Spice Spice Baby

[Judah Lesan]

Finnik found himself on the move again. Life was always one adventure after the other, and the young adult had never found it in him to settle down. He'd tired, but it always led to him going stir crazy. A Dathomir witch had tried enslaving him, so he ran. There had also been Cassia, he liked her. They'd run into each other a couple of times. Finnik was still always moving.

For now he found himself on Nar Shaddaa. The smuggler's moon was a great place for the orphan to hide. The underworld there varied in the degree of nastyness, and some were tolerable. He found himself doing well with a small street gang that dealt in small time racquets. The work was boring, but it kept him alive.

The swoop races were going to be eventful for them. Big names were coming in and he was going to see them all. His job was to take the credits for all the side bets. The fun part of that was seeing all the other deals which went down. The spice dealers would be out in full force, and Finnik had his eye on a few to push the bets higher. There were some who liked to gamble as much as the dealt.

He was wearing a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, black boots, and black leather jacket. Finnik took his seat at the center box when he noticed a group of thugs in hot pursuit of someone. Great... he couldn't just let it go by. Getting to his feet he chased after the group. There was a lightsaber hidden in his jacket. If it came to it, he'd use it.

[member="Tethys Kell"]

 

[Tethys Kell]

Tethys stood with her arms crossed, a hard and slightly bored expression on her face. She and Raul had left his derelict storefront in Coruscant’s Undercity and were back on their home world. It was always bittersweet when they stopped ‘round Nar Shaddaa. The teen had spent most of her life on the Smuggler’s Moon as an orphan, but it was also where she’d met Raul in the first place. She was no stranger to the seedy sort that came out for good times spent drinking, gambling and all of the darker activities the planet had to offer. Today they were camped out at the swoop races, the crowds made it an ideal place to drop some spice and make some deals.

Raul was twitchy as ever, Tethys could have sworn that he was going to explode from all of the nervous energy he was bottling up. He tapped her on the shoulder and nodded towards the crowd. “Our next appointment.” The teen followed Raul’s gaze towards a large man with an overabundance of facial hair and his gang, they were quickly approaching. “It’s always nice seein’ ya, Yorin.” Raul said to the man. “Go ‘head and transfer over the credits, we’ve got the goods.” Pulling out his data pad Raul looked on in anticipation, but his expression did not change to reflect the pleasure that comes along with accumulating credits.

“This isn’t the price we agreed on.” Raul said, sticking his hands in his pockets and shooting Tethys a shifty look. Teth turned her brown eyes back to Yorin and his gang, this was about to get interesting. She tapped the toe of her brown leather boot on the ground, she was getting impatient. For a moment or two she let her attention wander to the crowd around them, and suddenly she felt Raul’s hand on her back, pushing her away. “Don’t just stand there! Run!” He growled.

These days it was her job to hold onto the spice, she could run faster, after all. She didn’t need to be told twice, and took off swiftly through the crowd. It wasn’t long before the gang was rushing after her, pushing people out of their way, on a war path after their spice order. She loved a good chase, even if she was the one being pursued; it was always a bit of a thrill. Wearing a beat up pair of jeans, a black tank top and her brown hair tied back in a simple bun, it was easy enough to blend in with the other patrons. However, being chased by a gang was one way to gather some unwanted attention. She led them out of the race arena and into the streets, twisting and turning through the back alleys.

Tethys skidded to a halt; she’d made a wrong turn, it was a dead end. She turned around to see the gang closing in on her, grins on their faces. This was not turning out to be her day. “Ok, boys...” Tethys started. “Let’s talk this out.” She said, and threw a punch at the nearest man. The teen knew full well that she was no match for a gang, but she wasn’t about to listen to her better judgement.

[member="Finnik Mann"]

 

[Judah Lesan]

Finnik followed the group of thugs out of the complex and into the streets. From where he was he didn't really see the girl they were chasing anymore, but he knew with the pace they were taking she was in some kind of trouble. She likely deserved it, but Finnik could never leave well enough alone, and certainly was never able to mind his own business. His training in the force was minimal, but enough that he could deal with the thugs if he had a little help.

