The Unpleasant Side

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Farah"]

Nik rubbed his wrists, leaning over in the chair for a moment to check on the wound in his leg.

The Phase-knife would do the job of cauterizing the wound well enough. The technology wasn't quite the same as a lightsaber, but it was close enough that it did the same things...just a little worse. He frowned for a second and then glanced at Farah. "Now would be good."

Though he still showed that surprising immunity pain, Nikolas wasn't stupid enough to think he could go walking around with an open wound in an underworld Warehouse and be completely okay. Germs and Bacteria still posed a risk even to him and...well an open wound in your outer thigh was sort of a large target for anyone in close quarters combat. Better to seal it up real quick and just deal with it. That way at the very least he would be a bit more prepared for the coming fight.

"We'll need to find our way through the warehouse." He began as he motioned for her to cauterize the wound. "No doubt that 'big boss' they mentioned is here somewhere."

A small smile touched his face. "I'd really like to meet him."

 

[Farah]

“Alright.” Farah set to work cauterizing the wound. In truth, part of her thought that Nik would shrug it off like the cocky bastard that he was and make matters worse for her when she inevitably had to deal with it later.

The blade of the plasma scalpel slowly worked its way along the length of the wound at his thigh, the scent of burning flesh enough to reach both of them. Farah wasn’t bothered by it at all and she doubted Nik would care much.

“You…what?” There was a tinge of impending anger in her voice as she stood. “You did this—“ She gestured towards herself and then him. “Because you wanted them to lead you to their boss?”

Her teeth grit together and she ground them in irritation. She could cuss him out later, after this. If she proved to be too annoying there was a very real chance that he’d just ditch her.

“I liked the other date better.”

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Farah"]

"What? no." His muscles twitched slightly as she cauterized the wound, though Nikolas once again showed no hint of even the slightest bit of pain. His eyes wandered for a moment though, looking away from the melted skin before he finally pulled his gaze back towards Farah. "I'm not insane."

Sure he had a bit of sociopathy, but who didn't? "I only went with them because It was the only good move."

Nikolas hadn't planned to get captured, but he wanted to make the most of it. His father had always told him that it was a bad idea to get yourself thrown into a situation you couldn't control, and this was definitely something he couldn't exactly control. He had simply seen what the situation was like and...well even he couldn't take on three armed thugs without a single weapon to him. Going with them had simply been the best move that he'd had available at the time.

Without another thought he held out his hand for the knife. "I'll make it up to you."

He offered her his most winning smile.

"Dinner." The Executioner grinned wider. "Maybe a new speeder too."

 

[Farah]

“I’m not insane.”

She had to snort in plain disagreement there.

“You can make it up to me by not dragging me into your shenanigans.” Farah took another look at their surroundings; dingy and dull and cramped. She sighed. There was no way she’d even make it in for part of her shift now. Using paid time off when she didn’t need to put her in a less than friendly mood.

“Bribe me with something else.”

The Zeltron gave him a long look as he held a hand out for the knife as if she were weighing her options. He could just slit her throat and be done with her here.

She flexed the fingers in her other hand, on edge for more than one reason as she handed the phase knife over.

“For now just get us out of here.”

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Farah"]

He considered for a moment. "New clothes?"

Nikolas' fingers wrapped around the hilt of the knife, it's weight slipping into his palm with a nice sense of familiarity. He smiled slightly, standing up from the chair with only the slightest hint of a limp his walk. Slowly he leaned out of the cell, peeking down the hall and inspecting the corners. The Guard would be making his way back around in just a minute or two, that meant he could catch him on his way back. Hopefully he wouldn't scream too loudly.

"I know this designer." The executioner continued. "Lovely little thing, really has an eye for..."

He trailed off as he heard footsteps, putting his finger over his lips to silence Farah.

The footsteps rang out closer and closer, then suddenly they got louder. The guard began to run as he noticed that the laser fence had deactivated, his steps becoming frantic as he broke into a run. Just as he turned the corner to look into the makeshift Cell Nik met him. The perfect edge of the phase knife slit through the man's skin in an instant, puncturing his skin and cutting across his neck in the blink of an eye. Before he fell Nik caught the man's blaster, letting him ragdoll onto the floor. "Detail."

He finished.

 

[Farah]

Farah hung back, arms crossed with her back touching the wall. She’d been irritated enough getting dragged into this, but at least he was willing to make it up to her.

Provided they get out of here in one piece. Her eyes drifted lower to his leg after witnessing the trace of a limp. Would it slow him down? Based on what she’d seen before, probably not too much.

The execution of the guard was observed silently and there she had her answer.

