Private Where the Kark am I!?

[Vara Rasha]

Tags: Yuri Maji
​

Freedom.

The kick, the electricity of it all had long left her, in the waking hours after the rusty ol’ freighter’s departure. Apprehension stood firm in its wake. Curious how rapidly that had settled in. With very little to do and hours to spend, the mind took the form of a vicious battleground. Memories. Arguments. Choices. Choices that cannot be undone.

Accompanied by a nauseating amount of doubt. In the wake of a silent, troubled sigh, the vapors of her breath gently crashed against the ceiling, mere inches away from her cold, jet-black snout. What if her plan didn’t work out? What if this was a futile attempt at life, and she had resigned her fate to something much worse than back home..?

What if the spice runners found her now? This stowaway. Freeloader. Would they give her a quick death?

Spaced. “Probably...” she mused in silence, imagining her lifeless body adrift in the cold vacuum. “Or worse… Slavery..?” Vara’s eyes, a pair of blood-crimson orbs, with a tired gaze, looked to the withered durasteel plated ceiling in front of her mug. Her reflection, blurry and distorted in the dim, stared back at her.

A whisper, smaller than the beating of her heart. “No use,” evident surety. She punctuated her long contemplation at last. No use in worrying. Whatever happens, happens. There was no turning back now. She started this. She had taken her first step.

Her step.

Nobody decided her right to life now, other than herself.

“Mmh.” A gentle stir. The tarp under her crackled softly as Vara attempted to comfort the ache in her spine. Her heart filled with a buzz of pride and confidence as she closed her eyes. This. It felt strange how this accomplishment looked though. She hadn’t imagined how this would be the way she managed to leave that dump behind her.

“...Good as any,” Vara mused, wordlessly. The young shistavanen set about to clear her mind now, trying to think of something else. Anything, rather than what lay ahead or the past. And maybe take a quick nap; who knew how long they had till they reached their destination. Wherever that was.

The ordinary clatter of the freighter’s components eventually turned into a lullaby. The young woman curled up into a ball in an attempt to retain her body warmth. Calm had returned to her…

Or so she thought.

Her ears flickered. Pricked up in intrigue. Her crimson gaze shot open. It was unmistakable. A low racket of machinery, out of the ordinary. It did not belong to the metallic symphony she listened to for who knows how long. Then, a gradual shift. In speed. A pressurized hiss…

Were they slowing down?

Rumble…

Rumble…

CLANG!

Shudder…

After what felt like an eternity for Vara, the freighter shook with a loud rumble. Her heart skipped a beat as the jolting quakes threatened to throw her off the tower of crates she was perched upon. She barely stifled a yelp.

Then, lights. Bright, fluorescent.

As the maw of the freighter’s cargo hold opened into a hangar bay, Vara shrunk back to the shadows. The owners of the freighter, a rag tag of smugglers and their mercs could be heard making their way down, as several silhouettes appeared from the other side of the hangar, accompanied by powerlifters.

It was time to go.

Where? She’d find out.

[​

 

[Yuri Maji]

---

Junkfort station wasn't a regular stop for the Hound, but recent activities as well as a busted stabilizer, found him in the neighbourhood with a need to touch down before he could continue on with his journey. Unfortunately, Junkfort wasn't one of those glorious stations or famous spaceports one could get immersed in, or spend a few days to cool off for a small holiday.

No, the best thing to do on Junkfort Station was to leave.

The smell of centuries of maintenance, repairs and age hung heavily within the circulating air of the station along with the scent of the scruffy characters that passed through. Nobody lived there, not for fun at least. But it was where Yuri found himself for the moment, and it was where he at least had a damn good chance at finding the part he was looking for. He elected to ditch his armour in favour of a tank top and cargo pants, the body glove was beginning to irritate him a bit too much with how often he was wearing it lately.

He still kept Peace strapped to his thigh, however. Nobody in their right mind would walk around unarmed, much less a Mandalorian.

"A back alley on Nal Hutta smells better than this dump..." He grumbled to himself as he walked through the sprawling hallways of the station in search of a parts store. At least his blunder of parkin on the wrong side allowed him to reacquaint himself with the layout of the station.

It was still as miserable as he remembered.

He glanced over at a ship touching down on one of the numerous landing pads. Nothing strange in its own right. What was interesting, however, was the blur of someone slinking out of its cargo hold and away from the vessel that drew a chuckle from Yuri's maw. "Classic." He joked to himself. Memories of him doing something similar on more than one occasion as a kid came rolling back.

Vara Rasha

 

[Vara Rasha]

Tags: Yuri Maji
​

…And they were none the wiser.

The young woman casually dusted the dirt off her shoulders as she walked off from the hangar bay, leaving the scrappy bucket of bolts and her shady crew behind her, and slipped into the stream of “colorful” characters in the great, decaying halls and long corridors of what appeared to be a space station.

A gentle, pleased smile tugged at the corners of her maw as she upturned the collar of her black leather jacket; figuring out the blind spot for the automated security systems and cameras in the landing bay were probably the hardest part, and even then that took her but a few moments to figure out.

Success..!

But the completely justified sense of accomplishment and the pride that filled her with confidence did not elude Vara from the fact she was still not where she wanted to be. She could feel it in her gut. This was a pitstop, a place “in between” where she’d want to be, wherever that was.

As she expertly navigated through the crowd, her crimson gaze shot around, sharp, alert and intrigued; a sign was what she looked for. Her next step.

A loud grumble coming from her stomach however, made it clear what she had to do next. With a mumbled out curse, the young woman tugged at her duffelbag’s sling over her left shoulder, and got to work.

