Ask Ryloth Paying your Debts

[Jeyten Dres]

Lessu
Ryloth
Outer Rim Territories​

Okay, maybe it was time to move on to the next planet. Ever since coming to Ryloth and in need to support himself, he had taken some odd, albeit illegal jobs, in cotangent with his bar tending just to get by and had made some... "unorthodox" friends because of it, but now the young Force-sensitive boy had really got himself in the thick of it. Jey had recently taken out a loan from the local loan shark in order to purchase some Death sticks from a dealer and when that fell through, he ended up, stupidly, spending the borrowed credits on other stuff.

When this was discovered, Jey was given two options: come up with the credits owed within the week... or die. Now that he thinks about it, they weren't really options and were more like ultimatums. So, after calling up some of his "friends" he managed to get himself a temporary job with a high payout - high enough where he could pay off his debt. The job consisted of him taking over a street vendor for a day that acted as a front when in actuality, he was selling spice, yes that kind of spice. Right now he only had a few hours to pay it off before the loan sharks would come for him.

The black haired boy was currently waiting at the vendor, slouched over and leaning on his palm as his hair fell over his eyes. If Jey wanted to survive to the end of the day, he'd have to quickly sell off all of the spice at his vendors and rush to get the payment from his employer.

@Pyrenees

 

[Ines Panteer]

Having stayed in Lessu for a few days, Ines found herself wandering down the familiar streets of the city. It was just a casual stroll to the supermarket which tended to have the most reliably safe products. Certainly, the market stalls offering fruits, vegetables and different foods had a the more fresh products and often times a sense of familiarity to them - but when just looking for something simple, the large established sellers were the most obvious go-to. However, there was no rush in getting there, allowing the Alderaanian to take her time as she slowly made her way through some of the busier streets.

Her eyes lingered on various wares as she walked, ranging from traditional trinkets to more useful tools. While there were several items that were worth keeping an eye on in the events of a good sale, nothing had really caught the noble's attention in quite some time. Still, it was always wonderful whenever one could find a 'treasure' among all the more common wares.

The streets weren't quite as busy as they could have been, seeing as many were working. Still there was a floor to how low the populations on the markets tended to fall. Suddenly something, or rather someone, caught her eyes. While she managed to keep her surprise somewhat hidden from outside scrutiny, Ines had not expected to see a human working the stall. Usually, a larger and grumpier lady tended to the stall - certainly not someone she had expected to be working with aliens. With her curiousity piqued, the girl approached the dark-haired one. "I haven't seen you here before" she noted, keeping a friendly tone.

While their wares had never been something of high interest, there were some items which could plausibly be desired. Still, how they could compete with the others was a mystery to the teen. She picked up a leathery pouch laying on display and inspected it visually "Did the owner have to call in sick?" she asked, throwing him a glance.

@AfroBandit20

 

[Jeyten Dres]

Time, luck, or whatever you wanna call it was not on Jey's side at this particular moment in time. Head slumped against his palm, he tapped his boot on the ground nervously, just imagining at the prospect of what the loan sharks would do to him if he didn't pay his debt in time. As much as he hated to admit it... some help from his Jedi ancestor would be much welcomed right about now, although he hadn't seen him in a while - completely unsure if it was due to the fact that he hadn't taken any Death sticks in a while.

As Jey continued to fall deeper and deeper into thought, a soft feminine voice returned him to reality. His ears perked up and a spark of life returned to his hazel eyes for brief moment, excited at the prospect of a potential buyer for his remaining spices but upon making eye contact with the woman in front of him, he was surprised. Surprised to see another human, especially on Ryloth - although he wouldn't complain, plenty of Twi'lek women for him, but nonetheless it was still nice to see another human. A pretty one at that, the Force-sensitive youth always had a thing for redheads.

A smile would then form on the edge of his lip and he proceeded to stand up to his full height as he met eyes with the grey eyed girl. "Oh yeah, yeah. Something to do with the Hesken fever or some'n." he lied, "So I offered my services while they recovered." he said shrugging, hoping to impress the girl slightly. Jey then turned to look both to the left and right of himself before leaning a single arm on the vendor's table and forming a sly grin, he leaned in closer and whispered while clearing his throat "So uh...are you lookin' for the 'special goods'?" he asked, raising his eyebrows twice.

@Pyrenees

 

[Ines Panteer]

Alright, maybe the pouch was not very interesting. While not putting it back down, Ines lowered it to her waist level and looked at the merchant as he spoke of the owners absence. Apparently having been too concentrated on the leathery object, the noble had completely missed the guy standing up straight which caused her eyes to first gaze at his chin. Raising her sights, she took the chance to study him. While he might have had a more rough background than herself, it seemed plausible for him to be around the same age as herself, maybe a little older.

