... yah yah, I see you, dem's be truth." He pushed himself off the seat. Approaching her slowly, before flopping onto the edge of the couch. "As for me," his hand extended for a shake.

"Be Julian. He Shadowman."

He leaned in a bit, curious, eyes hooking into hers. "Now. Why dun ya tell me why ya got angry boys after ya?"