Ask Anything Can Happen

[Arla]

Per my OP template, thread is death enabled​

Bounty hunting wasn't always the flashiest thing in the galaxy. Arla had been on the hunt for this one for over two weeks and had little to show for it but a few leads. Her crystal ball had turned up little more than a planet, and it wasn't even one she had ever heard of before.

Zastiga was apparently a place frequented by traders, which meant it had good access to the rest of the galaxy without actually being much more than a refueling station itself. Smugglers, merchants, bulk traders, and more all stopped by on their way through the galaxy. It meant enough new faces were coming through that someone on the run wouldn't stand out but it was obscure enough that most people weren't going to stumble on it by accident.

Arla was dressed in her regular working clothes with her lightsaber and knife holstered out of sight as she made her way through the streets. They were already bustling, and she was heading down to a store where she heard the owner made new IDs for people. She could only hope that Campan Sloun had come to him... or that he could point her toward someone who knew.

Arla found herself strolling down the semi-busy street at a casual pace, knowing that the amount of headstart that Campan had would make any sort of immediate rushing pointless. He was either here still or he had moved on a long time ago. The odds of something happening in the next hour were... slim.

So, she stopped to grab an iced caf. Had to enjoy some of the little things in life, and the street vendor had a long enough line that she could guess his caf was good.

Number 42! she heard him shout and someone came up to snatch away the coffee and carry it off to wherever their destination carried them.

 

[Miri Kryze]

Bounty hunting was always Jace's thing. Miri preferred the wilderness, where things really got tough. Stalking, planning, even actively hunting was all much different in the wilds than it was in the urban centers of the galaxy. The truth of it was that people were predictable, even more so than creatures. A creature would do anything to survive, while a sentient being would do as much as society let them.

Much like the weak bladder having ithorian Miri stood before now, holding a Bounty Hunter's Guild puck on full display for them. They were in a side street, the ithorian having been minding his own business when Miri prompted him if he knew this Campan Sloun. The first thing the ithorian did was wet themselves. Then they whimpered and wet a different part of themselves. Miri would have been disgusted, if she wasn't wearing her full armor and helmet which blocked the smell.

"Listen, I don't know anything!" the ithorian said. Miri tilted her head, narrowing her red, chiss eyes from behind her black visor. The visor saying everything Miri didn't need to. "B-b-but I know someone who does!" Well... the ithorian certainly wasn't being quiet about it either.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla ordered her caf and sipped away as she kept heading along her way to the sound of yelling. Suspicious yelling.. Arla glanced down at her datapad to confirm that this was the address she was supposed to be at as well.

Well that was suspicious, and it also managed to pique her curiosity. And it put her on alert. That familiar rush of cortisol flooded her veins in that way that heralded an impending fight. You never know. It might not be, she told herself as she rounded the corner.

Her eyes swept quickly and calculatingly over the room to take in the sight of the Ithorian and a fully armored Mandalorian standing next to each other in such a way that was not exactly friendly.

She just stood there, not actually saying anything and content to just listen to the answer of who the Ithorian knew that could point her in the direction of... well, hopefully of her prey.

Her eyes flicked down to the Mandalorian's assortment of weaponry with curiosity. Well equipped, but even most bounty hunters didn't resort to actually fighting or killing each other. It was considered poor form, and even Arla with her exceedingly dubious morals saw it as bad for business.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Miri Kryze]

Miri hummed her annoyance at the ithorian, not bothering to use a voice modulator. "And?" was all she would say. This was why she liked pure hunts. There was no need to talk; it was just you, your party, and the wilds. All of her gear was even set up for a normal hunt. If her brother hadn't beaten her to the last three bounty hunts she had tried, she would be on some forest or jungle planet stalking real prey instead of a man.

"Old bunker, f-few blocks over," the ithorian said. "T-t-they turned into into some kind of cantina. Lots of folks like you in there." Miri almost wanted to know what he'd meant by that, but it didn't matter. If he meant they were Mandalorian it might make it tricky for her to collect the bounty, though her clan had no issue putting the beating down on others clans. If he had meant bounty hunter types that were armed to the teeth, then maybe the hunt would have some fun after all.

