Draw Back Your Bow

[Jorzen Quank]

Antecedent
Dragon Palace Casino

The lights bothered Jorzen Quank. So did the music. And the noise. And the crowds. And he was sweating, and his mouth was dry. All in all, a perfect way to meet a woman for the first time.

C.U.P.I.D. had set him up on this date, a program he had signed onto as a dare from a business associate who swore he met the nicest girls that way and that it wasn't a front for prostitution, slavery, or psychos, at least as far as he'd been able to determine. When Jorzen had asked him why, if that was the case, he still had no girlfriend, the man had replied that it wasn't that they weren't acceptable, it was just that he enjoyed his freedom. His lack of most of his own teeth and a strong penchant for lying on his profile may have also contributed to his single state, but he hasn't admitted to that.

So Jorzen sat at the long bar, checking his chrono and nursing a glass of water, while he waited for a raven-haired Zeltron named Jorda Ulluto to arrive. Jorzen had tried saying her last name aloud several times, but couldn't decide which sylllable should be emphasized, and hoped it didn't come up in conversation.

Picking up a napkin from the bar, he wiped his forehead, then slid it under his glass, eyes roaming the floor once more for his date.



[member="Jorda Ulluto"]

 

[Chevu Visz]

Decked out in a tight black dress with a feathered skirt and too high-heels, Jorda Ulluto, former Zeltron party girl turned infochant, strode into the Dragon Palace Casino looking for a mystery man. She had been unceremoniously frisked at the door for a small vibroknife and a stun baton she kept in her handbag. Casino security was apparently drum-tight in the wave of a few recent attacks by the Black Suns. Come to think of it, the casino probably wasn't the best place for a first date. But then again, where in the galaxy was?

Jorda didn't normally think of herself as a blind date sort of gal. As a Zeltron she had charisma down pat, even without the help of her species' strong phermones. But a blind date sounded like fun. And lately the curvaceous Zeltron had been all work and no play.

Her date was Jorzen, a man with a vaguely similar name, and from the looks of his C.U.P.I.D. profile picture, he was a looker. She didn't know too much else about him besides his love for hunting and the outdoors. Plus, she wasn't a Jawa, so she figured that was a plus.

She spotted Jorzen at the bar. Even in her ridiculously high heels he was quite a bit taller than she and as handsome in person as his picture. The Zeltron, approached him, holding out a red-skinned hand with long manicured black fingernails and flashing him her perfect teeth in a comely smile, the product of the most expensive orthodontists on Zeltos.

"Hi, you must be Jorzen."

[member="Jorzen Quank"]

 

[Jorzen Quank]

"Wow," said the hunter, standing up. "I mean, hi. I mean yes. I'm Jorzen." He took her black-nailed hand in his own roughly calloused one and covered it with his other. "You look lovely. Nice to meet you." For Quank's part, he had chosen from his relatively limited wardrobe a brown double-breasted vest, collarless shirt with flaired curffs and ascot, and brown pants tucked into black boots. His long hair was pulled back reasonably neatly, and he'd remembered to both trim his beard and clean under his nails. Only if one looked closely could one see that the ascot was covering three angry red wounds that ran down the right side his neck.

"Have a seat. Can I get you a drink?"

Jorzen ordered the same as Jorda, not being much of a connoisseur and trusting the woman's taste.

"This is my first blind date through C.U.P.I.D.," he admitted. "Or anywhere, really. And my first time in a casino. They're very...bright."

[member="Jorda Ulluto"]

 

[Chevu Visz]

“Thank you Jorzen. A drink would be lovely,” said Jorda, smiling widely as she shook her date’s hand and taking a seat at the table. “I’ll have a Chadrian rum”

“It’s my first time on a blind date as well. And I can’t say that I’m disappointed so far.” She grinned and adjusted her dress so that she wasn’t too indecent.

“I’ve been to this casino a couple of times for business. My former employer used to send me here as an envoy. I know a few members of the criminal syndicate that runs the Dragon Palace, and they’re good folks, for a bunch of crooks.”

