I Must Confess, I feel like a Monster (Open)

[Gavin XIII]

Bars are good for many things. Drinking, eating, and trying to totally forget about any semblance of a life you had outside of them are definitely among those. The man known as Gavin Thirteen was decidedly utilizing the bar for a completely different reason. He was a cold, hardened, killer. He'd been paid to kill a man in this room. This place had simply been bait for said job.

Sitting as he was in the corner, he could easily scan the room, with his face and the rather distinctive tattoo that identified him hidden. His slightly infamous embossed repeater hung loosely from its holster in the folds of his coat, ready to be grabbed at the slightest movement. It wasn't like he wanted trouble -or maybe he did- but nobody ever died quietly of a bolt to the head.

[member='Sayl Bane'] [member='Sage Bane']

 

[Sayl Bane]

((That Skillet reference.))

Out of the three options given, Sayl was definitely at the bar for the third. Her life up to this point had been a combination of managing to survive on the streets of Nal Hutta along with her recent reunion with her twin brother, [member="Sage Bane"]. So, a time to forget everything with consequences that weren't all that new was something she'd jumped at and inevitably drug her brother along with as well. Then again, he wasn't too opposed to the idea either. This was a chance to ignore the all too real problems that their current life posed them while perhaps catching up in the process, something the both of them needed, or at least, what she wanted.

But waiting around for him to finish up whatever it was he was doing wasn't her style, so she'd already stepped inside and was currently scanning those patrons milling about the establishment as well as those sitting in the more concealed places. Those that tried to remain hidden typically drew more attention to themselves in the process, which was the ultimate reason for her noticing the man sitting in the corner with his face and therefore any identifying marks that might have been there concealed. Clever. But that wasn't her priority at the moment.

Finally spotting what she was looking for she stepped forward, bumping into one of the decidedly less sober individuals and consequently relieving them of any credits on their person in the process. It was always easier when they were inhibited, and as she tucked the chips away, she couldn't make herself feel bad for any of it. In her world, it was kill or be killed, and the same strategy transferred over to this situation. Whether it was ultimately moral was up in the air, but the relative karma of things didn't concern her.

With that little diversion out of the way she took a seat at the bar, swiveling in her chair to turn and study the rest of the room once more, now waiting rather impatiently for her brother to arrive.

[member="Gavin XIII"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage Bane, whether he meant to or not, never arrived anywhere on time. The city streets were simply too distracting for the young drug dealer. Beautiful creatures, addictive substances, and tempting get-rich-quick schemes lurked around every corner, and restraint wasn't one of Sage's strengths. Pleasure-seeking had almost become a way of life since the young half-Chiss was freed from slavery a few years ago, and he became known on the streets as the man never said no.

Taking his sweet time, he sauntered into the bar where he was scheduled to meet Sayl Bane, his identical twin. Sage squinted through the smoky haze for his spitting image and found her sitting at the bar. A smile crossed his lips as he made his way over to her, reaching into his pocket and putting two deathsticks in his mouth. He lit both and then handed one to her. "Sorry I'm late. I got a little uh, held up." With a smirk he rubbed his a shaky hand on his cheek and wiped away a few dark red lip prints. "Also I got a text from Cryax. He's got a job for me soon. Meeting with some biologist about some computer thing. Who knows. I'm just the middleman."

Glancing around the bar, he saw all manner of shady folks, including a tall guy in a long coat, but unfortunately none of them looked like a glitterstim dealer. Kark me gently with a vibroblade, he thought. He really needed a fix.

[member="Sayl Bane"] [member="Gavin XIII"]

 

[Gavin XIII]

Gavin looked up, over and around the two people who'd just entered the bar. They looked remarkably similar to each other. Siblings, maybe, from the fact that they seemed to be muttering to each other. But they were not his concern. The man behind them was the one who'd be freed from his mortal coil soon. The Thirteenth looked over him, smiling vaguely at the appealing thought of letting the man have a last meal and a drink before he died.

