Faction Speak Soft, Speakeasy (Darkwire, Open)

[Hacks]

Hacks strode towards the bar, hands in four pockets. She looked to Daiya and raised her brows in quiet greeting. As the teen moved past she bumped her shoulder into the slicer. Hacks had been to enough pubs and gigs to know an intentional shouldering from an accidental, and this place wasn't busy enough to be accidentally bumping into one another. Hacks turned towards Daiya and placed three hands on her hips, the last hand held inside her jacket pocket, gripping something, "You got a karkin' problem?" she asked with a light bark. She breathed out, losing her steam.

It wasn't exactly her forte to ark up at a teen, but there was a distinct difference between the normal rebellious but innocent youth and this lethal Shadowrunner. Someone else came up to Daiya and Hacks lost her attention to it. "Whatever," she muttered and returned all four hands back into their pockets and slid up alongside the bar.

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

"Me and Kardora have some history..." he said with a shiver as he took off his warm jacket, revealing the scar that reminded him of that very meeting them. Cartri placed it over the back of his chair and sat down, his head looking to the stump that Ankakin was showing off to him "Damn, what did they do to you over there?" the teen said in shock while his head tilted to inspect the missing wing further. It looked like Anakin had been through hell and back, but one thing for sure he was one tough dude to get out of that mentally intact.

"I've been... alright" he said with some hesitation "Ever since Xan died I went into a dark place and turned into something I never wished to be. Thankfully, before Xan left me she got in contact with a jedi to help me control my power as well as to guide me through my grief" he said calmly before releasing a loud sniff, indicating he still somewhat hadn't recovered from the loss of his best friend "Anyway... I'm alive and that's all that matters" Cartri ended with a small smile.

In front of him, the bar maid asked him what drink he wanted "Same as him please" the teen said sarcastically to the woman, who answered with a surprised raise of her brow "No no, I'm messing with you. Just some cold water please" he said with a thankful nod before the waitress walked off in an unimpressed fashion. The boy knew too well of the effects of alcohol and seriously didn't want a repeat of that night out with Daiya. Kark... Xan embarrassed him with those pictures till the very end.

"I'm happy you're back Anakin, maybe you can help me out with a few things somewhere down the line" he said before his cold water was placed on the table. Raising his glass he tries to gently clink it against Anakins glass "To better times..." Cartri remarked before taking a big gulp of the clear water.

At the bar, some commotion was going down between a familiar face and someone unknown to him. Daiya forcefully bumped into a strange looking woman and stomped off in a mood, leaving her victim to growl back at her. Whoever it was, they also were thinking of using something within their pocket "Hey, tech head! cool the engines would you?" he shouted over to Hacks , unknowing that she was a key member of the darkwire organization "Save your anger for someone more worthwhile, not a stroppy Daiya"

Daiya Anakin Stormrunner Xan Deesa ​

 

[Daiya]

Daiya took some perverse pleasure at giving the cyborg woman enough grief to make her spin around into an imposing posture. The teen wasn't intimidated, she had already faced this version of Hacks in a close match and survived. She turned back to the woman, a snarl on her lips at Hacks' rebuke. "Yeah, you're my problem. You—"

Her vision dimmed as another figure cut her way in between, and a voice issued from the face that still wasn't so familiar. This time, Daiya was intimidated, and she took a step back on instinct. What the feth was Xan up to? The woman —if she could even be called that anymore, Daiya knew the female form of her new body was just a thin veneer— should know more than most not to get in the middle of her fights.

Then Xan spoke.

There was something in the new android's words, the way she gestured and moved. It felt like Xan, it sounded like Xan, and it almost looked like Xan. The teen growled, an audible outburst of consternation that signaled her reluctant retreat from this round. Her body turned to follow Xan enough to prompt the woman, while her head turned back towards Hacks. Daiya brought the first two fingers of her hand up to point at her eyes, then swiveled them around towards the cyborg woman. She stalked away after Xan, confident that her message was clear.

