Edge of Seventeen

[Kaile Vera]

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Das Kno W're
::: Somewhere where yo Momma won't like.
::: Shadow Port



Das Kno W're was a rather curious little shadowport. Let's just say that it lay smack dab between a massive nebula reminicent of the Hapan Transitory Mists; it took some effort to find this place - b-uttt, it was worth it.

You got some black market goods you wanna peddle? Check! Want some hard to find Khetos flamin' hot chips that are lightly drizzled in spice? Check! Hey, maybe you've a dire need to do some odd jobs with questionable folk. Got you covered!

The entire place was a massive mining facility and shadow trade port, organic in nature and full of curious organic bits and such that peddled for top dollar elsewhere. Some say that it was Zonama Sekot's seed, left behind like some lingering turd floating along the porcelin bowl that was the 'Verse. Others say that it was what was left behind of some massive ancient Star Dragon skull. Whatever it was, it didn't matter.

For Kaile, it was a flash from the past. Mainly because the last time she was here, things got a bit crazy. The exploding buildings kind of crazy. Hopefully, that wouldn't be the case this time around, she mused, hitching the straps of her bag against her shoulders. A slight frown would pucker over her brow. A thought coming to her.

Things were getting complicated. Kaile wasn't sure exactly what it meant, but she felt it deep in her bones. Something was coming. Something was churning, laying in wait. What could it be? Kaile wasn't sure. She was discovering things every day, seeing how it affected her and those around her.

Kaile had dropped Kurt off at one of the Core Worlds. Kaile didn't need to ask why, he was giddy enough as it was to read. A half smile in memory curved her lips. He was like a youngling. Kaile only wished the very best for him.

Taking a deep breath -- and getting nothing but the acrid stench of.. well a shadow port -- Kaile crinkled her nose. She was here to meet a contact. Hopefully things went well and she would pick up and deliver the data.

However, things rarely ever went to plan when Kaile was involved.

 

[Alndys]

Olan was beginning to think he was cursed. After being stranded in deep space, he'd been rescued by a beautiful blonde - who'd dragged him halfway out into the black outside the Galaxy before they'd parted ways over some stupid issue that he had come to decide was entirely his fault. Now, he was doing garbage work in a garbage shadowport, and the only reason he'd even gotten mixed up with these lunatics was that he had the advantage of being dead.

Legally dead, specifically. Dropping out of the Galaxy for the larger part of a decade had a way of doing that to a guy. If nothing else, it was useful for confusing the occasional droid or stuffy bureaucrat, a useful trait for a smuggler to have. Not that Olan did much smuggling these days. Once he'd made enough to get his feet back under him, he'd opted for safer and less egregiously illegal work. Chloe had at least left him with that urge to do the right thing where he could, even if 'the right thing' was outside of the law. And, true to form, Olan found it much easier to do the right thing when it helped him further himself.

He was expecting company today, which was a change of pace. Usually, he was the company. And the payout was enough to make it worth spending the day doing nothing else, which was also a nice change of pace. Olan wasn't sure whether he was security, smuggler, or warden of the woman who was supposed to come and meet him in Sub-dock 119F, Port J-2, but either way, he was ready to get back out into the Galaxy again.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Olan Black"]

The mynock likes to boogie.

That was the code word. At least, the one that would clarify to her would be meet up of who she was. Now, she would need to get smuggled down to the mines. That is why they hired a guide of some sort. Or was it smuggler? Kaile twisted her lips and gave a shrug. It would all worked out in the end. It always did one way or another.

Bobo was secured nicely to her back, his nutrient tube inside the well worn and well traveled nerfsack. She had every intention of making a new harness for the tiny lizard, however, credits were few and far in between. She had plans on using some self healing metal that she heard about, and if she could salvage some, would do nice.

Mind full of schematics and plans, the strawberry blonde wove her way through the crowd. There was always something about Shadow Ports Kaile enjoyed. With so many folk out there in the black, the ones with the most character, with the best of tales managed to congregate in these watering holes. You could find all kinds of curious curios, but you could gain a wealth of information just by observing those who partook of the haven Das Kno W're.

Some here here to hide. Others to make a quick buck. There were those who were here in order to gain access to resources they normally wouldn't be able to get their hands; medicine, drugs, whatever sort of fancy they may have. There were folk with morals as much as there were without. It was a melting pot of personalities. For a Lorrdian like Kaile, who used her skills to glean information passively and sometimes actively from others, it was like stepping into a candy store.

A small smile lit her lips, her pony tail top knot bouncing lightly with each step. Wide brown eyes would pan the main docking area. Now, she was supposed to look for a man wearing a bright blue shirt near the McYoda's.