Getting up, he tapped the man on the shoulder, not-gently guiding the man to sit down across from him at his table. Gavin nodded at the menu, silently ordering the man to pick something to eat. He was impressed with his target's stoic lack of reaction, and smirked approvingly when the man ordered some kind of spicy meat pastry thing. Under the lapel of his jacket, the gilded pommel of his gun glinted, and his target's eyes suddenly turned wide.

The former experiment nodded condescendingly at his "guest" to begin eating. When the man had finally licked the last of the meat off his fingers, he regarded him with a warm smile before drawing the pistol. It was gilded like the weapon of royalty, and had "XIII" etched into it in the same color as the embellishments. There was barely a movement between the two men, as a quiet crackling, and the smell of ozone began to resonate from the gun, and there was only a small cry and a quiet thump as the man fell before the now-smoking weapon.

"Rest in peace, sir."

[member="Sage Bane"] [member="Sayl Bane"]

 

[Sayl Bane]

The sight of her brother as he entered the bar only caused Sayl to roll her eyes, and she smiled wryly at his apology, taking the proffered death stick and inhaling deeply, blowing smoke rings into air already clouded with haze. "Held up, sure. I haven't heard that one before." She'd missed her brother, with every fiber of her being, but it seemed that old habits died hard. Which in his case meant that he was late to most every event he was invited to, and usually purposefully, in her experience. Some things never changed. The mention of his up and coming job earned a raised eyebrow from her, however. "So he's making family connections now, is he? That's a new one. Tell him his half-sister said hi." She smirked at that, exhaling another cloud of smoke.

Hopping down from her seat and crossing the room abruptly she thumbed a button on the jukebox that sat against the opposite wall and fed a few credits in, sitting down again next to her brother just as the song she'd chosen began to play. In the middle of this the unmistakable sound of a blaster firing rang out, and she almost instinctively triangulated the sound, stepping closer to the table where the man and the other now dead occupant sat, drumming her fingers absently on the tabletop in front of him, flashing a half-smile in his direction before she returned to her chair next to her brother.

"Eyes over there." She nodded in the direction of the man who was still holding his smoking weapon, not bothering to be subtle in the gesture. Whatever trouble he may have started was already over with the death of the individual slumped over across from him. "Dunno how friendly, but it looks like the guy across from him wasn't too good at making friends."

[member="Gavin XIII"], [member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

"I'll give the blue bastard your regards, Sis." Sage chuckled. Then blowing smoke pink smoke rings from the deathstick, he leaned back against the bar and watched his twin sister play a song with an amused look on his face. Suddenly blaster fire rang out nearby and Sage instinctively grabbed his blaster from its holster. Then he saw the tall guy in the coat standing over a dead smoking body looking down upon it like a sentinel, and Sage put his weapon away. His eyes flickered nervously around the room for Sayl on the off chance that she was caught by a stray blaster shot, but she was merely walking back towards him nonchalantly, as if someone's life hadn't been snuffed out in front of them.

"Huh," he said. "Looks like some scum bucket pissed off some other scum bucket who was just a bit, scummier," he said with a smirk. "That's one less scum bucket breathing my air anyway. Maybe we should buy him a drink."

Then he shared another piece of news "I was going to tell you this before you walked off and that joker got shot, but I also, um, kind of joined the Jedi on Ession?" He said it incredulously as if he himself didn't even believe it, which he didn't.

[member="Sayl Bane"] [member="Gavin XIII"]

 

[Gavin XIII]

Gavin stood, and walked towards the two people who'd been glancing at him, on and off. With a small smile, he looked them both over, assessing any weapons they might've had, and whatever physical strength they possessed. He holstered his gun back into his jacket, and leaned over onto the bar to order, still keeping an eye on the two siblings who seemed oddly interested in him.

