Another Day in the Life [Open]

[Gambler]

"It must be my lucky day," Ryiek laughed. He sat on a bench, hands in his pockets, watching the dwindling crowd go by. Above him the sun gave off shadowed splotches of light, wavering as the daily traffic flew on by. He cut an odd figure in this scene with his tailored black suit. Even more so when one noticed his five o'clock shadow and the wrinkles in said suit. From the distance he could pass as one of the upper crust, but up close and personal he held himself like a man of the slums. Ah, how the smell of a bottom feeder lingered on years after he abstained himself of that title.

A man was walking through the park, cutting a figure of wealth and dignity. He had short, greying hair and a goatee trimmed to the perfect length. He screamed nobleman through his every gesture; the way he walked, the way he held his head, and even the people at which he would look suggested his wealthy upbringing. At worst he was the owner of a high end trading company. At best he was Coruscanti nobility. Either way it was most certainly not his lucky day.

Ryiek hopped to his feet and brushed some of the wrinkles out of his suit. It didn't really help, but it was more for appearances than anything else. He took his sweet time, waiting until relatively nobody was around other than the rich man before falling in step behind him. He made it as obvious as possible that he was following the man, going so far as to cough a few times to get his attention. No one ever accused him of being a professional.

It didn't take long for the man to realize that he was being followed. He knew what was going to happen next, but there wasn't much he could do about it. The best he could hope for was to find a crowd before Ryiek jumped him. What he didn't know was that this park was such a peaceful place. By the time the sun began to fall beneath the horizon most people cleared out, leaving only a few stragglers behind. Such a shame that the wealthy man happened to be one of the stragglers this night. Ryiek almost pitied him.

Rolling his eyes, he decided to end this little chase. "So gent, how have you been? I hope everything has been going well at work. You're a..." he trailed off, leaving a space for the man to fill in. While he talked he reached in to his pocket, bringing out a long barreled revolver. He spun the barrel a few times before clicking it in to place.

"Merchant," the wealthy man said, shifting his eyes nervously to the pistol. It was too late for him to run. All that was left to do was hope that Ryiek wouldn't kill him. Not all thugs were heartless. Some had families. Some were halfway decent people (too bad he didn't know that Ryiek wasn't a 'halfway decent' person).

"Really?" Ryiek asked, placing the muzzle of the revolver in front of the man's eyes. "I don't think that I believe you. A simple merchant wouldn't be able to afford such a high end suit, nor would he walk around, nose held above the general rabble. No, that's a trait reserved for someone a bit higher up," he paused. "Oh, I sound so eloquent!" He laughed. "But seriously, do you really think it's a good idea to lie to the guy holding a gun to your head? I mean come on! Even I was smart enough to say yes to whatever the guy said. Can't some wealthy guy do the same?"

"I was born in to a trading family. My father was a merchant that built his legacy from the ground up. I inherited it all on his deathbed and have done my whatever possible to earn a wealthy living," the man tried again. His hands quivered and he began to sweat.

Ryiek nodded. "I believe you. Good man. You think that you earn what you make, but you know what? You don't. We're a lot alike. I got lucky one night and made a fortune. You got lucky and inherited a dynasty. See? We both steal to keep our pockets full and do whatever we want to make our hearts content. The only difference is that I steal from snobby rich guys making more than me while you steal from honest working class men. So give me your money before I shoot you," he said, a pleasant smile on his face.

The man slowly reached in to his pockets, taking out his wallet. He didn't bother opening it up before handing it to Ryiek. Right now all he wanted was to go home and forget all about what happened. He wanted to soak in a hot bath and go to sleep in the comfort of his mansion. Whatever it took to get him there, he was willing.

"Thanks for the creds, bud. Run along now, and remember: never take the scenic route home after dark! Bad people might find you," Ryiek winked, pushing the man along. Without waiting to see his departing form, Ryiek turned on his heel and walked away. It was getting dark and he had real a real demon to face. Well, now that he had some good creds that weren't tagged on his credit chip he could make that two demons. "And here the politicians say that prostitution is illegal. Ha! I wonder how many of them see Lilly on a daily basis."

He whistled a tune as he walked through the park.

((OOC: This is OPEN, ladies and gents. There will be a nice, underlying plot coming soon, but first I want a few people to join in. The more the merrier! Leave your sanity at the door and enter the limelight! Enter stage left! Ryiek and friends!))