After all, who didn't like McYodas?!

 

[Alndys]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Olan did not like McYoda's. Too many calories in such a cheap package was a recipe fit to ruin his livelihood if he indulged too often. As a former chubby child and death-by-starvation survivor, a huge bag of greasy cheeseburgers was all too tempting. It wasn't long into his waiting before Olan opted to get a disgustingly sweet milkshake to supplement his waiting experience. Chocolate, AND vanilla? What a horrendous, wonderful time to be alive.

Truth be told, he wasn't sure what to make of this job. He'd gotten his instructions from a guy he owed money to, and they'd been pretty sparse - practically non-existent. He was supposed to meet a girl, while wearing a blue shirt, and she'd feed him a code phrase. He'd return that code with one of his own, and then he was taking her down into the mines. What she was doing there was a mystery. Hopefully, she wasn't planting a bomb or anything crazy like that - he'd really prefer not to have that kind of blood on his hands. But what was a guy to do?

It likely wasn't anything too serious. Maybe she was scouting the mine for corporate investment and was relying on anonymity to do so without being accosted by the local criminal element.

In any case, Olan found himself a bench to place his behind on and scanned the crowd for anyone that looked like they didn't fit in. That was a waste of time, of course, because shadowports like this one pulled in the weirdos from all over the galaxy. If anything, as a scruffy human guy about to embark on a possibly criminal endeavor, he was the token representation of the Galactic norm. So he sat, enjoyed his milkshake, kept an eye out and waited for someone to inform that the mynock likes to boogie - so that he could ask if they also liked the nightlife.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Olan Black"]

Kaile had a knack for observing folk. It made picking up targets easier - not in that kind of way! The Alliance has specific goals in place when it came to data gathering. This specific mission had specific top secret plans of the like, well, Kaile wasn't sure of what exactly. It wasn't her concern. However, rumor had it that many Bothans had died to get it.

That was a bit bleak, enough to give her a dose of glum. Focus, Kaile! Setting her shoulders straight, the Lorrdian would weave her way through the crowd. McYoda.. McYoda...

Like a beacon of hope for those who made a habit of late night runs to soak up the booze in their bellies, the massive McYoda's sign would float about the building in question. Not too shabby.

Now where was her hit?

Biting her lower lip, the agent would scan the area. She had to look and act natural, so she slowed her walk so it would seem as if she were considering a Double Double. Wide, chocolate brown eyes swept over its patrons. There were a few Bith's, a Trandoshan. Even a Gamorrean. Yet where was blue shirt--

Oh!

Right there, ten o'clock. With a shaggy short mop of hair and the blue shirt.

And a milkshake. Actually a milkshake sounds pretty good...

No! Focus! Right! With some internal chiding, Kaile sauntered her way over to Olan. All smiles and bright eyes, Kaile dropped her gaze at the flying mynock image plastered against his milkshake cup.

"Hi!" She began, leaning in for a hello. "Is that the new flavor?" She gestured to the milkshake.

 

[Alndys]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Now there was a cute one - girl trying to make up her mind on what she wanted, Olan couldn't help but wonder if she knew how many men there had already decided on her. Maybe not too many, what with the wide array of non-human species, but at least one had. If he didn't have a job to do, he'd already be chatting her up. Good looking girls who could still smile like that weren't the most common thing in this part of the Galaxy. And then she was bouncing his way abruptly, eyes dashing between his shirt and his cup and who knew what else.

Crap! Look casual!

"Hey. It sure is." Olan answered in a rumbling drawl, leaning back in his seat with a stock ain't-I-a-scoundrel smile on his face. Maybe she was the girl he'd been told to look for? Now he wished that he wasn't wearing such a raggedy and worn pair of jeans, but to be fair, all of his jeans were about the same level of raggedy and worn. Was't much to be done about it now.

Olan sat up a little straighter on principle and offered his milkshake to the girl with the million-credit smile. "Y'can have a taste, if y'like - but it's a little heavy. Might wanna have a seat, first." He suggested, though it was as much an aloud hope as anything else. She looked like good company. Those near-reflective eyes and that genuine, room-warming smile reminded him of... someone else, and he'd be lying if he didn't admit to himself that that similarity pulled him to get to know her a little better.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Olan Black"]

Oh he was sweet.

A pair of dimples would flash as her smile brightened. If this was her contact, all the better! "Okay." she agreed, rocking on her heels with a slight flounce. Taking up on his offer, perhaps much to his surprise, Kaile sat herself down beside him. A deep exhale blew out her cheeks and sent her long bangs flying up over her head.