Daiya set her drink roughly down on the table, not caring that it splashed over the sides. She dropped into a chair opposite Xan, folding her arms across her chest. The android woman spoke as if she didn't notice, acting as if she was on the girl's side here. Daiya rolled her eyes, but was happy for the chance to vent to anyone who would actually listen.

"Chya, right?!" Her eyes narrowed and the teen's mouth twisted into a scowl, her frustration evident on her face. "Who the feth does she think she is, waltzing back in here like she owns us? Did you see who she was talking to? Prolly one of those devil-heads who works for the Corpos, not like they all come to Denon for the free food. And she still won't get the tattoo! Like, if you're really one of us then get with the picture, schutta!"

The teen slid down further into her chair, listening to Xan go on about her new body and other chit like that. Daiya tried to care, she really tried, she just couldn't help her thoughts from dwelling on Hacks still. She kept sneaking looks back through the privacy screen to the cyborg woman sitting at the bar, where she was looking nonchalant enough. It wouldn't surprise Daiya to learn that one of the cyborg's implants granted Hacks the equivalent of eyes in the back of her head.

"Yeah, totally," the girl offered, non-committal. She took a sip of the drink again, and made a face at it. It was like the sugar was mocking her now, Daiya simply couldn't get any satisfaction from the sweet drink anymore. It clattered as the teen let it drop a moment from hitting the table, too low to splash this time so she gave it a shove away from her. "This is all fethed."

Daiya gestured rudely at drink, and then tossed her gaze around to illustrate. "This place is fethed, Hacks is fethed, this whole 'your new body' thing is fethed, chit, just all of it, Xan. I wish it could go back to how it used to be, ya know? When Darkwire was just running jobs on all kinds of worlds and the Corpos weren't breathing down our necks all the time? When my drinks weren't fething virgin!"

Kadora'Tra Xan Deesa Cyran Vaas Anakin Stormrunner Hacks Starlin Rand Moya Virtu Cartri Keswoll Roye Sigtarien​

 

[Kadora'Tra]

​

Kitkat didn't know what to make of the place, her eyes scanning the room hidden by disguise hologram. After a few moments gawking at the precipice, she walked in, looking for Xan... or whoever it was that directed her here. It was supposed to be a safe place for her, somewhere to lay low where no one was looking. She was a wanted cat, after all.

Most info pundits she had browzed assumed she had been killed rather than defected, and she was happy to keep that story for now. Nonetheless, a considerable information bounty still rested on her shoulders to determine the exact cause of her disappearance. However, the only thing she was worried more about was if her face started showing up again on the news alive and well. Blackheart still had a copy under his thumb even after Darkwire's reckless assassination of Xopsaloff.

A few faces were familiar to her. One was Cartri Keswoll . That punk stole her badge. They had a scuffle and hadn't seen one another since. Kadora'Tra recalled that Xan Deesa had some kind of living arrangement with the kid and promised to safely house her if she defected from the Corpos. Was she supposed to try and live with this kid now? Kitkat didn't see Xan yet but thought that this must be the reason she was sent here. To get in this kid's good graces, so it was easier for Xan's digital mind to keep them both safe.

Kadora'Tra also spotted Daiya , who she had worked with on a couple of occasions. Brat.

Most of the others were unfamiliar, or she had only seen the reports on them. Like this feathery guy, Cartri was talking to, Anakin Stormrunner . Wasn't he dead?

Kitkat tried for a warm smile, fulfilling the fake happiness she always saw human girls sporting, and approached Cartri... but then his conversation started to involve others and seemed a bit heated. Feeling like the situation was devolving to her, she began to feel less safe. So rather than approach, she was kind of smiling stupidly at this kid while her hair raised underneath the holographic facade.

Eventually, a bartender snapped in front of her face.

