Ask Crossed Paths Amidst Crossed Blades

[Lissa Blackhand]

The Beauteous Bog​

The Moons of Bogden​

Inner Rim​

1542 Hours​

The near-collapse of the various guilds that kept order and stability along the Hydian Way was a horrible thing, people were being preyed upon in larger numbers than ever before now and pirates ran free without consequence. As much as it made Lissa feel dirty to say though, it was good for business, more pirates and crime on the Way meant more bounties to pick up and more credits to be reaped from the ashes of the super hyperlane...by the Force that sounded like a kid trying to play power levels, my super laser breaks through your impenetrable rayshield and such, but she digressed. Her particular target right now, for instance, Berliand Cog, a Quarren with a mean streak who pissed off the wrong freighter captain after robbing his one-of-a-kind Doonium shipment and 'accidentally' destroying his daughter's personal droid, a chittery little BD Unit.

She entered the waystation quiet as you like, the door sliding open and her slim form simply walking in without a word, black trench coat billowing in the cosmic winds. Everyone was just going about their usual business, no reason to attract any more attention than needed, she didn't want to spook her target. He had rented a room in the hotel so it was simply a matter of getting up there and waiting for him to return. Thankfully for her, the receptionist kept spare keys for each room so she swiped his number as soon as someone 'carelessly' knocked over one of the plants adorning the front doors.

She was nice and comfortable sitting in the dark when he finally returned to his room, Lissa flicking a switch and revealing herself as soon as he was all the way in.
"Hey Berliand, I'm Lissa, nice to meet you," She said warmly, with her blaster ready to show him just how warm she could be with him. Something shifted in the dark as he turned to face her though, the glint of another blaster, but not one he was holding. She was on her feet at once, aiming over the mark's shoulder. "Who's there!?"

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

"Mr. Eabrod."

"S'me. What's goin' on?"

"Tagged a bounty for ya'. One of our fellow boys down in Elrood, captain Yuvet's request."

"Doonium production, right?"

"Mhm. Flesh-stached bastard by the name'a Berliand Cog jumped 'im in the Bormea Sector. Yuvet's kid has a droid, fancied 'imself a hero. Crushed it under 'is foot. Wants the shipment, 'n the bastard plugged for the trouble."

"Pay's good?"

"As always."

"Done."

---

The Beauteous Bog, for it's convenience as a rest-stop had quite relaxed employment opportunities due to the smaller population. If a Spacer were stripped for cash, they would not have too much trouble working in service for the hotel while their ship is repaired, refuelled or otherwise docked until they were ready to hit the lanes once more. One of their most recent employees was a younger Zabrak male, all too happy to put his hands to work in the Janitorial sector.

At least, until his mark had played his hand. Berliand had spent much of his time aboard his ship during his stay, only now having to leave due to needing to scrub out the life support systems. And a freshly prepared room was ready to go for him the second he was.

A bit too eager? Maybe. But he took the bait.

And unfortunately for him, so did somebody else.

As the light above flickered to life to reveal the lavender-haired woman, it would reveal another figure. Clad in dark blue overalls and a white shirt, a similarly coloured hat sitting over his head. His belt had a number of cleaning supplies, spray bottles and even a hooked Hydrospanner.

But her keen eyes were quick to spot the shape of a blaster pistol within one of the pouches.

Kotru would respond to her greeting with a nod, raising an open palm in response to Lissa's ominous aim. "Just room service, ma'am. Y'seem like a sort that know each other well, feel free to ignore me. Won't be 'round long." He replied, slowly moving out from behind him. The Zabrak's hand never once moved to his blaster, only to the other side of the captain as he moved out from behind their mutual mark.

Which is when Lissa might notice a bolt affixed to the door's controls, preventing its function while the Iridonian slowly and purposefully moved between the pair to slip the flower into a vase. Her emerald eyes might catch the man's sapphire orb send a brief wink her way while his face is turned, slowly stepping back.

"C'mon, now. Shouldn't you sit with your business partner?"

@Lissa Blackhand

 

[Lissa Blackhand]

It took a hot minute for Lissa to recognize the half-Zabrak standing behind her mark, all done up in Janitor's garb and casually sitting this out as if it were a marital spat. That complicated things, to be sure, but all things considered, this job would probably still be a profitable one, just not as profitable she envisioned. She winked back at Kotru with a smile before standing and dragging her chair over to the bed where Berliand was sitting. He seemed calm, that wasn't normally a good thing.
"So, wanna guess why I'm here Berli-boy?" She asked, earning a scoff in response. "Yes, I know why you're here and I'll tell you now hunter, your time is wasted on me," He spat back, his face tentacle things practically sputtering at her. "That Doonium is the only reason I'm alive right now, so the way I see it, I hold the winning hand here..."

