Ask Corpo-heist

[Connor Vance]

Umbara​

Connor had been planning this heist for a while, it was an opportunity to make a ton of credits. He’d taken his time to read about other acolytes, wanting to ensure whoever he reached out to wouldn’t bitch out. Or that they wouldn’t simply start a bloodbath. This was about money, his partner had to be about credits too.

A name popped out to him when he was reading, Nash. A Swamp-skipper, Nal Hutta native. It meant she was Hutt space born, she’d be made of the right stuff, Connor was sure. So he shot her a message, testing the waters and seeing if she was interested in making some creds.

After a brief exchange, Connor would shoot her over an address. It was a public place, a dive bar that reminded Connor of home in a lot of ways. Connor told her he’d meet her at the bar, he didn’t mention that he was already sitting there.

His outfit was a little more flashy than usual but he wanted to ensure that he stood out in the bar. She had to be able to spot him easily after all, she was a Twi’lek, he doubted he’d be able to miss her. He ordered them both a shot of mid grade Huttese whiskey, lit an cigara, and simply waited for her to show up.

@Sreeya

 

[Nash]

The chances of a bloodbath when Nash was concerned were never zero. In fact, she scoffed at the idea, but kept it to herself. She told herself she would try to keep her temper in check for this little operation, but if some mook got in her grill, she was going to throw hands.

The twi’lek made her way to the bar, surprised she hadn’t been here before. Since her time at the academy, Nash spent most of her time in detention, her free time spent training or seeking out the local nightlife. Many of the acolytes were boring, but she slowly started to form a little crew that kept her social life going.

Her gaze panned across the bar till she spotted the Connor guy. Nash was dressed for Hutt space and her belt was packed with supplies like medpacks, knives and other useful items in case they were needed on the job.

Nash took the seat next to him, glancing down at the whiskey, “Sup man,” She said with a jut of her chin, taking her first look at him. He was certainly easy on the eyes, and she noticed his cybernetic arm right away, “Yo, that’s sick, I bet you got a gnarly story,” Nash blurted out before she could stop herself. Damn, she really needed to work on her manners. Instead of apologizing for her rudeness, she shrugged vaguely and lit her own cigarra.

@Apollyon

 

[Connor Vance]

Connor caught a red skinned feminine figure slide into the seat next to him. He glanced over and found who he assumed was Nash. Something that was confirmed when she jutted her chin out and greeted him. Connor gave a small jut of his own.

“Suh?” He replied before taking a drag on his cigarra.

As Connor exhaled, he’d look over Nash for a second. It didn’t even occur that she could take it as him checking her out. That was secondary to what he was doing, he was looking for scars. Healed stab, slash, and blaster wounds were a clear indicator about someone who was actually about that action.

Nash had several of her own.

Connor nodded to himself as he caught sight of them. In that brief moment, he was drawn away from what he was doing by Nash’s sudden commentary on his arm. He simply quirked an eyebrow, his ears quivered slightly, but his facial expression remained relatively calm.

“Nah.” He replied. “Just bad luck s’all.” It technically wasn’t a lie, where he was born was bad luck. “Read your shit, lil Mud Thumper from Hutta eh?” He asked. “Were you a runner or a breaker?”

If she was in the life, she’d know the difference. Runners smuggled product through turf. Breakers were exactly what they sounded like, enforcers and debt collectors. They were what kept people on edge and what kept the scum in line when needed.

@Sreeya

 

[Nash]

Whether Connor was checking her out or not didn’t matter. If there was one thing she learned from posing as a dude for years it was that if a guy was interested, they let you know. And if they didn’t, they were too chickenshit for her anyway. Nash simply clinked their glasses together and took a sip of the whiskey, savoring the burn down her throat.

It was then that she noticed his ears for the first time, watching them twitch. She was temporarily transfixed because that had to be the cutest shit she had ever seen. Nash quickly shook her head and glanced back at him, smirking, “I do whatever gets me cash,” She said with a shrug, “Why’re you asking anyway? Don’t you have all my shit pulled up already?” Nash asked with a quirked brow. She wasn’t sure how she felt about this guy having a ‘report’ on her to where he knew what to look for. She felt like she was at a job interview.

