What the feth is downtime?

[Riz Carter]

Golden Nautolan Casino
Nar Shadda
[member="Elliot Locke"]

Were all Alliance personnel like this? Insisting on a night out after a closed case? It was just another day for Riz. Well, something she liked to call a golden day. She hadn't gotten shot or knifed and she happened to get the perps behind bars. Not only that, these perps were being shipped back to Alliance space where, hopefully, they'd stay behind bars unlike the usual let-go after a month or so.

Golden.

Elliot being the tourist, suggested going to the Golden Nautolan Casino. Riz knew it was a front for the Ravens...or was it the Exchange? Couldn't quite keep up all the underworld turnover. Seemed like they couldn't keep a job like the normal folk.

Balled-up fist knocked again on the hotel door of Elliot.

"C'mon. I'm ready for a good beer." And maybe some snooping around that casino. Fingers fussed at her blue shirt.

 

[Kenth Typho]

​

He had done his best not to look like a bum.

Because contrary to what [member="Riz Carter"] believed Locke knew exactly where they were going. Oh, it was a front for the Exchange alright, but the best biz on 'Shaddaa was owned by one criminal outfit or the other. It was specifically because they were good that they got bought out rather quickly and used as fronts. After all, the more legit money came in, the better for these gangs and syndicates and cartels.

Naw, the Nautolan was infested, but it was upscale and the drinks were good. Didn't hurt that the music didn't completely crap out on them either for the most part.

The door opened and Elly looked her up and down.

"You look nice, Carter." He responded back, before locking the door behind him and nodding in agreement. "A drink or two would be good about now."

After whistling for one of the airspeeders to stop for them, he locked eyes with her.

"House rule, we ain't investigating shet this night, alright? Nautolan is too far down their money trail regardless, we won't get anything usable regardless."

 

[Riz Carter]

[member="Elliot Locke"]

The man did clean up enough to pass for someone who might have some credits to burn at the casino. Riz certainly wasn't dressed up, she'd just put on a new shirt and ditched the precinct detective jacket. And the badge, unfortunately. Honey-brown eyes shifted to the Alliance Agent.

She that easy to read already? Or was he some forcer?

"I think we're cut from the same cloth, Elliot. Can you turn off being an Agent? Probably not. Just like I can't turn off being a detective. But I will promise one thing. I won't go looking to stick my nose in things but if it comes looking for me, you better believe I'm responding. 'Sides, I'm wondering if they'll even let me in the front door. Busted one of the bouncers for spice trafficking a month ago. He got out last week."

The cab whirred to a stop, with the bright flashing lights of the casino flashing through the widows and dancing across Carter's very serious face.

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Riz Carter"]

Locke snorted.

Chance was big the bouncer got out the very next day if not hour.

That was the issue with 'law enforcement' on a world that had little to no laws. It was almost impossible to let anything stick, unless you were willing to play both sides of the angle and start killing people. That was the only way to make anything truly stick here on 'Shaddaa, as far as Locke could tell.

Unless they were capable of picking the bastards up and pulling them from the moon altogether.

Which wasn't done, unless jurisdiction applied.

"Suppose you right." He offered his hand to help her out, before they started walking towards the casino. Endless line dragged out across the entire street and it would take ages, if they were waiting on that. "Yeah, we aren't waiting on that noise, let's go."

From the depths of his pocket a datapad was revealed - the same one that had transferred Riz over to his command some time ago, when they first got in touch with each other.

"Got some contacts in the casino - they will be happy all I want is speedy access this time around."

Usually he wanted more... difficult things from them.

 

[Riz Carter]

[member="Elliot Locke"]

At the snort, the back of her hand smacked the outside of his arm. "Hey. That's not funny." Okay, maybe it was. She was working in the trenches where things were dirty and deadly everyday. It was a miracle she hadn't been stabbed in the back. Well, she had been stabbed in the back. Once, and had the scar to prove it. More like a wonder she was still breathing. Must've garnered some kinda disgruntled respect from the outlaws just cause she was so hard to kill, especially being a non-force wizard.

