Open Corellia Just Need a Little Spice in Your Life

Arah Tizun

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Zigara
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Mood Track: Electric Sky by Miracle of Sound
Please note: No PVP and is open. (Need to ease my way back!)


Coronet City
08:00 hours
Cloudy Skies, comfortable temperature


Buzz...buzz...buzz... The alarm cracks the silence in the darkened halls of this living space. Clothes haphazardly scattered across the floor and the furniture, no sense of organization is easily attributed. The Cathar struggles to sit up in the bedroom as he stirs, it's been far too long and it was finally catching up to him, how long has this been going on? A few days? A few weeks? It was hard to keep track of the days when you continue to give yourself little sleep - right now, nothing would be more comforting then to stay here, but that was not a possibility - he had already overslept; even for 8am. Lifting the lead off of his chest, the Cathar sits up and swings to one side of the bed before planting his feet onto the ground; an unrelenting yawn forcing itself to his throat and out of his mouth, his sharp beastly fangs poking from the sides of his mouth. He quickly shudders the cold off his fur as he seeks the nearest sonic shower, struggling to even walk, using the walls to support his balance. He was starting to feel exhausted but what more could he do? Perhaps the cold of the water will help freshen the fatigue.

Clear of the bathroom and into the living area of his temporary haven, cloaked in the darkness of the sunshades across the windows. A simple apartment, no luxurious suite for the busy, just functionality, that's all he needed anyways. A single couch positioned across from a modest vid screen fixed to the wall; a writing desk and writing wall rests casually on the other side of the room, surrounded by takeout containers - clearly there hasn't been a homecooked meal for sometime, nor has the keeper of this living space been very custodial. The Cathar sighs as he sees the mess in the soft glow of a desk lamp, realizing he's been turning into a Gamorrean the longer he stays here; but he wasn't about to surrender, not yet. Perhaps he was stubborn? Or maybe he was just stupid or hopeful? Even he lost his reasoning - all he could tell himself is... "I've got this feeling today's the day..." a day he's been waiting for for the month he'd be staying here. He lazily made his way to the viewscreen and flipped it on; but instead of a program or news or something normal beings would watch, he gets several smaller feeds, all with little to no action happening.

One feed displays the entrance to where he was staying; one feed on a seeming ordinary door that appears to be going into a warehouse; one feed on an empty parking space; one feed on another door; one feed on a street. To the untrained eye, well, it was nothing more than boring old feeds; but to the untrained... well at least to this Cathar, it was something more. The Cathar stares at the screens for a moment before rubbing his eyes and wandering to the writing desk, he pushes aside the containers in search for a datapad; his treasure found he accesses the notifications and quickly goes over them - there was no movement in the night. Another fruitless venture, another wasted night perhaps? One step closer to giving up. He had lost sleep for nothing, there's been rarely any activity at all. The Cathar tosses the datapad out of frustration, could this get any worse?!

Disappointed in himself, he takes a quest toward the fridge, the Cathar catches a glimpse of his pale eyes in the appliances, illuminated by the soft glow of lamp or two in the space. He freezes, looking at himself, his eyes slowly switching from blue to red, a sign he needs to call the quits. The thought only crosses his mind for a moment before he pushes it away - no, too much work has been put into this, he couldn't pack it in because... he had a feeling today was the day.
The Cathar opens the fridge and let out an immediate sigh, it could get worse. There's nothing in here, nothing at all; looks like he'll need to venture outside. Well shoot, but he couldn't keep himself locked up forever. His attention now focused on the window and what he must do next, the Cathar makes the command to finally let the sunlight in. Slowly the light creeped in, but though slow it still burned his retinas that had grown so accustomed to the dark. Blinded by the light, he could only wait a moment before his eyes would adjust and the world would look a crystal as it always has been. With his arm up blocking some of the light he ventures toward the window and grabs a pair of macrobionoculars and scanned the city below. Coronet, a city that sometimes never sleeps it seems. He peeked at the building he'd been watching for awhile, and then over to a local diner - it didn't seem busy, guess that was the target for right now and not the building.

Arah Tizun had been in this safe haven for nearly a month now. He was here now, two months after the work had began - he had laid the foundation and now he was just trying to finish the investigation. The cameras were installed to monitor this warehouse, a home to Theo the Slugger, a small time spice dealer in the grand scheme of things and really his takedown would probably not result in much in the greater existence of the galaxy, but to him, it was but a personal task, he had taken the job off the board and he never backed down from a challenge - that was always his way. Tizun looked at the picture on his wall of a human male, in his 40s with a very unassuming face. Theo obtained his nickname, only because of his odd affection of Hutts... like more than just admiration. Arah Tizun curled grimaced at the simple thought of a human and a Hutt... how was that even? Maybe he didn't get it because he's from a culture that had been traded. But there was nothing to gain by dwelling on that rancid thought.

A growl now, he definitely needed to get food. The Cathar ventured over to his closet and strapped on his typical outfit, the white tunic with a leather jacket and his gloves. He collected his DC-17 hand blaster and secured it within the folds of his leather jacket to minimize the attention; although it wouldn't exactly be hard to pick out a ranger, he was proud of it but just the way he just was.

* * * * * *

The streets were no more busy then usual and the diner, well the diner was just as he expected.

Like a creature of habit, the Cathar surveyed the area, made a note of the layout and the location of the scarce occupants. He moved with purpose to a booth, a booth he assumed would be the most advantageous for him. The serving bot came over to him and greeted him warmly.

"Well hey there, Tiz. Are we being mysterious today?"

Arah Tizun did not give the satisfaction of the response, save a soft smile but no other reaction. "No." His gruff voice giving the simple response. "How's it been?"

"Nothing to say, get you the same as always."

Tizun simply nodded.

This can't be right. He really shouldn't be "known" at a location, he's done his best to avoid that. This was just another indicator that he'd been putting too much time here and maybe he should pack it in - but no.

Because today is the day, he had a feeling.
 

Reiel Mal Crowholde

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Forsythe Crowholde
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It had been a hell of a ride on the way to Corellia, more so Coronet City. Between hyperspace jumps and long hours being cooped up in a pleasure yacht with nothing to do but to stick with her current client as much as possible to keep up appearances, Reiel would have cried in relief when they finally reached the Core and, subsequently, the target planet as well.

She had just finished a job a week ago, going through the usual wash, rinse, and repeat bounty hunting usually entailed. The pay would've been good had the target not decided that going out in a literal blaze would deter a bounty hunter, let alone a Mandalorian one, from finishing the job. While her previous client had been relieved that the assassin who was going for his head was finally dead, Reiel still lamented on only bringing a charred hand as proof of termination – the reward, after all, was bigger if the target was brought alive. But she was still thankful for the credits, knowing that most of it would go to the clan for support.

The young Mandalorian did not expect a new client seeking her services just as soon as she finished her previous job, however. The client – a female Twi'lek and the sole daughter of some ridiculously wealthy portmaster from Mid Rim – came with the offer hiring Reiel for escort services, adding that a Mandalorian acting as a guard would definitely deter anyone from mounting kidnapping or assassination attempts. A bounty hunter, acting as a bodyguard? Maybe not really unheard of, but still...

Reiel, of course, would have turned the offer down if it weren't for the equally ridiculous huge reward the client offered. But since she also had a clan to support other than herself, she changed her mind and took the job. Just remembering how much she would earn after this escorting job still made the young Mandalorian's head spin.

At first, Reiel thought that the job would be simple. She'd just have to act as an escort, right? But no, the client – being the young, beautiful Twi'lek that she was – had to complicate things. Reiel had already boarded the ship and were well on their way to Corellia when the Twi'lek introduced the young Mandalorian to the crew as her new boyfriend. The Mando had been shocked, obviously, and could only grit her teeth when the Twi'lek, Hirani, practically begged Reiel to play the part.

"Please, Mando! You're my only hope in finally getting Cotan's attention!" Hirani had told her, and soon launched into a tirade of wanting to be the male Twi'lek's bride (Reiel rolled her eyes in disdain, thankfully hidden by her bucket) and hopefully making him jealous so he would finally admit his feelings for her. Never had the young Mandalorian thought that her supposed escorting job would devolve into something of a lovers' quarrel of sorts, and she had no other means to back down.

When Reiel pointed out the flaw in the female Twi'lek's plan, with Hinari claiming to only have eyes for males and Reiel being a woman herself, the client only grinned rather cheekily.

"You're wearing this weird cape and armor. You don't have the shape of a woman like I do. I'm sure everyone in this ship assumed that you're a man underneath all that metal and helmet. Just don't talk a lot, I can't have them realizing that you're a girl or else my plan won't work!"

Maker, never had Reiel wanted to shoot someone full of holes her whole life.

And so here she was, with a tall and beautiful Twi'lek clinging to her arm while they exited the ship after landing on some spaceport Reiel did not bother remembering the name of. The obvious height difference was awkward as hell, with her client taller than Reiel by a few centimeters. The young Mandalorian wished that this job would kriffing end already.

—·—

Coronet City was unsurprisingly busy even in the morning.

Temporarily freed from her client's clutches, Reiel observed the street and looked out for any potential threats to Hirani's safety. While her job had devolved into something too trivial, the Twi'lek had still originally hired the young Mandalorian as an escort-slash-bodyguard of sorts. She might not like ending up as a pretend boyfriend but at least Reiel still had the former job to uphold.

Her client might have already been an adult, but she was made naïve by her father's wealth and overprotectiveness. Reiel had to intimidate a few pickpockets who hovered close to the female Twi'lek, silent and forbidding with one of her hands hovering over her vibroknife. Hirani would swoon overdramatically at every rescue, showing her Mandalorian boyfriend off to the other escorts and then apologizing under her breath as she latched herself beside Reiel.

What a time to be alive, the young Mandalorian thought to herself sarcastically as the client dragged her off to a local diner upon spotting someone familiar.

"There! I see him!" Hirani hissed as she dragged Reiel towards the diner. "It's Cotan! Come on, quick!"

They entered the establishment, their arrival surely catching not only the other patron's — aw, kriff, was that Cathar over there a Ranger? — attention but also the male Twi'lek's.

Cotan was a pink-skinned Twi'lek, tall and broad around the shoulders. He was wearing a fancy coat over some sort of a sleek, black suit. Reiel could feel Hirani tense beside her, and so the young Mandalorian took the initiative to find them a table.

Like a real lover, Reiel helped Hirani to her seat. The young Mandalorian remained vigilant, however, and made sure to keep an eye not only on Cotan but the other customers as well. So far, the people in the diner were scarce — must have ended the morning rush already. She sat across Hirani in their booth and raised a gloved hand to call for a serving bot.

The male Twi'lek came first, however.

"Hirani, what are you doing here? And who is this?" asked Cotan, eyeing Reiel with distrust and barely concealed jealousy.

The young Mandalorian could only roll her eyes again when Hirani stretched out a hand to lovingly caress the former's helmet.

"Nice seeing you here as well, Cotan," the female Twi'lek said in greeting. "This is my new boyfriend. Mando, meet Cotan. Cotan, Mando."

Reiel nodded silently in greeting, and it was obvious that Cotan did not like the introduction.

"Your boyfriend? I thought–"

And thus began the actual lovers' tiff Reiel never thought she would be an unwilling part of. Cotan and Hirani were soon shouting at each other, disturbing the customers and making a scene. The young Mandalorian let them, trying to find amusement on the two's argument until Cotan shoved Hirani a little too hard for her liking.

She's still an escort, and her client's safety came first. Reiel shot up from her seat and grabbed Hirani's arm to prevent her from falling. The young Mandalorian turned to face Cotan, the hand hidden by her cape hovering over one of her vibroknives.

