Ask [G'wenee] Two Bounties, One Stone

[Hauron Solus]

Hauron had a good vantage point in the sky. But he dropped onto one roof top shifting to a balcony and then going airborne again. Remaining mobile, the gangsters found it hard to get a bead on the badger as the Rally Master cut them down with non-lethal albeit brutal methods.

"Let's give them a warm welcome." Normally he was not one to banter but the Kryze brought it out of him. The Group Leader of Rancor Squadron had accomplished some wild maneuvers before but he conjured up one in the heat of the moment that was downright ludicrous. He quickly holstered his left handed pistol with the emitter still smoking from repeated use. The Mandalorian was glad for the quality holster and his armor's protection or else his hip would be burning from the heat.

The weapon was replaced by the badger's trusty grapple gun and aimed it at the lead biker as they rapidly approached. The grapple launched from the tool and led a cord of spiralling cable connecting it to the launcher. The Solus aim was close, but not perfect and locked with the bike itself instead of its rider.

Just then he saw Jace take a bolt and begin going down. The next moment Hauron was being pulled like a wake-boarder behind hooting and hollering gangsters. They fired blaster pistols from their seats and continued to circle around the warehouse trying to shake the Mandalorian hitchhiker.

The only thing saving him from getting struck with a bolt was the eratic movement barely keeping him from hitting something hard. An advertisement drone the size of a gravball was flying through just in time to smack against the helmet of the Solus "oof" But Hauron still had enough wits to rotate his body and run along the wall of a building and push off with the assistance of his jetpack. The Solus was not able to see where the Kryze had fallen but he had his own problems to deal with.

@Sreeya

mild fail: 24/100

 

[Jace Kryze]

Jace was in a world of hurt. He applied a stim shot and called it day, dulling the pain and starting the healing process. There was no time to nurse his wounds when there was a gang to clobber. The Kryze stepped out of the window and activated his jetpack, glancing down below to catch Hauron dragged along comically at the end of a bike.

Jace had the element of surprise briefly as he zoomed down in front of the swoop, leveling and firing his blasters at the drivers. This proved effective as the stunned men collapsed and the speeder veered off to the side and flipped, likely launching Hauron into the air. Jace just barely avoided being walloped by Hauron’s body, ducking under as he flew overhead. The swoop came to a skidding stop as it crashed into an alley wall.

There was no time to fiddle with the grapple, so Jace drew out a fusioncutter and sliced through the cord. This was right as both Deucs and Wamps ran towards them on foot to pepper them with bolts. Jace grasped a hold of Hauron and yanked him down to crouch with him behind the overturned swoop. He was injured and had to punch in a new powerpack.

“I haven’t seen the fucking bounties yet,” Jace growled while they had temporary cover. He used his foot to stomp against one of the rearview mirrors on the swoop bike, angling it to give them the reflection of the movement happening behind the speeder.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Hauron was being dragged behind the swoop, his jetpack's thrust fighting against the pull from the bike he had anchored to. From his peripheral vision he spotted Jace coming in and dropping down to shoot the drivers off their bikes. The Solus tried to shoot while haphazardly flying behind the bikers. But the blue circles went skyward and missed the mobile gangsters. Jace was far more successful.

"Whoa!" He was yanked down with the weight of the swoop bike succumbing to gravity. He cut his jetpack and rolled safely, recovering quickyl and coming to his feet. With Jace's help Hauron was untangled from the mess of high tensile strength cable. Before his armor took a blaster bolt the Kryze pushed him into cover behind the fallen speeder. Hauron grunted in protest but was thankful for the save.

"What are you talking about, they're all bounties." They were getting five thousand credits for each gang member they were taking alive. "You mean the bosses?" He asked for clarification as he sent stun bolts over the side of the makeshift cover and into the chests of more approaching gangsters. It served to help cover Jace as he reloaded and slow the approach of any attackers while they took a breather.

Walls from the hideout began to collapse. Bursting out of the garage, not even waiting for the door to fully open, came a boxy armored airspeeder. The thrum of its engines was louder than any of the other civilian speeders that were quick to fly clear of the area. "Think I found 'em!" He assumed they were inside the most defensible and mobile vehicle present. It's where Hauron would be.

