Pure Morning

[Kiber Dorn]

“Like a boil on my arse, lady,” he shot back, tongue now far more sober than it had been ten minutes prior.

Kill him? Whoa lady, let's not get the leather cat suit on right away...well...I mean...

He wiggled his eyebrows, as Kiber Dorn was known to do at the very notion. “Lance the boil?” he asked, scratching his chin as if he was considering the notion. “I'dunno, heard he's pretty well connected.” Then came in the bout of standard junkie paranoia, concern dawned upon his pointed features, “I mean, what if you're one of his stooges, yo?”

Whoa, what if she is? Sexy femme fatale leading me into her web. Don't mind if I do.

A grin, gleaming silver tooth revealed the changing of his worried demeanour back into the cocky regular.

“Nah, I'm low priority on that dude's list and he's a pretty small, gothic boil truth be told. Wonder how many unrelated Dorns have bit the dust tho'...awks...”

There was a noticeable wheeze as they began to ascend the stairs, the obvious sign of a heavy smoker with sad atrophied lungs. Didn't stop him from puffing away as they went up. He paid no real heed to his critical unfit nature as usual and shot her a curious, grinning look.

“'Nuff about me tho'....what's your...deal?”

---

[member="Cerita Sarova"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Kiber Dorn"]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Once again that roll of the eyes.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Being trained by Valik, Rave and Dissero had taught Cerita a few things when it came to life, most of which came down to the simple wisdom of always being on your feet. Valik had never been much of a physical fighter, but that was all well balanced out by the regime both Merrill and Dissero had been and were putting her through.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]No weezing here, yo.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“We are gonna have to put you on a strict training regime, Dorny.” Sarova replied to the insistent noise his lungs were making as they struggled desperately to pump air into themselves. Part of her wondered what would happen if sh-[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Nah, no alchemization of the lungs.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]That would probably be bad for him and Cerita didn’t want to break him… yet.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“What do you mean?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]What’s her deal.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Who even talks like that in this age, it was almost as if Kiber had walked out of some kind of retro vintage ad or something.[/SIZE]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

If he weren't already a pretty pasty man he might have gone pale at the concept of a strict training regime. The inner-voice of doubt and child-like responsibility already threw up scenarios where the green woman made him give up his beloved vice of smoking.

No way. Not a chance, even he, Kiber Dorn would have to put the stern foot down there.

She'd probably punch him in the face again.

As they made it to the top of the stairs, he tried to hold back the wheezing gasps which only made for awkward pauses of held breath between even harder straining to find oxygen. No point in denying his decrepit state but still he tried.

“…..nah….I'm…..fine…..gurl….”

Obviously not big on the world of casual slang he would have to reiterate the point, not that Kiber particularly minded, I mean unless he was speaking to fellow glitbiters most people only got the gist of what he was saying. He wasn't usually asked to go deeper however, mostly just given awkward smiles and nods.

“….tell….me...about yourself...”

Then, still gasping, he continued to puff away at the cigarra.

---

[member="Cerita Sarova"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Kiber Dorn"]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“Ain’t got much to tell ya, Dorny.” Certzy would reply wistfully, green eyes keenly studying their environment just as Valik had always told her. You gotta stay vigil every step of the way, otherwise ya might get yourself into a surprise ya never really considered before it hits ya.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Not a thing Cerita really wanted to experience right there and then, especially not while this guy was almost dying from his lungs bursting. He really needed some kind of training regiment to counteract this flabbiness.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Can’t use him if he’s dead, can I?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“Just a girl who is busy studying the Galaxy, trying to figure out her place in it while doing this and that on the side.” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]She wasn’t planning on telling him anything worthwhile just yet. [member="Dissero"] liked his privacy, Valik was long gone and Rave… well, that was still a sensitive point for the green lady, so that was out of the question too.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“More importantly a girl who just turned into your employer- by the Force, do you need a break or something? We can sit down for a while, if you need it.”[/SIZE]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

Ain't got much to tell.

As if. Green woman pulls a knife on you middle of the street after spilling her tea, she had some obvious issues and with issues came stories. Life stories, maybe with love or loss or some bollocks like that. There was definitely mystery there, a notion that gave way to waggling eyebrows of curiosity.

“This…..an'….that….huh?”

He took a pause as she asked if they needed a break. A seat was maybe a bridge too far but a small moment to gather oxygen would have been more than ample. Kiber bent over, placing a hand on his knee, all the while still smoking his cigarra between laboured gasps. Silly silly boy.

“…can….we take….the escalator...next time...Miss Study?"

All the while he was mildly aware of how embarrasing it was, to be so gassed after a long flight of stairs. You can win your way into a woman's pantaloons if mild physical exertation takes your breath away. He must have seemed like a morbidly obese man trapped in a thin man's body, hardly an attractive prospect.

