Beware Hitchhiking Bounty Hunters

[Eoto Vrisor]

Eoto sighed with relief as he heard Aurelie's voice. She sounded fearful, as was to be expected, but at least she was alive. It was good to hear she had found Daven as well. "Just took a tumble that's all." Eoto lied as the woman asked if he was alright. His injuries were severe and would need medical attention soon, but at least for the time being he was in good enough condition to keep fighting. The moment she said she needed help the Bothan took in a deep breath and forced himself to stand up straight, rushing forward and ignoring the pain as he quickly made his way down the stairs. "On my way." He assured her.

He got to the bottom of the stairs and sprinted down the hallway. arriving just in time to spot the four pirates at the door to the room. One blasted the door open and rushed inside, followed promptly by another. Already he could hear more blaster fire as they attacked those inside. "No!" Eoto shouted and raised his rifle, firing a shot and winging one of the pirates still in the hall in the shoulder. As the man spun to the ground his ally cursed and took a defensive position somewhat concealed by the doorframe.

The pirate returned fire and Eoto retreated, hiding in the stairwell. He could hear more footsteps above him. Reu Lai and whatever remained of her forces were coming for them. He had to act. Eoto paused to catch his breath, then rolled out from behind cover. As he came to a crouch and took aim both he and the pirate fired simultaneously. The pirate hit him in the arm, Eoto his him in the head. Both men collapsed, but the Bothan managed to pick himself back up again with great effort. Three spots on his armor were now scorched black from blaster fire, blood seeping from the wounds. He stumbled forward with all the strength he had left, rounding the corner into the room the pirates had entered and raising his blaster rifle again, prepared to fight to the last. In the back of his mind he knew if L5 didn't arrive soon they were almost surely doomed.


@Pyrenees

 

[Aurelie Fleury]

Hiding behind the bed, Aurelie counted the careful footsteps. The pirates seemed to be taking it slow as there only seemed to be two people making their way into the room, perhaps the other two stood as some kind of backup? "Don't shoot me! They tried to make me leave, but I refused. I'll just wait for them to pay the ransom, I'll cause you no more trouble, just don't shoot me." the boy stood up behind his desk, both hands in the air. Aurelie was more than a little impressed by his sudden burst of wit and heroism. One of the men raised his rifle and started walking to round the table, checking for his foe behind the table by the brat. The other looked towards the toilet, leaving the bed behind which the thief hid unguarded. With that, she plopped out of her cover and took a shot at the foe by Devan and immediately went back down behind her cover. Whilst his ally fell, the other pirate started opening fire at the bed whilst slowly walking closer.

Strange, by now, Aurelie had expected the other pirates to burst into the room to take her down, but they didn't. More blaster fire than what hit her cover could be heard from the corridor, causing her to think of her Bothan ally. Letting her mind return to the present, the girl thought hard of what to do, knowing full well that plopping up against a blaster wielding foe who knew where she was at this range was foolish, suicidal even. The blaster fire from the corridor soon died down and instead of firing wildly, the final foe aimed by the bed intently whilst slowly creeping closer, ready to suddenly burst in and open fire at any moment. Before he got there, three shots could be heard. As the young woman peeked up from her cover, she could see the last foe stunned on the ground with Devan still holding his gun pointed at where the man used to be standing with his jaw open.

Raising both hands in the air, she exclaimed a cheerful "Yes!" On her way to give the former hostage a hug, Aurelie stopped right in her tracks as she saw the Bothan making his way into the room. "Eoto?" she called for him with concern in her voice, quickly moving to meet him. Her eyes scanned his figure, noticing all the damage he had taken. Not managing to think of anything else to say, she simply let out a "You're hurt" while reaching for another sedative dart. Once again, she opened it, revealing the liquid inside and held it out for her injured ally "Drink of quarter of this, it should numb your pain a little" she said whilst the brat slowly made his way closer "Is this little furball our rescue party?" he asked whilst pointing a finger at the man. The question caused her blood to boil, making it incredibly hard to resist snapping at him. "Yeah. Your dad trusted him enough for him to be here, that's gotta count for something, right?"