Thunk-thunk, thunk-thunk!​

Hauron knew what type of vehicle it was and what the sound meant. It was firing its two grenade launchers and they had only a second to react before grenades exploded all around them. "Move!" He yelled and once again took to the sky. Shrapnel from a grenade grazed his leg, leaving a shallow laceration but penetrating his bodyglove. The Mikkian did not have time to deal with the relatively trivial wound.

The Mandalorian knew he no longer had his grapple pistol, its cable was cut. So the badger would improvise. The confining urban environment prevented the armored airspeeder from moving quickly and Hauron was far more manueverable. The airspeeder continued to climb, trying to remain clear of the fast approaching and far smaller foe.

Holstering his blaster, the Group Leader of Rancor Squadron replaced the weapon with his fusion cutter and landed on the roof of the airspeeder. He got to work as the vehicle climbed, now searching for the other Mandalorian since Hauron was no longer in sight. In a few seconds, the badger would be triggering the doors to open and entering the speeder whether the gangsters inside liked it or not.

@Sreeya

 

[Jace Kryze]

“Oh,” Jace mused simply, clearly having only read the part about the bosses having bounties. He gave a shrug, “Well, they’re technically not dead,” He said nonchalantly. Alive was alive - it didn’t matter the condition.

Jace was once again reminded of how much he despised fighting in tight, urban settings. He reacted when Hauron gave the warning to move, shooting right up into the sky. He caught a glance at the airspeeder, wondering what hairbrained idea the Solus had now. Jace barely managed to zoom out of the way of the speeder trying to barrel right into them.

As Hauron opened the doors, he would be greeted by the sight of a blaster barrel that open fired directly into his helmeted face. Unlike the Mandalorians, these men had no qualms with trying to kill their attackers. Jace’s injury slowed him down slightly and he winced as he maneuvered in the air, keeping his focus on the gang members on the ground to stun them.

Unfortunately, the airspeeder firing freely all over the place managed to land one of their hits in a highly combustible chemical building. The explosion was massive and debris shot through the air, colliding with the Mandalorians and slamming into them. Hauron would be taken clear off and the airspeeder was slammed into an opposite building, exploding into a fireball and taking with it the swoop gang leader bounties.

Jace was trapped on the ground somewhere under a pile of debris, wondering if any of their targets were still alive…


general situation roll: nat 1

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

The badger clung to the exterior of the airspeeder, coming to its side door as it opened. But he had brought a fusion cutter to a blaster fight. The blaster in the hands of the gangster leader fired and struck the Rally Master's helmeted crown, denting it and sending its wearer reeling back.

Hauron's grasp lost hold of the slippery smooth exterior of the airspeeder and he fell from the vehicle. It perhaps also saved him from the following series of explosions that took the armored transport out of the sky. It was just bad luck for the gang leaders too. More of the shrapnel pinged off of the Mikkians armor mid-freefall and he prayed none of it had damaged his jetpack.

With a hand free, the Solus tapped their wrist controls and rapid-cycled the thrusters to re-engage, saving him from hitting the ground at the last second. It felt like his heart was in his head and his stomach was in his feet. But that was just a normal day for a shock trooper grade warrior like Hauron.

Keeping low to the ground he dodge falling debris, purely focusing on avoiding the environmental damage around him. His shoulder slammed into a panicked swooper and he felt a pop. Hauron spun and his jetpack stuttered as he rolled onto the ground once again. He tried to push himself up but his left arm did not feel right. It had been dislocated from the impact. "Kark" He grumbled and looked for a surface to use in order to push the limb back into place. He tapped a few more controls on the limp arm gauntlet with a wince as he stumbled towards a horizontal piece of rubble. He did not see Jace anywhere.

With a popping followed by a stiffled groan of pain, the mandalorian fixed his left arm. Hauron looked around, his visor moved up and down for any sign of the fellow bounty hunter but he was nowhere to be found. He was about to start shouting his name when a trio of gangsters on foot, some of the last few in the area it would seem, fired from cover. The badger swore again and dropped to his knees to duck into a safe position. He was starting to get worried, not for himself but for the Kryze's well being. He tended to think about others' safety over his own especially when they were mandalorian.

