See you later...

[Jynx]

​

​

See You Later... ​

It was much less a polite farewell than a command. What was commanded was obvious enough. Really.. they even thought to pack it in a nice box... A black box. Sleek, shiny without defining features on any side. Its dimensions just enough to fit the contents within. It must've been when she was going through the marketplace that they managed to magnetize the box onto her droid. Jynx only saw it once they stopped by an alley.
Inside was a picture and a credit cube. Locked. Of Course... It wasn't wise to pay assassins in advance nowadays. It would probably unlock once the job was done. Just standard procedure then.. Although, the message on the picture caused her some discomfort - an odd feeling. It wasn't exactly a bad premonition, it didn't feeling like it. Yet, at the same time she still felt slightly nervous.
She held the picture in her hand and turned it over. Another message on the back, this time a location. At least it's close..

Lokana's Restaurant ​

It looked run down, rusty and seedy.. Doesn't everything look that way around these parts... Considering the surrounding architecture: this was about as luxurious as you could get. Upon closer inspection one could see the doors leading into the multi-storied building were permanently stuck open through the sheer amounts of people walking under them. This was \where the target was. Though, the method of contracting was a strange: no name behind the money.

So this is Coruscant, Level 1001...

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

I hate assignments like this, she knows that damn well. Reconnaissance had never been to Keira's tastes. It was far too boring, a distinct lack of anything worthwhile oftentimes boring her before any useful information was collected. Her specialty was in doling out death and destruction, not remaining in the shadows and simply observing. Then again, maybe that was why she had been given the task in the first place. After all, her method of going about completing missions in the Black Ties typically resulted in the less than subtle death of those dubbed public enemy number one. But she got the job done, so there really wasn't anything wrong with her strategy. Of course, as always, Patricia would take issue and assign something opposite to her interests.

Such was the reason she was currently seated at a back table in one Lokana's Restaurant, blending in easily given her experience in the criminal underworld. Smoke drifted from a cigarette between her lips, nicotine relieving a fraction of her annoyance and making this all more bearable. Thankfully her outfit lent its own anonymity, and with her arms folded across her chest and head lowered slightly, hopefully most wouldn't assume her to be anything else other than another druggie that didn't know better. That was all she had been, as a young teen, but she had long since moved on. Fortunately it was still quite easy to put on the act, and most passing through didn't think to give her a second glance, just the way she liked it.

Her lightsaber was tucked into the inside pocket of her jacket, CW-77 on her left forearm and combat knife on her right, pistol concealed beneath her jacket in a shoulder holster. She was fully armed, just the way she liked it, an unstoppable force by herself. It wouldn't be wise to cross her, then again, most people refused to listen to reason. All there was left to do now was wait.

[member="Jynx"]

 

[Jynx]

She entered, hooded cloak over armour, head tilted down. She rested a hand on her droid and the other on by the handle of her blade. Most would take caution to a person with a hand so readily at their weapon, but then again who doesn't around these parts. The cloak however, was just extra insurance - ensuring her armaments were hidden. Normally, Jynx'd wouldn't have worn her armour, something lighter would've sufficed, but she made today the exception. There wasn't any reason that she could think of other than an odd anxiety. Small, but significant enough to have her convince herself to equip the extra measure.

It was strange. Was it the abruptness of the contract - to have the target directly in the area? You've done hundreds of hits like this.. She wasn't new to it, neither was she foreign to a contractor's desire to remain anonymous. Jynx made her way to a more private table by the wall. Well, whatever privacy a cheap barrier and curtain provides... She took out the photograph for closer inspection.

It was a pale black haired woman. Most distinctively Jynx could make out the burn mark apparent on the right side of her face. That didn't look fun.. The woman would probably be alone: unlikely to sit in any of the more public tables. Jynx tried to commit the woman's face to her memory, before standing and making her way around the edges of the restaurant. Her hand still by her droid and blade.


[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

There were certain tells one learned to pick up on after more than a decade of experience in every less than savory walk of life one could imagine, and Keira had developed the skill to pick them out in a crowd after a few minutes of observation. The white-haired girl that had just recently entered the establishment displayed a few of those, head down and hand near her weapon. Of course, neither necessarily meant anything outright, but this was Coruscant of all places, the homeworld of an order she had fought against enough times to more than warrant a death sentence. Nothing would surprise her, if this one was here to hurry along her demise. Unfortunately for them, they would be in for a nasty surprise, as she was more than prepared for that eventuality.