“Maybe.” Shrugging, the doctor pushed off from the wall and carefully stepped around the pooling blood from the man’s neck. He wasn’t dead yet but he’d certainly bleed out very soon. “I’ll think of something.”

Her head tilted towards the exit, now clear given that the lasers had been deactivated. “Shall we go?”

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Farah"]

He perked an eyebrow. "Go?"

The idea seemed to be entirely out of the scope of Nikolas' mind. From his point of view, just leaving would be utterly foolish. They had been brought here to be served up like cattle, the very least they could do was return that favor. There was a glimmer of malice in the young man's eye as he stepped forward, though from his body language it was easy to tell that none of it was meant for Farah herself. Instead his glee came from the proposition of what he was about to do.

"We haven't even said hello to our host." He told her with a smirk.

"It would be so rude to leave without a greeting." The Executioner glanced down at the phase knife. "Plus..."

He trailed off, spinning the blade in his palm. "I'd so love if our second morning together wasn't interrupted again."

Nik intended for this to be over, now and today. If he walked out of here he was sure that the Black Sun would be coming for him again, likely in greater numbers. The Cartel could handle it of course, but it meant sleeping with bodyguards outside his door for a week or two. That wasn't about to happen. Not when he could stop all of this nonsense tonight.

 

[Farah]

Farah’s met Nik’s malicious stare with one of irritation. She’d seen this sort of body language before among the other Sith, familiar with it enough to get the impression that Nik intended it for whoever had assaulted him.

“I don’t care.” She said simply. “Just get us—or rather, me—out of here was quickly and painlessly as possible.”

Farah didn’t figure that he would. Still, she was annoyed that she had been dragged into his dirty laundry.

She squinted at the mention of a second morning but didn’t try a biting remark. Right now all she wanted was to get back into familiar, non-lethal territory. Or if it were lethal, the type she could handle.

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Farah"]

He frowned for a brief moment, grasping the knife a bit tighter, and then let out a sigh. "Fine."

Killing the Head of the Black Sun here on Coruscant would have been satisfying, more than that actually. It would have permanently cemented things and meant that Nikolas wouldn't have to look over his shoulder for the next few weeks, but he could understand Farah's point. His fingers twitched for a brief second.

"We go." The Executioner said, glancing back down the hallway for a brief moment before looking back at her. "But I get that second date."

He flashed her a smile.

If he was going to give up this kill he needed something in return. It was only fair.

 

[Farah]

If Farah was particularly surprised, she didn’t show it. Nikolas had proven to be the unpredictable sort over the past…had it even been 24 hours?

In all fairness, she shouldn’t even have been dragged into this mess. But he could just as easily have ditched her here if she was too much trouble.

“Alright.” She agreed. “But if we leave now, I can still make part of my shift. So let’s head to CoreGen.”

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Farah"]

Nikolas cast one last look back towards the inside of the facility.

A part of him believed that he would end up regretting this. Though the Cartel had expanded massively onto Coruscant they weren't immortal or anything, and letting the head of Black Sun go might end up biting them in the rear. If that happened Mara wouldn't at all be pleased, but on the other hand...

Farah's ass was magnificent.

"Alright." He said with a shrug, pulling the knife back into his palm and pressing the small button on the hilt. The odd blade of the phase knife disappeared, and Nikolas walked back towards the Zeltron. His expression was mostly neutral, though it was clear the young man was oddly stuck between being happy and certainly disappointed. Glancing back one last time the Executioner sighed, wandering towards where he guessed the exit would be. "We'll have to steal a speeder."

He pointed out quietly.

 

[Farah]

Farah watched the blade of the knife retract with satisfaction. She was aware of Nik’s disappointment, but oh well. Ultimately, as much as she hated to admit it, it had been his decision for them to leave.

“Another.” A red brow shifted upwards. “Alright. I suppose you know how.” She murmured back.

She didn’t know why they couldn’t take public transit, but then again she had no idea where they were.

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Farah"]

Public transit.

What were they? Animals?

It was a good thing that Farah hadn't voiced that particular thought, mostly because Nikolas might just have left her behind for the affront of it. The Executioner would step foot on a bus or a train when he was rotting as a corpse. Not before. "I do indeed."

Nik said with a bright smile as he practically went jogging down the alleyway they had popped into. Finding the right speeder didn't take him long, down here there weren't really a lot of options wheen it came to quality transport, and thus when he found the rather sleek looking craft Nik knew that it belonged to the very gangsters they had just escaped. He smirked to himself, as he popped open the door, using the hilt of the phase knife to do so before sliding under the console.

"Just a second." He told Farah as he fiddled around for a moment, the sound of the speeder starting up echoing out just a second later.