"Sorry," she said with a sheepish grin, as if her weary exhale would insult him. Instead of taking the milkshake first, she offered her hand. Warmth shone in her eyes and the sun hung from her mouth, "I'm Kaile." she introduced herself.

"This your first time at this waterin hole?" she asked, curious. That question always brought some interesting story.

 

[Alndys]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

He chuckled and shook her hand, trying not to squint at all that oppressive warmth. "If this is y'definition of a waterin' hole, luv, then I'd hate to show you a real one." Olan replied with a grin. It was hard not to smile, nearly everything about her own was woefully contagious. "This is a chain joint. McYoda's is about th' only big corp that can get a foothold on Das Kno W're." After all, who didn't like greasy cheeseburgers for pocket change? Nobody, that's who.

Stretching his arm across the back of the seat, Olan pushed the milkshake over to Kaile with the back of his hand. "My rule of thumb - if a place's got a couple managers an' not one 'boss', it ain't a waterin' hole. It's just a place." He offered sagely, before scratching his scruffly chin - should have shaved, dammit - and shrugging helplessly. "I'm Olan, by th' way." There was no amount of smooth that could offset his inner dork, Olan feared. Better to say less rather than speaking and removing any doubt.

"So, you make it a habit a' goin' up ta' strange men an' sittin' next to 'em?" Olan asked with a raised eyebrow. "Cos I gotta say, I don' think it'd work out for me, but it kinda works for you."

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Olan Black"]

Her small hand slipped into his larger one, catching it in a firm but friendly shake. At his commentary of the proper definition of a waterin' hole compared to chain joint, there was a flash of devilry and mischievousness glinting within the depths of her chocolate brown eyes. He was made out of a scruffy jaw and hard angles, with distinct low brows and a bright easy going eyes.

Leaning close, she said with a grin, "Nice to meet you Olan," her nose gave a perk wiggle, and she laughed at his query." I like meeting folk," she told him honestly, shining him that friendly sunny smile. "And watchin' them."

A small gesture would direct towards a pair of Bith in line for McYodas. "And imagining what they are saying to each other." a few inches closer, and she ducked her head close to him to whisper. "He's tellin' her that he can't take the filletocrab this time around. Apparently it don't suit his delicate condition."

 

[Alndys]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Now this was a catty sort of interesting fun. And something of a twist. He'd put on his big, seasoned spacer pants with the intention of meeting a strange woman and helping her accomplish some important task, but now it felt more like he'd been set up on a date. The girl was taking to him like they were old acquaintances, and he didn't mind her sense of mischief in the slightest. Even if she wasn't the person he'd been sent to meet, Olan decided that spending today around those dimpled cheeks was quite possibly the best use of his time. Her story about the Biths brought a subdued laugh from him, an effort not to draw attention to the pair. "Z'at so?" Olan asked with a grin, laying his hand on Kaile's shoulder and similarly leaning in to share in the quiet voices and conspiracy of the moment.

"Y'see those three over there, luv? T'Bothan, with t'two big humans?" He pointed out, pointing her towards a stuffy-looking Bothan woman in an expensive gown, flanked by two human men who looked like they were at least part Gamorrean. "She's th' preacher o'some whack-job local religion, big on hatin' folk, bedroom-wise, ya know?" He explained. "But I've worked with both those fellas - good guys. Been married for shy on ten years, now. An' the stuck up ol' preacher who spends all day with 'em has no idea. They overcharge her by double, to even out havin' t'listen to her nonsense."

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Olan Black"]


He had an infectious accent to go along with his charming smile. It was friendly, open. The Lorrdian enjoyed seeing the shift of emotion dance across his face, the easy-going manner. He picked up on her cues and played along with her game. That was an extra point in her holobook.

Her lips pursed with a tight mischievous smile, the apples of her cheeks high to go along with the devilry in her eyes. She gave a short laugh at that ‘revelation’ of what the Bothan ‘preacher’ didn’t know. Shoulders shaking, a quick perk of her brows relayed her praise.

“Guess folk are more than what they seem,” she teased, chuckling as she again, threaded her fingers through the waves of her hair. So far, no other scruffy faced blue shirt wearing guys loitering around McYoda’s. Guess that meant only one thing.

“But answer me this,” Kaile began, leaning closer as if about to share a secret.

“Does the mynock like to boogie?”

 

[Alndys]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Ahh, what a relief. Sort of. Rather than just spending the day with this adorable woman, he could do that and the job he'd been hired to do all in one fel swoop. The only fly in the ointment was the sudden urge to run his own fingers through her hair and save her the trouble of doing it herself. "That's the question, innit." Olan rumbled thoughtfully, scratching his scruffy chin as he leaned in to keep the conspirital air of their exchange. Sure, nobody cared about two humans smiling and whispering at each other in a corner of the McYodas, but wasn't it just a part of the fun? "Does 'e also like the nightlife?"

