Decisions

[FallenKeeper]

Dzar sat silently upon a bench, enjoying the cool air of Ryloth's night-side. Several sloppily stacked datapads sat beside him, each one with a green check-mark displayed on their screens. These were the bounties he had collected, a few of which had been sold into slavery. Another person may have been haunted by the fates those souls had been condemned to, but not Dzar.

He understood that life was either exploit or be exploited. A Kath hound eat kath hound galaxy. His people practiced slavery as part of their culture and a way to spread themselves throughout the known systems of space. Dzar was simply making his own contribution to the species. Albeit in his own way. He rarely dealt in men, and was willing to catch members of other species just to make his quota.

In his green-skinned hands he held a single datapad and read it with a sly smirk on his face. His next target was human, and suspected to be Force sensitive. This would provide a challenge Dzar rarely faced. Her name was Kitari Hanahiri. The details for why a bounty was put on her were vague enough for Dzar to pass on culpability to the Poster, in case things went awry.

All he knew was, for some reason, she was fleeing to Ryloth. Something about the holopicture of her made him tilt his head. She was attractive and presumably a Force user. She may be more valuable to him as a slave than a bounty. He'd fulfilled his quota, perhaps he could keep her. If the Poster had an issue it would quickly be a no-contest of producing a more valuable bounty to make up for the discrepency.

Looking up with a twinkling gaze he watched as a ship, hopefully hers, swooped down to land at the nearby port.

 

[AriaDran]

Kitari wasn't really sure what had drawn her to Ryloth. It was fairly close to the planet she had fled, but she wasn't sure that was it. In fact, under normal circumstances it probably would have been too close if it were any planet but Ryloth. She had heard this planet was a good one to escape to, though. Most species were accouted for on it with enough numbers that she could dissapear among them, at least until she was certain that noone was coming after her.

She set her ship down at the first port she came across, but it had a name she vaguely recognized, though she couldn't recall from where. She sighed as she picked up the vibroblade that had killed her parents. Well, it was the only weapon she had now, so she had better bring it along. Ryloth wasn't a good planet to be unarmed on.

She exited her ship, closing the hatch behind her before turning and walking towards the nearest bar. She would try to find somethere who understood hand-speak so that she could ask what a good inn to stay at would be, someplace she could lay low for a while. She probably shouldn't tell them that she was laying low, just to be safe. No, she'd ask which place was the most secure - that should do it.

She approached the bar itself as she entered the building, raising a hand to point at a bottle of Jawa Juice when asked what she wanted. She placed sufficient credits on the counter, then watched them dissapear and waited quietly for that space to be replaced with her drink.

 

[FallenKeeper]

Dzar watched as the young woman disembarked from a ship, the same one he had been expecting. From the moment his eyes locked on her the man knew she was sensitive to the Force. She had piqued his senses and had it not been for a group of passerby's she would have noticed him. As she passed by he quickly deleted the information from his pile of datapads and stuffed hers into the back of his trousers before peeling himself off the bench and pursuing.

His lekku twitched rapidly as he stayed on her tail, using the cover pedestrian traffic to mask himself still. She may notice a Force presence in the crowd but hopefully not his. Dzar followed Kitari to a local establishment known as Fortuna's Folly, and continued inside shortly behind her. Luckily enough a few drunk spacers were exiting and helped hide him as he went inside. When Kitari approached the bar and pointed to a bottle, Dzar had enough evidence to confirm her as a target.

Plastering on his most charming white-toothed smile the twi'lek threw his lekku over his shoulders and stood at the place beside her. "I'll have the same thing, Auun, the lady has taste." he stated giving her a wink as he looked her way. His right hand rested at his hip where a large silver ring hung clipped to his belt. A disguised slave collar.

 

[AriaDran]

Kitari started as a Twi'lek was suddenly standing next to her and ordering the same drink as her. She looked towards him, catching the wink, and it made her blink in surprise. She hadn't been expecting to be approached at all, let alone so soon. She had only been at the bar for a few seconds and already she had attracted this one's attention.

