Ask Nar Shaddaa Window shopping!

[Armand T Crossac]

Nar Shaddaa, lower levels. Local time. 18:58

Switching his center of weight between his left and right leg, Crossac waited by one of the side streets overlooking the busy main street of the area. It was always a little nervous, waiting for a Hutt, it always seemed so hard to get a read on them, other than the typical "I want a thing" which seemed to be the standard. With the E-11 strapped to his side with a leather band, the Scoundrel's right hand rested on his blaster which hung at his side. He had no real plans on using it, but was prepared to nonetheless. There were always some second rate back alley thief lurking around the corner on the Smuggler's Moon, always. Still, being with the Hutts had its perks, and the rate of being subjected to robberies dropping like a stone was one of them.

Being a few minutes early and fully expecting the Hutt to be stylishly late, Armand started walking about in a small circle, kicking an empty can in front of him as he walked. In truth, the scoundrel didn't really know why he was going to meet with the Hutt - he was no one in particular, really. But then, maybe he had earned himself a reputation? A tough and loyal ally - yeah, that sounded good, it was the mental image he would keep, the cause behind why he was involved at all.

Crossac had no real true knowledge of what they were going to do. Kick kittens, go negotiate a deal for the Syndicate or set a rival's favourite cardigan on fire - all were more or less plausible options with the second being the clear favourite. Still, the scoundrel was pretty sure he would go along with what the Hutt said; he usually did. Suddenly, the man started scratching the back of his head in frustration. Turning to his droid whom had stood completely still for the duration, he spoke "Ahh, Pierre, I forgot his name again!" he exclaimed, looking to the droid for counsel. "Garus the Hutt, master" it replied, polite as ever. "Are you sure you don't want me to do the speaking, master? My etiquette databank is broader than that of most organics." A few more frustrated scratches and the scoundrel finally made up his mind "Right, you're right! You do the introductions! Just, play nice and all that" he said, resting a heavy arm over the droids shoulders after giving it a friendly clap "Yes, of course, master" it said before returning to complete stillness.

Lead shopper

 

[Garus Wathanda]

"I never wanna hear you say, I want it, that wayyy-" Garus' singing was terribly interrupted by his musical droid cutting the music off. "Master Garus sir, you have a meeting with one: Armand Crossac, in approximately, five minutes." The Hutt paused in his singing performance, his face going from contemplative to dejected, as he realized he was going to be late. Like extremely late. "Why didn't you tell me an hour ago!" "Master I tried, but you removed that protocal from my-" "Quiet! I have too much to do! Don't speak to me!" With all the grace a Hutt could have, Garus flopped around his small studio apartment, trying to get everything he would need for todays meeting. Right, they were shaking someone down? Or were they just normal shaking? Or maybe they were going to go dance? No, it was definitely something illegal, he was certain of it. Ge paused a moment to check his holo-calander, just to make sure he was right, and realized he could read his own hand writing. "Ugh, I've foiled myself again!" He lamented, as the Hutt was indeed his greatest ally and worst of foes.

After several minutes of gathering up his gear, struggling with his utility belt, and squeezing out of the door, the Hutt began the process of crawling towards his partner in crime. Fortunately Garus was used to being late, and had forgotten that he had all clocks in his studio moved an hour of head of time. If it all worked out, he'd show up exactly five minutes late; just as he had planned. While Crossac was busy waiting outside, the Hutt would slink up, out of breath, slithering his way towards the man, probably having burnt a small ship's worth of calories on the way over her. "Mi-Mist-Mister Crassac, its-so nice-to see you sir." He huffed through his words, as the Hutt took a moment to catch his breath, wishing he had saved up to purchase that hoversled he saw on sale. He looked to the droid that the man had brought along, still in the middle of airing himself in, and made a comment regarding it. "Quite a fancy protocol droid you have there." He remarked, before a low whine was heard from behind. "Master Garus, Master Garus, you forgot me master!" Chime, his loyal yet annoying, musical droid hovered along. The droid was supposedly modeled off of a training remote that some space wizards frequently used, but Garus had found it worked so much better at parties; swap out the blasters for strobe and colored lights and make the inside components a music player. The Hutt gave a low 'huff' and looked to the human. "Right, now, on to business right?" He asked, dismissing the arrival of Chime, who hovered over his master as if he belonged there.