“So what do you do Jorzen? Are you in the neighborhood of the Outer Rim for business or pleasure?”

[member="Jorzen Quank"]

 

[Jorzen Quank]

"I work with animals," replied Jorzen. "Acquisitions, mostly. Wait, did you say criminal syndicate?" Had that been on here profile? If so, he didn't remember it. It certainly didn't appear that she was joking. "Er, pleasure, on the back-end of some business," he replied, snapping back to reality. "The new Circus Horrificus needed an a nexu, so I was down on Cholganna."

The bartender deposited the two drinks, and Jorzen passed the required credits back with a nod, being sure to include a tip. "So, you said former employers," he said to Jorda, handing her her drink. "Did you change jobs? Because working for criminal syndicates sounds dangerous." He touched the rim of his glass to hers and took a drink.

[member="Jorda Ulluto"]

 

[Chevu Visz]

"You work with animals?" She grinned. "I find that quite fascinating, Jorzen." She worked with animals, too, just a different kind. "Well, if you're the kind of man who tangles with Nexu, remind me not to piss you off." Although Jorda had a penchant for fur-and-feathered clothing, she'd never met a beast-hunter in the flesh before and the Zeltron woman was intrigued by the handsome man's occupation.

Jorda absently stirred her drink. With two livers, she didn't need to pace herself, but the night was young. She hoped that Jorzen would be game for knocking back some shots with her later.

"I'm kind of between jobs I suppose. Bouncing around between different companies." She wasn't sure if he'd pick up on the euphemism. "And yes, it is dangerous, but very lucrative. Unfortunately for my credit account, I was cursed with expensive tastes." She smiled and smoothed the black feathers on her skirt. "I always travel with a blaster, but sometimes I don't feel like it's enough." She suddenly had an idea.

"In your line of work, Jorzen, maybe you know someone who could teach me something about using knives?"

[member="Jorzen Quank"]

 

[Chaf’anta’natrano]

"Cheespa Bo Coopa!" Dasha the Hutt bellowed at the Dragon Palace Casino security guards as they unceremoniously frisked her and her entourage, confiscating their weapons. "Dasha usually gets the VIP treatment here at Dragon Palace! When Lysle Rigger hears how you treated Dasha, you will get the ol' Hutt lock in a sock!" Twenty minutes later, the security guards were finally finished, and there was a stack of weapons on the carpet along with an enraged Hutt crime lord on a Hover sled.

Dasha blinked her enormous feline eyes and ran her tongue across her wide, lipless mouth. She Hovered through the casino slowly, her thick-skulled Gamorean guards in tow, along with two Twi'lek boytoys who she kept tethered on very short leashes. She rotated her bulbous head slowly back and forth, scanning the room with her yellow eyes, and woe be to the poor soul for whom she was searching.

When she finally spotted her prey, she pointed across the room and snapped her fingers, signalling for the guards to follow. "Over there! Jorda Ulluto. Taneee cahweba wa Yih an nem bai toupee vehpobaee fa! I'm going to skin that woman alive!"

Dasha floated over to their table on her Hover sled and stood before the couple, smiling widely like that cat that ate the canary. "Hello, Miss Jorda Ulluto." the Hutt spat. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything too important."

[member="Jorzen Quank"] [member="Jorda Ulluto"]

 

[Jorzen Quank]

And then things got interesting, thought Jorzen, rising as the Hutt arrived. He met her large, liquid eyes. "Hello! It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Jorzen Quank." He stood calmly, keeping his hands relaxed and in the open, and trying not to upset the Gammoreans. "Jorzen and I were just having a drink. Care to join us?" He made a point of counting Dasha's entourage. "I think we're going to need a table."


[member="Jorda Ulluto"]
[member="Dasha the Hutt"]

 

[Chevu Visz]

Abject fear momentarily flashed across Jorda's hazel eyes, and the Zeltron woman made a throat cutting motion to Jorzen across the table, simultaneously kicking his leg with one very sharp-toed high heel. She clearly and desperately did not want Dasha the Hutt anywhere near their table. The informant sighed and tilted her head towards Dasha and her four Gamorean guards, her smile taking on a sugary sweet demeanor.

