Private Lucky Stars

[Cassus Akovin]

After Radio Star mission...

It used to be that Cassus never even thought about Cartri. Their paths rarely crossed, and when they did, it was social but brief. He was vaguely aware he belonged in the large net of relationships that Daiya cast, given her social butterfly nature, except that Cartri managed to be a bit closer than most. Cassus wasn't bothered by this relationship, but he couldn't help but feel protective of Daiya. He tried to be her brother, but she mistook his advances for something different and in her embarrassment, just settled for friends.

Well, friends could be protective of each other, too, right? Whatever his relationship with Daiya was, after the latest Tatt-chat fiasco, he started thinking about Cartri a lot more. Painfully more than he'd like to.

His unprofessional impulses at the start of the Radio Star missions had been luckily quelled by excellent timing from Brie Jaxx , with whom he shared some fries. It was good. He liked the distraction. He'd have to invite her again sometime when there wasn't a mission or a crisis going on. That would have to wait until a later date, however. He had a different sort of business to attend to.

It wasn't difficult finding where he lived. He also knew that Xan would probably have eyes on this place. Didn't matter to Cassus though, she could watch all she wanted. There was nothing Cassus had to hide, and he'd just as soon make her understand as Cartri. He wasn't so callous as to consider her as merely a machine, but functionally it didn't make a difference. She could be broken like anything else, like this window. That was the one thing Cassus was truly best at.

He didn't have to break the window, but it was certainly more satisfying this way. Cassus found somewhere comfortable to sit and waited. Monitoring the slow rhythmic beep of his Tracking Fobb, keyed in to Cartri Keswoll . At some point, after Cartri was done going out with a friend, or coming back from a date, he'd make his way back to his apartment. Maybe he sensed a familiar presence inside, or Xan tipped him off, or maybe he was intoxicated and didn't notice. Whatever his state of mind, eventually, he would enter and find that he wasn't alone.

"Window's broken, little drafty in here," Cassus called out in the dark leaning against the wall beside it. The city lights gave his helm a dull red glow.

"Sounded like you were looking for a fight earlier. Not wise." He shook his head and pushed off the wall.

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

What a day it had been...

Spending more days with Daiya was starting to become a regular highlight for him. Since getting serious, they had been longing to see each other more. In other words, they couldn't get enough of their company. Today was no different, they both went to watch a new horror film called "The Monster next door" which was about a serial killing sith who was reaping havoc on Denon. It wasn't a true story by any means, but still very scary from how the possibility of it actually happening.

The date went great, and after a few kisses and hugs, they went their separate ways back to their apartments. Cartri had never felt so happy with a girl like Daiya, and he hoped it would continue like this for as long as he lived.

As he reached the front door of his apartment, the smile that had been spread across his face soon faded. Something felt odd... his senses were seemingly raising the alarm about an event he couldn't see. With hesitance, he slowly unlocked and opened the door and saw an individual leaning up against the wall. Even before he spoke, Cartri knew who it was "Yea, cheers for letting me know, Cassus" he replied back sternly, confused as to why Cassus had broke in and waited for his arrival in the first place.

"A fight? scratch that, I want to know what you're doing in my apartment pool boy." he asked, before shutting the door and folding his arms calmly for now "It's not exactly every day you see a bounty hunter waiting in your apartment. Has someone put a bounty on my head, or are you here to cause more trouble heh?"

Cassus Akovin ​

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Cassus would give him credit where it was due. He was a lot less irritated than most would be at his intrusion.

"If you had a bounty worth anything to me, I'd have had it by now. No, this is personal." Cassus slowly wandered to a table and started to take things from his holsters and his belt, setting them down carefully in an orderly arrangement. Disruptors, field projectors, his lightfoil, and dozens of gadgets were arranging themselves across the table. It almost seemed like the table wasn't going to be big enough, but the Bounty Hunter knew his equipment well and organized it neatly enough it was never in danger of overflowing.

"The mission is over now, so no need to keep professional and pretend there's nothing between us. You said something to me once, in the Speakeasy, talking about monsters and letting them go?"

"Sometimes Cassus, it's best not to speak a word on matters like that. You never know if you'll wake another monster..." the boy said with a direct nod, shooting a glance to Daiya who was too busy chatting away

"Keep an eye on her for me, would you? I've heard she can get a bit crazy around bars" Cartri smirked, his hand lifting off his shoulder before walking around him to the exit "See you around Cassus, I may have something for you soon..."

Cassus took off his helmet and tossed it, letting it deliberately hit the floor and roll to a stop at Cartri's feet. The belligerent gesture disrupted the air of careful disarmament, and the red skull-like gaze of his helm looked up at Cartri resting against his shoe.

"Well, I've kept an eye on her just like you said. I'm waiting for that monster to do more than bark like an idiot." Cassus let his focused gaze turn into a stern penetrating glare. Cartri might recognize from his short tenure in juvenile detention that familiar stance of a hardened prisoner ready to assert his authority hand over fist. No tricks or sucker punches; pure physical dominance.

"Before we get started, I just need to confirm that you understand. You know you're lucky, right? Even through everything, you've managed to find people. I've not been so lucky. I only seem to lose them. It makes me happy you and Daiya are together. I care about her more than you know. I will hate to see her cry again if you stand in my way. Luck won't change that."