The drink felt cool against the back of his throat, and he looked critically at his gun, which seemed to have dirtied itself from the one shot he'd taken. Dropping it onto the bar, he asked the bartender to give him a cleaning cloth before sitting down and setting himself to the task of emptying, cleaning, and reloading his beloved weapon to his satisfaction.

[member="Sage Bane"] [member="Sayl Bane"]

 

[Sayl Bane]

While she would have typically been more intrigued in the fact that the man they'd been watching had seated himself just down the bar from them, her brother's announcement of his most recent exploit came as more than a surprise to her. Sayl had learned to expect many different things from him in her life, and the list was definitely miles long, but this wasn't on it. Sure, their shared Force sensitivity was something both often took advantage of, but never for much else than their own personal gain. His joining the Jedi went against, well, everything she thought she'd known about him. "You'd better bet that you're giving me more than that. Since when are you the type to join the Jedi, of all people?" Despite her tone of disbelief she kept her voice low, knowing how most reacted when confronted with the name of the order of peacekeepers.

Her gaze flitted to the stranger who was currently cleaning his weapon nonchalantly, as if it hadn't been put to use just moments earlier. But she supposed that it was something he was used to, just like she'd adapted to the sound of blaster fire in such close proximity. That, however, wasn't her main concern at the moment, since Sage still had some explaining to do. So her gaze returned to him with a raised eyebrow, death stick still smoking from the corner of her mouth. "C'mon, then. If you don't tell me, then I'll just have to pay a visit to your Temple." Here she gave a half-smile, the both of them knowing it was true.

[member="Gavin XIII"], [member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

"As a matter of fact, sis. It wasn't really by choice. The Jedi busted the cartel and my Master sensed my Force powers. He gave me a choice. Join up or be arrested. And well, you know how I feel about being confined." he smiled, and over his sisters shoulder watched the killer approach. Sage returned the man's icy smile. "I still can't get used to wearing those ugly robes," he said with a frown, his personal style one of a roguish dandy. "And all of the Temple rules." He paused and produced a small cup with a lid. "Which reminds me. Wanna do me a favor and help me pass my drug test?" he laughed. "Seriously though, they'll send me to jail if I fail it."

Making good on his suggestion, Sage ordered a Chadian rum from the bartender and sent it over to the tall guy in the coat who was now mechanically cleaning his weapon right there on the bar. What a cold, fascinating character, Sage thought. He couldn't get a Force read on the guy which was odd. When the bartender delivered the drink and pointed to Sage, he shrugged and said, "For not making a mess back there." He gestured to the table where he'd shot his mark. Then he gave his head a nod as if to suggest the other man join he and his twin.

[member="Sayl Bane"]

 

[Gavin XIII]

Gavin smirked as the proffered drink arrived in front of him. The six power cells fit into the cylinder of his gun, and it spun into place with a quiet clack, with the smooth motion of a well-cleaned weapon. A bit of a satisfied air came up around the Thirteenth as he swung the gun back together, replacing it inside his jacket in the same elegant motion.

He stepped over to the two siblings, his eyebrow raised and his smirk showing almost fang-like teeth behind his lips. The jacket swished around him as he walked, almost like a cloud of darkness. Of course, he couldn't create an actual cloud of darkness, being Force-dead. But the effect was never lost on his enemies... or his friends.

"Yes?"

[member="Sage Bane"] [member="Sayl Bane"]

 

[Sayl Bane]

Despite that they'd been joined by the apparent mercenary Sayl still took time to reply to her brother, sighing and rolling her eyes at his mention of the drug test. Wasn't that just like him, to decide that he actually wanted to pass it what was most likely the night before. It seemed he was actually committed to this Jedi thing, which was news to her, or more than the initial announcement had been. "That's not how it works. We might be twins, but in case you haven't noticed," Here she gestured to herself. "I'm not exactly a guy. They'll be able to tell that, among other things. Besides, if you knew that you had to be clean..." She shook her head. "Never mind. I guess you'll have to explain things to your Master, huh?" She shrugged. "As for joining in the first place, I can't really blame you there. Does that mean he'll be trying to recruit me next?" A wry smile found her lips at the thought.