@Pyrenees

 

[Armand T Crossac]

Not being taken by surprise by the Hutt's sudden appearance, Crossac still froze in his presence. He felt tremendously honoured to be working directly for a Hutt, instead of through a middle-man of some sort. Still, there was the problem of him needing to speak - thankfully, Pierre was there to save the day "Greetings, oh-mighty Garus the Hutt." it said, taking a step forward and subsequently getting rid of his master's arm which was draped over his shoulder. "I am Pierre, an H7D-Series Protocol Droid and have a linguistics databank composed of more than seven million forms of communication." it said, proudly introducing itself. Almost as if he was about to forget about it, Pierre then turned his torso and pointed at Armand with an open arm "And this is Armand Terrance Crossac" it said and with a hint of reluctance, added "..my master" Still somewhat dumbfounded, the scoundrel scrambled together a nod and flashed a short-lived smile.

Although Crossac was about to speak upon his droid being praised, Pierre was faster "Well, thank you, kind sir." it said with a happy tone and added "You are a most impressive Hutt, sir. My master is honoured to work with you" While Crossac just stood there in silence nodding along at first, a bump from the droid's elbow caused him to speak "Yes, sir. I'm honoured" he said and received a satisfied nod from Pierre.

While the small music droid received a friendly smile from Armand who quickly seemed to take a liking to it, Pierre seemed to be less patient with the little machine. "Greetings, droid" he said, almost a little curtly showing great contrast compared to when he was talking to the Hutt.

Once again, Crossac was about to reply to the Hutt but as he opened his mouth to speak, Pierre once again spoke before, apparently the more quick witted of the two. "What an excellent idea, oh-mighty Hutt. What are we doing today?" he asked, taking a couple steps to stand alongside Garus, perfectly content leaving Crossac to follow their trail. Seemingly content, the scoundrel fell in behind the two and made contact with the music droid "Hello, buddy!" he said, waving for the droid to come closer "What is it that you do?" he asked curiously, all the while keeping an attentive ear out for the Hutt's job description.

Wathanda

 

[Garus Wathanda]

Garus let out a low chuckle, his tail flapping about to show he was very much receptive to the compliments leveled at him "Master Croassac, you and your droid flatter me. Again, I apologize for being so tardy, it's rather difficult to plan out my traveling plans being that I'm larger than life." He affirmed, tugging at the belt that was sliding down his flabs. Chime let out several beeps in Binary, addressing Pierre with a bit of flowery language that the droid might find unsettling from another one of his kind. Garus made a look grumble, and Chime seemed to withdraw, choosing to hover just above his master' head.

It seemed that this Pierre was the main speaker for the little grouping, which annoyed the hell out of the Hutt. Did Crossac think he was too good for him? He better hope not, else Garus might have to go back to his gangster days; ever since his one and only best selling single 'Straight Outta Hutta' he had long since parted from that life. Seeing Armand give the music droid attention, Garus made another growl, to which the little droid began to speak. "Yes, erm. I'm Chime! I'm a service and performance droid, as well as Master Garus' personal assistant! I provide all his musical and advisor roles!" The droid let off several bright strobes, before Garus made a hand motion and drew the droid back towards himself. "So, if we are done with the nonsense, Master Crossac, are you prepared to break some knees? I certainly hope so. This is what we Hutts call, aggressive negotiations." Garus smiled and began to inch forward, aiming towards the door at the end of the alley, but it was going to take him a moment or two to get there. "Oh, no, don't mind me. Just trying to set the precedent." Garus tried to dismiss his slow movement, knowing that the human was probably going to start judging; which if that was the case he'd probably consider eating the young man once this business was done.

@Pyrenees

 

[Armand T Crossac]

Crossac smiled, it seemed like Pierre was keeping the Hutt happy. Bowing slightly he said "It's our honour, sir" if droids had lungs, Pierre would have sighed, instead, he simply amended what his master said "There is no need to apologize, oh-mighty Hutt, it was we who were early" The scoundrel threw the droid a puzzled look - sure, they had arrived early, but he was certain that the Hutt had arrived late too. Just as he opened his mouth, the protocol droid spoke again "Isn't that right, Armand?" Slightly taken aback by his droid referring to him as Armand, rather than Master or Mr. Crossac, the scoundrel remained silent for just a short moment longer than one would expect. He didn't remember when Pierre had started referring to him as Armand, but knew that it was not the first time. At any rate, he nodded "Yes, Pierre, you are right." he said before looking to the Hutt with a smile "We were just early, sir" he confirmed, adding a meek smile.