"Please don't hurt him!" said Hirani shrilly, looking afraid for the male Twi'lek's safety. Cotan, for his part, seemed shocked and remorseful for what he had done. The two were obviously so in love with each other, it made Reiel's eye twitch. The male Twi'lek shifted his focus on Reiel and snarled, and his jealousy seemed so great that he stopped caring that a Mandalorian was his apparent opponent for his lady love's heart.

"You! You would seduce her and take her away from me?!" Cotan raged, before hurling his fist at Reiel. The young Mandalorian dodged with ease, noting that the male Twi'lek didn't seem adept in fighting. Reiel moved behind Cotan, giving the back of his knee a good kick and sending the tall male down on his knees. But the male Twi'lek used his long reach as an advantage, grabbing a tray from one of the approaching serving droids and slamming it at Reiel as hard as he could when he rose to his feet. Reiel blocked it with her arms, hitting one of her vambraces and luckily missing any controls. The sound of metal hitting metal rang in the diner, and Cotan would have hit Reiel again if it weren't for the young Mandalorian dodging the blow this time and kicking the former between the legs.

"Oh, gods, anything but that, Mando!" Hirani shrieked, rushing to Cotan's aid.

Reaching the end of her patience for this charade, Reiel folded her arms over her armored chest and finally spoke, "No offense, ma'am, but can you two get your shite together? It's obvious that he loves you, too – no need to break bones here, eh? We're causing a ruckus in here, and I don't know about you guys, but I don't want any Ranger or enforcer coming here to arrest us or something for disturbing the peace."

Reiel heaved a sigh at the sight of the two Twi'leks on the floor, gaping up at her with wide eyes and slack jaw. No doubt all attention was on the three of them now. Just imagine: a Mandalorian caught in the crossfires of a fecking lovers' tiff. It was embarrassing.

She turned her gaze to Hirani. "Maybe you should settle this in the privacy of your ship, ma'am. I'll comm the other escorts to take you and your lover to the ship."

Nodding dumbly, Hirani helped Cotan up to his feet and led him out of the diner. She soon grinned at Reiel before turning away, however.

"Well done, Mando. The job's not done yet, though. You're still my main bodyguard during my stay here in Coronet City!" the female Twi'lek reminded her.

A nod, followed by a long-suffering sigh was all Reiel could offer as a response. She commed the other escorts as promised, not bothering to try and make her voice deep any longer, and watched through the glass as the two Twi'leks headed off, hopefully back to the ship as she requested.

Feeling eyes on her, the young Mandalorian heaved another sigh and turned to the serving droid, then to the bent tray on the floor.

"Guess I'll have to pay for that, huh?" she joked, but meaning to pay for any damage the scuffle have caused.

The serving droid agreed before asking Reiel if she would continue to dine or not. The young Mandalorian shrugged, knowing full well that she could not remove her helmet in such an open place. But, embarrassed by the ruckus she had inadvertently caused earlier, she settled for ordering a drink.


"I reckon you have hot chocolate here? And a long, bendy straw?" she asked, half-joking about the straw but meaning it just the same.

"Very well. Please wait a bit while we process your order."

Reiel nodded and sat back down on her seat. Her gaze swept across the diner, eyes then settling on the Cathar she noticed earlier. Rangers weren't exactly hard to identify, and she just hoped that the earlier display wasn't enough to be considered as a warrant on having one hot on her heels due to disturbing the peace.

Should the Cathar shift his attention to the young Mandalorian, Reiel would acknowledge him with a nod and a sheepish,
"Sorry about that. Didn't really mean to make a scene."

@Arah Tizun
 

Arah Tizun

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Arah had a habit of watching and waiting. Constantly calculating the next steps, processing the information as it presented it to him. He made note of the comings and goings within these walls, and he was always cautious of points of entry, or lack of cover. Truth, the diner had plenty of windows - but he made himself fairly comfortable in one seat that he suspected had little line of sight from above. It maybe weird for some, but instead of "doing work" or looking at a pad or engaging in ideal chit chat, he passed the time watching. Waiting; every once in awhile stealing a glance at the news feed but it was the same thing each day and very little would change in his day to day. He'd just gotten sick of hearing the same stories - there has to be other news happening then this, seriously.

The door to the diner and out of instinct the Cathar shifted his focus on the newcomer - or rather newcomers. His eyes narrowed to the - assumed - Mandalorian being paraded by some young Twi'lek, it was a curious scene. Not at all common practice, at least not in his practice. These ones were now the objects of his attention, unless he could assess the nature of the threat or the lack thereof if it turned out to be such. Sure, he was plagued by his own bias; those who wear that armor are not typically out for a stroll, kitted out like that - they were on a job; and the most common of them was bounties. The Ranger in him presented it's own love-hate relationship. In part, the Hunters often brought death or destruction - even if that was not their attention, because typically those with a contract are not exactly the type to simply give up; you needed to do something to obtain a price. But on the other hand, bounty hunters were not bad, they were like an extension of law enforcement. Typical targets of a Hunter are criminals, people who've done wrong. Hunter are not assassins after all - that's a whole different category.

Tizun sat back in his seat and stroked his chin as he pondered the presence of the hunter, "Mando is not likely it's name - the lack of creativity is obvious here." The Cathar thought to himself before his lax comfort state quickly escalated as usual, though expected, after hearing the male Twi'lek exhibit his emotions toward the female. However, what came next was not entirely expected. When the male grabbed the female aggressively the Ranger shot up from his seat instinctually - he was ready to go, but then "Mando" changed the tone with it's actions. "Protection." Was that word that came to his mind, he watch the scene from afar and when the first punch was thrown and so elegantly countered, the Cathar sat down. He should intervene but, "Mando" seemed to be able to handle it's self; as soon as it began it was over. That's how fights went - especially if someone was not a trained fighter, like the Twi'lek.

The Cathar gritted his teeth as he watched his meal be used as a weapon. Well that just wasn't right, he was hungry. The Ranger just might have to intervene after all! He may be a beast like species but he liked his meals not on the ground, surely the Cathar have evolved a little bit beyond that after all. "Well, time to flex the Ranger muscles." He whispered to himself as he started to rise up from the seat; however the theme of the day thus far bought him back to his seat when he heard "Mando" finally speak, the only reaction Arah Tizun had was a slightly raised eyebrow. "Female. Not common, but not unlikely." He had learned long ago to never assume. "Well, she already admitted that she'll need to pay for the meal, guess my job is done."

It was obvious, by now that the Mandalorian had caught his attention and he had been watching her the entire time, like a beast lying in wait for the right opportunity. So it came as no surprise that she would catch his gaze upon her. He listened to her acknowledgement, "But you did." He rose his voice so that it could be heard in the quiet diner. "Which is a violation of sector laws, I have the grounds, but I don't have the intention." His voice gruff and firm. "Perhaps we should have a chat?" It was more of a command then a suggestion. Arah Tizun was carful in his approach as he spoke to her, without raising from the table. He wanted to make it clear, it was only a chat and nothing more, he made no indications or moves that he would 'execute the law' at this time.

A simple cause disturbance was not worth his time, not on this day. He was not awake enough to engage in a pursuit or to effect an arrest on something so minor. In his few years as a Ranger, even the most hardened of criminals seemed to at least be willing to talk over some minor dispute. The Rangers were not specialists in planetary law, more often then not, if a a Ranger was on scene without an entourage, they were likely working on something more pressing. A thing like this, Coronet's local police force would deal with and if someone bothered to have the locals show up, he'd dismiss them anyways.

"That was my meal you know."

Regardless of her response, he would issue the command for a chat and ensure - even if she were to try and leave the place - that his meal was now on the floor. He would make no attempts to follow or hold her if that was the route she wanted to go. But if "Mando" at least came over to speak to him he would ask her a more direct question.

"A female Mandalorian in full kit, pretending to be a male for some female Twi'lek who only wants a 'macho-plaything' to win the affection of another means one thing to me; you're on a job." He was point blank, "Why would you take such a miserable role? Sit. You've got time. They won't be going anywhere, you won't need to be a bodyguard for a bit. I'm sure you won't talk about it, but I'm sure you've got a real target or a real reason for finding yourself in my little corner of a diner. What's your actual name?" He would ask, but he wasn't expecting an answer.

@Reiel Mal Crowholde
@Forsythe Crowholde
 

Reiel Mal Crowholde

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Having the grounds, but not the intention? That was... unexpected, but welcomed. The fight – if she could even call it that – was truly unintended on her part, but perhaps she should've anticipated that the male Twi'lek's display of jealousy would result into a scuffle. Perhaps she should've acted accordingly, stopping the intent before it could be actualized.

The invitation for a chat almost threw Reiel off. Maybe she misunderstood the 'I have the grounds but no intent' part? Her brows furrowed, the cold facade of her helmet not giving anything away. She could hear the tone of command in the Cathar's voice, and his gruffness almost reminded the young Mandalorian of her adoptive father. It was a tone that brooked no argument and while it didn not sit right with her, Reiel found no harm in showing compliance. After all, she knew that she had done nothing wrong – yet – except for the scuffle and the ensuing scene she had caused with her clients earlier.

And besides, the thought still running over and over her head like a broken holo, Reiel found no pleasure in having a Ranger hot on her heels. Or worse, having her bucket displayed in a wanted list.

Alright, perhaps that last one was an exaggeration.

And then the Ranger commented on the tray the male Twi'lek had used as a weapon against her, more so the meal attached.

In true (un)Mandalorian fashion, Reiel let out a short groan and a curse in Mando'a at her employer and her jealous lover. She threw her helmeted head back, eyes finding the ceiling through her T-visor, and counting quietly to herself from one to five. Looked like she didn't just have to pay for the meal, she also had to buy the Ranger a new one.

"That's not for you, just so we're clear," she told the Cathar absentmindedly, referring to the grumbled curse, rubbing a gloved hand on the back of her neck.

Composing herself, the young Mandalorian stood up and cautiously approached the Cathar. She slid down the seat across him, fingers flexing anxiously. She had absolutely zero desire to engage in combat – not in a public place such as this one where the civilians could get caught in the crossfire and get hurt. Reiel quickly threw a glance over her shoulder, assessing not only the droids and the customers in the diner, but also having a short look-out for anyone who might have called the local police. The Cathar said so himself that he had no intention of arresting her–

The Ranger was already speaking before Reiel could offer him a sincere apology.

"In my defense, I'm not the one who came up with the pretend-role," replied the young Mandalorian. "And yes, I'm on a job – something I should have turned down the moment an additional role had been added."

Reiel paused, thinking her next words over. She couldn't exactly say that she had a clan to support, the huge sum of credits she would receive after this job was done mostly going to the clan's treasurer and straight to the needed provisions. Reiel wasn't exactly the youngest clan member despite being the recent addition a few years prior. So she settled for a generic answer, but a sincere one nonetheless.

"The pay is good," she replied. Reiel added, as an afterthought, "The rich would throw ridiculous amounts of creds for something as menial as bodyguard duties, but the client knows that I will do what I'm hired for as expected. I didn't take the job to earn easy credits. A job is a job, no matter how miserable the role is. I am bound by honor. This is the Way."

If her buir was here, she knew he would be proud of her response. Bounty hunters were expected to not have an ounce of honor in their souls – at least that went for some – but not her. She was a Mandalorian. Having a good measure of honor was what differentiated her from other mercs.

Reiel's helmeted head tilted a little to the side at the next statement. Her only reason for being a 'macho-plaything' was the unwanted addition in her role as a bodyguard, and while she wished she could have another reason for being here in the City, the job was just... that.

But the Cathar had unintentionally given her a new idea. He was right in commenting that Reiel had time. And she had lots of it. There could be a potential job here, something she would not pass up. Taking in two jobs at once – she had done it before. Her client was in no real danger, not at the moment, at least... but Reiel was undertaking bodyguard duties. She was on a job demanding her presence alongside the client. And while looking for another job ensured more credits for the clan, her client came first.