@Sreeya
Roll: moderate fail 23/100

 

[Jace Kryze]

Jace coughed and sputtered, buried and stuck. There was a temporary moment of silence and Jace used that to his advantage. He inhaled and bellowed.

“BOBA!!”

He hoped Hauron would hear him and yell back “FETT!”. The back and forth shouting would continue until Hauron finally pinpointed his location. Jace would need the other Mandalorian’s help in digging himself out. After a bit of effort, the Kryze rolled out into the open. His entire body was sore and the rifle wound from earlier felt even worse.

Jace took off his helmet, his emerald locks a mess. He spat a glob of blood on the ground. Instead of lamenting how bad everything went, he flashed Hauron a grin, “They’re not all dead,” He said with a smirk as he practically limped past him towards the groaning and half dead gang members on the ground. There were limbs missing, some had terrible wounds, but they were alive. There were ten of them.

“5 and 5 split?” Jace asked Hauron. It was a solid haul. With the gang leaders dead, they didn’t have to worry about immediate repercussions for now. Jace needed to get some serious medical attention after this and Hauron didn’t look much better.

how many gang members alive: 10/20

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Hauron pulled his helmet off, it was compromised and could be salvaged, repaired even but that would take an armorer. He then took his one and only concussion grenade out before cooking it and finally lobbing it into the air. It arched down and exploded two meters above the ground and behind the gangster's cover. Exposed and deafened, Hauron rose from his cover and finished them off with accurate heavy stun bolts. Each crumpled worse than the Mikkian had when he was drugged.

Panting, the Rally Master looked around at the scene and began to shuffle around the debris. Hearing the muffled yell of a singular word, or rather a name made the T visor whip in its direction. "FETT!" He yelled back. He repeated himself whenever he heard Jace's voice yell the name until he found him.

Bit by bit he safely excavated the area around the Kryze and with the Solus's help was out of immediate harms way. He was panting heavily from the exertion and adrenaline. The weight of moving another fully armored mandalorian while he was injured himself was not as easy as it looked.

There would be police showing up eventually, but not all of them were corrupt. Without the local gang leaders to pay them off, the would probably think twice about trying to detain two bounty hunters that had taken out the most dangerous gangs in the city. Until the athorities arrived Hauron would see to Jace's wounds. The mikkian only knew basic first aid and hoped that applied to the half-twi'lek. "Five and five." The Solus nodded with a grin that mirrored the Kryze's. "If there's anything left in the warehouse, I'll split that with you too, if ...you buy me bubble tea."

Per the rules of the Bounty Hunter's Guild they had rights to rewards such as salvage, land grants and precious goods. That meant the personal weapons and vehicles of the bounties could be split between the two bounty hunters for starters. The warehouse lot that the gang leaders had occupied, as damaged as it was, could be acquired with some assistance. Lastly the contents of the warehouse could count as precious goods. Anything that was not blown up could be divided equally between them.

"Let's get you help first." Even though Hauron's helmet had taken damage he carried a dataphone which he used to call the local emergency medical professionals. The pain was beginning to grow as the excitement died down and the adrenaline receded.

@Sreeya

 

[Jace Kryze]

Jace quirked a brow at Hauron, “The hell is bubble tea?” He blurted out, still slightly dazed from all the damage. He wasn’t sure he ever tried bubble tea, but he was willing to explore. Jace gave the Mikkian a smirk, “All right, it’s a date,” He said with a wink.

And then he unceremoniously toppled backwards. Out cold.

–​

Jace may have grown up Mandalorian, but he wasn’t a Child of the Watch and could freely roam around without his armor. Solus tended to be a mixed bag with many following the old ways. He was curious to see how Hauron rolled for the evening. Jace wanted to try out the Yellow District and he certainly couldn’t do it while dressed like the guy that blew up multiple buildings a few blocks over.

Bacta was a wonderful drug, and a dip in a tank meant he was well on his way to healing. His muscles were sore and his blaster wound was still patching up, but was it really a Mando date if at least one person wasn’t janked up?

Jace never tried bubble tea, but he managed to find a bubble tea shop next to some of the clubs and bars on the strip. He waited outside in civilian attire, smoking from his e-cig. Jace actually took the time to style his hair into place and spritz on some nice cologne.