Vara lowered her nuzzle, drawing in a slow, deliberate sniff as she walked past some food stalls, only to continue walking without sparing their contents a second glance. One stall after the other, she eliminated every one of them. Inedible, all of them. Even by her standards.

And she didn’t have much of those when it came to sustenance.

This wouldn’t do.. “A cantina, then..” she wordlessly concluded as people walked past her, carrying on with their day.

“But first…” She looked for a target. Someone distracted. Occupied with something. Maybe browsing a stall for something.

And, eventually, she set someone in her crosshairs. “Jackpot,” her golden tooth flashed as a smirk tugged at her lips. A young man. As tall as her. Same species as her, even. A dominantly black hide, with spots of dark brown, wearing a tanktop and plain cargo pants. A holstered blaster, right thigh. No more interesting than the whole plethora of other people in the station, really.

Showtime.

First and foremost, the young woman took the crowd against her. The young shistavanen matched her pace with the crowd to blend in with them perfectly, as she continued in the opposite direction from the stream of people, just so she could use them as an obstacle in case something went sideways… It usually didn’t but hey, better safe than sorry.

Her target’s silhouette grew larger and larger now, as she got a better look at him… Vara couldn’t help but enjoy what he saw. Damn, he was built…

“No,” her inside voice urged her sharply. She shook her head, doing away with the thoughts of admiration in her mind. It was time for work. She kept the young man at the periphery of her crimson gaze as she drew even nearer.. Eyes forward. A casual stride down the hall to the next stall over, to browse for a vendor’s goods as she’d walk past him. Inconspicuous.

Aaand…

Yuri would feel someone among the crowd bump into him. “Ah, kark,” a feminine voice chimed. Her tone carried a wordless apology amidst a growl, the latter evidently pointed more towards herself than the person she bumped into. Turning to look if he did, Yuri would lay eyes on the young woman. Her eyes squinted from a forgiveness seeking smile. “My fault homie.” Vara pleaded with her right hand shot out towards him, palm outstretched; a gesture of apology as she regained her footing in a few heartbeats from the seemingly accidental bump, and continued to walk with her left palm tugging at the hem of her black slim fit crop top under her jacket.

A well rehearsed “hit.” Casual, smooth, an everyday happenstance. An honest to God accident. Natural, from the "accidental" bump to the reaction and apology.

Happens every time!

Before long, the young scoundrel would use the crowd to disappear amongst the sea of people with her hard earned paycheck in hand, in search of a cantina to get some actual, decent grub.

 

[Yuri Maji]

Wandering through the hallways of the massive station, Yuri kept his eyes peeled for a somewhat reputable shop for a new gyroscope, as well as a half decent place to eat that didn't look like a bowl of brown and a bottle of yellow. From an engineering point of view, he had to admit that it was impressive that the ancient station was still operational for the most part, despite its glory days being behind it for the past thousand years.

His thoughts, however, was interrupted when someone crashed into him. Momentary confusion gave way to surprise as his eyes fell upon the woman who seemed to have nearly fallen over from the impact. "You okay, sis?" He perked up, rather taken aback to see another of his own kind. She apologized sincerely before moving on, but Yuri couldn't help but watch her for a beat before continuing with his own mission. It was rare to see another mutt in the wild, and he couldn't help but glance back to watch her move along through the crowd.

It was when he took a step further that he noticed a lack of weight in his pocket against his leg. Suspicions were confirmed when the girl seemed to have completely disappeared down the hallway. A grin began to form as he spun around and began to search for the pickpocket. Whatever thoughts he had about her immediately gave way to dangerous annoyance. He didn't have time to mess with some fleabag who tried to pull a fast one on their own people. With a steady march, he pursued the woman down the hallways.

Normally, tracking someone in a confined space like this would have been an issue for nearly anyone. But everyone had a scent, and Yuri had a decent chance to catch hers before she manage to slink away.

His hand subconsciously navigated to the grip of his pistol and a frown etched along his features as he hunted her down, matching the movements of the crowd around him to keep his presence low. Tracking her down a corridor, he recalled that a cantina was one of the few locations anyone would look for in this area... but he quickly realized that a parts store was also further down towards another hangar bay.

He needed to get his wallet back, as quickly as possible.

Vara Rasha

 

[Vara Rasha]

Tags: Yuri Maji
​

Payday!

The walt felt quite hefty in her claw as Vara stuffed her hand into the pocket of her jacket. A subconscious precaution for other opportunists that may be prowling around and eyeing her, she kept her long, slender digits wrapped on it just to be safe.

Unlike its previous owner..!

The scoundrel in her wanted to take a quick count of how much creds were in there, but she knew better than that; openly counting creds at a dump like this? It was asking for trouble. As the young woman navigated the congested bowels of the space station, her sharp, always alert gaze searched around for somewhere discreet. Vara did not have to look for long. Her eyes met with a pathway, narrower than the wide halls of the station; a maintenance corridor.

She took a turn, casually walking past a few patrons browsing the goods of a weapons merchant by his stall, and disappeared down the trash strewn corridor.

Cables dangled freely from the rusted and scrappy durasteel ceiling, like the guts of a gored carcass. The busy buzz of the crowd, and the advertising shouts of vendors were behind her now, becoming little more than background noise as her casual footfalls fell upon the corridor. The fluorescent lights flickered in desperation to burn, only to fail and plunge the corridor into a moment of darkness.

Her snout worked back and forth, subconsciously sampling the air as she made her way further down the unfrequented path; her snout scrunched. She did not sense anybody over the distinct smell of rust that danced with the ”fragrant” odor of hot garbage.

She was alone.