Her position shifted just slightly, dark gaze raising to watch this new arrival as she moved about the restaurant, on the lookout for someone or something. With the way her hand gravitated towards her sword the girl was just as on edge as she herself was, though far more obvious about it. She extended her senses outwards offhand, keeping tabs on this stranger in a way that wasn't immediately apparent, unless she should take notice of the ethereal eye being kept on her. When [member="Jynx"] made a pass by her table, she telekinetically nudged her, finally seeming to wholly acknowledge her presence, "Looking for someone, kid?"

 

[Jynx]

[member="Keira Ticon"]

The folks around the tables were all different. Aside from race, colour, tentacles, limb-count or lack thereof they all hailed from different parts of the galaxy too. Yet, in a way, they were all the same. The relaxed expressions whilst they ate their food yet eyes always wary of their surroundings. It's a sense one picks up from experience. One way or another.. it doesn't leave you.

Is that what she was feeling? Her intuition? Never had to rely on that before.. Perhaps there was something which she did not fully notice but triggered all the alarms in her. Jynx looked down at her pockets, thinking of the picture of the woman and the credit cube which came with it.

Was there anything different about this experience for it to feel so ethereal. Her eyes were scanning the people on the tables and chairs; their faces clearly not matching the woman in the photo. Her body was moving through the people, trying to create the least amount of resistance. Yet her mind did not move with her; she was taking a backseat inside of her own brain. The robot which is currently pretending to be her performed perfectly.. How could it not, it's me. Autopilot. I'm wearing the perfect me-mask.. It was perfectly nervous.. Am I ever nervous? She wanted to tell herself to stop the cold sweat, stop gripping her blade so tight and the wide-eyed look on her face. But the controls were so far out of reach.

She was pushed. By what?
"Looking for someone, kid?"
And it all stopped. The controls were suddenly thrust back onto her again. Jynx wasn't wearing a mask any more.
She turned, paused for a few seconds staring blanking. Until she came to the realisation.
"Oh."


OOC: God, I'm so sorry. Had exams .w. Hopefully my attempt at a dissociative episode was decent .. or not

 

[Keira Priest]

At the girl's reaction, Keira couldn't help but crack a smile and shake her head. "'Oh', huh? Not much of a conversation starter. Not really an answer, either, now that I think about it." This wasn't her being threatening, nor did it exactly count as posturing. She was more establishing her ground, trying to decide just how to handle this new arrival while determining how lethal of an opponent she would make should it come to that. A fight wasn't what she had in mind, but it would make for something far more interesting than simple reconnaissance, that was for certain. Okay, so maybe a small part of her wanted things to turn violent. At least then she would have an excuse, and Patricia couldn't entirely blame her for things taking a turn. But she wouldn't play the instigator. That counted for something.

Gesturing with a hand, she motioned for the girl to sit across from her. If she really was there to kill her this would certainly make things interesting, but she wanted to play the part of some kind of gracious host for at least a little while. "So, based on the look of that piece you've got I'm assuming you're not here to make friends. Who is it you're looking for, then? You look a bit young to be in this business." Far be it from her to judge others on appearance alone, especially given her violent past, but it made for talk, at least. Leaning forward she rested her arms on the table before her, the gesture meant to indicate she wouldn't be going for any weapons, at least for the moment. The answer she received from the girl would do much to decide exactly how these next few moments would transpire.

[member="Jynx"]

 

[Jynx]

[member="Keira Ticon"]

She gave an awkward laugh, "I suppose I do look a bit young for this kind of stuff." The woman knew, or at least seemed to guess as to why she was here. Was it intuition paired with a level of paranoia? Or was I giving off too many signals.. Perhaps that nagging feeling which she could not place was to blame. And now, before her target, it only seemed to amplify...

The woman leaned forward, arms rested. Like she who presents her head to be decapitated - too easy. Was it a trick? All things considered, she could have some concealed weapon ready to retaliate. But, Jynx was standing and she was on a chair with restricted movement - a clear advantage. Perhaps I should not relinquish the element of surprise...