“Fucking Mandos,” He heard a local grumbling as they walked by looking at the damage.

Jace nodded along as he exhaled smoke, “Right? Those assholes just wreck everything.”

“Tell me about it,” The man growled, shaking his head, “I hear one of them charged right through an apartment. Disgraceful.”

“Yeah,” Jace nodded along, keeping a straight face, “Heard that asshole ruined movie night.”

The man grumbled in agreement before shuffling off. Jace smirked to himself, waiting for the Mikkian to show up. Did Hauron know how to be discreet? Or would his civilian persona be as loud as his iron skin?

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Spoiler: Music

Song

After Hauron had checked out of the hospital ahead of Jace, he returned to his ship. The Mandalorian's damaged plates were stored securely before giving the mikkian plenty of time to think about what he would wear and he took plenty of time. They had a similar line of thinking as their Kryze counterpart and knew that their revelry would be best spent without the damaged armor, not that his bandages would have made it easy anyways.

Eventually Hauron opted for a fitting black suit and shirt. As far as accessories, the badger picked a discreet blurrg blaster pistol and a concealed holster. A pair of matching shockboxing gloves were kept off and in his pockets. He could not walk out into the Yellow District naked.

He looked at himself in the mirror a few times, trying to finesse his tendrils with his hands but they never remained still. They gently waved as if on an immaterial current. It was pointless to try and get them to stay in any sort of position unless he tied them down or wore a helmet. Shrugging at his reflection he left to meet with Jace on his personal bike.

Finding a suitable parking spot, Hauron walked quickly into view of his date. A stranger was talking to them which made the man raise an eyebrow over a red iris. The mercenary moved along the street a few steps closer, subconsciously defaulting on their training to pass unnoticed. But apparently it worked so well that Jace did not notice hi until he was only a few meters away. The conversation with the stranger seemed amusing though perhaps questionable and even a bit mischievous.

He spoke after the stranger left. "What kind of movies you like, Jace?" he asked knowing he was in close proximity. The Solus was not wearing their armor so he would not blame Jace for not fully registering him at a glance. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting."

@Sreeya

 

[Jace Kryze]

Life was completely and utterly different when he didn’t wear his iron skin. It was so bizarre that he took the moments to indulge in it. When he had his beskar’gam on, everyone gave him a wide berth. He could see the trepidation on their faces or people eyeing him with suspicion with good reason. Now that he was dressed as another civilian, he got a friendly wave now and then, people unconcerned by his presence, a few women trying to catch his eye.

He finished up taking his last drag when he spotted Hauron walking over. How could he not spot him? The man looked downright breathtaking with his tendrils flaring out majestically around his head. Perhaps Hauron wanted to tame them, but Jace was caught off guard by how appealing it made him look. And of course the civilian attire fit nicely around his frame and accented his body.

“Damn, you clean up nice,” Jace said with a grin as he put his e-cig away, “Well, in my time waiting I’ve learned that the Mandalorian landscaping efforts across the Yellow District was rated a solid F by the locals,” He said with a playful smirk, opening the door for Hauron to allow them to step inside the shop.

The movie question caught him off guard, “Okay well I dig the nerdy trilogies,” He explained, “If you’re not sitting down to watch Rings of The Lord extended edition marathons, I don’t even know you,” Jace said with a sagely nod, "You?"

He walked over to order their bubble teas, still not grasping the concept. He got a mango one, letting Hauron pick whatever they wanted. Jace grabbed a table near the back corner of the shop, allowing him to keep his back to the wall and have a full view of the entire shop. Some habits die hard.

“All right, out of all your craziest schemes, which one is your favorite?” Jace asked with a grin. Hauron had countless legendary stories, at least two of which involved coming across Darth Raze. He busied himself by taking a sip from the straw and started to cough immediately, “What the fuck did I just swallow!?” He wheezed, completely caught off guard by the sudden bobas at the bottom.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Hauron had been around Jace long enough to pick up on a few of his normal expressions. That was why the mikkian felt his own cheeks grow a little warm as he saw the half-twi'lek stare at him. He could tell Jace meant the compliment which made Hauron grin from ear to ear. "Thanks. You're pretty good looking yourself."