“So are you gonna ask me where I see myself in five years or can we cut to the chase about the gig?”

@Apollyon

 

[Connor Vance]

The edges of Connor’s lips tugged into a muted smirk when Nash clinked their glasses together. He closed his eyes and took a small sip of his liquor. He had to ensure that he paced himself to not get trashed, at least not yet. He was vaguely aware of Nash staring at him even with his eyes closed. Not that it mattered, he let himself enjoy the taste of the whiskey on his tongue before swallowing it and opening his eyes.

Connor’s fingers idly traced the lip of his glass as Nash spoke. His ears perked a little, he was glad to hear his hunch was right, she was in for whatever. He slowly nodded in reply and tapped the nail of his pointer finger against the glass. However it was Nash’s response to him having a report of sorts on her that caused Connor to flash his pearly whites for a brief moment.

“Nah, nothing like that.” Connor replied. “I just sliced the academy’s admission database.” He explained with shrug. “Just got your homeworld, not your life story.”

To be honest, he didn’t need it either. He just needed a partner he could trust on the job. If they pulled this off, they could get celebrate with booze and spice. Which brought them to the job itself.

Connor smirked openly, this was what he loved and it bled into his normally neutral expression. Credits. He took another drag of his cigarra and sip from his whiskey before leaning in.

“There’s a casino in the Corporate Sector, it’s on a massive yacht. The rich and influential gamble there and we’re going to rob the house.” Connor said plainly. “I know the model of vault they use, slicing it will be a piece of cake.” He explained. “After that, we steal everything and dip.”

There’d be a little more to it than that, he knew that but fuck it. That explanation would serve as a general overview.

“We just have to look the part…” Connor’ voice trailed off for a moment. “…I have a suit, you got anything in your dorm, Thumper?” He asked.

@Sreeya

 

[Nash]

When Connor said he sliced into the academy, her eyes suddenly got huge, “Wait wait..” She said, “Does that mean you can go in and change my grades?” Nash asked, suddenly very interested in this dude. Most slicers she knew back on Nal Hutta were amateurs and almost always got screwed over. She could think of at least two friends that faced jail time for tripping security.

Nash had heard about the corporate sector, but it was always way too expensive for her to ever visit. Clearly Connor had some solid connections to not only be able to travel there, but to navigate while there without going broke. The job sounded risky, but the payout sounded way bigger than the small time smuggling operations she had been running.

“Yeah yeah, I’ll look the part, don’t worry, Gearhead,” She said with a smirk, throwing back her drink, “How are we getting there? Most acolytes don’t own a ship,” Nash asked with a quirked brow. The mental image of them showing up in a glorified public bus to run a scheme was hysterical.

@Apollyon

 

[Connor Vance]

Connor’s brow furrowed slightly at Nash’s response. Did she actually go to class? He shrugged in reply before taking another sip of his whiskey.

“I mean, probably.” He replied cooly. “Could probably do more than that too.” He continued confidently.

Connor knew he could, to say the Academy’s security was light would be an understatement. Few in the galaxy knew the Umbaran Academy existed and even fewer Sith really understood the power of a good slicer. So its security networks and protocols weren’t exactly up to par when put to the test. Unfortunately for them, Connor enjoyed overclocking those systems and slipping past them.

When Nash stated she could look the part, Connor simply nodded. He couldn’t, at least not right now but it was a problem he could solve easy enough. Same with the need for a ride she brought up. As she spoke, he pulled out his EZPhone and scrolled through the dossier of Umbaran Academy faculty.

The name Sith Lord Azar Kressh was the first one to pop up. Fucking nope! Connor knew better than to fuck with the Potionsmaster, he quickly scrolled by until he came across another profile. His ears perked and a wicked little grin crossed his face.

Dalon.

“I got our ride sorted no issues.” Connor replied as he handed the phone to Nash. “Courtesy of Champion Dalon’s charitable donation.” His grin becoming clear. “Meet me at the hangar bay tonight, around eleven.” He stated before raising his glass once more.

“To making a shit ton of credits!”