"Eh lass, don't you know crushes get scared off starin' at 'em for too long?"

As if all of this wasn't nerve-wracking enough.

"Oh right, haha, sorry. Kill me now." She said and then muttered while covering her face from Cartri and sitting a little deeper into her stool at the bar.

(OOC NOTE: Cartri, maybe your force sensitivity was able to spot her real identity through the holographic disguise to keep continuity consistent. Or, you can have a cute blonde staring at you from across the room that looks embarrassed after getting called out on it)

 

[Xan Deesa]

Xan watched Daiya carefully with her fists clenched, just in case she decided to have a go at the four-armed cyborg. In all fairness, Xan could do with a test drive against more capable opponents, see what her new body was actually capable of. Then again, the Doc would probably not be very happy if she came to him with arms missing and a couple of holes through her armour. At least Daiya seemed smarter than usual and backed off, following Xan to the table.

Time for the angst to flow.

"Don't worry about her. She's been gone for a while. She'll get the fright of her life if she tries to throw us under the bus. Though it might be a good idea to keep an eye on her. With her chip busted the behaviour could be understood, though the way she is now... it's weird. We'll have to keep an eye on her, especially with the more careful plans we got going." She muttered, her technicolour gaze watching Hacks by the bar. In all fairness, Hacks wasn't of any concern to her. But watching the young Runner get worked up was rather amusing.

Her gaze turned back to Daiya as the girl complained about the direction everything went. She had to admit that the girl had a point. Everything was just simpler back then. Denon and Darkwire was simply her midlife crisis escape, the fights were just pastimes, the repercussions wouldn't be severe. Just cat and mouse around the clock. But things couldn't stay the same. It had to get worse before it could get better. "I'd say the drink is perfect for the drinker." She teased Daiya before giving her a gentle nudge. "Just stay put, I'll be right back." She got up without hesitation and made her way to the bar, pushing people aside to draw the bartender's attention. "Two ciders, preferably on the double." He seemed to misunderstand her order, placing four ciders on the counter. She blinked in surprise but said nothing as she slid the credits over to him.

Returning with the drinks, she set a bottle in front of Daiya and took one for herself. "Things were simpler, Daiya. Way simpler. But we all decided that this wasn't right. Things had to be done. We needed to be the change we wanted to see. It cost something from all of us... and it's not gonna get easier. But we're past the point of no return. We want to see a change, results, a better Denon? We best get to it." She spoke gently as she took a sip. "I hope that's more satisfactory." She snickered.

"How's things going with Cartri?" She asked her casually. Time for the fuel...

Daiya Hacks Cartri Keswoll Kadora'Tra Anakin Stormrunner

 

[Daiya]

Daiya punctuated her sour expression by sticking her tongue out at Xan. Everyone else made light of her youth, she didn't need the cyborg woman piling on.

Or was she an android now?

It felt weird to be this familiar with what seemed like a perfect stranger. Whatever Xan was now, it made it weirder still to hear familiar words coming out of her new face. The young shadowrunner didn't like it, it was just another reminder of how everything used to be different. Now Xan had a new body, Hacks was back, and Darkwire felt more scattered than it had ever been.

And Daiya was still young.

"I can't help it if I haven't found my lover yet. None of the boys can keep up with me," she told Xan dryly when the woman returned with new drinks. One was set in front of Daiya, and the teen took an eager sip. The cider was tart and dry, but the promise in the afterbite more than made up for that. She slurped down another gulp, letting out a gasp worthy of a parched trek through a desert. "Oh there we go, finally!"

Xan started talking about the past the way grown-ups always did. Like they were suddenly experts on the subject and simply had to share their infinitesimal wisdom with her. Daiya tried to look interested, though mostly she used the time to catch up. She was almost the whole way through the bottle before Xan took notice. "Way more, thanks Xan."

The teen let out a small hiccup. She frowned and covered her mouth, but another one fired off despite her best efforts. Daiya downed the rest of the cider, hoping it would dispel the hiccups.