Only after that business had been taken care of did she turn her attention to the new arrival with a half-smile and a curious look as she studied him. This was the first time that she hadn't been able to at least sense something about another, which brought to mind that he was dead to the Force as a whole. That only served to intrigue her more. "Sayl and Sage." She indicated first herself then her brother. "You have an interesting aura, which is to say none at all." For a split second she glanced to the previously occupied booth where the body was just now being cleared away. "Not a bad shot either, which leads me to assume mercenary or bounty hunter. Care to explain?" Simple, short and straight to the point, as was usual for her. The fact that she'd even bothered to introduce herself or her brother was a rare display of pleasantries or any attempt at small talk.

While awaiting his reply her gaze flicked once more to Sage. "You'll have to bring me around for a visit, anyway. Which reminds me, I've got a place on Antecedent now, courtesy of Cryax. Which means that we both have somewhere to live without worrying about the rent. He said he'd help me out with it until I'm able to find something else. And since I don't plan on becoming a nun like you anytime soon, I'll have to see about getting a job somewhere."

[member="Gavin XIII"], [member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage raised his eyebrow when Sayl told him about her new place. Even though he was happy for his sister, and relieved that she would no longer be sleeping on the streets, he felt the familiar sting of sibling jealousy. "Cryax didn't offer me a place to stay," he admitted with disappointment in his tone. Then he shrugged. "But that might have had something to do with the fact that I hit on his boyfriend." Sage grinned widely and added, "Who by the way, was totally into me."

Then in his drug-fueled haze it suddenly registered that she wanted him to live there, too, and he wrapped his arms around his sister, smiling widely. "Sayl, my bestest buddy. I can't wait to move into your new pad." Then he planted a big exaggerated wet kiss on the cheek, knowing that the place would soon be trashed within the first week of occupying the apartment.

He cut his eyes over to the guy in the coat who obviously had some kind of weapon fetish. Then the half-Chiss leaned in and whispered in his sister's ear. "Between you and me I think he pissed in the tall man's Dantooine cereal."

[member="Sayl Bane"] [member="Gavin XIII"]

 

[Gavin XIII]

Gavin looked around, expecting some kind of surveillance or something. Nobody could call him an incautious man, or a fool. He wasn't going to introduce himself without some kind of reason. Then, he heard the name 'Cryax', and his ears perked up. His smirk broke out into a full-blown grin and an evil-sounding cackle. He came very close to the both of them, close enough that his "XIII" tattoo would show around the lapel of his jacket.

"I heard the name Cryax..."

He pointed at the woman, and then her brother.

"One Bane, two Bane, red Bane, blue Bane."

His sanity returned as quickly as it had gone, and he leaned on the bar with his drink.

"I am the Thirteenth. Nobody-"

He grinned at the man.

"-has dropped urine in my cereal, thank you. It's just business."

No further explanation of himself was required. Being a Force-void was pretty common, as insane abilities go. And what did these two care?

[member="Sage Bane"] [member="Sayl Bane"]

 

[Sayl Bane]

The fact that the man - or the Thirteenth, though that wasn't much of a name - perked up after hearing the name of their half-brother didn't escape her notice, and she carefully weighed the fact that chances were high Cryax had a bounty on his head in a number of systems, and this one was just another interested collector. To say it overly concerned her would be a lie, but it did draw her curiosity, which wouldn't relent until it was sated one way or another. It might not have been the wisest thing to reveal them as relatives, but something told her the man was already aware. "Yeah, we're his half-siblings. And?" Sayl was still being moderately defensive about things, even if he did seem like someone whose company she could learn to appreciate.