@Sreeya

 

[Nash]

Nash did a double take when he mentioned Dalon, “That fucker?” She hissed before she could stop herself, “That fucking dildo almost got me killed because I had to do his detention for him. What kinda champ still gets detention?” Nash asked, exasperated. The thought of finding new ways to fuck him over sounded great because she couldn’t exactly go over to pound his face in as an acolyte. Or could she..?

Nash showed up right on schedule with a small bag packed for the heist itself. Normally the hangar was busier than this, but apparently there was a social event happening at the academy which lured most people away. Dalon was supposedly the chaperone in charge. Nash was thrilled to skip out on another event that consisted of shitty snacks and being handed contraceptives so everyone was practicing ‘safe love’.

The twi’lek had a cigarra dangling from the corner of her lip as she checked her chrono, spotting Connor after a moment, “Dude you have to show me how you do this,” She said with a grin, “I’ve always wanted to try it.”

@Apollyon

 

[Connor Vance]

Nash knew Dalon and fucking hated him too it seemed. Connor’s ears twitched with excitement at that realization. There wouldn’t be any issues in fucking this guy over then! However, when Nash told him that Dalon still got detention, he blinked twice in shock.

What the fuck?

“He still gets de- you know what, nevermind.” Connor replied still confused by what Nash had said. “We’ll nab his ship and dip out of here. It’ll be a his problem after that.”

Connor would head to the docking bay a little early, he wanted to have the ship sliced by the time Nash got there. However, when he got the Dalon’s ship he recognized a biometric lock on the access hatch, that would take time to slice. Instead of having to wait and potentially getting caught, Connor touched the side of the device and focused.

His mind delved into the device through the Force itself. He felt the wiring, the understood the flow of data that passed through its processors, but most importantly, he learned how the lock worked. By pushing the right sequence of code, Connor was able to trick the lock into opening as if Dalon had placed his hand on the device.

Connor gave an uneasy sigh as he opened his eyes.

Then he heard Nash’s voice, his expression remained flat but his ears betrayed his shock. They pinned against the side of his head and dipped down slightly. His head quickly turned in her direction, the unease in his presence faded as quickly as it was birthed. While speaking and manipulating machinery and devices through the Force, Connor was unable to see or hear his surroundings. Meaning Nash’s arrival caught him completely off-guard.

“It’s not so easy to teach.” Connor replied. “It’s kinda something I’ve always just had, I don’t know how to explain it.” He continued. “But we can chat later, right now let’s get out of here.” He stated, nodding his head towards the opened door.

Once inside, Connor tapped a compartment on the side of his prosthetic arm. A small spike and attached to a wire slide out and Connor made his way to the cockpit. Once there, he slide the spike into the back of the piloting droid and got to work coding in what they needed. It took a few moments but he’d have the ship off the ground and the droid punching in their coordinates in short notice.

Once that was done, Connor would light up his own cigarra and rejoin Nash. He’d pause to glance around the room, eventually noticing a data terminal, a holo projector, and an array of furniture. Connor approached the desk and read some handwritten love notes.

“Seems our boy has a crush…” Connor remarked offhandedly. “And he leaves his banking info sitting out.” He continued as he glanced up at Nash. “You find anything interesting?”

@Sreeya

 

[Nash]

Nash looked visibly disappointed when Connor said it was something he could simply do. As someone that was just coming into her Force abilities, she didn’t have a strong grasp of anything just yet. Whatever Connor was doing looked extra complicated and probably couldn’t be taught. Nash sighed and let him do his thing, snooping around the ship in the meantime.

By the time he joined her again, he would find her reading through the letters. At some point, she sniffled and quickly wiped her face, “These letters are SO SWEET!” She exclaimed, “The handwriting looks like shit and there are so many spelling mistakes but they are so CUTE!” Nash said as she read through them, “ ‘ Red like the fading rays of the sun right before the brilliant stars that are your eyes- Ugh! This guy is completely in love,” She said with a sigh, having a total soft spot for sap, " 'I write these letters, never meaning to send'. The tragedy!"

Nash almost felt guilty for fucking him over, but she remembered the detention, “Didn’t find much except for a lot of informational books on Sith Pureblood and their language…” The twi’lek began to go through his kitchen, sorting through all the protein powders and bars.

“How did you find your way over to the Sith anyway?” Nash called out as she popped some bagel bites into the microwave. She couldn’t remember the last time she had the savory snack.