 

[Gripp]

Somehow, Cauld found himself slipping out of his dreary state on a park bench, one which had left cramps and tense muscles along his back. He kept his eyes closed, attempting to force his body into submission, and just remain here, but the sound of voices from not too far away interrupted his goal. He gazed towards his watch, noticing the time. Who the hell is having a conversation at this time? And in a park for that matter? He directed his gaze towards the source of the voices.

He managed to rub the sleep out of his eyes and focus in on the scene.

"Oooh, quite the rich man." Cauld smiled, "But oh no, it appears that man is ruining his day... Oh well."

Cauld told himself not to get involved, just to head back to the motel and get some real sleep, but his curiosity prodded him constantly, which is never good. He sat up, arching his back and hearing the tense muscles pop, He stood to his full size, and began walking down the sidewalk that ran parallel to the other pathway. The conflict was a little further up, which gave him a chance to stay behind the thief, which had just left. This is going to be a long night, And Cauld picked up his pace.

 

[Gambler]

He was being followed. Ryiek could feel the man's eyes on him, hear his footsteps beating in awkward time with his own. He should have been bothered by it, or slightly annoyed, but he wasn't. It could have been a thug, assassin, or even a cop, but Ryiek just didn't care. Whoever was following him would be in for a nasty surprise if they tried anything. Maybe he wasn't exactly at the peak of military fitness but he could throw a mean right hook! Better yet, if that failed he could shoot the guy and blow his brains out. That would be much simpler, and less messy in a way. That's what he would do. As soon as the person following him came in for a confrontation he'd fire his revolver no questions asked.

Unless it was a cop. Then he might have something to think about. It had taken him years to get them off his tail and it would be so easy the second time around. Shoot the cop and run, that's how it would have to work out. Leave no traces behind, just a simple shooting. The investigators would see it as another gang member gunning down the law and he would be home free. "One shot and get the hell out of there," he muttered under his breath. It would make his life easier if he didn't have to deal with the law. What fun could life be when restricted by laws anyway? He preferred making his own rules and living on a whim. Steal from the rich one day and buy a homeless man a watch the next.

He turned to his pursuer, stopping abruptly in the middle of the walkway. His revolver was out, locked and loaded, finger on the trigger. "You picked a bad night to go out for a stroll, mister," he said in his characteristic nonchalant manner. "Stalking people is a good way to get shot!" His finger was on the trigger, one little click would send the bullet flying in to the chest of the man behind him. "So, you gonna just stand there, or are you gonna tell me a little story before my bullet meets your brain?"

 

[Gripp]

(OOC: God, I typed it all up, and then hit something wrong ><)

Cauld made it obvious that he was by no means attempting to be surreptitious. However, as soon as he was in the sights of the man's revolver, he halted immediately, drawing his hands out of his pockets and raising them to shoulder-height.

"Look, I'm not looking for trouble mister." Cauld smiled, studying the man briefly.

The man stood their, perfectly motionless, no nervous shaking. His voice rang out calm, and relaxed. He would shoot Cauld if he had a reason. Or better yet, a chance.

"I'm just looking to head down to the Cantina down there. I'm looking to sample some exotic women if you catch my drift." Cauld smiled again, revealing his vibrantly white teeth.

He used his peripheral vision to his advantage, looking for anything that could be used as cover or a weapon if the situation called for it. However, the empty section of the park had nothing, just a few wiry trees, and a park bench, which would provide no cover from the hail of gunfire. Damn it... This night might not be as long as I expected...

 

[Gambler]

Ah, how coincidental. His follower was heading off to the same cantina as himself. Ryiek slapped a grin and pocketed his revolver. There was no need for violence this early on in the game. "Lovely," he said, patting the pocket of his suit, a not so subtle gesture to his revolver. Subtlety was fun in the right circumstances, but only worked when the opposing player had no knowledge of your hand. Maybe if he played his cards right the two of them could be lifelong pals! Oh the joy of making friends. Too bad Ryiek's friends had a nasty tendency to turn up with a bullet hole in the head a few days later. They would be lifelong friends, but the lifetime generally ended quite abruptly for the other guy.

"How about I buy you a drink, eh? No reason not to be all civil now that the nasty business is done with," he said with a wink. He turned around and gestured to the lights ahead of them. The park entrance was only a few dozen meters ahead, dotted with lampposts flickering in the newly woven dark. A few bushes swayed in the breeze, shadowy visible against the pale pools of light. Most importantly, there was no one else in the park. It was empty save the thief and his new companion. Quite the ominous scene.