Looking at the music droid Chime, Crossac couldn't help but to feel happy. For a machine, it seemed so full of life and fun. Naturally, he didn't say anything of the sort out loud - if he did, Pierre was sure to be bitter about it for at least a week. Still, he offered the droid a friendly smile and a quick "Hello!" before it flew off to the Hutt, Garus. Trailing behind both Garus, Chime and Pierre, the scoundrel didn't have much of a chance to respond before Pierre wanted to speak up. However, educated in etiquette as the droid was, it remained silent, knowing that his master was addressed specifically. "Oh" the human was surprised that he was supposed to speak and jogged forth a few steps to walk alongside the Hutt and Pierre. "Uhh, yes, sir. I'm ready. Just point your finger at them and I'm on it" he said, trying to sound as enthusiastic as he possibly could considering the rather grim action which was asked of him.

Seeing as the walk there would take quite some time, Crossac spoke. "So, uh, sir, you aren't planning on having me break their legs from the get-go, right?" he asked with a somewhat uncertain tone. Knowing his droid all too well, the scoundrel turned to the machine before it got a chance to speak and wrapped a heavy arm around its shoulder, resting by the neck. "Pierre, I think maybe you should wait outside. In fact, why don't you go buy our boss some refreshments?" he asked in a rather suggestive manner. The droid looked at him for both one and two moments whilst processing the information before responding "Yes, master. Oh-mighty Hutt, is there anything you would like in particular?" he asked.

@Pyrenees

 

[Garus Wathanda]

The droid was trying to flatter the Hutt, which while unnecessary, was also a weakness for Garus in particular. Maybe he wouldn't eat the young man after all. He knew what the droid was getting at, but the fact that Armand was willing to agree, well, that certainly helped the man's placement on Garus' list; the boy admitted when he was wrong, even if he wasn't, not many would do that. Perhaps he'd make for a good enforcer, at the very least a good partner. "Well that's good, you should be arriving early!" He announced, a large smile stretching across his bulbous form. Yes, he would have uses for this young man yet.

The young man seemed to take a liking to Chime, which was good, because if he was like some of the other degenerates Garus would have eaten him; well not really, but the last guy that did it got his foot slithered over. "Excellent, now I do want to suggest I do the talking, you stand in the back and look tough and handsome, which right now you are doing a marvelous job at." The Hutt commented, as he slowly inched down the hall. Garus laughed as he realized the young man took his words literally, which was a good sign because sometimes they might literally be that straight forward. "Well, unless they start insulting me right off the bat, in which case yes please do. But I don't think we'll have to get violent today. Hopefully that won't be the case." Garus pondered on whether or not the shop owners here might have actually hired security after the last visit, he didn't think they would, but you never know with some people. Garus tossed a glance at this Pierre droid, curious about what the deal with it was, it seemed to be understanding of the world around it; perhaps it had become sentient, which could be both a boon and a curse. Garus didn't smile initially as he was deep in thought, but the grin finally came across as he snapped out of his thoughts. The droid questioned what the Hutt might want, to which Garus was left to ponder for a mere moment "Yes, actually that sounds rather nice, how about....some sparkling pumpkin wine. Yes, that'd be quite nice on a day like today, thank you Pierre." The Hutt commented, hoping the droid would jump right off to it, as the Hutt now had to force his way through the door. Which was a bit of a hassle, but the Hutt was used to it. Armand would have a moment to look at the store, and see it was some sort of dry cleaning business. Once Garus squeezed his way inside, the pair would see a gruff looking Rodian standing behind the counter, several racks of clothing laid out before him, and from a small door in the back, it looked like another line of clothing stretched through the door way and possibly further into the room. The Rodian made several buzzing noises, to which Chime gave a response. "Master Garus, my audio sensors indicate that Mister Roto is no happy to see you." The little drone chimed, as it began to circle around Garus' head, though the Hutt paid the droid little mind, he didn't care how Roto felt. "Mister Roto, I thought we had a deal. You take the drugs, put them in the clothing of my customers, and move on with our lives." The Hutt statted, waving Armand to come off to his side. This was going to get ugly depending on what Roto said next.