She coughed at the effort, blinking up at Xan as the woman asked about Cartri. Then Daiya hiccuped again, and let out a groan. Rolling her eyes, she set down the bottle, fighting through frustration and surprise to mount an answer. "What about him?" Another hiccup, another groan. "Knuckles there keeps trying to kick the rancor, last time I had to rescue him from his own disaster!"

Her voice cracked with the hiccup, and Daiya's eyes nearly rolled back up into her skull. She pressed on, trying to maintain some level of seriousness. "Oh, and did he tell you about how he went around punching walls when you were missing?" She shook her head, before another hiccup shook her shoulders again. "At some point that fool is going to get himself in deep chit and —feth these hiccups!"

Daiya reached for another bottle of the cider, holding her other hand over her nose and mouth to pause her breathing. Of all the times to suffer something so stupid and undignified...she hated hiccups.

Xan Deesa​

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Cassus' mask was still broken, replacing it was going to be a pain. Holding the scraps of it in his hands (whatever he managed to salvage) and looked at himself in the mirror. He willed his Tattoo to show itself down here, a black tear from his eye to his cheek.

He probably should go check on Daiya, there wasn't much he could do to rectify the situation right now.. A rest room was not a workshop after all. There was a flush and a patron behind him walked over to a sink.

"You're getting grease all over the sink man," A huge green creature with three arms gestured at him walking towards the exit. Cassus looked down and saw a couple of drops of liquid from his broken piece of visor and looked back at the speaker, who was already walking out.

"Sorry." He looked over his shoulder at the half dozen other sinks in the room. "Gross." He muttered before stowing away his mask fragments into his back pack and walked put to the rest of the speakeasy common area.

Hopefully, Daiya wasn't getting into too much trouble yet.

 

[Darkwire Mutual Aid Fund]

Cassus Akovin received a little bleep of a message to his private datapad: a 500 UC transfer with a note attached.


For repairs.

With love,
Darkwire Mutual Aid Fund

 

[Kadora'Tra]

After a few moments of embarrassment, Kadora'Tra felt ridiculous just sitting around. If she was supposed to be here, she needed to talk to people. Treadmills were stupid, so she decided now was the time to get off. Ignoring the weird kid, she decided to go see Daiya, as at least with her, she had some idea of what they were like. That's when she finally recognized Xan talking to her. Her heart seemed to rocket into her throat, but she kept her stride towards the pair.

"Hi, excuse me, aren't you that girl from Belazura?" She tried to interject into their conversation, knowing that Xan would likely recognize her disguise. "Oh sorry, my mistake." She closed her eyes in a short laugh. "I thought you were that kid who made that heartbreaking video awhile back. Did you ever hear about it?"

Of course she has, She thought to herself, brining up memories of the virtual beach on Belazura. We were both there.

"Hey Xan, what's new?" Kitkat wasn't a stranger to Xan, so maybe the shared friendship would help Daiya to trust her approach more than a case of mistaken identity...

Daiya Cartri Keswoll Xan Deesa Hacks Anakin Stormrunner Starlin Rand Moya Virtu Cyran Vaas Shot Sutaz

 

[Hacks]

"Hey, tech head! cool the engines would you?" someone shouted towards Hacks, she turned to see a kid, taken aback she looked at him with mild shock and confusion he was in the bar, "Save your anger for someone more worthwhile, not a stroppy Daiya." Hacks stared at him and quickly held a hand over her forehead. She formed her hand as if she were gripping a cylindrical object and made two quick strokes above her head, referring to him as, in more literary terms, having a male genital for a head. "Is every kid trying to start crap with me tonight," she said to herself in wonder.