@Apollyon

 

[Connor Vance]

While Connor committed Dalon’s banking information to memory, Nash read his love letters. He glanced over to Nash as she wiped at her cheek. At first Connor was a little annoyed, his ears pinned to the side of his head subconsciously to express that. However, as Nash continued to read even Connor had to internally admit it was a little cute.

But was she seriously crying?

Connor opened his mouth to comment but then remembered her physique, he opted not to push his luck. His mouth shut wordlessly. While Nash raided Dalon’s kitchen, Connor slid his data spike into Dalon’s data terminal and began work on manually slicing through to gain access. As he worked, Nash spoke and asked him how he’d ended up with the Sith.

Connor’s face didn’t shift, there was no sudden shift in expression to show how deeply he grieved. Instead, his ears drooped at the memory of dead friends. The Hutt and Imperial War had taken a lot from him and he’d wanted to get even with the Galaxy. Even if it was in a small, insignificant way.

Connor sighed.

“I was headed to Imperial Space to fight, there was a lot of credits to be made.” He replied. “My bad luck kicked up again and my transport got hit by Zygerrians.” He said explained. “One was some red skinned chick, had facial spikes and shit. A Pureblood or whatever.” He continued. “She stopped them from slapping a collar on me, said I had potential.” He shrugged. “Shipped me off to Umbara. And here we are.” He glanced up from his work and towards her. “What about you? What took a Thumper like you so far from home?”

@Sreeya

 

[Nash]

It was a good thing Connor didn’t bother saying anything about her reaction to the letters because she would have knocked out most of his teeth. Nash was quickly gaining a reputation as a menace known for clocking people or stuffing them into lockers. It didn’t matter if some students were versed with the Force better than she was, she was fast enough to wring their neck before they could wave around their sorcery.

Nash was not good at picking up subtle details, so she completely missed the little droop of his ears or other gestures. She looked sympathetic to his story, but really it was poor timing because she popped a bagel bite into her mouth that was cooler on the outside and literal lava on the inside thanks to a shitty microwave. Nash tried to keep her eyes from watering, suffering in silence and playing it off as empathy. However, after she swallowed the lava snack, she finally thought about what he said.

“You fight?” She asked after a moment of silence, extending the tray of snacks to him, “Careful, the shit’s Mustafar in the middle.”

She thought about her own story and shrugged, “You know, the stereotypical shit. Was born to a slave Ma who told me I was better off pretending to be a boy. It actually worked and I got into smuggling and other shit instead of getting trafficked. I lived that life till a couple of Sith found themselves on Nal Hutta. Asked me to help them hunt a Holocron. I almost died when a Crimson Dawn came for me, but one of the Sith saved my life. I got..this..” She pointed to the kyber crystal on her necklace, “It’s weird.. It almost told me where to go so I ended up on Umbara.”

Nash plopped down on a chair with a sigh, “Little did I know it was gonna be a lotta classes, homework and other bullshit. I practically live in detention,” She said with a grin.

@Apollyon

 

[Connor Vance]

Connor broke his gaze on Nash when she started to tear up. He’d never seen real empathy and it made him feel uncomfortable. So he finished his story while looking at the screen of the data terminal. He heard Nash approach, but he glanced at the tray of food she offered instead of directly at her.

“Thanks…” He muttered, still feeling slightly uncomfortable at such open emotional displays.

Connor was raised in an environment where displays one way or another were viewed as a weakness to be exploited. His muted responses were only amplified by the Sephi blood that pumped through his veins. However, when Nash started speaking again, he turned his head to look her in the eye while she talked.

“Your Ma sounds like a smart lady. She still topside?” Connor replied. “So, you were a runner then?” He continued, his voice taking on a slightly teasing tone. The faintest hints of a smirk tugged on his lips as he spoke. “You were rescued by Sith?” Connor asked, one of his eyebrows arching. “Your story is the furthest thing from usual.”

As Nash plopped into the seat beside him, Connor’s computer spike would chime. The job was done, they were in. Connor quickly began to read through Dalon’s banking information. He used it to book them two rooms at the casino they were planning to hit and he ordered himself a suit to be delivered to his room. Then he saw a secondary account attached to the primary one, it held more money in it but the label made Connor avoid touching it.

