Private On a Rainy Night...

[Kaz Krayt]

Nar Shaddaa/Crimson Love Nightclub​

Evening/Rainy​

The Zabrak soared through the air with the aid of his jetpack, the rain clattering against his crimson armour as he headed for his next gig. The job's description was simple enough, a mob boss from the Black Sun was looking for a mercenary to go convince some people to pay up some stupid tax or whatever. The usual gig. In all honesty, Kaz stopped paying attention to the descriptions of these types of people long ago, it was rarely actually interesting enough to memorise. At least the credits were more than enough to earn his attention, which was the only reason he agreed to meeting with them.

The venue was a night club that he had never heard off... a common theme for Nar Shaddaa. Not that it was a bad thing, visiting new clubs was like opening a box of chocolates. Every now and then there was one that stood out to him and brought him back once or twice. He hoped that this one would be one of those... ignoring the gangsters, of course. Luckily the T-visor was enough to dissuade them from picking a fight with him. The guns also tended to help with that. He finally arrived at the place and touched down by the front door, scaring the two bouncers standing guard rather well. He worked hard on keeping his laugh in with that one.

"I'm here for your boss. Was looking for a merc, I heard." He kept a casual tone as he glanced between the two. After a few moments they let him through and he waltzed in calmly. From the look of things, this club was right up his alley. The first thing to catch his eye was the stunning view of dancers doing their thing all around the place. Instinctively he made sure that his cred stash was safely tucked away underneath his cuirass before he ventured further. Was wasn't going to fall for that one again anytime soon. Another goon met with him and ushered him to a table to wait. He was a second or two away from voicing his disappointment in the service until a waitress was sent his way. Nah, this service was just fine.

Emiste

 

[Emiste]

The white beads swung from side to side as Emiste's hips swayed. It wasn't her favorite outfit, but it was more covering than her typical costumes, so it worked well. The white made her red skin stand out even more, especially amongst the other Twi'leks in the club, who were mostly of blue, green, and yellow hues. She balanced a tray on one hand, passing out the ordered drinks to the various customers, pretending not to notice their glances at her body or feel the hands brushing against her hips.

After her round, she slid the tray to the bar before heading out to greet her next customer. Hm, interesting. It wasn't too often that she saw Zabraks enter the club, but then again, she only worked the main floor a few days. The rest of her week was taken up by work in the back rooms. She put on her usual seductive smile as she approached him.

"Good evening, sir. What can I get for you?" She asked, tilting her head slightly and letting her Lekku sway to one side.

Kaz Visla

 

[Kaz Krayt]

He removed his helmet and brushed his hair back as the waitress approached him with the classic fashion he expected. He answered her with a charming smile as his green eyes studied her for a moment. ”A very good question, actually. I’m not sure what I’m in the mood for, so I’ll trust your judgement on this one.” He answered casually as he turned slightly to face her.

”On top of that... I’d like a plate of the freshest gossip you have on hand.” on cue, he slid over a handful of credits toward her with an unwavering smile. ”Your bosses are taking a bit longer than I’m used to, so why don’t you tell me a bit about them after you get us both a drink.” It was a gamble, asking the workers for inside info, but it sometimes helped out a lot... plus he was a simple man and the striking red twi’lek was rather pleasing to look at...

Once she returned to his table, he scooted up to give her room to join him. ”I’d hate to get you in trouble, so just act natural. Just don’t try to steal my credits, I don’t dig that kind of jam.” He warned calmly as he took a sip of his drink. ”What can you tell me of the club’s owners? You know anything out of the ordinary about this job I’m here for?” Another handful of credits slid her way. He was pushing his luck with her, asking things that she likely wouldn’t know anything about.