It was hard to act so serious when they had such ridiculous code phrases, harder than Olan would have guessed. Was that intentional? Maybe.

With the shibboleths exchanged, that seemed as good a time as any to figure out what was going down. Olan picked up his milkshake and took a sip, taking a moment to glance around the restaurant before speaking again. "So, hey. I've freed up th' whole day - what would y' like ta do wit' it?" Olan inquired absently. In a similarly absent fashion, he noted his hand hadn't moved from her shoulder, either - better not to do it now, lest he draw undue attention to it.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Olan Black"]

The weight of his hand hadn't been missed. However, it was all about playing along. From what she read from Olan, he didn't mean anything by it -- well, anything with ill intent.

Okay, that depends on the kind of intent.

He was a funny guy. I'm a pretty easy going girl. There was interest in his gaze and generally that meant that at least she made a good impression. Kaile knew well that she stood on the line of pretty, but it was more her sociable manner that made the type of easy going conversationalist that earned her many tips -- and information - when running tables.

"How about you show me around?" she offered in turn, the corner of her mouth twitching. To anyone observing them, it would appear to be casual flirtation. To a degree it was, but it also served a purpose. They had to get down to the Red District and wander through to The Works, the larger industrial area deeper into the organic floating seed of a shadow port.

 

[Alndys]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Yeah, I'cn do that." Olan decided easily. Sure, they'd have to go through some unsavory places to get to the mine, but a job was a job. Besides, if she was getting set up to go into a mine on a Shadowport with a scruffy individual like himself, chances are she was no delicate flower in need of protection from the unsavory places of the Galaxy. Olan took the clue that it was time to go to work and slid himself out of the bench, taking a moment to stretch his lanky limbs out. Much better.

The remainder of his massive milkshake could be left for one of the many tiny scavengers that seemed to live in places like McYoda's. With Kaile presumably in tow, he set out from the chain joint at a casual, ambling pace that implied a degree of comfort in his surroundings and a knowledge of where they were going. And he did know where they were going - if she wanted into the mines, presumably to see the organic heart of Das Kno W're, then the only real direction they needed to go was 'down'. They'd get there eventually.

"When we git inta' th' red places, try not t' make eye contact wit anyone y'don't have ta." Olan advised, leading Kaile onto a fairly empty lift. As it was the middle of a 'working shift', the closest thing to a Spacer's day cycle, it wasn't that populated. And on a shadowport, you either worked the lower levels or scavenged on the higher floors, simple as that - there wasn't any room for people to just be vagrant for very long. "Some of 'em'll take it as an invitation, an' I'm sure some of the girls see it as a challenge. S' just keep yer eyes forward an' look in the sly if y'gotta look. Money's tight enough that folk like ta' pick fights when they don't hafta, y'ken?"

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Olan Black"]

Kaile was grateful for that bit of advice. Most folk wouldn't have even bothered or even thought about it. Definite point for Olan, she mused. If anything, the Lorrdian would be able to mimic being a rather submissive individual if she had to. What happened once they got to the red district and beyond could change at the drop of a credit. They both had to be on their toes.

"I'm grateful for that bit of advice," Kaile said warmly to Olan, swinging her hands up in front of her self for a bit. The Lorrdian just couldn't simply stay still. Some part of her had to keep constantly moving. "I'll just stick close to you, if you don't mind." she'd add, with a half smile. They had to lean on each other for what could happen. That was the reason why Olan had been tasked for the job.

"So... how did you end up here?" she asked him, as they wove their way away from McYoda's. There were more sapients around them. A good amount of Gamorreans and Trandoshans. There were a few bounty hunters too. Add to it the spice distros and other booth peddlers, one could never know what or who they would come across in this shadow port.

 

[Alndys]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

Olan gave a dry chuckle as they stepped off of the lift. The mid to lower levels of Das Kno'Wre weren't vastly different from the higher ones - an ecclectic mixture of stone and crystals, buildings and busy sentients off to who knew where. If there was one thing to be noted, it was a slightly higher concentration of rubbish in the corners and alleyways - anything that had value as food or scrap had been long since picked up, of course, leaving mostly papers and similar pieces of garbage. There was a soft thrumming in the air from the stabilizers keeping the Shadowport in place and maintaining the atmosphere, and the occasional snippets of raunchy music and conversation as people milled in and out of buildings. "'Ow does anyone end up in a place like this?" Olan asked, sliding his thumbs into his beltloops as he led the way down the middle of the 'street', minding the claustrophobic rise of high-density apartments on either side of them and the foot traffic. "Ran out of better places ta be."