Although standing it was far easier to anticipate what movement Jynx would attempt should she try to attack: reach for the sword and slash. The woman however possibly had hidden weapons, and considering the myriad circulating the galaxy nowadays: none of them were exactly pleasant.

So Jynx reached for the chair, and took a seat. Resting back on the seat with arms by her side, she had the droid sit itself beside her and with a push of a button, silently open it's lid. Within was a line of grenades and other various ammunition. What she was preparing was the line smoke grenades.
"Although, I could ask you the same question. Don't you look a bit young to be involved in so much trouble."

 

[Keira Priest]

"I'm thirty-one. Besides, I've seen far more trouble in my lifetime than you likely ever will. It comes with the territory." The 'territory' Keira spoke of included every single mantle she had worn in the past and those she continued to in the present as well. Not that this talk was exactly supposed to mean anything. Never had she put much stock into idle conversation, though it served as a fantastic distraction method when times called. This time she didn't have much of a surprise in mind, though it always helped to keep one's potential opponent unbalanced. She didn't exactly cut much of a nonthreatening figure as it stood, but any underestimation was better than none.

Once again she reached out with the Force, studying the girl in front of her through that ethereal medium, having come to the realization at this point that the other wasn't aware of her own sensitivity in any manner. It wasn't something she was of a mind to point out, lest she put all of her cards on the table instantaneously. No, better to hold that one close to her vest, and reveal it only if or when the time came. But she was beginning to think that instance of violence was looking a lot more like a 'when' than an 'if', and that suited her just fine. Let the girl try something. She would be ready. She always was, no matter what.

"Who is it you've got it out for, then? Like I said, you don't exactly look to be in the position to make friends. Someone look at you the wrong way, or is this just another job?" Her move.

[member="Jynx"]

 

[Jynx]

[member="Keira Ticon"]

Her opponent was anticipating her. Waiting. Watching.
A battle can be won before it starts with adequate preparation and planning. But seeing as how her opponent was clearly expecting her: what preparation can be done was fairly limited.

And so she spoke, "You are correct, this is just another job. But then you already guessed that didn't you. So what are you waiting for?" The pauses and articulation of each word served to create a subtle rhythm. For the combat hardened it would be a subconscious act to notice and use in order to anticipate an opponent's next action. Back to the element of surprise...

Jynx reached for the handle of her blade, silently brushing the activators on the smoke grenades and rested her hand upon the handle. Right on count. The grenade activation would've hopefully been overlooked by the reaching of the blade. No point in trying to quickly reach for it whilst her opponent was fully anticipating her attack. She paused. Her opponent knew this was coming, and she did everything to eliminate every step but the initiation of the attack itself.



She waited for the imaginary beat: the moment where the anticipation of her attack was highest. And let it pass. Only a small fraction of a second later did she attack. And like a clumsy dancer she moved outside the rhythm. Her partner, the droid, which at a press of a button hovered from it's resting position and rapidly circled the room with large volumes of smoke emitting from it's bowls to remove the crowds. The dancer out of rhythm drawing her blade to strike upwards.

 

[Keira Priest]

It all happened just as quickly as Keira had expected, though a fraction of a second later than what was anticipated. To her credit she still managed to draw her combat knife in the nick of time in order to block that initial strike, blades sparking against each other within those first few seconds before they locked at the hilt. Wordlessly she rose slowly to her feet, maintaining the lock of their weapons fairly effortlessly given that she had drawn her knife with the hand opposite to the arm it had been sheathed on. Cybernetically enhanced strength really was a blessing, and one she had begun to take advantage of over the years. In scenarios like this it functioned more as an intimidation factor than anything.

In the next moment she released what constraint she had placed on her signature within the Force, allowing her presence to be detected by any sensitives within a reasonable radius. That included the girl before her, if she was attuned enough to detect such a thing. But that wasn't her concern at the moment. If this one had been hired to end her life, that meant she had garnered more attention through the years than she would have liked. Someone wanted her dead, and apparently badly enough to make the attempt on her life in a public place. On Coruscant, no less. This was interesting. She liked it.