@Reyn

 

[Eoto Vrisor]

Eoto lowered his rifle when he saw Aurelie and Daven before him and the pirates unconscious on the ground. "Ines?" He called in reply, clearly surprised and impressed by the scene. He shouldered his weapon and folded back his helmet, scowling and gritting his teeth through the pain.

"I'll live." He replied simply to her concerned remark as he gratefully took the dart from her. He took a sip of the liquid as instructed and gestured to her own wound. "You've looked better yourself. Are you alright to move? We're going to need to make a quick exit..." His eyes narrowed as the boy insulted him and opened his mouth to retort, stopping to look at Aurelie with surprise as she came to his defense.

"Looks like my dad made a poor investment." Daven replied to Aurelie's words. "This old man can barely walk."

"This old man is gonna beat some respect into you if you don't shut that fat mouth kid." Eoto snapped, not showing the same restraint as Aurelie. Daven looked absolutely furious and opened his mouth to reply but the Bothan spoke first. "I don't want to hear another word out of your mouth that isn't 'yes' or 'sir' do you hear me? Your parents aren't paying me to put up with your attitude. Now go and watch the door while the adults talk boy." He said with the same authority he'd use with his own children. Daven's indignant look seemed to wither under actual resistance to his behavior and he turned to walk to the door in silent anger. Eoto shook his head as he turned back to Aurelie.

"Thanks for that by the way." He said, raising the dart. "But we need to get out of here and fast. There's a lot of trouble heading our way and I don't think I can survive another firefight. I've got help on the way but I don't know how long it'll be before he get's here. Did you see another way out of this place down here?"


@Pyrenees

 

[Aurelie Fleury]

She was starting to like the Investigator more and more. While he was a bit cold at times, it was quite sweet of him to show so much concern for her when he was so wounded himself "It stings and such, but I'll survive" she said truthfully.

It took some effort, great effort, for Aurelie to keep a cool face as the Bothan put the brat in his place. While her relations with the teen had been improving steadily, he was still a rather insufferable person. "Thank you" she replied with a smirk whilst sending a glance at Daven. But the time for pleasantries was short as Eoto quickly proceeded to tell her of their situation. She was happy to hear of the aid he had incoming but his question got her thinking.

"Well, we're on the first floor, so almost all rooms with windows should lead out." she said, only realising how dumb it was to point it out as she said it. Naturally, this was information which Eoto would have too. "Sorry" she chirped shaking her head. "The main entrance is to the left. I think there's a garage to the right, but I haven't actually been there. Since you came from the left, maybe we should go out on a limb and head to the right?" she suggested whilst putting sealing the dart and putting it back again.

After Eoto confirmed the idea, they headed off. There was no real other option as the pirate leader would be coming from the other direction whilst taking the front entrance or a window would immediately alert all the guards outside. The entrance to the garage had a set of double doors. They were simple, old fashioned and easy for a thief such as Aurelie to get in through. Taking just a minute or two, she had soon unlocked the door, probably revealing herself as something more than just another brat. She threw her ally an apologetic look but decided that explanations could be given later. Now, she carefully opened one of the doors and looked around, no one seemed to be there,

The garage wasn't too large but it felt empty without a larger vehicle inside. She could only see a lot of workbenches and a one-seated speeder located centrally. "We could barricade the door, but I don't think the three of us has enough muscle to do much before they arrive." she noted, readying herself to do as the Bothan instructed. Her eyes traveled to the exit of the garage, a large port and hoped that their rescue would arrive soon.

@Reyn

 

[Eoto Vrisor]

Eoto couldn't help smirking a bit as Aurelie mentioned the windows and gave her a look that said Yes, I know what windows are thanks. "Sounds good." He replied amusedly at her suggestion to use the garage as their escape route. Drawing his blaster pistol he followed her as she exited the room, switching his helmet back on as well. He smacked Daven on the back of the head gently but teasingly as he left, gesturing for the boy to follow. The kid snorted in irritation but followed nonetheless, still obediently keeping his mouth shut.

