The Run

[Aela Talith]

[member="Alexia Santiago"]

Wes didn't want to make her feel bad of course, but sometimes you needed a little dose of reality. They couldn't fight Rasho, not head on, not directly, but they had a plan. They needed to stick to that plan or both of them would end up dead in a ditch.

"You need to eat." Wes said as he placed a bowl on the small table. "Or you'll get sick."

Plus, he couldn't eat all of this.

"Come on." He called to her.

 

[Alexia Santiago]

[member="Wes Spalding"]

He'd hear a quiet sniffle. Palms quickly pushed against her face and wiped against her shirt. Head tilted to the side and Wes would see her profile. She knew, maybe deep down, she needed to eat. And she knew, he'd just get more annoyed or harsh if she didn't and she was in no mood to put up with that. She already felt vulnerable and raw enough to crack.

Taking a deep breath, she turned and made her way back to the seat she'd just vacated. Sitting slowly down, she refused to make eye contact with the art thief. Fingers held onto a spoon and she began swirling it in the brothy-liquid.

"I can't do this," she said quietly. And this time, she wasn't just talking about the eating.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Alexia Santiago"]

He glanced at her for a moment.

"Well." Wes understood where she was coming from, this was...well it was an utter ruin of a life. Their experiences from now on would neither be pleasant nor fun, but eventually they'd get back at Rasho. He would see to it.

"We don't have much of a choice." He told her. "We get through it."

A shrug rolled over his shoulder. "Or we die."

It wasn't exactly the best pep talk, but...well Wes didn't want to lie.

 

[Alexia Santiago]

[member="Wes Spalding"]

She looked up at him, sharply. "I want death on my own terms. If it ever looks bad - like we aren't going to make it. I want you to shoot me. Got it?"

Ideally, she'd like some sort of death-suicide pill. They didn't have the time or resources to get one of those. She imagined he wouldn't have a problem with that. She just hoped he had a blaster because she didn't have one. If not, she'd find one or get one...at some point. Spoon still stirred the soup and her watery-eyes refused to look away from Wes until he agreed.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Alexia Santiago"]

Uhhh.

Uhh.

"Sure..." Wes lied.

Wes wasn't a killer, far from it. He didn't like murder and he didn't even deal with people that killed. That just wasn't in him, it wasn't his game and it was most certainly not something he would ever do. Shooting Alexia was unthinkable. Even if he despised her he wouldn't do it.

"Don't worry so much." He told her. "We just have to stick to the plan, be smart."

 

[Alexia Santiago]

[member="Wes Spalding"]

Cerulean-orbs narrowed as she stared silently across from him. It was as good an answer that she'd get. "You'd better," she mumbled. "I'm not going to be taken by Rasho alive, that's for sure." Again, death on her own terms. Perhaps that's why she couldn't eat for so long. Well, maybe one of the reasons. Spoon-full of soup slowly came to her lips and she chewed and swallowed.

Stomach burbled in semi-protest.

She'd have to go slow. Suddenly, the bowl of soup seemed huge. She began stirring it again. "We were smart about setting up the buyer and getting there," she pointed out quietly. "We were smart the whole way and Rasho still found out and ruined everything. Murdered," she shivered. "Everyone. There will be things outside our control even if we are smart."

She took another small, hesitant bite.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Alexia Santiago"]

He shrugged. "We were followed."

Wes reminded her.

"This time we'll be more careful." He already had it planned in his head. "Rasho isn't the Alliance, he's not a government. His reach isn't limitless and the Hutt Council won't help him on a hunt for...well the two of us."

They were already pretty far from the core, but the further they got the less Rasho could reach. "Just have to make it to the outer rim."

He nodded.

"From there we can fight back." A small smile touched his face.

 

[Alexia Santiago]

[member="Wes Spalding"]

"We'll see," she wasn't a believer, not yet but his smile did make her feel a teeny-weensy bit better. It was better than the irritated version of him. She wasn't blaming him but it didn't mean she liked it.

The took another small two bites, then shoved the bowl away. About half the soup remained. Still better than not eating at all.

"So what now?" Chin fell into her hand as she stared across at Wes. Her partner in survival, so it seemed. "Want me to stay here while you meet your contacts?" Fatigue and depression still painted itself across her face in strong strokes. That bed was looking better and better.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Alexia Santiago"]

"Tomorrow." He told her.

There was no need to rush anything in that moment. He'd meet his friends tomorrow, talk to them, and then sell the painting for a fraction of what it was actually worth. A part of him hurt doing that, but he knew it was necessary if they were going to survive and actually get anywhere.

"For tonight we rest." Wes said. "You can take my moms room."

It had the better bed. "I'll sleep in mine."

Better that way probably.

 

[Alexia Santiago]

[member="Wes Spalding"]

"Okay," she agreed. Space would be good. She needed it although a part of her didn't want to be alone; a stronger part of her did.