The group rushed to a hault as the girl had hit a dead end. Cliche laughter came from the group as they slowly backed her further toward the wall. Her street toughened voice rang out suggesting they talk about this, and then suddenly she threw a punch. Finnik had kept his distance up until that point, but realized she was not going to take the group on their own. The only options he had was to let the group do what they wanted, or get between her and the group. Naturally Finnik chose the later, and rushed ahead.

"I'd listen to her if I were you," he said before the one hit could retaliate. "You ever stop to think why she brought you out here into the alley, and why she just charged you like that? She's likely a force user, and lured you out here so she could take care of you without exposing her secret..."

Finnik let the thought hang in the air as he watched to see if they would buy it. Yeah, nope... The first guy charge Finnik which meant he had quickly pivot so the man would run right into the wall, provided the girl moved when Finnik hollared at her to do. The impact with the building would knock him out cold, leaving the other three to deal with. Hopefully the girl could take care of one man on her own.

The others were pretty upset at this point, and opted to circle them. There wasn't much time to discuss a plan, and so Finnik did what he always did. The best defense was a really awesome offense right? Lunging forward he laid a hard right hook on the jaw of the first attacker, and followed up with a swift kick to his family jewels. What, Finnik was a street rat long before he joined the Sith, and left the Sith. Fighting dirty came natural to him, and most thugs never thought to protect the goods. He didn't really pay attention to what the girl did, he just knew that after a few moments all the men were knocked out, and they had to get out of there before the woke up. The best place to hide was inseide the racing complex.

Finnik grabbed her hand, they could make introductions as they ran back inside.

"I'm Finnik, and we need to get back inside. It's the best place to stay hidden once these guys come to."

[member="Tethys Kell"]

 

[Tethys Kell]

Tethys knew that she didn’t have much hope in this fight, with any luck they would just beat her to a pulp and leave it at that. After she felt her fist connect with the thug’s jaw, she braced herself for his retaliation… but it didn’t come. Much to her surprise she saw a boy standing in front of her and he was now addressing the gang on her behalf. So, he had figured out that she was a force user, and she knew that to mean he was as well. She hoped that he had more training than she had… which meant any amount of training would be good.

She heard the boy yell for her to move, and she side stepped just in time to watch the first thug fly into the brick wall behind her. As the thug hit the ground she took the opportunity to kick him while he was down, letting her boot connect several times with his abdomen. His hand suddenly shot up and grabbed her ankle, Tethys soon felt herself being pulled off her feet. She landed hard, but grabbed a handful of dirt, launching it into the man’s eyes as he got back on his feet. It was an oldie but a goodie. Tethys picked up a metal pipe that happened to be on the ground, and brought it down swiftly on the thug’s head. This time he went down and didn’t get back up.

Before she even had time to process what happened next, the rest of the gang had joined their comrade on the ground. She felt the boy take her hand and she went along with him as they ran back to the safety of the complex. “Um, hi.” She started, in between breaths. “I’m Tethys…” As gallant as he had been to jump to her aid, she really wasn’t the average damsel in distress.

As they made their way into the crowd she separated her hand from his, but decided to stay close. Part of her was grateful for his rescue, but part of her was also embarrassed and angry that she had needed help. “So,” she was about to break the ice when she happened to spot Yorin charging his way towards the exit. Tethys grabbed Finnik quickly, wrapping her arms around him, and pressed her lips to his. It wasn’t very subtle, but it was enough to obstruct the thug’s view of her. Despite the fact that she was now kissing a boy she didn’t even know, she kept one eye open and watched as Yorin passed them. As soon as he was out of sight she broke the kiss and grinned.

“Good, he’s gone. Looks like we’re in the clear… for now.”

[member="Finnik Mann"]

 

[Judah Lesan]

Okay so they got back to the complex and went to hide among the crowd. The next thing he knew he was thrown up against the wall, and Tethys was kissing him. Every part of him that was a guy, because he was, took over and Finnik returned the kiss. As far as he knew it was her way of saying thank you for saving her butt back in the alley. Suddenly it was over and the gal was pulling back like it meant nothing, and wasn't anything.

"So who is gone," Finnik asked. "And that was one hell of a kiss, but just cover right?"