Emiste

 

[Emiste]

Emiste raised an eyebrow as he slid the credits to her, and she let out a small smirk. Oh, he was interesting. "I'll grab something nice," she said, placing the credits in her side pouch (where they'd eventually go back to the club) and walking back to the bar. She grabbed him a glass of Antakarian Fire Dancer, and a thin flute of Ice Blaster for herself. With one in each hand, she brought them back to his table, placing one in front of him and sliding into the booth. It was commonplace for visitors to request company from some of the servers, so she knew she was safe from the bar owners. Whether she was safe from him or not was yet to be seen.

She leaned her cheek on her knuckles, listening to him. "I'll be honest, they tend to keep their other work far from our ears," she said, keeping her voice low. "But it's better to watch them closely. They're good at... taking what they want." She chose her words carefully, running her fingers through the beads on her headdress. It was a very subtle indication of her "status" there, but if he picked up on it, she had a chance.

Kaz Visla

 

[Kaz Krayt]

Kaz nodded at her explanation as he sipped at his drink, his eyes going wide as the alcohol smacked him like a speeder truck. He kept his composure as he watched the gesture of her hand. He might not have been the brightest at times, but he certainly wasn’t oblivious.

Unfortunately they were running out of time. He glanced over her shoulder at a trio approaching the table. With a smooth motion he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer. ”After I’m finished with them, we can talk business.” He muttered with a serious voice before flashing her a wink and smile to cover everything up as they reached the table. ”I hope you understand our policy when it comes to our dancers, Mando...” The boss of the club spoke up, glaring at the two of them.

Kaz glanced at her and then at him with a chuckle. ”I’m nothing if not opportunistic.” he joked as he let go of the girl. Her boss pointed to the bar with a frown. ”There are other tables. Get to it.” he ordered her. Once she was gone, he slid into the booth across from Kaz. ”I hope you live up to your people’s reputation. This job is rather important...”

The talks went on for a while between them. Kaz kept a casual composure and went through the motions of when to act tough, when to threaten about the pay and when to make a joke to alleviate tension. All the while he kept the red tailhead in the corner of his gaze. He had a suspicion of what she wanted and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to entertain that thought. It could be very bad for business if his suspicions were correct.

Eventually it finished and he took his leave. His made his way to the girl and leaned in close. ”Meet me around back when you clock off.” With a light slap on her backside he covered up the odd moment and slid his helmet back on.

Then he waited. He wasn’t going to start immediately so he had time to kill. Patiently he sat on a rooftop above the back alley and waited for her to finish with her shift.

Emiste

 

[Emiste]

Emiste nodded silently at the man who approached them, knowing full well it was her job to be seen and not heard. She sent one last smile to the table, hoping that her gesture hadn't gone unnoticed, but sadly assuming that it had. She continued her rounds, working the tables, getting hit on, pretending to be ditzy and silly. It was a dumb act, but it was the one that kept her alive.

A few hours later, she was approached by the Zabrak again; admittedly she was surprised to see him, but not unhappy. Her heart stopped for a second when he leaned in, then restarted when he spoke. Restarted much faster. That could only mean a few things, but all of them led to one thing-- she was pretty sure she was out of here. She allowed the flirtatious gesture as she did with many other clients, then simply went about the rest of her shift.

When she was finished, she hung her costume back up, and slipped into her plainclothes, heading back to the dorms that she and the other slaves lived in. As she was about to reach the dorms, she stopped and looked around. She was the only one from the club out here. If the Zabrak was true to his word...

She leaned against the wall of the dorm, pretending to focus on her nails. Maybe, just maybe, he'd come for her.

Kaz Visla

 

[Kaz Krayt]

Kaz was idly swiping away on his datapad as he waited for the girl to exit the club. It took far longer than he thought it would, so he easily caught up on his social media and even uploaded a few selfies just for the fun of it. But eventually he saw movement from the back exit as dancers and staff emerged to turn in for the night. The last to exit was the Twi'lek he spoke to. She didn't go in immediately and waited next to the building. He was surprised she remembered... this was likely serious for her.

