Private Worse for Wear

[Capris Halcyon]

Capris flexed a hand, watching it pale under the constrictive force of a knuckle wrap. From where she sat—hunched over in the dim isolation of some dive bar's locker room— the motion almost felt meditative. That was good. Familiar..And probably the only thing about her current situation which could check both of those boxes.

Ring fighting was an admittedly sharp pivot for the ex-padawan, but it soon came to be a much needed substitute for income. As theatrical and addicting as bounty hunting was on any given day, the trade could prove annoyingly unreliable at times. Capris couldn't just stack her credits and coast.

So here she was, making a name for herself in the pits of hell like any good wayward soul would inevitably try.

With enough narrow victories Capris had managed to cement herself as something of micro celebrity in this one singular, derelict joint. If she was comfortable lying to herself—and she was— she'd claim her motivation to be rooted in simple economics. After all, this had to be one the least offensive way to put all those years of Jedi conditioning to use and still turn a profit. It certainly had nothing to do with the fact beating the chit out of people was free and therapy decidedly wasn't.

Stemming a growing nausea, Capris ran a clawed hand through her hair to tame it. Flakes of crusted blood freckled her cheek but she largely ignored them, opting instead to stand in front of the refresher to scrutinize her eye-bags a little longer. Rudely, her brooding session was interrupted by an impatient knock on the door. One followed by an equally incoherent string of complaints. With a sigh, Capris pushed away from the sink and towards the door, bracing against the flood of light as she pushed it open and stepped back out into the main bar.

Ashla, what she wouldn't do for a strong cup of caf right about now.

Talin Treicolt

 

[Talin Treicolt]

Another sleazy bar. Another path unexpected. Another stranger to beg for help. There were a few words she thought would encompass their experience after leaving home - glamorous and heroic chief among them. She thought wrong. Life on Coruscant had proven gritty and smelly, and though Kyric would never put the burden on the twins, he couldn’t afford to feed them forever - let alone give enough to get her pistol out of pawn. She wouldn’t have asked it of him, anyways. The actions that had landed it there were wholly on her. If Pa had taught her anything, it was that you didn’t rely on others to clean up your mess.

When she had asked the guild rep for the bounty, he laughed. A sweeping glance conveyed that he saw her for what she was - young, inexperienced, sheltered. Only after a good ten minutes of begging and threatening did he shrug and offer the fob. It came with a ribbon of advice. Find a partner. He had offered up a name - a woman who had done work for him prior - but the rest was up to her.


Capris wasn’t as hard to track down as she could have been. The venue, grime aside, had the brains to make an Avspace post to advertise the fights. Elegant lethality marked her more than a scrappy street rat. All the better - the rep hadn’t put her on an idiots tail. A watchful gaze had followed the woman throughout the night, and when she exited from the hallway, Talin was ready. A stool slid inches from Capris’ direct path.

“Buy ya a drink? Helluva fighter.” And so she didn’t come off as just some backwater idiot, with her southern drawl and cowgirl hat, she added: “Got a business proposition. Deckard sent me.”

Capris Halcyon

 

[Capris Halcyon]

Capris buffered, processing the cowgirl in slow, heavy lidded blinks.

Was she concussed? That Zabrak she'd just fought certainly hadn't held his punches. Maybe she was seeing things.

For a moment Talin's efforts were only met with quiet skepticism, her gaze bobbing up and down the blonde as if to say, you must be lost. The girl was simply too fresh faced, too nice to be slumming it down here like some local. She looked like the kind of person who would have standards. Ones Capris was sure to fall short of.

The street rat opened her mouth to say something along those lines, but the mention of Deckard immediately silenced her. Oh- cowgirl was legit.

"I-" The bounty hunter tossed an uncertain glance to either side of them before pulling Talin deeper into the hallway. "Alright," She decided, "You have exactly one minute to convince me not to walk away from the conversation." Capris moved to cross her one arm, only to awkwardly hug at her side, realize her mistake, and let her hand drop back. Right, she couldn't fold her arms in disapproval anymore. Bummer.

