This Ain't No Cup of Tea

[Kay-Larr]

She held out her hands towards the flames. Oh that was so much nicer. "Great job [member="Bat"] . You can keep the firestarter if you'd like. It might come in handy."

So he was doing this all for his family. Kay watched the flames as they danced and grew. It made her sad that he had to be in this line of work. Surely there was something else that he could do instead?

Time to make another offer. "Just because I don't have any family now, it doesn't mean that it was always that way. I know what it means to sacrifice for them.....So how about this...I can't afford to pay you the entire bounty right now. But what about instalments? I never break my word and I'm a horrible liar, so I'm not offering thus to try to cheat you in any way. My credits are often spent to reunite families, give them their freedom and keep them together. So paying you would in a way...fall along those lines." She looked at him now. "What do you think?" If he didn't accept then she was prepared for that too. But she had a funny feeling that he would see this as a better option. Bat seemed like a good guy. He was just in the wrong line of work.

 

[Bat]

He couldn't help but to give a gentle grin underneath the mask at the compliment paid to him by Kay. Storing away the firestarter into his belt, he nodded his appreciation for it. The fire was always entertaining to watch until it started to burn your eyes, like a forbidden dance. It twisted and spun, flickered and wove like a web, but when you looked away you realized how much it hurt to be away from the flame.

Kay appealed to his sense of familial relation, and for a moment he wanted to just grunt, snicker, and give a gruff refusal. Her words made sense though, and began to tear through his resolve to hold her prisoner. She was a good person, on the wrong side of a rifle. Analyzing her face, he decided very quickly that she was speaking the truth. "Kay, I don't want this to become a precedent for how I do business, the others in my line of work will look badly on me. Just this once though, i'm going to make an exception because you aren't an awful monster. I still expect payment, you can send it to Tatooine, at this address." He pulled a scrap of flimsi from a pocket, and wrote down the place of his residence.

"Agreed?"
[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Oh good. He made the right choice. She took the flimsi and took a peek at it before slipping it into her satchel. She then held out her hand for him to shake on it to seal the deal. "Agreed. And not to worry, [member="Bat"] for if I were to tell others, it would also have every bounty hunter looking for me to pay them off and I really couldn't afford that. But you have my word that I will do my best to ensure that each payment is made on time. I don't plan on getting into trouble. On the contrary, I am....lessening my direct involvement in the freeing of slaves."

She started to massage her leg again. "Once we get back to the cabin, I can direct you to town from there. Hopefully your business partner hasn't left you behind by now."

 

[Bat]

Bat grinned at Kay saying that she couldn't tell anyone about the arrangement or else other bounty hunters would be trying the same. That definitely sounded like a few hunters he knew, and it was almost guaranteed that they would jump on the opportunity to do such a thing. The mercenary offered a hand to help Kay move, and then nodded at the idea of returning to the cabin.

"Speaking of, where is the cabin? And no, Husk won't leave me, he's actually pretty loyal when he knows he's getting a handsome paycheck at the end of the day." This deal made it sure that Husk, nor himself would be receiving a paycheck today, but they would have a steadier source of income in the long-term. Besides, allies were always nice to have out in play.
[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay brought out her kettle, water bladder, cups and tea pouch. As they had a fire, she could prepare some tea. "Can I interest you in some tea?" She poured some water into the kettle and placed it on the fire, before opening her pouch and crumpling some of the leaves into her cup.

She didn't answer his question about where the cabin was straight away, for she still wasn't quite sure if she could trust him. Instead Kay looked up at the darkening sky. "Sorry, I got a bit turned around. But once the sun comes up, I'll know the way."

[member="Bat"]

 

[Bat]

[member="Lady Kay"]
Bat gave a shrug at the offer of tea, and was more than a little surprised that Kay carried around tea-making instruments on her person. To each their own, he supposed. It wasn't often that he had been able to drink tea, essentially since they didn't serve it in most of the establishments he went to. "Sure, i'm all for some tea."

He could understand the being turned around as well, and gave a nod of acknowledgement. It was deceivingly difficult to navigate and operate properly in the dark, but come morning, all would be well.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay always had tea in her satchel and the means to make it. And her satchel hardly left her side. It's why it was so well worn. As [member="Bat"] had accepted her offer, she began to make it for him, crumpling some of the tea leaves into his cup. A few minutes later the water was ready and so she lifted the kettle off the fire and poured it into the cups, handing one to him. "Now just wait a few minutes for it to steep."

Of course there was nothing to be suspicious about the tea. It wouldn't drug nor poison either of them. Yet there was the odd chance that one of these days she'd find that someone is allergic to the Sapir leaves that she uses. Hopefully today was not the day.

"So....what got you into bounty hunting? I'd think that you'd just go after the bad guys, but I know that I'm wrong on that."

 

[Bat]

Bat watched cautiously as Kay prepared tea for the pair of them, crumpling tea leaves and settling them into his cup. The kettle poured out it's boiling water and he was informed to allow the tea time to 'steep' whatever that meant. He had already taken a pretty decent examination of Kay's character, and didn't think that she would be the type to poison him, and besides, he had been watching the entire time.