 

[Farah]

He seemed happy enough to procure them a ride, which was all Farah really cared about right now. The doctor hung back while Nikolas hotwired the nicest speeder on the block.

A short while later, the engine revved and she let herself in the passenger side. The rearview mirror was tilted slightly so that she could try and fix her hair, which was a mess now, thank you.

“Do you have a phone on you?” Unlikely, given that the goons had pilfered her of her electronics while she was unconscious. “A comm or something? I need to rearrange my surgery schedule.”

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Farah"]

A small smirk touched his lips. "I do happen to have one."

Amusement touched his features.

"You're going to have to lean in real close to use it though." The words were rather cryptic, but there was a reason for that. His mother and father had made sure that all of their children would always have a means of communication, even if they were sent to prison. Implanted on the right side of his skull, well within the bone, was a small comm that functioned quite effectively. It likely wasn't what Farah was looking for, but it was still amusing to him.

"It's right here." He tapped the side of his face where the implant was. "You'll have to whisper."

 

[Farah]

The Zeltron placed two fingers at the side of his face, eyes narrowing a tic. It wasn’t that she doubted him—not now, anyhow. Not after all of the weird events that had happened, what with the phase knife embedded into his leg. This was actually tame, probably.

“Alright. So,” She tapped against the bone again, playing along because she sorely needed to ensure that her schedule was on track. She’d rather cancel electives than hand them over to another surgeon.

“How do I work this thing?”

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Farah"]

Nik flinched for a second, though obviously not because he was in pain more that she had...tickled him.

He frowned for a brief second, and then quelled the sensation. His teeth clicked and there was a silent buzz for a moment within his ear. "What's the frequency?"

The implant worked off of bone conduction mostly, meaning that although Farah's speech would be heard on the other side, she wouldn't actually hear anything back. The technology was meant to be a secret way for him and his family to communicate if one of them was in trouble, or in prison. Clever really, though it did have the tendency to make one looking like a rambling mad man.

Not that Nik minded.

"Or." He mused for a second. "You could just use that one."

The Executioner pointed towards the communicator in the central console.

 

[Farah]

Farah’s eyes widened and she pulled away from Nik quickly. Not that she had a problem with being physically close to him—as irritating as he was, last night hadn’t been that bad—but because she’d been caught off guard.

A brief flush spread across her cheeks before she willed it away, embarrassed for…all that. Of course the speeder had a comm in the console. Ugh. Farah sank back down into her seat.

“Just drive.”

She fiddled with the comm, inputting the frequency for the surgical floor at Coruscant General. One of her colleagues had picked up and Farah spent the next few minutes moving her surgeries and cancelling the electives.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE TOOK MY VALVULOPLASTY?!”

All was not well within the surgical world. On the other end of the line, Dr. Krieger winced.

“You weren’t here so Farid subbed in for you.” The voice on the other end answered, calm as can be with the least bit of humor. “They just started.”

With a sigh of exasperation, she flicked the comm off.

“Go faster.”

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Farah"]

Nikolas jumped slightly when Farah screamed unexpectedly, not quite anticipating that the Zeltron would screech at the top of her lungs.

The executioner was used to angry women yelling, after all his mother was passionate and her daughters...well her daughters could be just as spirited. Teslyn was the worst of them, his sister holding her opinions in higher regard than anyone else's. Arguments had been common back on Rishi, even when they had all been younger. He smiled at the memories for a moment, then studiously pushed the controls of the speeder forward. Nik felt himself getting pushed into the fabric of the seat as the repulsors rocketed them forward.

Farah and Nik went speeding through the traffic lanes, cutting off half a dozen trucks, luxury liners, and even a starship. "Don't worry."

The executioner began as he turned towards Farah, not really paying attention to the traffic ahead of them.

"I'll get you there." A loud horn echoed out from their left as they cut off another vehicle. "My siblings always said I was the best driver."

That statement was an outright lie. In fact many of the Thawne's contended that Nikolas would not die at the hands of an assassin or a target, but rather his own doing while at the controls of a speeder. Not that he would ever listen to such nonsense.

 

[Farah]

"Well they lied!"

Farah didn’t know what she expected.

It probably should have been this, though.

The Zeltron had been pressed back into the seat with the sudden surge of speed, hands gripping the upholstery on either side of her.

“I would like to get there in one piece!” She spat out, clearly not as calm as he was…or as confident in his driving.

She nearly screeched when he turned to face her but the fact that he was the one at the wheel kept her volume at a reasonable level.

“The traffic! Keep your eyes on the traffic!” She seemed very insistent and the look on her face was equal parts fear and anger.

“I don’t want to be the one needing surgery, Thawne.”

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]