"Pulling out your fancy gadgets again, I see," honey-brown orbs peered down, keen-gaze getting nosy as she followed his keystrokes on the screen. Hip bumped against his. Seemed like in no time, a Fondorian came 'round a side door, toward their direction. He smiled at Locke and she could tell it was a bit forced. She got a glare.

"Didn't know you were bringing in the local fuzz, Chuck," the fondorian used a different name for Locke and gave Riz the up and down. Her lips twitched. "Yeah, sorry about that tazor last week...," her voice trailed off. She wasn't sorry at all. They'd been robbing a drugstore.

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Riz Carter"]

"You're a nosy one, aren't ya." Locke mumbled, before putting the data-pad away again and giving her an eyeing. There was amusement around the edges of his eyes and the curl of his mouth though. "Seems like you picked the perfect line of work for yourself then."

Before he could say more the Fondorian came around.

Ooltha, was his name, and Locke had him under his thumb ever since the SIS agent caught him peddling glitterstim in a 'Shaddiaan district that didn't belong to his gang.

Stuff like that could get ya killed, but 'Chuck' had been very understanding.

"Dontcha worry, Oola, we are just here for the drinks and music tonight." A shrug of the shoulders followed. "Apology sounds genuine enough to me, you gonna let us in already, eh?"

The Fondorian's eyes went from the agent to the detective. There was a small trickle of sweat welling up at the edge of his temple, but that was palpable fear. After the seconds trickled down and Elly's easy smile turned into a predatory smirk, he raised his hands and just nodded quickly.

"Of course, of course, Chuck! Come on in, we got a good jizz band playing tonight, drinks are on me, heheha...." Ladies went first after Elly gestured for her to enter, then Locke followed suit while petting Oola on the shoulder. A credit chit was slipped into his puffy breast pocket at the same time.

"I knew you were a reasonable sort, Oola, my thanks."

 

[Riz Carter]

[member="Elliot Locke"]

"You and Oola seem quite chummy, Chuck," she grinned and looked at Locke over her shoulder in the dazzling lights of the busy casino. Sounds of slots, glasses clanking, people yelling and laughing, and credchits being exchanged filled the air.

Honey-brown orbs fell into patterns of habit as she swept the room for exits and potential threats. She recognized more than a few perps. Some recognized her and offered her a steady glare.

She didn't shy from eye contact and met their gaze until they looked away. That sent a message. She was not to be messed with unless they wanted to start something. They found their way to the bar and she turned to Locke. "Yah know what? I never would've guessed you being a jizz band kinda guy."

She waved the bartender down, feeling pretty smug about the holdout blaster still firmly strapped and hidden up her leg. Only an idiot would come unarmed around Nar Shadda. "I'll take a Corelliam Ale."

No frufru drinks for this girl. She preferred straight liquor or beer.

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Riz Carter"]

"Oh, I can listen to it every once in a while." Truth was that Oola hadn't been talking about any jizz band, it had been a coded phrase between the two of them. It meant that one of the larger bosses was currently in town and that meant having to tread carefully around. Well, that's what it would mean, if not for smug Carter over there with the subtle form of a gun strapped to a... hmm.

Head back in the game, Locke.

"Yeah, give me one of those too." Elly responded, gesturing with his fingers to make a v-shape, just if it wasn't clear that that meant two instead of one. "As for Oola," The bartender was already off to get them their drinks.

Nobody seemed to be interested in the both of them.

Not yet anyway, not until the regulars would come off the dance floor for some more drinks in them. "Caught him where he wasn't supposed to be, lad knows that one word from me and he'd end up a deader floating down the stream."

Not that Locke would actually go for that.

But Oola knew Chuck, Locke and Chuck weren't the same person by a long stretch of the imagination.

The drinks arrived and Elly nodded in appreciation, before raising his for a cheers, then taking a trying sip. Humming in contentment right after, it was definitely the right size of taste after all that had happened earlier.

"You don't look like you do this usually."

