Private Need a Ride?

[Das]

Location: Altier | Soundtrack: Fatal Flaw

"That. Was. WICKED!" Das shouted as her battlebot was strewn across the arena. She pumped her fists in the air, too enthralled by the carnage to catch the disapproving curses her Hutt client was tossing her way. She had a blast putting GL1TT3R together, but in the end, the poor thing was destined for the scrap heap. All of these bots were, sooner or later.

She pursed her lips, her hands slowly falling to her sides as the irony of the situation dawned on her. Was Darkwire doomed for destruction, too? After all, here she was, hiding among the scrappers and junkers on Altier, hoping it was too dirty a world for CorpSec's shiny boots to come hunting for them. For her. The girl shook her head. It was all too heavy to think about now.

As soon as her sparkly droid was shoveled away in preparation for the next round, Das was slipping out of sight. She didn't think the Hutt would kill her over the loss, but she didn't plan on sticking around to find out. Das was quick when she wanted to be, foxlike on her feet to disappear in crowds. Her angry client would have a much harder time lugging his slug body through the audience. By the time he slithered to where she'd been watching the battle, she'd be long gone. All she had to do was grab her bag from the droid pits below and she was home free.

Or as "home free" as Denon could be.

Just as she figured, the pits were empty. Everyone and their bot were up top, battling to the death. Das looped her arm through her backpack, slowing only to nab a few of the pricier components she'd salvaged for the Hutt. She thought she could afford to let her guard down for a moment, to inspect the parts before making it back to her ship.

Tags: Cinder ​

 

[Cinder]

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Cinder found herself gripping the seat of her plastic chair rather tighter than she'd meant to. The bot battle was exciting, to be sure, but it was also... overwhelming. Movements were fast, bots were smashed, and the crowd was rowdy. Despite the thrill of it all, the cyborg girl shrank down, trying to close herself off from it.

She'd been waiting to see GL1TT3R. Cinder had, in a very brief moment, formed a connection with the sparkly green battle bot. In a flash, she'd learned the bot's inner-workings. It was special; perhaps something like sharing a secret with a friend. But when GL1TT3R was thrown across the stadium, Cinder's heart was in her throat, choking her.

"Oh no," she said, her voice tiny – lost in the sea of voices.

Cinder's eyes searched for Das , but she didn't see the other teen. Did she feel bad? Would she be upset that Cinder's effort had not yielded the desired result... a win? Her heart sank back down into place, but it made her chest feel tight.

She needed to escape this place.

Back down into the pits. It was a welcome shift, the atmosphere not quite so electric. The sounds of the stadium above were reduced to a dull roar. Cinder felt like she could take a breath again. Then, she happened to see just the girl she'd been looking for. For a moment, her feet were glued to the spot, but she shuffled over.

"Hi," she said to announce her presence. "Um, sorry."

​

 

[Das]

Location: Altier | Soundtrack: Fatal Flaw

Das startled, dropping a small translucent fuse back onto the shelf where she found it. The teal-haired girl looked quickly to find the voice, the tension in her shoulders loosening when she found Cinder. Thank the Stars it wasn't one of that slug's hired thugs.

"Hey," she said with a sigh of relief. She gave the girl a friendly smile.

"Don't sweat it. GL1TT3R was never gonna make it outta there. But that's probably for the best... I'm just glad that sleamo Hutt didn't make any winnings off him."

Clearly, Das had it out for the guy. Something about him had set off her mental alarms from the start, but given Darkwire's current status on Denon, the credits were simply too good to pass up. He offered her enough up front to eat for a week, maybe even get half a tank of fuel for her starship - or enough to make the jump back home, at least. Now that he was on the hunt for her, though, she wasn't so sure about the arrangement...

Her eyes drifted back to Cinder. Das wondered what plans she had after this. Not just the arena, but Altier. Would she stay, or would she go?

"Hey..." the teen started, trailing off suggestively. "I'm going back. To Denon, I mean. I have a ship! I fixed it up myself, upgraded it and all, to make it fast enough to outrun C-BOP."

She swallowed, trying to pace her ramblings. Das could sense that the faster she spoke, the less Cinder seemed to follow. She took a breath.

"Do you maybe want to come with me...? Y'know, to Denon? I have a place you could stay. A few places, actually," she added, speaking out of the corner of her mouth. It was her way of playing off the awkwardness. But she couldn't help it. She had to ask.

Some part of her wouldn't feel right if she just left Cinder behind on Altier. Something about her felt... special.

Tags: Cinder ​