The Solus chuckled at the Kryze's joke. Mandalorians certainly had a reputation for blowing things up and leveling the playing field literally and metaphorically. He went inside the shop after Jace opened the door for him. "Thanks."

The man's smile turned into grin at hearing Jace's answer. "Same! How else do you think I get through long hyperspace jumps. I mean, that's basically how I learned shyriiwook. The voice acting, masterful and hilarious. The Huttese dub was practically a requirement in the Solus household once I got to drinking age." He shook his head and grinned at a few nights plastered onboard a freighter with a few other badgers on a long patrol. The drinks were often garbage but there was little else to do but test one's liver to blow off steam. Jace had been spot on about the Solus when they first met and normally Hauron would have been ready to drink shot after shot.

Arriving at the counter the duo took a moment to scan the menu. Hauron usually got the either the milk tea or the mango but decided he was going to keep up the trend of trying something new. The man came away with a strawberry green tea flavored beverage. Small tapioca pearls swirled in the bottom as he mixed them around with the straw they were each given.

"Hmm." He had to give Jace's question some thought. There were some competeting events in the mikkian's history. As he pondered he took a sip of his bubble tea, and fully expecting what would happen stopped the pearl in his mouth before it went right down his throat. However Jace did not know what to expect and was practically taken out by the pearl. "Ohfuck are you ok?" He placed a hand on his back gently and remembered Jace's words before passing out. "Sorry I should have warned you. That's on me." He grabbed a napkin for Jace to use. "Here. You gotta take it slow. I'll show you." He grabbed his own drink and took a slow pull on the straw. He stopped and chewed the pearls though spoke anyways with a slightly full mouth. "See? You'll get the hang of it." He tried his best to sound encouraging, not wanting Jace's first experience with bubble tea to be a bad one.

@Sreeya

 

[Jace Kryze]

Jace’s ridiculous mishap continued as his face turned a bit red. He finally managed to swallow the tapioca, looking up right in time for Hauron to give a goofy demo of the mush in his mouth. This elicited a laugh from the Kryze, shaking his head, “I’m not used to eating my drink,” Jace said, wiping some tears and trying the drink again. This time, he took a sip without incident, chewing on the pearls, “Damn this is pretty good when it’s not trying to kill me.”

He recalled Hauron’s answer to watching Rings of the Lord, “You know that scene where Garagorn kicks that helmet in frustration? Totally happened for real. The actor actually broke his toe,” Jace revealed excitedly, sipping more of the drink. His own debacle had prevented Hauron from answering his question for now.

“You know, I’ve never seen you just..hanging out,” Jace said, smirking at Hauron, “I thought I was going to have to attack a Sith base as an excuse to take you out,” He flashed a playful wink, “I think I like the helmet off a lot more, though,” He said, genuinely, as his gaze flicked back to the almost vertically suspended tendrils.

“Running Rancor Squadron sounds draining..” Jace mused, “You’re on Holonet half the time.”

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Hauron watched and chuckled knowing now the mishap was not serious. "Yeah it was a bit weird at first too. They have other types of jelly and add ins." Then taking a longer sip, the suited Solus sat back to enjoy the moment. "Maybe we can try some different flavors, next time."

"Oh yeah!" He shouted at the question with enthusiasm, nodding slowly. "-actually broke his toe. Haha yeah!" He smiled and grinned as he finished Jace's sentence with him. "There's also that scene where Garagorn nearly gets hit by that throwing knife from Surtz but he brings his blade up just in time to deflect it. The knife was actually real and meant to miss the actor completely." The trivia was some of the more well known stuff but it was rare to find people with common interests. "Who knew acting was so dangerous?"

He still had not answered Jace's earlier question due to the interruption. "As far as schemes go..." He emphasized the word since it made him sound all the more nefarious which seemed amusing to the mikkian. "...I think my favorite scheme was breaking my Buir out of prison. It happened out in the middle of space, boarded the transport ship and got him out of there. One of the smoothest exfiltrations I've ever done." He took another sip as he thought about the Jedi who had aided him and how well it had worked out. "I don't think we even killed anyone." Everyone had made it home that day and the pride in his voice was clear. It had felt like such an achievement to make a daring boarding action like his ancestors had. And to do it for the sake of family made it all the more meaningful.