Flicking the puck off, Miri turned to find a woman with rather pointy ears standing there. Miri tilted her head again. Her first thought was a daughter to the ithorian, then maybe a house keeper. The way she was dressed was for utility and practicality, so that ruled out most of what Miri thought. There was always one way to find out, though Miri hated it while hunting.

"Hey," she said said.

 

[Arla]

Arla watched the woman look her over, and even though she couldn't see her eyes, she could sense the measured gaze that lay behind the helmet. This woman wasn't new to this line of work and she wasn't new to the hunt.

Of course, Arla was always on the lookout for new Apex employees, and she had found that they were often more beneficial than even the payout to a single hunt.

For a moment, she made no response to the woman's greeting, trying to decide the best way to go about navigating this conversation. Plenty of bounty hunters weren't the friendliest type, but she'd... given greeting? Well, maybe that was a sign.

Hello. It seems we may be after the same thing, she said. Campan Sloun, she added, taking a drink from her iced caf in a way that was intended to be nonchalant, but somehow didn't really come across the way. Almost like it was a bit too stiff to really be nonchalant. She was constantly a viper ready to strike, and no matter how much she tried, she could never quite seem to work those reflexes out of her muscles. She probably needed another vacation.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Miri Kryze]

Miri lifted the puck and turned it on again, showing the revealed huntress a holo of Campan Sloun. "Seems we are," Miri said. She turned the puck off and stuck it back into her pocket. Her black visor met the woman's eyes. "How long have you been on the hunt for this one?" Miri was a hunter through and through. The worst thing was when someone came around and took the prey right from under you.

As the woman stiffly drank her caf, Miri shifted her weight. She moved her free hand over to the hand that cradled her E-11D in front of her like a baby, fully embracing the blaster rifle without showing aggression. The woman's movements were odd, but also normal. Like a coiled snake trying to calm down, or a hungry hawk hunting for prey. They were much the same, though Miri's armor had granted her the safety of being able to relax.

"You're a hunter?" Miri asked, finally. It was semi-rhetorical. The Mandalorian may have never seen the woman's kind before, but she knew the measured movements and coiled nerves. One snap of a twig and the prey could be gone in an instant. One false step, and the hunter became the hunted. A smirk spread across Miri's lips, hidden by the helmet. She liked the woman already.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Well there was confirmation. They were after the same thing, and what remained was what would happen between the two of them. A race to the end? A fight between them? A teaming effort? Time would tell.

Long enough that I'm too invested to pack up and quit, she said. It answered the question about being a hunter as well without actually saying as much.

She glanced back at the Ithorian who looked even more nervous now with two of them in here, and the glare she was giving him wasn't likely to put his mind at ease.

Is this where we start fighting and ruin his shop? she asked deadpan, flicking a glance back at the Ithorian and finding amusement in his squirming discomfort.

Killing each other's bad for business, she added. She wondered if there was a way to work this to her advantage, but as it stood, she wasn't sure what that would be. Apart from one, perhaps.

Independent hunter?

@TheDudeMike

 

[Miri Kryze]

It wasn't a specific answer, but it was good enough. Miri had only started this hunt not too long ago. So that settled who the bounty would go to as far as she was concerned. This was why she liked hunting animals instead. Miri dug the Bounty Hunter's Guild puck out of her pocket, and tossed it to the woman. "As fun as that sounds, the hunt goes to you." Kryze was in no need of money after selling the ship and lightsaber they had taken from the Sith-lover on Mandalore, a long with the bounties Jace brought in.

Miri gave a slight nod to her question about being an independant hunter. "Two blasters is good for business, though," she said. Just because she wouldn't take the hunt from the woman, didn't mean she wouldn't help in it. After all, the hunt itself was the most enjoyable part. Maybe at the end of this there would be a stiff drink . "If you want the help."