Had Finnik tried that he likely would have been slapped. Now his curiosity was piqued, and he had to work. He took her hand again and pulled her to the box where he was supposed to be collecting side bets. A want to be gentleman in a funny bowler hat suddenly sat in the box next them and eyed Finnik in a way he didn't like. Still he was there to work, and a couple of men placed some bets around him before he talked to Tethys again.

"So you were in some trouble back there. You into something heavy? Like is there going to be more people after you that you might need a place to crash for a while. I got some friends."

[member="Tethys Kell"]

 

[Tethys Kell]

“Yorin, the gang leader.” Tethys answered. “And yes, that was just for cover but maybe later…” She trailed off, but winked suggestively at Finnik.

She let him lead her along, and soon they arrived at a sparsely populated box, but it was quickly filling in anticipation of the next race. Her eyes shifted as she saw Raul in the next box, he was glaring over at them, but his eyes were on Finnik. Judging by the black eye Raul was now sporting, and the rips in his clothing, she suspected that he’d just escaped. While Finnik appeared to be working the crowd, Tethys flashed Raul a significant glance that meant ‘we don’t know each other’.

Tethys turned again as Finnik spoke to her and she perked her brows. “I’m not that important.” She shrugged, but a grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. “This was just a fluke.” Tethys added, which wasn’t really true, this sort of thing happened to her on a regular basis. She also figured that Finnik had helped her out enough for one day; she didn’t want to give the impression that she couldn’t handle herself.

“Say, what’re you doing here?” She changed the subject. “Working the beat?”

[member="Finnik Mann"]

 

[Judah Lesan]

Finnik had no clue Tethys knew the man in the odd bowler hat, and he was too busy working the crowd to really pay attention. He barely missed the fact she dodged his question about what she was into, but he figured he better not press his luck, not when she was leading him to believe there might be more where that kiss for cover came from. Finn wasn't really shy about that kind of stuff, he was a teen after all. Though, he was usually cautious, especially after that encounter with a nightsister near changed things.

The conversation was going on around all the bets being placed. He could take them up until the race was announced to begin. He eyes the man in the bowler again quickly, and suddenly felt uncomfortable. It was like the man was watching him or something. Finnik had one of those feelings, the kind that meant trouble was just right around the corner. There was always trouble right around the corner. He sat back in the chair at the announcement, and acknowledged the brunette.

"Well clearly I'm working some side bets. My friends are small time bookies, and I help them out when I can. I kinda have an expensive habit of not staying in one place too long, and this is where I ran out of credits for the fare someplace else. I'm earning my keep until I can move on again."

Finn watched as the first race went as all the odds indicated. They usually did, unless someone was out there trying to tinker with the swoop bikes. In fact it wasn't uncommon for that to happen once or twice during each event. The gangs of the undercity controlled them for the most part, and every so often a certain person had to win. Finn usually had to leave the complex running when something like that happened. The credits collected were never enough to pay out such a huge win. The big race tonight, the one everyone was here for, Finnik was worried it was going to go south. That's why he insisted he collected the credits for the races today.

"What about you? You still didn't answer my question about what you're into. I get it if you don't want to take up my offer, but if those guys didn't get what they wanted from you, they'll be back once they wake up."

He was trying to get her to bite. If it was something big enough then maybe he could get cut in. After all he just saved her from getting the pulp beat out of her. She owed him the truth at least, and a chance to help at most. He already knew she was into something not on the legal side of things. It was Nar Shaddaa most people weren't operating anything legally, especially in the undercity.

[member="Tethys Kell"]

 

[Tethys Kell]

Ok, so it looked like Finnik wasn’t going to let her off easy. When he brought the conversation back around to her, she shifted slightly and crossed her arms. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she was still feeling reluctant to speak them. It just wasn’t her way to get to know people in this way, and it was making her feel a bit twitchy, but she only hoped that she didn’t display that fact as easily as Raul did. Her gaze moved sideways again for a brief moment, Raul was still in his seat and eyeing the pair of them. Now that they were in between races, people were starting to filter in and out of the box again. This time Tethys took hold of Finnik’s hand and pulled him to the edge of the box, where there was enough people to effectively block Raul’s view of them.