His eyes were one of his senses that didn't fail him often, twas useful for hunting. He perked up at the question of what got him into hunting. Bat cocked his head to the side, considering the question. "Credits. I needed credits and it was a skill I've had time to pick up over the years. Born on a pirate vessel, you learn these sorts of things." For the briefest moment, he questioned whether he should be sharing so much about himself, but then shrugged it off as paranoia.

The tea sat 'steeping' in his hand.
[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay had prepared her tea so many times that she didn't even need to calculate the steeping time anymore. "Ahhhh yes, pirates. My tormentor is one. He didn't set my bounties however. He says that he has no need to."

She blew into her cup and had a small sip of her tea. "It's ready to drink now. The leaves should be almost dissolved by now, [member="Bat"] ." Her eyes remained closed for a moment as she had another sip of her tea. "You know....I think that you'd do better chasing after the bounties on bad people, rather than the good ones."

 

[Bat]

He wondered for a moment whether he knew the pirate that was tormenting Kay, chances were he probably didn't. It wasn't often that the mercenary wandered away from Tatooine. There was always the off chance though that it was someone that he had heard of, or someone whose reputation preceded them. Sometimes he wished that his reputation preceded him a bit more than it did, as it was there were only a couple of small towns here and there who had heard of the masked sniper and his hulking cyborg partner.

Kay spoke that the tea was ready, and he considered that she might have been counting how long it took for the tea to prepare. Now came a moment of truth, whether or not to remove the mask. It was his professional safety against revenge. For now, he'd just let the tea cool, then he would make a decision.

"Good people don't often put bounties on people. Not to say it doesn't happen, but it's a criminal element that most people don't want to screw around with, I guess. I'll have you know though, that most of my hunting is on scumbags and criminal garbage, the ones who deserve a good bolt in the side."
[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Well [member="Bat"] was right. Most good people had the means to get their enemies without hiring bounty hunters. But at least he mostly went after the bad ones. That didn't quite explain what he was doing going after her though.

Kay had two bounties that she knew of, both by different members of the Hutt Cartel. One was double the price of the other and she wasn't quite sure just how much she'd have to pay this man off with.

She sipped her tea, watching the firelight. "Did you know anything about me when you decided to try and catch me? Or did you only look to see how much was being offered? I can imagine that half a million credits would seem tempting. And you're not the first to try. I've escaped from many."

((ooc: Sorry for the delay. Both holidays and the site being down had not enabled me to catch up))

 

[Bat]

Bat considered the question that Kay presented, and as a side notice made a mental note that the tea was beginning to cool. "I knew very little about you, didn't really plan a visit here initially to hunt. I was coming here to meet up with an old pal who had contacted me about whether or not I knew where some other members of our old crew were, he'd heard about me from a couple of his contacts in the rougher sort of business." Emphasis was placed on the 'rougher sort of business' to exaggerate that the business done was less business, more crime.

"Anyhow, I met up with him and we had a chat, said he'd hook me up with some contacts with the local operations. We were in a bar, and I overheard some folks talking up a sandstorm about how they were going to be scratching a big deal." His gloved finger pointed towards Kay, a slight grin creasing the mask as he remembered the story.

"Husk and I jumped him after we left the bar, broke one of his fingers and pointed a cannon the size of a tree in his face 'til he spilled. Decided we'd take the offer, especially since it's with the type of people I'm used to; Hutts. Turned out he'd been stalking you for nearly a week, and had finally got you here. Another broken finger later and we knew exactly where to find you."

The slight chuckle that Bat gave as a response cut itself off short with another glance at the tempting tea cup still in his hand. He really needed to make a decision on that soon.
[member="Lady Kay"]

Spoiler

Also sorry for the delay, been very busy lately and unable to post much.

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay sipped her tea as she listened to [member="Bat"] talk about the other hunters on her tail. She raised a brow as he mentioned 'scratching out' a big deal. "Do you think they meant to kill me? I know that for at least one of my bounties, I'm worth more alive than dead..."

She furrowed her brows as she pondered this new revelation. "Maybe I need to stay away from here for a while and continue ship hopping like I always do. At least that seems to be working. There are plenty of other planets that I can seek refuge outside of Republic space if I need it."

She looked down to her leg and focused on it, rubbing it slightly with her free hand as she opened up herself to the Force to heal the tissue and muscle more. She dared not to take off the bandage and let her 'companion' know that she had this ability. It wasn't as though he was no longer her enemy, but more so that she didn't quite want that information to be common knowledge. It was against Republic law afterall for her to be a civil servant and have those abilities.

 

[Bat]

Bat gave a snort when Kay spoke of the others trying to kill her. "I took it to mean that they intended to kill or capture, gotta catch with the lingo and it changes from place to place. Might have been just talking about scratching a tally and making a quick cred, but I don't suppose we'll know."