Unless you're into that sort of thing...

---

[member="Cerita Sarova"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Kiber Dorn"]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Cerita leaned against the railing, giving Dorn just a little bit of time to heal up and catch his breath again. It was pretty amusing that a few steps up the stairs could wind him down in that capacity, which only made her think back at his passes at her with a snort - if he couldn’t figure out how to walk a stairway properly? He wouldn’t be able to handle her in bed either. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Might be stimulans for him to train up though.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“Ya’ll never get your stairway-legs if ya keep using the escalator, mister pension.” the green-skinned woman would say with a smirk, before waving him to follow her again.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]They didn’t have a lot of stairs to walk up anymore anyway, so he would probably be fine. Or… Kiber would fall down on his face and never get up again, which would be a shame, because even in this short period of time?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]He started to grow on her.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Not that she would ever tell him that.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“So except dodging Sith Lords who got a hard on for killing your family, what else’s up with ya?”[/SIZE]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

He had to refrain from speaking out loud in that moment, the prospect of getting his stair-legs elicited a child-like response that came only as instinct.

But it's so haaaaaaard.

Then he had to stifle a giggle at the innuendo that his mind produced. Nonetheless he wouldn't be revealing that he was about as lazy as a petulant eight year old raised on the Holonet, that wasn't exactly the way to move the ladies. Oh yeah, baby, I just sleep on people's couches and eat fast food. Pretty hot, right?

“Just….enjoying….life…y'know...”

These words left still panting lips as they finished the grand summit that was those dreaded steps. Almost there. Just one feet in front of the other, ignore the pain, ignore your flaming calves! No pain, no gain! It was as if Kiber was expecting to see results from walking up a set of stairs.

Which he totally did.

Puff puff. No pass.

“…y'know...I….dabble...in….enjoying….life...”

Which was the subtle way of saying, 'I am a spice dealer.'

---

[member="Cerita Sarova"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Kiber Dorn"]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“So… what you are saying is that you are selling drugs for a living.” Cerita replied matter-of-factly.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]There wasn’t really any judgement there, because when you spend most of your time experimenting and pushing against the limits of nature, the laws of physics itself? Well, you grow a little… [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]unconcerned[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] towards basic morality questions and the sort.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Some might even consider Godhood in the face of their creations.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]They finally ended their deep, difficult quest of walking up the stairs - Kiber didn’t look too well though.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Really gotta toughen him up.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Cerita leaned against the wall, giving the boy some time to catch a few breathers, before they would be off again to her ship.[/SIZE]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

She was sharp, he liked that.

Although given that his previous acquaintances were also his customers most of their brain cells were too far gone to pick up subtle or in this case not-so-subtle references. Greeny McKnifePull was packing a brain alongside her booty.

“That….is….exactly….what….I'm….gah….”

Bloody stairs.

“….saying….”

Her casual attitude towards his employment filled him with curiosity, which of course led to a few new questions before he had to go to the back-up strategy of small talk about the weather. After all, what shady shet could she have been into to make spice such a small point of interest. He would have asked...

...were his lungs not in the clutches of life and death. Okay, sure, that was a touch dramatic but hey, that's what it felt like!

As the stairs ended, so did his cigarra and with that the slow death stick was flicked away back down the stairs, almost hitting a Rodian in the oversized eye. Not that Kiber noticed, after all what kind of spice dealer cared about the well-being of strangers?!

“….what….exactly….do….you….do….in….this….lab….gurl?”

---

[member="Cerita Sarova"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Kiber Dorn"]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]She was still leaning against the wall by that point in time, just curiously studying Kiber without any hesitation in her gaze - the gaze in question… was more [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]studious[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] and deliberate in nature, there wasn’t anything sexual about it at all. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Dorny would probably have the feeling of being seized up for the slaughterhouse.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Experimentation, primarily[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px].” Cerita would finally reply, still giving him some time to take a good breather, because regardless of how casual she was behaving in the face of his possible demise… she didn’t necessarily think that he would be of any use to her dead. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Well.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Unless she managed to perfect that necromancy spell she had been practicing for a while now… but that was just fanciful thinking and wouldn’t be of any use to her right now.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]This did bring her thoughts from one thing to another.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“So… you could provide me with a [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]healthy[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] supply of spice?” a plan was already brewing in her mind.[/SIZE]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

Thankfully the ascent had ended, giving him the time to bring the air back into his withered lungs which would hopefully make him seem like much less of a weed but it was doubtful that the woman would be able to forget seeing such weakness.

First impressions are the worst.

Kiber couldn't help but notice the once over he was getting from the lady in green. Of course, even in his moments of emasculating frailty the man could still try to play the cocky card. Why not? Dorn was a cheeky chap by nature. Both eyebrows jumped up for a moment in her direction, as if he was coming onto her and heck, he probably was.