But the additional credits....

Reiel decided that she would settle the matter later. Yes, the client had other hired bodyguards surrounding her, but the young Mandalorian had been her best pick out of the lot. And if truth be told, she didn't like some of the bodyguards the client had hired.

No reason to let the Ranger know about that, though.

Her only best bet at earning more credits would be if some wanted criminal whose face was flashing in the holovids pop up and actually become a threat to her client's safety. Not that Reiel actively wished for that to happen, but still...

A wide grin split the young Mandalorian's face. "A real target, or reason for being here? Maybe, maybe not. But you seem so sure on the former, so assume anyway. And here's mine: you've clearly stated that you have the grounds to... I dunno, arrest me... since I've so clearly violated sector laws, but you have no intentions in executing justice or whatever. Maybe apprehending me for the small scuffle earlier was beneath you, something that the local police can just handle."

The grin turned into a happy smile, the expression evident through Reiel's carefree shrug. "I want to thank you for the lack of intent, though. With that said, let me continue my assumptions: You're on a job yourself, as Rangers are wont to do. We've been around the city, me and my client. No other Rangers were visible in plain sight, but that doesn't mean that your brethren's presence are non-existent. I won't presume to know how you guys operate, but..." she leaned forward towards him, arms resting on the table. Reiel lowered her voice conspiratorially. "Back in the spaceport when my client's ship landed earlier, one of the hired guards seem a tad too excited for being chosen as one of the escorts while the client toured around. Heard him talking to the others about a... spice dealer holed up somewhere here in the city. I'd assume that you already know about that, but if the hired thug would mess up the job even in the slightest because he's under the influence, I'd have no choice but to hunt the dealer down and hold him accountable. My client's safety is my responsibility, and any threat to her safety will be dealt with accordingly."

The young Mandalorian let her words sink for but a moment before she leaned back and lifted a hand to rub the back of her neck rather sheepishly. While other Mandalorians followed the Creed on the looser side, Reiel was adopted and raised into the old, more strict one. The clan taught her that names outside of the covert would have to be inconsequential, that anonymity was much better than having your identity used against you. And names were for family only, not for aruetii.

"Just call me Mando," she told him and added jokingly in an attempt to lighten the mood, "I'd also answer to Tin Can or Bucket Head. I'm sorry–" and she hoped that her sincerity bled through the helmet's voice modulator "–you'll have to settle for that. And to be fair, I won't ask for your name if you're unwilling to give it to a nameless Mandalorian such as myself."

With that being said (and hopefully settled), Reiel rested one elbow on the table and smiled at the Cathar even if he could not see it. He would hear it in her voice when she spoke, though. "I'm sorry for the state of your meal right now. Let me replace it, and put the bill on my tab. It's my fault it didn't reach this table, anyway."

The serving droid from earlier approached, not having found Reiel on her previous spot and finding her sharing the booth with the Cathar. It brought her the hot chocolate as ordered, and set both mug and – the young Mandalorian stifled a mirthful giggle, ending up in an amused snortbecause the diner actually had one! – bendy straw on the table.

"Is there still anything I can help you with?"

"What the Ranger is supposed to be having, please. And it won't end on the floor this time, I swear!"

"The same as always, then," the serving droid commented before shuffling away.

@Arah Tizun
@Zigara
 
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Arah Tizun

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Arah Tizun paid little attention to the Mandalorian cuss. He's been in Ranger game for long enough to have been subjected to a variety of cusses and names, this was just one more minor entry. But he was interesting for him, sometimes people could be clever. There was no further reaction from him when she said it wasn't addressed for him.

She addressed is questions in a calm fashion. The Cathar watched the Mandalorian as she spoke, he hated the fact that she had a helmet on though. Arah is a Ranger, seeing people's faces and eyes was often beneficial, it helped him understand people's words and reactions better. But it wasn't going to change anything, she was on a job after all. Needed to be imposing enough I suppose. Mandalorians were not uncommonly imposing after all. Feared by plenty in the galaxy, but it would phase him not.

Until now, he wasn't confident she was actually a Mandalorian under that suit of armor. It's not unlikely that some other being managed to obtain a set of armor for themselves and we're masquerading as such. Although, it was his understanding that someone doing that would be very despicable and disrespectful; but there was no honour among criminals after all. Sure she spoke of honour and sure it could help her case, but as long as she wore that helmet she could pretend all day long.

Arah Tizun was rather impressed though, he listened closely as she started to break things down and went through the game of deduction. It was no surprise that she could bring up the assumption, it wasn't like he made any true efforts to mask his purpose. If discretion was of the utmost importance, he would have taken a much different approach. But nonetheless, he allowed his micro expressions to convey the message. As she worked through it, Arah did not give her the pleasure of a verbal response. His eyebrows rose subtly, eyes slightly widening for a moment, a sign of being impressed; a subtly nod to confirm it.

The ranger was about to speak and interrupt but he allowed her to continue when she mentioned her encounter at the spaceport. Her comments intrigued him, however unlike the previous relaxed approach to the statement about the impressed expression, he kept his next thoughts private. He did everything he could to prevent any signs of intrigue that would rouse from her plan. Inadvertently though, the Mandalorian reinforced some of the bias and stigmatism associated with bounty hunters, one that Arah had expected. Considering what she said, it certainly appeared like she would be willing to compromise others to line her pockets… maybe not for personal gain, but a gain nonetheless; but in the next breath, maybe she just wanted some excitement and was trying to find a way to justify such. The thought could be admirable.

His nostrils flared as he locked his eyes with the Mandalorian's visor, presumably directly in her eyes. The express cold and solid, a thought being processed as he let the words sink. He remained silent, he didn't even attempt to speak in the moment's silence between her words and her continued statement about her name. Arah knew little of the culture, he wouldn't for a moment pretend to be some master. He wouldn't know the importance of a name to the Mandalorian culture, and as he previously assumed he had no confirmation of whether or not she truly was a Mandalorian. Either way, he would not press the issue; wasn't the first time someone chose to withhold their name from a Ranger, and she wouldn't be the last person to do it.

Tizun was very amused by the Mandalorian's gesture, the sheepish behaviour. He couldn't help but to find humor in it - a well trained Mandalorian acting like that, I guess they're not all hardened warriors. No doubt though, she wasn't likely a weakling and was very effective and should not be underestimated, ever. Clear though, the name thing embarrassed her or something similar.

"Mando." Arah Tizun began, "Very well." He made no reference to the playful names she suggested, perhaps he lacked a sense of humor. "To be blunt, you're wrong. It is not beneath me."

"It's a major city centre, warrior. Of course there's a spice dealer in the area. They're always in major spots, krif, there's not one there's multiple but no one talks about it. If you think Coronet is clean - you're fooling yourself." He spoke matter of factly, his demeanor could often be mistaken for coldness but he, like the Mandalorian was bound. She may have been bound to honour, but he was bound to duty. Now he truly didn't think she was so naive to assume that it was clean; but sometimes the obvious can escape the Cathar.

"Tell me about this hired gun. What do they look like? What did you hear? Do you or have you known this person?" Each question would be asked individually and not in rapid fire fashion. One question, one answer, new question, new answer. He would not at any point interrupt Mando as she spoke. It was obvious she peeked his interest, why else would he ask? But, the thing was, he wasn't 'excited' as he asked. They were simple, smooth, to the point. He wasn't expecting much in terms of answers. He had forgotten about the meal by now since he was more interested in this Mandalorian and what her game was or what she was going for; he wouldn't even present a name or a suggested name for himself since he jumped right into the questions.

When the food arrived, he waved the droid off, indicating he wanted nothing more and wanted the droid to leave them be at the table. Tizun would wave it off without taking his eyes off of Mando. He took a few sips of the canteen on his table as he added any follow up questions. One further question he would ask is what did she intend to do about the hired gun and her plan of making him appear under the influence; once again he expected no real response.

After a few moments, Arah Tizun appeared to be distracted. He squinted his eyes before shifting his eyes to one side, and hung his head ever so slightly, as if he was listening to something. The report was coming in, there was activity happening at the warehouse he had been watching. He would need to address it, he had a feeling today after all. Turns out it might have paid off. Tizun thought for a moment about including a helping hand - he didn't have the credits himself, but it might qualify as an operational expense, but he didn't know the cost and he was uncertain if he'd be able to authorize such a payment.

"Mando. Thank you for the meal, the conversation, and the information." Arah Tizun concluded, despite how much or how little information she could provide to his questions. "If you'll excuse me."

The Ranger rose from his seat and began to leave the diner. He would welcome the assistance should she join, but he suspected that she might follow and not offer directly, but he has been proven wrong. He couldn't ask because he could not officially recruit and pay for help, well he didn't want to attempt it for something so trivial. This was a personal case, he wasn't exactly invested in it but this was no major player in the spice game. Far as he calculated, should be easy.

But the ranger hasn't always been right. Could be a different story today, a simple job at first glance but instead a bigger challenge - unforseen. No way to tell, just had to recon and plan.

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Reiel Mal Crowholde

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Not once did Reiel's gaze leave the Cathar while she answered his questions.

Her helmet offered her the perfect hiding place for any display of emotion or looks of interest. Many times had she encountered people asking her if she ever took it off in front of others, and while some have been innocent or simply curious questions, most – due to the nature of her work, no doubt – were demanding, rude, and even threatening. The young Mandalorian got used to it, eventually, because as long as she was bound by the strict Ways of the Creed the demands and questions and threats would never come to an end.

The Cathar might not be as expressive as he listened to her, but Reiel noticed a few tics indicative of what he was feeling towards her. A minute shift of the eyes here from staring too long, slight furrowing of the brows there... She could glean that the Ranger disliked speaking with someone whose face was concealed for him to read. It was understandable – while she took pride in being a Mandalorian she had to admit that she preferred seeing peoples' faces and them seeing hers. Without the helmet, her adoptive father often expressed that he could easily read her like a book, seeing as Reiel displayed her emotions freely and without inhibition. Hidden by the helmet, though, she could only hope to express what she felt through her voice (filtered by the voice modulator, though) and body language (encumbered by the pieces of armor and weaponry itself).

Not for the first time, Reiel fought hard to restrain herself from apologizing for the inconvenience. The beskar she now wore came from the dead, passed to her by a father who lost his child – and Reiel now wore it with pride and honor for the older sister she could have had. Being a Mandalorian was her culture now, her identity, and her way of life now being that of a hunter and prey.

This is the Way.

The Cathar then displayed a subtle rise of the eyebrow, momentary widening of the eyes, and a barely there nod indicative of being impressed at her deductions. The young Mandalorian was far from being vain, but it did make her sit up straighter with pride at having impressed someone outside of her clanmates even for just the briefest of period. But the feeling of elation went as fast as it came. He might have been impressed with her deductions, but some of her statements clearly intrigued and disappointed him. Reiel quickly threaded back to what she had told him, processing everything over and over, picking apart what might have incriminated her for him to be looking at her like that–

Claiming to dislike the job due to an added role but keeping it anyway... the hired guards... spice dealer... one excited hired thug talking about a spice dealer... hired thug messing up the job and me going after the spice dealer...

Reiel cringed under the armor. Repeating it in her head now made her sound as if she wanted the hired thug to actually mess up so the young Mandalorian could hunt down the dealer and hand said dealer in to the authorities – and doing so might come with a reward, because if a bounty hunter turned a criminal in, it was expected that credits have to be paid in return. Come to think of it, her words did make her seem as if she was here for extra creds.

What a way to show that she was honor-bound.

But she couldn't exactly take her words back now that she said them. Reiel would still hunt the dealer down if the hired gun in question would mess up and threaten her client's safety. Not for the extra credits, though, no, but solely for the client's well-being while she's under Reiel's protection. It might not rack up extra credits anymore, but at least the clan would know that she held her end of the deal when she took this job and did her work with honor.