 

[Riz Carter]

[member="Elliot Locke"]

Course, Riz didn't know the code word between the fondorian and Elliot. But she was smart enough to know SOMETHING had been communicated more than face value. Every poker player has their tell. It was all in tone, a twitch of the lips, and shifting of the eyes.

With a clink of her bottle against Locke's for a second, she brought it to her lips, taking a swig. Stepping up, she perched on the corner of the barstool, body quarter-turned to the fancy-pants Alliance agent. The native Nar Shaddian flashed a brilliant smile, dark brow arching. "Oh? How could you tell?"

Maybe it was the slacks and lack of dress clothes in a place like this.

The thing that he said about Oola though, was the thing that worked for everyone here. Everyone had dirt on somebody else. If there wasn't any dirt, they'd make dirt. So far, Riz had avoided it, though she got pressure being courted by the 'big bosses' everyday. And everyday, she was reminded the consequences of saying no. It was a tough and isolating road to walk.

So far, she'd done it, refusing to compromise what she believed in. But she wasn't naive. One day, she knew her luck would run out. Maybe a blaster shot to the back of her head. Maybe in her sleep. Better believe she'd go out fighting, though.

"Ain't got much time for schmoozing with half the population that would rather see you dead or corrupted." Shoulders shrugged, that half-easy going smile still curled on her lips as she took another drink. She tipped the neck of the bottle to him.

"Limited resource means limited time for fun, Alliance man. You on the other hand, seem like you get to do this a bunch. You sure we're not working tonight?"

A hint that she knew he knew more than he let on.

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Riz Carter"]

Curl of the lip upwards once she tipped him off.

Clearly Riz wasn't blind and wasn't looking to be blind-sided either, but that only rose his amusement. He took a sip from his drink and then allowed himself to... relax - outwardly anyway. In truth this was exactly the kind of scene he felt at home in, the bustle, the crowd, the urban and the dynamic movement. It was why he always took the assignments that took him to 'Shaddaa, Coruscant or the other city-planets in the Galaxy.

Anything else was dull in comparison.

"Nah, no work, don't get your hopes up." Locke responded with a shrug, before turning on his seat. Putting the bar to his back and his attention to the dance floor, but also the rest of the club.

"But it pays to know which big names are in town." Job like his... job like hers too, he guessed, meant that being prepared was the difference between being alive or getting karked seven clicks from Taungsday. The last thing that Locke was interested in was getting shot between the eyes while he was enjoying a drink.

"Seeing anyone in between beating the crap out of criminals, dodging crime lord's advances and getting your paperwork done by six?" His focus shifted from the club to her, from her lips back to her eyes, staying there for now.

 

[Riz Carter]

[member="Elliot Locke"]

The Nar-Shaddian native chuckled, low in her throat. "Yah it pays, pays with blood." He knew and she knew. She took another swig of beer, lips curling around the bottle top. The hoppy-liquid with a slightly bitter-sweet taste swirled around her mouth before it slid smoothly down her throat.

The half-smirk pulled on her lips at his question. One elbow rested lazily on the bar as she leaned back.

"See Elliot?" Silky-brows rose and head canted slightly to the side. "You know how busy a girl like me is. 'Specially depending on the week and which crime lord can't keep his hands to himself. You asking for a friend or something?"

Another swig of that amber liquid went down her throat. Honey-brown orbs wandered back to Locke. She could spot a man like him a mile away. Was he good looking? Sure. Could think on his feet too and clearly a man of action. And she'd bet good money he took a different woman to his bed every night. Maybe even a few twi'lek men here or there, too.

Of course she didn't answer his question and she'd bet he would notice too. But right now she was enjoying the banter and drinks even though she couldn't help another sweep of her gaze around the room. A dark-furred wookie with a scar down his right eye kept staring them down.

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Riz Carter"]

This was his downtime, but just as Riz had said - habits died hard and it wasn't like either of them could actually just disable their instincts for the night.

So he noticed the wookiee too and was said to say to know him.

Exchange enforcer, Locke couldn't remember his name, but a menace. Word had it his children and wife had been slaughtered by the Sith during one of their incursions on Kashyyyk years ago. Right in front of his eyes and... the alien had lost it completely. Sold into slavery, but the shackles hadn't been able to hold him.