The young woman came to a leisurely halt and leaned her back against the wall with her feet criscrossed. She paid a careful glance both ways along the forlorn maintenance corridor, before her claw dipped into the pocket of her jacket. It was safe enough.

“Let’s see what we have here,” Vara mused wordlessly as she flicked open the wallet. The young woman’s eyes shone with victory at the sight of a few hundred staring back at her. She was eating good tonight! In a heartbeat she swiped them into her pockets where they now belonged, before seeing if there was anything else of use.

Her eyes caught that young man’s handsome mug again, on what appeared to be his license. “Maji, Yuri,” her eyes read. Her inside voice was accompanied by a casual shrug a few moments after. Just another name to add and forget to her tally. She tucked the license back into the wallet, and tossed it aside. It landed on a heap of trash with a soft thud.

And that’s all she wrote. Time to get that hard earned meal..!

Or so she thought. Her posture changed; muscles tensed. She dipped her head down, her snout close, inhaling in measured draws…

No way.

She had briefly picked up his scent when she bumped into him. She didn’t expect to take in his scent again. But she did. Her ears pricked up, as her gaze narrowed, focusing on her hearing now. Unhurried, confident footfalls from whence she came. She was found..!

“Alright, act two.” A confident, quiet murmur parted her lips. The young woman dipped her hands inside the pockets of her jacket. Although her muscles tensed for a potential fight, she remained at an unbothered posture, her back still leaning against the wall behind her.

There was no point in running now. If he found her in this mess, he could find her again. She had to make sure he didn’t now. The approaching footfalls of her victim only but confirmed that notion in her mind. How was she going to do that, Vara wasn’t entirely sure herself, but there were only a few ways this could go down, that she knew.

Vara met Yuri with a gentle, toothy smile, as the young man appeared from around the corner whence she came. Her crimson gaze remained locked with his. “Sup cuz,” hers was a tone of surprise, and intrigue. “Thought I said I was sorry,” her warm smile gently shrunk to a grin, as she uncrossed her feet and stood upright. “Why you followin’?” she cut to the chase, head on.

All of it was a façade of course. A well rehearsed act of innocence. Nothing more. She had to sell the idea that it wasn't her, but someone else. And she was a good saleswoman at that, but something told her he wasn’t going to buy any of it.

And in that case… Let the chips fall where they may.

 

[Yuri Maji]

Yuri moved with a determined confidence through the hallways in search of the mutt, uncaring if his approach gave him away or not. The station was enclosed, easy to track her down if she tried to run further. And he liked his chances of outrunning her. Luckily, it seemed that there wouldn't be any need for running as she stood perched against a wall by a corridor.

She greeted him with a confused, friendly demeanor, but he had none of it. In an instant, his pistol was trained on her and a hand shot out to pin her against the wall behind her. "What's up, cuz." He snarled as he kept the pistol aimed at her gut, but quickly holstered it to look around and pat her down in search of his wallet. It was nowhere to be found, however his credits were all haphazardly tossed into a pocket. To make matters worse, a small picture laid on the ground as he scanned the area. His attention turned back to the mutt as a growl rumbled in his throat.

"Listen, you mangey fleabag, I'm probably the last karkin' person on this station you wanna tick off. So I'm gonna give ya one chance to give my wallet and credits back, or I'll take it off your carcass." He threatened her, releasing his grip but still keeping his cybernetic hand outstretched towards her. Just for extra security, the Hound shifted to place himself between her and the exit of the corridor as he picked up the picture from the ground.

"I ain't in the mood for games today. So hurry up." His tone was cold, uncaring of whether she lived or died.

Vara Rasha

 

[Vara Rasha]

Tags: Yuri Maji
​

He saw right through her façade.

"What's up, cuz."

SLAM!

There was no longer a point to keep up the act, as the reality she was met with now made it clear to her.
”Nngh!” a sharp grunt tore from her lips as her back firmly met the rusty durasteel behind her. His cybernetic hand pressed firm upon her upper thorax, and kept her strongly pinned against the wall. The young woman’s eyes grew as wide as saucers when she saw Yuri draw his piece in a heartbeat, aimed at her center mass.

This was it, then.

Vara drew a sharp breath in between clenched teeth in anticipation of her story coming to a finality. She expected a blaster bolt to burn right through her mottled dark grey hide in just a second, but to her surprise, she was not met with such a fate.

Yet.

Instead, the young man had chosen to holster the piece for the time being. She was not so sure what compelled him to do so, but she wasn’t going to question it. “Hey kark off!” She snarled in the wake of an agitated, hyena-like cackle. "Get your hands off me! Let go!" Her sharp protests failed to deter him from searching her, just as her attempts to push him off. He had physical leverage against her at the moment.

"Listen, you mangey fleabag, I'm probably the last karkin' person on this station you wanna tick off. So I'm gonna give ya one chance to give my wallet and credits back, or I'll take it off your carcass."

Her crimson gaze burned fiercely with impudence at his threat. A challenge to make good on his promise. Of course, she was caught, with Yuri possessing the upper hand at the moment, but she wasn’t about to yield so easily and give up. Oh, no. She needed what she got off him. And he wasn't gonna give it back. Not willingly.

She was going to make him work for it.

"I ain't in the mood for games today. So hurry up."

“What, y’got somewhere to be, nerf herder?” Vara snarled in retort. She continued her words in a heartbeat. “Too bad! Kark you!” Swiftly, the young woman brought her left forearm down upon the crook of his cybernetic arm’s elbow with all the strength she could muster in that disadvantageous position, to try and get herself some breathing room and get him to stagger back. Her right claw balled into a firm fist at the same time. Shooting forth, she followed up her initial strike with a right hook, intended to slam Yuri right in the kisser!