"Well I'm glad you didn't and now you also have taken me out." He winked back at Jace for the first time, trying to act cool with a grin like it was no big deal to have a price on his head. But it was nerve wracking and made life a lot more complicated. "It's nice to not have to wear a helmet all the time. It gets cramped sometimes." Hauron agreed and raised a few fingers and gently touched some of the tendrils on the side of his head. They flowed across his hands like ribbons for a few moments before the man grabbed his drink again and took a few sips. "Thank you for the tea, Jace." He added, not wanting to forget his appreciation.

At the Kryze's words he would see the Solus's eyes go unfocused. His mind would return to the warband and his responsabilities as group leader and nodded before tilting his head like there was more to it. "Yeah. It can definitely have it's crappy moments." A sigh escaped his nose but he continued. "Being in front of hundreds of people is one thing. But being in front of thousands or millions, maybe even billions?" Hauron shook his head causing his tendrils to swish slowly. "Nah I'd prefer the holo stars being on the big screen." Talking with people was fine but speeches were another thing. Hauron had heard too many moots and long winded ideals without seing action.

Hauron did not want to talk about himself all day and night. The green haired warrior across from him was giving him a lot of attention. "How's clan Kryze these days? If the rest of your clan are like you then the I'm sure I'll have more competition to go up against in the days to come." He also hoped that meant they would get to see each other. Even if things did not work out in the long run between the two of them, Hauron liked Jace and wanted to at least be friends with him.

@Sreeya

 

[Jace Kryze]

“What?” Jace asked, actually surprised, “I hadn’t heard about the Surtz one..” He mused, thinking back to that scene. He had to grin as Hauron told the story of breaking Kotii out. Chaos and mayhem ran in the family, so he wasn’t surprised there had to be a breakout story. Jace suspected that he would have to do the same for Hauron at some point. He tried to ignore the fact that if the Mikkian had a bounty on him, Jace likely would have dragged him right to the BHG. Would he do the same now?

He watched Hauron toy with some of his tendrils, eyeing them curiously. What did they feel like? Jace had a feeling they were likely highly sensitive like lekku. He never met his mother, but perhaps she would have given him far more insight into his twi’lek heritage. Other than the green, he didn’t think he inherited any other unique traits.

“What, you’re done with me already?” Jace quipped with a grin when Hauron thanked him for the tea. The district was full of life, and this time of night meant it was bustling with activity.

“We’re still kicking..” Jace mused aloud about his clan as he almost finished his drink, “Honestly, we seem pretty directionless since Nox Solus disappeared,” He grimaced a bit at that. Their track record for poor leadership continued, “Just the same elders bickering and pontificating instead of making any decisions.”

Jace finished up his drink at last, taking the time to tear off the top of the container and shake the pearls into his mouth to finish them off. He looked over at Hauron, “So, is it past your curfew or do you feel like picking where to go next?” Jace asked with a teasing grin. He wondered if this was the longest Hauron had gone without a helmet.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

"Hardly." Hauron quipped back with his own grin. But he would not expand upon the subject further, realizing in the moment he had a bit of leverage for later. He knew it was important to not be overly eager and keep a bit of mystery. The mandalorian wanted to pace himself and not rush into things considering he had never dated man before. So far he was doing his best to keep it together and not seem like a total manic mando.

"That's gotta be frustrating." Hauron remarked on the subject of Jace's clan. "You ever think about branching out, doing more than Guild work?" The Solus was building up to try and offer the Kryze his help if he was open to it. But first he wanted to gauge what direction he wanted to go and his ambition. The hirearchy of House Solus had been thrown into disarray since Nox and Kotii lead their sides of the schism. Hauron was a bit envious of Jace for having a relatively united House.

Hauron finished drinking his tea though there were a few tapioca pearls in the bottom and some ice cubes. Both of the remnants were kept in the cup and gently shaken occasionally until Hauron finished his portion. "I'm not acclimated to the local time yet so it's still..." He did the math in his head quickly, one eye squinting while the other seemed to look towards the center of his own forehead. His nose scrunched up as he concentrated on the rapid calculation for the planetary cycle. "...early afternoon and I don't mind day drinking. Do you have any suggestions? You been here right?" He tossed the empty beverage container in a recycling bin. The man had basically woken up after exiting hyperspace and started his day by getting drugged in the local cantina. The bubble tea counted as the mikkian's lunch.