After giving Kaile a considering look, Olan sighed and offered a slightly self-concious smirk. "There was a girl." He explained simply. "A good'n. Met when she saved m'life in a big way. Rambled about with 'er for awhile - she was a gypsy soul, that'n." The spacer guided Kaile expertly out of the way of a cargo trolly flanked by security droids bound for the docks before continuing. "I wanted more than what was happenin', and she wanted somefin' else that I wasn't, so nothin' romance-wise really happened. D'cided I couldn't keep relyin' on her charity, so we parted ways as friends. I wound up 'ere, huckin' freight for a barge company. Slept in one day, they left me behind - and the HALCYON don' run out this far. S'how it is, y'know?"

The smell of gaudy, thick incense and perfume filled the air as surely as whispered offers of companionship to anyone who looked remotely invited, signalling that they'd entered the red district. Olan, an experienced city slicker of some years, had long since mastered the ability of keeping his eyes forward without looking particularly at any one person or thing, a good way to avoid trouble. "What about you, luv? Y'seem like a sweet girl, tell me there ain't a whole army of fellas lookin' to 'elp ya to better places than this'n." Olan paused, then tilted his head to the side as though remembering something that made him feel foolish. "Not that y'can't do it on yer own - didn't mean anyfin' by that. But there's gotta be better things fer a girl with a smile like yers."

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Olan Black"]

Folk were always so fascinating. They had the most colourful of stories. The most interesting collection of why’s and wherefores of how they ended up where they were presently today. Olan’s tale was no different. Curiosity sparked in her brown eyes at the tale, only to flash a sheepish grin at the compliment.

“Sometimes one can’t do things on their own,” she’d say, hooking her thumbs under the shoulder straps of her backpack. Her step was as lively as her cheer. “And considering where we’re going, makes sense to get help no?”

Her face upturned towards the scruffy faced scoundrel, a friendly smile beaming. “And well, sometimes the job requires getting a bit dirty.” her nose scrunched up at that. Yup, questionable puddles and incense clouds. The latter had a tendency to make her sneeze.

“I don’t mind it. I get to meet more people. Folk need their packages delivered and all. “ she made the impression that perhaps she was a courier of some sort.

“And I get to travel!” like Olan, Kaile kept her gaze fixed forward, avoiding from looking at the paraded bits of flesh catcalling for Olan’s attention. They were here to do a quick exchange then get on their merry way. No trouble intended at all.

Well, best intentions and all.

 

[Alndys]

[member="Kaileann Vera"]

And to be fair, there wasn't a whole lot of trouble. Olan wasn't the most physically imposing human possible, but he did well enough - and he had the general air of invisibility earned by virtue of having spent a great deal of time in places just like this one. "Can' argue with tha'." Olan remarked in a slightly blithe tone, scratching his chin as they wove through the crowd. "Always admire when people find a job tha' just appeals to 'em like tha' - everything they wan', an' they get paid ta do it? What'r th' odds?" It must be some kind of enjoyable sort of life. Hella enjoyable, from the way the girl was carelessly throwing out smiles the way a Hutt threw money at a problem. If they weren't genuine, she was one hell of an actress. Or maybe he wasn't as good a judge of character as he thought.

"How much trouble y'expectin', anyway?" Olan asked casually, though he was more than a little concerned. A keen eye would notice that he wasn't packing a blaster or slugthrower, which was a little unusual for somebody hired for what seemed to boil down to escorting somebody to a potentially dangerous area. It wasn't as though Olan was so skilled at fighting that he didn't need a gun, it was more that he didn't carry them. A distaste for that practice had been left in his mouth some time ago.

 

[Kaile Vera]

How much trouble?

Ohhh boy - that had her blowing out her cheeks and a brief widening of her eyes. She gave a slight upward glance, mulling it around. A small grimace. "Not much." it was said a bit hesitantly.

"It's just a drop off and a trade." she was honest about that. The actual drop off wasn't the issue. It was making sure no one managed to cut her off and that it was successful. The whole, it is the route that could potentially be an issue more than the one they were delivering to.

A pause.

Okay, so maybe Magui was a little bit of a concern, but the guy was all pomp and circumstance. Known as the "Collector", he was a treasure trove of information. The kind that he would trade for something rare to add to his display.

"Just going to see the Collector that's all.." she bit her lower lip, giving him a sheepish grin.

"A drop of though!"

[member="Olan Black"]