Private Try Try Again

[Mercy]

Avalore

Mercy could often be found in Ashin Cardé Varanin 's shooting range these days. There was a certain quality of zen she reached when she looked through the scope and tried her best to hit the target. Of course, the more often she missed, the more frustrated and angry she became. There was improvement to be found. But... too slow for Mercy's liking. Luckily, today... well... it was still not the way Mercy wanted it.

But she still hit the centerfold of the target with one of the heavier sniper rifles a number of times in a row.

Eventually Mercy gave herself a break. Put the rifles away. Locked the locker up and after that the range as well. The last thing Mercy needed was for some greedy Sith Lord to waltz into Ashin's range while she was gone and rob the place.

It would fall on her head.

She whistled a tune as she left the place behind.

Today was a good day.

 

[Avalore]

Avalore stepped out of the alcove she had been tucked in, all 115lbs of her dropping like a rock in Mercy's way.

"... You've adjusted well without her." The words were almost accusatory. Avalore had not.

 

[Mercy]

Avalore

Mercy blinked and looked down.

Eyebrow quirked up behind the shades. She hadn't seen Avalore in quite a bit, hadn't thought about her either truth to be told. Though the latter was more a classical case of 'avoiding an anxiety-generator in your mind' than true ignorance.

"Yup." Taking her accusations in strides. "And you?" Old Mercy would have already had her hackles raised up.

Well, hers were starting to, but right now she was picturing hammering away at a piece of metal.

It was helping.

 

[Avalore]

Avalore's jaw clench, but like Mercy no further frustration showed.

"I found where they are holding her," she informed, matter of fact. Conveniently dodged the question as well.

 

[Mercy]

Avalore

If an eyebrow was raised before? Now both of them were.

"Is that a fact..." Thoughtful there as her gaze ran past Avalore to the corridor beyond her. "...and now?" Half her body wanted to shake Avalore into telling her exactly how, when, why; things of that order. Another half wanted to walk past Avalore entirely. She already had an idea what would come next.

And she also knew her own response. It would be karking suicidal.

 

[Avalore]

"And now we request someone that can be sure the Drengir are off our back the day of the attack." We, not I. Request, Not need. Avalore kept herself as detached from the words as she could manage. It was the only way she could do it.

It. Work with her bully. Get Ashin back. Apparently that was the thing she'd sacrifice anything for.



No one better tell her.

 

[Mercy]

Avalore

Squinting at her.

We.

Request.

Mercy looked bemused at that. "Must be takin' ya an arm an' a limb to come to me for dis, eh?" Leaned back against the wall she was very tempted to make Avalore stew in it. Very. Tempted. But... she was being placated to her better demons. This wasn't a demand. It was done politely. And most importantly... this wasn't just coming from Avalore.

A sigh and a shrug there.

"Yeah. Well. I owe Ashin, so." Only recently Mercy discovered the Sith Lord had saved her life. Even if they didn't know each other back then and frankly Ashin probably had only done it to serve her own ego.

"I have been..." Squinting at Avalore again. Judging just what kind of jabs would come from the young girl. Then realizing it didn't matter. "...been thinking about it. The Drengir... Ashin... the Jedi that abducted 'er."

Mercy? Thinking? About anything other than herself? Impossible.

"What be the odds we succeed at getting 'er back right now? I dun' give it much. They took 'er right from the center of her power. When we hit 'em, we won't be doin' it with Ashin and we be hitting them in THEIR center of power, yeah? Low odds..."

Thoughtful.

"Been thinking... how we could make that more even..."

We.

 

[Avalore]

Avalore raised a brow, intrigued despite herself.

"...Fine. Keep going," she begrudged, opening the door for Mercy to do more than just participate as a meat shield. Even though Avalore preferred she remained just that.

 

[Mercy]

Avalore

Gosh, she made this so hard, why did it have to be so hard? How many eyes did she have to tear out of the kid's eyes, before she could see- well, in a metaphorical way, of course?

"The Drengir be constantly after us. The Jedi proved they can overwhelm us." 'Us', Mercy hadn't been there for it, and still thought if she had been? None of it would have happened. The pride of an apprentice Knight. "I can sense da Drengir, aye. Can do more than that tho." She stretched there, lazily, and still thoughtful.

"Talk to 'em, can do that too. What if I get 'em to agree to a temporary cease-fire? Get 'em to sicc on da Jedi. With dem on our side, we dun' have an problem taking out da Jedi and rescue Ashin."

 

[Avalore]

Avalore snorted.