Reiel had learned another valuable lesson from this mistake, though. And she had this not very expressive Ranger seated across her to silently thank. Oh, Manda, she hoped he would succeed in whatever job he was currently undertaking.


The young Mandalorian inclined her helmeted head when the Cathar acknowledged the name she had given him. She was glad once again for her helmet because she was sure that her face was red fron embarrassment at his apparent amusement over her sheepishness. A warrior had to be stoic, but Reiel was quite sure that she would never be rid of the anxious tics she had carried from her childhood and way into her life as an adult. But, hey, it was as if being stoic and unreadable were requirements for being a Mandalorian.

"That's nice to hear," Reiel mumbled when the Ranger corrected her that arresting her for causing a scene with the Twi'leks earlier was not beneath him. "Er... thanks."


Embarrassment flared across her concealed face in the form of a blush yet again when the Cathar made mention of multiple spice dealers in major cities such as this one. Of course she knew that! Feeling like a petulant child, Reiel was glad that she shared nothing more of what she heard the hired gun talked about, like the identity of the dealer and whatnot. She sat as stiffly as she could, not giving her embarrassment away especially when he made mention of her fooling herself if she thought that the city was clean.

Yeah, as clean as a fecking rancor's den, you di'kut.

Reiel kept her voice even when she decided to grace the Cathar some responses to his questions. She could feel that he was interested – whether in her, the information she relayed, or her goals – and she would not begrudge him for that. It was true that her first priority was her client's safety, and she knew it was impossible to keep track of all of her fellow hired guards' activities, not when they spread themselves too far for her liking. Reiel might have earned the client's trust for being a Mandalorian and playing pretend to snag a lover but it did not necessarily mean that she had actual authority over the other hired guards, more so now that they might have figured out that she was a woman (for not lowering the tone of her voice when she commed one earlier, unlike when they were still back in the ship). She would most likely benefit from giving him some answers as well – like she said, she had no full reign over her fellow hired guards, and should the one she was concerned about got caught by local law enforcement or the Ranger himself in the dealer's den before she could then it's one less thing she could worry about.

Didn't mean she would not hold true to her earlier words, however. But that was if the hired thug messed shite up. Reiel wouldn't mind mopping up his messes, no. She would gladly clean up after the dealer as well. For the client's safety.

The Cathar asked one question then another, and Reiel took note of them all. She answered the questions as best she could. Discretion was out of the window the moment she told him about the hired gun and the spice dealer, anyway.

"The hired gun? Huh. Tadu, he's a Zabrak. Got these two scars across his left cheek, reeeeally tall and built like a buffed up log runner. Never had enough resources to run individual background checks on the other hired guards, but studying their habits during our way here was enough for me to deduce that nearly all of them have had... unsavory dealings before their employment. Especially Tadu. Always showing signs of partaking in substance abuse. Of course he had to go and brag about this particular spice dealer holed up here in the city," Reiel said, pausing to catch her breath and collect her thoughts.

Her eyes narrowed behind her visor. The Ranger's questions... he seemed too interested about the hired guard in question. He wouldn't be asking if it wasn't, ri–

And then it clicked. The Ranger had a job, yes, and involving who? A spice dealer? But they both knew that there were possibly more than one in the city. A particular target, one out of many? Who?

"I didn't hear much, to be honest. Caught bits here and there, and what might be his dealer's name is." Reiel pulled the mug of hot chocolate close to her. "Some bastard who likes slugs too much...? I mean, I'm sure being tagged 'Slugger' might mean something else, but hearing the word 'Hutt' even once is bound to have someone think of those giant slugs, huh? With regards to Tadu, no, I don't personally know him. But being cooped in a ship with him for a week let me take a peek into his spice-loving ways. Good thing I scared him even if I'm a pipsqueak compared to that horned giant..."

The young Mandalorian watched the Cathar even more closely now. She didn't pay the serving droid any heed when it returned with his food. Reiel plopped the straw in the mug of hot chocolate she ordered, adjusting it so the tip poked its way inside from underneath her helmet. It took some blind maneuvering, but her lips soon found the straw and she sipped as much of the hot beverage as she could, not minding the heat too much. She almost spat the drink inside her helmet when he followed up his questions with her aim of making the Zabrak appear under influence so he would mess up on purpose and thus endanger Hirani.

Reiel very nearly slammed the mug on the table, hands curled into fists and teeth gritted in annoyance. Did the Ranger misunderstand her words earlier? She would – in no way – willingly put her client in danger. It would ruin her reputation, doing so was the height of irresponsibility! It was shameful and dishonorable! She only said that if the hired gun messed up because he was under the influence, then she would hunt the dealer down and hold him responsible!

"Sorry, I didn't quite like how you phrased that question. Let me make things clear. One: my client's safety is my utmost responsibility. It's on me if she gets harmed, it's even more on me if she gets killed under my watch – Manda forbid. Two: I have no plans of deliberately letting Tadu get ahold of those kriffing spice just so he could get smashed and possibly mess up the job. I plan on keeping him under my watch so he couldn't go off buying his stuff to some fecking dealer. Three: If Tadu somehow escapes my sight, manages to get ahold of spice, and goes off under the influence, I'll be there to blast his horned skull to kingdom come for endangering my client. And four: I will hunt down that dealer myself for selling spice to a hired gun on duty. Out of those four objectives, I didn't think I heard myself saying 'give the fecking Zabrak his spice and make him put the client in danger'."

Reiel was more annoyed than angry at the insinuation. Was her phrasing earlier faulty? Because she was quite sure that she had made herself clear that her priority was her client's safety. Or maybe her body language suggested otherwise, thus making the Ranger misunderstand her intent? Either way, her pride had been poked and prodded like a hungry Wampa who hadn't eaten for weeks.

It was so easy to lift a hand, shake her arm to activate one of the attached flamethrowers in her vambrace, and aim it at his furry face. Too tempting, but Reiel only had the murder eyes for bounties that were wanted dead, not Rangers.

Wasn't worth having a horde of them after her heels. And besides, she might have sent wrong signals, the reason why he asked her that offending follow-up.

The latter thought quelled her annoyance. She settled with enjoying the hot chocolate she ordered while she waited for his response. Not a moment to soon the Ranger became distracted. He lowered his head ever so slightly, prompting Reiel to lift a hand to the side of her helmet to adjust her helmet's audio receptors. The Cathar was done with what he was listening to before she could get a whiff of what he heard, however, and Reiel dropped her hand to the table.

The way the Cathar bid her farewell seemed a little... odd. It wasn't as if he was inclined to stay and spend the day with her. He seemed tense, as if something he had long been anticipating was finally happening. It's a job – it had to be – and it might be what she had deduced based from his questions earlier.

"Um, y-you're welcome," Reiel stuttered as she watched him stand up from his seat. Maker, she had an inkling from what she'd estimated when he was sitting before her, but now that he's up on his feet she could see that the Ranger was taller than the average Cathar! The young Mandalorian could only follow him with her gaze while he walked out of the diner, nearly missing the commlink attached to her bandolier sounding off.

"Yes?" she asked one of the hired guards on the other end. Her amazement at having seen the tallest Cathar she had ever met (not that she had met many) soon dissolved into anger when the other guard spoke of what she had feared.

"Tadu's not on his post, Mando. He must've sneaked off to get to the dealer."

"Got a name to go with the 'Slugger' moniker of the dealer, Kabi?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"Theo. I heard it's Theo."

Great. The thing she had been trying to prevent was happening.

If her hunch about the Ranger's job involving a spice dealer was right, then what were the odds that it could be the same dealer Tadu was headed off to? It wasn't fifty-fifty, hells, it could even be lower than that. But if there was one thing Reiel learned from taking jobs, it was to take what little chance she had the opportunity of grabbing before it was gone. She would worry about being wrong later. For now, she had a hired gun to wrangle.

The young Mandalorian quickly shot up from her seat, making sure to leave her payment for her and the Cathar's food on the table – with change to spare. She half-walked, half-jogged down the street, eyes peeled for the Ranger and almost afraid to never find him in the crowd. But Reiel did find him, thanking the stars that he hadn't gotten too far for her to lose track of.

Reiel shouldered her way past people, casting "I'm sorry" and "excuse me" along the way. She was catching her breath by the time she caught up to the Cathar, now fully aware by how much he towered over her now that they were walking side by side. The young Mandalorian swallowed the nervous lump in her throat – she was going to barge in on his job, after all.

By the gods, this guy could easily crush her if she was without her armor and helmet. The top of her helmeted head didn't even reach his shoulder–

"Hello again, Mister Ranger, sir!" she chirped up at him rather cheerily. Now's not the time to make idle chat, however. He seemed serious and so Reiel decided to take the plunge, drop names she wasn't sure he knew, and barge in on his (and quite possibly hers, if Tadu chose the same spice dealer) business. "So, uh, I got word that my co-worker junkie abandoned his post to go to this dealer he spoke of. Sneaky, that Zabrak. Anyway, ever heard of..." here, Reiel stood on her tiptoes while she walked beside him, intent on not giving the name aloud so the passersby would not hear. She would appreciate it a lot if the Cathar bent slightly to her level, though. "... Theo the Slugger? Spice dealer? Ever heard of him?"

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Arah Tizun

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He would not provide any kind of response as the Mandalorian expressed her dissatisfaction based off his question, his assumption. He was more amused then anything, she had gotten so worked up over a phrase, was it a surprise? Not really, what little he did know there was some code that Mandalorians follow - but he couldn't give you any more details or even make assumptions. Mando had gotten worked up, and tipped her hat to him. He wasn sure if he'd ever see her beyond this day, but he knew that there was a way to get under her skin - not that be wanted to, nor was he the type. Arah Tizun simply made a note should it ever be viable in the future.

Arah Tizun took little time to remove himself from the diner without a second thought. He left without even providing a name or a thank you for the reimbursement of the meal - but it in head, these were not things relevant besides, she made the error in his meal so he may very well may have felt entitled to have the food replaced. Perhaps it was rude, perhaps it was presumptuous - it mattered not.

The Cathar was already formulating a plan the instant he left the diner. He needed to consider if a larger weapon would be necessary, if he should strap a chestplate on in preparation for what's to come. This could be an easy job, there may be few people there - or maybe he would be challenged excessively. Before he could take the next phase, he'd have to at the very least return to the safe haven to confirm or judge the response he was getting from the surveillance system set up. The only notification he got was that there was activity on the site, never had a confirmation of how many or what they were bringing.

The Cathar moved with ease throughout the the crowds in the street. He moved with purpose and fluidly. Unlike the Mandalorian on his heels, he would not ask for forgiveness or apologize as he waded through the crowds to his destination. This attitude wasn't because he was a sod of a Ranger, no, it was because he moved with such ease - twisting and shifting his body never getting in someone's way and no one in his way. It was graceful, if you had to describe it; either he was comfortable or it was species agile form. The Ranger paid no mind to Mando when she reached him, he just needed to get to the next stop but it was the voice that brought his attention baring down onto the hired gun now beside him.

He used a simple, short glance to say he knew she was there without actually saying anything. But when she spoke, well, she was far too chipper given mere moments ago when she had defended her statements about the gun she knew. The glance, though brief, did not hide the annoyance he was feeling. Could she not tell he was busy? Did the fact that he blatantly told her he was busy, not sink in? Could she not see how serious he was? Here he was, moving with purpose and the woman was speaking so casually to him - the time for chit chat was back there when he was sitting down, not when he was trying to get somewhere quickly. Though frustrated, she seemed to insistently require his attention - this apparent as she continued to speak despite the obvious.