Eoto watched with interest as Aurelie made quick work of the locked doors. He had to remind himself to ask her just who she really was once all this was over. His train of thought was cut off though as Daven suddenly piped up. "They're coming!" He shouted, and pointed down the hall. Eoto looked up in time to see the angry Besalisk making her way down the hall flanked by at least eight pirates with probably more following out of view. The Bothan wasted no time in raising his blaster and firing off several shots, forcing their pursuers to take cover while he and the others took shelter in the garage. As he and Aurelie slammed the doors shut she started making her suggestion to make a barricade. But Eoto's eyes were already on the speeder. Something else was formulating in his mind as he looked back to the doors and heard the pirates approaching. He looked to Aurelie.

"Can you hotwire that speeder?" He asked. "I've got an idea..."


@Pyrenees

 

[Aurelie Fleury]

While the request seemed strange considering the fact that the speeder was just a one-seater, Aurelie didn't waste any time questioning the injured investigator. Instead, she quickly turned away from the door and rushed over to the vehicle, quickly chirping "Can I?" sarcastically as she got to work. She worked systematically and at high speed, obviously having done the deed several times in the past. This time, however, the thief feared that it wouldn't be possible to finish in time as their foes got closer. Her mouth was shut close as the hotwiring went on. With half a mind to just drop her current task and prepare for a fight, Aurelie found it harder to keep her concentration. Still, she trusted Eoto enough to do as he asked and continued diligently.

The roaring sounds of the speeders powerful engines could soon be heard. Aurelie sat in the only seat of the vehicle. "All done!" she piped up, her voice racing with that of the roaring engines. With the machine up and running, Aurelie hopped off, offering the seat to her ally "So, what's the plan?" she asked loudly as her voice was almost being drowned out by the loud noise.

@Reyn

 

[Eoto Vrisor]

While Aurelie ran to the speeder Eoto jammed his blaster rifle between the door handles as a makeshift stopper and pressed himself up against the door, Daven following suit. Seconds later the pirates started pounding against the door, Reu Lai screaming all the horrible things she was going to do to all of them once she broke through.

"That speeder better be for me," Daven remarked in a mixture of anger and fear as he used what little strength he possessed to help Eoto hold the door. "I'm not gonna die here because you two don't know how to do your jobs!"

"Will you shut up? No one's gonna die!" Eoto snapped. "Just do as I say and we'll get through this, I promise." Daven looked absolutely miserable, but silently nodded in agreement with Eoto. Once the speeder roared to life and Aurelie called that she was finished Eoto turned and ran to the speeder, hopping on and orienting the vehicle directly towards the door. He looked to Aurelie as he revved the engine.

"I know you're not the greatest fan of violence," He said apologetically, "But in this case I think you'll make an exception." He looked at Daven and shouted, "Daven! When I give the word open the doors! Ready?"

"Are you insane?" Daven barked back hysterically. "I'm not opening the-"

"Now!" Eoto shouted as he hit the accelerator, leaping from the speeder as it hurdled towards the doorway. A look of pure terror crossed Daven's face before he ripped the blaster rifle from the handles and leapt out of the way. The doors immediately flung open, Reu Lai charging in at the head of her pirate band. Her furious expression quickly turned to one of horror as the speeder barreled right towards her. The Besalisk managed to dive out of the way just in time. Her compatriots weren't all so lucky. While some also avoided the vehicle others were mowed down, and when the speeder rammed into the nearest wall outside the garage an explosion of fire and smoke filled the hallway, engulfing them all. In the midst of the confusion Eoto staggered to his feet and drew his blaster pistol, pointing for the garage door.

"Get out now!" He shouted, and started firing at the pirates that hadn't been incapacitated or killed. Daven scrambled to his feet still holding the rifle and ran towards the door, pausing to kick the groaning Besalisk in the ribs, only infuriating her more.