It wasn't the name-calling of tech head that bothered her, no, she was proud of it. She had once belonged to a gang of femmes who took cybernetics to the extremes. It was the audacity of these rugrats that struck a nerve. She collected her drink and creds from the bar and moved towards the exit of the bar, almost stumbling into Cassus as he left the restroom. "Bloody hell," she exclaimed at Cassus, "I thought this was a bar, not high school."

She was at her wits end with this place, but realised the insensitivity of her remark to someone who had saved her life only days prior. "Sorry," she said to him, "Thanks for what you did," a mechanical hand clapped him on the shoulder, perhaps a bit too hard by mistake. "Uh, new motors," she said and rolled the cybernetic shoulder. She tilted her head in Daiya's direction, and rolled an eye over to Cartri, "You should probably put a leash on those two." Before Cassus could even ask, all she explained was, "Talk shet, get hit."

Then the shadowrunner was making for the door.

Cassus Akovin | Daiya | Cartri Keswoll

 

[Cassus Akovin]

Cassus Akovin received a little bleep of a message to his private datapad: a 500 UC transfer with a note attached.


For repairs.

With love,
Darkwire Mutual Aid Fund

"What the hell-" Cassus looked at the notification before bumping into someone.

"Bloody hell," she exclaimed at Cassus, "I thought this was a bar, not high school."

She was at her wits end with this place, but realised the insensitivity of her remark to someone who had saved her life only days prior. "Sorry," she said to him, "Thanks for what you did," a mechanical hand clapped him on the shoulder, perhaps a bit too hard by mistake. "Uh, new motors," she said and rolled the cybernetic shoulder. She tilted her head in Daiya's direction, and rolled an eye over to Cartri, "You should probably put a leash on those two." Before Cassus could even ask, all she explained was, "Talk shet, get hit."

Then the shadowrunner was making for the door.

"No problem." Cassus wasn't bothered by the comment. There certainly was no shortage of young people making waves in Darkwire these days. Hacks had been part of Darkwire longer than he was a Bounty Hunter, but she also missed a rather tumultuous period of its history. Being out of the loop was always annoying, but it could be deadly in the Underworld. He didn't blame the cyborg being on edge, he couldn't really get mad at Daiya for being hatefully suspicious, and he couldn't blame Cartri for trying to defend her.

Hacks clapped him on the shoulder, and he stumbled a bit.

"Right, yeah. I'll get on that, watch your back, Hacks ."

He walked towards Cartri Keswoll and Anakin Stormrunner

"I appreciate the assistance in trying to keep this place cool, but do you have any idea who that is?" He knew the answer, of course, but he gave him the benefit of the doubt since this was more or less his first time interacting with Cartri. They had both been at Eden, but like most Shadowrunners, he only knew him on a work basis, not a social one.

Daiya Xan Deesa etc.

 

[Ivory Stroud]

"Just like home...", she thought, casting a steady gaze across the dark alleyways of the immense city-world. The smells, sights, and sounds penetrated her senses, mixing into a steady stream of input which could overwhelm the mind. Life was toxic in the underbelly, regardless of the world. Denon, much like her homeworld of Coruscant, was a melting pot of turmoil; Corporations intermingling with the Criminal, Security Forces stepping over the line into ferocity and evil, scoundrels and tech-wizards alike vying for their slice of the pie, and in-between them all, a populace which generally tried to avoid the seediest parts of the place they called home.

Ivory had never had a choice where she'd stood in that eternal struggle. She was born for this life. It had consumed her, and she'd learned its' rules well.

The smell of trash and sweat, dumpster fires, and roasting street foot touched her nostrils. Nearby, a cacophany of sirens cut into her ears like a vibroblade before diminishing.

She was dressed simply: long knee-high boots of black leather, giving her a rise in height to a dominating 6'2, and skin-tight black pants hugging a lithe figure. A fur coat covered her torso, and beneath it, a deep violet top, cut off at the midriff. A tiny sparkling gem sat in her navel, catching the neon light of a street sign as it winked in & out of existence. The curving whorls of numerous tattoos peeked out from what skin she showed. Her hair was long and black as night, falling to the right side of her face while the left side was buzzed and mixed with a distinctive pattern tattooed into the flesh of her skull. Violet eyes, bright and attentive, flashed a mix of caution and amusement, as she watched a passersby stumble slightly over his own feet. Obviously drunk.