“Alright, so the deal is…” She started and took a few steps towards Finnik. Tethys took a quick glance around to make sure that no one was watching, and she reached down the front of her tank top. She pulled a small bag from the side of her bra; it was filled with a sandy substance that would be easily recognized as giggledust. When she was sure that Finnik had caught a glance at the spice, she tucked it back out of sight, under the safety of her shirt. “I work for a spice dealer. We’re normally based out of Coruscant, but we’re here to make some deals. Or not make them…as you witnessed earlier.”

When deals went awry, she and Raul would usually hide out in the basement of his friend’s restaurant. Delaney Bale was the proprietor of the Noodle House, a fellow spice dealer, and had known Raul for a long time. The last place local thugs would look for a spice dealer was in the company of another dealer; Raul’s theory had worked for them so far. Tethys had taken the liberty of leaving Raul’s name out of the conversation for now. There were a lot of people on Nar Shaddaa that knew his name, and he had a fair amount of enemies among them. Also, she didn’t want Finnik to think that she was a complete scum bag for being associated with the spice dealer. Usually she didn’t care what people thought of her, but those people were usually low lives, criminals and spice addicts… Finnik was a different story; he was a cute guy.

“We’ve got a place to stay.” She said, and then realized that her tone of voice wasn’t exactly friendly. “But thanks…” She added for good measure, it felt strange to be thanking someone. Tethys looked around again, she was starting to feel a bit awkward, as if displaying common courtesy was a crime. "I should probably be working too." She said looking back to Finnik. Right now she had two choices: run off and meet up with Raul, or stick around to see how Finnik would react. Despite the itch she had to sprint away, she found that her boots stayed planted in place.

[member="Finnik Mann"]

 

[Judah Lesan]

The first race was over and everyone was going to collect winning, or pay out their losses. Others were beginning to fill the empty seats, and Finn could still feel the eyes of the man in the bowler boring a hole into his head. He didn't like this at all. The street rat was smart, and knew as he listented to what he was being told that the guy staring at them was the spice dealer. His eyes looked down as Tethys reached into her shirt and pulled a pack of giggledust out of her bra. First she kissed him, and now he was learning there were more goods in her bra than what it as designed to hold.

Finn wasn't one to partake in anything like that, but he didn't care if people dealt in the stuff. He knew some small time peddlers, but most of them usually wound up in jail, or getting moved out by a bigger fish, and not in a nice way either. Suddenly he knew exactly why Tethys was getting chased. The men wanted the product. Either they had gotten cheated, or the dealer was getting cheated. Either way, as long as Tethys had that on her, she was not safe.

He looked around to make sure no one was watching them, well except the dealer who couldn't keep their eyes off them. The guy meant trouble, and Finn wasn't looking for trouble. It usually found him though. He breathed in deep, and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket and grinned.

"See so you are into something heavy, but at least you know where to go right? I'd hate to see those guys catch you. That face of your is way to pretty to get messed up, and they would have done it too."

Finn winked. He wasn't going to get after her for dealing. He wasn't doing anything legal either, and what gave him the right to get after someone when he wasn't legit himself. It wasn't like one thing was more legal than the other.

"Well if you need to be working here is what I can tell you. Most of the men I'm taking side bets from are dealers who want higher stakes. If your product is good, I can arrange a way for it to exchange hands provided the payout is what your boss in the bowler wants. He's been giving me the death glare ever since he sat down... I'm kinda guessin here. Anyway... talk it over with him, but the big race coming up at the end of this one is set to rake in a fortune for the winner. My gut tells me it's rigged, but all the major buyers and suppliers are definitely watching it."

Perhaps if he helped he could get some passage of Nar Shaddaa, and maybe even some work. Besides it wasn't every day a pretty gal came around that understood what it was like to be off the streets. He wondered if she was an orphan too. She was young to be dealing.

[member="Tethys Kell"]

 

[Tethys Kell]

When Finnik made a comment about her being pretty, her mouth curled into a smile. However, she knew that he was right. She stood and listened as he explained what he was doing and how he could help her. Her head turned in Raul’s direction, it seems that Finnik had caught on to the fact that she was working for him.