Best Cow

 

[Armand T Crossac]

Hearing that the Hutt thought that he could look both tough and handsome made the young scoundrel tremendously happy and caused a wide smile to spread across his lips. Actually, it seemed like it was quite impossible to hide for both one and two seconds. Fortunately, he was still moving behind Pierre and Garus the Hutt, making the situation a little less embarrassing. "I'll try, s..." he said but stopped himself mid-sentence in order to make a small change "Yes, sir" he said, at this point rather eager to work for the Hutt. He was amazed at how well their relationship seemed to be developing - no doubt thanks to Pierre to a large extent. Armand often found himself amazed with how well the machine handled social situations.

The Hutt laughing upon hearing Crossac's question immediately made him nervous. He did not understand what it was that he had said which caused such a reaction and Pierre was not providing him with any suggestions - it would be a rather hard task since the Hutt was right there listening to them. At least Garus decided to provide him with clearer instructions "Break their knees if they insult you right away - got it" he said, understanding it as an action which did not need further confirmation if the conditions were met.

Hearing the Hutt's order of sparkling pumpkin wine would have made Pierre gulp if he had such a capability. Since he did not, the droid simply walked in silence whilst processing the request "Yes, oh-might Hutt, I will fetch sparkling pumpkin wine for you right away" he said, before giving the the organics a slight bow before walking off, seemingly deep in thought. Watching the droid walk away, Crossac decided to keep his gaze locked at the machine for a bit longer than what was normally expected, seeing at his boss had some difficulties getting in through the door. Once Garus was in, Armand quickly followed.

With his head turning from side to side, the scoundrel scanned the room and did just as the Hutt had previously suggested - namely standing back and looking tough and handsome. He did, as always, have a somewhat tricky time looking tough, seeing as his friendly facial features made it hard for him to look all that intimidating. Still, his imposing physique was quite helpful in the effort of looking tough. As soon as he noticed the Hutt wave, Crossac stepped forth but remained silent - him bumbling about would hardly help in this situation.

"You blasted son-of-a-gun! We never made any such deal! You suggested it and I said that I wanted nothing to do with it. You Hutts always think you can make unilateral deals, but let me tell you..." the Rodian did sound quite upset as he started ranting about their disagreement. For Armand, however, little mattered but one thing: The conditions which Garus had presented earlier were met. As soon as he heard the despicable words "blasted son-of-a-gun" which he thought were clearly meant as an insult, he started walking forth towards the green alien. Busy giving the large slug a piece of his mind, the Rodian didn't pay any attention to the large scoundrel approaching him until it was too late.

Crossac threw a quick punch at the talkative alien over the counter, quickly knocking him off balance. He then proceeded to jump over the counter and threw the still disoriented alien up on top of it. Not needing further confirmation to act, the scoundrel still threw the Hutt a look, searching for any sign for him to stop before bringing out his stun baton. Without any need to activate it for what he was about to do, Crossac left it turned off. If not receiving any sign to stop after one last glance for signs of disapproval, the scoundrel would make a heavy swing for the Rodian's left knee. It would only take a matter of seconds, going from the initial punch to the breaking of the knees, leaving the poor green alien little chance to respond before it being too late.

Garus the Great

 

[Garus Wathanda]

The boy seemed eager to impress, which was good, Garus could use that to his advantage. Little did the droid know, Pumpkin Wine was incredibly hard to come across down here, giving him ample time to 'sweet talk' the young human into being his confidant for a lower rate; least that was the hope. "Yes my dear boy, just keep to the script, and this should go swimmingly." It did not go swimmingly, not even close.

Garus didn't like that answer, he didn't like it at all. Garus looked to Crossac, then to the Rodian, making a 'tsk' noise all the while. "You see Mister Roto, that's where you are wrong." The Hutt cleared his throat, as Chime floated on in front, knowing just what his master was expecting. "Running program now master." Chime responded, much to the Rodian's confusion. The Hutt held out a hand to the man, motioning to Armand to continue onward. "I need to make a demonstration, so I feel that a bit of song and dance might be required." The Hutt slithered back, locking the door, and pressing a button on the side of the wall as the shades over the windows and doors fell. "What in the hell are you-" The Rodian was cut off, as Armand struck him in the face and sent him onto the floor. "Armand, try and keep him quiet, I don't want him screwing up the chorus. Don't stop til the music cuts off" Garus pulled out the small microphone on his belt and switched it on, as Chime began to flair up with his half dozen strobe lights.