She stood, leaning against the wall of a brick building, lazily awaiting some unknown moment before she felt comfortable enough to make her move toward the speakeasy she'd heard of. Finally, she made her move - uncoiling, cat-like, to slink into the shadows like a predator.

Through the door, with the proper exchange of covert signals with the Shopkeep. "I'm looking for something... soft." She'd said with a grin, which made the man give her a wary gaze. As he'd led her into the back and to the hidden door, she trailed a long fingernail along the hallway wall, taking her time to soak in the moment.

She loved these little moments; the feeling of success having navigated a labyrinth of secrecy. The familiar rituals. The butterflies in her stomach, as she stepped into unknown territory. The feeling of danger, buzzing in the back of her skull like electricity.

Taking the steps down into the speakeasy one at a time, she slipped her hands into the pockets of her coat. Hidden away, her small assortment of tools and weaponry lay ready but untouched. She was not, after all, looking for that kind of fun tonight. The music thudded in her ears and she allowed herself a breath, taking in the busy bar with a practiced eye. Numerous conversations buzzed around her, and she took her time before moving toward the bar to order herself a drink.

 

[Cartri Keswoll]

Cassus Akovin Daiya Xan Deesa Anakin Stormrunner Hacks Kadora'Tra​

Whatever her name was, the woman had an attitude an angry Nerf would be proud of. Shaking his head as she mumbled something, Cartri watched her turn and make an exit, bumping into Cassus the way out and saying something to him which turned his attention to Cartri and Ani.

Sipping on his water as he approached, Cartri realised he hadn't really got to know Cassus as much as everyone else. They were both around the same age, but compared to Cartri it seemed like Cassus had been around the block a few times in terms of experiences. Giving him a respectful nod, he listened to the question they had to ask the pair

"No, but she clearly has an attitude that's for sure," the teen said with a roll of his eyes "By the sound of your tone, I'm guessing she's quite important. Who is the tech head? Is she related to you or something?"

 

[Daiya]

The course, bubbly liquid flowed over her tongue. Daiya held her nose firm, forcing herself to swallow and drink some more, ignoring every burning urge to slow down. She sputtered once, coughing the cider back into her mouth and then swallowing it properly this time.

When she finally set down the bottle, the teen was gasping for air.

She held a hand to her chest, trying to settle herself from the ordeal. Swallowing again, Daiya drew in something close to a normal breath of air. "Whew. Let me please never do tha—"

Her chest shook with another dreaded hiccup.

A peculiar voice interrupted her ordeal, and the growl in her voice reached its crescendo as she sprang to her feet. Her stomach in her throat, her mind on her hiccups, she had no time for Corpo banthachit today!

"WHAT?!" Her eyes settled on the picture of a human girl, taller than Daiya, with a ponytail of blonde hair. Not...whoever the tensed young shadowrunner had been expecting. "Oh," she managed, her cheeks flushing at her error as another hiccup interrupted. Daiya frowned, trying to catch up to what the other girl had been saying. "Yeah...I'm not her. I'm Daiya."

All Daiya could think of was how uncanny that voice sounded.

Outside the privacy shield now, the speakeasy exploded with sound once more. The teen leaned in on another conversation from over at the bar, and whirled over to glance at the cyborg woman. "Out of all," Daiya found herself cursed with another hiccup, pointing a finger at Hacks as she stumbled on, "beings, you should be the last one doing any talking."

Icy blue eyes watched the woman leave, and then she blinked back towards Ponytail Girl, suffering another fething hiccup. "Ignore that one, she's chip-rotted."

