Ask Just a Little Bit

[Darth Tiamat]

Lyra was weightless for only a second when she bit cold the duracrete without a hint of grace. Moments earlier she had been arguing with the pilot about the terms of their agreement. She mentally kicked herself for paying all up-front, now he did not care if she got to where she wanted to be.

"Your stop is here kid!" grunted the squid-faced pilot from the ramp.

"You stupid sonova-!" Lyra had jumped back to her feet, nose bloodied and now a blaster pointed at her, "We had a deal!" she shouted with disdain and folded her arms in the best defiance she could muster without losing her life over it. His copilot walked out onto the ramp and threw out her bag, making sure to throw it behind the red-headed human to deter her from coming back onboard when they turned their backs. She stood her ground for a second longer before stomping over to her back. The ramp retracted and the ship was soon accelerating into the atmosphere, leaving one less passenger behind. Lyra through her bag down in frustration before scooping it back up dramatically.

She headed into the port city with a sleeve to her nose to make it stop bleeding. She was still no where the core and she had given up most of the credits she had to get her ride to there. Now she was here...wherever here was.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc only really ventured around near the core when he was doing spice runs. He didn’t have any Syndicate tattoos, and he was invaluable to the Hutts in shipping their black market goods and drugs into the Core system. He was using a retired FWA ship that still passed the Core world checks, and he kept a generally low profile.

He had stopped here to refuel before getting on his way. Emryc decided to venture into the port city to take a break from the job for now. He was getting progressively annoyed at a grouchy old woman that mistook him for her long, lost grandson. She was lecturing him about not answering her calls or sending messages. And why did he go and get himself those silly pointy ears?

Emryc’s jaw twitched and he looked around, wondering if he could get away with a swift murder. He was about to do just that when the lady dramatically flailed her arms to make a point, sending her purse flying in tow to thwack an incoming girl right in the face. Said girl was busy trying to staunch the bleeding from her nose to properly see where she was going and likely walked directly into the old lady’s assault.

“AND NOW WHO IS THIS?” The woman shrilly screamed, glaring at the red head.

 

[Darth Tiamat]

The throb was starting to subside as the bleeding slowed and Lyra finally felt some relief that lasted for exact a quarter of a second when her face took on an additional assault. Quite certain it was a brick, Lyra let out a yell of utter annoyance and agony of her ill-fortune today. "WHAT THE KRIFF YOU OLD HAG!" she shouted back at the old woman who now was questioning her about her presence and eavesdropping on her conversation with her grandson.

Her eyes continued to water and it blurred her vision. The throb returned and she just wanted the old woman to stop shouting at her. Lyra could just barely make out a dark-haired figure who must had been the grandson when the old woman began to swing her bag at Lyra again for the insult and now at Emryc for ignoring her calls, alternating between the two.

Holding one arm her face to stop the bleeding again, the girl took out her blaster and shot a bolt into the duracrete in front of her. It was enough of a scare that made the old woman pause and waddle back, calling out for help from two murderers.

"Kriff..." she cursed and looked at the dark hair figure, "Tell her to stop!" she demanded the supposed grandson.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc watched it all play out as if it were a movie. He calmly blinked as the redhead drew out a blaster and shot into the duracrete. This only succeeded in making the old lady screech even more. She now began to scream for help, and he had no desire to be on the scene when ‘help’ arrived.

When the girl shouted at him to tell the old lady to stop, he simply quirked an eyebrow at her. With that, he casually spun on his heel and kept walking. The old lady was shouting at him, but she also had the redhead to keep her occupied now.

Emryc could see a few passerby beginning to gather around. He quietly slinked into a cantina, hoping to put the crazy scene behind him. With any luck, that other girl would take the fall and none would be the wiser.

With that, he sat down at the bar and ordered himself a whiskey. The bartender turned over and gave him a skeptical look.