 

[Yuri Maji]

To the Hound's dismay, she intended to make the situation as difficult as possible for the both of them. She smacked his left arm away, before throwing a fist straight at his jaw. Yuri let the hit connect, splitting his lip open and forcing his head to recoil. But his mechanical hand shot up once more to clamp around her scrawny wrist.

A bloodied grin was followed up by a cold chuckle as golden eyes bore through her. He held her wrist firmly for a few seconds to let her squirm, kick and punch as much as she wanted. To let her contemplate her decision. Then he let loose. Electricity crackled along the hand before a powerful torrent was unleashed to stun the girl. He finally moved, launching an armoured boot at her gut to try and fold her in half as his durasteel elbow came down to slam into her back. An unyielding assault commenced from the Hound as one punch was thrown after the other at the girl.

A small crowd began to form as passersby overheard the commotion and shouting from the maintenance corridor. One or two even began to place bets on who would win, but Yuri didn't care about that. Anger drew a snarl from his maw as he attempted to grab the girl and hurl her out of the entrance and into the opposite wall. "Copaani mirshmure'cye, chakaar?" He snarled as he marched over, fists balled to continue with beating the snot out of the petty criminal.

Vara Rasha

 

[Vara Rasha]

Tags: Yuri Maji
​

Her left forearm burned in pain in the wake of her forearm connecting with the crook of Yuri’s left cybernetic arm. Her lips drew back to a pained wince; at a cost, she had managed to get some space to work with. However, it paved the way for her follow-up to connect! Her knuckles slammed into Yuri’s chin without giving him a moment for his reprisal. The splatter of his blood splashed onto the ground in small crimson droplets.

But before Vara could capitalize on her new found upper-hand any further, the tides turned into Yuri’s favor at a heartbeat.

With a soft whirr, his cybernetic hand clamped down around her wrist like a vice, drawing out a pained growl from her. His cold chuckle rang sharp in her ears. Vara’s murderous crimson gaze met with Yuri’s as she fought tooth and nail to break his grapple.

But it was no use.

Her punishment followed in the form of a shock so intense, she hadn’t a breath to scream in pain. It was as if her hide was set aflame, burning her to the bone. Maw ajar, she fell to one knee. Her claws balled into fists as she tried to endure the pain.

Though it was not over yet.

Another blow, as the painful electrical shock began to subside. What little breath she had left in her lungs were torn from her chest in the wake of Yuri’s armored boot meeting with her midriff. The young mutt, granted not a millisecond to regain her footing, now met the floor under her feet -face first. The unrelenting assault that followed afterwards put her in a daze. Subconsciously, she moved her hands to protect her head and face as best she could. Her vision a blur, as she felt another bruise brand her. Thrown to the opposite wall. She slid down, landing on her backside with a sharp, pained hiss torn from her lips.

Finally… A moment of respite, no matter how short lived it was.

He spoke to her, in a tongue she did not recognize as she coughed and dry heaved for breath.

"Copaani mirshmure'cye, chakaar?"

Her blood marked her visage, flowing from cuts and slashes. As she slowly rose, her duffel bag fell to the ground as she shed it off her, while forcing herself up to her feet, perhaps to Yuri’s surprise, and those that were in the crowd. In one urgent, yet labored motion, she took off her leather jacket; her digits grasped it like vice as she squared up to him once more. She still had some fight left in her.

Her lips tugged back at a deep snarl. Her jaw locked and clenched as she held a defensive posture.

His arm. She had to manipulate that damned cybernetic arm.

Light on her feet, with no bag or a jacket worn on her that could impede her, she took action. In her slowly subsiding dazed state, she saw and ducked in time to dodge. Raising her jacket -a makeshift, crude snare- she would attempt to catch his follow up from his cybernetic arm, attempting to manipulate it with her jacket, swerving his strike away, snaring him, and putting him off balance.

Only then she’d commit to a full on reprisal of her own; any opening she could make, she’d attempt to exploit as much as she could with her fists, kicks, claws and fangs. Keep distance, if her snare broke off, and try to trap him again.

She had to chip. Him. Down.

This wasn’t some simple back alley scrap; this was a fight to the death now.

And she wasn’t gonna karkin’ die now, not so easily.

 

[Yuri Maji]

The girl was absolutely battered as she tried to regain her footing against the wall. An assault one would expect to see with an enemy of his people, not a common street rat. But there was no such qualms as Yuri marched towards her. She she her duffel bag and dropped her jacket, but to his surprise she caught it as she braced for him. He knew exactly what she was planning to do.

She lunged at him in an attempt to ensnare his mechanical arm, his attempt to avoid it were in vain as the sturdy leather caught and wrapped around his forearm. Yuri thought quickly and reached up to his shoulder as the girl wrestled to get him off balance. A switch was flipped, and the arm simply slid from the socket in his shoulder. An incredibly risky move, but Yuri wouldn't allow her a moment of respite as he let her momentum carry against her. He lunged forward to punch at her face before delivering a kick at her knee, surprisingly quick and handy even with one less arm.

He intended to interrupt any attempt from her to turn the tide, while also slinking down to grab his arm as he spun his leg around to kick at her head. Only then did he back away, looking for a second or two to reattach his arm against his shoulder.

"Is a couple hundred credits worth dyin' for, schutta?" He snarled. "You that desperate for pocket change? Huh, mutt?" He lunged at her once again, intent on distracting her to sweep her legs out from under her. It wasn't about the credits anymore. It was a matter of principle to the Mandalorian.

Vara Rasha

 

[Vara Rasha]

Tags: Yuri Maji
​

The snare had worked. She had a leverage now to use against him in the fight!