FOR DAD

He closed the window, plucked up a bagel bite, and got up from the terminal. He looked over at Nash again, shrugged once and made his way over to the couch. He plucked up the remote and began to channel surf before he said anything.

“I changed some of your grades and attendance records by the way.” Connor stated calmly. “You want to watch a movie or something?” He asked. “We got a while before we get to the corporate sector.”

@Sreeya

 

[Nash]

Nash scoffed, “I don’t know about smart, but she does live by her own choices now,” She said. It was more than most twi’lek having known a life of slavery could say. She didn’t doubt that if Connor ever came across her mother, the woman would attempt to proposition him for credits. Nash sighed at the thought, popping another bagel bite into her mouth.

“Being rescued by a Sith told me they didn’t all have to be comic book villains, you know? I thought every Sith was like that edgy Raze dude, but fortunately not..” Nash trailed off. She couldn’t imagine ever being one of those Sith, nor could she imagine ever being a Jedi. And what the hell did the Imperial Knights even do? Nah, Sith was the way to go. She was starting to have friends.

Nash nodded along when he spoke about her grades before she did a double take, “Wait, REALLY?” She squealed in a voice that was several octaves too high and would make his ears flatten, “My bad, I’m just..” Nash beamed, actually jumping up and down a few times, “I’d hug you but you seem too grump for that so-” She lightly punched him on the shoulder with a bright smile, “Thanks dude. If you ever want me to beat some fucker up for you, let me know, I gotchu,” Nash said with a formal salute, “And I’ll score you some spice next time I do a run.”

When he talked about movies, Nash pondered for a moment. Really she loved her sappy dramas, but there was a favorite she hadn’t watched in ages, “Oh we gotta watch Enter The Rancor. It’s definitely Lee Bruce’s best movie before he died,” She plopped down on the couch and pulled up an age old classic, “THE COMBAT IN THIS MOVIE,” She did a chef’s kiss, “I’ve used one of his punches on a student before,” Nash said proudly.

@Apollyon

 

[Connor Vance]

Connor’s ears twitched slightly at Nash’s response. He wanted to say something but kept it to himself. She was lucky to still have her mom around. Having family to watch your back wasn’t something to be understated or undervalued. It’s what gave street scum like them a hope of even making it out of the gutters.

Or that’s what people said anyways.

Connor listened as Nash spoke, he nodded along when she spoke about the Sith and Raze. She was a true believer, he could tell. This had given her a purpose and a place in the Galaxy. It was written on her face and in her tone of voice. She loved being Sith.

Connor couldn’t necessarily say the same. To him, this was just another clique. Another gang that held its own turf. What’s worse, no one in this gang could really be trusted. They all competed to be top dog and everyone had the potential to fuck you over. It wasn’t a life Connor was used to.

On Shadda, you relied on your clique to survive. Without the gang, you’d be swallowed up by any manner of scum. But with that protection? Fewer would be willing to touch you because of the threat that always loomed behind you. Connor was used to be a part of the whole and not a piece standing on its own. Maybe that was why he’d picked a Hutt Space native as his partner, he was looking for a symbolence of home.

“Nothing in this galaxy is what I expect it to be anymore.” Connor replied with a shrug. “Except for credits. Those never change.” The twinkle in Connor’s eyes would tell Nash all she needed about his motivations. Money talks and Connor was all about that language.

Connor immediately regretted what he’d done when Nash suddenly got excited. His fluted ears pinned against the sides of his head and he grimaced slightly. His hearing was sensitive and that loud and high of an octave made them ring slightly. Normally, he would have grumbled something about being a little quieter, but when Nash jumped up and down in excitement, Connor couldn’t be too mad. It was cute, he had to give her that.

Instead Connor shook his head slightly and tilted his head to the side, motioning for her to come join him. He smirked at her when she gave him a playful shoulder punch instead of a hug. And quirked an eyebrow with perked ears at both her offers. Connor did like Spice after all.

“You know, you’re not half bad Thumps.” He said as he handed her the remote to put on whatever she liked.