"You brat!" She shouted, struggling to get up herself. "Kark the ransom! You're all dead!"


@Pyrenees

 

[Aurelie Fleury]

"You're insane!" she exclaimed as the investigator hopped onto the speeder. "Get off of that thing, you'll die!" she exclaimed, tugging at his sleeve in the hopes of making him rethink his actions. He spoke to her apologetically over the noise from the speeder. She shook her head diligently "No, I don't care! Just don't do it!" but it was becoming blatantly obvious that her pleads weren't working. Eoto's attention turned back to the brat who, at least, seemed to be of the same mind as her, stating his refusal to open the door.

The speeder suddenly went running forth "No!" she shouted, seeing the bike swoosh by. Before long, she realised that her ally had already jumped off. Relieved, she immediately raised her blaster and fired blindly into the doorway, letting her bolts follow the destruction that the speeder caused. Not feeling particularly keen on sticking around, the young woman started to move towards the main garage door.

Suddenly, she felt a vice-like grip around her lower leg. The sudden and absolute halt to her momentum caused the girl to fall to the ground with her blaster dropped just a few decimeters in front of her. Looking 'down', Aurelie saw what had caused her fall, the massive Besalisk had a strong hand wrapped around her as the sinister woman used her two lower arms to support her body as she rose to her feet. Kicking with all her might, Aurelie felt how the hand was starting to loose it's grip over her leg when another one suddenly leaped forth to grab the leg she was kicking with.

Her desperation was mounting as the Besalisk stood up, hoisting the girl in the air with the upper set of arms. The foe was starting to make an evil sounding laughter as Aurelie summoned a vibroknife from her Nevda and quickly flung it towards the beast. While the knife hit the larger woman's side, she also managed to use one of her free arms to grab Aurelie's wrist. Applying heavy pressure at an awkward angle, sounds of bone breaking could soon be heard, causing the girl to cry out in pain with eyes watering quickly. Reu's final free hand then formed into a fist and punched the human hard. With air slipping out of her lounges at a rapid pace, Aurelie gasped for air as the Besalik dropped her to the ground, head first.

"Who's next?!" she asked mockingly whilst the thief lumped down in a heap at her feet.

@Reyn

 

[Eoto Vrisor]

Eoto had run to the door and hit the button to raise it. At his ushering Daven fell to his belly and crawled under as it was still rising, the Bothan turning in time to see Aurelie being hoisted into the air by the Besalisk. "Ines!" He shouted fearfully, and raised his blaster to fire at the pirate captain. Unfortunately his comrade was blocking his line of sight, and he wouldn't risk hitting her by mistake.

Eoto cursed under his breath and charged forward. He doubted he could take on the Besalisk in his current state, but he had to at least give Ines a chance to escape. "Right here!" He shouted at Reu Lai's taunt, leaping up and delivering a flying knee into her abdomen. The Besalisk grunted and staggered back. Eoto wasted no time, screaming like a wild animal as he rushed forward, tackling the massive alien and stabbing her repeatedly with Aurelie's knife as he pushed her back with all his strength.

The adrenaline must have been pumping because to both their surprise he actually forced her back a few feet before one of the Besalisk's hands came down and grabbed Eoto's wrist, preventing him from continuing his assault. As she picked him up by one arm he punched her in the face with his free hand before that too was restrained. He swung his body and threw another knee at her chest but this time she manage to catch it, and brought up her fourth arm to grab his other leg.

"Any more tricks little rat?" Reu Lai asked amusedly, and started to pull on his limbs, stretching them painfully. Eoto snarled at her and spat in her face, causing the woman to drop him. But that was it, as he collapsed to the ground he could feel the last of his energy leaving him. He growled and struggled with all his might to try and get up, only to collapse again. As she wiped the spit from her face Reu Lai began to breathe heavily. The multiple wounds were starting to take their toll on the massive alien.

"You know I've killed a lot of people in my time," She said. "You are by far going to be the most satisfying..." She reached down and grasped the Bothan by the throat, lifting him up into the air.