She smiled shyly, bringing her hand up to wave in greeting. It dropped down to her throat next, shifting the cloth covering it so that he could see the scar there, her way of explaining that she couldn't speak. She figured if she didn't, he'd be fairly weirded out by her waving from so close and take off, and she didn't want that. He had a nice smile, and he also looked to be a local. Now if only he could understand hand-speak he would be the perfect person to ask some questions.

Her eyes dropped down to his waist for a moment as she noticed that his hand seemed to be hovering near an odd silver ring. It looked large, but completely unlike any weapon she had ever heard of, so she concluded that it must simply be something that was valuable to him and he didn't want a pickpocket making off with it. She returned her eyes to his face and brought her hands up. She moved her hands slowly, in case he did speak handspeak but wasn't too familair with it, and so that he could see that she wasn't just waving them randomly.

Handspeak?

She left it at that one word, just a simple question asked with her hands, her face mirroring the question as she looked at him hopefully.

 

[FallenKeeper]

Dzar waved politely in turn, his face taking an understanding look as she lowered her neck scarf to reveal the scar. He didn't really feel any sympathy, he knew about her inability to speak from the start. But feigning interest and understanding was a talent he had honed over the years. "I'm sorry, I can't understand you. But you have a lovely smile," he said, delivering her two truths. Through the Force he may have been able to get an idea to understand some of what she wanted to convey but he didn't want to give himself away.

"You shouldn't cover up that scar," he turned his attention to Auun as the purple twi'lek placed two glasses filled with Jawa juice right on the countertop, "I think it's kind of charming."

 

[AriaDran]

Kitari sighed as the Twi'lek explained that he didn't understand her motions at all, her hands dropping back down to her sides. Her shy smile as he complimented her smile, a slight blush coming to her cheeks. She looked quickly to the Jawa Juice as it arrived, but didn't reach for it just yet. Instead she looked back to him, her hand raising to rub her throat lightly. Noone had ever said that it looked charming before - most people were just repulsed by it.

She hesitated for a few moments, then slowly pulled the cloth up and over her head, slipping it onto her wrist instead. She doubled it up so it would be tight enough to stay, then smiled back up at the Twi'lek. She didn't mind spending some time 'talking' with him - she could find a place to stay later.

 

[FallenKeeper]

"There you go, much better." Dzar loosened his smile and allowed his eyes to open a little more. Making them bigger and brighter in the low light. He knew he had handsome features and used them well. Watching as she tied the cloth around her wrist he took his glass and lifted it up in salute before taking a swig. Fighting back the urge to cringe at the bitter drink he slammed it down on the counter and chuckled. He would display masculinity first, to see if she would react positively. Already he could sense her slowly falling into his trap.

Sliding his thumb along the smooth surface of the slave collar, he bid his time in order to lure Kitari further in. "Can you write?" he asked as he pulled another datapad from his jacket and set it down between their drink. The tips of his lekku wriggled as he patiently awaited her wordless response.

 

[AriaDran]

Kitari was impressed as he slammed the cup down, her smile growing again as he pulled out a datapad for her to write on. She nodded and reached to pick it up, writing on it before she passed it back to him.

I'm Kitari. You look like you're from around here. I'm looking for a good, safe place to stay, do you know of anywhere?

She reached for her own Jawa Juice and took a drink from it as he read the datapad. She only took a small one though, as she was pretty sure she'd cough a lot and make a fool of herself if she tried to drink it all at once. She set it back down gingerly as she waited for his response.

 

[FallenKeeper]

Dzar watched as Kitari wrote on the datapad, her hands had a deftness about them that suggested she'd had some skill at swordplay. Though he wasn't in a position to say how much. The vibroblade at her side seemed proof enough to his deduction. After she set it down he picked up the datapad and quickly read through it. As Dzar looked up to respond he smiled at her again while she took a short sip of the drink. Kitari seemed to have a bit of etiquette. Her value was slowly rising.