"So I offered my services" The sentence was formal, to say the least, more so than what could reasonably be expected from a street vendor. Within a short moment, the amused and curious eyebrow which had shot up returned to normal. After all, people used different vocabularies, it was perfectly normal for speech to vary. A smile formed on the Alderaanian's lips "That was kind of you" Although she still couldn't see how the two would know each other or how the owner would trust him to watch her stall, Ines did not want to be too intrusive.

Suddenly, the merchant started acting somewhat oddly as he turned to look in both directions. Not thinking too much of it, noble watched what he did and leaned forth to hear what he was about to say. It was strange that he was not more specific about what special goods he was offering. A memory of her time in a bazaar on Exodeen where the same phrase seemed to be normal - could it be where he was from? It was, all things considered, a rather specific wording to be used in these situations. Still not quite sure what he was talking about, she carefully nodded "Sure, let's see what you have" she said, fully expecting him to display some particularly fine wares.

@AfroBandit20

 

[Jeyten Dres]

Things were looking up slightly, maybe he could pay off his debt in time. Jey formed a mischievous grin at the redheaded girl as he crouched down and reached under the vendor kiosk, about to pull out and show her the spice - he heard a familiar masculine voice in the distance. "Afternoon, Dres." a voice called out to him in Ryl, causing Jey to freeze in place - "Kriff." he thought to himself while squeezing his eyes shut, pleading it was a dream but when he opened his eyes and saw himself still crouched under the vendor, his heart dropped.

Slowly rising up to his feet, he met his gaze with Sasbede, the Twi'lek he had taken the loan from, who was accompanied by his Wookiee partner/enforcer, Tvrurr - they were standing directly behind the redhead with their blaster and bowcaster aimed at Jey respectively. A brief but genuine expression of sympathy was directed at the redheaded girl, hoping he hadn't gotten her involved in some deep poodoo, before he switched it to a false expression of confidence.

Jey leaned on the vendor's surface once more, forming a fake cocky grin "Sasbede, Tvrurr. Hey guys, good to see you. What brings you here?" he said, greeting them. Tvrurr howled an obscenity at Jey in Shryiiwook - which Jey partially understood and caused him to place his palm in the middle of his chest and jokingly pretended to be offended "Wow Tvrurr, I thought we were friends." this comment resulted in another outburst from the towering Wookiee, causing him to take a step back slightly. Sasbede's gaze at Jey lingered, with his blaster firmly aimed at the youth with the jet black hair, "I've come to collect your debt." he stated with a smirk formed on his face.

Jey's confident facade dropped immediately and transitioned into slight anger "Waitaminute, I don't have to pay you until the evening." he responded, clenching one of his fists and hovering his left hand over his blaster holster. "Tvrurr and I got impatient. We want our money now." Sasbede said sternly, shaking his blaster at Jey once more. Now irritated, the hazel eyed youth wasn't going to allow himself be played for a fool, hand still hovering over his blaster, he turned to look at the redheaded girl in between them "Hey pateesa, you should get out of here." he said, fully ready to attack the loan sharks and make a run for it.

@Pyrenees

 

[Ines Panteer]

Curiously, Ines watched as the merchant disappeared behind the kiosk. While someone behind her seemed to be calling out to someone they knew, the lack of an immediate response from her fellow human indicated that it wasn't to him. With that, the Alderaanian didn't mind it much as she kept her gaze at the shop, not even bothering to turn around. 'Dres' was certainly not her, in any case. That turned out to be a rather grave mistake - through her peripheral sight, she could see two things approaching on each side of her. It was not until she turned around that she realised that two armed aliens stood on each side, blaster aimed at the merchant she was just speaking to.

A sense of panic was starting to occupy more and more space in the teen's mind. Still, she had the capacity to calm herself down and remain relatively cool. They were just after this Dres person, she shouldn't be in any danger, right? Standing still in her spot, Ines' shoulders began shrinking as the rather hostile meeting took place. Twice, the girl's eyes were shut tight as the wookie produced an intimidating roar. Both times, she carefully opened them again to fearfully stare at Dres as if looking for help. At this point, she just wanted to get out of the situation unharmed.

Finally, he spoke to her, advising her to get out. Her legs began defrosting from their previously frozen state and she responded with a slow nod. Turning to the left, Ines carefully started walking only to be stopped by a mighty roar from the wookie. Consequently, she took a few steps back in horror. Apparently having strayed too far towards the Twi'lek, a push was briskly dished out. The small vendor shook as the Alderaanian stumbled against it.

"A human friend?" Sasbede remarked with a smug grin plastered on his face. "Surely, you wouldn't try to get away from your debt" he continued, eyes shifting towards Ines. This was only getting worse as the two seemed to have started associated her with the merchant Dres. "No, you don't understand" she said, hoping that the Panteer name would get her out of the situation. The family had been established on the planet for quite some time "I am..." Once again, the wookie produced an intimidating roar, quickly silencing her.