Connor found his gaze softening just a tad as Nash explained Enter the Rancor to him. He’d never been one for martial arts movies, but he watched it all the same. While he’d never admit it, he was glad to have someone around that got where he’d come from and the life he had to live. Even if it wasn’t fully spoken. There was some level of camaraderie there.

“I guess you’re a breaker too then.” Connor replied with a smirk. “Never got into too many fights myself.” Connor admitted with a shrug. “Sublevels of Shadda didn’t take well to boxers.” He explained. “Scum would pull on you before they’d square up usually.” Connor didn’t mention that he’d done the same in the past.

@Sreeya

 

[Nash]

Nash would never get on anyone’s case for chasing credits. In fact, if she didn’t have her weird vision shit, she probably would still be back on Nal Hutta doing the same. While she would never turn to prostitution like her mother, she was making a killing smuggling spice or fighting in pits. Her filed teeth came in handy more than once during a few gruesome fights.

She gave him a half grin at his almost compliment, “Please, Gears, I’m at least three quarters bad,” Nash tossed back at him before focusing back on the movie. She was into every fight, shadowboxing with every move and silently mouthing all the lines. She had a very serious look on her face as they watched.

“Didn’t take well to boxers? You’re tripping,” Nash said with a laugh before realizing he was serious. Who knew when the guy was serious or joking anyway? His face always looked the same. It was actually impressive, “Dude you just didn’t know where to look. Shaddaa has pits everywhere,” Nash told him. He ran in different circles than she did, but she knew where the brawling happened, “The real pits don’t have scum like that. We all in there to make legit peggats and it’s nothing but grit that gets you through,” Nash said, passion lacing into her words. As gruesome as they were, she couldn’t deny it gave her a rush.

“So like..what’re you supposed to be anyway?” She asked bluntly, her gaze flicking to his ears, “Are you like the same as the ISC President? I don’t see his ears moving though..” Nash trailed off, getting a dreamy look on her face as she thought of that incredibly hot man. Admittedly, he appeared to be more grump even than Gears. Must have been a racial thing.

@Apollyon

 

[Connor Vance]

Nash’s reply was funny, not funny enough to make Connor actually laugh though. Instead, if she paid attention, she’d see the faintest flash of his pearly white teeth, his incisors outlined with yellow gold implants. It was the closest thing she’d gotten to an actual smile since they’d met. In truth, it was the closest thing anyone had gotten to a smile from him in while.

Connor’s attention openly would shift between the movie and Nash. His one of his eyebrows arched and his ears flicked slightly as he watched her mimick what was going on perfectly. She clearly loved this movie and she was passionate about the fight too.

When Nash started talking about the fighting pits, Connor understood what she had been asking. There were fighting pits all over Shadda, even in the lowest sublevels that made up the underbelly. But Connor had never fought in them, a few of his buddies had in the past and he’d watched the fights. Despite understanding, Connor didn’t interrupt Nash to correct himself. Instead he simply listened to what she was passionate about.

“You’ll have to take me along sometime then.” He stated finally. “I could make some serious creds betting on you.”

When Nash asked what he was, Connor’s ears dipped a little. It was a question that had once annoyed him. His fluted ears, high cheeks bones, and unusual eyes had always drawn that question from others. At one point in time, Nash would have seen an actual reaction to that kind of question. But not anymore, Connor had grown used to it, Sephi weren’t exactly common and he could tell Nash didn’t mean anything negative by it.

“I’m Half-Sephi.” He replied cooly. “Mom was human. Dad was some offworlder she dragged home. Never knew him.” He said with a shrug. “But yeah, similar to Pres Thorne.” He nodded to confirm as he spoke.

As he talked, Connor fished the pack of cloved cigarras out of his pocket. He flipped the lid open and offered Nash one before taking his own and lighting up to smoke while they watched the movie. He’d occasionally ash his cigarra off in a cup Dalon had left sitting on a small intable.

“What got you into fighting?” He asked offhandedly. “You clearly love it.”

@Sreeya

 

[Nash]

Nash looked over just in time to see an almost smile. Her gaze lingered briefly, completely caught off guard by the sight. The dude was cute to begin with, but that smile was something else even if it wasn’t fully formed. Nash quickly looked away and popped another bagel bite into her mouth. She snorted when he said she would have to take him to the pits.