He dropped down carefully and silently to avoid using his jetpack, it wasn't exactly a quiet piece of tech. But he did reach the ground eventually and approached the girl with his hands on his hips. "I was wondering if you'd show up or not." He spoke softly as he leaned against the wall beside her.

Removing his helmet, he studied her for a moment. "I just hope this won't be bad for business. I'm sure your boss wouldn't enjoy seeing me hanging around back here with one of his girls, so let's not take too long." He commented as he looked around. He didn't see any cameras looking at this area specifically when he was on the roof. It seemed that they were still in the clear from the look of things on the ground. His gaze shifted back to her as he stood up from the wall. "Alright, let's hear it. What do you need?" He asked with a more gentle tone. He only hoped that her friends in the dorm didn't overhear them.

Emiste

 

[Emiste]

Emiste eyed the Zabrak as he landed, noticing the gear on him. He's either got it made, or I'm way further back on my tech than I think I am, she thought. She crossed her arms, her face dead serious as she spoke.

"Look. It's no secret around here that we're not your traditional 'hired help'," she said, using air quotes around the phrase. "A lot of us, myself included, were taken straight from Ryloth, after the gang raided our clans. Nothing I make stays with me, I barely have anything to my name, and I have no contacts. What I need is simple. I need out."

It was a risky move, saying it up front, but this was her one chance. And hell, if this was how she died, she'd go out swinging. "I can get you an easy alibi to take me away for a night, but once I'm not back the next day, they'll know something's up. So it's up to you if you can take that risk."

Kaz Visla

 

[Kaz Krayt]

Kaz very quickly caught on to where the conversation was going as the girl explained her story and exactly what she wanted from him. A way out. It was something he could understand, he wasn’t a stranger to the exploitation many Twi’lek’s and other naturally attractive species suffered under the scum like her owners.

Only problem was that this girl’s plea was going to cut directly into his work for her employers. Work that would pay good money that he needed. A long breath escaped him as he thought it over. ”I could care less about a bunch of thugs or something. The problem here is my pay. Not to sound like a skug here, darling, but I don’t exactly see you bringing anything to the table after I help you get out.” He answered with brutal honesty. ”Not to mention my reputation. Merc work is the only thing I got going for me right now, if my rep takes a beating, I’m done for.” With another sigh he leaned against the wall and scratched at his chin in very deep thought over how to deal with the situation.

There was one option. A very problematic option that could go south very quickly for them all if he slipped up. Looking to her again, he leaned a bit closer. ”There is one option. A very risky one that could literally blow up in our faces. But how much would you like a chance at revenge?” He asked with a very serious look in his eye.

”If we take out your owners, the whole lot of ‘em, you can get your own freedom and the freedom for every girl under this roof. Of course, that’s if they share the same feelings as you about their current situation. Do any of you got any plans on what you’ll do if you have your freedom?” It was very dangerous to take this approach. Not something he was a stranger to, but also not something he preferred to do. It also wasn’t an issue, he could quickly change up the look of his armour afterwards to shake off anyone that might survive. But the same couldn’t be said about her or her friends.

Leaning back a bit, he crossed his arms. ”What’s your name, by the way?” he asked her calmly.

Emiste

 

[Emiste]

Emiste gritted her teeth as he rebuffed her. She knew it was a long shot-- merc types like him usually only had one thing on their mind. But as he continued, and the word revenge slipped from his lips, she slowly raised her chin. Oh, she was interested.

"There is no word for revenge in my native tongue," she replied. "But I've been off Ryloth a long time. I'll get you what you want. Kriff, I'll man a blaster myself, if you've got a spare." She shrugged. "Whatever it takes to take them down and get me and my girls out."

She paused for a few seconds when he asked what she'd do. "Not sure. Got barely any credits to my name, got no contacts, no way off this planet. But hell, I'll run as far and as fast as I can. Maybe I'll put on a sad face at a Jedi Temple, get me some kitchen work with built-in bodyguards," she chuckled. "I just want out."

She looked him over, then held out her hand to shake. "Emiste."

Kaz Visla