The decay of desperate living

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus shook her head as Diego reeled off his list of training requirements. He was either joking or his lack of understanding of what were actually Dark-sided abilities needed to be addressed. But some of what he asked for was definitely possible.

But for now she kept quiet - letting him take the lead. However much he blended into the bar, she was a Jedi and it was obvious to every patron there. So as he made his way inside, she scanned the building for anything out of the ordinary.

[member="Krytu"] | [member="Aitis Powarth"] | [member="Diego Ticon"] | [member="Lisa Ticon"]

 

[Dessh Ekwesh]

Diego, dressed in leather swoop gang gear, blended well in the bar, which was one of the seediest-looking Nar Shaddaa strip clubs he'd ever seen. The girls who gyrated on stage looked like they'd just as soon kill you as take your credits, and the whole place reeked of shame and bad decisions. Still this was where he and his master were scheduled to meet their informant. Given that fact that just a few months ago, Diego was stealing, double-crossing, and murdering for the Lower City Renegades swoop gang on Taris, the young padawan didn't need to change much about his demeanor at all. He not only looked the part, he was the part.

He walked up to the bar and ordered a Corellian ale, then turned and leaned against the bar waiting, lighting a cigarette, and inconspicuously letting his eyes wander around the bar. He noticed Corvus keeping her distance which worried him a bit. He knew she could take care of herself, but he felt like he should be closer to her if anything weird went down. He figured that the guy he was looking for would know them on sight, so he waited, absently sipping his beer, the cigarette dangling carelessly from his lips.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Aitis Powarth"] [member="Krytu"] [member="Lisa Ticon"]

 

[Krytu]

Peeking quickly at the datapad again, Krytu took a last note of who he was looking for and a vague description of what they would look like. After waiting a good hour after having taken the informant down, he finally noticed a man entering the building. And someone who obviously was strong in the Force. Another quick scan with his glowing mechanical eyes revealed the presence of the lady. His eyes automatically set markers on both people. Making them stick out of the crowd to keep track of them both easily.​

​

The man made his way to the bar, ordering a beverage and lit a cigarette. With another moment of inspection, he felt almost certain that this was the man described in the information he had. Rising from his seat, he calmly walked through the thin crowd of people. The lights kept interfering with his eyes but after a moment they readjusted to tune the lights out automatically.​

​

"I assume you are the one here for the information?" his husky voice asked when he moved close to the bar. Then to the man behind the bar, "A water if you would please."​

​

[member="Diego Ticon"] | [member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Aitis Powarth"]​

 

[Dessh Ekwesh]

In his peripheral vision, Diego could see the man approaching. The alien was hard to miss mainly by the sheer fact that he stood nearly a foot taller than most of the club's patrons. Although strong with the Force, Diego's powers were raw and unpracticed and although he probably should have, did not attempt to sense the alien's aura. As the man came closer, the young man stared straight ahead, with the practiced aloof gaze of a seasoned gang member.

Finally when the informant spoke, he turned to look at the alien's beady eyes, which were set in a beak-like face and shrugged nonchalantly, the cigarette hanging from his lip. "Yep, that's me. You got what I need?"

[member="Krytu"] [member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Lisa Ticon"] [member="Aitis Powarth"]

 

[Krytu]

A throaty chuckle emanated from the tall Kokku. His blue mechanical eyes looked down into the eyes of the human. "I have what you want," he replied. "But you see, I am not the one who had the information originally. And my my, there is a helluva surprise for you when you go to this place. A ton of stuff." His eyes quickly calculated where the other woman was - just to be sure - he felt there was a connection. Closer to this human he felt something. Not much. But something nonetheless. For now he just kept that information on standby.​

​

"The man who had the information before me was going to give it to you for a cheap price. But you see, I know that this is no ordinary ordeal. I simply will require a larger sum of money. Let us say...80,000 credits." Again, his eyes unmoving rechecked the Force use watching from afar.​

​

[member="Diego Ticon"] | [member="Corvus Raaf"]​

 

[Dessh Ekwesh]

Diego was no stranger to the double-cross. Still, his eyes showed a flicker of worry. Not only was this hitch a surprise, but there was a strong dark sense about the man that was extremely unsettling. Something about the aura called to the young padawan with its shadowy tendrils. He wasn't quite sure, but he felt that it might have been the very thing Corvus had tried to warn him about earlier, the seduction of the Dark Side.

Diego puffed on his cigarette and tried to feign indifference, acting as exactly if he would were he back on Taris dealing with Hutts and the Black Sun. "No can do, buddy," he growled. "Ain't no one going to pay those kinds of credits for that information you got. We'll give you the original asking price and then we'll be on our merry way," he said with a glare, looking the man squarely in his strange mechanical eyes.