Although she'd expected something similar in terms of Sage's reaction to her inviting him to live with her, he still never failed to amuse, and she grinned with a quiet laugh. "Yeah, yeah, I'm your bestest buddy now. What happens after your drug test?" She smirked and nudged him playfully, knowing that he'd come back with complaints of his own in the event that it was unsuccessful. They just wouldn't be twins if she didn't put up with him sometimes. "Because I don't want to hear it from you when you end up in a cell."

[member="Gavin XIII"], [member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

When Cryax's name fell from the mouth of the Thirteenth, Sage's hand moved to the blaster pistol at his thigh. It wasn't as fancy as the weapon wielded by the strange character in front of him, but unlike his brother, Sage was a decent shot, even with drug-addled aim. It wouldn't be hard to at least wound the guy. He drew his weapon and held it up at the man, aiming right between the eyes. The swiftness with which the fellow disposed of his mark was formidable so Sage didn't want to take any chances. Sure it was about to make things very tense, but being the second one to draw on a guy like this would only get the twins killed.


Sage decided that he was going to deal with this in a less friendly manner than Sayl. Stepping in front of his sister to shield her from any bullets, he leveled a question at the Thirteenth. "How do you know Cryax Bane? And how did you know that we were related to him? We're a little pale to look like Chiss, don't you think?" He narrowed his eyes and clicked off the safety on his weapon. "You're going to tell us who you are and what you want with our brother, or you're going to be saying your little nursery rhymes in hell."

[member="Sayl Bane"] [member="Gavin XIII"]

 

[Gavin XIII]

Gavin calmly knocked back the rest of his drink, and then set it down on the bar. With the manner of one totally unconcerned with the weapon in his face, he looked the man in the eye.

"I don't care about your brother at all. Or you two, for that matter. Unless I'm paid to fuck with the Ravens, I'm simply a city-loving contract killer. Sure, there are bounties and bounties on Mr. Blue... But the thought of killing him does not hold any interest for me. I bet he's even weaker than you two. I want to kill Jedi, and Sith. You and your little popgun don't impress me."

Just to illustrate the point, the Thirteenth jogged Sage's finger, causing him to shoot. All that would appear would be a nasty scorch mark. The work of a Sith was not so easily damaged.

[member="Sayl Bane"] [member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Armand Temi]

As Armand Temi made a sweep around the bar for the sixth time, he cursed his friend Carles for convincing him that the nightlife sector of... oh Queen Mother, what planet was he on again? Armand tried to think but his brain was addled by the many drinks he had consumed through the night. Wherever it was ... Mindor, Colla, Tala, ah it didn't matter he would remember in the morning. What he did remember was that Carles had convinced him that this planet's entertainment sector would be a perfect location for a weekend getaway. Carles was engaged to his oldest sister Txomin and was "scouting" locations for his bachelor party, although Armand knew that his mother T'qa wouldn't allow her son-in-law to hold a fete in such a place. Sorry Carles, with the lofty taste my mother has, thought Armand, you and I will be in a stuffy reception hall in Hapes for my sister's wedding and not some seedy galaxy playground for the rich.

And this bar was neither a playground nor a place for the rich. It was just plain seedy.

Armand sat down, the fire-water he had consumed making him feel weary all of a sudden. He realized there was a good chance that Carles had headed back to his hotel without him since he had yet to find his future brother-in-law. He sighed and tried not to be annoyed by the situation - both his friend going missing or the low-life atmosphere in which he found himself. He had been studying hard lately and didn't it feel good to let off some steam? He approached the bar steadily, trying to not seem that drunk but then he realized no one around him was paying attention. He thought he heard a blaster shot go off nearby and looked over just in time to see a human-like figure with his face obscured get shot in the face by another patron who clearly had an identical sister. But the man didn't go down at all. Astounding and given his medical training, quite impossible.

He would normally not approach strangers especially in a place as disreputable as this, but with the bravado of a drunken soldier, he felt compelled to say in his best non-Hapan accent, "What the hell is going on in here?"