Daiya slipped her arm around the Ponytail Girl, laying a guiding hand on her back. The young shadowrunner directed them back over to the bar, where her eyes were alight with new ideas. The bartender couldn't deny Daiya again now, not after he just saw her drinking with Xan. "C'mon," she gritted her teeth for a moment, trying to ignore the hiccups now, "You look thirsty. And we're all out here."

"So you saw Zenie's vid?" Daiya asked on their way over, swallowing back every time she hiccuped. "The Belazuran Princess is my friend, I helped her make the vid. Pretty dark chit, huh?"

Reaching the bar, Daiya didn't even glance at the bartender. She just held up two fingers, grimacing at another hiccup, and threw out a, "My friend is thirsty, give us something on tap."

Kadora'Tra Hacks Cassus Akovin Ivory Stroud Cartri Keswoll​

 

[Kadora'Tra]

Kadora'Tra wasn't really sure what she was expecting approaching the young Shadowrunner, but it was clear somehow she had startled Daiya . That could have just been her choice of beverage, though. She gestured towards the four armed cyborg and told her to ignore them. Something about a rotted chip. A part of her felt like she recognized them, but dismissed that.

Not her now, just Kitkat.

"I think I had a half-sister with chip-rot. Nasty!" Some part of her cringed at the nonsense lie, though some of it was metaphor for her Dopplegangers.

All of a sudden a hand on her back guided her to the bar. She was not unfamiliar with alcohol, having the leeway of enforcement on her side before, but now was not a great time to have her inhibitions lowered... then again, her companion seemed to already have her own inhibitions lowered, so perhaps she wouldn't have to drink as much before Daiya passed out. Then maybe Xan could explain some things to her in private.

"I could have a few," She smiled fakely with convincing enthusiasm. Only a Corpo would refuse a drink offered. She assumed for free.

"Yeah what that Mansoon guy is doing is just rank, but it feels impossible to do anything about it sometimes, ya know? I can do a lot here on Denon, but I'm feeling stuck lately." Kitkat watched her drink filling intently, feigning nieve fascination. Kadora'Tra felt surprisingly good at it. Tapping into something she didn't know she was hiding. It was hard to tell what was real and what was acted.

 

[Ivory Stroud]

Kadora'Tra Daiya

Two stools down from the two blondes sat a tallish, raven-haired woman with beautiful violet eyes. She looked like she'd just stepped out of an anarcho-punk concert; black leather pants, knee-high laced platform boots, a purple low-cut tank top, and a beautiful fur coat which seemed less "big money" and more "hunting trophy".

She was sipping a glass of amber liquid topped off with a yellow/orange juice and a few small cubes of frozen water. The woman seemed completely engrossed in her own thoughts, but she was actually listening - intently - to everything happening around her.

When the two younger-looking blonde girls approached the bar, Ivory gave them both the side-eye. They seemed comfortable enough... Well, the one who kept talking did. The other one... Ivory wasn't sure about. Something felt wrong, but she couldn't quite place it.

"Everybody is stuck, here on Denon." She said, loud enough for the two to hear.

"I've got them." Ivory said to the bartender, who nodded and took a credit chip she slid toward him.

 

[Cassus Akovin]

"No, but she clearly has an attitude that's for sure," the teen said with a roll of his eyes "By the sound of your tone, I'm guessing she's quite important. Who is the tech head? Is she related to you or something?" ​

"Nah. Hacks recruited me after a failed Bounty on Geonosis we took together. Well, after I jumped bail anyway. She's the real deal, though, recruited by Frankie just before she dipped. Used to live in the Top Shelf of Belazura after we stole it. She's that sort of crazy, so stay clear, yeah?" Cassus tried to condense and relay as much information as possible to his younger peer.

"It's also probably karked to wake up after missing all the fethed things we went through, so have some patience."

Cassus paused a moment as he thought about something. He glanced over to the bar for a moment to assess the situation.