With growing confidence the twi'lek took a step forth and rested a hand on her shoulder, drawing the girl's attention whilst looking at the boy "Let's not drag this out more than necessary. Credits. Now." he said sternly whilst producing a dark stare. Apparently, he hadn't registered Ines as much of a threat, despite her having both a stun blaster and a vibrosabre. Perhaps he was correct, because at this moment, her mind was more set at flight mode than fight mode. Besides, with a heavy hand on her shoulder, she highly doubted her ability to accomplish much before he could act.

@AfroBandit20

 

[Jeyten Dres]

Blast it all, why did Sasbede have to get the girl involved in this, it was just between them - he was always a scumbag. He noticed the redhead try and say something but was cut off by Tvrurr's howl . With Sasbede so close to the girl, his whole plan was out the window, he couldn't just shoot and flee, now he had to make sure he wouldn't get the girl injured for something she had nothing to do with. The black haired teen clenched his jaw slightly, angered by Sasbede's dishonour.

Being the impulsive kid he was, Jey reacted instead of actually thinking out another plan. Quickly, he aimed his DL-18 at Tvrurr and shot twice clean into the Wookiee's left shoulder, causing him to howl in pain and visibly drawing attention to the four. With the shot, coupled with the howl startling Sasbede, his grip released on the girl slightly before Jey leapt over the table and punched the Twi'lek square in his jaw which caused him to release his grip entirely.

Jey swiftly grabbed the girl's wrist, pulling her and swinging his arm forward to throw her a few feet in front of him so she could get a running head start. "Gogogogogo!" he yelled out to her repeatedly in a panicked tone of voice "Before they kill both of us!" Jey followed right behind the girl, running as fast as he could, he didn't know where the hell they were going but he knew they had to get as far away from the two loan sharks as they could. The Force-sensitive teen briefly turned around and saw that the Twi'lek and Wookiee were hot on their trail, returning his eyes to the street in front of him he called out to the redhead once more "Any idea on where we could go?! They already know where I live and where I work!" he called out, pleading to anything that would listen that the two of them would make it out alive.

@Pyrenees

 

[Ines Panteer]

If stares could speak, Ines would be asking what Dres was thinking, shooting someone like that. Why couldn't they try to solve it diplomatically? Words would have been so much safer than escalating the conflict to the use of blasters. The Twi'lek had never dropped his gun or lowered his aim, meaning that it was still aimed at the merchant. Having a pretty strong feeling that it was already too late for her to disassociate herself from the hotshot, she decided that her best chance at survival would be to join him. At least until they had gotten away from the thugs. With that, she yanked her shoulder to the side, just as if she was trying to get away. Consequently, the alien's shot hit the wall behind Jayten rather than Jayten himself.

As if having planned the actions beforehand, the boy soon came to her rescue as well, releasing her from her captor with a powerful punch to the jaw. Not being used to this kind of more hostile actions taken against other people, she looked on without taking much of an action herself, all while the wookie was recovering and the twi'lek was yet to be knocked out. Fortunately, Dres took things into his own hands hand propelled her forth. Following his instructions, the Alderaanian began running, swooshing past vendors and shoppers alike.

Slowly, the puzzle pieces started to fall in place - the two thugs were loan sharks and his special wares were... Well, there was a rather limited amount of potential candidates, all of which were illegal or close to being illegal. Realizing that her new ally would probably prefer avoiding the police station, the Alderaanian took a sharp turn to the right, throwing a glance back at Dres to ensure that he followed. "The shuttle station" she said, pausing in order to maintain her breath whilst running "If we are lucky, we can catch a shuttle" she continued but paused again "If not, we might loose them"

What she did not tell him was that her speeder was parked in the vicinity. If the thugs saw it, she would be much easier to identify and not yet feeling like she could fully trust the hotshot, Ines decided to keep him in the dark, at least for a little while longer.

@AfroBandit20

 

[Jeyten Dres]

"Good idea, Red." he called out to her as he followed her sharp right turn, he didn't know her name yet and figured it would be appropriate to call her that... for now at least. The black haired teen followed her all the way to the shuttle station and it was as if luck willed it, a transport shuttle was already there, ready to take off. Picking up speed slightly and gaining his second wind, Jey caught up to his new 'friend' and sprinted beside her while waving his arms like a maniac at the shuttle pilot to not close the doors and leave. Once again, as if luck was rooting for them, Jey and the redheaded girl barely made it inside the transport shuttle as the doors closed.

Jey fell to his knees and slumped over, placing his palms on the floor and panted heavily, trying to take in as much air as he could. He'd never ran so far, so fast, and so hard in his entire life so this was a lot for his lungs to handle. Finally gathering his breath, he stood up and held onto one of the straphangers and looked out of the window to see Sasbede and Tvrurr arrive and watch as the shuttle flew away. Jey let out an obnoxious laugh and held his stomach, making childish faces at the two loan sharks, much to the dismay and annoyance of the passengers on board. But he didn't care, he'd just escaped death.