"Echuta." Eoto choked the words out. The Besalisk laughed, then reached for one of her blaster pistols. In the next moment the entire building shook as a 35-Series starship of all things burst through the wall, dropping a ton of rubble right on top of the pirate captain. As she screamed her remaining pirates either fled or were crushed to death. As the ship hovered above the loading ramp slowly came down and an enthusiastic beeping from an astromech droid could be heard over the ship's loudspeaker. While Aurelie was mostly untouched by the rubble Eoto seemed partially buried along with Reu Lai. Both aliens were motionless.


@Pyrenees

 

[Aurelie Fleury]

Laying helplessly on the floor, Aurelie was struggling to regain her breath whilst also fighting the excruciating pain radiating from her wrist. For the time being, most outside elements were isolated and locked out from her consciousness as pained tears ran down her cheeks. As if underwater, she heard Eoto respond to the Bealisk's request and the sound of another melee. Her stomach was still hurting immensely from the punch, but still, the girl tried to get back up to her feet. After barely a second's worth of trying, she fell down again, letting out a muted scream after having put pressure on her wrist.

While the experience was far from pleasant, the young woman was very grateful that her new ally had returned to rescue her. She was very well aware of the fact that he could probably have left her behind with Devon and claimed the bounty for himself. With new vigour, she once again tried to get up, this time more successfully - however, the would soon be pushed back down to the floor again as the building rocked violently as a ship smashed through the wall.

She must have had some kind of guardian angel at her side, because very little of the rubble actually fell on her. Once again, she tried to get up to her feet, and this time, she completed the action. Looking around, she saw Eoto lying underneath the rubble. Quickly, she rushed to her friend and started removing rocks with the one hand that still functioned. Soon, most of the rubble was gone except for a larger piece which she couldn't move. Through the corner of her eye, she could see Devan already standing on the ramp "Hey, help me out!" she exclaimed. The boy only looked at her indifferently and walked deeper into the ship as she pleaded for him again.

Realising that she was on her own, Aurelie put down her feet by the bottom of the large piece of rubble and used the leverage she got to pull it away, applying her entire body weight to the matter. Fueled by sheer determination and will, the Bothan was finally free from the pieces of concrete holding him down. The thief hadn't even bothered to check for a pulse, thoroughly determined that the investigator was still alive.

Her eyes looked onto the path between the ramp and Eoto, realising that it probably shouldn't be traversed gliding as it risked causing further injuries, or worsening the ones he already had. Still feeling the adrenaline run high, Aurelie soon proceeded to bring a plank. After having put Eoto on it, she started pulling it to the ship which could then leave, just as the pirates were starting to regroup in order to return in a united force.

@Reyn

 

[Eoto Vrisor]

Eoto was unconscious and badly injured, but Aurelie could hear faint, ragged breathing and a slight swell and fall in his chest. As the thief dragged him back towards the ramp four pirates emerged from the rubble and dust. They looked to be barely alive themselves, but the fury in their faces was clear. They wanted revenge. They raised their blasters and prepared to fire. Being wide in the open Aurelie had no place to hide. Then suddenly a single blast came from the starship's dorsal turret, blasting one of the pirates away and causing the remaining men to flee. If Aurelie looked up she could see Daven had entered the gunner's position and came to their assistance after all. The boy was now thrusting his arms in the air and cheering inaudibly from his position in the turret.

The second Aurelie had dragged Eoto onto the ship the ramp retracted and the vessel blasted away, leaving the entire Black Ring Base to collapse behind them. As the thief sat with the bounty hunter lying unconscious on the floor of the ship the boy came walking back, looking somewhat ashamed.

"Is he gonna be alright?" He asked her. "I mean, not that I care but, dad says it's important that we pay our debts. I'd hate for him to die before he get's his reward." The boy seemed torn between showing concern for the two of them and maintaining his superior attitude. But it was plain to tell he had acquired some begrudging respect for them.