“Hey man, are you old enough-”

A casual wave of a hand and there was a glassy look in his eyes. He slowly turned around and began to pour the drink.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

His quirked eyebrow spoke louder than any words in the galaxy and it took Lyra aback from the audacity of the simple reaction. "Don't do that with your eyebrow!" she gasped as he spun and started to walk away, "No! Hey!" she yelled at him and holstered her blaster aggressively, missing entirely and almost pulled herself to the ground as she stumbled forward.

The old woman of course was still yelling, though she was certain it had gone up a few octaves in her panic. This was all entirely bad and was not looking forward to how it could get worse. She quickly followed his footsteps, pushing past between a pair of older women who were trying to get to their friend to comfort her. There was a bit of impulsivity to follow him, this business was his problem and he was going to fix it, not herself.

She stepped into the cantina and quickly pulled up her hood over her red hair, but it was obvious to any onlooker that she was just a kid compared to the lot in here. Short, scrawny, completely out of place, she certainly did not even have a look that gave her credit for any maturity. Slowly moving into the bar, she saw the dark haired guy at the counter. The thought of his quirked eyebrow sparked irritation as she beelined to him, ignoring the jeers about letting kids in bar.

"Hey! You!" she cried out, there was a bit of excitement and pride that she caught up with him, "You need to go out there and talk to her!" she demanded raising her finger in protest, "This is-this is not going to be my problem!" The internal voice told her it sounded better in her head than when actually vocalized it.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc already had his comlink pulled out, lazily scrolling through profiles on a hookup site. He lingered for a moment on a girl that was within five miles of his present location. He used his other hand to sip from the expensive whiskey he had ordered for free.

When the girl from before ran into the cantina and began to screech at him, his gaze did not leave the comlink. He calmly set his drink down, realizing she had no intention of backing down. It was then that he slowly raised his head to look at her. She would see his unnaturally silver eyes, mottled with hints of gold.

Within the next instant, the girl would feel a constricting force around her neck that came from nowhere. The only clue was that the young man continued to stare at her, and he picked up his drink again to take a sip. He blankly stared at her as the Force began to slowly wrap around her neck.

“I’m going to let you try that again,” He spoke smoothly and spun his chair to face her, “Because I do like redheads.”

The Force loosened from around her neck. Emryc intently stared into her eyes, and she would see the look of a hunter and a killer. It was present only in the briefest glint, but it was there.

“Tell me again what I need to do,” He spoke softly, the threat hung in the air with his words. He didn’t make any movements, his body language relaxed. The promise of danger lingered only from his words and his eyes.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

She felt herself retreat from the thought of how stupid she sounded to the feeling of cold and despair. Her brow narrowed as she kept her gaze on his own, swearing his eyes had changed. She felt herself grow panicky to the feeling of her throat closing and unable to gasp for a breath. Uncomfortable and feeling herself nearing a point of crisis and distress, she instinctively grasped at her throat while he spoke. Lyra wondered in his deadly gaze it it was the same one her parents witnessed prior to being murdered.

It felt like an eternity before he loosened his grip on her throat, asking her to tell him again what it was she needed him to do. Lyra inhaled deeply, trying to suppress a cough with all the will she could gather, but she did not feel she was entirely freed from him. She wanted to run, but it had felt as though her felt had melted into the floor and could bring herself to back away. She glanced at his drink, "You need to enjoy your drink and then give me ride off this rock."

Her eyes narrowed; it was a desperate shot, but she was feeling desperate enough to try, even if he where possibly sith and therefore an enemy. At this point with basically no credits, her sore nose and black eye from all the hits to the face, and being choked all in the last hour, thinking rationally was not her strong point and was ready to do just about anything to get back to the core.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

She gambled. She knew she gambled. Emryc considered her response, weighing whether or not it warranted killing her. He did like the first part of her suggestion, and he took another sip from his drink. He considered the second part of the request, drumming his fingers along the bar counter for a moment.

His gazed seared into hers, and he silently contemplated as he drank from his glass. She still had a bloody nose, and the hair looked disheveled, but even through it she had delicate beauty to her that caught his attention. None of this was betrayed in the exceptionally blank look he gave her.

