A Walk in the Park

[Beowoof]

Nozomi always had a bag with her wherever she went. Oftentimes, it was the dusty black gym bag she lugged to work and back, containing a change of clothes, a meal, and some weights just for the sake of making the sack feel like there was actually something substantial inside. Otherwise, she transported an obnoxiously bright but rather weathered messenger bag packed with various materials, all depending on the day's objective.

Another day on Nar Shaddaa, about to head into the maze of vents, tubes, shafts, and corridors that interconnected the basements of the Corellian Sector to the adjacent districts. This was the gateway to the cruelest of underworlds, filled with low-lives of all cultures. Most were transplants or illegitimate descendants of transplants. No one was truly a native of Nal Hutta's moon, but it tried its best to claim everyone who set foot upon its filthy tiers of duracrete. And Nozomi tried to remove herself farthest from such a designation.

The souls Nar Shaddaa stole needed help, however, and that was what the nimble gym instructor intended to remedy--or, at least, put a bandage on. Today, she would be descending to help out an old nautolan whose debts had far exceeded anything his 'friendly' neighborhood loan shark would be willing to compromise on. It was time for him to be moving out of here and try to salvage what he could of his pathetic life.

Treading down the contradictorily named Dreamer's Boulevard, Tsukikaneko Nozomi paused at the maw of Transient's Corridor--the one that led underneath the external floors of this entertainment paradise. She stood silently, taking in the last rays of a dissolved sunlight before she dropped to hell for the night.

[member="Glyph"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Tsukikaneko Nozomi"]

Glyph walked with an almost bored look on his face, the pistol in his hand pointed at a particular slaver's face. Ok sure the pistol was set low enough that this man wouldn't die... if he sustained a few blisters on his face from a point blank shot of energy, that was his own fault. Time after time Glyph comes to this planet, and time after time, the slavers are always the same. Cowards that beg for their lives, in repayment they would give him half their slaves. So instead he shot the slavers, took the slaves to a refugee ship, and sent them on their way to Naboo where he knew they would be safe and cared for.

So off shot the pistol and the man tumbled backwards, his face burning and Glyph merely sighed before setting it to stun and knocking him out. And no doubt authorities were on their way. Dropping out of sight he smiled as he started walking and nearly walked right into Nozomi as she appeared out of nowhere, his saber nearly coming out of its hiding place as she bumped into him. "Ouch, watch where you are going."

 

[Beowoof]

I've been here the whole time. "There is a fable about this, I'm pretty sure," Nozomi remarked, tautening the strap of her bag across her shoulders. She offered a knowing smile to this stranger with an apparent lack in situational awareness. Not everyone was gifted, she supposed.

The young woman then proceeded to back away and edge towards the lip of the descending street, cautious after having recently heard the sound of gunfire in the direction this man had come from. She made sure to keep her bag safe behind her, though it was likely that would come off as suspicious. "Let me just say that if you need directions, there are plenty of maps around. You have a good day." Nozomi waved at the stranger and quickened her backpedaling. Don't be trouble...

[member="Glyph"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Tsukikaneko Nozomi"]

He watched her confused for a few moments before noticing she almost backpedaled... on purpose... off the side of the street, reaching out to stop her as he ddid. "Wooh there, watch out." He looked past her, not sure how far the drop would be and if she even noticed that it was there... her eyes stopped on the bag though, noticing the tiny movements she made with it but dismissing them for now.

 

[Beowoof]

She knew what she was doing. But, obviously, this fellow did not. Yet it was a decent gesture of him to try to prevent her from a potential fall. One did not encounter that sort of friendliness on the Hutt moon that often. Gently releasing her arm from his hold, she continued to keep the messenger bag tight to her body but relaxed in composure.

"Thanks. You're a... saint," Nozomi acknowledged with a two-fingered salute, even if she had things covered on her end anyway. "Don't mind me, though."

[member="Glyph"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Tsukikaneko Nozomi"]

"Good try, i know a troubled person when i see one." He watched her and frowned as she continued to be evasive. "Look miss, if you need help just tell me and ill be glad to help ya." He glanced around him, looking for someone to be watching them, anyone that would be the cause of her cautiousness.