"Miri," she added after a pause. She turned her head half way to the ithorian. "Guess we should let him change his pants in peace."

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla was genuinely caught off guard by what the woman did. To the point that she actually thought it was a trick. She had never known a hunter to just give up the hunt like that, and she had to assume if she turned her back she'd be shot in that very same back within three seconds.

She frowned and looked at the other woman more closely. Not that there was much more to tell than what she'd already seen, but perhaps if she just looked hard enough she'd find some sort of answer that was below both armor and skin.

Nope, no luck.

Why? I've never known a hunter to just give up their puck, she asked, deciding that - as was her wont - the direct approach was better than any tip toeing around the issue.

She flicked her eyes over to the Ithorian as Miri said that they should let him change his pants.

If you alert anyone that we're coming, I swear by the stars that I'll make you regret it, she said to the Ithorian. Her tone carried with it daggers of ice, and there would be no doubt that she meant every word.

With that, she turned to leave with "Miri" in toe.

Arla, she said after a moment. She hadn't given a "no" yet, and that was because she didn't intend to but there was no denying she still felt quite suspicious of this... other woman. And for that matter, she assumed the other woman felt the same.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Miri Kryze]

"You've been hunting longer. It's your hunt," Miri said, shrugging. Most hunters wouldn't give up the puck, and the two of them would fight to the death in front of the ithorian; or at least have a heated argument. Miri wasn't like most hunters. There was honor in a hunt, courtesy and civility too. It was something Jace ignored every time they had hunted together, but it was a rule that Miri lived by regardless. The one who started the hunt first gets the hunt.

Miri began to follow Arla, eventually catching up to walk relatively beside her without rushing. The silence was almost soothing. There was always the unnerving suspicion, but it didn’t outweigh the quiet of a hunt. It was just the hunters and the prey, nothing else needed. If she were with her brother or sister, they’d be talking up a storm; bitching about something or other.

The bunker was at the end of a long road in front of them. There was a neon sign with the name of the cantina the bunker had been turned into. Miri stopped at the door. “You want him warm, or cold?” Her black visor panned over to Arla.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

The two walked in silence, and Arla kept part of her mind on the other woman as they did. She still wasn't convinced, but she sensed no malice or deception in the Shadow. Of course, she wasn't infallible, but she was fairly certain that if something was off she would have been able to tell.

She let the other part of her mind travel to their target and what they might find. A bunker-cantina that was occupied by thugs and/or Mandalorians was nothing to turn one's nose up at and even Arla didn't fancy wading in with her saber swinging. No point in tempting fate or acting the fool. She may have had her pride, but pride could easily lead to foolishness if not kept in check.

She thought of what she had seen Raze do and she wondered if she should be so confident as to be willing to take on a room by herself. Stop measuring yourself by your parents, she reminded herself, thinking about the way her mother had met her own end. Isolated and alone.

The cantina that finally appeared in front of her made her pause. It really was a bunker by the looks of it. Or at least a former bunker. The neon sign up top that read "The Bunker" and the many people coming in and out of its open doors were perhaps the only things that gave it away as no longer serving its underground sheltering function.

Cold, she said. Cold was easier, and she only enjoyed hunting dangerous prey. In this case, Campan deserved it. He'd kidnapped a girl and beaten her for days, threatening to kill her if a ransom wasn't paid by a wealthy businessman. Although the girl had eventually been found by local law enforcement, Campan had slipped through their fingers. But the hunters were the longest arm of justice. They could travel to the edges of the galaxy and bring back someone like this, and although the bounty was technically preferential toward "alive" there was no payout difference. Arla would just as soon bring him back in a body bag.

I'd rather not take the whole place in an uproar, though, she said. She cast a glance over at her armored companion and normally would have said that it was out of place, but given the people coming out of the place they were going into, perhaps she'd blend right in.