Fine. He stopped to give her his attention. He locked his pale blue, slightly bloodshot eyes onto the obvious location of her eyes. His eyes peered deeply at her, he didn't know how that gaze made her feel. The seriousness in his almost hard eyes; the stare was not a stare of hostility or affection or casual. It was a stare of judgement as he weighed her words. Not once interrupting her. He did not feel strongly one way or another. It was during this exact moment that he had finally become fully aware of their height difference. He observed the armored woman appear almost childish, as she stood on her toes - requesting his attention. She was small, he knew she wasn't a tower when he saw her enter the diner, but to obtain an exact measurements in comparison from a distance while sitting, wasn't exactly easy.

He would grant her the unspoken request. He leaned slightly down, his head offset by her head. A way someone would position to present an ear. Because of the crowds and her intent on trying to speak to him while he walked and didn't provide her with his undivided attention, he had requested her to repeat the first section of her news. He had heard her loud and clear at the name of Theo, but without the start it was slightly out of context. He expected she would respect him and repeat the same. Once stated he stood upright, neutral expression and held that firm gaze once more as he processed her statements and determined if he should say anything at all. There was silence, a silence that may have lasted no more than a few seconds, but felt like much longer.

"Your guy is a known associate." The Cathar began and started walking again, "I didn't have a name until now. Both the people you mentioned are small time. The second name, the nickname is based on a rather odd affection toward the… well you can fill in that blank."

"If your person is overly excited and is here now, there's a good chance my feeling is correct. Today I had a feeling, a feeling that something was going to happen. Whether or not I'm right - guess I'll find out." He took a short pause and looked around before continuing to walk, he needed to ask a question that would determine how next course of action.

"Tell me, did your guy have any odd behavior during your trip? What I mean is, did you see him paying particularly close attention to a spot on the ship or did he appear to wander the ship looking for something? Or nothing unusual?"

A simple question really. He just needed to determine what Tadu's role might be in this.

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Reiel Mal Crowholde

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Boy, did the Ranger look quite annoyed when Reiel caught up to him. He didn't need to even say anything to verbally express what he felt right now – with that steely gaze he was giving her, it would've made her quake in her boots if she was but a precocious youngling. But being raised by an ex-pirate captain and then adopted by a gruff Mandalorian who could kill people with his bare hands did possess each their advantages. If the Cathar could see her face now, he'd be rewarded (or maybe even more irritated) by the triumphant grin Reiel was giving him.

Thank the stars for her helmet, then.

But she respected the seriousness and annoyance he displayed. The Cathar did mean business when he left the diner, and here Reiel was – walking up to him as if she hadn't been annoyed at him earlier. It was all water under the bridge now, however, now that she realized that she might have sent the wrong signals with her words, actions, and intent earlier. She was a Mandalorian, a bounty hunter who had already seen things and taken jobs as hunters should, but it didn't make her as experienced as her brethren. Reiel knew she still had a lot to learn, a fact that she accepted without shame nor anger.

Her grin turned into a relieved smile when the Cathar granted her silent request, stopping on his tracks and actually leaning down slightly towards her while she spoke. The young Mandalorian was only grateful to comply to his request of repeating what she had said.

"Tadu, the Zabrak. The other hired guard. He left his post to meet the dealer."

Reiel waited patiently while the Cathar processed what she had told him, her helmet still tilted up and meeting his gaze head on through her visor. His next words however confirmed a lingering suspicion he had towards her Zabrak co-worker.

While she lacked the resources to run individual background checks regarding her fellow hired guns, that did not mean that Reiel would not attempt a follow-through. On their way here to Corellia, the Mandalorian took the time to study the other bodyguards and their routines while still in the ship. She might have had misgivings about the job offer she took, but she would be damned if she did not do right by her client. While some guards have been decent enough and thus removed themselves from Reiel's mental list of suspicious characters to look out for, the others weren't exactly the same.

And even before overhearing the chatter in the spaceport, Tadu had stood out in the list of hired guns Reiel had to pay particular attention to. Knowing that he was actually an associate and not just a first-time customer had Reiel nodding her head at the Cathar in thanks for the information.


"That's something I'd rather not fill, though," she commented on the source of the dealer's nickname. How was that even–?

Reiel forced herself to stop dwelling on that and instead focused on the newfound revelation. So the Cathar knew this Hutt-loving dealer! She was more than glad to have grabbed the opportunity that had presented itself to her earlier!

She fell in step beside him, not complaining on the length of his strides and instead focused on keeping up with him. The young Mandalorian perked up when the Cathar mentioned that he had a feeling that something was going to happen today. And while it did not actually involve meeting a Mando like her in the city, she was quite sure that it was something heavily related to the job he was currently undertaking. Reiel understood that. Feelings – instincts were something people like her often relied in with a job as dangerous and unpredictable as bounty hunting, and it was not that difficult to apply the same with Rangers.

When the Cathar spoke again – asking more questions, to be precise – she gave him his full attention. The questions were aimed at Tadu's activities and behaviours in the ship. Oh. Well, Reiel could give the Ranger a full account of what she had catalogued about the troublesome Zabrak, but given the situation she settled for the most notable things.


"Before making our way here, the client gave us the option to either bunk with someone in the ship or acquire a room solely to ourselves. There are three who chose the latter option: myself, a female Aqualish, and – no surprises here – Tadu. It wouldn't be suspicious to desire privacy, but the Zabrak wouldn't even let cleaning droids in his room. He didn't wander around nor pay any close attention to a particular place in the ship. Just his bunk, nothing more."

Reiel crossed her arms over her armored chest, head tilting to the side while she continued, "I managed to take a look in his room– just checking if he was hiding anything illegal in there. Unless–"

The young Mandalorian stopped in her tracks, mind piecing things together as quickly as she could.

"Unless whatever he might have been hiding in his room was small enough to be carried. Wait."

The commlink strapped to her bandolier was beeping. Reiel went to answer it, surprised to hear one of the hired guns – Kabi – on the other end again.

"Mando? Found Tadu yet?"

"Still looking for him. Why?"

"Weeeell... client's made it back to the ship safely and into her chambers with some lovesick male Twi'lek..."

"And the problem?"

"She's just found out she's missing creds. Not all of it, though, just enough to notice. Convenient for Tadu to be missing right now, huh?"

"Haar'chak!" hissed the young Mandalorian through gritted teeth.

So that was why that bastard was so insistent on clean sweeping the client's chamber even after Reiel herself had made sure that the room was completely safe. The Zabrak's sneaky pilfering timed perfectly with Reiel being called to wherever part of the ship the client headed off to.


Guess if there was a will, there would always be a way, huh?

She returned her focus to the Cathar. "Well, I guess that answers the question of what Tadu was hiding. Not contraband, just creds stolen from the client. That bastard!"

Reiel could be wrong, of course. Tadu might actually be hiding something more than the stolen credits. She wasn't the galaxy's all-seeing, all-knowing mystic, after all. But she was intent to find out once she finds that wayward hired gun.

Forget the dealer for a moment. Reiel had a thieving Zabrak junkie to skin alive once she gets her gloved hands on him.

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Arah Tizun

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"No that does not answer the question. Your assessment is flawed." The Cathar stated pointedly. "Confined to a single location, barring entry to even a droid. He's a supplier. Your client, she may have been unwittingly used as a spice mule."

He could tell with little information from the Mandalorian, she was not going to be impressed with the new information being presented. He may not have been a hired gun, but he certainly would be annoyed if he was in her armour - and not because the armor wouldn't fit - and someone was going against his job. He really didn't need anymore more information, her reaction in the diner would tell him everything he needed to know.

"Because credits are missing is not enough to assume it was him. For all you know, could be a dock hand or another crew member - maybe even the guy who told you of the discovery, shift blame." He didn't know who was on that ship, he didn't know this Mandalorian from the next one, without an investigation he could not be certain; but that's not his attention. "When you return to the ship, you best check that room. Everywhere. Consider this a friendly warning or suggestion." There was no threat in his voice or his body language. It was a genuine remark. He knew how spaceport security worked, as well as local agencies. He also knew the level of corruption that could exist.

Arah Tizun looked around the area. He made a glance toward his intended destination. If he was correct, the delivery was likely happening this morning and he was about to solve it. Here's the thing though, of a delivery was happening then there would be danger - more so then if it was just a sale. Pickups could also be deadly as well. It also depends on the reliability or the history between dealer and supplier.

Arah Tizun was also not one to make too many assumptions. But, he was going to make one assumption right now - he understood why Mando might be the type to rule out a shipment or the fact he couldn't have been hiding something more then just creds. His assumption was she was naive when it came to this kind of thing. He doubted she had extensive experience with spice and spice dealers - after all, spice was a disgusting habit and not everyone would partake… and a hunter consuming that? Dulling their senses, not likely. Spice can be carried in a variety of sizes, in fact some dealers would be happy to obtain small amounts - either as a sample or some very pure, didn't have to be a crate.

"But, I guess your client is back and you've solved your mystery of the hired gun. You best not keep your client waiting - me on the other hand, I've got to address this, but I need my supplies first. Once again, thank you." Arah Tizun had a slight issue, he would welcome assistance but he was the type to not ask for help. Figured he could address it, he wasn't trying to blow her off or express he didn't want to discuss anything with her he was just a very stubborn Cathar. "Unless…" he considered asking but it was a challenge for him and he'd likely just push it to the side.

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Reiel Mal Crowholde

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Being told that her assessment was flawed both felt like a smack to the helmet and an enlightenment of improving herself with regards to topics she had very limited knowledge about. For the first time in a long while, Reiel wanted to smash someone's head against a wall of durasteel.

Preferably the Zabrak's. Then hers.

She worried her bottom lip with her teeth, mentally instructing herself to quickly come to terms with her client now being put into real danger. Oh, Maker, this was what Reiel got for wishing that she could somehow provide more credits for the clan. It was a regret she grabbed with both hands and locked gazes with until one of them gave up. An irritatingly bitter pill to swallow, but Reiel wouldn't hesitate to partake in nonetheless.

The Cathar might be expecting denial from her, but Reiel was no fool. She more often than not readily acknowledged her flaws, whether in her logic, assumptions, and even combat skills unlike other people. The young Mandalorian nodded her assent at the Ranger's explanation, gaze turning steely underneath the cold visage of her helmet.

She wanted to thank him and heed his suggestion to return to the ship, but Reiel wanted to track Tadu and confront him for his crimes even more. It was the original goal why she followed the Cathar in the first place. The young Mandalorian shook her head in negative.

"No, Kabi's clean," she muttered, the commlink still gripped in one, gloved hand. "Came from a legitimate security service company. Record's clean, the company's as well. But there's another one who's cleaner."

Reiel clicked the commlink on, contacting another, even more reliable guard than her – in her opinion. The female Aqualish was older than her, and while the former couldn't speak in Basic, Reiel had been surprised to learn that there was actually a way for the two of them to communicate.

The moment she heard the faint tapping from the other end of the link, Reiel responded in kind, sending her message in the form of a combination of long and short taps in varying intervals. She might not be as fluent as her buir and the eldest Mandalorian in the clan, but she knew enough of dadita to make her message clear.


Zabrak spice supplier. Check Zabrak room then entire ship. Might have contraband. Tell trustworthy only but keep Kabi out yet. Keep eye on client.

Reiel did not mean for such secrecy of transferring the message, but there was no other way to talk to the Aqualish. An aruetii from her culture, and yet the other female guard knew of an almost obsolete Mandalorian code for communication.

Judging from the Aqualish' behavior and the way she gazed at Reiel's armor, the young Mandalorian had a feeling that the former was dar'manda. There was no time dwelling in on that thought, however, considering that there were more pressing matters that needed to be attended.


Will do. Hunt well.

The line went dead.

With one concern attended to, Reiel shifted her attention back at the Cathar. She thought back on the things he said and reconsidered her earlier information she shared with him. If truth be told, Reiel's knowledge with regards to anything involving spice was severely lacking. She had seen people partaking in it in the seediest cantinas she sometimes found herself in while looking for bounties, as well as the substances' effects on others. Kriff, there was even a time when the young Mandalorian had been offered to try the blasted stuff but the person was promptly met with a well-placed blaster shot to the knee.