Well, he had a point. They couldn't kill him because he knew where the shipment was, and him alone wasn't enough, and he didn't seem the type who would give out to torture, though that seemed like the only option available. "You know a person can go through a whole age's worth of suffering before they die, death tends to seem like a release by then." Once again, he scoffed, waving her threats away like a bad smell. "Torture is nothing next to an eternity of oblivion friend...hurt me all you like, I'm saying nothing unless I go free." Lissa couldn't help but glance at Kotru, silently pleading for him to lend a helping hand.

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

The wink was recognized by Kotru, the only recognition being a curl in his pale lips. She could just make out the whites of the Iridonian's sharp teeth as he stood upright to resume a neutral expression as she moved closer to sit before the Quarren who adjusted his seated position in the bed. His deep coloured eyes narrowed towards Kotru and Lissa both, only for the former to start approaching the door.

During which he looked down to his wrist, smirking. "Ah, well whaddaya know. Lunch time for ol' Glythe." The Iridonian hummed to himself quietly, reaching to one of his pockets and draw a small cardboard box. The lid is flipped, a cigarra being drawn between the Zabrak's fingers as he returned the box to his pocket.

"Huh... must'a forgot my lighter." 'Glythe' mused aloud, looking up to Berliand as he moved closer. "The hell're you-" A quick pat down was given, the Quarren trying to protest only to be reminded about his roommate's silent threat with a quiet "Careful." from the Zabrak.

He retrieved both the lighter he coveted, as well as the man's datapad. "Hey! Give that-"

"Sorry, brother. 'M on break. Need some entertainment. Ain't seekin' no work." Kotru replied bluntly, planting himself on the chair and folding one leg over the other. "Oh, 'n some dirt on ya'. We do need ya' alive, 'n ya' can heal. But y'know what can't heal? Assets." He continued to speak with his loose and blunt tone. He flicked the lighter a few times, lighting up the smoke and planting it between his lips.

"Karkana scat.." The Quarren grumbled, glaring daggers at Kotru.

An exhale cast the Zabrak's head in smoke, concealing much of his work as he browsed through Berliand's contacts and previous work. He didn't comment however, letting tension and suspense hang on the air to dig itself into the Quarren's mind. After all, who knows what he might find...?

A short motion with his free hand gave Lissa more than enough to continue. He had fed the man's paranoia, all she needed to do was keep playing the bad cop.

@Panda Hermit 98

 

[Lissa Blackhand]

She felt herself breathe out a little as Kotru took up the Quarren's attention, freeing her up for a moment to think. He thought he had all the cards, they couldn't kill him because he knew where the Doonium was and torturing him wouldn't yield reliable information either, not to mention it running the risk of being too much for him - Lissa also didn't like torture if she could help it. If she were ruthless and heartless, if she were Boba or Vader, what would they do...? Maybe the answer didn't lie in physical pressure, but emotional and mental pressure. Just because she wasn't heartless didn't mean she couldn't act the part.

She halted her train of thought for a moment as Berliand decided to insult Kotru, her cybernetic arm snapping out and breaking the bantha fodder's flappy nose-thing with a single jab, sending him onto his back. She waited for a moment so he could recover from launching another torrent of bad language before clearing her throat.
"You'll find I put up with a lot Berliand, but one thing I don't abide is bad kriffing manners," She hissed, balling her prosthetic into a fist again. "We need you alive, not intact, and I'm a hair-length away from breaking you in half and demonstrating the Tattooine Thirst-Quencher on you, remember that." That seemed to flip something in the Quarren's eyes, she could see them start to flick back and forth between herself and Kotru like he was weighing who he'd prefer to talk to.

"Now where was I? Oh yeah, like my friend here said, you might heal, but your assets won't. If that fails..." She let the implication hang in the air for a moment, forcing a small smirk as she shrugged. ]"Well, I'm willing to bet you have plenty of assets closer to your heart that losing would make living by itself seem worse than anything I can do to you..." She finished speaking as the Quarren's gaze snapped back to her, their eyes gazing past each other and peering into those forbidden depths of their hearts. Seconds felt like minutes as he contemplated his choice, but eventually he lowered his head in defeat.
"Damn you...you're some piece of work hunter, how do you sleep at night?" He muttered, prompting her to raise an eyebrow. "Says the man that decided to scar a child for life by crushing their best friend in front of them."

