I'm turning Canto-nese, I think I'm turning Canto-nese

[Zyrias Pax]

One of the most difficult things about being on Canto Bight was the sheer amount of awful jizz music either piped into the less elegant casinos on an endless loop, or the live music at the VIP establishments which was just as bad. Zyrias longed for some thumping techno or experimental tunes the kind you’d find at a desert Zeltron festival. She pretended to like it, but sometimes it made her feel like her ears were bleeding.

So pedestrian. So old. So grating. Like Canto?

Hard to say. Normally she liked the wealthy rock with its lavish and hedonistic attractions. But with Zyri’s young age and manic nature, she’d well overstayed her welcome. Only a couple more days, once her mission was complete, and then she’d be free to hitch a ride with a spacer to her next destination.

This afternoon she was a little more casually dressed, actually gambling for the fun of it, not just trying to hang off of someone’s arm so they’d be more generous with alcohol and their credits. The teenager sat at a low-stakes sabacc table mostly trying to pass the time and avoid some of the stares that likely painted her as an easy-to-rent companion. Didn’t matter, not like there was a dress code here.

“Call,” she said, and as some exasperated sighs went around the table, Zyri noticed she had the world’s most terrible hand.

[member="Djonas Vile"]

 

[Djonas Vile]

Djonas had always experienced this unnerving itch whenever he was in a place of business such as the casino he found himself in at the moment. It was not one he could physically scratch. It was one where he had to gamble away his own funds and risk losing them in order to soothe. One that Canto would certainly release from his body.

Unlike most things involving money, Djonas did not use the Force in order to better his chances when he gambled. That ruined the thrill for him. He let fate decide whether he won or lose. He would lose more often then he cared to admit, but when he won, he made sure everyone knew about it with his over-the-top cheers and bellows.

He always knew how to have fun.

After hitting some of the slots, Djonas found himself at a sabacc table. Card games were a different kind of thrill than any of the other casino games. You weren't up against a computer or betting on some beast being faster than the rest. To him, it was a game of murder. To strike down each of your opponents before they beat you to the punch.

Djonas' attention was slightly off of the game and on a woman with a peculiar hair color. He managed to return his full attention to the game when the dealer called out his name. "I'll raise."

[member="Zyrias Pax"]​

 

[Zyrias Pax]

Zyrias wasn’t the best gambler. In fact, she was a lousy gambler. But there were enough glitterati coming and going from Cantonica that it wasn’t as if she’d garnered a reputation for being a credit leech. The opposite - at least to most on the surface. With her shock of blue hair and colorful outfits and just a spark of mystery, she blended in as some kind of enigmatic runaway rather than a wannabe companion. It wasn’t far from the truth in a way.

But one thing Zyrias learned on was she did need to lose a little to keep up the charade or at least keep the casino goons off her back.

"I'll raise."

The Chameleon raised her head after realizes she was staring at her cards far too long. Had the man who’d just taken his turn been staring at her? The teenager pulled out her databad and began to take a selfie, but the dealer barked, “Put that away. No electronic devices allowed. You should know this by now, Miss Thaxton.”

Her hazel eyes watched Djonas for a moment and then scanned the four other players. Once it was her turn again after a few raised, a few folded and no one called. Zyrias hoped the dealer would order a shift but he did not.

“I’ll raise too. You’re gonna shift soon right, leeah?

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” the dealer quipped, thinking how sick he was of the entitled brat at his table.

[member="Djonas Vile"]

 

[Djonas Vile]

Djonas grew a bit curious of this women. She had some kinda scheme or something, he thought. Either she was packing real heat and willing to prove it or she had a pig hand and was completely bluffing, waiting for the rest to fall for her trick. Either way, Djonas wouldn't fall back. He wanted, no, he needed to see just how far in she'll go before she realize who's she is up against.

"I'll shift."

Djonas' hand was looking mildly decent. He was somewhat confident his was better than the blue haired girl's, but he wanted to be safe rather than sorry. A few more of the players folded up until it was down to Djonas and the girl. "You can walk away right now, you know? I'll even give you back all the chips you put in. I'm a nice guy like that."

[member="Zyrias Pax"]

 

[Zyrias Pax]

Zyrias flashed Djonas a cheshire grin - was that a zeka quartz crown on one of her molars? She would not give him the opportunity to find out as she pursed her lips and stared at her cards in mock concentration, snagging the edge of her lower lip with her two front teeth.