Ryiek scratched at his chin, itching away the annoying five o'clock shadow. His suit looked slept in and he had a leaf sticking out of his collar. Unkempt was the first word in the long sentence describing him. He figured that there would be a bit of tension between him and mister nameless behind him. "So, uh, what's your name, or would you rather I called you 'random idiot I happened to bump in to'?" He asked without breaking his step. The barb at the end was a personal touch, maybe not the most biting, but not enough to hint at dislike.

 

[Gripp]

Cauld looked at the man, keeping p the smile, but marveling at how his lie had worked...

"Well, the drink sounds great." Cauld chuckled, beginning to walk through the grassy patch, going on the path that the stranger was on.

"The name's Raas' Minn." Cauld brought out his hand in a gesture of greeting now that he was in a closer distance to the man. He had no reason to e doing this, just out of curiosity.

 

[Gambler]

Ryiek laughed deeply, the sound stemming from his belly; a true bubble of mirth. "Is it now?" He asked, calming himself with shocking brevity. He stopped dead in the walkway, feet making a slight metallic clang as they tapped the ground. When he turned back to face his new buddy, his features took a turn for the worse. The tilt of his brow suggested anger while the turn of his lips, almost a snarl, confirmed it. His anger was simple. He hated being lying to. The slight pause before the answer, the uneasy flow of the words, they all tipped him off to the lie. He was willing to let one or two slide, but names were a personal thing with him.

His hand dug in to his pocket, drawing out the revolver and pointing it directly towards the man's head. The muzzle of the gun stared down the man's nose and the trigger was aligned with his lips. Ryiek's finger was on the trigger, pulling it down almost to the point of firing. The gun did not shake. Held in one hand, it was seconds away, milliseconds even, from being fired.

"How about we try this again?" There was no laughter in his eyes anymore. All that remained was the deathly calm of a murderer. Perhaps that would be going too far given his line of trooper work, but there was no mistaking the glint. He took a step forward, closing the distance even more until the revolver was scarce inches from the man's face. "Hi, the name's Ryiek, and who are you?" He said with a pleasant smile. Behind the transparent curtain his eyes hardened to steel.

He leaned closer and whispered, "One shot is all I'll need, buddy."

 

[Gripp]

Cauld smiled, revealing his white teeth, "Of course it is... of course it is."

He crouched down, propelling his body forward by pushing off the ground, angling himself to the point where he could jab his shoulder into the man's gut, hoping to catch the smaller man by surprise, his speed helping him.

(OC: I guessed you were smaller than Cauld, since he is somewhat large, but if you aren't I'll edit it out.)

 

[Gambler]

The man's shoulder dug in to Ryiek's belly, pushing him back a step from the impact. He took the blow with a grunt, bending his torso forward a bit from the force. The revolver was still in his hand, though his elbow cocked backwards in surprise. He steadied his hand and brought the gun to bear. Within the span of a second he had the muzzle of the gun pointed at the back of the man's head, barely a centimeter away. He pumped the trigger once, twice, and three times, the bullets exploding forth. The shells were standard slugs, capable of ripping through flesh and put a dent in durasteel. At point blank range they were more than enough to blow the man's brains out. Unfortunately for the man, it most certainly was not his lucky day. "Idiot," Ryiek grunted as the final shot sounded.

 

[Gripp]

Everything went dark almost instantaneously. Cauld's limp, lifeless body fell to the ground in a heap of crumpled bones and flesh.

OOC: It's been good RPing with you, the few posts. And thanks for ending my character's life :P

 

[Sleven]

Edited for plot reasons

 

[Gambler]

Ryiek looked down at the corpse sprawled on his feet. Blood poured out of the deceased man's head, soaking thoroughly in to his suit. The bullet's entry hole was precise and neat, but the exit was a different story. The man's face was torn to shreds. Ryiek could not even make out the man's features past the missing bones and flesh. Hell, he couldn't even figure out where the man's nose was! Was it the lump of flesh on the ground next to his shoe, or was it that gooey bulb on the other side?

His musing was cut short by the sound of feet running across the walkway. Muffled voices accompanied them, along with the occasional shout. "Ah shit," Ryiek sighed, glancing down at the blood soaking the lower half of his suit. If anyone saw him like that the cops would be on his tail again. Armed robbery was one thing, but murder was on a whole new level. Even if he plead second degree he would find himself staring at white walls and eating mush for the next decade. That was not how he planned on spending his life. He evaded that sentence once and he could do it again. Well, as long as none of his genetic material remained on the crime scene.

He dropped the corpse and did what he knew best; he ran. It was a two mile stretch to his apartment, half of which would lead him directly through heavily populated areas on the upper levels. He could duck through back alleys, but then he might get lost. The only thing stopping him from being seen in public was the blood on his pants. If he could ditch the pants maybe he wouldn't have to flee like the fugitive he was. Where could he toss them? The bushes were the obvious answer, but someone was liable to find them and that would key the cops in to his involvement.