 

[Beowoof]

The woman shook her head with an apologizing smile, following the stranger's gaze as he scanned for any eavesdroppers. Savvy. Oerhaps he was not so observationally lackluster as she had previously concluded. "It's not much. Just charity work." Only a few exchanges of words and Nozomi was almost certain this was one of the longest conversations she had had with anyone out in the open. Nar Shaddaa hardly had a friendly culture.

You're a little quick to decide that, though, she thought. Best to throw out a safe line first. "Looking to save the world?"

[member="Glyph"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Tsukikaneko Nozomi"]

"Save the world, while that would be great and exciting... i can't save something that is corrupt at its core, only help those spots of life and peace a chance to grow and maybe one day, long past my prime and quite possibly when i am down in the ground six feet under. When that happens, perhaps peace will have come to these people for once and the corruption uprooted.... and you?" He got a bit more interested seeing no one, tilting his head a bit out of habit and crossing his hands behind him before leaning foward towards her, looking at the bag best he could before glancing up at her face. "Interesting."

 

[Beowoof]

"Me?" Nozomi responded, pointing at her chest as if she was not sure the question was actually directed at her. Of course, she knew it was. She hesitated a moment as his eyes locked onto her bag. Apparently, it was "interesting." Some people can be especially nosy. She tightened the strap of her bag even more.

Casting a wary eye back at the man, Nozomi answered his inquiry. "One person at a time. That's all anyone is capable of." She raised her eyebrows at him, wondering what his aim was. "You work out?"

[member="Glyph"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Tsukikaneko Nozomi"]

"It would depend upon your definition of working out, i like to test myself on certain challenges and see if they ever improve... hint, they dont..." He straightened back up and smiled at her before holding out his hand. "Nauren, good to meet you, and are you up for a drink?" He was Odd, the perfect word for what he was and he was proud of his quirks, smiling widely as he stood there and even giving her a bow once more. "Your name?"

 

[Beowoof]

She accepted his hand without the initial wariness that had so far constituted her demeanor, a humored smirk creeping up the side of her mouth. "I guess--by your definition of working out--that you might not be up for what I've got on my plate today." Being a trainer, the young woman found herself habitually analyzing the figure of the man in front of her. Like he had implied, he was in decent shape, but nothing spectacular to behold.

"You can call me Zomi," she responded in turn. In her career, people always seemed to take you more seriously if you used a shortened form of name or nickname. Strange but true. "And while I don't have all day, a drink wouldn't be the worst thing to happen."

[member="Glyph"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

[member="Tsukikaneko Nozomi"]

"Well the Zomi, come along please." He grinned wide and waved for her to walk with him, clasping his hands behind him and rolling his head on his shoulder. His eyes didn't leave her though, making sure she didn't try anything too rash and try to bolt over the side. He had no real reason to stop her, but he had a feeling she was going to just get in a bit of trouble if he didn't help... well about as much trouble as he got himself into on a regular day.

 

[Beowoof]

She kept a bit of distance between them--about four meters or so. It was enough to safely dart out of range should she discover that he was the man who had fired the gun a few moments back. Not that gunfire was foreign to these scummy Nar Shaddaa streets, but the timing was curious in this case. Still, Nozomi had no reason to run and a talking person was a treat indeed.

Slightly obsessively, the physically healthy young woman scuffed oddly about the pavement as she accompanied the stranger, sometimes standing on her tiptoes just to avoid stepping on cracks. She never did this when actually doing important things, but, for some reason, Nozomi's mind just felt the need to constantly occupy itself, even with the silliest of games. She convinced herself that it was good for agility practice, as well.

Faced downwards to watch her feet intently (but also keeping an eye on the stranger's hands), Tsukikaneko's nostrils flared as she kept a quiet but efficiently deep breathing rhythm. "What brings you here?" she asked in between shuffles. People had the craziest--and sometimes the most insidious--motivations for taking a trip to the Hutt moon.

[member="Glyph"]

 

[Edric Vanyan]

@[member="Tsukikaneko Nozomi"]

"Here? Oh you know, its a fun place to be and i had to deal with some hutts... by the way, if you hear about a missing spice shipment, try telling them its at the core of the planet and watch their expressions. It is absolutely priceless... uh though make sure you can escape, usually a hutt does not like it when you tell them the bad new." He grinned like a madman as he thought about the other day, oh how he had done plenty of running that day and he was sure that he would have to repeat it sooner or later. "How about you?"