He gave a quick glance over to Kay's leg, a nervous scratch at his leg becoming a response to the sight of it, all bandaged and wounded. "Sorry about that, it's the best way of keeping quarry from running, and as I've said before, I've got plenty of time." The tea was beginning to grow cold now, and he had finally made a decision to simply drink it. Turning his head away from Kay for a brief moment, he removed the mask from his face and took a long sip. Spying off into the distance to the sound of animals moving about, he spoke, "That's some good tea."
[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

She nodded. Hunting was hunting, regardless as to whether or not they were wanting to kill or capture her. But that didn't mean that she had to like it.

After [member="Bat"] had some of his tea, Kay dropped her focus and then left her leg alone. "Well, it was a good shot. As long as it's kept clean and not strained, I should be able to heal alright. You have a lot more patience than most hunters that I know. It's a good thing to have." And he was honourable too. He was too good of a person to be stuck in the line of work that he was in. But maybe in the future an opportunity would arise that would change his career for the better.

 

[Bat]

The weight of the Jurkad and the Chaab were starting to become noticeable and; at least to Bat, were discomforting to the peace that was trying to be promoted between the two. They were business partners now in a sense, not traditional business, but it ended in Bat making credits and so the technicalities were quickly glossed over. Shrugging his shoulder slightly, the hunter shifted his weaponry away and laid them down beside himself, taking another sip of tea.

He turned back to Kay, content to allow her to view him if she so desired, though it seemed she was much more focused on her leg. "I try to make good shots, no use shooting if you don't think you can hit the mark. Like I said before, I wasn't in much of a rush, and I'd like to consider myself a sharpshooter which means no hip-firing" he explained, and almost as an afterthought included "Thanks". Taking another sip of the tea, he considered the specifics that he was going to indulge in with his newly found wealth. "So, what got you into abolition?"
[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay scratched at an imaginary itch on the back of her neck as she usually does when she gets a bit uncomfortable. "Well....I'm not exactly freeing slaves lawfully. It is against the law in Republic space, but...I've been freeing slaves out of my jurisdiction. Hence the reason that the Republic hasn't tried to have the bounties removed. Every rescue is different however, so that it isn't predictable as to how it's done. The only constant is that I'm either directly or indirectly involved."

She had a sip of her tea, staring into the fire as she spoke to [member="Bat"] . "It's usually a thankless and unpaid job, afterall, slaves don't have anything. But it's still worth it. I know that I can't abolish slavery, but that doesn't mean that those trapped in it shouldn't be saved." In truth, she valued freedom highly, especially her own. She'd never been a slave before, but she had been held under a Sith Lord's boot before.

 

[Bat]

It became rapidly apparent that Kay was not the type to stand idly by and allow for cruel misdeeds to occur. That didn't mean well for her in the long run however, since many people in the galaxy were perfectly fine with either standing by idly or even supporting the cruel acts for their own benefits. At the least she was keeping every abolition different, that meant that potential hunters would have a harder time with actually tracking her down or expecting her hits on the slave trade. It was good thinking, and good thinking tended to keep people alive much longer than rushing into things.

"I'd like to act as though I would be a good enough person to risk my neck for a bunch of dirt poor slaves, but in reality I'm in it for the paycheck. It's not that I don't care about the injustice, I do, it's just that I don't benefit very much from doing anything other than keeping my thoughts to myself. Guess it's just how I was raised. Seems like the type of moral work that makes you feel all nice inside, but in the end turns out to be pretty fruitless given how much slavery exists in the galaxy."

He shrugged, sipping the last of his tea.
[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

"I'm a Senator, so that gives me a good enough paycheque to do my work." She sighed to [member="Bat"] and stared at the fire. "I know that it may seem fruitless. I know that there's a lot of slavery in the Galaxy, and that my freeing of them only raises their prices and causes others to be enslaved. Believe me, I've been given the lectures...But just put yourself in their shoes. If you were a slave and someone had the chance to free you, would you rather they leave or would you rather be given the chance at freedom?...I know that I would rather have my freedom."

She could have escaped from him, but chose to take the moral road instead. At least her plan would have worked in her head. As of yet, she hadn't met Bat's partner, but in her own point of view, she quite possibly could have thwarted him too.

 

[Bat]

Setting the cup down beside him, Bat stared Kay in the eyes as best he could, attempting to read what she had in mind when she gave her illustration. Was the point of it to teach a lesson, or was she genuinely asking the question. "I had never really considered that the prices of slaves gets jacked up for every slave that's freed. Guess that's supply and demand for you, and I'd figure it's pretty good business, but not the type of thing I'd like to get involved in. Not because of the moral issues or anything, it's just bad logistics." He seemed fairly confident about the first sentences, but the last one seemed almost an afterthought, as if protecting his reputation with the tough guy facade.

For a few moments, Bat wondered whether or not he should call Husk and have him come guide them back to town. It would probably be worth a try, but then again, Husk didn't have the best eyes. Plus, if Husk had to walk all the way out here and then all the way back, it'd probably be daylight by the time they returned anyways. "I guess if I was a slave, I'd want freedom. Though, sometimes you have to wonder whether the slave knows what freedom really means."
[member="Lady Kay"]