Standing, she took her half finished bowl of soup and dropped it in the sink. Fingers still trembled. She gripped them a little tighter. Pale-face looked back to Wes.

"Is it through there?" Hand pointed to the doorway on the right.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Alexia Santiago"]

"Yeah." He told her.

His mothers room was the larger of the two bedrooms, though it probably wasn't what Alexia would be expecting. The other room hadn't sat completely empty since his mothers death, mostly because Wes wasn't a crazy hoarder. Part of it was no an art studio, there were several stacks of paintings and a few sculptures that sat within the corner.

The rest was dedicated to the large Queen bed. "You'll be comfortable enough."

He assured her quietly.

 

[Alexia Santiago]

[member="Wes Spalding"]

She wandered hesitantly over, tucking dark strands of hair behind her ears. How many times had Wes talked her off the ledge? How many times would he have to do it again? They'd only really known each other a few days but their relationship had changed so much. And Rasho was the cause.

Head peaked in, cerulean-gaze tracking to the art in the corner. "Is this more of your work?" She asked quietly. "And were you close...with your mother?"

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Alexia Santiago"]

"I was." He said plainly.

It was obvious that the subject wasn't really one that Wes wanted to get into. When his mother had been alive he'd cared for her deeply, and vice versa of course. Her death had hit him hard, and had probably been half the reason why he'd chosen to leave Nar Shaddaa in the first place.

"Most of them are mine." He told her. "Some aren't."

A few of the painting he had fenced and never sold were stored here.

What he was doing with Alexia was actually quite unusual. A fence generally didn't stick around the thief, instead the thief would get a lump sum payment and then hand over the goods, leaving the fence to do whatever they pleased. The only reason he hadn't done that with Alexia was because of the tremendous cost attached to the painting itself.

 

[Alexia Santiago]

[member="Wes Spalding"]

She stood awkwardly in the doorway. Things had been so much easier when it'd just been business between them. And maybe to Wes it still was. She didn't know. It had also been easier when things had been carefree and the alcohol and drugs certainly helped too.

Hand rubbed up and down her opposite arm.

"Thank you. For all you're doing. I appreciate you not leaving me alone with this."

Like all the other men in her life did.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Alexia Santiago"]

Wes shrugged. "Don't mention it."

Of course the crux of all this was that...well in part the entire thing was born of self interest. If he let Alexia run around free all by herself it was all the more likely that Rasho would grab her and take her somewhere rather unpleasant. The possibility was more than there, and Wes didn't really like it.

"There's clean sheets in the closet." Well, 'clean', they hadn't been washed in years but hadn't been used. "Should be all you need."

He told her and then turned back to his meal.

A part of him was considering just how tomorrow would go. He'd have to convince the new buyer to take something like this off his hand, and he'd have to negotiate a good price. He frowned for a moment, perhaps taking Alexia along would soften it.

 

[Alexia Santiago]

[member="Wes Spalding"]

"Alright," and with that, she turned to disappear into the room. Door closed behind her. The conartist didn't even change. She quickly made the bed and slipped beneath the sheets that smelled slightly of mothballs. Soon after that, she settled into an uneasy sleep.

A murky Narshadda sunlight filled the room when she woke up. She lay in bed for a moment, staring at the foreign ceiling and turning to look at the art in the corner. Pulling the sheet back over her face, she curled into a ball, hoping to remain a lump in bed the rest of the day.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Alexia Santiago"]

Wes slept as long as he could.

Surprisingly he found more rest in his bedroom here than he had anywhere else. There was no sun to speak of on Nar Shaddaa, and the sounds of the city seemed to invigorate him as he woke. With a smile he rose form the bed, troubles of what was chasing them momentarily forgotten.

"Alright." He said as he slicked a hand over his head. "Time to negotiate."

It was something he did well, so hopefully today would be no different.

"Alexia!" He called to his companion.

 

[Alexia Santiago]

[member="Wes Spalding"]

Fingers clutched the sheet over her head. Eyes squeezed closed at Wes' voice. MAYBE there was artificial sunlight streaming through her window.

She didn't want to move from bed.

So,she ignored Wes.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Alexia Santiago"]

He frowned.

"Alexia!" He called to her again, mostly because he didn't really want to pop into her bedroom. He was already pulling two bowls from the cabinet along with small packets of oatmeal, something that never expired.

"Hurry up." Wes said. "Need to sell the painting."

Plus there was a good chance that there would be questions about the young lady he brought home with him.

Wes needed to make sure the Hutt didn't get any ideas.

 

[Alexia Santiago]

[member="Wes Spalding"]

She groaned beneath the pulled-up sheet over her head. Fingers tightened around the material as she rolled over on her side, back to the closed bedroom door. "What do you mean, hurry up?" She grumbled from beneath the covers, voice raising to be heard through the closed door.

"Have fun selling the painting! I'm going to re-think my life beneath this sheet. You never said your mom's bed was so comfortable!"