She Moves Like A Knife

[Eshtaol]

KATARR

It wasn't her preferred way of paying the bills, but smuggling stayed in business year-round and perfectly served the purpose of keeping Saoirse busy. No, it wasn't strictly legal. No, it wasn't always the safest job. Neither really bothered her so long as she thought she could get away with it--and say what you would about Saoirse Flynn, she got away with plenty. Damned if she'd break her own laws, but those of others?

No thank you. Those were flexible.

There was nothing special about her mission today, and that was fine by her - in her experience, too much excitement wasn't good for you. Transport package from A to B (you don't need to know what's in it, sweetheart). Deliver it to the fellow waiting. Pick up moderately sized paycheck. Spend paycheck on fuel, maybe a few beers if she got the chance. Nothing she hadn't done before.

The shuttle landed with a soft thud, far enough away from the brunt of the city to avoid drawing attention but close enough that the buzz of traffic and a thousand voices lent her cover. Saoirse fetched a hat, slung on a jacket lined with a knife (she abhorred violence. But the rest of the world, particularly in jobs like these, didn't care who got roughed up. And it wasn't about to be her.), took the suitcase. Blending in was second nature these days.

She patted the knife.
Tugged the brim of the hat lower.
And went.

The distance to the arranged location was longer for having picked a more discreet landing point, but it was as easy as anything to avoid standing out. She had practice dated long before her first smuggling job, her first anything job. Her world had been one of those who crushed others beneath their heels at any opportunity, and Saoirse too weak to do the crushing and too defiant to be the crushed. The only option remaining was to avoid both parties altogether. Saoirse Flynn had avoidance down to an art.

A building towered as she drew closer. Larger than the meeting points she was used to - not by a wide shot, but enough to lend a shade of paranoia to Saoirse's manner (busier. Easier to get lost. Harder to make a break for it if it comes down to it. The list went on.)

But she'd dealt with scarier before. This job was simple, straightforward as they came. And she needed the money.

In her hand the suitcase felt heavier all the sudden and the wariness behind her gaze had darkened the scene. Like everything Saoirse classed as a problem, she ignored it. Maybe this place gave her the creeps. A lot of things gave her the creeps.

She walked, footsteps careful, feeling for the knife in her jacket one last time.

[member="Leliana"]​

 

[Leliana]

It had been a fairly simple mission, follow a lead and track down the target in question. The man was a former smuggler-turned full blown criminal. A matching fit for a planet like Katarr, that had cities riddled with all manner of crime.

Ran by it even, with some manner of activity around every street corner.

Thankfully, Leliana's objective hadn't kept her to the streets for too long. While she didn't have that much of an issue blending in; to avoid suspicion. You can barely take a walk without ending up in some trouble.

And it led to messy situations, which just wasn't the her style.

It was rather simple to find the target, drinking away at one of the many cantina's. The man could hold his drink it seemed, as even after downing several he was still coherent. Enough so that he was rambling about having to stay around to make a pick up. You figure someone like him would be happy, getting paid for something - or with something depending on what exactly he was waiting to collect.

Either way, it provided Leliana an easy means to get the target alone. She tailed him, using the shadows to follow all the way to a solitary building, one that towered quite high over those that surrounded it. There was no protection, not even a little. No bodyguards to assist, just the target alone. It was perfect, almost too much for Leliana to just go in blindly. But it seemed the situation defied the assassin's expectations - having assumed a trap was laid in wait for her.

Nope, just the man sitting on a crate smoking. That was until Leliana made herself known, and led them to their current situation.

For the past ten minutes, she had him hanging upside down, interrogating him for the information she was after. He got talking fairly quick, more so when he realized just what exactly was holding him upside down.

A pair of black, long arms were protruding from Leliana's back. A blackish mist was flowing between the space, obscuring if whether the limbs were actually coming out of her back, or simply hovering there. One was currently wrapped around the man's left ankle, dangling up high enough that his head was at level with Leliana's.

The second had shifted into a spike-shaped object, waving back and forth in front of the target's chest.

"Now, I'll only repeat myself one more time...is that all you have?"

[member="Saoirse Flynn"]​

 

[Eshtaol]

She hadn't expected the building's emptiness, and it was as disconcerting as it was useful. There was an added safety to disguising yourself in the crowd, to an audience playing spectator if things went wrong, but Saoirse valued being able to go in and out - unnoticed, unhindered. It meant that once she left she could've just as well never been there. Saoirse wore invisibility like a shield.