@Sreeya

 

[Jace Kryze]

Jace was still trying to get a read on Hauron. Normally when he took men or women out, they usually made it clear what they wanted and gave signals to read. The Mikkian remained a slight mystery and Jace couldn’t quite place where he stood. He decided he would test things out a bit more before making a final call, knowing at least on his end he desired the man.

“Hardly longer than you,” He said with a grin, “But there are some lounges along the strip and we’re dressed for it,” Jace said with a wink as he rose to lead the way.

The lounge was an abstract of neon, purples, blues, greens and a kaleidoscope of colors. The music was downtempo, but with a steady rhythm. There were several patrons already dancing in a gentle sway, the entire energy chill. It was more lowkey than Jace’s usual, but with his injuries, he wasn’t sure he could really move much if dancing was on the table.

Jace approached the bar and ordered them drinks. This time, however, when Hauron got his, the Kryze took it from his hand and took the first sip. He paused for a moment, “All right, it’s good to go,” He chuckled before handing the drink back to Hauron. After the Mikkian’s disastrous first drink experience from before, it was a subtle gesture to test it first for him.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

Lounges, he wondered what kind but was excited to leave it a mystery and said nothing. The open night air on the street blew through his head tendrils and a smile never seemed to leave the corner of Hauron's mouth. His eyes moved from dancing lights to outlandish signs to take in the sights of the Yellow District. He fed off the merriment and joy the strangers around him shared as he passed. It did not matter that he was a Mandalorian, a mikkian, a guy, he was just a person enjoying his free time with someone he liked.

Eventually they came to a lounge with beautiful deep colors and a downtempo tune. The mikkian's head tendrils began to seemingly flow with the rhythm of the song. Arriving at the bar Hauron ordered an red dwarf since it had mandallian narcolethe in it. The cocktail was an old mandalorian favorite and could get even a wookiee plastered if the bartender did not skimp on the liquor.

When Jace took his drink Hauron did not stop him but just gave him an amused and equally curious look. It took him a second to realize what the Kryze had done and his expression softened as a look of registration came over the Solus. "Oh um..." He swallowed nervously. "...thanks, Jace." He felt his heart beating against his ribcage. Hauron was convinced for a moment that Jace saw how nervous he was. The man had just tasted his drink to protect the same thing from happening again. The Kryze might not realize how much that meant to the Solus. If the same thing had happened or worse than it would have been Jace affected. Hauron did not know what he would do if someone else was hurt, or worse, on his behalf.

Hauron looked at Jace, his eyes dropping to the half-twi'leks lips before remembering he was not wearing his helmet and returned his gaze to his eyes. The badger took a long sip from his drink reducing the volume of his cocktail by one third as he drank nervously. After he stopped he let out an exhale that tasted like the beverage.

"Do you um...want to dance?" The two of them were injured but his eyes drifted towards the dance floor. The mandalorian was not much of a dancer but he looked back at his date to see how he was feeling. "I'm not very good, fair warning." Aside from a few random opportunities on a drunken night in a generic cantina he had only danced a handful of times. That was not counting the traditional war dances mandalorians practiced. There were a few others around the lounge, but the two of them had plenty of space and their pick of seating if they wanted to find a quiet place to talk.

@Sreeya

 

[Jace Kryze]

Jace had to bite back a smile when he saw Haron get visibly flustered. This was the man that survived Raze twice, and such a simple gesture had him nervous. Jace found himself staring at the Mikkian for far longer than was necessary before catching himself. He didn’t miss Hauron’s gaze briefly flick down to his lips, a rush coursing through him that he curbed. Jace was normally the overly flirty and suggestive type, so he wasn’t sure what was going on here. Something about Hauron’s almost timid nature made him irresistible, mainly because it was such a contrast to how downright intimidating he was in combat.

Jace’s demeanor remained relaxed as he sipped from his own drink, another version of mead. Hauron would pick up that the Kryze was obsessed with different variations and types of meads. The sweet taste lingered in his mouth, followed by the burn of alcohol down his throat.