"Dasha, darling. You look beautiful tonight as always. Unfortunately, Jorzen here is just being a gentleman. I'm afraid this is a private affair of which the details would completely bore you. And I know how easily bored you get."

What was the Hutt going to do in the midst of almost five-hundred sentient security guards here on the casino floor, not to mention five-hundred more upstairs? Jorda smirked and defiantly flicked her fingers at the Hutt. "Run along now, Dasha. Don't you have some Twi'leks slaves to behead?"

[member="Jorzen Quank"] [member="Dasha the Hutt"]

 

[Chaf’anta’natrano]

Settling down into her Hover sled with a "harumph," Dasha the Hutt didn't look like she was going anywhere anytime soon. "Jorda Ulluto, you are a like a little lost lamb who has been separated from her flock. Come on home to Dasha, honey. We'll forgive and forget, yes?" The Hutt then violently slapped her tail up on the couple's table, sending drinks and dining ware clattering to the floor. A few casino patrons nearby scattered.

"You seem to forget that you still have a debt to work off, Jorda. Your red hide belongs on Teth, not prancing around Antecedent with pretty human males."

Flicking her enormous eyes to Jorzen, the Hutt sidled closer to where the hunter was sitting. "You!" She bellowed. "Dasha wants to have a better look at you." She said, playfully twitching her tail back and forth "This one I like."

She looked Jorzen up and down and then narrowed her eyes at the horrified Zeltron. "Dasha has a new plan! If you won't come with me, I will take the man instead." The lady Hutt smiled as if it were the best idea ever.

[member="Jorda Ulluto"] [member="Jorzen Quank"]

 

[Jorzen Quank]

"Hey!" barked Jorzan, fliching at the well-placed kick. Seeing the gesture, he shrugged. "Leg cramp," he explained to the Hutt. "You really think I'm pretty?" The hunter was doing his level best to keep the situation casual.

He forced a smile as he looked at Jorda. "Nice date so far," he quipped dryly. "Can't say I'm a big fan of the Chadrian rum. Can we trying something a bit lighter next round?" He turned back to Dasha. "I'm not for trade," he said, smile still in place. "I've never even met this lady before tonight, so I'm not likely to give myself over in some grand heroic gesture." Not a flattering light with which to paint himself, but it was, at least in part, true. The others included the fact that Jorda had a history of running with criminals, meaning she could likely handle herself, and that a casino this size, with this many people in it, this much security, would likely make it difficult to just pick either one of them up and carry them off. Jorzen then recalled that he knew nothing about organized crime or casino policies, and wondered what his next move would be if the situation continued to deteriorate.


[member="Jorda Ulluto"] [member="Dasha the Hutt"]

 

[Chaf’anta’natrano]

The bellicose laugh of the Hutt was loud enough to be heard all the way from the street. She flashed her yellow eyes at the Zeltron woman and guffawed. "Jorda you sure know how to pick em! The man has no interest in you. Typical Jorda. Barking up the wrong tree, like a doggie." The lady Hutt giggled and with a flick of her hand, produced a lavish paper fan which she flapped in front of her face, batting her eyelashes at Jorzen. "I think he might has a thing for Hutts though!"

Dasha turned towards the beast hunter, pressing her mouth into a vast smile, her tail pulsating lightly. "You are very pretty, indeed. Dasha likes. You are not for trade so does that mean you will come willingly with Dasha?" The lady Hutt yanked on the chains of her stoic slaves to punctuate her request.

In the corner, casino security guards had begun to mobilize, chattering into their comms and nodding in the direction of the ruckus, with concern on their faces. The Hutt's Gamoreans were simply stone-faced, watching the scene with as much excitement as watching grass grow.

