Quit Running Off, Dammit! [Akio Diachi]

[Erud'ryz'ladre]

@Akio Diachi

Staying had never been Dryzl's forte, but for Akio's sake she decided that, this once, she'd listen. So it was that the woman stayed atop her cranky mount while the other Chiss went off to presumably steal supplies.

Ordinarily, Dryzl would have disproved of such actions. Stealing was something she felt was dishonest; in her opinion, thieves had been down there with murderers, among other people. Key word being, "had". The past months had been hard on her, and some nights the Chiss had had to swallow her pride a couple times to ensure she didn't die of malnutrition. Thus, she no longer had any room to talk.

It didn't mean she was comfortable with it, though.

Speaking of comfort, her glowing red eyes caught sight of a trio of men who looked like trouble...And who also looked like they were headed towards Akio's general area.

Dammit. Dryzl looked down at her Eopie. "If I get off, will you stay?" The beast simply replied with a particularly pungent case of flatulence, causing the Chiss to gag. "Very well," she choked out.

Carefully, so as not to fall or spook her mount, the woman swung her leg around and slowly slid off the saddle, her feet causing little clouds of dust to appear. Grabbing her gun, she tucked it inside the kimono. There was no need for the staff - if there were any weapons, they'd be guns.

Adjusting the kimono to hide the bulge, she then turned to the tiny winged creature. "Can'a," she said. "Roncan'i. Stay. I will be back." Can'a gave her a look before settling down on the recently vacated saddle.

Satisfied with everything, Dryzl began to limp into town.

Not many people gave her a second glance, or even a first, despite her rather outlandish appearance. Akio might have been skilled at hiding, but Dryzl knew how to hide in plain sight. It was all about the body, she knew. Act like you belonged there, like you were meant to be there, and people ignored you. Quite simple, actually.

She cut across the street where she found a clothesline with blank spots. No doubt Akio had been this way, then. She continued to walk until she heard voices. Following the sounds, she came across the men and Akio.

They hadn't noticed her yet, so she withdrew her gun and pointed it at the would-be leader, safety going off with an audible click. "Come, now," she said, her voice ice-cold and aloof. "Even I know that isn't proper Basic, and Basic isn't even my first language!" Her eyes narrowed slightly. "But no matter, gentlemen. The real issue is whether you want to do this the easy way..." Her voice lowered to a more threatening pitch. "...or the hard way."

By gods, she hoped she could pull this off. She could barely stand, for heaven's sake.

 

[Akio Diachi]

Akio could feel his eyes widen for a fraction of a second when Dryzl made her appearance. The three country hicks turned and looked at her, one of them elicited a low whistle. Akio clenched his teeth, he could feel himself struggling to maintain control. He knew if he fell now, then the three of them would most likely die and he would--they would probably be back on the run.

"Well, Lem, it looks like we got ourselves a 'nuther alien," Gregg chuckled in his hyena like voice.

The leader chuckled, "If this one wasn't an alien, she would be mighty pretty."

"What do you spect's we do to her boss?" The third asked licking his lips.

"Ch'ah cart ch'ithe'umi'aco, Dryzl," Akio murmured softly.

The leader wheeled around his hand coming in wide back-slap, "Shut yer--"

Akio gripped the hand, spinning to carry the momentum with him. With the finesse of a trained grappler, he bowed his back as the speed reached its zenith, sending Lem flying through the air and landing in the dirt. The Chiss heel-stomped one of Lem's shoulders out of place and the man howled in agony. Gregg tried to step away, but Akio planted a knife-stomp on his ankle. The sound of crack bones filled the air.

"Mah fuut, mah fuut, oh gawds my fuut," Gregg screamed as he fell face first towards Akio.

The Chiss rammed the butt of his palm against the thin man's chin, knocking him unconscious. Akio gave Dryzl a sheepish smile as he took a step towards her, "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

He looked her over, checking for wounds like a hen fussing over her brood.

[member="Erud'ryz'ladre"]

 

[Erud'ryz'ladre]

[member="Akio Diachi "]

Quickly switching her gun to stun, the woman shot the third individual (who'd begun to shake off his shock and was headed towards her) right in the chest. With a strangled cry, he fell down in a crumpled heap. His body barely hit the ground before Akio came up to her, fussing over her.

Dryzl simply shooed him away, not unkindly. She'd had time to accept his special skill set, even if she still wasn't happy with it. "They did not touch me." Tucking her gun back into her belt, she added, "I would be more worried about yourself. You are the one who fought, after all." The Chiss froze, looking over her partner with a peculiar expression. Reassurance would be necessary here, she knew. What she did not know, however...was how she should reassure the former assassin. Should she...? No, she did not like overly affectionate gestures in public. What about...? No, it was too mushy. Internally, she sighed. Then what about...? Yes, that would do.

By gods, she felt awkward around Akio. As she should; he and Dryzl hadn't seen each other for months, almost a whole year, if not longer. They'd both had their own trials, both before their separation and after. There was no way things could go back to what they were, not without some time to rebuild what had weakened. So, instead, she placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a friendly squeeze and accompanying it with a warm (albeit small) smile. "Come on. The others will be here soon."