"I suggest you start with your name."

Capris paused expectantly.

"Also, I will take that drink if you're still offering."

Talin Treicolt

 

[Talin Treicolt]

One minute. Good thing she was practiced at yakkin'. Two quick knocks on the bar top called for another round.

"I'm Talin Treicolt, and your ticket to riches." The smile quickly fell away. So not the right audience. "Ahem. Maybe not riches, but somethin' better than this for a couple weeks. Wearin' something nicer than bodily fluids and a hotel room on the surface?"

Her hand rose half a second, gravitating toward scarlet droplets, but dropped clumsily a few inches before contact. This wasn't home. A kind gesture could be taken the opposite direction - and Capris seemed surly enough. She hoped the arrival of their drinks was enough to distract. Eyes followed the bartender away and out of earshot, then a glass slid toward her potential business partner.

"Look, I'm new at this whole huntin' thing, but Deckard had a level three bounty. Some gangster who sourced dancers outta a clonin' facility and ain't been paying the big man up top. Now, why couldn't you do this on your own and take the haul? Man's gotta whole squad o' goons and there are some... high profile indaveegials who frequent. Needs some finesse."

Wild gestures expressed confidence and grandiose. It was clear Talin thought herself a gift delivered by the force itself.

"That's where I come in."

Sixty seconds flat. Her jowls flapped like the wind took 'em, then came to a dead stop, and the same eyebrow raised again.

"Interested?"

 

[Capris Halcyon]

Talin was like waking up with a flashlight to the face. Bright, intense, unapologetically close. So close Capris nearly leaned away when a hand gestured at her face. Oh. Right. Basic hygiene probably called for her to scrub that off…

With the back of her sleeve, Capris got to work returning her face to a slightly better condition all while Talin speed ran her proposal. The girl watched with an accent of curiosity, as if her counterpart was some painting she was failing to interpret. The job itself sounded simple enough, and well compensated at that, but Talin was right about one concern.

Capris liked doing things on her own.

Raising a glass to her lips, Capris remained silent. The blonde's country twang brought regrettable memories of Kyric to mind, another reminder that she really didn't do all that great with partners.

A quiet sigh preceded her decision.

"Fifty-fifty split. I won't take a smaller cut than that. "

Another pause as she took a sip.

"You have a ship Talin?"

Talin Treicolt

 

[Talin Treicolt]

"Ye- no." The admission brought shame. Her X-wing was still back on Concord Dawn, with the rest of her life. "I've been travellin' with my buddy Dax . But he's solid - if we need his ship, we can convince him. I can pilot, though! Been flyin' bout as long as I could walk. Ya know, family tradition, or somethin'. Not usually inny'thang as bulky as Dax's ship, but... we'll make do."

A drink from the glass momentarily paused the rambling. Lights flickered on overhead, twice, then remained on, accompanied by the cries of patrons enjoying themselves. The signal extended far beyond the reaches of the core; closin' time was around the corner. Talin proceed to drain the amber ichor in a long draw. Then, she set the empty vessel down, and extended a hand to her opposite.

"Fifty-fifty, and inny'thang you find in that cesspit."

There would be logistics. On top of Dax's ship, she needed a blaster - and didn't want to ask her sister or Kyric. This was a small part of life she had begun to carve out for herself, and after sharing everything with at least one sibling forever, the weight of a secret was intoxicating.

"You have a short dress... and an extra blaster? A 'saber might be noticeable."

Lips pulled back with nerves, and Talin forced a half a chuckle. It was charming, right?

 

[Capris Halcyon]

She didn't have a ship, but her buddy Dax did and supposedly wouldn't have a problem loaning it out. Capris blinked, not entirely sharing in the cowgirl's optimism.

Though something about it was annoyingly infectious.