[member="Jorzen Quank"] [member="Jorda Ulluto"]

 

[Chevu Visz]

Jorda put her face into her palm. She realized with a cynical smirk that any hopes for a future date with the man were almost nil. It was likely that after this incident, he'd not touch her with a ten foot pole. Jorda seethed inside. Dasha had to go. And by go, Jorda didn't just mean leave the casino.

What the wily Hutt didn't know was that all the while she was hemming and hawing, the Zeltron woman, her Datapad on her lap under the table, was surreptitiously typing a message to one of the executive members of the Red Ravens, Cryax Bane. The missive was riddled with spelling errors, but it was coherent enough to alert the Chiss that one of his Ravens was in grave danger on the casino floor.

All Jorda had to do now was keep Dasha talking, a task that was ridiculously easy given the Hutt loved the sound of her own voice more than anything. And the Zeltron knew that one of the very best ways to keep Dasha talking was to rile her up.

She crossed her arms and stared at the Hutt with a wicked edge in her hazel eyes. "Dasha when you were a baby did you fall out of the brood pouch and hit your head? The man obviously has no interest in you, you deluded slug."

[member="Dasha the Hutt"] [member="Jorzen Quank"]

 

[Jorzen Quank]

Jorzen watched the Hutt's face wrinkly, massive, wet maw curl downwards in anger, giving her six more chins than she'd has only moments ago. She made it worse, he thought. Why would she make it worse?

Spotting the casino guards trying to decide what to do, the beast hunter rolled his eyes at Jorda. "Stop it, can't you? Does it really make sense to insult the Hutt with the Gamorreans and the Twi'leks on leashes?" He stepped away from the remains of the table and broken glassware, distancing himself from his date and putting the Hutt between them. Flank the prey, then drive them in the direction you want them to go. "I'm for hire," he said to Dasha. "If you need a pet," he glanced at the Twi'leks again, "a proper pet, an animal. Kowakian monkey-lizards, rancors, akk dogs, that kind of thing. What Hutt doesn't need one of those nearby? And you," he called to Jorda loudly around the bulk of the Hutt, "say nothing!" To Dasha, he added, "Women. Oh, not to say you're not a woman, I mean, clearly...." he motioned in the air with his hands, taking up a lot of space in front of him. "I meant, you know, Zeltron women. Am I right?"


[member="Jorda Ulluto"] [member="Dasha the Hutt"]

 

[Chevu Visz]

Well, Jorzen certainly had stones, she gave him that. The hunter's antics with Dasha were brave and for some odd reason, amusing to the Zeltron. Jorda lifted her hand to her lips to stifle an inappropriate laugh. She wasn't sure exactly what he was driving at, but she supposed that if the man was adept at wrangling animals for the Circus Horrificus, perhaps herding an enraged lady Hutt would be no different.

Jorda's Datapad pinged softly. She chanced a glance downwards and noticed that Bane had received her message. By the Emperor's black heart, help was on the way! She only hoped it was soon as the Hutt was hunkered down in her Hover sled, looking at Jorzen like a cat about to pounce on its prey.

She figured she'd play along with whatever little game was going on, and feigning an indignant tone looked at Jorzen with a mock-malicious glare in her eyes, "What are you trying to say about Zeltron women, Mr. Quank? Care to elaborate?"

[member="Jorzen Quank"]

 

[Chaf’anta’natrano]

Dasha's narrowed eyes followed Jorzen as he circled her. The Hutt flared her nostrils and let out another belly laugh, this one shaking a disgusting amount of mucus off her expansive body. A nearby janitor glared at the expensive steam cleaning the casino floor would soon need.

"I know what you mean about Zeltron women." The next part she spat in Huttese. "La winkee cay vea an natka bacaka tasueziuena!" Dasha cackled heartily. "That one has given Dasha nothing but trouble since I made the mistake of helping her on Zeltos. Not a loyalty bone in that red body."

Pursing her cavernous mouth, the Hutt appraised Jorzen once again. "I have no use for animals!" She shouted, and gestured with a tiny arm towards the Zeltron. "I already have one that I'm trying to keep in check. However, if you come back to Teth with me Mr. Quank, maybe you can help me with a little womp rat problem I'm having at my cantina, eh?"