“Really?” she asked, after a long pause between his question and her response as though she'd just now heard it.

She wrinkled her nose as though she was considering it. “That’s awfully sweet of you, but I’ll go all in. You might be a nice guy but maybe I'm a koumihe cheeska veatiuena." If he spoke Huttese he would know that meant: dirty, cheating b#*$h.

Might as well. Nothing else to do but lose your credits and make new friends on a gloomy Cantonica afternoon.

[member="Djonas Vile"]

 

[Djonas Vile]

Djonas couldn't hold back his laugh as the girl put all her credits in. She was confident. Either that, or really stupid. Either way, Djonas liked her. She had moxie. Reminded him of someone he used to know. Amari Vessia. His old main squeeze. Her hair color was a bit off, but the rest just screamed Dharma to him. He had to see more but first, the game at hand.

"Alright, dove. You win. I fold." Djonas smiled as he turned his cards in. "Congrats on your win, but you took quite a bit of money from me. The way I see it, you owe me a few minutes of your time with a drink in both of our hands. What you think?" Djonas flashed his award-winning grin as he slid off his chair and walked up to her. "I won't be taking no for an answer either." He held his hand out to her to help her off her chair.

[member="Zyrias Pax"]

 

[Zyrias Pax]

The Canto Chameleon was used to the daily game of winning and losing. And losing and losing again. But somehow she landed on her feet. Now at least.

The young Zyri, eight-years-old with her dirty face, grime and sand obscuring her freckles, and her tangled mousey brown hair, had taken all of the knocks and slaps from Junktown, Tatooine and her semi-absent salvager parents. She still got into trouble - lots of it - but the nineteen-year old girl was much better at survival and evasion.

Therefore if she lost all of her credits today, she felt confident she’d have more by the end of the night through whatever means.

Cantonica was the best kind of place for a leech like Zyrias. She’d eat the food off of someone else’s china plate if it meant surviving another day.

Therefore she had been surprised that Vile went all in, expecting him to rob her blind.

Eyebrows raised and she squealed.

“Really?”

As she gathered up her credits, holding onto them a little more carefully than someone who was used to wealth would do, Zyrias looked back up at Djonas.

“You read my mind. I was about to buy you a drink.” She motioned to a quiet table in one of the nearby bar areas. “Hey dealer, can you send two Sarlacc Kickers over there?” The Mos Eisley known drink was the first indication, Zyri might have been from Tatooine. “What’s your name?”

[member="Djonas Vile"]

 

[Djonas Vile]

Djonas smirked at her response. "Good to hear. I'm Djonas. Friends call me DJ. Special friends call me...never mind that." A sly wink followed his statement. "Sarlacc kicker, eh? You a desert girl? Can't say I've met one like you before." Djonas watched as the girl gathered her earnings before walking over to the table she reserved for the two of them.

"And your name, dove?"

[member="Zyrias Pax"]

 

[Zyrias Pax]

Zyrias’s hoarse laugh rang loudly through the bar area. “Alright, DJ. I’m Nicole.”

Nicole Thaxton was her last known alias and unfortunately the teenage criminal had not checked her CBPD bulletin updated just that very morning. That name was published on the wanted for all of Cantonica to see.

She took a generous swig of the Sarlacc Kicker and eyeballed her credits again, so many chits that they barely fit into her small bag. Both of these actions signaled a girl who was used to a low-class lifestyle despite her passable poise.

“You’ve never been to Tah-doo-Een-e, huh? Not much to see.” She shrugged her bony shoulders. “Double noon is a karking furnace. Much better planets to be on.”

Zyrias looked around at the opulence of Cantonica around them. She was determined to stay here as long as she could, and maybe DJ was of similar mind and background. Grifting was much easier when you had a partner.

[member="Djonas Vile"]

 

[Djonas Vile]

"Nice to meet you, Nicole." Djonas took a drink of his Sarlacc Kicker himself. He was lucky this time. This was the only Nicole he knew. Also, the only girl he knew with blue hair. He couldn't possibly mess this up. "Nah, can't say I have. Not my kinda place. All that sand. So coarse and rough. It gets everywhere. You know?" Djonas chuckled lightly before drinking some more of his Sarlacc kicker. He had only tried this drink before and normally he wouldn't get it on his own, but offending Nicole was not on his to-do list.