"Wrong choice." Her words were more carefully articulated as she spoke, eye-contact held steadily with one across from her. "Tell me who hired you and why. I would also suggest that you walk away, rather than persisting. You've already failed, and I would hate to draw more attention to either of us than what has already been done. Besides, you seem nice enough. It would be a shame to take away your chance at some kind of better life. So go on. Make your decision. Just be sure it's a smarter one, this time."

[member="Jynx"]

 

[Jynx]

[member="Keira Ticon"]

The hum of the vibroblade temporarily dropped in pitch as it split the table on it's way up. And stopped. With that familiar light of the sparks and the all too familiar sound of metal on metal.

That arm... It wasn't an impossible block. But the way her body moved to take the force of the blow. It was extraordinarily uneven: the torso seemed human enough yet the arm seemed so stiff. As if there existed a disproportional level of strength between that arm and the rest of her body. Was it a form of cybernetics? Not that I can fully tell, but an assumption of enhanced strength is sufficient...

The woman then used her situation to offer an ultimatum. A bit strange considering most ultimatums were made at gunpoint not in the midst of a defence. Let us end this swiftly... Her left arm was to be extended to rest itself on the spine of the blade and push the point into the opponent's neck, using the blade lock as a pivot point. Should her opponent try to push the blade's handle away, it should still be at a close enough length so that every angle but directly away should still result in a cut. But that wasn't the main point. The point was to force a disengage, for her opponent to step back. And for her to follow, accurately stab her opponent as was the point of a hand on the blade's spine.

 

[Keira Priest]

It took a split second for each to decide. A split second for [member="Jynx"] to rework her attack, and the same nearly instantaneous amount of time for Keira to make the judgement that something with a bit more stopping power was in order to put this fight down for good. And so she stopped the girl in her tracks. Literally. Assuming everything went unimpeded, of course. Her reaction was driven purely by instinct, and she reached out with the Force in order to hold her almost-opponent entirely still, not allowing her to shift so much as a millimeter in any direction. This wasn't her complete unadulterated strength on display, but it was enough to demonstrate her capabilities.

Nothing about her own stance had shifted to indicate such an offensive was incoming, and she merely sheathed her knife, seemingly relaxed and taking her time with the entirety of it all. This was her element, where she excelled. Far be it from anyone to take that from her. "Let's try this again." The tone the spoken word took on was nearly flat in its nature, one that held within itself a subdued volatility that could be released at any second on nothing more than a whim. She was entirely the persona of a warrior now, fully prepared to take on anyone and anything that came her way. A switch had been flipped. Now she was something more, something dangerous.

"If you decide to make another attempt on my life when I release you, I can promise you that completing this job will be the least of your worries. I could kill you right now without moving a muscle and not think twice about it later, but that's not quite who I am anymore. So I'm going to let you live. Whether or not you continue to breathe within the next few minutes is up to you." Slowly, measuredly, she released the telekinetic pressure holding the girl in place until she was once again free to move, looking to her expectantly as if awaiting another strike.

 

[Jynx]

Her hand barely touched the blade. Yet it went no further. Her brain sent signals to muscles which could not physically obey. The initial confusion was followed by frustration, panic. Her chest refused to expand to let in air. And though she manually contracted the muscles to expand the cavity, it was an incredibly uncomfortable experience. And one she was all too familiar with. Grief
"Let's try this again."
A chance at surrender. And this time she had no choice. Even as the grip upon her body was removed, the pressure of those words and the demonstration of power still restrained her. Jynx sheathed her blade with a click as the hilt met the locket of the sheathe.
Looking back at the woman, it had seemed that she too had sheathed her blade - clearly requiring no use of it.

Her But the one before her, the feeling exuding from her Her Jynx could feel it, that dark aura. Her The sense she had tried to dull Her in order to forget Her the chains which held her wherever she went Her she who holds the chains Her the oppressive presence Her the murderer.

But it wasn't the same. That distant memory and the woman here may share the same darkness but only one of those two have lodged their darkness into her heart. Jynx reached into her cloak, digging out the credit cube and tossing it to [member="Keira Ticon"]
"Here. It's useless to me now. Don't even know why I accepted, seeing as how little I knew about you.."
The last sentence more of a thought to herself. She thought of that uncomfortable feeling which has been with her so far, drawing her to the contract and yet even as it seemed to climax as she found her target... Even now in the calm, Jynx still felt that odd feeling. That feeling of danger. And now she had identified it: that sense she tried to dull and to forget. It was warning her of danger.
But what danger was coming?