The thoughts churned through his head as he ran across the park. As he neared the exit a trash compactor came in to view. Just like that a lightbulb went off in his head. Without a moment to spare he took the wallets out of his pockets and unzipped his pants. He put the wallets in the pockets on the torso of his suit and put his shoes back on. Now he could... walk half naked through the upper levels of Coruscant. Inconspicuous as a fat man in a singles bar. He'd much rather be the fat man in the sandwich shop. It fit the imagery like a glove.

He sighed again and started the long walk back to his apartment. If he was lucky he would only get incredulous stares and sniffs of disgust. He wasn't willing to think of what could happen should his luck run out.

An hour or so later he walked in to a cantina, dressed in a slightly less wrinkled suit and sporting a clean new pair of shoes. His wallet wasn't as heavy as it had been, but there was still enough in there for a few hours with Lilly. Ah, how long had it been since he last tasted the fruits of heaven? Two, three days? Far too long by his count. He licked his lips, drowning the strobe lights and heavy beat of the music out as he scanned the ranks of prostitutes for his favorite piece of merchandise.

 

[Hidden-shadow]

The medium built man was on the other side and looked at him. His armor he wore made the man look bulkier. On the Ressan's back was a blaster rifle and a sword. On his belt was a plain handle. When the Ressan examined the man across from him he stood up. He walked towards the other man and sat down next to him. The man had a wrinkled shirt on. The Ressan said to him with a Scottish tone to his voice.

"Had a rough day, lad? Let me buy you a drink."

He waved to the bartender and ordered two drinks. He handed the other one to the man. Ressan took a swig and said to the man.

"My name is Ressan. What is yours, lad?"

Ressan took a another swig of the drink waiting for the man to respond. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head as if to shake thoughts from his head.

 

[Lucid]

The music pounded in wild red-head's chest and ears as she moved to the beat. Skin-tight leather shining, wild red hair whirling and her temperature rising, Carin was lost in the music. Fueled by a need to cut loose and far to many shots of who-knows-what, the beautiful young woman was dancing like a wild thing. She loved the attention and judging by the large crowd of men around her, they were quite prepared to enjoy giving it.

Eventually there came a time when thirst invaded her semi-stupor of dancing and forgetting--not that she ever could, but she was sure as hell able to try--and so she peeled herself of the man who's name she didn't know, but had discovered that he too was feeling the music to make her way to the bar. She was surprisingly steady on her feet, considering the number of drinks she had consumed and the impressive height of her heels, arriving just in time to hear one man offer to buy another a drink.

Tight with her money even while drunk, she took advantage of the situation. With fluid grace and the ease of long practice she twined herself about the man, pressing her body to his and cooing in his ear.

"Tell you what, do you really want to buy him a drink? No, you don't. What can he offer you? Much less than I can."

 

[Sleven]

OOC: Holy shit dude, a bunch of people I didn't expect to respond to this did after we worked when my character would enter and all haha, whatever.

Sleven was inside the Cantina/Secret Brothel talking to an old friend of his, Lilly. Leaning over onto the circular pedestal containing the pole she was stripping on Sleven looked up at her and smiled a pleasant childish sort of smile. It made her wonder if Sleven even cared about the fact that she was stripping, or worse, the fact that the bouncers would most likely start roughing him up if he didn't keep more distance from her. But, she knew Sleven could handle himself, and further more that he rather enjoyed putting himself in little gags like this. Looking down from her pole as she danced she asked Sleven in a quick, harsh, yet hushed voice, "What do you want!? I'm working!"

In as calm and smooth a tone as ever, as if he had not a care in the world, Sleven smiled a little more, opening his mouth to speak, "Why don't you take a break hunny? I'll make it worth your while," he said pulling out a hundred credits from his inner jacket pocket.

"Damnit Sleven, you're going to get me in trouble!" she was getting kind of frustrated with the games her old friend kept playing with her, but she knew he wouldn't have come if it wasn't something important...

 

[Gambler]

Ryiek spared the man sitting next to him a glance. "Lad?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. The man was treading in to dangerous territory. Before he had a chance to answer, one of the prostitutes strung herself around the man, freeing Ryiek from any forced conversation. It was almost a comical scene; the prostitute was completely wasted. Fitting for the scene, but comical nonetheless. "I'm not looking for a friend, buddy," he said before he lost Ressan's attention completely. "Keep your drink and leave me the hell alone unless you're willing to start something?" It was an enticing offer, at least it was for Ryiek. Barfights and muggings were two different things. One landed you in jail. The other landed you a couple of drinks on the house.