"I've been to a lot of places, though. Seen a lot. Done a lot. More than most in the galaxy would admit to. What you doing here on Canto, Nicole? Doesn't seem like the kind of place for a girl like you."

[member="Zyrias Pax"]

 

[Zyrias Pax]

“That it does,” Zyri said knowingly. Man, if she didn’t have to see, touch or smell another grain of sand she would be a happy camper. But those early days of roaming the dunes, hauling around junk to sell, getting a beating if she came home empty handed had been imprinted upon her. She would dream of the white sand of Tatooine until she was an old, old woman.

But this wasn’t proper Canto Bight conversation so she only said, “Cantonica is nice, but I prefer Coruscant or Nar Shaddaa. Lots more character.” She could not agree more with Djonas. There were so many more interesting hunks of rock to explore in the galaxy.

“Just here on pleasure. A bad break up. Needed to get away.”

That was her go-to line. Most folks understood how heartbreak could lead one down a long, lonely path to gambling.

“What about you?” Her lips embraced the small red straw in the drink. "DJ."

[member="Djonas Vile"]

 

[Djonas Vile]

"Pleasure, as well. Nicole." Djonas smirked before finishing his drink. "I recently retired so I'm just enjoying it."

He could tell this girl had some charm to her. Either that, or the drink was already hitting him. Either way, Djonas enjoyed the time he was having with her. "My man, can we get another round? This one's on me. Charge it to my room." The waiter nodded at Djonas before walking away. "Things get boring back home on Naboo so I'll just take a little vacation here and there to get away from home."

He looked her in her hazel eyes with his own and chuckled lightly. "I gotta say, though, I think I made a pretty good choice comin' here."

[member="Zyrias Pax"]

 

[Zyrias Pax]

“Retired?” Zyrias could not hide the incredulity from her raspy voice. “How did you manage that?”

Basically that was the Canto Chameleon’s dream - to land some big job that went flawlessly and rake in a huge payday. But she had a feeling, like her sabaac hand that night, luck might not be on her side. It never seemed to be.

“Naboo. Are you, like a rich kid?” Zyrias asked gratefully clutching the fresh drink and twirling the red straw before she just drank from the glass lip. “And me too. I’ve never been to Naboo…”

She trailed off as though a hint of where she might want to go in the galaxy next and with whom. Vile was attractive and he'd make a great traveling partner with his credits, looks and luck. However, she still had a mission ahead of her, one that would eventually change her course and send her across the galaxy, both lining her pockets but increasing her chances of death exponentially.

[member="Djonas Vile"]

 

[Djonas Vile]

"Well, there's this work I used to do now I don't anymore. Best to leave it at that."

Djonas chuckled at the mention of being a rich kid. His family did have money, but, unlike most rich kids, he earned his keep as well. It may have not been an honest day's pay but, none of the Vile's could say they have made an honest day's pay, really. A family of cutthroats, murderers, thieves, and gangsters they were. And they were all proud of it. However, Djonas referred to his other occupation that he wished to not speak of ever again. It was a time he'd like to leave in the past.

"Nah, I'm no rich kid. I've got money, if that's what you're asking. Plenty of it. And, if you'd like, I could take you to Naboo. Free of charge."

[member="Zyrias Pax"]

 

[Zyrias Pax]

Zyrias blinked and opened her eyes a little wider. “A man of mystery. You know just how to keep a girl guessing.”

That much was absolutely true. To know that DJ had credits and a questionable background… and as though struck by the heat of the Dune Sea, she fanned herself with a cocktail napkin. Of course the blue-haired teenager assumed his family wasn’t a bunch of Tatooine rednecks like hers were. I mean maybe they were not the most honest and upstanding citizens but in Zyri’s mind, she pictured them more like the wealthy crime lords which inhabited Cantonica, the ones who eyed the handsome couple, wondering if either of them were going to get lucky that night.

And would they?

Zyrias was having too much fun in DJ’s company to think about the next five minutes. “Let’s go to Naboo tonight!” She poured the strong alcohol down her pale, swan-like throat, coughing momentarily and added, “I have to be back on CB tomorrow though. Got a little something to finish up here.”

[member="Djonas Vile"]

 

[Djonas Vile]

"My ride's right out front. Let's go." Djonas left a few credits on the table as a tip before standing up. "And don't worry, I'll get you home before your curfew." Djonas walked off, headed for the entrance. Once he made it there, he waited for his little date for the evening. "It's the white one, boss. Got places to be so bring it quickly." Djonas said as he handed his ticket to the valet.