@Pyrenees

 

[Aurelie Fleury]

It almost felt surreal to have the dorsal turret of the vessel suddenly open fire, but it was precisely what they needed in order to get away unharmed. While she couldn't see who occupied the turret as the struggle to bring Eoto onto the relative safety of the ship's ramp, it was not hard to guess who it was. Astromechs rarely operated weapons too well. Once they were on the ramp, the girl just wanted to collapse, rest, have a breather as the immediate danger of getting shot was over - but it was obvious to her that Eoto might need immediate medical attention. Still, seeing his chest rise and fall brought her joy.

Without wasting a moment, she kept dragging him deeper into the ship until she found a bed. Knowing that she was in no condition to carry him with her arm, Aurelie gently let him down on the floor before pulling down the mattress and then doing her best to put him onto it. In just a moment, the young woman wrapped her bad arm in together with a longer piece of metal in order to keep it stable. She then put a hand against he cheek and looked upon the alien with concerned eyes when she noticed Daven in the doorway with a shameful look. "I don't know" she said honestly, almost in a whisper. While she did know the basics on how to patch someone up and having done it a few times, telling if someone was dying or not was on another level.

Her heart warmed upon hearing the teen's excuse for helping them out. While he didn't want to come off as too close, she thought he was being super sweet. Standing up and turning to face him, she took two quick steps and hugged him with her bad arm hanging at her side "Thank you" she said sincerely as the two hugged. It was pleasant to find comfort in another after all the action they'd been through, but it wasn't long before the girl let go "I think he needs our help. Wounds needs cleaning and if he's got Kolto for him and a bandage for me, that would be great." she said, ready to go look for it when she was suddenly stopped by the teen "I'll go look for a medkit, you take care of him for now, okay?" he said, carrying a somewhat silly smile since the hug. While it seemed uncharacteristic for him to be so kind, Aurelie certainly didn't mind and simply responded to him with a sweet smile and a nod.

As the two parted, Aurelie returned her full attention to the Bothan. With we towels, she patiently started cleaning his wounds, starting from the top. She remembered visiting Bothawui as a child with her father and started humming on a local lullaby she'd heard when visiting the planet.

@Reyn

 

[Eoto Vrisor]

Eoto felt like death. He had been through many rough spots in his lifetime: death matches in the dueling ring, dangerous thugs on Nar Shaddaa, countless bounties that had gotten a little too close to turning the tables on him. But this time it felt like he actually might be facing the end. The worst part was he almost wanted it. He wanted a chance to finally rest. Then he heard an old song his mother used to sing to him and all kinds of wonderful memories came flooding in. Memories of his brother, his wife and children. Memories of trouble making on Nar Shaddaa. Memories of the fields of Bothawui. When he awoke there were tears in his eyes.

"Your loved ones will carry you home." He finished the song quietly in Bothese, barely more than a whisper. He looked up at Aurelie, confused, but happy. "Thank you." He said in Basic. There was an awkward moment of him staring at the girl before a KLT series astromech droid came rolling into the room, followed by Daven, beeping angrily as it stabbed the Bothan with a syringe of Kolto and did the same to Aurelie without waiting for her permission.

"Ow!" Eoto said, and sat up slightly in the bed, shooting the droid and angry glare. "Get out of here you bucket of bolts!" The droid chirped and buzzed at him indignantly. "I don't care!" Eoto snapped back. "This is your fault, if you'd gotten here sooner I'd still have half the blood in my body! Shoo! Go fly the ship!" The droid poked him again in the leg before retreating, barely escaping a limp kick from the Bothan. Eoto then looked up at Daven and forced a smile.

"You did good back there kid. I'm sure your parents will be proud of you." Daven looked pleased for the shortest of moments before scowling at the bounty hunter.

"Whatever," He said, poorly feigning apathy, dropping a medkit on the bed before turning and leaving the room. "If you don't get me home soon I'm having your pay cut." Eoto looked back at Aurelie and smiled sincerely, something rare coming from him.

"I owe you my life." He said softly. "If there's anything you need, anything. Just ask."