She took the plunge through the door and was greeted by all manner of ruffian. Trandoshans were huddled off into a corner, others were drinking until they dropped, even a couple of Mandalorians gathered at one corner of the cantina. And of course among them all was a mix of every conceivable species from across the galaxy. Any of them looked like they could have laid the hurt on an unsuspecting traveler, but none appeared to be their target in question.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Miri Kryze]

"Hard to do with Mandalorians," Miri quipped, an unseen but certainly heard smirk spreading across her lips. She followed Arla into the bunker. Trandoshans, Mandalorians, all manner of ne'er-do-well, and all of them had some level of drink in them too. The Mandalorians in particular turned toward the pair, black visors boring into them. An assortment of minor clans with a Solus at the head. Of course it would be a Solus.

Miri scanned the cantina, seeing no sign of Campan. At least on the surface. At the corner of the bar there was a door that looked to lead to another set of stairs. If Campan wasn't on the first floor, maybe he was deeper down. "Door by the bar. Could wait for him to surface, get ourselves a drink." Miri turned her Chiss eyes back to the Mandalorians. There was one with his helmet off, but there was no telling how'd they react to her taking her helmet off.

She would handle that if it came to it. No need to include Arla in on the petty squabbles of Mandalorians that would never band together. "Or just go deeper," she added finally, shifting her gaze back to the door. There weren't exactly schematics on the wall they could read to figure out if there were any tunnels leading away from the bunker complex. It wouldn't be unheard of, just very unfortunate.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla had grown accustomed to cities over time despite her initial life on Dathomir. Now they were something she tolerated and sometimes even found fascinating, and this place was no real exception. The people who bustled around were interesting to look at even if she wasn't eager to talk to them or make friends.

But she'd still managed to make friends, hadn't she? This unusual hunter who was now working with her at least pretended to be an ally.

She could feel the gaze of the Mandalorians burning into them, and she wondered if there was some sort of feud between the Clans that she was about to be drawn into. She knew all about Clan conflicts, after all.

The patient hunter is the most dangerous, she agreed with a nod, settling into the bar to wait.

She pondered for a moment the "making of small talk" and wondered if it was necessary, but then realized it might give her better insight into this person she was allied with.

Tell me about yourself, she finally said, nursing a non alcoholic beverage to keep her wits sharps as she settled into a table that gave a full view of the place they were scoping out.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Miri Kryze]

A patient hunter indeed. Miri’s lips curled into a smirk under her helmet. She grew to like Arla more and more; with what she did and didn’t say. Following Arla to the bar, she got herself a cup of water, and settled in next to her impromptu partner. While Arla had a view of the whole place, Miri’s focus was the door just a few meters away that led deeper into the bunker. Between the two of them, it would be near impossible to miss the prey coming up for another drink.

She placed her rifle down on the seat next to herself. If trouble arose she wanted to be able to grab it without being hindered by whatever trouble came. Having it be between herself and Arla seemed the best bet, unless Arla was the trouble. Miri reached up, and removed her helmet, running her fingers through her raven hair as she set the piece of armor on the table next to her water. She turned a red gaze to Arla. “Not much to say. I’m the huntress for Kryze. Much prefer hunting beasts in the wild than… this,” she said, vaguely waving a hand at the bunker cantina.

“You?” she asked. The woman seemed on edge, yet relaxed; like she couldn’t decide whether Miri was friend or foe yet. That was smart, but it only made Miri more curious. What kind of woman would brave allying herself with a Mandalorian like Miri? What’s more, a Mandalorian that was now getting some rather distasteful stares from a few patrons.

Either they were put off by her being a Chiss, or they didn’t take too kindly to Miri removing her helmet in the nonchalant manner that she had. If only they could see her brother Jace. Man would have walked in the cantina naked if it would get him his target, a drink, and some ass. Thankfully for the patrons, and Arla’s wish to not have the entire cantina at their throats, Jace wasn’t the one here.

 

[Arla]

Arla was surprised when the woman pulled off her helmet to reveal azure skin and red eyes. Most of the Mandalorians she had heard about were human, but as she looked at the other woman she realized she was the same species as that Jedi that Arla had met shortly after setting out on her own. Not chips... but something similar.