Out of the corner of his eye Diego noticed another figure watching them. Well, not exactly watching since the man had no eyes, but definitely looking in their direction. He figured the Miraluka was merely curious so he didn't give it too much thought. Besides it wasn't like he could intimidate the unknown young man with a dirty look.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Aitis Powarth"] [member="Krytu"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus simply sat and watched. When she entered the strip-club, she raised her hood. With a robe pulled in around her and with every eye on the large volume of flesh on display - she was able to blend into the many shadows on offer.

And the situation was proving interesting to watch. Diego was managing OK at present and she wanted to see how he'd cope. How 'Jedi' he could remain if provoked.

[member="Diego Ticon"] | [member="Krytu"]

 

[Krytu]

"I am not so submissive. I intend to make more money off of this deal than the bloke who was attempting originally. He quite under-priced this information." Krytu's voice was very set. He knew how these things went. He'd dealt with things like this many times. He drained the glass that he had been given, the water flowing down his throat. "I will drop to 70k. But I'm afraid that will be it." Once again he switched his plain of view to the other figure standing in the shadows. He did this without moving his head to keep suspicion to a bare minimum. The figure just watched in the shadows with a hood drawn. He attempted to readjust his eye's perceived lighting but even this didn't reveal many details. "Take it or leave it. Final offer or I will leave and this will have all been for naught, my friend."​

 

[Dessh Ekwesh]

His anger rising inside him like a small tide, Diego felt his hands ball into fists. He wasn't sure exactly what his master was expecting of him in this situation. She had been relentlessly trying to drill into his head the need to stay peaceful in situations such as this, but in the ex-thug's experience the only peaceful men on Nar Shaddaa were the ones who lay still in the morgue. Intimidation tactics were more respected on the streets. How else did she expect him to get the information?

"Look, man." he spat, turning his raging blue eyes towards the creature. "You'll give me the information in exchange for the original amount, or you'll have about twenty gang members lining up at that door to beat it out of you for nothing. Get it?" Diego might have been bluffing about the gang members, but he wasn't about the violence that might erupt from his own hands.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Krytu"] [member="Aitis Powarth"]

 

[Krytu]

A loud hiss escaped from Krytu and turned into a laugh. "You have no gang members, my friend. I have kept track of every single person in this building and not a single one is connected to a gang. And on that I don't think you would show up without five of your fellow members. I have named my price, boy." At this point he had raised a ruckus in the bar and people were looking. Quickly, he started putting out waves of Force that would discourage attention. It would work on most and the remaining would lose interest in time. "I say again," he said as three barbed and poisoned throwing blades appeared in his hands, "take it or leave it." Krytu had a harsh gravely voice as he stared down the man with the mechanical glowing eyes.​

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Quietly, seeing the other threaten the one who had came in with the lady he had been gazing at, Aitis stood, almost as if leaning against the bar behind Krytu to stretch, and twisted his cane, the device slipping to reveal a gleam of durasteel blade inside the hollow of the shaft, gone as quickly as it was revealed. If Diego had seen, it would be an open alert that he had someone at least watching his back.

The man was too cocky by far, and something about him was likable enough to the young Miralukan he didn't want to see him end up some dead body on a holovid. Durasteel sabers didn't do much, especially if the other were carrying a lightsaber like he suspected... He felt the push against his mind from him and managed just barely to resist leaving Diego to his own devices. He was a little fish in a *big* pond... But it was time he tried to swim.

For now, he stood trying to find the woman who had came in, his gaze passing for admiring the dancers in between quick casts of his vision to the two arguing. Where had she gone anyway...

Now we see just who was paying attention.... And hope this one is more fleet of tongue than he appears to be of feet.

[member="Krytu"] | [member="Diego Ticon"] | [member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Dessh Ekwesh]

Upon catching the steely glint of the throwing blades that the tall alien wielded, Diego's reflexes, sharpened from years of street-fighting, kicked into high gear. He immediately backed up a couple of paces and wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his electro-whip, dislodging it from the strap on his thigh.

With a flick of his wrist and a crackling sound he snapped it menacingly to the side, if only to intimidate his opposition at first. Then he bounced on the balls of his feet, and grinned at the man. Diego loved to fight and it showed. Even though the alien stood almost a foot taller than the padawan, the ex-thug was ready to throw down.

"Ha! You wanna play you, giant freak?" he taunted. "Give me the information, or I'm gonna get it out of you one way or another." As Diego stared down the man, he concentrated on beckoning to the Force, calling it into his body, readying himself for whatever the creature brought.