One of Dasha's Twi'lek boytoys started to shake his head with a vehemently warning, and, Dasha cruelly smacked him upside the head. At that moment, the Red Ravens security team, made up of Mirari Security Droids, advanced on Dasha and her entourage, clamping stun cuffs on the Hutt. Flanked by his droids, a bespectacled, lanky Chiss in a trenchcoat stepped into view and plainly read Dasha the riot act.

"No one is going to Teth with you Dasha. In fact, the only person who's going anywhere is you." With a nod, he gestured to the security droids who began to escort her away.

[member="Jorzen Quank"]

 

[Jorzen Quank]

"I'll see you on Teth!" called Jorzen to Dasha's back as the Chiss and his droids slowly pushed the Hutt's sled towards a side exit. Wouldn't want to upset people just coming in, Jorzen reasoned.

Walking back to Jorda, Jorzen raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Zeltron women?" he asked. "Well, they're very attractive, they don't care who they anger, and apparently, they have problems with Hutts from time to time. Or is that just you?" He looked at the remains of their drinks on the floor. "Maybe we'd better start again." He held out his hand. "Hi. Jorzen Quank. Can I buy you a drink?"

[member="Jorda Ulluto"] [member="Dasha the Hutt"]

 

[Chevu Visz]

Jorda let out a low throaty laugh at Jorzen's little farewell to the Hutt. It probably wasn't the right moment, but with all the adrenaline leaving her body in a flood, she couldn't help it. Righting a few drinking glasses herself, she stood up and shook Jorzen's hand.

"Jorda Ulluto. The pleasure's all mine. I would love a drink."

"And you're mostly right. Zeltron women are usually two of those three things you mentioned. As for my beef with the Hutt, I'm afraid that's my cross to bear. For what it's worth, you handled her very well Jorzen." She nodded her head. "Dasha would not be above trying to devour a man whole even in front of all this security." She looked at him sheepishly from across the table. If her cheeks were not already red, he would have noticed that she was blushing with embarrassment.

"I suppose I should apologize. I'm deeply sorry that she ruined our date."

[member="Jorzen Quank"]

 

[Jorzen Quank]

"Is it over so soon?" asked Jorzen. "I was thinking we might just put this mess behind us and see what else we can do. I mean, unless you've had enough for one night. And the whole 'Zeltron woman' thing was a feint." He shrugged and gave a small smile. "My plan was to get on either side of Dasha and start making a lot of noise so she'd have to turn her neckless head from side to side and keep her off-balance. It works when being attacked by acklay, so I thought..." He shrugged again. "Anyway. How about we casually walk away from this mess and find a table somewhere --" He turned his head suddenly at the sound of alarm bells blaring. Reaching to his side for a holster that wasn't there, he relaxed as he saw a cascade of credit chips spilling into the hands of a Quarren in a powder-blue jumpsuit with glowing yellow piping. Jorzen cringed. "That's a winner all right," he nodded.

[member="Jorda Ulluto"]

 

[Chevu Visz]

The Zeltron was taken aback. She hadn't expected the beast hunter to want to continue after that spectacle. Although she was perfectly fine with tucking her tail between her legs and calling the blind date a failure, she was pleasantly surprised that he was still game. As a Zeltron, Jorda was generally the last one to leave the party anyway, so when it came to socializing, she was always up for more.

She smiled, flashing him her perfect white teeth. "It doesn't have to be over yet, Jorzen. The night is still young and we certainly didn't get enough to drink." She gestured towards the spilled glasses. "Besides, if you've heard any myths about Zeltron women, maybe I can help dispel them first-hand. Or confirm them." With that she gently draped her hand on his arm, her touch as light as a feather.

She smiled when he jumped and reached for his firearm at the sound of the bells ringing. The later it got the more raucous the casino became. "Maybe we should go someplace a little more quiet." Jorda suggested.

"Unless there's something else you had in mind?"

[member="Jorzen Quank"]