Kryze huntress, she thought to herself, but one who preferred the wilderness and beasts to the most dangerous prey. She could respect that. The outdoors were in many ways more peaceful and simpler than anything in a city filled with idiots.

I'm with Apex Contractors, she said. If the woman spent time in the mercenary circles, she would certainly have heard of the growing organization. A deadly collection of bounty hunters, specialty contractors, and more who had fought more than a few battles and brought in some deadly prey. The fact that Arla was its head could come later if it came at all.

Arla could sense the growing tension and some sort of hostility in the room. It was a dark current streaked with red of anger and indignation that seemed to emanate from the Mandalorians at the far side of the room.

Are we going to have a problem with those other... she started to ask when one of the Mandalorians on cue came over. It was actually one of the smaller Mandalorians by the looks of him, but in fully armor she had no doubt he was still a dangerous foe.

You're not welcome here, Kryze, the man hissed. And you drink with an outsider at that, he said, the implied gaze behind his helmet at Arla wasn't something she missed, but she didn't react either.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Miri Kryze]

Apex was a name Miri had heard of many times in her travels. It was hard not to hear about them in the bounty business. Just saying the company name could either win you admiration or contempt depending on what Bounty Hunter’s Guild Hall you went to. She had seen quite a few dejected hunters come back from a hunt empty handed because Apex had gotten there first, or were simply more effective.

Miri wouldn’t’ get a chance to out her admiration before the smaller Mandalorian from the group decided to stick his nose where it didn’t belong. Her red gaze stayed on Arla for a moment. “There always is,” she said, finally turning to the other Mandalorian. The only thing she recognized about the clan was that some of them had been in the crowd that had gathered on Mandalore for Rancor Squadron.

“Even a nexu will hunt in a pack if it wants,” Miri said. “Do your companions know your clan tried to help harbor a known Sith with a bounty? Wonder how they’d react to know he was allowed to bathe in the living waters.” Miri had no idea if the Sith had actually been able to bathe in the living waters or not. Her sister and her had taken the Sith’s nav-data and towed his ship, leaving the group to continue alone.

Regardless, it was a charge that no Mandalorian wanted to have pit against them. The threat of even accusing this man of being apart of a Sith-loving clan was no small matter, and would give the Mandalorian pause. Pause enough for Miri to turn back to Arla, jerking her chin slightly toward the door to tell the woman to go ahead. This was a Mandalorian matter, her hunt was not.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla's attention was certainly caught by what her new partner said about the Mandalorians inducting a Sith into their ranks. Had she just heard that right? From her understanding, the Mandalorians were skeptical of Force-users at baseline, and actually accepting and inducting one was virtually unheard of. It certainly interested her, and she made a mental note to ask Miri about it when this was all over.

Arla almost missed the signal from the other woman to excuse herself, but Arla wasn't going to argue. This was a woman she hardly knew and she wasn't excited about risking her neck for someone she barely knew. Plus the woman was likely more than capable of looking after herself, and they still had the hunt to get after.

She was smart enough to pick up, however, that the charge Miri had just leveled against the other Mandalorian was no small thing. Well, enough of their internal conflicts.

Coward abandoning her pack at the first sign of trouble, the Mandalorian growled at Arla as she began to leave. The Nightsister froze, her face pulling down into a scowl as she turned to face the man who had now insulted her as well.

She was about ready to throw it down when a booming voice of a large, muscular man rang out from behind the bar.

If you're going to have a problem. Take it outside, he said in a tone that told her it wasn't up for discussion. Moreover it seemed that nearly everyone nearby turned to look at them with menace in their eyes. The muscular man pointed to the sign hanging over the bar that read "All altercations to be taken outside."

Outside, now, Arla growled, looking over at the Mandalorian and now two more rose to head outside as well. Looks like it was time for a fight...