The music began to play, Armand might have recognized the music from an old band, but Garus went right into the music, as he slithered forth. His voice echoed through his belt and of the small speaker on his droid, Armand would be surprised to learn his 'boss' actually had a beautiful singing voice.


"Let me know what I did wrong
When you've known me all along
I've gone around a time or two
Just to waste my time on you."

Garus was now at the counter, leaning in over the scene, as Chime pulsated over the beaten shop-keep and Croassac, hopefully blood was starting to spill forth now, else the Hutt was going to be disappointed. He continued onto the second verse, his majestic voice cranking it up to eleven now.

"I'll tell you all that you've thrown away
We'll find out games you won't want to play
You are the only one that needs to know."

The shift in music indicated there was a chorus coming up, as Garus held up a hand, seemingly looking to signal something to Chime. As Garus launched into the chorus, the droid seemed to recycle some of the words to serve as a chrous, as the Hutt powered on through.

"I've kept you my dirty little secret
(Dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone, or you won't live to regret
(You'll be just another regret, hope that you can keep it)
My dirty little secret."


Garus made a cutting motion across his throat, as the music cut off, the Hutt looked rather pleased with himself as he stowed away the microphone, leaning over the counter as if Armand hadn't stopped beating the Rodian, the Hutt would command him to give pause. "Now, who has to know?" The Hutt chuckled, as he offered his short stubby hand over the counter, as if he was offering the Rodian something. Hopefully Roto had learned his lesson, or maybe another verse or two would ensure the point was made.


Best Cow

 

[Armand T Crossac]

Without any intervention, the stun baton went down. An ugly cracking sound could be heard followed by a pained scream from the Rodian. Crossac was in quite a bit of internal turmoil - he was causing tremendous and lasting pain upon the poor alien and it felt terrible. Yet at the same time, he knew that he was following Garus' instructions very well and couldn't help but to feel satisfied about it. Knowing that the Hutt had used plural, his arm quickly rose for a second strike against the other knee. The alien had raised both of his arms now, pleasing for the scoundrel not to take his second knee too. It didn't help. With one more swift swing, another sickly cracking sound could be heard. The shopkeep was in tears as he cringed in pain, causing the young man to want to apologise profoundly. But he remained silent, knowing that it was best to let Garus do the talking.

Apparently, Crossac's new task was to ensure that the alien was silent. A quick thought flashed by his mind "They aren't called 'tuba-face' for nothing" With that, the scoundrel simply stretched out an arm and grabbed the Rodian's mouth and held it tight. It seemed like such an efficient method at first as it would be rather hard to speak without being able to move ones lips. To the scoundrel's great dismay, the alien started making muted sound and raising his finger in front of his mouth didn't seem to convince the man to comply either. With that, Crossac threw a hard punch against the shopkeeper's stomach, which after a few coughing sounds he turned silent. Satisfied, Armand started watching Garus' performance.

After a line or two, he once again felt the Rodian's tugging at his arm along with a few muted noises. Giving the alien the most annoyed look he could muster, Armand then suddenly turned him around without having him leave the counter. Now, the green alien sat with his back turned towards the scoundrel and front facing Garus with his knees dangling out over the counter. Not being mean spirited, he pulled the alien back, just enough to have his knees and part of his lower legs firmly rested on the counter. With one hand still holding the 'tuba' tight, he wrapped the other the alien's torso, just a little below the chest. Crossac then started squeezing, forcing out as much air as was reasonable. It would soon be rather hard for the Rodian to talk, considering his rather pressing lack of air. The timing was good too, seeing as both him and the scoundrel were completely silent when the Hutt started nearing the chorus.

Seeing that his boss was intent on leaning in over the counter and the Rodian obviously being in the way, Crossac quickly pulled him back. It was fortunate that the alien was a few centimeters shorter than he was himself as the shopkeeper's feet were now dangling in the air. Crossac was holding him up behind the counter with his arm still firmly pressed against the middle of the alien's torso.

Quick to comply, perhaps a little too quick, Crossac let go of the Rodian upon seeing Garus' hand gesture. Consequently, the guy fell to the floor but with broken knees, he ended up falling completely. Ignoring the green one for a few moments, Armand started clapping his hands. He probably would have, even if the Hutt wasn't his boss since he genuinely thought it was a pretty good performance. After a few seconds, he bent down and picked the Rodian up - this time, it would be less uncomfortable for the alien as the scoundrel simply held him with one hand at each side of his torso, without any intent to keep him silent.