"I'm Dzari'Ncuna," he began, confident that no one in the bar knew what he did for a living, "I can't really say if there are any safe places to stay near here. A pretty woman such as yourself, alone, would be a prime target for thugs and slavers. Usually its best to simply find a friend and stay with them. Safety in numbers. I rarely stay in one port for long, usually I sleep in my ship. No ones bothers me there at the port. Its as safe as one can get. Also it helps when you've got room to move around in."

The green-skinned twi'lek grasped his glass again and took another hefty gulp before slamming the glass back down on the countertop and motioning for Auun to top it off. The bartended reached for a bottle, uncorked it, and poured the liquid into Dzar's half empty. "Not everyone has that luxury," added Auun, who couldn't help but overhear Dzar's comment. "And this place is safe." He walked off to attend another customer.

 

[AriaDran]

Kitari listened to the Twi'leks words, tilting her head slightly as she considered them. Her ship was too small for her to sleep in, unfortunately, but it wasn't so bad an idea to keep moving she supposed. The only problem was that in moving so much she might just attract attention. She wasn't sure which was a better idea. She started to reach for the Datapad, but paused as Auun came by and added his bit.

She gently took the Datapad from Dzari, erasing what she had written previously before starting a new message. She considered what to write for a few moments, then quickly entered it in.

Well met, Dzari'Ncuna. I wouldn't say I have any friends here, so that's not really an option. I suppose I could just stay here. The barkeep seems nice enough. I don't know, though. With the bar down here, there are probably a lot of drunks.

She handed the Datapad to him again, then took another small drink of her Jawa Juice and set it back down again. Her eyes drifted back to the odd metal circle hanging on the Twi'lek's waist, then to his faec again as she awaited his response to her written message.

 

[FallenKeeper]

"No, no, no," he said with a hearty, yet polite, chuckle as he leaned over and read what she wrote. Placing a single hand upon her shoulder he again assumed a broad jovial smile and spoke. "You can't stay at a bar. Too many people come here, and some are quite unsavory," he shot a glance over at Auun, who he knew personally dealt in illegal goods. "You can spend the night on my ship, I have some work to do there anyways so I doubt I'll get any sleep. With me up you can expect a safe rest."

Dzar curled his fingers inward and gave Kitari a firm squeeze on the shoulder before nodding with a trusting smile and look to his eyes. He hoped she would take the bait, already he felt like he'd struck the motherlode with this human.

 

[AriaDran]

Kitari blinked in surprise at his offer. She hadn't been expecting it, but he did bring up a good point. The bar really wasn't a good place for her, and he certainly seemed like an upstanding citizen. She couldn't help but be reassured by the light squeeze or the look in his eyes. For some reason she just felt that she could trust him.

She gently took the datapad and again erased what she had written, just typing in a short message before handing it back.

Well... if you're sure it's alright, I would really be in your debt. Thank you!

She smiled warmly at him as she handed back the Datapad.

 

[FallenKeeper]

This time after he read the datapad he stuffed it back into his jacket pocket and nodded at Kitari. "If I offer, then it is all right." he let his smile stay and rose the glass of jawa juice back to his lips for another gulp. This time he chugged the entire drink and set the empty glass mug down on the counter upside down. "Enjoy your drink, all I have at the shuttle is water, and we know how boring that can be." he joked as he gestured his lekku at Auun.

Dzar gazed at Kitari with a welcoming smile, as if to say, "Everything is all right." And it seemed like it would be... for him. All that was left was to get the collar on her.

 

[AriaDran]

Kitari smiled, raising her glas in thanks before she drank it down. She did so much slower then he did, but after half a minute she would be done and set her glass down next to his. She returned his smile, gestured towards the door and then brought her hands up in a way she hoped implied that the gesture had been a question.