@TheDudeMike

 

[Miri Kryze]

It wasn’t too hard to figure out the smaller Mandalorian had struck a nerve with Arla. Practically on instinct, Miri dawned her helmet again, grabbing her E-11D by the pistol grip as she slid out of the booth. It was a good thing she didn’t go for the alcohol. Seems both of the hunters were going to get a taste of what the other could do. Miri’s lips curled into a grin under her helmet. How fun.

Miri would leave the smaller one to Arla, since he’d insulted her. The other two Mandalorians that had come outside were larger than Miri, but the huntress had taken on all manner of creatures. Reek most commonly, and she got real close when hunting them. One of the Mandalorians rotated his joints, limbering up as if there was going to be a fist fight. The other had a hand reaching for a blaster pistol on his hip.

“Should have stay home, Kryze,” he fist fighter said. Miri didn’t wait, her thumb flipping her blaster rifle to stun and firing a bolt into his gut at point blank. He crumbled, not dead, but certainly not getting up without a struggle. The one with a blaster pistol pulled the blaster from its holster. Miri stepped into him, muzzle thumping his hand with her rifle to knock the blaster out. He responded by grabbing the rifle and tossing it, right before tackling Miri to the duracrete.

Not exactly how she expected the hunt to go, but a fun surprise all the same.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla had plenty of pride in herself and did her best not to have fear of others, but when it came to "honor" most people probably wouldn't have put her in the category of those who valued it highly. She was a hunter and assassin at heart, and that seldom came with executing a "fair" fight. It was a lot of ambushing and stabbing in the back.

All that was to say that Arla didn't wait for her opponent to be ready before she thrust her hand out and slammed him back into the wall with hard enough to give him whiplash and knock the wind out of him before the fight had even gotten started. She wasn't trying to kill him, though she could have easily done that, but he did deserve a lesson. A tough one.

Arla liked that apparently Miri had had the same idea, and this immediately made her like the Mandalorian woman much more. She had pulled and fired a stun shot into the gut of her adversary almost at the same time Arla had lashed out with the Shadow, but within moments it had turned into a brawl for the other woman.

Arla grabbed her partially incapacitated foe and once again slammed his head back against the wall with the Shadow, tendrils of green magick wrapping around his head to deliver the incapacitating blow. In a helmet it was unpleasant, but without one it likely would have been deadly.

She turned swiftly toward the tumble of the other Mandalorian, grabbing the other man with her magick and flinging him across the ground, separating the two combatants and giving Miri the space to get back to her feet or roll over and deliver a stun shot to put him out of the fight.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Miri Kryze]

The Mandalorian that Miri struggled against on the ground had a good hold on her left arm. The unfortunate thing for his buddy, was that her bola launcher was on that arm. As he began to lift himself, Miri fired off the bola, wrapping around his arms and torso and bringing him back down onto his helmeted face. The Mandalorian on top of her got a decent swing in on her helmet, but to do so allowed her to reach her right hand down to her Westar-35 blaster pistol.

He was flung off of Miri, by what she didn't know and didn't rightly care. Without even rolling over she pulled her blaster pistol, flipped it to stun and fired the bolt into the flying Mandalorian just after he hit the wall. The impact would send him back into the wall, giving a double taste of the duracrete. If there was one thing Miri hated the most, it was missing, and she sure wasn't about to miss that.

With their adversaries knocked out or otherwise incapacitated, Miri rolled over and got to her feet. She picked up her blaster rifle that had been tossed to the side before making her way back to Arla. "You seem to be good with your hands," Miri quipped, pulling her helmet off again to show her blue features, untouched despite the hook she received during the fight. Mandalorian armor tended to work real well against fists. She held the helmet under her left arm, carrying her rifle in her right by the pistol grip.

Miri stepped over to the Mandalorian that had been bola'd and put a stun bolt into their head this time, knocking them out cold, though from a rifle at point blank the Mandalorian had a good chance of never waking up. "A fun detour. If the prey was down stairs we may still have the element of surprise."[/abox4

@Phoenix