A sudden thought occurred to her as the leader's whimpers broke through her focus. Unholstering her gun again, she leaned around Akio and shot Lem's head. As the man's cries were cut short, Dryzl's face was blank, almost a mirror of Akio's expressionless mask from when they'd first met. "There," she said, once again putting away her blaster. "Now they cannot tell the others where we fled." The slated mask softened briefly as she looked at the other Chiss. "Grab your goods. We need to leave right away." Already in the distance, there were sounds of footsteps headed towards their location.

 

[Akio Diachi]

The Chiss felt a warmth as he saw Dryzl smile. It had been a long time since he had seen that, and he knew she smiled very rarely. He took a mental picture and stored it away for another rainy day.

"I didn't even break a sweat," Akio said with a slightly playful undertone. She knew that, it hadn't even been a challenge for him. Her shot to the leader's head sent a subtle shockwave through Akio's mind and body. He had certainly not been expecting that. Especially from her. He blinked and for a fraction of a second recalled his plan. Get them out of here. Right. His hand seized hers, "Stay close to me."

The Chiss sped down the street with a cool, quiet determination. His legs pumped as fast as they could carry him as the Chiss weaved through the small down. Through the streets, along a few back yards, an ally, through a grocery store, and out through the town. They weaved a path out of its outskirts to a massive storage building on the far outskirts of the town. The Chiss halted suddenly, his eyes and ears perking. Where are you taking me? He asked the Force inside. For a moment there was silence before he felt a tug on his chest--towards the storage building.

Without a hesitation he kicked its front door in and stormed through to the back--right to a battered old light freighter. Although he knew nothing of these contraptions, even he had his doubts that it would get off the ground.

"I am confident you remember how to fly?" The Chiss prompted her politely, motioning to the entry for their newly acquired ride.

[member="Erud'ryz'ladre"]

 

[Erud'ryz'ladre]

[member="Akio Diachi "]

Dryzl struggled to not only keep up, but to also keep Akio from noticing her struggle. Perhaps it was simply because she was still recovering, but when they stopped in front of a hunk of scrap metal, her lungs were burning and she struggled to catch her breath.

Rather than trust herself to speak, the Chiss instead nodded before limping up the ramp. Gods, her leg ached. She never imagined being crippled like this; most people didn't see an injured leg as the end of the world, but for Dryzl it was. How was she supposed to work in her line of expertise if she couldn't run as well? How was she to avoid being shot if the enemy was faster?

How could she protect Akio?

These thoughts buzzing around her mind like angered bees, Dryzl made her way to the cockpit and sat down in the captain's chair, causing a little cloud of dust to take flight. "Wonderful," she muttered. Her red eyes surveyed the dashboard for a moment. Satisfied that she knew what to do, the woman then began to push buttons, flip switches, turn knobs, and otherwise get ready for take off.

Without looking up, she said, "We are going back to the animals. I left some things with them."

It wasn't a suggestion.

 

[Akio Diachi]

Akio followed Dryzl into the banged up freighter. His eyes roved across the years or abuse and neglect; paint peeled off the rusting walls, the grate like flooring creeked under foot, the dim lights flickered in the struggle to stay on.

After a moment of surveying the halls, Akio made his way into the cockpit. The high pitched whine of the protesting engines made the Chiss' nasal passages buzz. He nodded at her command, "As you wish."

A few moments later they arrived at the edge of town where the pack animals had been waiting. A few vagrant like towns people were looking them over as the ship arrived. Akio briskly charged down the loading ramp, he was in a hurry and not in a mood to be triffled with.

"Away from the animals," he ordered. "Now."

"See here now," one of them began stepping in front of the Chiss.

Akio's elbow went up in a sharp blow to the man's jaw. He fell into the dust with a heavy grunt.

"Away from the animals," Akio ordered coldly as he stepped over the body.

The other three fled, not wanting to find out what else Akio was willing to do to get his stuff.

[member="Erud'ryz'ladre"]

 

[Erud'ryz'ladre]

[member="Akio Diachi "]

Dryzl lingered for a few minutes, making sure the ship was properly set down before getting up herself. Though the short rest had done her good, she was still in no condition to be running around. The woman gritted her teeth and stood up, internally wincing at the ache in her leg.

​Look on the positive side, she thought. If Akio hadn't healed your leg, you might not even have one.

Of course, a cybernetic leg would've been better than this. She could've even put a snack compartment in it.

Oh, quit whining, she snapped.

The Chiss made her way down the loading ramp, trying to keep a straight face. Akio would be upset if he realised his Force healing hadn't worked, not completely. And he already had enough to worry about.

Straight away, her eyes leapt to the man in the dust, seemingly dazed. For a moment, she considered shooting him, too, but decided against it. Ammunition was precious at this stage of the game, and he appeared too dazed to give away their location. And even if he did, Dryzl was smart enough to not fly in a straight line. Satisfied, she made her way over to the other Chiss, avoiding his gaze in case he picked up on how exhausted she already was.

Standing beside her Eopie, the woman began collecting their things. Grabbing her knife and staff, still not looking at him, she asked, "Where to, after this?"