“What will I get in return?” He asked matter of factly. He wasn’t exactly taxi service, and he had a job to do. He was a practical man, and he didn’t do things just as favors. She had the option of offering up something or simply getting lost. He didn’t care either way.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

She took the risk and when he took a drink of his whiskey, she felt herself take an inhale, never realizing she had been holding her breath. His finger drumming took her eyes off him to the counter, taking the moment to study who he was. Her eyes followed his finger tips and along his arm, up his neck, and noting the pointed ears that stuck out from his dark locks of hair. He asked what he would get in return for giving her a ride.

Lyra was honestly not expecting that response, in fact it was more like a kriff off response she was assuming that was coming next. Unless this was code speak that she needed to just walk away, but she wouldn't want to leave if it meant the possibility of him compromising. She searched her thoughts on what she could give him in return and felt a dark whisper suggest to tell him she would not kill him. Part of her felt that was a ridiculous request, but she was finding the galaxy to be a nasty place for someone to be down on their luck.

She clenched her fists, feeling her nails dig in her palms and it brought her back to present, "What is it that you need?" she asked him, watching him lift his drink to his lips to take another drink. She questioned if he was even old enough to drink.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc found her entertaining. She was delightfully oblivious, or maybe that was a play she was making. Either way, he decided he liked it. He didn’t respond to her question, staring at her. A million calculations went through his mind, and each measured step was analyzed. Only she would notice it a moment later, but a bar stool slid over abruptly closer to him.

“Have a seat,” He said quietly before swiveling back to order a second drink. He didn’t give her a choice in the matter, opting for the whiskey he had grown to love off station. The bartender turned over with that glazed over look again, appearing as if he were in a trance as he slid her glass over to her.

Emryc stayed silent for a long moment, gazing ahead and taking sips from his glass. He could sense that she was Force sensitive, no trained user stuck out like a sore thumb like this. He swirled the drink in his glass, watching the amber liquid dance around.

“You weren’t quick enough to avoid getting your nose kriffed up like that?” He asked without taking his eyes off the glass. Did she know she was Force sensitive? Likely not. This was going to be entertaining.

 

[Darth Tiamat]

His silence told her he was processing something, possibly thinking of the best outcome for himself with the least amount of effort on his part. Or he was thinking of ways to mess with her, finding the best false promise to rid of her from his hair completely. He turned in his seat to face the counter as he told her to have a seat. Lyra looked around him to see a stool close beside him, unable to determine if that was an invite or a command, but she followed his instruction. She sat rather awkwardly, clearly inexperienced with sitting on bar stools or just was so uncomfortable with herself, sitting was difficult. Resting her arms on the counter, she watched as a glazed over bartender gave her a drink also.

She stared at him, trying to figure out what was wrong with him as she picked up her glassed and took a sniff of the contents. She heard the guy next to her speak, commenting about her nose and not being clever or swift to avoid it from happening. The better part of her avoided snapping back at his comment with one of her own about his own natural looks being garbage.

"I'm quick on my good days." she huffed, still debating to take a sip of her drink, "Wouldn't have happened if people kept their word." She brought the glass to her lips and took a sip, nearly coughing it back up as she was taken by surprise how much it burned.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc could tell she was tense and attempting very hard to read him. She was going to run into a wall. His demeanor and face betrayed nothing, and that held true even when fully trained Force users attempted to read him. He finished his drink, looking over at her at last. He couldn’t help but grin at the way she grimaced and sputtered from taking a sip. It was clear that she was still somewhat naive.

He listened to the open ended hint she dropped about someone that wronged her, “I don’t particularly care about your sob story,” He said as he turned to her. There was no malice on his face, and his tone was very matter of fact, “I am going to the Core to run an errand. You may have a role to play. And if you play it, I will take you on my ship.”