Gavin XIII Sayl Bane Sage Bane

 

[Sayl Bane]

Looking past her brother despite his obvious intentions to keep her safe, Sayl blinked in surprise when her twin fired and there was no effect other than a seemingly harmless scorch mark that was the only indication of what had just happened. In all of her years spent on the streets of Nal Hutta bearing witness to a number of odd and near impossible feats, this was a new one. Not many, if anyone at all, could stand up to a direct, point-blank blaster shot to the head. Which meant they were dealing with someone who was not only a dangerous mercenary, but of another kind altogether. And with there being no sign of peace between the two of them, it seemed that she would have to be the voice of reason. Not the wisest decision, all things considered.

First she dealt with the blaster Sage still held, thumbing the safety on before pulling it from his grasp, setting it on the bar in front of her, out of his reach for the time being. "You're going to have to ask nicely for that back." Next she looked to the Thirteenth, her gaze still unwavering but with a new gleam of curiosity sparking in her dark eyes. "First there's you being Force-dead, now this business of not dying with a headshot..." She tilted her head. "You certainly have me intrigued, is all I'll say." Now her attention was turned again to her brother's blaster pistol, which she deftly disassembled into three pieces, pushing it back across to him with nothing more than a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

And as if the night hadn't been interesting enough, they were joined by yet another stranger. At his impromptu introduction, she merely turned to him with a faint amused smile. "Well, hello to you, too. Depends on who's doing the asking, but apparently he," She nodded towards [member="Gavin XIII"], "Can't die. And my brother's defensive, nothing new. Can we help you?" She looked him up and down with a quick, practiced eye, searching for any weapons or anything else of interest, all the while keeping an eye on how he carried himself. There was the faint tinge of alcohol on his breath, so it was obvious he'd been drinking previously.

With a glance to Sage and a nearly imperceptible shake of her head to indicate that it wouldn't be in his best interests to start trouble with the new arrival, she waited for a reply from any and all of them.

[member="Armand Temi"], [member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Holding his deathstick between his teeth, Sage took the blaster pieces from his sister with a frown. Was she karking nuts? This Force-dead madman was going around talking about bounties on Banes and then shot himself in his own face, and she thought it was a good idea to disarm him and disassemble his weapon? Leave it to her ever-presesnt overconfidence to get them all killed. turned to the bartender, ordering a Chadian rum. Pink deathstick smoke momentarily clouding his face, Sage turned back towards the group and saw a human male approaching.

Great, another bounty hunter perhaps? Was it a field day on Banes? Sage started to make a snarky comment, but when the man took on the authoritative tone of a Republic peacekeeper, he clapped his mouth shut. The last thing he needed was for another do-gooder from the Mid Rim to haul him in on drug trafficking charges. Sage nonchalantly leaned against the bar and blew a cloud of acrid smoke in the man's general direction, his heavy-lidded brown eyes flashing between his sister, the human, and whatever that Thirteenth thing was.

[member="Sayl Bane"] [member="Armand Temi"] [member="Gavin XIII"]

 

[Gavin XIII]

Gavin smiled warmly at their new guest, and then back at the two Bane people. With a look at the bartender, he took his refill off the bar counter, and leaned at an extremely relaxed angle. His smile faded as his mind processed the tone of the man's voice. With a jump from his rough, growling, voice to a much more pronounced Core-like drawl, the Thirteenth spoke up.

"Why, you seem to be overly concerned. I was simply demonstrating the fact that I don't die easily. It might be your concern if you were a lawman, but you're not. So hi, there. Don't try and shoot me, cos it doesn't work. Does hurt, though."

He stole some brandy out of a random glass, disregarding the anger of the man the glass belonged to, and rubbed it across the scorch mark on his forehead, grimacing at the slight sting. He looked back at Sage disinterestedly, and waved a hand at him noncommittally.

"Like I said, I don't give a damn about your bounty. Leave me be."

[member="Sage Bane"] [member="Sayl Bane"] [member="Armand Temi"]