"We'll make do." She agreed, her eyes fixating at point behind the bar as she tried and failed to rationalize through this decision. Talin wanted to shake on it. Of course she did.

Bringing up a hand, the bounty hunter met Talin's own, sealing the deal with a loose, unenthused shake before her seat scrapped against the floor. Time to head.

"You have a short dress... and an extra blaster? A 'saber might be noticeable."

Capris looked at her tank, still stained with a smattering of blood. "No.. no I do not." A hand reached to scratch the back of her neck, "If you can cover me for that, I may or may not have a blaster for you to borrow."

It was then the mental lag finally caught up. The girl blanked.

"I'm sorry..a saber?" She looked over Talin with a renewed look of scrutiny, "You have one of those?"

Talin Treicolt

 

[Talin Treicolt]

“Yeah. I’m sorta a padawan. Or tryin’ to be? The sabers borrowed though. Oh force, I probably sound like a lunietic. I just, uh - we’re trying to get by until we figure things out. Me and my sister. Want to make the galaxy a better place and all, but don’t really dig the idea of temple life. May not fit in down here,” She gestured to the bar of city slickers. “But sure is a better fit than bath robes and rules.”

The stool screamed as she scooted back to rise. A handful of chits were deposited on the counter to settle their tab. The close of a night, and the start of a promising venture. A snort rose at the thought. Now was not the time to be gettin’ philosophical. She half turned to the woman, waiting for her to join the journey to the exit.

“Guess I’m goin’ shoppin’.” A glance to Carpris took in her build, for sizing. “Meet me at the spaceport on Fourth and Tagge tomorrow at sun down.”

 

[Capris Halcyon]

"Sorta a padawan?" Capris took in that revelation with a slow blink. The remaining rational part of her brain screamed to shut this down. Talin was far too removed from the typical scumbags Capris worked with – not to mention wildly unpredictable. This partnership was a dangerous extension of trust on both their ends.

Strangely, a small flutter of empathy quieted her thoughts. For a brief moment Capris felt as if she was looking into some warped fun house mirror. An admittedly very flattering, blonde one. Goddamnit, why was she agreeing to this? Just because some starry eyed altruist asked nicely?

May not fit in down here,” She gestured to the bar of city slickers. “But sure is a better fit than bath robes and rules.”

Capris seemed to find that funny, her otherwise even expression breaking into a tiny, momentary grin, "Preach."


——-

She wasn't technically sure if either of them were old enough to be here, but a wee bit of force persuasion— paired with a smile that made Capris question her honor as a feminist— amended the bouncer's concerns.

The establishment itself was pretty much what she'd come to except; bodies following the flow of booze and dancers with a distinct scent of herb infused into the walls. It was still a far better situation than the dump they'd just crawled out of. If someone were to vomit, it would be on vinyl rather than shag carpet. A fact which did not go unappreciated.

"Try not to make eye contact with anyone if you can avoid it. They will take that as an open invitation to violate your personal space and strike up a brain dead, vaguely dehumanizing conversation."

Maybe she was wrong to assume Talin wasn't the type to frequent places like these on the regular, but the bounty hunter was ready to trust her instinct on this one. Even now Capris could feel the occasional stray eye linger on the two of them, but other than that she felt secure in the fact they blended in.

"Give me a tap if you see anyone of interest." Capris suggested, surveying the establishment, "I'm going to go out on a limb and assume our guy isn't down in the mosh pit right now. Maybe we try our luck sniffing out a back room."

Talin Treicolt

 

[Talin Treicolt]

Smoke hung over the club like fog on water, rolling streaks dancing beneath neon lights. Worse than the drugs was the sweat. Life forms of all corners gyrated on the dance floor, and they were too far gone to notice the perfume which wafted from the. Talin wore an apparent look of disgust until Capris’ warning, when it fell to wariness. Fingers idly plucked at the edge of her dress, attempting to gain any further coverage. The silver sequined number had looked cute as all get on the rack - but only left her feeling vulnerable when she had peeled her jeans from beneath back on the ship.