He was straight and to the point, and it was clear he wasn’t someone to talk to about backgrounds, pasts and small talk. Emryc produced a few credits for the bartender as he especially liked this whiskey.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Lyra set down the glass and wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, "I don't particularly care to share it with you." she stated flatly. It was the truth, she had not interest in sharing anymore than what was needed and did not find him the type to look for sympathy. He was a tool in her benefit, and hopefully there was something that she could be of use to him also. His gaze was still unsettling, it felt more than just looking at her, the teen felt as though he could see through her and Lyra felt exposed and vulnerable.

He told her simply of his goal: going to the core for an errand. She was curious about the role she would need to play and her mind fell to worst case scenario, "I'm not sleeping with anyone or with you." her eyes narrowed, looking to see what his next reaction would be with such a statement, "I have not fallen that low." though an inner whisper told her yet. She hated her own thoughts sometimes.

"What do you need to complete this errand?" she asked him with a short drumming of her finger tips on the counter. She figured to just jump to business, the faster she could figure out if it were something she would do, the faster she could get on with it or just walk away from him.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

At least they were on the same page. He could appreciate when people knew times to shut up and times when speaking was necessary. He stared at her as she abruptly declared she wouldn’t sleep with him or anyone. It only got an amused grin from him in return. He could see she hadn’t touched the whiskey, probably didn’t like the taste. He used the Force to slide it over to himself as he picked it up to take a sip.

He decided to patiently wait until she finished speaking. He mulled over his own plans and the dance club that had the spice trading going around in the underground. He had planned some roundabout way to get in, but a woman would easily get him in. If she had a blaster, perhaps she could come in handy if things got ugly.

“I need you to get me into a club,” He explained as he drank from her glass, “I will be handing over some things for credits, but the chances of backstabbing are high. I may need some backup if you’re any good with your blaster.”

He finished off her drink and set the glass down, sliding off his seat. He began to walk away, and it was her choice whether or not she wanted to follow. He took a few steps before tilting his head to speak to her.

“And don’t worry, I'm a gentleman. We won't sleep together until you moan my name and beg me to kriff you,” He muttered casually as if it were an obvious scenario before turning to look forward again and walking towards the cantina exit.

 

[Darth Tiamat]

At least the whiskey did not go to waste as the pointed-ear Sith brought it to his palm without much effort. He remained silent for a moment after she had finished speaking, in her hopes he was thinking of how she could help him. She felt her shoulders relax for the first time in days, but as he begun to explain his dilemma she could feel her nerves tightening. From what her parents explained in their own undercover work, anything could go down at a club, it was safe to assume there would be trouble. Though she was uncertain of the rationale of completing a job that would just end in chaos.

He drained the last of the potent liquor and slid off his seat, heading for the exit. His grace with the seat was more impressive than her jump and stumble as she followed him out the cantina. She swore she heard him say something about begging her to kriff, but not wanting to risk losing this job to get her back to the core also, the teen bit her tongue.

Lyra adjusted the strap of her bag over her shoulder, making sure it was secured as she followed him, "So where is this club?" she asked him, unfamiliar with the area, "I'm not holding hands to get you in." she frowned.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

The entire walk to the ship, Emryc didn’t offer much in terms of words. He simply pulled a cigarra to his lips and smoked. He heard every word, but he decided and judged which were worth responding to and which weren’t. So far, none of what she said met the criteria. Though she was interesting to observe. He could sense the Force energy pulsing in her, and he could sense there was a mix of curiosity, fear and irritation all swirling from her.

They arrived at his ship moments later, and he lowered the exit ramp for them to board. It was a FWA ship, and it looked more official than most personal transports. He made his way to the cockpit, his co-pilot a droid he had programmed himself.

It wasn’t until he began revving up the engines that he answered her, “We are going to Corellia,” He said quietly. He popped an earbud into his ear to drop some tunes. He remixed his own tunes as a hobby, and he usually enjoyed music during his journeys.