The Force-sensitive teen playfully punched the redheaded girl's bicep and chuckled slightly before taking a seat. "Good thinking back there, Red. You completely saved us." he thanked her, and let out another small chuckle before hanging his head low to quickly re-evaluate what had just happened. After all that, he realised he hadn't even gotten her name. Jey ran his gloved hand through his jet black hair and smiled "I'm Jeyten by the way. Jeyten Dres, but you can call me Jey if you want." and after that, his smile then fell into an expression of sympathy "I'm really sorry you had to get involved in all of that." he uttered in an apologetic tone, eyes shifting away from hers due to the sheer guilt he felt for endangering her life.

@Pyrenees

 

[Ines Panteer]

The two stepped onto the shuttle just in time. The force from the doors closing could almost be felt as they hopped in. Similarly to Dres, Ines was quite winded after their sprint to the shuttle. While it was perfectly normal for people to make a run for it in order to catch their shuttle, Ines and the hazel-eyed boy might have taken it to the extreme. Whilst she had he back leaned against a wall to recover, she watched as he soon started to tease the thugs. Other passengers were visibly annoyed by his behaviour, thankfully, they did not know the full context of him being indebted to them. Looking at the others apologetically, the girl approached him from behind and put a hand on his forearm. Her touch was light, but it would be enough to eventually pull away his attention from the loan sharks.

Feeling the sting of his playful punch, Ines' raised her other arm and let her hand pet the bicep. Another had recently done the same, or else she would truly not have been used to it at all. It didn't take long until 'Red' joined him, taking the seat next to him. Fortunately, the other passengers seemed to have returned their attention to whatever they were doing before the two humans hopped on. The noble did care greatly for what they thought as she wanted to represent her family well. "Thanks" she said, somewhat awkwardly as her eyes scanned the stranger.

Stretching out a hand for Jayten Dres to shake, she introduced herself "Hello Jey, I am Ines" Her family name was omitted, but at this point, she had no particular desire to let everyone around them know that she was a Panteer. Perhaps it was hubris, considering that they weren't that well known. Sheepishly, she spoke "It is alright. We made it out alive." and smiled.

This was certainly not the kind of person she tended to associate herself with, but in the end, it was important for a Panteer to be able to socialise with people from all walks of life. "Where are you from? Humans are not very common around here" she asked, looking him curiously in the eyes. Her previous theory seemed rather silly now that she had a good hunch about what he was actually selling.

After a while, she turned up, reading where the next stop was from the display. The Alderaanian's heart sank as she saw that it was a short distance trip to the other side of town. Only then would the shuttle take a longer hop across the planet. Fear crept in as she started to realise the implications. With her eyes still fixed on the display, Ines put her hand on Jay's wrist. Staring at the monitor for a few seconds longer, she leaned in and whispered "If they're quick, they might be able to catch us at the next stop" to his ear.

@AfroBandit20

 

[Jeyten Dres]

"Pretty name for a pretty girl." he said with a smile and a wink while shaking her hand, they just survived an encounter with two dangerous loan sharks - anything was on the table at this point. Jey relaxed in his seat a bit more and rested his head against the wall behind him, still recovering from both the adrenaline and thrill of their daring escape, he sighed and smiled. However, he turned his head round to look at her as she began to speak once more, asking him where he was from.

Jey deliberated for a moment, obviously cautious as to not reveal too much personal information or let anything slip regarding his past come to light. "I'm from Nar Shaddaa, born and raised." he said with hesitation, while leaning forward and rubbing his knuckled from the punch he dealt to Sasbede earlier. Still leaned forward, he moved his head to look at Ines "What about you? Where are you from?" he asked, curious as to seeing another human here - any human living on Ryloth must have had a story to tell.

He then noticed Ines turn her attention upwards and an expression of despair fell on her face, although she hid it well. With a raised eyebrow "What is it, Red?" he asked in a concerned tone of voice, Ines reacted by placing a hand on his wrist and leaning toward him, which briefly brought upon the idea that something good was about to happen between them. That notion was shattered quickly when she whispered about Sasbede and Tvrurr potentially waiting for them at the next stop. Jey's face turned into a frown as he quietly whispered "E chu ta." to himself.

Turning to look at Ines, although he was feeling fear, his expression was that of concentration as he didn't want to display his own fear. "Well, what the hell do we do?" he asked, genuinely unsure of what they could do. He reacted on instant more than logic, so he had no idea on where to begin thinking of how they could escape should the loan sharks show up. Turning his head to look out of the window, Jey noticed the shuttle was approaching its stop and... in the distance, he could just make out two familiar figures waiting - Sasbede and Tvrurr. Clenching his fists, he returned to meet Ines' gaze - "They're here..." he said, filled with despair.

@Pyrenees

 

[Ines Panteer]

His comment about her name was unexpected. She gave him a questioning look, seeing as they had just been chased through the streets of Lessu by two armed thugs. However, the girl soon tore her face away and looked in the other direction, no longer being able to contain a sweet and happy smile about the compliment.