The building was large, but navigating it came easily--this, after all, was the easy part. Any smuggling job risked at least two things; getting caught, or getting let down by your contact (as it had turned out, there were numerous ways your contact could mess things up). The space in between, where neither threat was yet active? There you could relax.

Saoirse never relaxed, of course.
But she'd call this the next best thing.

Her footsteps were louder in her ears and she started with each one, hallmark caution amplified by the resounding silence. Anybody who knew Saoirse (nobody, not anymore) would've said she looked over her shoulder more than could surely be considered natural, and they would've been right. What she was looking for, what she expected to leap out of the shadows any moment? Not even the woman herself was always entirely sure. But she was always sure something was on its way, always sure something was about to catch up, go wrong.

Paranoia? Certainly. But hardly without good reason.

She caught a voice as she approached. Female--wait. What caution lent itself to in situations like these was fast reflexes, and it was what let her register that something was wrong before she moved to open the door.

But then male voice followed, muffled by the closed door but certainly present, and some of her uncertainty eased. He must've brought a partner along. It wasn't ideal (rather, it hadn't been arranged) but it didn't bear objection.

Still wary, Saoirse opened the door only a fraction to- son of a Sith harlot, what the chit is that?

She turned and ducked behind the wall, mentally cursing. A creaking door. Why did it have to be a creaking door?

[member="Leliana"]​

 

[Leliana]

"Y-yes, that's all I know. I promise!" He was clearly terrified, and awfully lightheaded from being dangled upside down for so long. Leliana said nothing as she stared into the target's eyes, sizing up and judging whether the man was lying to her.

Fear had a way of ensuring the truth, if the person in question had any sense to keep themselves alive.

"I don't need your promis-"

The sudden creaking of a door echoed across the large open space. Leliana's head snapped towards that direction, amber eyes staring into the darkness of the doorway. She waited for several moments, listening for any sign of the culprit.

Was it just the wind?

Or was someone spying on her?

"Help me! Somebody, help m-" The man's cries for help were cut short by a sickly squelch as the spear-shaped arm pierced through the target's chest - killing him. Leliana dropped the body on the floor, and slowly began to walk towards the door. Her footsteps were quiet, but her presence in the Force was not. The 'shadow arms' behind her were foul, reeking with the Dark Side that grew more pungent the closer she got.

Standing only a few steps away from the door, Leliana slammed one of the arms into it, throwing it open.

[member="Saoirse Flynn"]​

 

[Eshtaol]

Her heartbeat was in her throat, so loud she wondered if it would be the thing to give her away. But Saoirse waited, deadly still and tensed like she might snap, straining to catch footsteps that left no trace. Nothing. Once the man went silent she could've been outside an empty room.
And it made it so much worse.

A split-second spike of anxiety was her only presage before the door knocked into the wall and Saoirse flinched, half-gasping as she ducked away out of instinct- oh no.

She couldn't immediately see anyone on the other side of the door, but she didn't need to.

It was clear as day that she was completely karked if she didn't start running.

So naturally, she ran.

The stairs. The stairs. Get outside of the building first. Then you stand a chance. She wouldn't be comfortable stopping until she was on her ship and her ship was in the air, but it wouldn't be so simple (because oh, was it ever?). First she had to find streets. A crowd. Somewhere to hide, throw her off the scent.

But before that she had to get out of this stupid building with its stupid network of hallways. Turn one corner, another, and there were the stairs. Saoirse was already running.

[member="Leliana"]​

 

[Leliana]

Leliana was in pursuit barely a second after she heard boots hitting the ground. Someone had been spying on her, but who?

The most likely answer was some stranger, someone who had winded up in the wrong place at the wrong time. But what if it was one of the target's men? There was potential for that to bite her in the arse if she let them slip away.

She had been taught that even the the smallest loose thread had the potential of unraveling everything.

Whoever this person was, they had to die.

Leliana was able to keep up her pace, but Saoirse had the lead no matter what which she looked at it. She needed to catch up before they left the building, otherwise this chase would get a lot more difficult.

So the assassin improvised, and used her extra arms to shorten the distance. Leliana manipulated the shadow arms forwards, stretching a great length and gripping both walls. She timed it just about right, after turning a corner so she was thrown down the hallway in about two bounds.

Finally Leliana caught sight of her mark as they ran down another hallway, this time though as the brunette turned the corner, a shadow arm slammed into the wall - barely missing the woman's head.

The pursuit was still on, and if Leliana was correct - they'd be nearing one of the exits soon.

"You can't run forever."

Leliana called out, taunting.

[member="Saoirse Flynn"]​