“What….? Do….you….like….what you….see?”

Definitely was.

Then the question turned, more along the lines of business as he mentally shrugged the ethical implications of experimentation aside. Although it might have been worth asking just how many lab assistants the broad went through and how often they became the experiments. Might have been worth, but hey, they were talking spice now.

“Sure thing...gurl….can get you….what you….need.”

---

[member="Cerita Sarova"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Kiber Dorn"]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“We will talk about what I do and do not like seeing when you can walk up a pair of stairs without having your lungs implode on themselves.” Cerita would say after a snort, and maybe just the barest of eye rolls that would designate just what she was feeling right now. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]He’s funny though, so if he gets in shape and maybe… does something with the hair? [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Huh, who knows.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Her gaze flashed past him and took in the rest of the platform, just a few people huddled together in conversations, a few security guards milling about but not really paying much attention. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]This wasn’t exactly a high-priority port, just a place for people to get in and out without much of a hassle - and they paid the premium for that, but Dissero still had a pretty good standing with the old Fringean territories. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Pretty much one of the perks of being one of the old High Councilors.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“Excellent, once we get to the lab we will arrange for the shipments to start then.”[/SIZE]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

Hey, that wasn't a totally negative response. You gotta take the good with the bad, y'know? I mean, what's a little cardio to get into bed with the green fox? Actually, it's probably a lot of cardio. Oh, that was a thought. Running.

His eye twitched at the very thought.

Lady better bang like a Jawa with a thermal det up its ass.

After soaking in the image provided by his internal dialogue for a moment (which caused a small wry smile to glance upon his face for a moment) his thoughts once again got back on tracks to business. He wasn't a kingpin in the world of spice dealing by all means but he was at least competent, in fact, more than competent! Kiber Dorn had hand sold the best Force-damned parties in the galaxy!

So many forgotten memories. So many sexually transmitted diseases. Thank Yoda for advanced medical technology though.

“Any clue….as to what kind of spice….you'll be needing?”

There was, after all, a wide variety of narcotics out there in the big bad galaxy.

“...and you can pay for it....right?”

---

[member="Cerita Sarova"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px][member="Kiber Dorn"][/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]"...yes, I can pay for it." was she a little bit befuddled and maybe insulted that he was questioning her credit value? Reasonable assumption, but Cerita was nothing if not an enterprising individual who could roll with the punches delivered - besides, Di probably wouldn’t mind if she asked for some extra cash for a new experiment she was working on.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Killer spice, it’s gonna rock.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]It was then that she realized the question before the later one, which made her smile just a little bit.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]She had [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]no[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] clue what kind of spice would do for her experiments, but from a molecular perspective the most important thing would be the refinement of the merchandise. The purer it was, the easier it would be to locate and separate the various working elements of the spice.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Which would make it easier to increase their metaphorical load.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“No idea, you will have to handle that yourself, I am afraid.” Cerita finally replied with a shrug. “Money is not an issue, but it has to be the purest grade you can get your hands on.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]She quirked an eyebrow and locked eyes with him.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“I hope this is not above your competence?”[/SIZE]

 

[Kiber Dorn]

Did she take that as a dig?

Huh, she must have been a rich broad if that was a question to take a hint of offence at. Before the credit signs could appear in his eyes Kiber stood up straight, a broad grin spread across his face. Surely he had to benefit from this arrangement.

Surely.

Although she had hired him by knife point. Oh, that was a worry.

His smile turned into a smirk as the woman requested the purest spice available. Everybody wanted the purest spice available but it all depended upon dealer's preference. Desperate wasters weren't exactly the kind of people your threw your best gear on. Nor were students out on the town. Swoop gangs on occasion got the good stuff if they came calling on their kneecap taxes.

Snerking at her accusations of incompetence he folded wiry arms across his chest and waggled his eyebrows at the woman.

“It's all good, baby, I'll get you some Republic Senator grade spice, sans the prostitutes, of course.”

Pause.

“Unless you want the prostitutes?”

---

[member="Cerita Sarova"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Kiber Dorn"]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Could he perhaps even get her the test subjects she had been looking for?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]“What species can you get me?” [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]It would be a surprising day in paradise if Kiber could prove himself actually [/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px]useful[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px], besides as a subject of belligerent pokes and as a would-be lab assistant - if he stopped thinking with his nethers for long enough she might even make him into something worthwhile.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Not alchemical though that was on the table too, but more of a… thought experiment.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Somehow Cerita doubted it would be Senator-grade though, part of her realized he would probably just get her the cheapest feth in the Galaxy and try to pass it off as the ‘real’ deal, hoping that her nostrils wouldn’t see the difference.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.6666666666667px]Would be amusing when she actually looked at it from a microscopic view and noticed the impurities.[/SIZE][SIZE=10.6666666666667px] [/SIZE]