“Like they need an invitation.” The blonde scoffed.

Leading the way through the sea of people, one hand reached to grab Capris fingers loosely. The last thing they needed was to be separated in the wolves den. Some pretty boy chose glanced up at exactly the right time. Mid-groove, he froze, staring at the girls like they were hotter than a two credit pistol. Shoot, eye contact. Talin mustered up every bit of nastiness she could, and offered a hard stare with a hair toss, and strolled right past him as if he didn’t exist. Her confidence must have forced submission - he didn’t follow.

Finally, the crowds parted, and the broke into free space on the other side. Talin breathed a sigh of relief. Cool air, personal space. Booths lined the wall, and Talin beelined for the nearest free one. She slid in the side which allowed them to eyeball the various archways between them and the bar. A hutt was slithering his way into one, bouncer holding velvet line for entry. A pair of girls followed the slimy path with giggles.

“What’d’ya think the chances are it’s that one? Ugh.”

A few moments past and the barrier was set again, with the robust man remaining stalwart against the remainder of the patrons.

“Okay, follow me.”

Talin rose, shaking out her hair, and linked her elbow through Capris. She approached the entry with her head high - despite the internal cringing - and a walk that carried all the haughtiness of redneck royalty.

“Uhm, ‘scuse me, sir?” Her free hand moved to tap the bouncers shoulder. When he met her gaze, a doe eyed smile was offered. “Yeah, I think our friend went in there? He’s a lil’... green?”

The man met her inquiry with sweeping eyes. An elbow to the ribs urged Capris to play along.

 

[Capris Halcyon]

“What’d’ya think the chances are it’s that one? Ugh.”

"Astronomically high." Capris confirmed with a slight wrinkle of the nose.

Talin then linked around her, scooping the bounty hunter out of her seat and marching forward with an unexpected rein on the situation. Clearly the surrounding ambience hadn't dulled the blonde's ambitions. It was admirable, if not a little concerning.

As if entirely detached from the situation, Talin's rib-poke was the only thing to register. Oh right. Capris forced a giggle, one she had to fight from turning into a dry heave. Everything about this was repulsive.

"Yeah." with a lone finger twirled around a lock, her voice pitched justtt a few notes higher than normal, “Big guy- pretty hard to miss. Likes a lotta company."

Her words were only met with unwavering scrutiny.

"Also not the patient type. So if you wouldn't mind helping a couple gals out…"

There was a certain pressure behind those last words. A small ripple in the force picking at the man before them like a scalpel. In the next moment the barrier was lifted, access granted. Capris fought off an indulgent smirk.

And wouldn't you know it, a bread crumb trail of mucus stretched out just a few yards in front of them before taking a sharp left behind velvet curtains. Curtains heavy with the stench of spice and flirty laughter. "I don't hate our odds," Capris remarked, careful to keep her heels free of the sludge. With measured steps, the bounty hunter made sure to keep Talin on the far side in some subconscious protective measure. She didn't want the blonde getting shot first if she could help it. Cowgirl had a galaxy to save after all.

"I say we try to get him alone, maybe even out of the club if we can. Y'know before we pull a fast one on him."

Capris paused, a hand lingering at the curtain's edge.

"What did you say this guy's name was again?"

Talin Treicolt

 

[Talin Treicolt]

Like a hot knife through butter, it was too easy. Talin had to stifle the urge of a victorious wooo or babbling praise for her partner. She had clearly pegged the girl wrong. The room before them was dim, lit only by exotic lamps and the smoldering atop glass. Their friend had settled in a corner, eyeing the two girls who had followed him.

“Cade Balmore.” It was too dark to make out faces from the distance. Any of the slime bags could have been the guy from the holopic. “We could try to take him back to our ship?”

Surely, a guy who needed an army to defend him from an uprising of mistreated women wasn’t a threat they couldn’t dispatch if needed… right? There were no better ideas presenting. The idea of letting him take the power set her nerves fraying.