“Yeah… that’s Raul. He’s a bit paranoid, that’s why he’s watching you.” Tethys said with a slight chuckle. “Let me go chat with him.”

Tethys made her way over to Raul and had a seat casually beside him, but she kept her gaze straight ahead. She stretched her arms for a moment and waited for a few moments before she opened her mouth to speak.

“Who’s the bloke?” Raul cut across her.

“Never mind that. He wants to help move the giggledust.” Tethys said plainly. She didn’t want Finnik to get caught up in any more trouble on her behalf, so she decided to leave out his name.

“Why would he want to do that?” The dealer said, lowering his voice so only Tethys could hear.

“I don’t know.” Tethys shrugged. “Maybe he thinks I’m pretty, maybe he wants a few credits…”

“Do it. Get the stuff gone.” Raul said, much to her surprise. “It’s the stuff we lifted from Ripper anyway.”

Tethys turned suddenly and caught Raul’s glance, her eyes narrowed. Stolen goods were dangerous, but they yielded a high profit margin, if you could get away clean. What she didn’t understand was why Raul had let the deal with Yorin go south.

“Then why’d you-” She started in a sour tone, but Raul raised his hand to dismiss her. Sometimes the man made absolutely no sense to her. Tethys let out a sound that was something like an angry growl as she pushed herself up from her chair. She started off back towards where Finnik was, but paused when Raul called out to her.

“If there’s trouble, don’t bring him back to Del’s. Got it?”

Tethys rolled her eyes but nodded in agreement, it looked like she would need to lean on Finnik once more if they needed to make a run for it. With the big race closing in, Tethys had to push her way through the crowd to get back to Finnik. She reached out and pinched his arm to signal her return.

“We’re in.” Teth nodded. “Let’s just try to get as much as we can, Raul’s doesn’t have a specific number in mind this time.”

[member="Finnik Mann"]

 

[Judah Lesan]

Finnik could only wait for the conversation to be over. Naturally she had to talk it over with her boss, but it would have been better to just move the stuff. Nar Shaddaa was not a friendly place to have giggledust, let alone have it stuffed in a bra. He knew a lot of thugs that would have had no problem going for something which was kept in an intimate hiding place. Here he was trying to get into the work a bit though. What was he thinking? Was he doing this for a pretty face, or because he actually wanted in on something which was bigger than the small time racquet he had going with his friends.

By the time Tethys retunred the second race was going. His forearms rest on the railing as he leaned over to watch the race with much interest. They had one more race to cover before he was free to leave, but all the big time dealers were in the room. He could use the next betting round to move the giggledust, or put it up for bid anyway. Everyone knew the last race was going to be rigged anyway, and Finnik stood to make more friends by not taking bets in that round anyway. A squeeze on his arm brought him out of his thoughts, and he turned to in time to hear her say they were in.

"Good, though I can't promise this is going to be easy. When we start taking bets for the next race, most of the men there will be players. All I have to do is mention I have something much better to bid on than a race we all know is fixed. The only hitch in the plan is, if no one bets, the guys who fixed the race don't get their cut. If that happens they'll be pretty pissed, and I'll want of Nar Shaddaa fast. If things go to hell, you gotta help get me off world."

Raul wasn't the only one with stipulations. Unfortunately Tethys would likely be in a rock and hard place with what both men had asked of her. If things went south she couldn't take his to the usual place, but he wanted off. What would that mean? It didn't really matter because there wasn't much time to decide. The second race was over, and it was time to make an agreement.

[member="Tethys Kell"]

 

[Tethys Kell]

Tethys listened to Finnik explain the game plan, and she stood with arms crossed. Nothing was easy when you lead the kind of life that she did and she guessed that it was much the same for him. Raul usually “booked” passage on various freighters and occasionally with smugglers. This time they had indeed arranged to get back to Coruscant by way of a smuggler friend, as he was also going to move a few things for them. The arrangement had all the dressings of a legitimate exchange of goods, but it was anything but. She knew full well that Raul hated when his contacts were exposed to outsiders, but if things turned sour, she’d have no choice.