If Ines was more easily affected by prejudices, hearing that Jey came from Nar Shaddaa would have been detrimental to the image she had of him. Choosing not to judge him simply based on his planet of origin, she smiled "I've been there once. Only for a few hours. We were on one of those barges. The city is truly beautiful from above" Her words were coated in positivity whilst reminiscing of the experience. The answer to his question about her origin would remain for the time being "I'm a..." was all that could be heard as the sentence faded out and her eyes were drawn to the display.

***​

The girl's grip of Jay's wrist grew tighter as she became more afraid. Biting her lower lip, Ines' mind raced to figure out how they could get away. Hearing that the thugs were already there made matters worse as slipping out of the shuttle unnoticed would hardly be possible when all the other passengers were Twi'lek. Desperate situations required desperate measures, but the plan she had in mind was far beyond anything she could ever imagine herself doing. But then, the scoundrel that was now her ally might have more experience in the matter. Leaning close once again, she whispered, extremely careful not to let anyone hear."Do you have a lighter?" her voice was low as she asked it all in one breath. "An emergency landing would direct us to a separate platform"

Angling her body towards him, Ines ensured that it blocked the spring between the two seats. It also ensured that those sitting on the row next to them wouldn't see what happened in front of him. From an outside perspective, it might have looked like the two were a couple which did work to their favour as the decent thing for the other passengers to do would be to not stare. With this, she hoped that he would have some space to work with.

@AfroBandit20

 

[Jeyten Dres]

A sly and mischievous grin proceeded to form on his face, he liked this one for sure. "Yeah, I got one." he whispered as he pulled a small one out of his pocket "Don't ask why I have one." wishing to avoid going into the story of how he acquired the lighter. Jey noticed Ines angle her body next to his, to create a form of cover for him while he did the deed. Jey hovered his left hand, which held the lighter over his leg while he ignited its flame, he swiftly turned his head to look both ways and see if anyone had caught on but everyone seemed to be minding their own business.

Focusing his attention on the floor mat below them, Jey leaned forward and reached to the floor with his left arm and hovered the ignited lighter over it. "Come on, come on, come on." he thought to himself as the floor was taking longer than expected to catch fire. Finally! The floor began to catch fire and Jey swiftly removed his arm and shook it, putting out the lighter's flame before discreetly placing it back in his pocket. With a nod and a cheeky grin to Ines, he proceeded to holler in a faked panicked tone. "FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!" consecutively. He stood up and moved out of his seat along with Ines, shouting it repeatedly as he pointed to the growing fire on the floor mat.

With the burning smell beginning to fill the transport shuttle, panic ensued and the passengers began screaming fearfully and pacing about the shuttle. A few short moments later, the shuttle pilot announced on the speaker that they would be making an emergency landing on a separate platform, apologising for any inconveniences. Jey turned to Ines and smiled before returning to his fake panic - as he continued to feign his fear, he noticed Sabsede and Tvrurr through the window as they watched the shuttle fly away with confused an angered expressions. If it weren't for Ines, Jey would have been Bantha poodoo a thousand times over by now. Lucky he had her.

@Pyrenees

 

[Ines Panteer]

A nervous smile formed on the Alderaanian's lips as Jey confirmed that he did indeed have a lighter. Quietly, she watched as he put the key to their emergency plan against the floor and waited. The wait was excruciating with the fear of the fire not biting present. Slowly, her second hand went up to hold his upper arm, the same limb which she was already holding by the wrist. Sitting so close, he would be able to hear her let out a relieved breath as the floor started burning. Shaking her head in disbelief, the girl returned his smile with one of her own.

Many children spent a few years performing plays and honing their acting skills as much as a group of kids could be expected to. Ines was not one of those children and had never spent much time acting. Hoping that she was a natural, the noble played along and let out a scared and somewhat high pitched shriek, soon followed by several other passengers who could see, hear and smell what was going on. Taking the fire rather seriously herself, the girl pulled at Jay's arm in the hopes that he would leave his rather exposed seat. When he finally moved, she was quick to rise to her feet. Still holding on to his arm, she kept tugging at as she wanted to get away from the fire. Several other passengers were moving about, especially those who sat near them and therefore also the fire.

Methodically, the local lead herself and her new ally towards the front of the ship, close to the cockpit. It was then that the pilot announced that they would be emergency landing. Relieved once again, Ines turned her back against the other passengers and let out another relieved sigh. Feeling like she could finally speak somewhat normally again, Ines relaxed a little "They'll open all doors, so we'll be fine here. But I've never been to the emergency landing area, so I'm not quite sure where to go from there" she said.

A tired cough could be heard from someone still seated. The noble looked down to see an old gentleman of larger proportions and a seemingly frail constitution. It was clearly visible on her face - Ines felt horribly bad for exposing the man to the dangers of the fire. Instinctively, she took a step towards him a knelt down. First, she assisted him in undoing his seat belt and then getting back up on his feet. Apparently, that was all the time they had before the ship came to a halt, opening all doors. Fire teams were rushing to the scene as passengers were making their way out. Unless Jayten had come along with her to the gentleman, there would at least be a couple of people between him and 'red' as they debarked from the vessel.