Just as she intended to use his momentum against him, however, it appeared Yuri had quite a trick up his sleeve. In a split second confusion upon seeing the cybernetic arm fall limp to the ground with a metallic clang, that moment’s lull was all Yuri needed to retain his momentum and fight on.

Instinctively she raised her guard in time to defend against the mean right hook he had in store for her; his knuckles stung bitterly against her forearm, already battered from her successful attempts at defense. A bitter hiss poured from her bloodied lips.

The kick to the side of her knee, however, drew a pained yelp. Wincing, she staggered back with a visible limp, leaning against the wall with a hand; and she was out of harm's way just in time, as a kick intended to slam against her temple swept mere inches from her bloodied mug before she pulled herself back and took a second to nurse the pain to her knee.

Her body was set alight in a level of pain she had never experienced before until now; it felt like being ran over by a heavy-duty powerlift and boiled alive in scalding hot water at the same time.

Yet, despite the intense suffering, her crimson gaze never once left Yuri’s silhouette. A snarl came pouring out. A wordless declaration of her refusal to yield. She was intent on seeing this through, like her opponent did. At that point, what carried her on to endure and fight on to persevere in some form, if at all possible, came from her obstinate, compelling sense of pride; she had already gone too far anyway. There could be no surrender.

Not in the face of death.

Come what may.

The cornered mutt let out a rending shriek as she leapt at him, the momentum of her lunge drawn from the wall. She attempted to slam him down onto the ground by driving her shoulder straight into his midriff, hoping she was quick enough where her last resort denied him reattaching his cybernetic limb back to its socket; fang and claw, she’d aim to rend flesh from his body, with each swipe and plunge of her claws into his flesh, hoping to find purchase with his hide, wherever the opportunity presented.

…This had to be the worst way she made five hundred creds.

 

[Yuri Maji]

Still trying to reattach the disconnected limb, Yuri kept his watch on the mutt as she took a moment to check her wounds. He was growing tired of the fight, the futility of it all when he could be doing much more with this energy. He had to silently admit to himself that she was a hell of a fighter, she simply refused to stay down or roll over.

A T-visor would fit her well...

A violent shriek erupted from the harpy as she launched herself at him. Still trying to reattach his arm in the adrenaline-fueled fight, Yuri purposefully flipped the switch again to disconnect the limb. His grip on the arm shifted down to the wrist as he took a step back to make room for his plan. Once she got close enough, he swung the durasteel arm from its socket and up to slam against her jaw as she charged at him, letting it loop around to quickly slot it back in place as he lunged for her.

The mechanical hand shot out to simply touch her for another electrical charge as his right hand moved down to unlock his holster.

He was done with this fight.

Trying to keep her attention on the more dangerous hand, he drew his pistol and flipped it over to its stun setting before firing a few rounds at the mutt. Uncaring if it worked, he backed away and kept firing until the harpy was motionless on the floor... then he fired some more. A power cell clinked against the floor as Yuri slammed a fresh one into his pistol, finally taking a second to regain his breath and assess their surroundings. Onlookers stared at the two mutts and distributed credits from the bets they were laying down.

He let out a huff and holstered his pistol before picking up the girl's personal effects. He still needed to find his wallet.

The better part of half an hour was spent trying to collect all of his credits, his wallet and any other effects that managed to land on the floor before he proceeded to find his way to the parts store. But a momentary thought brought him to a pause as he looked back at the harpy that proved to be way more trouble than she let on. With an annoyed growl, he grabbed hold of her wrist and dragged her along the floor to his desired destination.

Vara Rasha

 

[Vara Rasha]

Tags: Yuri Maji
​

…Vanquished.

Her cunning opponent, with another one of his clever tricks, managed to get Vara on the back foot. A thwack resounded from wall to wall as Yuri swung his cybernetic durasteel hand in perfect timing; the fist connected with her left cheek in the middle of her pounce at him.

A loud ringing screamed into her cranium, drowning out everything but her labored breath; her world started to lose its colors as her back firmly met the floor. The pain tore a weak yelp from her throat, as she rolled onto her stomach. She crawled. Unblinking, the woman’s eyes retained their murderous gaze; her visage battered and bloodied, she reached out to him from the ground with one hand, spending what little of her strength that was left for a retaliation.

A swipe.

Her claw -black, long and sharp, found purchase with her opponent’s midriff as he tried to get out of her range, while he reached for his weapon. Her body was wracked in another incredible wave of pain shortly afterwards; her breath caught in her throat as her maw parted in a voiceless scream. Her muscles locked and spasmed from the electrical shock coursing through the very fiber of her being.

But worst of it all -worse than this great, terrible pain- was her impending doom, unveiling right before her eyes.

And she could do nothing to escape it.

She watched him line up the shot. She was staring down the barrel now. Vara, in her last display of her spite , reached out a hand towards Yuri, as if she could reach him and bury her claw into his chest.

Then came a brief, yet blindingly bright flash.

And darkness took her.

—

A noise, in the dark.

…Unintelligible. Wait. Voices?

And was that-... Was that music?

W-... Where…

The shistavanen’s ears perked up with a tired flick. “Uuuuuhhrrrgh..” Her head spun, felt like she was caught in the precipice of a G-LOC and she had no way of getting herself out of it. Luckily, she hadn’t had a meal in her stomach she could throw up.

But that was just the least of her troubles.

The pain came rushing back; “Ahh..!” a weak, small yelp. It burned! Her core tightened as she grit her teeth to bear it. Slowly, she raised her head off the table. She began to take in the sight of her surroundings, her eyes narrowed instinctively to focus faster, as her snout drew slow and deliberate sniffs.