[member="Aitis Powarth"] [member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Krytu"]

 

[Krytu]

The patrons and dancers had all taken notice at this point. The music was cut and the temperature seemed to rise very quickly. In the blink of an eye, Krytu held a total of eight blades - four to a hand. He laughed loudly. "I don't miss you fool. And when one of these gets inside of you; there's little chance you will live. I suggest you stand down and negotiate with me before one of these finds its way to your flesh," the last word was dragged out slowly - menacingly. "We can negotiate or we can let this current situation play out. I leave the choice to you." A quick series of motions set Krytu out of the range of the whip.​

 

[Julius Sedaire]

As Krytu stepped out of range of Diego, Aitis stepped forward, the durasteel blade sliding from the cane with a hiss and moving to lay alongside the creatures' neck as Aitis straightened and steapped lithely forward, a smaller almost short sword like knife held back against his forearm in his off hand, and a grin coming up showing gleaming pearly whites clearly neither amused or happy. The saber was not flung to cut, but casually and softly aimed to land on the neck next to a major artery where a quick flick would certainly cause some circulatory issues for his target.

"Now now... Let's sit down and speak like civilized and profit minded businessmen before I have to get the others for the boss here, no? It'd end up being a terrible affair if I did that, and who knows if you'd get any money, or even live then. And i'm sure we'd all like to come out of this with a fat purse and all our limbs."

The smile stayed on his face, a steady, almost detached grin.. Without eyes it was hard to tell if the man was psychotic or just really thought this might work.

[member="Diego Ticon"] | [member="Krytu"] | [member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Krytu]

Before the blade managed to reach his neck, Krytu's eyes caught the man moving. Diving out of the way, one of the blade shot from his hand flying straight and true to hit the blade. "I know you have nothing to do with this man. I advise you remove yourself from the situation before I decide to not aim for your sword. I will not miss. I assure you." A marker was immediately set on this new man. Three markers tracked three people in the room. His mechanical eyes were the only thing that allowed him to keep track of each individual.​

 

[Julius Sedaire]

"Impressive speed... But you're a lot of hot air about what you can't possibly know"

The durasteel saber would spin in a lazy circle and rest on Aitis' shoulder easily, seemingly unphased at the blade being thrown, his posture almost slouch like and relaxed, his head cocked to the side almost bird like in listening to the mans foot-falls. He began to circle the beast, or to at least move out from the bar to give himself room.

"Now, why don't you just settle down and take the advice... Otherwise you might just not get any pay, and I assure you that is not the best practice goal for you."

[member="Krytu"]

 

[Dessh Ekwesh]

When the Miraluka first muscled in and took matters into his own hands, Diego just blinked and stared pensively, trying to determine if he was with Corvus or the Jedi Order. Then he found himself seething so much he didn't much care who he was affiliated with. How dare some random dude take away his fun for the evening?

"Hey you!" he growled at the blind man. "This is all very chivalrous of you, but I ain't no karking damsel in distress. I think I can handle this on my own, buddy."

With that Diego flicked his wrist, with his finger on the power button, and cracked his shock whip towards the Miraluka. The whip unfurled and crackled loudly, and if his attack landed it would curl around the blind man's thigh, sending an intense electrical charge through his body, knocking him right off his feet.

[member="Aitis Powarth"] [member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Krytu"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

This was proving interesting. Jumping in now would prove little - so Corvus continued to play a waiting game. She centred herself in the Force and trusted it - as ever - to tell her if and when she needed to act.

The addition of the newcomer added to the complexity of the situation but then that was why she listened to the Force rather than try to compute all possible variations herself.

[member="Aitis Powarth"] | [member="Krytu"] | [member="Diego Ticon"]

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Stepping back and to the side, the saber in his hands seemed to slip back into the cane wood holder with an almost frustrated shrug, as the miralukan merely shook his head, chuckling of all things, as the whip cracked past him, missing him by the barest of fractions, but missing still. Only someone specifically searching his feelings would feel the flicker of surprise and alarm, and the unsure near panic as the whip cracked at him. He hadn't expected it to miss, just minimize contact....

With the attack dispensed with, he sat back down at the bar, face split in a wide grin as he proceeded to turn his attention back to his drink.

"Your funeral, pretty boy."

[member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Diego Ticon"] | [member="Krytu"]

 

[Krytu]

"Well then," Krytu growled at [member="Diego Ticon"], "looks like it's just you and I." Walking calmly, he bent and picked up the knife he threw, inspecting it for any major deformities. "Of course, you can always just agree to my price since I am now certain you have no other accomplices here. Besides that woman in the cloak over there." He finally looked at her with his full attention. Almost all of the patrons had either left or hidden while watching. Meanwhile she hadn't moved. "Your stoic-ness was what revealed you," he said to [member="Corvus Raaf"]. "Now," he continued, "let us negotiate peacefully."​