No, she would not take even the smallest whiff or dose, thank you. Not only did it go against her code, but it would also render her useless with a job as dangerous as she had.


Finding herself facing a new problem opened yet another learning opportunity for Reiel. Being in the company of someone who dabbled in an occupation as close as law enforcement, the young Mandalorian intended to stick with the Ranger in the hopes of learning about spice and the dealers themselves – how they operate and the like. Who knew, she might have come to use whatever she could learn from him sometime in the future.

"Well, first off, thanks a lot for the information and the warning-slash-suggestion," Reiel told the Ranger sincerely. "Those are a big help not only to me but my client and other associates as well. They're searching the Zabrak's room and the whole ship as we speak. Here's hoping they won't find anything and whatever Tadu's keeping better be in his person and not in the ship."

"I honestly don't know a lot about this thing. It shows, huh?"
Another attempt at humor, but the young Mandalorian herself wasn't feeling it this time.

At the mention of the Cathar needing his supplies – his arsenal most likely – Reiel had a feeling that this was where their paths would soon part. But there was something about his behavior that told her to stay. Well, he did say that Tadu was an associate of this Theo the Slugger dude, right? Maybe she should stick with her original plan of going with the Cathar and help?

But Reiel was a bounty hunter. She would need compensation should he ask for her assistance.


Di'kut, you already got your pay even if you haven't even offered your services yet. Weren't the information he shared with you enough to be considered as payment? With your situation now, it's as if the creds would solve the problem for you.

Mind made, Reiel could only grin once more at the perceived stubbornness on the Cathar's part. Unless, he said. The word came strongly to her as a consideration about asking for her aid, and the Mandalorian was happy to comply.

Despite his gruff demeanour, Reiel could feel that this Ranger before her was not only duty-bound, he also seemed...


Trustworthy enough? We'll see.

Reiel stuck out a gloved hand at the Cathar's direction, her head tilted upwards to meet his gaze. She curled her fingers in a bid for him to accept the impromptu handshake she was asking from him to seal the deal.

While names might be exclusive for family members only, her father also taught her that giving it away would show that you trusted someone. Maybe not to the extent that you would trust them with your life, but one would get the gist. Reiel knew that the Way was practiced in different methods by different tribes and clans, but she would rather give her name away anyway than to remove her helmet.


"Mister Ranger, no need to sweat over it. I understand. You don't have to ask if you don't want to, I'll go with you anyway whether you like it or not," she told him, her grin evident with the amusement lacing her tone. "It's Reiel, by the way. Not Mando. Unless you wanna stick with the latter, of course. Or Bucket Head. Even Tin Can. Hehe."

The young Mandalorian still won't ask for his name. At this point, and even with the conversations and information they shared, she was now a tad embarrassed to ask. Guess she'd just let him give his name to her in his own free will – only if he wanted to, of course; or if Reiel actually found herself asking sometime soon, anyways.

"So, um... supplies first, huh?" she would then say regardless if he would humor her with a handshake or not – whatever his decision Reiel would not hold it against him. "Do you want to lead the way, or would you rather have me wait in a rendezvous point?"

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Arah Tizun

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The Ranger's steely gaze watched her closely. He watched her communicate in her comm device, the Cathar was not entirely certain what she was doing. He did not care to try and decipher what she was doing, to him it was relevant. He hadn't suggested where he was going or any parts of his own information, she couldn't exactly communicate to be back stabbed, or to set him up. He had his own privacy.

Then a rather curious thing happened, the Mandalorian offered him an armored glove a gesture of a handshake. He could see her little gesture to invite him to accept the hand. He looked down and then looked back at her. Processing his next step. This gal was a stubborn one, she was trying to imply she was going to go with him regardless - she could get in his way. Might even be classified as obstruction. He wasn't exactly willing to make a deal or do something that would like him into a possible deal. This was not something he was prepared for; and then she offered a name? Well that was unexpected.

There was nothing to suggest that she "trusted" him, but there was a sign of respect in the gesture. Arah Tizun had a problem with bringing people into his business. You could even call Tizun a criminal lifestyle the way he approached things. He rarely stayed in the same place twice, he always assessed people for their motivations, he always thought of options or the next step. Always on the move, maybe a little bit of a paranoia, but that was an occupational thing.

He did not take her hand this time. He just wasn't ready to do that and he didn't want to inadvertently get "locked in" to a deal. But, he never gave her a look of disgust - just now wasn't the right time.

He put some thought into her question regarding the supplies. On one hand, it would be nice to have her along - he could give a better briefing in the safe haven, away from eyes and ears. They could even do a quick recon as he had a very good view from his living room. On the other hand, she might be able to get a little more facetime with a recon while he got ready - after all, she was no doubt already kitted out. It was a question of safety or security, he rarely stayed in the same place for each case, even if it was in the same vicinity.

"Three blocks away. There's an industrial store house. This is likely the location, be keen on watches. Keep distance, stalk. Do not engage. Fairly common, square. You'll know the building because you'll know something is out of place." He didn't waste any time putting out what needed to be done. He thought she was a professional so there would be no need for him to tell her that he was in charge, she would just know. "Go look. Stalk. About three buildings true east of the site is a small building. It looks like there's maybe room for 1 bedroom. Back door. Inside." He didn't need to say 'meet me there did he? "Got it? Good." He did not have time to answer questions, he would do that later.

Without another word he take his leave. He just needed that nod or a yes.

***
He wasted no time. He entered his haven and located his blast vest and strapped it on. He located his locked case and entered the code followed by lending his paw print for verification. The case's latches clicked open and he removed his blaster rifle.

A quick safety check on the rifle and then he loaded a fresh power cell, but he didn't charge it. The rifle strapped on his back. He removed his concealed hand blaster and equipped his drop holster before dropping it in. He removed the other power cells and strapped them in place. One stun grenade if he needed to breach loudly.

He made his way to his view screen and booted it up and quickly reviewed the notifications. There was a vehicle in the parking space and the footage he quickly reviewed had Theo, and 4 henchmen follow him inside the building - he didn't have live coverage inside. But he didn't care, this is all he needed; them arriving. A grin creeping slowly on his face, gotcha now!

He pulled himself from the feed and collected the datapad and loaded up the floor plan. He fetched the binoculars and scanned the scene. He saw Riel down below and he smirked at the sight of her. He didn't linger on her though, he was just happy she was down there. He wasn't monitoring what she was doing, he just confirmed her presence.

One last thing he needed to get before he left...

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Reiel Mal Crowholde

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Reiel dropped the hand she was holding out for the Ranger to shake, fully understanding why he didn't want to do so or why he wasn't so inclined in returning the gesture. Not one to make a deal, perhaps? She wouldn't hold it against him, though – while the young Mandalorian normally wasn't so assertive, she was aware that she might be coming in too strong and too stubborn with her intent on her job (and his, which she really shouldn't be barging in on).

But if there was something the young Mandalorian was sure of, it was that she would never do anything to mess this one up. If this was something she would have to undertake alone, perhaps making a little mistake would be alright. She was decent with improvisations, after all, and with much better results than what she initially planned. This one right here, however, had become a two-person job: with the Cathar intent on apprehending his quarry and Reiel with hers.

There was something the Ranger should be... she didn't know... grateful for? She'd settle for that, even if he's really not obligated to feel such. The young Mandalorian would make sure that she won't mess this gig up on purpose – no way in hell would she cause the Cathar to get angry at her or something. Should any complications out of her control arise, well, she'd just have to give remedy to them, huh?

They haven't known each other for a solid day, but Reiel respected the Cathar's professionalism, his straightforward words, and the bluntness in which he perceived and relayed the flaws in her earlier assessment. There was also a hint of paranoia in the way he refused to shake her hand for a deal – not wanting to owe her anything, maybe? She understood that. Job like his, the young Mandalorian could understand the need for cautiousness.

Reiel could really learn a thing or two from this Ranger, honestly. Being a Mandalorian didn't give her instant knowledge about everything she needed to know while making her way through the Galaxy. She was human, bound to commit mistakes try as she might not to. It was the way of things, a balance to things and decisions she have done and chosen correctly. People like him are the reason why she allowed her almost childlike curiosity to flourish, not to get left behind in that backwater planet she grew up in.

The Mandalorian listened attentively to the Cathar's instruction. Brief and straight to the point again. Alright, she'd definitely remember this guy and add him to the list of people she actually respected (it wasn't a long list). She knew the sound and look of someone who knew what they were doing and were taking charge of the situation. Him exhibiting such behaviors was more than fine with her. Reiel would offer obedience in return. The Ranger, after all, was the more experienced between the two of them with regards to transactions involving spice dealers and how to apprehend them.

Keep distance, stalk, do not engage. She could do those. With a nod of acquiescence, Reiel watched the Cathar leave.

Here we go.

—·—

She did confirm that the building the Ranger talked about where the trade would take place was the one he told her about. The heat signature in Reiel's HUD caught movement just within the industrial store house's perimeters. She was a little ways away from the place, keeping in mind her distance so those on watch wouldn't catch her.

Earlier, she had inconspicuously entered one of the buildings nearby the storehouse and proceeded to the rooftop to get a closer look on the dealer's place from above. For someone who's conducting such a shady business, there was only one guard for each entrance: one at the front and the other on an alley to the building's left. The latter appeared to be guarding a possible escape route for the dealer should the meet-up proved to be a bust. With no real way to scout inside the storehouse, Reiel left her perch and proceeded to her original route down the street.


Her small stature offered the young Mandalorian her greatest advantage, and she used it in full. Even the weather, the sky cloudy and hiding the sun, did not escape from her using it as cover. Reiel blended in the shadows, ever thankful that she did not insist on painting her beskar'gam any hint of bright colors. Too gaudy, could easily be seen by unwanted eyes. This grey, and the worn, drab cape she was wearing? Perfect.

For once, Reiel was glad that she was in her element. While she normally just announced herself whenever she's bounty hunting, this one needed stealth and discretion.

She was concealed in one of the dark alleyways, hiding behind a stack of crates filled with something heavy (nah, she wouldn't check what's inside, irrelevant to her case right now), and peering at the location through the gap between the wall she was pressed against and the crates. When the guard entered the store house, presumably to grab a smoke or something, Reiel swiftly made for the alley across – moving ever closer towards the building but maintaining a decent distance away.

Watching her move quickly and too silently for someone weighed down by a full cuirass of Mandalorian steel might be disconcerting to others. This was the product of years of training under the tutelage of the one Mandalorian she admired the most – of one she could hopefully be like someday. If it weren't for her father's teaching, Reiel would already have made mistakes and caught unwanted attention by now.

Reiel had already been hidden long before the guard returned, the latter blissfully ignorant of her existence. She could say the same for the other guard who was happily dozing off the last time she saw him. Reiel watched the place for a while, and when no further noteworthy occurence presented itself, she decided to follow the Cathar's next directive. Before she could move, however, five figures emerged from her line of sight and disappeared inside the building. One of them stood out to her, a human male in his forties with a rather unassuming face, and she had no doubt that it was the dealer himself.

Still perfectly hidden, Reiel did another quick sweep of her hiding place and the infrastructures nearby. The feeling of being watched struck her, but if it was one of the guards then her cover should've been blown by now. Not them, then.

Probably the Ranger. She had a strong feeling that it was him.

Like a spirit guardian. Or something. Maybe I should wave? Nope, no time for your usual shenanigans, Reiel, you weirdo.

Suddenly grinning to herself, Reiel now made way for her next destination, leaving no trace of her having been anywhere near the industrial store house. She was gone as if she had never been there.

Like smoke, melting in the shadows.

—·—

East, the Ranger said.