 

[Akio Diachi]

Akio quickly unloaded his gear, his weapons, his two sets of armor, rations, crystals, all of it. It didn't take long, he packed light and carried what little he had with him in ready-to-go bundles. Shouldering it all, he watched Dryzl. She was clearly tired, he could feel it, even if she was trying to hide it. He felt a twinge of remorse. His healing was still lacking. But of course, what would you expect from someone still so raw and young in the force?

He waved his hand, calling along the little dragonling-thingy that had decided to start following them recently. It seemed to like her a lot, there was no point in leaving it around.

He pursed his lips thinking the question over. Where should they go? There weren't many safe havens around anymore, and even fewer to be had that the galaxy would have for him. Then the idea came to him, the place he could hide in plain sight. The place he had been hiding, he bobbed his head towards the ship, 'I got an idea."

******

The lower levels of Denon were not the most ideal place to set up camp. While these weren't the lowest levels of society, they were clearly less favorable to most beings. It was wise to keep your purse held tight and your wallet close. But people here didn't generally ask questions and that is what made it an ideal place for an ex-assassin trying to reform to set up camp. He led Dryzl through the raining streets to a small, slummy appartment that looked like it had been abandoned before Akio set up shop. But there was a good answer to that--because it had. The few scraps of furniture were worn, torn, ragged, and barely held together. He gave Dryzl a sheepish smile as he turned on the one lightbulb that lit the ragged room.

"Turning over a new leaf doesn't come with major income statuses," he said sheepishly. "What little I have is yours. Make yourself at home."

[member="Erud'ryz'ladre"]

 

[Erud'ryz'ladre]

[member="Akio Diachi "]

"Hah cart bun rokes sir ch'ah." Dryzl dropped the small bag of her possessions on the floor and immediately headed over to the sofa. The woman practically collapsed on the cushions, ignoring the groan of protest and the clouds of dust that puffed up. Can'a followed her mistress's lead, gently settling herself on the Chiss's stomach.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcOyin1oSxU[/media]​

Despite doing very little except rest on their journey to this place, to Denon, she still felt exhausted. As was to be expected - a year of malnourishment and living on scraps does that to a person, and to expect an insta-fix -- even with the Force at one's disposal -- was downright ridiculous.

And yet, Dryzl did not want to sleep. Not right away, anyway. The thoughts were buzzing in her head again, thoughts that she'd tried to squash with her usual stoic and cold nature -- and yet she couldn't quite manage it. Not anymore. But what else had she expected? She wasn't the Dryzl who'd offered an assassin at redemption, nor was she the Dryzl to shoot an officer to protect the one she loved. She was a different Dryzl, one her family would no longer recognize, and quite frankly she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Her red eyes, brighter than when Akio had found her again but still dull nonetheless, turned to look at the Force User. Akio, too, was a different man than when he'd turned himself in to the authorities. They were two different people, so different than what they were at the beginning; and yet, after all this time, there was no one else she'd rather be with. Reaching a thin arm out, Dryzl crooked her fingers at him. "Reb bah ch'ah," she whispered, her other arm resting over the tiny dragon. She needed a distraction from these thoughts, and sitting with Akio appeared to be the only way.

At least now she understood why, so long ago, her presence gave comfort to Akio when he was gripped by a nightmare.

 

[Akio Diachi]

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4BLVznuWnU[/media]

Akio eased his pack off his back onto what was left of a card table. It was rickety and was even missing an original leg, but it served as Akio's dining (and only) table. He had become quite resourceful in patching up this sort of thing since he made his safe house on Denon. If he had any fortunes before, they were all gone now. He found a little ammusment in the fact that his weapons and armor tied in that ragged pack were worth more than the entire city block.

There were all kinds of questions running through his head; How would they provide now? He had barely made enough to put hand to mouth waiting tables as it was. Where would they go from here? This slum was no life for Dryzl, he wanted so much better for her, the things she deserved for taking care of him when he was low. How would he get her better? The massive damage from starving herself and her leg injury were too much for even his Force healing, limited as it was, to cure rapidly. And doctors? Well, that was all but out of the question with the measly income he had.

He heard her words, and even though his Chuen was rusty, he could still get the meaning; Sit with me. Akio gave a thin, worn smile easing himself to sit by her. Those other problems would wait for later. What was it that [member="Karen Roberts"] had taught him? Live in the moment. After being apart from his love for so long, and not being in touch with her, every moment with he was all he wanted.

Akio wrapped his arm around her thin frame and pulled her close, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I promise, I will never let you go again," he whispered softly nuzzling her forehead.

His other arm wrapped around the small woman. There was a time when she could have easily over powered him. Now, with her fragile state, he doubted that. Now it was his turn to nurse her back to health. Just like she did what felt like a lifetime ago. Akio felt something in his chest harden. It was like when he was an assassin and would get his mission. That feeling of urgency, that feeling of intensity, that feeling of such dedication that he wouldn't let anyone or anything stand in his way. He hadn't felt it in such a long time it took him a moment to realize what it was. It was resolve. I will make this work. I will take care of her. No matter what, he thought caressing Dryzl's bare forearm.