“I get it.” Tethys said simply, her expression suddenly turned stone-like. “You helped me back there… I’ll return the favor.”

In the spice trade the first rule of thumb was to look after yourself. Despite the fact that Raul had rescued her from the orphanage here on Nar Shaddaa, she felt that their relationship was tenuous at best. He would sell her out if it came down to it, even though she liked to think that he wouldn’t. Even though helping someone seemed very foreign to her, she would keep her word to Finnik. If not for him, she’d probably be lying in some dirty ditch by now. Her attention shifted back to the crowd, and she could see that people were starting to get restless. It was just about time.

“Ready?” She asked perking her brows. “I am.” A slightly dark smile crept across her face. Even though they were about to enter into dangerous territory, she couldn’t deny the excitement that was overtaking her.

[member="Finnik Mann"]

 

[Judah Lesan]

"Right, well, let's do this. Oh and I suggest you don't let anyone else know you got the stuff in your bra, hmm? These guys won't care about getting it forcefully if they have to."

Why was he still looking out for her? It wasn't like she couldn't take care of herself. How far had she come without his help, and how far had he come without hers? It was clearly because of the pretty face, and maybe the fact he could still taste her chapstick on his lips. By the force he wanted to kiss her again, teenage hormones at their best right? He had to work, that's what he was there to do. He stood up tall from the railing and went to the usual spot where the bets were made. Tethys was with him this time, and he waited for the group to gather around.

"What are the odds for this next one, Finn," a burly middle aged man asked.

"Yeah... what's the winner get on this one?"

The different representatives were going crazy in trying to figure out what was going on. Finnik just smiled as he put his hands up. He was a bit nervous because he was about to cross the one gang which stood to benefit from all the betting. However, no one wanted to lose, and everyone hatted the Street Hawks anyway.

"Look, we all know the Street Hawks have this next one rigged right? So the odds are heavily against their driver, and the other bikes are getting tampered with. Look, I have had a little something come across my way that might make everyone a little happier. Rather than throw your money away on a race that lines the pockets of the Street Hawks, I happen to have a bit of giggledust which is some real quality stuff... Coruscanti stuff. Don't ask any questions, but we can bid, and the winner takes the goods. The rest of you, you can either keep your credits or we bet later. Sound good?"

"We ain't buyin it if we can't see it. You could be telling us a story to line your own pockets for all we know."

Finnik rolled his eyes. The best lie always had a bit of truth in it. Here it went.

"Look Yorin already walked away from the deal. It was supposed to be his, but he didn't pay up. Now it just needs to get moved. I know a lot of you have been looking for an edge on Yorin, so here it is. We'll start bidding at 5,000 credits what do we say?"

[member="Tethys Kell"]

 

[Tethys Kell]

Tethys smirked but nodded at Finnik as he moved away to work his magic. Her eyes stayed focused on him for a few moments, it looked like he had a few interested ears turned his way. However, from her distance it was difficult to tell how things were going. She took a few steps from her current post to try and get a better view, but movement caught her eye. Tethys turned in time to see Raul tip his bowler hat and slip seamlessly into the crowd and out of view. This could only mean one thing… there was about to be trouble. She spun around to try and get a handle on what had spooked her dealer friend, but saw nothing upon the surface. This made her feel a bit nervous and a wave of panic shot through her.

She certainly didn’t want to run off and she didn’t want to jeopardize the deals that Finnik was trying to make. Slowly she stepped to the side and leaned up against a pillar, hoping that she would fade into the background and remain unnoticed. Her brown gaze remained active, shifting about warily. She felt a bit like prey waiting around for a predator to make its fatal blow. However, the notion of fear brought Tethys a renewed energy.

“Raul’s girl, did you find her?” She heard a gruff voice nearby and recognized it as Yorin’s.

“Nah, but she’s here.” Came another voice.

Tethys grimaced at being referred to as “Raul’s girl”, it implied that that were somehow… involved. She didn’t move from her place behind the pillar and looked back in Finnik’s direction. She knew that she had to make it clear to him that they were in certain danger, but how to do it without drawing further attention her way? She crept forward, moving in the opposite direction of the male voices. Tethys took the opportunity to sneak around until she ended up in Finnik’s eye line. She was still a good distance from him, and she was trying to convey the fact that she was being followed with a single glance.