She was asking him if he wanted to go, but it was obviously harder to do when she couldn't just say it. He had put his datapad away though, so she was left with ridiculous gestures to get her points across. The datapad was a good idea, though. She would have to look into getting one to carry around, and wondered why she had never thought of it before.

 

[FallenKeeper]

Dzar let himself unwind and enjoy the moment. So far the job had been easier than he suspected. Though he knew he had to keep his guard up. When Kitari began motioning with her hands again he paid attention. It seemed as if she were ready to go. With that clear he dropped a few credits on the counter and nodded a farewell to Auun before stepping back from the bar and turning on his heel. He strode forward, his lekku slipping from his shoulders as he walked.

He expected Kitari to follow as he made his way back to the same port she'd landed at and headed towards the Cobalt, his ship.

 

[AriaDran]

Kitari did turn and follow after the Twi'lek, staying just a step behind him so that she wouldn't lose him in the crowd. She smiled as they approached the shipyard, and would raise a hand to point towards her ship, then at herself once she had Dzars attention for a moment. She was still smiling, and would simply stare at his ship. It was certianly a lot bigger then hers - he must be a nobleman or something, to have a ship this large!

 

[FallenKeeper]

Dzar stopped when he heard the woman's feet stop moving and looked back to see her point a dainty finger at a ship and then herself. His mind put two and two together and he chuckled nervously, "You came in that bucket of parts? You're lucky to be in one piece." he lightened his chuckle and moved towards the Cobalt nearby. The side hatch expelled two streams of compressed air and moisture to the side as it slid outwards and then fell forward slowly to present a boarding ramp for the passengers.

Unlike usual he hadn't laid out any outfit for Kitari. Dzar hadn't even taken a holopicture of her to place on his registry. He was certain that once he had her, he'd keep her, if only to drive up the price. A Force Senstive slave would be valuable to the right buyer. Whether they used her as an assassin or simply as a prize trophy for some sort of game, he didn't care. His clients were mostly notable men and women with enemies they'd always try to upstage. Kitari would simply be a means to inflating their egos.

"Come on in, Kitari," he called back as he marched up the ramp and pulled the datapad from his jacket again. He tossed it on the nearby seat and moved to the cockpit, taking his bounty datapad from the back of his belt and bringing it with him to delete.

 

[AriaDran]

Kitari frowned as he insulted her spaceship. That hadn't been very nice at all. She started moving again as he did, waiting until the hatch was open and he invited her inside before she moved in. She looked around the room slowly, her smile returning as she took it in. It certainly had a nice interior, that was certain.

She stopped once inside, not sure if she should be following him to the cockpit or not - she didn't even know if it was big enough for two. So she just stood there awkwardly, bringing a hand up to nervously rub the scar on her throat.

 

[FallenKeeper]

Dzar was glad he'd cleared up his list of bounties, normally they were stacked in the passanger area but now they were gone. His green fingers danced across the screen of the datapad, deleting its contnets before he tosses it on the main console and stood back up. Moving to where Kitari was he noted how she rubbed her scarred throat. "If it bothers you, I'll understand if you cover it up. But at least use something more fitting of your looks. He unlatched the collar at his side and held it out to her. "This used to be a pair of vibroblades that I'd found when I was younger. They helped me survive here, alone on the streets. I had them melted down when I got older, because I didn't need them anymore. I was never good at fighting so they were more for show. I've been wanting to let go... of my past. All I have left is this," he offered up the collar.

 

[AriaDran]

Kitari looked down to the ground as he approached again, and didn't look back up until he mentioned using something else. She looked up, and saw he was holding the strange silver ring that had been hooked on his belt. She tilted her head, considering it for a few moments and what it had meant to him. He wanted to get rid of his past... well, so did she.

She smiled, reaching out to take the ring. She studied it for a few moments, figuring out how to work it, then slipped it on her neck and clasped it shut. She took a moment to reposition it so that it covered her scar, then looked back to Dzar with a smile. She was glad that she could help him out.