When Hauron suggested dancing, Jace grinned, “Thought you’d never ask,” He said as he downed the rest of his drink.

Without waiting, he grasped Hauron by the hand and tugged him towards the dancefloor. The lights were low, the vibe was chill, and the music was that same lower tempo beat. And yet, it worked. Jace faced Hauron, reaching out to hook a finger into one of Hauron’s beltloops to tug him closer. He smiled at the other man, starting to move with the music, “You don’t have to be good at it,” Jace said quietly, “You just have to move with me,” He said as he let one of his hands place along Hauron’s hip to see how he felt about it. Jace could tell this was new territory for the Mikkian and he would let him lead.

@Darasuum

 

[Hauron Solus]

The drink choice did not go without notice from Hauron. The mikkian kept this in mind for later, adding it to his list of Jace likes and dislikes. Mead was one of Hauron's own preferences normally but it would probably be a few more days before he would taste it again without feeling off.

Hearing Jace's response and seeing him down his drink Hauron knew he too had to keep up. The straw helped as he sucked down his own libation with haste. The sound of the glass containing nothing but ice quickly followed. Hauron put the cup down as they walked towards the dance floor.

Everything about Jace seemed so calm and relaxed. The man appeared to always know where to go, what to order and how to dance even when it was something new and never explored. Hauron hesitated for a moment but drew closer from Jace's pull. He took a deep breath and gulped, collecting himself and focusing on the moment.

Jace's words reassured Hauron which caused him to smile and relax. The stiffness in his movements began to evaporate as the alcohol also began to work on his inhibitions. He bit his lip slightly as his eyes looked Jace up and down. He could smell the soap the kryze used and the mead on his breath. He could even smell the faint scent of the bubblegum e-cig Jace had smoked. None of it repelled the badger but framed the moment forever in Hauron's memory.

Hauron moved closer to Jace, matching the tempo of the music and flowing with the melody. The mikkian found his red irises locking with the half-twi'leks emerald gaze. His hands moved to Jace's waist, sliding around his torso and careful to not touch any of the injuries. Closer and closer he maneuvered himself to the Kryze over the course of the song and careful to not step on his toes. Once again his eye flicked to Jace's lips but this time they lingered before meeting his eyes again. His eyes dropped to Jace's lips for one last time before he wordlessly leaned forward while pulling the mandalorian towards him for a kiss.

@Sreeya

 

[Jace Kryze]

Jace could tell that Hauron was far out of his element, so he kept things slow. Hauron would realize that the Kryze kept his focus only on him, not even bothering to glance at anyone else dancing or about running into them. The crimson hues of Hauron’s eyes kept him anchored, and he found a rhythm moving with him to the music. Jace watched the Mikkian bite his lip, the simple gesture almost making him forget to go slow. He smiled instead, leaning in closer as Hauron snaked his arms around his torso.

They kept swaying together to the music, the lighting low and just perfect to highlight Hauron’s intricate white and blue striped skin. His head tendrils appeared to almost glow of their own accord, gently floating and curling with every movement. Jace didn’t focus on that for now, his gaze meeting the Mikkian’s as the latter finally closed that last bit of distance. The action surprised him, but it implied Hauron was working past his own hurdles.

Jace leaned into the kiss, acting on something he wanted to do for a while. It was everything he desired and more, their bodies pressing together as the men locked lips. He forgot about the dance floor or the destruction they left behind just a few blocks away. The music melted away to a vague, abstract noise in the background. Jace tasted the alcohol, felt that passion, leaned into the almost nervous demeanor from Hauron. It felt like even Jace was kissing for the first time and it sent entirely unique emotions surging through him.

At one point, one of his hands came up to lightly caress the side of Hauron’s jaw and gently passed his ear towards the tendrils. His fingers very lightly brushed against them while he kissed the other man. Jace drew back after a moment, smiling at Hauron as he held him close, “I feel like I’m making you more nervous than any Jedi or Sith,” He murmured softly before leaning in for another kiss. It was addicting, and he didn’t want to stop, but he would let Hauron set the pace. He drew back again and pulled the Mikkian into a tight embrace, just taking a moment to hold him and sway to the music.

@Darasuum