Cartri Keswoll

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

"Personal? what are you even on about?" he said back before seeing him begin to place things onto the table. Why did he bring things like this to his apartment in the first place? had he just come back from a contract to look for him. Cartri watched in silence as he organised the dangerous gear, almost as a way to intimidate him. In reality, it didn't bother Cartri at all and he proceeded to remain in the same state as he was walking through the door. Cassus was going to do better than that to unnerve him.

"Yes, the speakeasy..." he said with a sigh, remembering the conversation loud and clear. He had let loose on a few secrets to Cassus during that short time. Pool boy must have been keeping it tight to his chest if he had remembered it all this time "I remember it alright, I presume you're here to let go of that very thing now?" he sighed out, his hands now and then turning into a fist to warm up for the inevitable. Cartri glared at his helmet roll across the floor and lightly tapped it away from his direction. Of course, it was going to come down to this, Cassus was too crazy not to let it all go.

Cartri saw the change in the boy's stance, one he knew full well from his days in juvie. There was no way Cartri was going to get out of this one, not without a physical test of dominance that is. The two of them were going to duke it out, a clean fight that would decide their troubles once and for all "We all care for her Cassus, and I'd put my life on the line for Daiya any day of the week. I fear doing this will only make things worse, but if you want to go this route, then I won't back down" he said sternly before finally closing his hand permanently to show off his knuckles.

"There was a reason why I always held back Cassus, so please don't blame me if you get hurt over your decisions..." he said in a final warning as he raises his fists and snapped into a defensive fighting stance.

"Enough talk... let'ss get this shit over with"

Cassus Akovin ​

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Cassus observed the flexing hands of the young convict, calmly assessing his opponent as he always did, not letting the swelling adrenaline overwhelm the mind. He emptied his thoughts and allowed the flow of battle to take away his control. Cassus knew that his intimidation had transferred no information into Cartri, only the necessity to fight. The learning had only just begun for him.

Confidence oozed from Cartri as much as it did from Cassus. While Cassus by no means went undefeated, he still felt as though Cartri's faith in himself was misplaced - unearned. Not against him. He was living high off of a juvenile delinquent center for the high crime of being involved in a protest. Cassus had been imprisoned for the conspiratorial attempted kidnapping of a galactic government official second only to their highest office. He would have lost his life if not for his surrender when the odds turned against him.

That was only his first imprisonment, and he always escaped before his sentence was complete. No box with bars could keep him down. Labeled as a terrorist, they wouldn't waste any more time trying to take him alive anymore. But Cartri? A footnote. Barely even a bureaucratic number in the system. Was it possible there was more to the orphan? Perhaps.

Cassus would learn of it and dismantle it like everything else he touched.

With his eyes locked on Cartri through his defensive guard around his face, Cassus threw out a quick jab at Cartri's hand to test his opponent's reaction and reach. As his hand withdrew, his forward leg shot out quickly towards Cartri's knee. With his focus on his telegraphed jab, he intended to disrupt his opponent's root.

Cartri Keswoll

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Cartri slowly walked around the fellow teen and loosened up his arms in preparation to meet him head on. Cassus probably only saw him as that overconfident jailbird who thought he could rule everything, but no. Way before his time in jail he was the fittest he had ever been in his life and had trained his hand to hand regularly with the likes of Xan Deesa who taught him everything he needed to know. Even though he was less experienced, he was still quite a dangerous kid to come up against in a fight.

Keeping his eyes on the teens movements he quickly moved his head away from the jab and jump backward to avoid his leg kick from hitting his knee. The strikes looked fast and powerful, being hit by one of them was going to hurt like hell. Sighing, he shuffled his way back over to him with that same look of confidence, looking to test pool boy with his own offensive.

Drawing back his right hand, he looked to swing a right hook at him only to suddenly shoot forward a left hand jab to his nose, followed by a fast front kick to his stomach to send him back towards the wall.

Cassus Akovin​

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Cartri was elusive and quick. Cassus would give him that much. Cassus noticed he preferred avoidance rather than blocking. Most were not so confident in their ability to predict where a blow would land or in the speed at which to get out of the way. Most novices favored this kind of defense but usually failed to execute and learned it was often better to intercept and counter. To be able to rely on such dubious methods without consequences enough to deter their use spoke to the sensory awareness of his opponent. It was only the opening exchange. Full of so many feigns in the beginning, predicting the outcome of a fight was senseless until a blow landed.

Cassus' foot landed quickly as Cartri came in again, telegraphing a large right hook before cutting in with a left jab. Cassus kept a tight guard on his left, buying into the feign, but his focus was on Cartri's shoulders and hips. As the jab came, Cassus prepared his right guard to intercept inward and smash the mid-forearm, imparting his kinetic energy to it as he stepped inward, rather than away, into Cartri's guard. Cartri could try to follow through on his kick to Cassus' stomach, but with the closed distance, it would take little effort for Cassus to disrupt his one-footed stance into a grapple.

If Cartri wanted to be oil and slip around his opponent, Cassus favored being tar and sticking to them.

Cartri Keswoll