“You…” growled a voice from behind her.

[member="Finnik Mann"]

 

[Judah Lesan]

Finnik was busy trying to make a sale, so much so, he did not notice when Tethys moved from where she had been staying out of sight. He had just tossed out an opening bid, the credits were going high. By the time Tethys caught his eyes, he had it up to 11,300 credits. That was the beauty of a bid, the product always went for more than it was worth, especially spice. An auction on the black market was never a good deal, but here they were. The truth, they'd extract the compound and try to reproduce it. That's why they were willing to pay such a high price. The auction was over for Finnik though, especially when he saw one of Yorin's men had found Tethys. That he saw.

"Sith spat, gentlemen, Yorin's men have found my carrier. I believe the last bid was for 11,300 and that's where I have to end it. I'll meet the winner here after the race to deliver the goods, and you can have credits for me then. If you don't have the credits, I won't have the giggledust."

With a flick of his wrist the man behind Tethys went flying. Finnik tried not to use the force when he could avoid it, but this girl was in all kinds of trouble. He pressed through the group of dealers, and ran over to Tethys. They had to get out of there. He took her hand again. This was a repeat of earlier itnseemed. This time Finnik led her out of the arena, and off the first side street. Three quarters of the way down the alley he took a sharp left, and ran into a door. He pushed it open, and closed it fast. Hopefully they hadn't been followed. It was a small place, but Finnik used it when he needed to get away. It was his private hideaway, and they wouldn't be found there.

"We're safe here. I think you better let me handle the giggledust though. I can get the threads, but Yorin knows you have it now, so you shouldn't have it."

Finnik hit the couch and caught his breath after the run.

"That's twice now, but who's counting."

[member="Tethys Kell"]

 

[Tethys Kell]

Tethys kept her eyes on Finnik, and watched as he used the force to send Yorin’s thug flying. Even though she would never admit it to his face, she had to say that move was pretty damn impressive… at least to a teenage girl. A moment later she was hand and hand with Finnik once again. She ran along with him, and cast a glance behind them every now and then. It didn’t appear that anyone had followed them. So far, so good! Tethys was pulled into the small room and bent over to catch her breath. While she was generally in acceptable shape, she usually didn’t spend so much time running.

Her gaze shifted when Finnik spoke and she reached into her shirt once more to retrieve the giggledust. Yeah, he had rescued her twice in one day… and he apparently was counting. Tethys walked slowly towards him, her gaze was smoldering right into his eyes. She leaned over him and grinned.

“One…” She spoke close to his lips and gave him a quick peck.

“Two…” Tethys grabbed Finnik’s shirt and pulled him to her, kissing him again.

“And… now we’re even.” She said with a grin when she finally broke the kiss.

She had a seat next to him on the couch, feeling a bit awkward now. Tethys drummed her fingers against her knees and turned towards Finnik. Part of her wanted to just sit in silence, and the other part wanted to make out with him.

“So, how’d the bidding go?” She asked, figuring it was time to change the subject.

[member="Finnik Mann"]

 

[Judah Lesan]

Finnik's heart began to pound hard in his chest with the way Tethys was looking at him. Her gaze tore right through him. When she leaned down close to his lips he gulped.

“One…” she gave him a quick peck.

He returned the peck, his eyes closed, wishing she would have missed him longer.

“Two…” she kissed him again.

This time she held the kiss longer, and once again Finnik kissed her back. He liked kissing her. She was a great kisser, and seemed to not to mind the fact they had just met. Finn didn't care about that either. If she wanted to make out he was fine with that.

“And… now we’re even.” she said when she broke the kiss.

There was some awkward silence as they both were thinking about what next. Did he just lean over and kiss her again? He couldn't remember the last time he made out with a pretty girl like Tethys. He looked her way and grinned. Then she asked about the bidding.

“So, how’d the bidding go?”

He shrugged.

"I got 11,300 before helping you out again. I'm supposed to deliver the goods at the end of the next race. Which is in thirty minutes. You might want to give the givgledust and let me go while you stay here."