“Come on, let’s go to the bar. Maybe we can figure out which one he is.”

The circular counter stood in the center of the room, and unlike the canteen used by the public in the other room, there were few seated in its vicinity. Scantily clad waitresses ushered bottles to their table instead, her guests too lazy or too self import to rise from their tables of depravity. Talin caught the eye of a twi’lek as she took her seat, but the woman dropped her gaze within a second. Trafficked clone or unfortunate individual, the cowgirl could not peg her, but there was no denying the feeble posture akin to a beaten dog. A sudden eruption of laughter interuptted the idea of asking the poor thing to turn on her masters. Turning, she scanned for a source, quickly zeroing in on a rather lavish group. An array of tiny deaths decorated the table - and behind them, a man who looked like he might fit the profile of their villain.

“You girls lost?”

Hairs rose as the man’s caress upon her shoulder.

 

[Capris Halcyon]

Capris felt her blood run cold at the sight of the Twi'lek. Damaged eyes carefully avoiding her own. Feth Cade and everyone in here.

Almost prophetically, a man sidled up to them, resting a hand on Talin's shoulder the next moment. Capris fought the urge to bite his ringed knuckles like some rabid dog. She hated putting on an act, hated that she allowed this. Shooting people was so much easier.

"Lost?" Capris looked around them, as if she hadn't realized, "Umm maybe just a little." The bounty hunter cautioned a shy smile, pinching her fingers together to show just how little. "We wanted to see what it looked like in here. Seemed so dark and mysterious."

The words were punctuated with another forced giggle, dialing up the naivety to a nauseating high. Whether or not the man believed her – and she seriously wondered if he would– a coy smile broke out across his face. Eyes raked across the two, as if sizing up prey.

Capris decided she very much wanted him dead.

"Well then- " a hand gestured out to the surrounding lounge and its patrons, "What do you think?"

Before Capris could stumble through another bullchit answer, the man moved forward, nearly corralling them into a table by his presence alone."How 'bout you lasses take a seat hmm? Let us buy you a couple rounds." A loose wave to the Twi'lek woman ensured that order was followed. His buddies scooched in accordance, loosening a varying slew of indulgent whistles and claps.

Capris tried to keep her expression from completely devolving into one of disgust and hatred. Hyper-aware of the blaster snug in its thigh-holster, she braved a quiet look at Talin before taking a seat. Maybe she would get to shoot someone after all.

"Where you two darlings from then?" The man reclined in his seat, nursing a cigar between two fingers.

Talin Treicolt

 

[Talin Treicolt]

The waves of irritation emanating from Capris were met with unity. Being herded like bantha to the block presented an urge to plant her heel right into the man's toe; but even minor annoyance could see them kicked out. So, with a forced smile, she slid into the booth beside her partner with a knowing glance.

"Where you two darlings from then?" The man reclined in his seat, nursing a cigar between two fingers.

"Oh, nowhere near as excitin' as here." Propping her hand on her chin, she leaned into the man, thinking up a way to ask him where his boss was. "Refugees from out East. We were settled out on Castell, but well... no trouble for a couple o' gals to get into. I'm Kara, by the way, and this is Sirah."

"Castell? Chit hole. Got a couple of guys from out there. Everyone that can leaves for better horizons." He paused to take a long draw. Talin had to choke down a cough when the smoke was exhaled back into her face. "It's nice to meet you two ladies. I'm Cade. How long you playing on staying?"

A shockwave sent all of Talin's muscles tensing. Man, she really should have studied the bounty a little harder. The waitresses arrival and presentation of refreshments offered a moment to regain composure. When his eyes flickered back to the pair, Talin was all innocent smiles and sultry eyes.

"Just a night or two. Long enough to see the lights... and whatever else Coruscant has to offer. You wouldn't know the best place to see the skyline, would'ya?"