 

[Darth Tiamat]

She kept close behind, but just to his left to avoid walking in his cigarra smoke trail. He was silent to her statements and Lyra didn't press the lack of response from him. It was a quick trek to his ship and Lyra had to do a double take when she witnessed the vessel for herself. It caused her to come to a full stop in awe and shock. He was an idiot, he had to be for someone like him flying a ship that belongs to the Free Worlds Alliance.

"You...you fly in that thing?!" she gasped and quickly caught up as he lowered the ramp, "A bit bold..." she shook her head in disbelief, but here she was, getting onboard.

She let her fingers run along the corners of the ship as she walked to the cockpit, listening to the engines warm, the beeps and twirls of the control panel brought a sense of relief to the teen. He spoke again, mentioning their destination and Lyra felt her heart jump to her throat. Not in nervousness or worry, but excitement. Corellia was home and she would finally get to see her parents.

First she had to fulfill her debt and hopefully things would turn around for her.

Lyra wasn't too interested in keeping him company and was glad he popped in the earbuds so she could find some place on the ship to tuck herself away until they arrived on Corellia.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc grinned at the question and the commentary around being bold, “And I manage it without kriffing up my nose,” was all he offered in response.

---​

The journey was exactly as he liked it - with little to no words. He was buzzed from the drinking and the music calmed him during the journey. The girl would have a cabin to herself with plenty of comforts. He may have been young, but he had refined tastes. Everything was neat and meticulous, and any toiletries or anything she used was high quality.

He didn’t bother her until they landed. He arrived at her cabin door to knock on it and mention it was time to leave. When she opened the door, he was already near the exit ramp. She would notice he had a change of clothing to be more fitting for a club. His hair was neatly gelled and he picked up rather nicely.

“Can you discreetly bring your blaster with you?” He asked as he stashed various packs of spice into his pockets. She didn’t look like she was ready for a club - maybe if she loosened her hair up a little. But he had no interest in making the suggestion to have to hear any griping. He simply spoke to her with his eyes gazing at her up and down.

Without a word, he spun on his heel and began to walk down the ramp.

@GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Lyra had managed to find some bacta which took care of her eye and nose; it managed to take much of the swelling down and there was relief that it did not look to be broken. She didn't bother coming out of the cabin until he was ready to go, part of it was habit, something she quickly learned when seeking rides from spacers. The other reason was clearly the least amount of interaction she had with the guy, the better.

She had finally fallen into a light sleep when the tapping on the door jolted the teen awake; her blaster immediately pointed as her mind quickly decided if she were in danger or not. She heard the tapping again with words and she got up, tucking the blaster against the small of her back when she opened the door.

No one was there and she shook her head in confusion as she stepped out, but the cologne cloud he left told her it was pointed-ears. Seeing the guy heading toward the ramp, he was clearly dressed in club attire which made the teen look at her own clothes and frown. She was even more annoyed at herself when he looked at her, she could tell he was judging her while packing spice on him. Lyra quickly took out her hair tie, letting her hair fall over her shoulders; if he needed her to get into this place, one thing she knew that always drew likes from other males was her red hair. The more they could see, the better. It disgusted the teen.

Lyra quickly picked up her step to follow, dumping her bag and jacket behind some crates outside the ship and then tucked the blaster into the hem of her pants along the small of back. More hair, less clothes, hopefully pointed-ears' plan will work to get him inside.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

He had used the Force a few times around her and she had seemed unfazed. This meant that she had some inkling of the fact that she possessed it. Did she understand that sensitivity to simply seeing it or actually knowing she could wield it? He pondered the various scenarios as he walked.

His gaze snapped over to her more than a few times, eyeing the way her vibrant hair cascaded over her shoulders. It looked like fire to him, a depiction of passion that he found went well with her otherwise delicate features. He wondered if that was how she was as a person and if her appearance was as disarming as his was.

As they arrived at the club, he could see a long line that was turning away everyone that wasn’t on a list. Emryc grinned faintly, deciding to test her. He strode up to walk next to her, nudging at her to get in the line.

“I want you to tell that bouncer that we are on that list,” He turned to look at her with his silver eyes, “And I want you to make him believe it.”

@GABA