 

[Keira Priest]

Wordlessly Keira raised her left hand to easily catch the small projectile, turning it over as if studying it before crushing the small cube easily thanks to the enhanced strength of the false limb, letting the pieces fall. This had been her endgame: a stop to the violence, as rare a goal that was for her to have. As much as she had wanted things to escalate, there came a point when things began going in circles, nothing being accomplished. And that was the crescendo this fight had reached, so she had put an abrupt end to it. Surprisingly enough, it had worked. That in and of itself had to be a first. The fact that the girl showed some measure of restraint was a good thing. It was a quality she hopefully never lost.

As if stretching an invisible muscle she reached out with the Force, taking in everything about her surroundings, including the girl before her. A sense of uneasiness radiated outwards with her as the epicenter, and while she herself could certainly sense something off as well, whatever danger might be present didn't concern her quite so much. She had already proven that she was more than capable of defending herself against a would-be assassin, and at this point it wouldn't be very wise for anyone else to cross her. Rarely did anyone listen to reason, however. And so another fight would likely come to a head. Very well. So long as they were quick about it.

But she wouldn't be so obvious about her sensing that mutual danger. No, she wanted to see how the girl interpreted what were latent Force abilities. And so she cocked her head slightly to one side as she watched her, finally speaking after a few moments, her voice having taken on a lighter, almost lilting tone, "You feel something coming. What is it?" They would soon be engulfed in combat once more, but she wanted to know just what this one was capable of beforehand.

[member="Jynx"]

 

[Jynx]

[member="Keira Ticon"]

"What is it?"
Her sense told her that the danger was there, but she could not discern what lay beyond the mental mist. Further prodding was met with blankness, save, for the feeling itself intensifying. But this sense wasn't what she relied on for all these years, rather, keen observation and a sharp mind were what kept Jynx on her feet.

The credit cube was crushed. Yet now it was wrong to call it a credit cube. She recognised that technology even whilst it was crushed: a slave tracking device without explosive material. A tracker. And one made for extremely limited range as far as homing beacons go. The threat was identified: sentient, specifically targeting her and most importantly close.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Footsteps. Unconcealed. Purposefully so. The restaurant was clear of guests and was all but a sea of overturned tables.
"They're here."
But as to who would have such a motive, only a single name comes to mind.

OOC: Faceless mooks space ninjas~ Feel free to write their entrance.. or not : p

 

[Keira Priest]

This was getting to be an unreasonable amount of conflicts in such a short span, even for someone like her. It was all growing to be something of an annoyance, but it felt good to stretch and remember what it was she was good at. The tracking device wasn't something that should have surprised her, and it didn't really, but it made her wonder why people bothered hiring assassins if they couldn't even trust them to get the job done in the first place. Contingency plans were always a good thing, but there was a such thing as overkill, though it was rarely a sentiment she ever believed in or took to heart.

"Care to elaborate?" The inquiry was posed just as the armored figures melted out of the shadows, and without hesitation or much fanfare Keira sent a table flying towards one of them. Just as effortlessly it was cut in half with a single draw and cut of their blade, and suddenly she had a fraction more respect for the entirety of the small group. Although she hated to utilize the weapon for the unwanted attention it often garnered, it had a way of getting things done when nothing else could. Without fanfare she drew her lightsaber, orange plasma blade thrumming to life with a snap-hiss, its idle hum filling the void of silence that had washed over the restaurant.

Judging by the sideways glances a few of their adversaries shared it seemed they hadn't been expecting this added variable, but by the way they advanced regardless she assumed their weaponry and perhaps their armor was likely resistant even to her saber. This would be fun, then. She met one of them in the middle, their blades sparking against each other as they met once, twice, then again a third time. On the fourth strike she didn't allow their weapons to break away, instead locking them at the hilt and pushing back, landing a solid kick on their abdomen that didn't knock them off balance quite as much as she would have liked, though she worked with it. Instantaneously she darted forward with a speed augmented by the Force, having drawn her combat knife in her right hand. Without ceremony she cut across the decidedly unarmored throat of the assailant in a single, unforgiving slash, crimson spilling across otherwise pristine armor.

"Come on, then."

[member="Jynx"]