@AfroBandit20

 

[Jeyten Dres]

Ines informed Jey that they'd be fine but she was unsure where to go after leaving the transport shuttle. "Me neither, but I'll figure something out." he said as a way to try and comfort the red haired girl. Their attention was then brought to a coughing old man who was still seated and seemed so helpless they couldn't even get out of their seat - however, Ines was immediately on it and shifted over to help the struggling old man. Jey smiled softly at the girl as he watched her help the old man out, she was sweet and probably more honourable than he was.

The shuttled jolted as it came to a halt and proceeded to dock, Jey most likely would have fallen over if he wasn't holding on to one of the transport's straphangers. Almost instantaneously, the shuttle's doors slid open and the passengers all converged to the different exits, he was dragged away by the overwhelming amount of people and temporarily separated from Ines. Now outside of the shuttle, the passengers dispersed and the fire fighters arrived to put out the 'spontaneous' fire, Jey took the brief moment they had to scout his surroundings before going to look for his new ally, which shouldn't be too difficult with the red hair and all. The hazel-eyed teen's eyes scanned the entire area to see if he could figure out a way they could get out of there.

Jey realised they had landed just near the outskirts of Lessu's outerwall, maybe a couple of miles away from Lessu's main entrance. This was good, meant Jey and Ines were a long way away from the Twi'lek and Wookiee... although, he knew he wouldn't be able to hide forever. He'd have to either figure out a way to come up with the money which seemed unlikely or... kill them, although he'd never taken a life before but in they'd kill him if they found him. It was quite the predicament. For now, he'd find Ines.

The Force-sensitive teen search for his red haired ally for about two minutes before finally finding her. "Hey Red, thought you abandoned me for a second there." he joked before leaning in closely to whisper to her "I know where we are, I have an idea of where we could go but--" Jey was cut off when the Twi'lek firefighters, who had exited the transport shuttle, the head firefighter made an announcement "Hello everyone, the fire has been dealt with and another transport shuttle is on its way to take you all to your destinations." this announcement proceeded to cause the passengers to cheer but the head firefighter had more to say "However, after some investigation - we have determined this fire was no accident. Someone caused it and we'd like to have a word with whoever caused it." the head firefighter called out sternly.

A light bulb went off in Jey's head at this very moment. If he went with the firefighters, they'd receive some sort of protection from them and maybe if he manipulated his story a bit, he could get the local law enforcement involved in arresting the two men out to kill him currently. Jey leaned in once more and whispered to Ines "I have an idea... trust me on this, okay?" Jey proceeded to raise his arm and wave. "It was us, we did it. Me 'n her." he stated nonchalantly while using his free arm to point at both himself and Ines.

@Pyrenees

 

[Ines Panteer]

The passengers were all making their way out of the shuttle in a rather hurried manner. The doors soon became bottlenecks with the ones standing further away from them pushing on to make the ones at the front move faster. Anyone putting even a few thoughts into it would know that it was quite safe with the firefighters well on their way and the flow of people leaving the vessel being far faster than the fire was spreading. Still, acting rationally with cold precision could be hard to do when put under pressure. Fortunately, Ines and the older gentleman already stood near the door at the front, allowing both of them to make their way out sooner rather than later.

In order to get back to Jey, she had left the large Twi'lek - the good deed was done and he would be able to get by on his own. Or at least that was what she thought. Stretching her neck as long as she could, Ines switched between standing normally and standing on her toes as she tried to find the hotshot. It was good to hear his voice. Sure, they had not known each other for very long and he really differed from the kind of person she usually associated with but in this instance, he was someone she found safety and comfort in. At least to a certain degree. "There you are" she said and leaned closer with a smile, seeing that he wanted to whisper something.

The Twi'lek announcement cut him off and put a chill down her spine. The girl was drenched in guilt and let her head hang low as they called out for the arsonist of the day. The guilt kept growing more pronounced as they stood there, refusing to admit their guilt. It didn't take long until she could feel Jey's, now familiar, breath as he leaned in, urging her to trust him. She threw an uncertain glance at him, only having known him for a an hour or so.

Her heart dropped. Did he realise what this would do to her family name? Of course he wouldn't - he did not even know her family name. The noble was upset nonetheless but decided to play along, dropping her head low. For one, it would somewhat conceal her face and as an added bonus, her silence could still be replaced with denial if Jey did something truly reckless.

Not having any other volunteers, the firefighter who spoke watched them for a few moments. "Will you come with me, please?" he asked, still sounding relatively pleasant, a good serviceman to say the least. Following his instructions, the Alderaanian started walking and fell in a few steps behind the man as they made their way to one of the speeder trucks. "We've got a few forms for you to fill in at the truck." he said and stopped for a moment, looking at the two of them with disappointed eyes. "Kids, I don't know what you were thinking. Don't you know how dangerous it is to start a fire mid-flight?" It seemed like they had lucked out as the chief had only shown indications of being one of the more compassionate sources of authority so far. Not having seen anyone on a call so far, Ines hoped that they would be able to avoid law enforcement being called. Although a great ally, luck was far from the most reliable one.