Tables, chairs… A live performance? A tantalizing smell. Food. Her eyes met with outlines of… a bar counter, several tables over; she saw silhouettes. People.

Patrons.

She was in a cantina.

“...Afterlife?” she thought wordlessly. But her theory of being sent to the “other side” was quickly disproven when she lay her eyes on the silhouette sitting right across from her. Him.

Vara’s claws dug into her palms, threatening to break her skin as she balled her hands into fists. Her dark mane rose. Her body tensed as she spoke. “...Strange place for a first date,”A weak, calm murmur, trying to lighten the mood. Every syllable she spoke was in spite of aches and sores that engulfed her whole body.

“...So why am I still alive?” she cut to the chase after a labored draw of breath. He didn't strike her as someone merciful. Not when he fought like that.

This could not end well.

 

[Yuri Maji]

As the adrenaline left his body, the pain began to set in as Yuri dragged the girl along. What became a lot more apparent was the lacerations along his gut. When the hell did she score that hit? "Karkin' harpy." He grumbled to himself, ignoring the stares of the people around him. Dragging someone along by their arm was probably not a common sight.

But he persisted, one hand trying to stop the bleeding while the other maintained its grip on her wrist. The first stop was the cantina to deposit her by a booth, then came the shop to get a new gyroscope and accompanying parts. Getting it back to the ship became increasingly more difficult as the aching and strain began to set in from the stupid brawl. But he did it, the gyro was stored in the cargo hold and exchanged for a medkit as he made his way back to the cantina. Two tall beers were quickly ordered and delivered to their table as Yuri sat across from the knocked out mutt.

She was going to hurt when she woke up... and he was going to love every second of it.

The mutt finally came to, and Yuri couldn't help but chuckle at her remark of the afterlife as he cleaned the cuts along his body. "If this is what the afterlife looks like, I'll shoot myself." He remarked, shooting a bacta booster into his neck. With a satisfied smile he watched as the girl struggled and laboured from the pain. Definitely worth it.

“...Strange place for a first date,”

“...So why am I still alive?”

"Don't kid yourself, sis. I'm way outta your league." He answered flatly, taking a sip of his beer before strapping a bacta patch to the wound on his stomach. Damn harpy was going to leave a scar. "You're alive because, believe it or not, killin' someone on a station is illegal. Even here. Second... anyone willing to fight to the death for a couple hundred credits probably got a good reason for doin' so. Your grumbling stomach and free-loadin' on a smuggler's freighter was probably a dead giveaway." He finally slid the medkit over to her and sat back, sipping gingerly on the cool beverage as he watched her.

He desperately needed the drink. "So, what is it, mutt? You that poor, or just lookin' for a death wish?" He asked her with a shrug.

Vara Rasha

 

[Vara Rasha]

Tags: Yuri Maji
​

"Don't kid yourself, sis. I'm way outta your league." He answered flatly,

A weak, growly chuckle poured from her lips, crusted with her own dried blood.

“..With that mug, bro? Come on. The bruise’s been an improvement if anything…” Vara shot back without skipping a beat. Despite the relatively light hearted back and forth however, she was far from relaxed; her posture seemed withdrawn, her mane still raised, her snout slightly lowered. A cornered, worn out beast.

It felt like she was chit chatting with her executioner.

"You're alive because, believe it or not, killin' someone on a station is illegal. Even here. Second... anyone willing to fight to the death for a couple hundred credits probably got a good reason for doin' so. Your grumbling stomach and free-loadin' on a smuggler's freighter was probably a dead giveaway."

She kept her maw shut in the wake of his words for a moment. He was dead on with his assessment, but she couldn’t say she bought his explanation of why she was still alive. Which one of these lowlives was going to stop him from dragging her to his ship, taking off, and spacing her?

Especially after dishing out that severe ass beating?

Not a chance.

"So, what is it, mutt? You that poor, or just lookin' for a death wish?" He asked her with a shrug.

She remained silent when his question reached a finality. The young woman eyed the tall beer right in front of her, then the medkit. Her crimson gaze fell back on the beer; ice cold, the rich yellow called to her to down it all in one karkin’ swig.

Yuri would see the mutt reach a visible conclusion in her mind, before she reached for the tallboy with a hungry swipe. The contents sloshed, a sip of beer spilled before the glass even reached her lips. But not a drop was wasted afterwards.

The bottom of the glass stared at the ceiling as she drank it all, heartily, in one breath. The glass slammed down on the table with a muffled thud. The young woman took a deep breath as she shut her crimson gaze. Her mane slowly fell and her shoulders sagged in the wake of a sigh, as she leaned against the table on her forearms. “Bag,” a short demand, with her hand outstretched expectantly. Her personal effects were not in her person anymore; it was on the chair right next to him, filling the vacant seat. She needed something from it.

 

[Yuri Maji]

She was quiet as a corpse as he spoke, her posture was stiff and her eyes distrusting. He couldn't blame her, he would have had the same attitude if their roles were reversed. Thinking back, he did do the same when he was in her position. At least the beer seemed to win her over and she downed the draught in one go. Yuri smirked at the sight, but didn't press her for an answer. He did, however, order another round of drinks as he finished his off as well.

Finally she seemed to have regrown her tongue and requested her bag. Yuri eyed her suspiciously for a moment before relenting. But as one hand picked up the duffel bag and jacket to slide over the table, his other reached down and the faint click of a safety resounded from under the table. His shift in posture confirmed that he was ready to blast her if she tried anything funny.

He relaxed otherwise, simply watching her with his hand on his pistol until their drinks arrived. "If that's all you got in terms of belongings... you're in real big trouble out here." He remarked, taking a second to help himself to another sip of his drink. "Junkfort station ain't a great spot for anything. Not unless you plan on hoppin' ships in hopes of landing somewhere decent." He studied her for a moment, his glass hovering by his lips for a moment before he set it aside.