It seemed like the shopkeeper was barely able to speak as he was still catching his breath and what little energy he did have was being spent on moaning about how badly it hurt. Feeling how the awkwardness was growing by the second, Armand changed his grip to once again suspend the man in the air with a firm arm wrapped around his torso, although this time it wasn't hard enough to squeeze out any oxygen. He then used his, now free, arm to raise the Rodian's arm. In a rather gentle manner, Crossac guided his arm so that the shopkeeper's hand could be shook by the Hutt.

The better Gar(r)us

 

[Garus Wathanda]

The boy had done good, exceptionally well at that. He hadn't heard a single peep from the Rodian, and while he found the methods to silence the poor shopkeep a tad...crude, it was at the very least effective. He paid attention to how the boy clobbered the alien, watching the technique and skill by which used his hands and tools to enact cruelty at the behest of his boss. It was effective, and it was most definitely warranted. Having finished, Garus looked down at what his man had done to the poor alien, and the little bastard was indeed batter quite a bit; maybe Garus would stop by and visit him at the hospital later on, probably not though. He felt the smallest amount of pitty for the poor 'tuba faced' freak, but he had chosen this hill to die on; but Garus wasn't about to let him die, no, he had uses for this guy. Garustook the man's hand, ignoring the fact Crossac was basically forcing him to extend out his hand, but the Hutt took the hand and shaked it regardless. "Now, Mister Roto, I think our business here is concluded. I'll expect business to be back to usual in the next week."

The Hutt nodded to Crossac, as he began to slither back to the door, motioning for his lacky to follow. "Chime, call him a doctor. Direct it through my accounts." "Are you certain sir?" Garus glanced over his shoulder the bloody mess that was the Rodian and nodded. "Yea, I'm sure." He slapped Crossac on the back a tad hard, a laugh bubbling from the fat glutton's lips. "You do good work, little brutal, but solid work." He commented, as they would leave the Rodian behind on the floor of his shop, Chime flashed a series of colors for several moments, as Garus merely motioned for Crossac to wait outside the shop with him. "So, how did it feel? Did you like that? Feel that rush?" He asked, eyeing his new prize fighter up, wanting to make sure the man was up for the task before he threw him into the lions den. "Cause I'll tell you right now, Roto is the runt of the litter compared to the rest of my customers, let me tell ya." Garus grinned, motioning with his hands. "But you my boy, I think you can handle it, what about you? You feel good about this?" Garus asked, hoping the boy would be honest about what he was feeling right now, after all, if these methods were too brutal then perhaps Garus wasn't being as effective as a mob boss as he thought. This was about sending a message after all, and if the message was too obscured by blood and what not, well that was going to hurt someone of prestige like himself.

The Fantastic Master Cow!

 

[Armand T Crossac]

And there it was - the handshake to seal the deal. It may not have been the handshake made on the best of terms, in fact, it was rather far from it, but still, there it was. A slight smile grew on the scoundrels lips as his boss had managed to come to an agreement with the Rodian. He told himself that he did indeed work for a most skilled negotiator - in fact, if someone had sung like that to him, he'd be inclined to strike a deal with them too. For a moment, Crossac thought that the alien was a bit rude to not respond to Garus with more than a pained groan, but then, he also had some sympathy for the poor guy who seemed to be in quite a bit of pain.

Upon receiving Garus' signal, the young man nodded. Under his breath, he whispered "Now what do we do with you?" whilst looking at the green head right in front of his. He could hear his boss instruct Chime to call for a doctor and hoped that the Hutt wouldn't mind if he showed the shopkeeper some compassion. He had, after all, completed all the tasks he was given so far. Using both arms, Crossac hoisted up their victim and gently laid him down on the counter "I'm sorry, buddy" he said quietly, only intended for the alien to hear.

Quickly, Crossac rejoined the Hutt and received a hefty clap to the back. Being quite unprepared for an 'attack' from his boss, the scoundrel had all defences down and was consequently shoved forth, only re-balancing after a forced step to the front. Turning around to face Garus, scratching the back of his head awkwardly "Thank you, sir" he said with a warm voice, glad to hear that his work was satisfactory. The comment about him being brutal did surprise him a little - the most brutal act he did - breaking the man's kneecaps, were following a direct instruction from Garus. Still, he was not one to argue and simply left it at that.