@AfroBandit20

@AfroBandit20

 

[Jeyten Dres]

Jey followed Ines and the firefighters into their speeder trucks - for once he felt truly safe today, now that he and Ines were in the company of the authorities, Sasbede and Tvrurr couldn't touch them. Now inside the speeder truck, he watched as Ines was handed a form to fill out before being handed his own. For the most part, he was on auto-pilot as he wrote down in the declaration form, his main focus was on what the lead firefighter was telling them. The Twi'lek seemed nice, reasonable, which was what they needed right now - maybe he'd find their story at least plausible.

Looking over toward Ines, she seemed spooked... terrified, even, he couldn't really tell since he even struggled to do something as basic as sensing another being's emotions through the Force now. Either way, he knew she wasn't feeling peachy. The Twi'lek firefighter, referring to the pair as "kids", expressed disappointment with them but hopefully he'd understand after Jey explained his point. "I'm really sorry, sir. It wasn't out of malicious intent, honest." he said with a soft tone to convey his innocence, the Twi'lek's brow raised as he leaned back in his seat and folded his arms, his head lowered, with his chin folding into his neck, as to goad Jey into continuing his story.

Jey looked at Ines once more before turning back to look at the Twi'lek firefighter. He placed a loose strand of hair back and sighed "Things aren't easy for me, sir. I work several jobs... but this month I couldn't make rent and I had to take a loan from these loan sharks; Sasbede and Tvrurr? I don't know if you've heard of them." he revealed, hanging his head low to garner sympathy, he lied a little, but he had to look as innocent as possible if this was going to work "I was meant to pay them back... I had the credits and everything but... but" Jey inhaled deeply, pretending to stop himself from "crying" "It wasn't enough, sir. They wanted more and threatened to kill me... this girl was caught in the crossfire. We started the fire on the transport shuttle so we could get away from them." Jey proceeded to hide his face in his gloved hands and muffled out his last point, driving everything home "I don't know what we're going to do, sir..."

The Twi'lek's face softened into that of sympathy and he reached over to pat Jey's back "I'm sorry you had to deal with that, son." he turned toward Ines and gave her a nod "And you as well, miss." turning his attention back to Jey, he let out a long sigh, "Okay, kids. We'll take your statements and drop you off with the Lessu Security Force embassy - they'll take it from here."

Eventually, after everything had been sorted with the firefighters. The Twi'lek firefighter stuck true to his word and dropped them off at the embassy and proceeded to escort the two teens inside. Jey and Ines hung back slightly as they followed the firefighter inside, Jey whispered to the redhead "Sorry about this, Red. Seriously. This is just our best bet at surviving right now." while rubbing the back of his neck. He really did feel bad for getting her involved in his mess.

@Pyrenees

 

[Ines Panteer]

Ines watched as the demeanour of her new ally changed drastically. He had just been goading the two loan sharks from a shuttle and now he had suddenly become the embodiment of youthful innocence. It was certainly useful as his story seemed to make an impression on the chief. Still, there was something about it that made the experience somewhat sour for the noble who remained by the sidelines. She would have to be attentive if she spent time with him in the future, seeing as he could easily have fooled her if she hadn't known better already.

Looking down, the noble stared at the form. A lump of regret and anxiety formed as she saw her name, Ines Panteer, at the very top of the form. She knew how disappointed her parents would be if they found out that she had risked damaging the family reputation in a reckless adventure with a boy she had just met. After being stuck on the name for a while, filling out the rest of the form didn't take very long at all. Before she knew it, the Chief decided to let them go. Her eyes quickly shot up, first at Jey and then to the firefighter. "Thank you!" she exclaimed, quickly approaching the Twi'lek, shaking his hand and bowing slightly. It was far from over though, as the two were going to be taken to the LSF embassy.

Walking into embassy, Ines looked around. She had been here with her father before and hoped that no one would recognise her. It didn't seem too far fetched, considering how her dad had the ability to truly absorb all attention in a room to the fullest. Am appreciative smile formed as the hotshot apologised. "It was not your fault. This one is on those two thugs" she said.

The duo stayed at a door whilst the Chief took a few steps to the side in order to talk to an officer and seemed to send them something. After a while, the door opened. A Twi'lek with a weathered face appeared in the doorway "Come on in. I just made tea" he said, forming a sleazy smile. Entering what appeared to be his office, Ines looked around, the yellow alien had a rather classical taste as his room was decorated in darker themes with plenty of wood and a few hunting trophies. "Jayten Dres and Ines Panteer, right?" he asked, first looking to the boy and then the girl. She desperately tried to hide the horror that would surely appear in her eyes as he said her name - this was not good, not at all. The teen quickly looked down and hoped that he would just let them go. Not pausing to give them much more time than to nod at his question, the Twi'lek continued "I was briefed about your predicament by the Chief."