“Yeah I’ll do that when you show me how to slice, Gears,” She said simply. She was entirely oblivious to him finding her question about what he was offensive. Truthfully, Nal hutta always had a wide assortment of races and people bluntly asked what the hell someone was. It was that and the fact that his expression seldom changed so it was impossible to tell when he was offended or just being his usual grump.

Half-Sephi. She wasn’t sure there was ever a Sephi that wasn’t pretty. They appeared to be like Hapan - snobby and beautiful.

“I got into fighting because I got tired of getting pushed around, honestly,” Nash said with a shrug. It was nothing more glorified than that. She was the scrawny little ‘boy’ that took a beating in the spice circles and finally had enough. She lit up her own smoke, leaning back in the couch with her feet propped up on the table as she watched the Holomovie, “So this whole…grump thing,” Nash said with a wave of her hand in a circle to frame him, “Is it a Sephi thing or a Gears thing? You are all long lived vegans, right? Like do you ever get frisky or are you abstinent until the moons and stars tell you to get nasty?” Nash asked this all with a straight face, clearly fascinated and blunt.

@Apollyon

 

[Connor Vance]

Connor shrugged when Nash responded, talking about her taking him to the pits when he taught her to slice. “If I did that, you wouldn’t be down to beat someone’s ass for me.” He teased, his ears twitched in amusement.

Connor took another drag on his smoke while Nash talked, he simply nodded at her explanation of why she fought. It made sense. Lots of dudes learned to scrap for the same reason. But in Connor’s opinion it was better to learn to shoot than it was to punch. Blasters clapped harder than a fist ever could.

After a couple seconds of silence that felt like eternity, Nash thankfully spoke again. Connor glanced in her direction as he took a drag from his cigara. “Hmm?” He questioned lazily at the start of her question.

Was he really a grump? Is that what people thought of him? Damn. That shit sucked.

“I’m not a grump.” He replied grumpily. “I just express things differently than most.” He began, his ears were pinned to the sides of his head. “Like how Twi’leks can express things with headtail twitches.” His ears wiggled a little at that, just to emphasize his point.

Then came the dietary questions. If they had sex. If he had casual sex or specifically for breeding. Connor took a long drag on his smoke before letting it out in a sigh.

“Thumps, I eat mostly veggies, yeah.” He stated calmly. “As for my sex life…” His voice trailed off and a mischievous idea came to life in his head. “Why? You interested in finding out first hand?” He asked cooly.

Connor looked Nash directly in the eyes as he answered that last question. His eyes didn’t trail her body, he didn’t check her out in any way. His expression would be near unreadable, he knew that. He wanted to see if Nash would squirm, blush, or be down. Regardless of how she reacted, he figured it’d be funny or fun.

@Sreeya

 

[Nash]

“I dunno, I like beating people up so I might do it just cuz,” Nash replied with a grin that revealed pointed teeth. As much as she loved the movie, Gears was proving to be far more entertaining than she expected. Instead of mouthing the lines from the movie, she found herself facing slightly towards him. Nash tried not to laugh as he grumpily declared he wasn’t a grump, but her eyes narrowed suddenly, “My headtails don’t say shit,” She said flatly, her lekku subconsciously twitching even as she said it.

Nash was blunt by nature, which meant most of the time she blabbed statements without thinking things through. She had been rattling off ‘academic’ factoids about Sephi without even realizing how it could come across. At his question, she couldn’t even tell if he was joking or annoyed. Her impulsive mind did register him as attractive, however.

“Hand or mouth, take your pick,” Nash blurted out in response before she could stop herself, blowing a smoke ring his way. What the fuck, Nash? She was reminded of her verbal diarrhea back on Zeltros. She could spit lines all day and night even if she was internally nervous. It was the same compulsion that made her drop that horrific line on Karys of all people. Mortifying.

“I’m gonna..make more snack bites,” Nash stammered a moment later, clearing her throat to walk off to do just that. No way could she let him see her face that was rapidly turning purple. What an ass, HE SET HER UP. Nash kicked herself for her inability to filter her thoughts. She hoped Gears would focus intently on Lee Bruce and his epic punches instead of her.

@Apollyon