The young scoundrel didn't quite know how to feel. On the one hand, he felt horrible for injuring the Rodian so badly, even accidentally when he dropped the poor man. On the other hand, he felt great for having done a good job, even to the point where he received praise from the Hutt himself. His hesitation caused the response to be rather sluggish, which allowed his boss to continue, explaining why he asked. The added information caused a smile to spread on the scoundrel's lips "I could take on a tougher fight, boss! No sweat!" he said, enthusiasm clear in his voice. Crossac then let his gaze fall to the ground whilst considering whether to tell the Hutt that he didn't enjoy breaking the Rodian's knees or not. Ultimately, it was a direct order given to him by Garus himself - and with that in mind, the scoundrel decided that it was not something which he was going to complain about. Instead, he looked back up, seemingly still full with energy. "Where to now, boss?" he asked, with the same enthusiastic voice as before. "Are we picking up any more deal from the nearby shops?" he continued asking, eyes already traveling to the boutiques next door.

In the corner of his eye, the human saw a Weequay staring right at them, probably having seen part of the scene inside the shop. As soon as Crossac looked over to him, he immediately looked away. A friendly smile appeared on the scoundrel who turned to Garus "Just a moment" he said before jogging a few steps to the alien. "Hey, no need to be shy" he said, receiving a puzzled look from the Weequay "If you liked him, you should let him know. Why don't you go tell him or clap your hands or something?" he suggested whilst taking a page from Garus' book and gave the man a somewhat heavy clap on the back. With a mixed sense of fear and relief, the alien nodded and took a few steps towards the Hutt. "I enjoyed your song. You've got a great voice." he said and would be quick to scurry away unless stopped.

Bestest Garus

 

[Garus Wathanda]

It was great to see his accomplice understand the importance of care. Yes, Garus had ordered the man beaten to a pulp, but there was no need for cruelty after the job was done. So, needless to say, it warmed an old Hutts heart to see Armand set the battered Rodian up so that he could suffer perhaps just a little less. He didn't even have to order it, the boy just did it. Yes, Armand would make for a fantastic protege. He wouldn't make the young man do this sort of work forever, in fact, Garus hoped this was going to be the last real 'dirty work' his man was going to do for a bit; this was two bit strong arm stuff, and Garus was above that. Armand deserved something better than this grunt work, but he still had a bit to go before he could prove himself.

Leaving the shop, Garus laughed as his companion began to talk, clearly the boy was building himself up, but to Garus the choice was clear; he'd take the young man as his hired hand. He was eager to get back into it, perhaps rough up a few more shopkeeps, but that wasn't going to be needed, Garus didn't want to over do it after all. "No Mr. Crossac, I think for right now, we will enjoy the rest of our day, stop by the shops and say hello to my...employees. Mr. Roto's accident will spread, and they'll know who did it. No need to draw more attention to ourselves than what is needed." Garus affirmed, as Chime flashed along in agreement. "The call has been made, and medical attention is on the way." The droid stated, as it began to circle around Armand's head now, perhaps trying to get acquainted with the man. Garus only rolled his eyes, Chime was always trying to be a show off, and here was a prime example.

As the two continued on, Armand seemed to noticed something amiss, and motioned to Garus that he would need a moment. He watched as the young man rushed up to a Weequay and began to speak with him, seemingly needing to draw something out from the man, and his words seemed to convince the man to speak up. Garus' eyes widened as the man gave him a compliment about his singing, rather surprised that someone had heard him, but that surprise soon turned towards malice, though the Hutt only smiled and nodded. He put his hands on his sides, chuckling as he tried to think of either letting the man live, or gunning him down here and now. "Well I'm flattered sir, let me just say." Garus started, then turned to look at Armand. His gaze hardened for a moment, and gave another nod. The man was just giving well deserved praise, and for that, Garus could let him continue on. Just this once. "You take care now." The Hutt followed up with producing a credit chip and flipping it at the man as he left. Garus waved his aside over, as he continued along the path, his mood had dimmed considerably, but there was a degree of levity to him still. "Armand my boy, I think this the start of something beautiful."

Piff & Puff
/end thread.