And three buildings later she had pinpointed the rendezvous point. She circled the small building, once, twice, keeping close to the shadows until she was sure that she had made her presence known to the Ranger and to him alone before entering the establishment through the backdoor. She purposefully trudged down the hall, stopping by a room with a lone heat signature suggesting the presence of a person inside.

She didn't enter out of respect for the Ranger's privacy. He might be preparing his gear, and Reiel was not looking forward to getting herself accidentally shot at because she decided to walk inside the room unannounced. She opted to talk instead.

"Got a visual of the storehouse. Two guards, inattentive. Maybe more inside – highly likely; it's better to assume the worst than be careless. As much as I'd like to take a look in the storehouse's interior, your directive comes first before my curiosity that could kill a hundred loth-cats."

Reiel blinked. Alright, that joke's lame. She shrugged it off and continued, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning her back against the wall.

"Saw the Slugger entering the box, too. With four henchmen. But, hey, it's as if you haven't known already, eh?" she said, adding the last part as an afterthought upon remembering the feeling of being watched earlier while she was scouting.

"So, what's the next move, Mister Ranger?" Reiel then asked, genuinely looking to him for guidance.

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Arah Tizun

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He quickly grabbed a hard case to bring with him. It was just an extra layer of protection going forward, might not even need it. He didn't need any further time to prepare, he was already set and he just needed to move on.

With gear in hand and equipment prepped he made his way out of the haven and headed over to the meeting point. He advanced casually through the crowds. Don't mind the cat like being with a large gun. Just an everyday occurrence. He probably got a look or two, but nothing concerning.

*****

He located his meeting point and entered it. He didn't need to do a sweep, this was a secure location. It had been for some time. But even so, he wasn't going to be doing any serious cloak and dagger shenanigans here. It was going to be a simple case of here's the information and let's go, that's the best way to describe it. He waited in room, reviewing the information and the small video feeds. It wouldn't take long for him to hear the familiar voice.

"Enter."

In the room was his A280 Blaster rifle in one corner, a hard case on a table, a datapad on top of the case. On his hip was his hand blaster in a drop holster and a stun baton. Of course, the blast vest was covering his torso. Power packs strapped to his chest and hips. He stood tall and proud, confidence or arrogance? As she entered, he turned and met her eyes. He listened to her assessment of the situation.

"Okay." He began, Arah Tizun walked over to Riel, as he did it he stopped up the datapad and presented it to her, "I won't pretend to know your kit. On the pad is a floorplan to the target. Review it or load it if you can or want to. It'll give you some understanding, it's not complete and I haven't been inside. Second, if your visor can't filter out hazardous fumes, take a mask from the hard case. Spice can be present in different states - as fine dust for snorting or mixing, liquid for injection. Can't confirm what's present or not. It's a guess."

"As you said, minimum of 6 inside. Theo and his guards. You saw 5 correct? Tadu makes six; I do not know if he's in there yet or not. I say assume it." He tapped his chin in contemplation. Tizun watched his contact while she reviewed. "The plan can give you an idea of where they might be…"

He allowed Riel to state where she would locate each of the guards if she was inside. He allowed her a chance to thing a tactic or two and share it with him.

"Right. That would make sense, but without being inside… but it's something to consider. If you're wrong, you know what that means?" He paused a moment she could answer herself, "Improvise. Adept. You know that, you've done that."

"First steps first. Entry and hinder. I will deal with the front door - you can handle the back door and if you can figure out how to hinder their escape room, do it." Arah Tizun was stern and forward, "This is an arrest NOT a slaughter. I am not in the business of killing. I trust you'll do your best to accommodate that." His face and eyes changed with that direction, a deadly stare that peered at her - a flare that even a Mandalorian visor could protect her from. It was the look of command or demand, a look that explicitly stated "Do I make myself clear?!" In truth, he did not know if it'd be effective. After all, this was not a deal and he was not an employer so whether she listened or not, that would reveal itself.

No matter of her intention, he wouldn't tell her but he had no plans to apprehend her if she wasn't able to subdue. Occupational hazard.

Once his words were delivered, he allowed it to sink in, to give weight to his words. "Upon entry… things change. If they are where you think, then the suggestion will proceed as planned, but if they're not…" He didn't continue, he wanted to give her a chance to complete his sentence.

Sure, maybe it was a small bit of light-heartedness. But do you think the Ranger would smile or tell her that? You're kriffing mad.

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Reiel Mal Crowholde

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The door slid open to accommodate the young Mandalorian. She stepped inside the room, gaze immediately keeping track of the interior and the stuff the Ranger was keeping inside. Her eyes soon found something more impressive, however.

Reiel let out a small whistle of appreciation at the sight of the Cathar in his gear. There was always something so relief-inducing on seeing someone who was prepared to tackle their job head on. He looked... no, not arrogant. Confident suited him, standing tall and proud, and kitted as he was. The young Mandalorian admired that. Confidence entailed getting the job done while arrogance, on the other hand, often led to the opposite.

The Ranger meant business, and Reiel simply inclined her helmeted head at him out of respect and took the datapad from him to start studying the information it held regarding the storehouse's floorplan.

"My helmet is fitted with a filter, but it won't kill to have additional protection," she muttered gratefully, gaze momentarily flicking over the hard case he mentioned. Reiel would get one to wear later. She couldn't exactly take her helmet in front of him. No one had ever seen her face ever since she swore the Creed (except her buir and his father), and exposing herself to an outsider was a violation of the Creed her clan followed. So she'd take one mask later and put it on away from prying eyes.

"Yes, it's better to assume that Tadu's already there," Reiel said, eyes still trained on the storehouse's floorplan. While the information was incomplete, what was present seemed pretty straightforward to her. Wide spaces for storing wares, several catwalks, a docking and drop-off bay at the entrance, and some storage rooms for smaller shipments. "Since we don't have a full visual of the storehouse's interior, we can only assume that they're either doing the trade in one of the smaller storage rooms or the middle of the warehouse itself. Suppose the storehouse is occupied. The storage racks and the wares or shipments on them would offer the dealer and his men perfect cover should they find themselves in a shootout. Could easily lose whoever's in their tail, too. These catwalks here–" she pointed out "–could also be potentially used against us. Let's say the dealer has more men inside. Placing them here offers them a vantage point. Put one or two guards to shoot us from above here and... you get the point."

Her beskar'gam at the very least could offer her protection from blaster bolts. She couldn't exactly say the same for the Ranger – he's practically exposed compared to her. Should he opt for a plan where they would have to take separate routes, then chances of her shielding him with her armored body from shooters at their level while also looking out from those above instantly dropped to zero. Reiel might not personally know the Cathar, but she had come to respect him and thus would not want to see him in any form of harm during their raid.

Manda's sake, she hoped Theo the Slugger didn't have any additional reinforcements hiding in the storehouse. Reiel knew that the Ranger was perfectly capable of looking after himself – his job exactly wasn't a walk in the park. Who knew how many death-defying jobs he had taken already. The young Mandalorian still worried, nonetheless.

If only she had whistling birds like Dad. Hells, she would even give one of her pauldrons for a jetpack.

(At the very least she still had her whipcord. She could improvise with that one.)


"About the guards... the one at the side alley would be easy to dispose of. Same goes for the one in front. And those inside... I'm assuming they'll be ordered to sweep the place for hostiles. If any of them had any brains at all, they'd surely scout the catwalks, the way leading to the back entrance, even the vents if they're paranoid. Those were the main points of concern – the catwalks and the escape route, but mostly the former. Like I said, vantage points; gives them a full visual of what's happening below."

Reiel nodded as the Cathar acknowledged her insights. "Uh, yeah, that's our main problem right now. Let's just hope I'm wrong and there's only six of them in there." She grinned at him under her helmet. "Improvise. Adapt. Yep, done those before, more times than I can count on my fingers."

The young Mandalorian, again, nodded at his next directive. She had already established that, since he took the lead, she would end up being the hindrance to the dealer and his henchmen's as well as Tadu's escape. Reiel was fine with that. The storehouse would surely provide her with the things she needed to block any and all escape attempts and routes the enemy would take. Or, she could simply find some high ground where she could pick them one by one with her blaster rifle–

There was one, glaring problem, however. This was not her job, and the Cathar sternly insisted that he was here to make an arrest and not an extermination. It might be easier for Reiel to just snipe them and make her merry way, but the look of demand on the Ranger's face and the glare in his eyes had her backing off from that thought.

She considered the weight of her DC-15A Blaster Rifle behind her and the vibroknives strapped to her belt. Just take the frag grenades out of the picture and she was set to go with subduing the perps.

Reiel would not promise that it wouldn't hurt them, however. Maybe she should advise the Cathar to contact the nearest med bay for her victims, just in case she'd be pushed to overdo the hurting part.


"No killing," she assured the Ranger, rubbing her gloved hands together in anticipation. "Got it."

Her job as a bounty hunter might – more often than not – rely on the deaths of her targets, but Reiel understood the importance of bringing a bounty back to the client alive. It was easy to apply that same principle in this situation. She'd just have to treat the Cathar as one of her clients who wanted the bounty alive, and she's set to go.

And besides, she didn't plan on having her bounty hunting days end with her being arrested for toeing the line and killing the dealer and his henchmen – the courtesy even extending to Tadu. Reiel could already imagine her father mounting a rescue mission – a literal Mandalorian killing-machine who would stop at nothing to get his only daughter back. The guy had a rancor as his signet, for kriff's sakes. She wouldn't even be surprised if her old man would chuck a frag grenade in a sarlacc pit and get away with it.

Reiel shuddered in fear at the thought. Yep, she would follow the Cathar's command to a perfect T.


Completely missing the Cathar's attempt at light humor – he wasn't smiling to suggest the thought, for the love of the Maker; hadn't even smiled once ever since the diner! – Reiel could only shrug, the grenades on her belt jingling with the movement.

"If things don't go as planned, I say we just shoot our way in and chuck a frag grenade or two. Spices things up, huh? Grenades always do." Seconds later, Reiel cringed at the pun. Gods, what was with her and her stupid quips...? "Right, no killing. I remember."

The young Mandalorian walked over to the hard case the Cathar mentioned earlier. She flipped it open, finding the masks he talked about. Turning to face the Ranger, Reiel motioned at the door.

"Mind if I walk out for a sec? I'm just gonna put this on... 'cause I can't remove my helmet in front of any living being – it's the Way."

Regardless of his response, Reiel would step out of the room and let the door slide shut behind her. Once she was sure that the Ranger would stay put and give her the privacy she needed, the young Mandalorian would drop on one knee, hands lifting up to the sides of her helmet. She would glance around the hallway first, checking every nook and cranny for any sign of surveillance devices.

Upon finding none, Reiel would swiftly remove her helmet. A singular messy braid of dark brown hair cascaded just below her shoulders. The young Mandalorian would put on the mask to cover the lower half of her face just as quickly, adjusting the thing so it would fit comfortably. Wide, dark brown eyes settling on the helmet, Reiel would take in another lungful of air through the newly-worn mask before retrieving the helmet she deposited on the floor. The helmet was back on as swiftly as she had removed it, once again concealing the face two people have only ever seen after she swore the Mandalorian Creed.


Done with putting on the mask and helmet, Reiel would rise to her feet and return inside the room. She looked up at the Cathar once more for his signal to move.

"I'm done. So... we good to go? Just say the word, chief."


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Arah Tizun

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When the Mandalorian requested her leave to remove her helmet, the Cathar spoke up "If your helmet already has a filtration then..." he would be unable to finish his statement. He was going to tell her that if there is already a form of filtration in her helmet, she wouldn't need the mask. It wasn't like they were about to go into a Spice production centre or complete storehouse, they were going in on a single deal. A test and deal situation really, sure there might be some extra supplies inside the storehouse but he didn't expect there to be literal tons of spice. The Ranger merely shrugged his shoulders as she walked out of the room. Guess it was her decision after all.