"Call me Woja" he said, flashing a grin. Nonchalantly, he turned his back on them and headed towards the teapot. "Have a seat" he continued with a wide gesture towards a two-seated sofa. Ines threw a glance at Jey before heading over to the sofa. Best do what he said now that he remained calm - she had seen people like Woja before and was of the impression that they could change their attitude with the blink of an eye. "How would you like your tea?" he asked, as friendly as ever. Not spending too many moments hesitating, the noble spoke "White, please"

@AfroBandit20

 

[Jeyten Dres]

Jey followed Ines inside the yellow Twi'lek's office, it looked cosy. The yellow Twi'lek referred to Ines by the name of Ines Panteer... Panteer? That surname sounded really familiar but he wasn't exactly sure as to why he couldn't recognise it. Although he turned to Ines with a raised eyebrow, she seemed even more nervous than usual but he had no idea why. He simply shrugged and sat down on the couch the yellow Twi'lek, who introduced himself as Woja.

The couch was extremely comfortable as Jey completely sunk into it, honestly he could instantly fall asleep right now if he wanted - most likely due to the crazy events that had transpired today. "I'm good thanks. Got any Corellian ale?" he asked half-jokingly, which prompted a half laugh from Woja as he was brewing tea for himself and Ines. Jey ran his hands through his hair as he continued to relax, waiting for Woja to finish the tea. Finally, Woja approached the two and handed Ines her tea before backtracking and seating in the seat opposite them.

The hazel-eyed youth watched intently as Woja took a small sip of his tea before placing his mug on a low coffee table. The yellow Twi'lek sat back and rested his right leg over his left one and looked at the two teens intently, clearing his throat, he said "Sabsede and Tvrurr are two criminals we have had on our radar for a while, however, we haven't had enough incriminating evidence to actually detain them." Jey nodded after every few word as he followed Woja along, "I have a plan. If we hook you up with a hidden holorecorder and send you to meet up with Sasbede and Tvrurr with my men keeping a close but hidden eye on you, you can get him to confess. Once he confesses... or if things go awry, we'll arrest him."

"Yeah, I'll do it." he said nonchalantly and almost instantaneously, it was a solid plan. Jey would also have the LSF at his back too, the odds were stacked in his favour and if... no, when he gets Sasbede and the Wookiee to confess he'd be home free. There was one loose end however. Jey turned to look at Ines sympathetically, "Can you make sure Ines gets home safely? She doesn't have anything to do with this... not really. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." he said as he interlaced his fingers together and rested them on his thighs. Then he smiled and winked at her "Thanks for everything, Red." he did minute, she handled everything so well and definitely managed to keep him alive until this point, he didn't want to get her any more involved than she had to be.

@Pyrenees

 

[Ines Panteer]

This was not how she had imagined the LSF mastermind plans being made. A constable having a pleasant cup of tea with two human teens, or teen and young adults, depending on Jey's age. There had probably been more effort put into the plan than that, but it was an amusing thought. Almost as soon as Woja had finished presenting the plan did Jey agree to help him execute it. Ines threw him a surprised look asking "Are you insane?" with all but words. Woja did not seem to share the same concern as he simply nodded, content with his response.

But then, something hit her as the hotshot mentioned getting her home safely. The grander picture started to unravel in her mind - she was currently sitting at the LSF embassy after having been caught setting fire to a commercial shuttle together with a boy she had never met. Sure, there was a somewhat reasonable explanation to it all, but it still looked rather bad. With her gaze lowered, the noble considered her options - she needed to redeem herself, and redeem her family name. "No" she said, almost as if in a whisper. Woja raised a curious eyebrow but remained still, being in no rush to discover what the red headed girl was on about. "No need to take me home just yet. I want to help make things right." she said, first looking at Jey, and then the officer.

Woja grimaced happily and rubbed his palms together "Well then! Seeing as we have two eager participants, we better get started" With that, the Twi'lek rose to his feet and took a few rapid steps to his desk. Soon, he returned with a datapad and two incredibly small devices. "All we need to do is to download this little programme to your comlinks and for you to choose where to place one if these little micro-cameras." Pausing for a moment, Woja raised his hands innocently "I know, I know! Downloading LSF spyware, yadda yadda yadda, integrity, yadda yadda yadda - Look, I promise that it's only used to spy on the bad guys, but if you insist, I could even provide you with a couple of our own comlinks" he said, obviously not completely green in these kinds of operations. "I'd like one of yours, please" Ines said, knowing that she had some sensitive information on hers which she didn't want to risk Woja finding out about. While the officer started working away on preparing the comlinks, Ines managed to weave the camera in through her hair "What do you think about all of this?" she asked, looking to Jey, taking the chance now that the officer was out of earshot.