A packet of smokes were pulled from his pocket, and his mechanical arm split open to reveal a plasma jet he used to light a cigarette.

Vara Rasha

 

[Vara Rasha]

Tags: Yuri Maji
​

Her outstretched arm shook under the strain of its own weight. She could barely keep it up.

Thankfully Yuri didn’t make her say it twice. Her digits wrapped around her jacket, clutching the sling of her duffel bag underneath it. She went to lift it, only to be persuaded against it by her shot-to-chit nerves, screaming at her to stop and reconsider.

She stifled a dry, pained sob. It died in her core before it could leave her lips. Don’t give him anymore satisfaction, she snarled at herself in her thoughts. The prick hadn’t bothered to hide his enjoyment of her suffering, after all.

The distinct click of the safety switch did not elude her sharp ears. The live performance at the small stage did nothing to drown it out. “Relax…” Vara said with a growly voice as she kept her crimson gaze locked with Yuri’s. She sounded calm -collected, even. The duffel bag with her jacket draped over it, slid towards her as she tugged it. “I’m not in the mood for taking a scattergun slug to the gut,” She nodded over to the barkeep behind the counter without taking her eyes off his mug. “Are you?”

A rhetorical question. An attempt at stopping him from doing something stupid, as much as she agreed with his sentiment of caution herself; the man behind the counter, an older human with a respectable blubber gut and a heartwarming smile worthy for only the best of barkeeps, had to have managed to stay in business in a dump like this somehow.

And it couldn’t just be because of his friendly smile, or the lager that was worth a damn.

Her hands would have reached down onto her personal effects that sat at her lap in the wake of her words.

“Nngh-..!” Another pained hiss as she threw on her jacket; the sockets of her shoulders screaming at her to give up or they’d pop out their sockets.

She refused to heed to their nonsensical threats.

“Mm..” Vara breathed calmly in the wake of a small discomforted grumble after slipping into her black leather mantle.

"If that's all you got in terms of belongings... you're in real big trouble out here." He remarked, taking a second to help himself to another sip of his drink. "Junkfort station ain't a great spot for anything. Not unless you plan on hoppin' ships in hopes of landing somewhere decent." He studied her for a moment, his glass hovering by his lips for a moment before he set it aside.

“Anywhere,” she murmured. “...Don’t got some, chithole I wanna go in particular. Anywhere’s good.” she’d clarify, her hand rolled at a dismissive gesture as she spoke. “Was… Hoping I’d find something to do here before I went somewhere else,” she gestured towards the terminal at the corner. At a total hive of scum and villainy like this, there had to be plenty of illegal jobs to make a quick buck.

Of all kinds.

“... And what brings you here?” She asked then. With a sharp zip, she undid her duffel bag’s zipper, and produced a preroll. Some decent ganja, laced with her choice of spice. She’d tuck it between her blood-kissed lips, and lean forward to catch the flames of his plasma jet to light her own cig. “Junkfort.” She’d echo the words. The title for the place foreign and previously unknown to her, but it certainly deserved the attributive noun. “Deserves its name.”

 

[Yuri Maji]

The girl reassured Yuri that she wasn't going to try anything, even going so far as to gesture to the bartender. She made a decent point, he wasn't in the mood for a shootout in this dump. There were better reasons to die for. Instead, he flicked the safety back on and relaxed into his seat as he watched her struggle with her jacket.

She could be glad that her jacket was far too small for him.

She went on to explain her plan for a moment before trying to light a cigarette of her own with his plasma cutter. Yuri obliged and extended his arm to make her life easier before the flame cut out and his arm returned to its original state. "Anywhere can be dangerous. Helps to have a plan." He remarked, though the smell of her cigarette had Yuri stiffen up almost entirely. Eyes sharpened as the intoxicating scent filled his lungs, before a scowl etched along his features. It had been more than a year since he touched anything other than cigs and booze. It was something he was proud of.

Now those old cravings came flooding back. Dangerous thoughts and notions.

He nearly missed it when the mutt asked him what he was doing on Junkfort. Before he answered, he leaned over and plucked the pre-roll from her lips to crush it beneath his boot. "That stuff's bad for ya." He grumbled, instead sliding his packet of smokes over to her. "I definitely wasn't lookin' for a few new scars, I can promise you that." He finally answered, rolling his shoulders as he suppressed the urges. "Gyro karked out on me in the middle of a jump. Had to fix my ship before I even try to go somewhere else." He continued, studying her features for a moment.

"I'll admit, you fight like hell. Only people I'm used to who fight like that are bounty hunters and Mandalorians. You definitely ain't either." The backhanded compliment was wholly intentional as a smirk crept up.

Vara Rasha

 

[Vara Rasha]

Tags: Yuri Maji
​

"Anywhere can be dangerous. Helps to have a plan." He remarked.

Hear, hear.

It wasn’t like her at all to have left things to chance like this. “Yeah yeah,” The agreement in her tone mingled with frustrated admittance of a mistake as she leaned back into her seat at the booth, her preroll lit with Yuri’s help. “I kinda didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, homie.” She took a deep drag in the wake of her words.

A hefty white plume of smoke rolled out of her snout with the sigh of a woman finally getting her much needed reprieve; she felt her ache and pain banished with it. Her eyelids languishingly draped over her crimson orbs. A pleased smile tugged at her lips. All her whites were on full display, with her cig caught between them. Her golden tooth shimmered softly under the soft lights of the establishment.

Euphoria.

Serenity.

Relief.

Right between her lips.