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

"On a pretty comfy pillow. You'd be surprised how much the heads of Bukk-Huffer's like you can buy." Kotru replied to the Quarren's curse, barely even reacting when he heard the impact of synthetic knuckles upon the man's jaw. He had been both the good cop and bad cop many times, and while he had zero cybernetics of his own he could respect the strength that they carried.

Fear, maybe. Especially when he looked up and noticed the thin rivers of crimson that had begun to flow down the man's chin. "Eugh! Y'broke me karkin' nose!" The Quarren let out a series of native curses, quick to slow down after the sound of Lissa's cybernetics whining back into a fist brought his voice to a murmur.

"Thank you, Blackhand." He nodded his head thankfully, plucking the cigarra from his lips to speak. Each word was punctuated with a small exhale, billowing smoke alongside the Zabrak's spiteful words that came after.

"Now. I happen to know that captain who you robbed. Their kid is a good one, sure as hell didn't deserve what you did. Now. Here is what is going to happen." He would begin, taking one more puff from the Cigarra to let its end flare with an orange glow.

A glow that was swiftly extinguished as it was pressed down onto the man's cheek, eliciting a grunt of pain. The groan was complimented with a balled fist of his own, only for the Iridonian to rest a knee on the man's wrist and lean closer. "Details. Spill. Or your chits'll be spillin' next. And I will be sleeping on a very comfy pillow tonight."

Kotru held the gaze for a moment, piercing cerulean orbs narrowing upon the dark depths of Berliand for almost a full minute until he breaks with a sigh. "Alright! alright! Do you Zabrak even blink?"

Plucking the now cold cigarra from his cheek, Kotru answered the question with a short blink. Enough for the man to try and tug his wrist free and to be answered with a slap across the tentacled face. "Didn't spill yet. Don't get to be tricky. Now. Talk."

"I haven't had the chance to sell yet. The crates are on my ship. I had a buyer arranged, but... Something tells me you're not willing to split."

"Pfft. You're lucky I don't plug you for tryin' to screw over my old workmates. Get up 'n walk."

There is a brief gaze as Kotru turned his head, looking to Lissa to confirm their plan as he pushes off of Berliand to stand up on his feet.

@Panda Hermit 98

 

[Lissa Blackhand]

Though she hadn't really worked with him for that long, Lissa had only ever seen the lighter friendlier side of Kotru and figured that was just the way he was naturally. Seeing that same attitude toned down slightly and given a little more subtlety? Lissa had to admit, he came off in a really sinister way, and it was kinda cool too. She nodded toward him as he got to his feet, following suit and leveling her blaster at Berliand.
"Move," She said, gesturing to the front door. Berliand, to his credit, took it on the chin, wiping away the blood and standing tall before moving toward the door, Lissa wrapping an arm around his before hiding her blaster in the small of his back as a reminder.

Of course...things rarely went to plan.

As they moved into the hallway, Lissa heard something that made her hair stand on end. It sounded like a little pinging noises, like a blade scraping against metal or a...a pin of a grenade. She looked down and had but a split second to react as she saw the Flashbang hit the ground, but it was too late. The world around her flashed and became an oasis of white and deafening ringing, with her feeling her body fall back trying to recover. Though she was somewhat preoccupied trying to recover her faculties, she found herself hoping that Kotru had somehow managed to avoid that.

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

"Yeah, yeah." Berliand plucked himself from the bed and stood, willingly letting himself be led out the door. Unbeknownst to his captors, the device that 'Glythe' had been inspecting had a little failsafe in the form of an emergency transmitter, which had alerted a member of his crew to his plight at his comments.

A crewmate that had stolen a page right out of the Zabrak's book, slipping a flash-bomb into the frame of the door with a small string.

There was a hum as the door slid, the frame shuddering just enough for the Iridonian leaving to notice the orb drop down just at the edge of his peripheral vision. Too quick to do anything about it and caught with his metaphorical pants down, Kotru made a grasp for Berliand's shirt and yelled out.

"Flasher!"

While he was able to mitigate much of the flash with a turned gaze and squinted eyes, he could not mitigate the deafening scream of the bomb.

Nor the summary punch to the jaw from the Quarren which had sent the man staggering against the other side of the hall. With the hold broken, Berliand made a break for it down The Beauteous Bogs walkways. One hand reaching to his coveralls and the other for his belt, Kotru sent the flat end of his tape measurer gliding across the floor to try and trip the man up.

"C'mon, Blackhand! Need y'wit' us!"

@Panda Hermit 98