Finn drummed his fingers on the other end of the couch. Right now he had a pretty girl in his hideaway, they were alone, and they were talking business. This was not teenager behavior for sure. Hopefully they could stay out of trouble, but at this point he wanted off Nar Shaddaa, and he wanted to leave with her.

[member="Tethys Kell"]

 

[Tethys Kell]

Tethys slid the small packet of giggle dust across the empty seat cushion to where Finnik was sitting. She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about staying behind, but she didn’t want to go causing more trouble.

“Maybe I should hire you to do all of my work.” Tethys said with a slight chuckle. “I don’t know if you should go alone. Yorin’s men know that you’ve helped me twice... but if that's how you want to do it.”

The teen leaned back casually on the couch and looked over at Finnik. She figured that he would need to skip off world pretty fast after this deal was done. Tethys knew that Raul was probably lying low at Del’s, but she also knew that he wouldn’t be late for their transport back to Coruscant.

“We have about an hour until our ship leaves.” She tilted her head to the side. “Want to meet me down at the docks?”

Tethys left out the fact that she would be smuggling him off Nar Shaddaa, whether or not it would involve being shoved into a cargo crate would remain to be seen… The important part would be sneaking Finnik out with them, without the spice dealer knowing.

[member="Finnik Mann"]

 

[Judah Lesan]

"Maybe you should go with me..." Finnik said after he thought about it again.

Tethys was right, Yorin's men would know his face by now, and two were always better than one. Sure he could handle himself, but it wasn't always the smartest thing to walk into a potentially hostile situation without having a contingency plan, or your backside covered.

"They will know who I am, and if they are looking for me, then that will keep them from finding you. How good are you with a blaser rifle?"

While it might be easier to just meet Tethys at the docking bays, Finn needed the extra security she would actually be there to get him off world. It wasn't that he didn't trust Tethys, and maybe he shouldn't, but it was her spice dealer he didn't trust. He seemed like the type that would wait until the departure time, and then he'd be gone. If he knew Tethys was bringing a guest, he'd likely be long gone without waiting for either of them. Men like that Raul character were all the same. They only watched out for themselves and used others until they were no longer useful. Finnik might be a bit more cautious, but he wasn't running off with Raul, he was running off with Tethys. Call him crazy, but she was a great kisser, smokin hot, and they could work together well... it seemed so far anyway.

"I'm just trying to keep you out of more trouble. Though I do like how you thank me for my help. So here is how we can play this... The dealer thinks I'm bringing the giggledust, so I will. That does two things. First Yorin's men think you have it, so they may not think I'm passing it off under their nose. Second, if you don't have it, I can draw them away if I need to by showing it to them. You'll be set up in one of the private booths with the rifle, and if anything goes bad you take a few shots to cause enough commotion that I can escape. From there, we meet at the exit, and make a run for the ship, and run off to Coruscant."

Finn scooped up the giggledust, and slid over to the vacant cusion, and closed the gap between he and Tethys. He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Does that plan work for you, or should we do something else?"

[member="Tethys Kell"]

 

[Tethys Kell]

Tethys perked a brow when he asked about her abilities with a blaster rifle. Sure, she’d never actually fired one before, but figured that it should be easy enough. Anyone could pull a trigger, right? Especially since he wasn’t counting on her actually hitting anyone, he could count on her to fire wildly into the air to cause a diversion.

“Uh, I’m ok with a blaster rifle.” She said casually.

She listened carefully to his plan, it seemed like it would work out well for them. Even though she had initially dreaded a trip back to the smuggler’s moon, she had to admit that she’d had a bit of fun and excitement. It was also nice to meet a guy her age to run around with. She liked that Finnik was a bit rough around the edges; he was the type of guy she could fall for. Tethys sat still when she felt him moving closer to her, and she wrinkled her nose slightly when he kissed her cheek, but she couldn’t hide the smile on her face.

“It sounds like a good plan.” Tethys nodded as she turned to him. “We’d better get going, if we’re going to make it to the ship in time.”

With only an hour to spare, she knew that it could be a close call… it all depended on their plan executing flawlessly. She pushed herself up off the couch, silently psyching herself up for the task at hand.

[member="Finnik Mann"]