The Sith was long dead, but the Underlord had picked him up either way.

Whenever subtlety and iron-clad diplomacy didn't work? When the Exchange needed heads ripped off and sewn on their arses as a message?

That one was sent.

"Sure, I am quite friendly with myself, so yeah... asking for a friend." A smirk was flashed as he took another sip from his drink and shrugged. "Ain't the one to circle around- if you ain't seeing one, wanna go for a dance?"

Glass was put down on the table.

"Would give us a better angle on the Wook too." Every day working, no matter what initials plans were.

 

[Riz Carter]

[member="Elliot Locke"]

Honey-brown orbs flashed discreetly to the wookie and back to Locke. "Now you're speaking my love language, Elliot." Dancing? She was abysmal. Scoping out perps? She was an ace. Maybe she could find a happy medium. Finishing off the ale, she set the bottle down with a slight clink on the bartop.

"Good thing I wore my comfy shoes," she shot the agent a lopsided-grin. Riz Carter did not own a pair of high heels. Those were for yuppies. And for people that had jobs that weren't 24/7. Sliding off the stool, the hard-nosed detective offered her calloused palm to Mister Locke.

"You dance often? Because I need to warn yah. Dancing for me remains within the seat of my speeder while cruising."

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Riz Carter"]

Locke smirked, before taking her hand in his own.

"Here and there, sometimes." A new song was starting up, slow, groove-y, there was a rhythm to it that made Elly automatically hum towards it. With a gentle pull he lead them towards the dance floor. "Follow my lead, you will be fine and hopefully won't break my ankles." At the very least she wasn't wearing her combat boots with tip-laced metal.

That would have been more painful.

Another pull and one arm curled around her waist, while the other lead on.

He could have gone lower, but something told him that Riz wasn't... that kind of girl, so he stayed respectful. "Definitely looking at us." His cheek brushed past hers and the whisper reached her ear without much medium in between.

"Might be just making sure we aren't here in an... official business."

 

[Riz Carter]

[member="Elliot Locke"]

Arm curled up his back, fingers gripping the back of his shoulder. The bristles on his face tickled against the darker skin of her cheek, his breath cascading a bit down her neck. Yeah, she could do this. Dancing. Wasn't too bad.

Knee knocked lightly into his leg and she quickly corrected, matching the rhythm of his body. Like his frame, hers was mostly muscle. That ale helped take the edge off. Cause this was a whole lot different than dancing in her caf-cup littered speeder.

He spun slowly and her warm orbs looked furry scarface up and down. A quickie. She smiled as if Elliot had her whole attention. "Definitely eyes still on us." Her plump lips would tickle his ear right back as her hips swayed to give Elliot another passing view at the perp. Long hair would shift across his neck as her head quirked slightly to the side.

"Exchange lackey. Dunno whether to feel honored or offended that the Exchange boss man would send that one for little old me. Unless. You know that wook?"

She'd never met Malvern personally but he definitely tried to collect her in his pocket. She'd busted enough of his goons for petty crimes. Seemed he was one step ahead on the big stuff. Still. She couldn't shake the feeling her ordered her life spared a couple of times. More so from other cartels.

She knew she was as much a pain in Malvern's arse as he was her. Too bad his gifts always got sent back, unopened. "You got any intel on Exchange stuff you can share?"

Elliot was a resource boon and there was no shame in tapping into that.

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Riz Carter"]

"Sadly I do." Locke mumbled back, before letting her gently spin in his arms, until her back was pressed against them and his arms shifted to accommodate the new position they were in. This was actually fun, which mildly surprised him. But there was something that kept his blood pumping now that he had to focus on two things, if not three: lead with the dance without her breaking his ankles, keep an eye out for the goon and make sure they both were still having fun with it all. "Bascarayyy, we call him Bas for short."

His tone whispered in her ear, while his cheek brushed her neck.