"Right away, sir."

"So, Nicole, was it? You ready?"

Djonas' vehicle was pulled up, a brand spankin' new airspeeder he had acquired recently he was dying to take another for a ride in.

[member="Zyrias Pax"]​

 

[Zyrias Pax]

Zyrias knew that most around them thought this was more than just a gambling transaction, and that it was a contract of a sexual nature. In this instance, the Canto Chameleon wished she wore an elegant gown instead of some striped jumpsuit that made it appear she was fresh from a Zeltron all-night rave, but feth the haters, she thought.

“Excellent,” Zyrias beamed, stretching a little, testing out her legs for any hint of a drunken wobble. Nope, just slightly buzzed. “And yes, I’m ready.”

Once she saw his ride, “Nicole” was appropriately impressed. While the Gold Digger was similar to many of the luxury speeders spotted in Cantonica, it wasn’t like the teenager got to ride in them every day. Her assignment on the planet ensured that she could have a little bit of fun without getting too close to anyone. She couldn’t actually; it was too dangerous.

But for the here and now as long as the charming DJ kept his promise, she could skip off to Naboo for the night. “How fast can this thing go?" she asked, slipping into the speeder with the enthusiasm of someone who was about to ride a roller coaster.

[member="Djonas Vile"]

 

[Djonas Vile]

"Fast." After Nicole found her seat in the speeder, the canopy closed on it's own and Djonas took the wheel. "You ready?" Without giving her a chance to reply, Djonas immediately floored it. The airspeeder quickly took to the air at incredible speeds without a sign of worry on Djonas' fast, only pleasure. He always enjoyed the thrill of being in the pilot's seat of a vehicle that moved faster than every other vehicle around him.

"Fast enough for you?"

Before they knew it, the two had made it to the spaceport where Djonas' ship awaited. "Here we are." He pulled his airspeeder into the opened cargo hold of his ship and stepped out after opening the canpoy. "Before you ask, cause you girls always do, no I don't bring many girls aboard here. Just the special ones." Djonas walked from the cargo hold, hoping Nicole would follow, and made for the cockpit. "Get yourself strapped in and then we'll take off."

---------------------------------​

​

It was a fairly short trip to Naboo. Thankfully, Djonas knew his way back home no matter where he was coming from. He brought his ship down just outside his home, Avarisium, and powered down the ship. "Home sweet home." He unstrapped himself and looked over to Nicole. "Welcome to Naboo. Anything you had in mind you wanted to do?"

[member="Zyrias Pax"]​

 

[Zyrias Pax]

“Nicole” squealed, clapping her hands in approval of the fast speeder. As the canopy closed with a soft whirring sound, the teenager spied one of those APBs that the Canto police had put out for her. It flashed on a screen and then flipped to a Fizzy-Bip advertisement. Luckily DJ engaged the thruster, and they flew forward but with the grace of a neekoflight. Zyrias could feel them going extremely fast, but the ride was so smooth. So, so smooth. To witness the lights of Cantonica like that was an experience she’d not had yet on the planet.

“That was amazing,” she said once the exited.

"Before you ask, cause you girls always do, no I don't bring many girls aboard here. Just the special ones."

“I bet you have a lot of special friends, DJ,” Zyrias teased with a bit of bravado and bluff. With his fast speeder, expensive ship, perfect dimples and supposed wealth, she got the sense that the Djonas could have been a minor lothario in the galaxy, if not a total playboy.

But either way he was a catch and a half. For a girl on the run, it was tempting to be caught, at least temporarily.

Standing outside of Avarisium, Zyrias raised her eyebrows and said, “Stay here? Forever?” She laughed and gazing at the cerulean-hued pool said. “What about a swim?”

[member="Djonas Vile"]

 

[Djonas Vile]

"Just a handful, baby. Honest."

Djonas couldn't help but laugh at Nicole's little joke about staying here forever. He didn't blame her, though. Avarisium was an amazing place and, with his parents gone, the place was rather quiet. He'd remember her suggestion later, though. He walked towards the front door of his home and opened it for Nicole to enter Avarisium. The interior was a beautifully modern design. Everything was pristine and divine.

"You got something to change in to?"

[member="Zyrias Pax"]