Or it would have been, if she was not robbed of this, too.

“Wuh-.. Hey!!” She protested with a mope, a heartbeat after Yuri plucked it from between her teeth!

"That stuff's bad for ya." He grumbled, instead sliding his packet of smokes over to her.

“Yo the kark’s wrong with you! Never heard of self-medication, scughole!?” A kick to his shin would have accompanied her words. Her snout scrunched as a snarl now etched into her features. As much as that was completely uncalled for, from her standpoint, she wasn’t going to be at his throat over it. It helped his case when Yuri offered her a silent apology by helping her keep the reins of her anger, when he offered plain, tobacco cigs as quick as he took hers in return. “Unkarkin’believable dude...” she murmured as she plucked her replacement from Yuri and placed it between her lips. A hand fished for her zippo lighter from the inside pocket of her jacket.

That trademark click reached both their ears as she flicked her zippo open. With a flick of her thumb on the flint wheel, a brilliant orange flame danced from the eyelet. The young woman toked at the cigarette as she lit the tip alight.

"I definitely wasn't lookin' for a few new scars, I can promise you that." He finally answered, rolling his shoulders as he suppressed the urges.

“Yeah, if y’hadn’t got it coming then, you definitely do now,” the zippo clacked as she flicked her hand. He tucked the lighter back into her inside pocket, and pushed away the duffel bag on her lap in the wake of her retort. The mutt planted the sole of her boot on the booth seating on her side and tugged her battered knee closer to her chest; still a bit bummed with her preroll being taken from her and crushed, Yuri would be able to tell it was just words when they were followed by a grin as she soothed her injury.

She was playin’.

"Gyro karked out on me in the middle of a jump. Had to fix my ship before I even try to go somewhere else." He continued, studying her features for a moment.

She nodded. “I see,” Vara murmured as she reached for the medkit Yuri had offered him earlier. Unpacking it with one hand, she reached for a bacta-laced bandage, and began wrapping her knee. Although her jeans were between the injury and the bacta, the latter could penetrate through the fabric, that she knew as much. “Coulda been a more expensive problem. Lucky.”

"I'll admit, you fight like hell. Only people I'm used to who fight like that are bounty hunters and Mandalorians. You definitely ain't either." The backhanded compliment was wholly intentional as a smirk crept up.

“Ye-heeeah! I’m me, karker! That’s who!” she chuckled as she nodded at his words; a smirk matched the young man’s as she took Yuri’s compliment quite warmly, no matter how backhandedly it was given to her. “You’re not so bad for a mudscuffer like yourself either,” she returned the gesture in kind. “Gotta admit, that chit with the arm?” Her brows quirked up as her lips thinned to a line, her cig between them. She shook her head, a gesture of surprise with her expression combined. “Nuts, man. Never would'a thought,” A genuine chuckle, accompanied by a plume of smoke poured out from her lips.

“Maaan…” Her chuckle died down in the wake of her words.

The fabric of the gauze whirred as she tied one final knot. The sole of her boot met the floor with a plod. “‘Kay… I’mma be real with you for a sec,” she murmured; Vara sharply plucked her cig from her lips and trapped it between two digits, and leaned forward on her elbows. The leather cushions under her backside crackled softly as she came closer. Her crimson eyes held Yuri’s; her gaze demure, her tone took on a more business oriented tone. “Y’could’a left me back there. Beat up, hurtin’. And you’d been fully in your right! Y’owe me nothin’. Don’t even know me. Hell, y’don’t even know m’ name. So don’t talk nerf scat to me like before when I asked you, why the kark am I still alive the first time,” she allowed her words to suspend there for a moment. Vara took the opportunity to take a drag from her cigarette. “So what’s your deal? What’chu want from me? Hmm?”

A favor for a favor… That’s how these things worked.

As much as the two of them saw each other at their throats, not at all that long ago, he didn’t have to do her a favor like that, at all. She wasn't sure if she'd had done the same for him, if she was in his shoes and caught him stealing from her.

In all the hells for kark sake, they were sharing drinks together, damn it. Smoking. Talking. Laughing!

Not at all how she’d picture a quick pickpocket gone wrong.

What was this now?

 

[Yuri Maji]

There was no retort or threat in response to the girl's anger, remarks and the kick to his shin, merely a deadly golden glare to tear right through her. He wasn't going to explain to some scruffy street mutt why he didn't like it. She was nothing to him. But karking hell did it smell good. If this had to happen only a year or two earlier, very bad ideas would have followed from the Hound.

Luckily the conversation moved on before he could entertain those thoughts.

Exactly the kind of girl to draw him back...

She made a remark about the issue with his ship, but he simply waved it off with a chuckle. Instead, he reserved his remark for the mutt's rather confident commentary on his moves in their fight. He couldn't help but shrug and laugh at her surprise. "You learn to get crafty, if you grew up with the people I was surrounded by." He quipped. "Learned to fight since I was a kid. Survival literally depended on me thinkin' quick." He admitted with a plume of smoke from his nostrils. But to his surprise, the girl got serious for a moment and asked him why she was still alive.

It was a fair question. Such mercy was abnormal in this kind of world, nobody would have left her alive after what she did. A smirk took hold as he raised a fist. "Come on, sister, us fleabags gotta stick together. Ya dig?" He joked before sitting back to take another sip of his beer. "Nah... in all seriousness... ya got a spine. Call it a force of habit, or tradition, or whatever, but it wouldn't have been right of me to just pop ya and leave you there." He admitted with a far more serious tone.

"Vode an." He remarked with another shrug. "Besides... not often I see another mutt in the wild. Call it a... sense of comradery if you want." He quipped with a wink.

Vara Rasha