"Not possible. They're on a space station. No dirt, no drengir. What we need is to be sure the Drengir don't slaughter the weak we leave behind. ... Apparently they will find a way," she admitted, like a kid owning up to not doing their chores. She was trying so hard to get them a solid plan, but there were problems everywhere.

"...Are they near us now?"

 

[Mercy]

Avalore

She blinked there.

A space station? Yeah... that was... well, Mercy wanted to slap Avalore in the face for that 'snort', but managed to contain herself. It was worthwhile information. "...yeah, yar right, that dun' work then..." Was that the first time that Mercy sheepishly admitted Avalore was right? It might have been the case.

"Uh." She leaned back against the hull and closed her eyes. Her nose turned into a snarl as the whispers sunk into her skull.

meatmeatmeatmeatWHEREMEATmeatmeatWHEREmeatYOU

Mercy blinked and opened her eyes, pushing herself off the hull. It was a basic reaction of fear that might flare up in her eyes for just a moment, before she got a hold of herself.

"Oh, yeah, they lookin' alright." She didn't manage to suppress the shiver. "I think... they suspect... that Varanin ain't 'ere anymore. I reach out sometimes, before? They didn't search this hard."

 

[Avalore]

Avalore frowned at the implication.

"So you can feel them-- hear them. Can they hear you back?" She stepped forward, an idea clearly brewing at the tip of her tongue.

 

[Mercy]

Avalore

"Well, I dunno about that, ain't like I tried to-" And then pausing herself in the middle of that. Brows FURROWED in thought. "Actually... I think? Yeah... when I am really pissed off or karkin' hungry... it always felt like they 'eard more than they ought to?"

 

[Avalore]

Avalore stepped back, her lip catching between her teeth as she thought over the implication.

"What if, instead of throwing the Drengir at them, we throw the Drengir next to them? The Drengir remain occupied, the jedi and their stupid hearts can't help but to respond. Their station would be weakened. Our back would be covered."

She looked up, a challenge to her words. "You think you could bait them into it?"

Mercy

 

[Mercy]

Avalore

Mercy blinked in surprise.

Did not immediately respond with a quip or a sarcastic remark. Which was a first. No, instead she leaned back against the wall and grew very thoughtful about that. "That..." Finally murmured as her mind turned it around in every angle. "...is fucking genius. That would work beautifully. They can't resist an opportunity to play hero an' would come running... and the Drengir would be too busy feedin' to go after the academy..."

Why didn't she think of that? Well, nothing to worry about right now.

"Yeah... yeah, I could." Nodding there. "As easy as making 'em think we be there an' vulnerable..."

 

[Avalore]

Avalore grinned.

"Good. I'll tell Master Baruuke. You work on--" She looked Mercy up and down, the smile faltering to subtle skepticism. "Getting hungry enough to talk to them."

Maybe she could just shove Mercy down on the planet to lure the Drengir away. It would certainly solve more than one of her problems. The thought path was discarded for the more pressing, the girl stepping past her nemesis to work on the final step.

Where the hell would one find a skilled astrogator that would help.

She paused, then asked over her shoulder. "You wouldn't happen to know someone that can fly?"

Mercy

 

[Mercy]

Avalore

"Ah, babe..." She pushed herself off the wall and streeetched lazily. "-that mah secret. I be always hungry." A chit-stained grin there, knowing exactly how corny she was when Mercy was quoting a famous movie line that had been meme'd to death for years now.

All the false bravado aside?

This chit she was gonna have to do inspired something ancient in her. The fear of mawing teeth and darkness. It wasn't fun at the best of days to wade through the Drengir parasitic hive-mind. To do it on purpose and with the express inclination to lure them somewhere? Yeah, that was gonna be even worse.

Jaw set however.

Just the hint of fear was enough to make Mercy a bit angry at herself.

"What?" More annoyed tone than she meant there. So she recollected herself, forcing that tone to soften. It wasn't Avalore's fault that the Drengir scared the chit out of her.

"Uh. Um. Flying? Aye. But I reckon yar meaning a dedicated astrogation expert that can guide us to wherever the kark Ashin is kept."

That was remarkably astute from a talking mountain.

"I will check mah sources, but I doubt it, I will let ya know."

 

[Avalore]

Dammit.

Well, it was one problem solved. The hardest one, actually. Avalore would take her wins where she could get them. She nodded, her replacement eye distant as she ran through her next steps.

"Ok. Let me know. We're aiming for five days from now. Any longer, and..." She swallowed hard and looked up at Mercy, too preoccupied to level any of her previous spite.

"Just let me know."

She turned to leave, all five feet of her marching off to her next task like a solider at war. She had stuff to do.

Mercy