​

@Pyrenees

 

[Aurelie Fleury]

He spoke. She had a hard time believing it, considering the condition he had just been in, but he did. The girl's face shone up brightly and a happy smile appeared on her lips "Eoto!" she exclaimed. She leaned in close to give the man a hug but quickly realised that it was a rather dumb idea, considering how injured he was. Leaning back up again, she looked at him fondly, grateful that he was still alive. While it did last for a reasonable amount of time, their sweet and friendly moment didn't last very long as a droid suddenly assaulted the two of them with needles. Still, it was just there to heal them and would ultimately be of use.

Aurelie looked on amused as Eoto bickered with his droid. While bickering indicated some kind of conflict, this seemed like the healthy kind of bickering. Her eyes followed the machine as it left and met the rich kid. "I see you found the kolto" she said appreciatively, looking up at the teen in the doorway but it seemed like he was returning back to his normal self, at least a little. The Bothan praised him too, but it seemed like he refused to let their praise bite. The thief always needed money, genuine fear marked her eyes as she looked up at the youngster who immediately seemed ashamed and stormed off to the cockpit.

She turned back to Eoto. As it stood now, Aurelie could hardly believe that she had been angry at the man earlier during the day. His words warmed her heart, but she didn't completely agree with whim. The girl shook her head "No, no" as he talked about her saving his life. In the middle of her refusals she thought of something she wanted from him which caused her head to stop shaking 'no'. Her hand reached up, letting go of the wet tower with which she had cleaned his wounds and put it on his arm "I need you to promise not to be cross with me, okay?" she asked carefully, looking into his eyes for confirmation. Once given, she let her eyes fall down to the floor as her head hung low but she continued "My name's Aurelie. My dad passed away a while back." she said, obviously getting emotional upon mentioning her real father. Swallowing hard, she went on "The speeder we rode earlier, I had just hotwired it. It was stolen."

Looking back up at the man, she carefully scanned his facial expression and let out a careful "Please don't be mad with me." She bit her lip nervously whilst awaiting an answer but soon spoke again before he had a chance to provide her with one "Can we be friends? You talked about showing me a trick or two for close quarters defence, right?" she asked, hoping that he's agree. She didn't fully understand why, but she liked the guy. Perhaps it was only natural after both of them had been willing to take so many risks for each other. Regardless, her plea was sincere as she sat there on the floor next to his mattress, quietly stroking a small patch of his fur.

@Reyn

 

[Eoto Vrisor]

Eoto was confused at first when she asked him not to be angry with her, but a small grin crossed his face as he began to put two and two together.

"I promise." He answered her gently. He listened intently to her explanation. He was surprised to discover she was a thief. With her level of ability he suspected she might have been some kind of corporate spy. Their kind was in abundance on Bonadan after all. He gave her a sympathetic look at the mention of her father and the obvious emotional effect it had on her. "I'm sorry to hear that, I know what it's like to lose a father." He said, trying to show they had some things in common.

"I'm not mad," He said with a chuckle. "If you hadn't lied to me I probably wouldn't have asked for you to come along. And then where would I be?" He sat up in the bed with some effort, grunting in pain. "Well I've got a bounty to collect and a spoiled brat to get off my hands but after that? Sure. It's been some time since I've had a sparring partner. L5 isn't exactly dueling ring material." He smiled. "I'd be glad to call you my friend Aurelie."

It felt good to use her real name. Eoto never was one to keep many friends. All he ever cared for was his family, and being away from them for so long was taxing. It would be nice to have the young woman's company for as long as she'd offer it. He was certain there were a few things she could teach him as well. And the bounty for Daven's safe return would be a great reward even split between the two of them. The thief could easily buy a nice speeder instead of stealing one. The old Bothan settled back down on the bed, eager to get some rest.

"It'll be a few hours before we reach the Streng estate." He told her. "If you don't mind I'd like to take a nap... sleep off some of these blaster wounds..." He let out a pained chuckle. "Quite the job bounty hunting..."


/End
@Pyrenees