"Nasty one, don't just rip off arms when losing, rips off heads when winning too sometimes." First, they had assumed he had some kind of brain issue, to explain his unnatural aggression. But soon enough they managed to uncover his history. It was oddly sympathetic, though maybe not enough to let him off the hook for all the sentients he had killed.

"Family got massacred by the Sith, been taking it out on the world ever since."

Again Locke allowed her to spin in his arms, having her face him again, before pulling her close.

"Could be either of us or both. Pretty sure he's just making sure, we are here for... fun." They were closer now than before.

 

[Riz Carter]

[member="Elliot Locke"]

Lips pursed.

She knew like Elliot knew that wasn't an excuse to go murdering citizens. Curvy-hips swayed with his. Locks of dark hair swayed along her back to the beat of their rhythm and cadence of the dance. "Half the citizens of the galaxy are murdered by the sith and their soldiers. Or the First Order and their armies. Obviously not a free pass."

Bas would be a fool if he took his eyes off them. Riz knew the wook recognized her and she bet he'd know who Elliot was too. "Fun?" She murmured against the agent and pulled back a little to look at the man's face. "This is fun, though I've knocked your legs a bit. Bet you've had worse." Lopsided grin danced across her face. "Looks like we'll have eyes on us the rest of the night, though."

Soured her mood slightly. They wouldn't be able to get away with anything. She'd been hoping to do some honest snooping.

"It'd be even more fun if you told me your story of how you ended up with the Alliance." Fingers shifted along his shoulder.

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Riz Carter"]

"I have, few of the offenders are as interesting as you are though." Sure, he could have remarked how fine she looked, but that wasn't the angle here. She wouldn't have gone for it and it would have been a waste of time. But Riz definitely was something else- street and otherwise smart, quick mind and quicker hands, saved his life already and they only knew each other for a day or two now. Though he saved her ass as well, but that's besides the point.

That was simply part of his job description.

They danced some more, Elly's attention letting itself be brushed away from Bas. More and more the behavior told him the Wook was simply making sure they weren't snooping around and that was fine.

Acceptable even, the Exchange was simply looking after its interests within their club. Not something that surprised him at all.

"My story, Riz?" His hand brushed her side, supporting her during a whirl. "Now what would I get from disclosing information such as that?"

A grin was shot back in response. Couldn't help but flicker his attention to her lips as she talked, before moving back towards her eyes.

 

[Riz Carter]

[member="Elliot Locke"]

With the spin, she let her gaze flicker over to Bas one last time. All the intel Locke had just given her was filed away. For later. She might need a conversation with that one along with a heavy-duty stun pistol.

"Oh yeah? Yah think I'm interesting? Just a Nar Shaddian girl trying to keep her city clean while wading through the muck." She grinned. Yeah, just a girl that knew how to break a hand twenty different ways and survive some Zeltron pheromones without getting COMPLETELY loopy, owned more weapons than jewelry, and preferred seedy takeout.

"What would you get?" Honey-brown orbs seemed to sparkle as they caught the club light from above. Blood was pumping. Dancing was actually excellent exercise. The music slowed a bit and she took that opportunity to loop both hands around the back of his neck, forearms resting comfortably on his shoulders and a bit down his chest.

"Maybe I'd by your next round. Maybe I'd promise you another dance. But the trade would have to be fair. I'd need details of your story shared freely." Lips twitched.

 

[Kenth Typho]

[member="Riz Carter"]

Their movements went from crisp, fast and light to a more smooth and slow experience. Heavy, quiet and close, their breathing filling the space while their hearts pumped in their chest. The music slowed to a halt as well, winding along through the corridors and the dance floor, giving the moving bodies peace and time.

"Such a long tale though, Detective Carter." He retorted while his hands brushed past and now rested easily on the small of her back with no worry on mind.

"Lots of twists and so much thrill." The hushed voice continued, while the smile kept on tugging. "I think I need something more... tangible to get me started."

Elliot leaned in just a bit closer, but not continuing the journey to completion.

Given freely, it was his motto as well and this was not something that he would simply take from her. No. She needed to have the want for it as well.

"Would you give me this... freely?"