He sat back on the stool with a sigh, scanning the tables for Lilly. At first all he saw were the regular strippers entwined around poles mounted to circular tabletops, but then he saw her. She was leaning in close, whispering something to a guy who had taken a seat at her table. The guy was holding a credit chip with a smile on his face. Ryiek knew exactly what he was after, and it pissed him off. The one night of the week he could find the time and spare creds to partake of Lilly, some other asshole was already with her.

"If you'll excuse me," he said with mock politeness and rose from his seat. He made his way through the tables until he came to Lilly's. His hand twitched towards the revolver in his pocket, but he didn't grab it. Not yet at least.

"I thought you only accepted the higher class customers," he said, a smile on his lips. "Ah, but I guess you can't set your standards too high if you want to make some quick creds now can you?"

 

[Hidden-shadow]

Ressan watched a woman as she walked towards him. She got close cooling his ears. Ressan turned to back to the man he got a drink for and saw him turn Ressan's offer down. The man got up and started to walk towards a stripper kinda angry like. Ressan looked close to see the man had a revolver in his side pocket. Ressan thought he should interupt this man and his intinsions. Ressan just ignored his mind and turned back to the woman. Ressan chuckled at her.

"For a weaker minded man who'd have taken your offer. To bad for you I'm not that weak."

Ressan went into his pocket and pulled out two hundred credits. He gave the credits to the woman and said.

"buy your self something you like a strong drink and then go to bed."

Ressan looked back at the man who walked away from him. He was smiling. Ressan kept a close eye on that man just to be sure he wouldn't do anything he'd regret. Ressan picked up his drink and took a big swig. Everything was getting blurry it was starting to swirl around. Ressan thought to himself.

'I've had enough to drink. Just need to watch that man.'

 

[Sleven]

Sleven noticed the stranger in a less then appealing suit approach, but hey, who was Sleven to judge when that description fit the bill for his own suit when he was on the job and didn't keep it up too well. Watching the man's hand move towards something, and having been in tight situations before, Sleven could safely guess that what the man was reaching for was a weapon, a gun judging by the position and shape his hand took. Lilly was about to speak up for Sleven, to save him from the possible consequences of his antics when applied to her extremely violent customer, but Sleven was quicker to speak, "Well that's not very nice now is it?" he said in a calm and jesting tone. Meanwhile, his hidden left hand that was crossed and hidden behind his body sat ready for his Jericho. Sleven's mastery of sleight of hand would most likely win in any speed contest when it came to drawing his weapon, all he had to do was wait for this guy to make the wrong move...

 

[Hidden-shadow]

Ressan was ignoring the swirling and made his way to a dark area of the cantina. He leaned on the wall waiting for one of them to make a mistake. To attack. Ressan was just leaned on the wall. He didn't mean any harm but if it came to that then Ressan was an expert at that. He pulled out his blaster rifle that was strapped on his back. He was looking down his sights in the darkest area with the best view. Ressan thought to himself.

'Nothing is ever quiet anymore. First I take a job protecting a zeltro senator, then you
get stranded on Felucia and have to wait for a ship to pick him up. Leaving him to fight rancors and akleys by himself.'

Ressan's head was clearing up when he looked to the man sitting down saw the man put his hand a wepon. Ressan shook his head. But the man didn't draw his weapon.

'Must be waiting for the other man to draw his weapon and make the first move.'

Ressan kept waiting for someone to make a move. Ressan's intentions were good he wasn't going to shoot them just thier guns so they would be disarmed.

 

[Gambler]

"Nice?" Ryiek asked, a giggle bubbling up from the back of his throat. "Who ever said anything about being nice? I thought we were here to have a bloody good time." He lifted his hand away from his pocket. It was still within reach should the need arise, but he made it clear that he wouldn't be the first to draw blood. Heh, the first rule of self defense was to never throw the first punch. Even if the fight was instigated there was never an excuse for drawing blood. Or at least that was how the Coruscanti court system functioned. It definitely made Ryiek's lot in life more interesting.

"So... you got a name?" The humor in his voice evaporated. He might appear stupid at times, but that did not mean he was suicidal. He didn't know this man and it was far from his nature to go looking for a fight. He was more of the opportunist type. That and a little intimidation on top for extra flare. All in all, his image was pretty solid. Now time to put his charm to work. Make a new friend, shall we?