"So, what's your deal? Are you acquainted with @Daiya?" She seemed occupied, so he'd approach her later.

Anakin Stormrunner Cartri Keswoll

 

[Daiya]

Luckily, her new friend wasn't resisting the pull of Daiya's hand. The teen wore a grin as she finished ordering for them, listening to Ponytail Girl's comments. Her head bobbed as she nodded, her own curly hair up in a ponytail that held at the nape of her neck, and it swished with her movement.

"Stuck?" Her nose wrinkled at the concept, confused at how anyone could think Denon was a place to be stuck. The city-world offered an infinite amount of freedom and opportunity for anyone willing to seek it. Maybe it was Ponytail Girl that was stuck in her own head. "Well, maybe y—"

Daiya didn't get time to say it as a woman next to the pair chimed in. She blinked at the intruder to their conversation, her expression hardening when the woman paid for their drinks. What did she want? "Umm, thanks? I have a boyfriend..."

Hair swished, her attention turned back to Ponytail Girl. The other girl seemed high-strung for some reason, Daiya could almost see the tension in her body. A drink or three would help that, at least for tonight. "As I was saying, maybe you need something new to do. 'Cause whatever brought you here, it probably isn't helping, y'know?"

The bartender set down a pair of drinks, not making eye contact with her anymore. She was more than happy for it, and moved one of the glasses in front of Ponytail Girl. Daiya picked up her own, taking an experimental sip. She grimaced at the sour bitterness, but at least the fizzy bubbles helped dull her tongue to the sensation. "You got any hobbies? I like drawing, it helps me focus sometimes."

Kadora'Tra Cassus Akovin Ivory Stroud Cartri Keswoll​

 

[Kadora'Tra]

"Everybody is stuck, here on Denon." She said, loud enough for the two to hear.

"I've got them." Ivory said to the bartender, who nodded and took a credit chip she slid toward him.

"Umm, thanks? I have a boyfriend..."

"That's okay, I don't!" The words fell naturally out of her persona's mouth, while the voice in her head gagged.

"Or Girlfriend, for that matter..." She added more sheepishly, but for some reason her inner monolog was silent.

"As I was saying, maybe you need something new to do. 'Cause whatever brought you here, it probably isn't helping, y'know?"

"Yeah, you could say that." Trying not to think about all the CorpSec patrols and Bounty Hunters searching for her whereabouts on Denon. Belazura too, but somehow she felt she'd have an easier time getting away with being herself there.

"You got any hobbies? I like drawing, it helps me focus sometimes."

Oh no. Kadora'Tra hadn't really thought about this aspect of her disguise. Beating poor people wasn't going to pass off as a normal pass time for people here, and admittedly it wasn't something she had any genuine interest in any more. At least not discriminating based on one's lack of wealth.

"Ah, well it's been hard for me lately. Hard to spend time doing anything but drink and maybe let off steam at my home gym. Just a bar hanging from the ceiling really..." Impressed with her improvisation she allowed Kitkat to take a drink.

"Phew. Used to have a punching bag, but I think a neighbor stole it. Who steals a punching bag?!" She exclaimed with enthusiasm.

Kadora'Tra listed in her head that apparently her real hobby was acting.

Daiya Ivory Stroud

 

[Ivory Stroud]

Kadora'Tra Daiya

Ivory couldn't help but laugh. As the two returned to their conversation, she felt it genuinely funny that the blonde beside her naturally assumed Ivory was trying to pick up anyone.

She turned her head, glancing at the two girls. "They must not teach manners on this planet. Not every stranger wants something when they buy you a drink."

"Don't worry, girl. You're not my type. The right sex, maybe, but the wrong skin."

A grin appeared on her face as she pointed with one finger - the same hand holding her glass - at the second of the two. The same one she'd picked up a mysterious feeling from. "At least she's got a better attitude."

Then, she returned to her own drink.