The Cathar remained in the room as requested, he actually didn't even pay attention to her leave he was looking away and doing some last minuet mental checks; and checking the fit on his chest plate. As she left the room though, he retrieved his stun baton. She would enter the room once more as he collected it - after all she wasn't outside the room for more than a few seconds. Riel would walk in as the Ranger gave the baton a flick to deploy it, but he didn't turn it on. Baton in hand he swung it a couple of times and then twirled it in one hand - checking the balance of the baton mainly. Satisfied, he holstered the unit on his opposing hip. He didn't even know that Riel had returned to him.

"Almost." His only reply to her question. He finally gripped the blaster rifle, gave it a safety check and then slammed the power pack into the rifle before charging it; a smirk, only for a moment, as the satisfying sound of a blaster rifle ready to fire played to his ear. He really did enjoy using his A280. He relish the versatility if afforded him, with one heck of a punch to armor. Sure it wasn't the most portable, but this thing had seen many high-risk takedowns. The sheer power he felt at his fingertips, useful at longer ranges and deadly up close and personal like. He couldn't help but to ask for a better piece of equipment, and this one, well it was issued to him back when he joined. The kept the thing shiny, maintained, ready at a moments notice, he cared for it.

He looked over at the Mandalorian has he slung the rifle onto his back; he started walking toward her and as he did he scooped up the other mask without breaking stride, and slipped it into a pouch on his leg. He didn't say any other words, he just walked passed her, brushing up against her ever so slightly however unintentional. She knew it was "go time" and it didn't need to be said. They both had their objectives and their roles to play, and they would play those roles to the best of their abilities.

The gear here could be left alone. It'd be secure once they exited.

----- * * * * * * * -----

They would walk together for a short time as they made their way toward their destination. It wasn't that far of a walk. She could try and talk to him, but he would not respond, he was too focused. He was in the zone right now. Mentally preparing for the conflict ahead, it wasn't time for chit-chat, it was time for action. They would walk and Arah Tizun would ensure he matched the pace of his Mandalorian counterpart. He was cognizant of each of his steps, each of his strides. It may seem odd, but not for the Ranger; he was purposefully watching his step and watching her step, he was matching her steps and stride as they went forward the short distance... a ritual perhaps, a ritual he did on his own. He was falling in sync with his partner.

Soon though, just as they begun, Riel would peel off from their walk. She would be undertaking her portion of the job and he would continue forward. The only strategy that was discussed between the two was Cathar to the front, Mandalorian to the back. That was it, beyond dealing with the back door and the front door, no other plan was discussed. He knew what he needed to do and he had told her what he expected of her. They would have to communicate though, that shouldn't be an issue. When he had handed the Mandalorian his datapad with the floorplan, he made a note of the secure frequency he would be using for his commlink; all she had to do was tune in.

With Riel gone from his side he stopped his strides. He could see his target just ahead, but his target hadn't seen him yet. Lazy guards of course. He paused only to give the Mandalorian a short window to get close to her target, without actual knowledge of where she was he had to guess; he paused what he felt was adequate enough time before walking forward to address and encounter with the front guard.

The front guard, a Twi'lek, green in colour. Younger, probably in his twenties. He looked fresh, not a hardened criminal at all. Maybe an opportunist? Twi'lek were often enslaved and were not very often leaders, most seemed to be comfortable being followers. He quickly assessed the situation and there would be no need to strike first.

"You."

The guard reeled it's head over to the Ranger with a dumbfounded look on his face. It didn't take the guard long to attempt to intimidate the Ranger. He puffed his chest up and tried to stand up straight with a "hardened" look on his face. "Yeah!? Huh!? What do you want, cat?"

"Personally? I'm going inside." The Cathar edged forward.

The guard responded by mirroring the Cathar, he edged forward toward the Ranger thinking to engage, "No. You're not going in there. There's no reason, it's just a dumb building. Nothing to see. Just a big empty space."

"Apparently you didn't hear me. I'm going inside the big empty building." The Twi'lek would protest against the Ranger, as such, the Ranger launched his hand out grabbing the Twi'lek by the throat; he tightened the grip as he looked him in the eye, his claws digging slightly into the throat "I'm. Going. Inside. By order of the Sector Rangers." Sometimes, that was enough to make the amateur gangsters turn tail, who wants to deal with the Rangers? "Drop them and go." With his message clear he released the Twi'lek to give him a chance to accept the offer or decline it. Fact of the matter, Arah Tizun was a melee specialist.

The young Twi'lek thug considered the offer, and accepted it. He dropped his weapon and turned away with intent to walk away. The Twi'lek was foolish though. The Ranger already assessed the opposition before him. Thinking he could get the drop on the Ranger and prove himself, decided to turn around with a quick swing of his fists toward the Ranger. Arah Tizun stepped aside, grabbed the arm, twisted it using the Twi'lek's momentum against him, he quickly delivered a swift kick to the leg and guided the thug to the ground, landing on top of him. A quick incapacitation. Positioning himself on top of the thug's back; wrapping his arm around the neck of the opponent and applied pressure in an effort to knock the thug out. "You had the chance."

With his first hurdle resolved, the Cathar entered the storehouse and quickly found some shadows to melt away to observe, recon, and wait.

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Reiel Mal Crowholde

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While the Ranger checked his own gear, Reiel stayed by the doorway to watch him silently. Her weapons were already attended to back in the client's ship, the young Mandalorian already having seen to them before setting out on the city to accompany the female Twi'lek. Her hands itched to double-check, however, given the circumstances. Maybe it was paranoia whispering in her ear, or maybe even the voice of her buir instructing her to do so as precaution. And so before her consciousness could catch up to her body's movements, Reiel had already removed the blaster rifle from her bandolier to give it another rudimentary check.

Safety on, power pack good to go and several others strapped to her bandolier – and while the DC-15A Blaster Rifle wasn't really optimal to use for close-range shots Reiel was resourceful and thus found that the blaster rifle's length and weight did have their use. Almost every hunt found the weapon being used as a makeshift club or bat, and after every beating the young Mandalorian never failed to assess any and all damage the blaster rifle might have obtained for having been used so crassly.

Blaster rifle checked, Reiel strapped it back to its rightful place and moved on to the vibroknives holstered to her utility belt. She drew one each, nodding with satisfaction to herself as the weapons proved to be equally fully functional, too. The young Mandalorian simply gave the flash charges and frag grenades on her belt a brief glance, debating on the former's use during the raid and dismissing the latter completely. This was a strictly no-kill job, after all, and she had already promised herself that she would follow the Cathar's directive.

The whipcord and flamethrowers on her vambraces were fully operational themselves and thus needing no further re-checking.

She was already putting the vibroknives back to their respective places when she felt the Cathar move, brushing up against her ever so slightly. It snapped Reiel back to her senses, and the message was clear without the intent held by words of confirmation.

With a resolute nod to herself, the young Mandalorian wordlessly followed the Ranger.

—·—

The Cathar was awfully quiet as the two of them purposefully made their way to the industrial storehouse. Reiel did not bother with idle talk – if silence helped the Ranger focus then she might as well take a leaf or two from him.

The way he fell into step beside her, matching her pace, brought the young Mandalorian peace of mind. It seemed odd to her, to be honest, since she initially thought that he would be walking ahead of her to further solidify the fact that he was the one leading this operation. But the Ranger walking right beside her gave Reiel the sense of sudden camaraderie, of being a partner and not just a pawn in the grand scheme of things. It felt really nice. Natural. Her respect to the Cathar sky-rocketed even further.

Should I quit bounty hunting and be a Ranger instead?

For her age, Reiel could still be rather impressionable given the right people to look up to with admiration and respect. She let the thought simmer in her head, letting it stay but not fully acknowledging it yet. Quitting the field that provided for the clan would need further discussion with her father and the clan's alor, and should she pursue the path to becoming a Ranger Reiel knew that major life adjustments had to be made.

No, she would stick with bounty hunting for now. Decisions could be made later once this gig was over.

A brief nod was all she gave the Ranger before she stalked off the path and headed to her destination. No further plans have been made aside from the roles they would be undertaking, so Reiel was glad for the Cathar's provision of his commlink's frequency. They would have to contact each other at some point, and the young Mandalorian was intent on updating him with information and discoveries from her end.

Reiel stepped into one of the alleyways lining the street, delving further in until she reached a fork. She turned left, looking at the back of the storehouse in question for any other additional guards.

None so far. No other escape routes,either. The dealers would be boxed in, only relying on one means of escape. So that left the guard in front for the Ranger to deal with and the one standing by the side door.

Reiel pressed a button on her right vambrace, turning on her HUD's track sensors in case she missed something. No further tracks, too. Man, these dealers weren't too careful considering their jobs. But she would not be complacent. The carelessness from their targets would only serve as a further reminder for her to be on high alert. She had witnessed what most panicking criminals were capable of when they find themselves in a pinch, as proven by the target from her previous job.

The young Mandalorian walked further in until she caught sight of the guard, a male Rodian. Still rather young, if her rough estimate was correct. And... huh. Still hunched on his seat, head dipped to his chest in his sleep. A blaster hung loose on his belt beside a pair of cuffs. Convenient.

Reiel made her silent approach, retreiving her blaster rifle and aiming it at the dozing Rodian. It was so easy to just shoot him in his sleep then take the blaster and cuffs for herself. But she had signed up for a no-kill job, so the young Mandalorian went for nudging the Rodian awake with the butt end of her rifle.

"Morning, sunshine," she greeted the startled male. She relished in the panic glinting in the Rodian's bug-eyed stare once the scenario sunk in, her visor reflected in his dark eyes. "Had a nice nap?"

The Rodian, for his part, could only tremble from head to foot at the sight of a fully armed and armored Mandalorian startling him into wakefulness. He scrambled to retrieve his blaster but with a weapon already aimed at him, fully primed and ready to put a new hole in his skull, halted his movements. Completely giving up, he simply raised his hands in surrender and slowly stood from his seat.

Reiel smirked at the Rodian's helplessness. It looked like he had been promised that his job would be an easy one and hadn't counted on a lone Mandalorian getting added into the picture. The Rodian might be taller, but the height difference did nothing to dissuade the fear and apprehension her appearance and identity had given him.


"Let's make this simple for you, shall we?" she stated, nudging the Rodian with her blaster rifle once more. "You're going to open that door for me, and then you're gonna sit back real quick then cuff yourself. Clear?"

The Rodian didn't nod but moved in acknowledgement of her words. The side door slid open, revealing a narrow hallway that she hoped would be leading directly to the warehouse itself. The shaky guard then shuffled back to his seat, but before he could cuff himself Reiel had already slammed the butt end of her rifle to his temple. The Rodian fell unconscious, cuffs and blasters hitting the grimy ground with a dull clank.

"That was easy," she muttered regarding the subjugation, tone bordering on suspicious. Giving both ends of the alley another sweep with her gaze, Reiel crouched beside the Rodian, retrieving the cuffs from his belt and proceeding to drag his body to the nearest pipe attached to the wall. Once done, the young Mandalorian looped his arms around the pipe before slamming the cuffs shut around his wrists. She regarded the blaster on his belt, a DE-10 Blaster Pistol, weighing the pros and cons of possibly stealing from a ruffian for her own gain. Reiel had been meaning to procure blaster pistols to add to her arsenal, and having one here utterly free for the taking had her grinning in delight.

Not wasting another second, the young Mandalorian quickly removed the blaster pistol from the Rodian's belt and slung it to her own bandolier. Finders keepers, the village elder who raised Reiel always told her. Weapon now hers, the young Mandalorian made her way inside the storehouse.

The hallway didn't lead directly to the heart of the storehouse, but she did pass by several storage rooms. A quick but thorough search revealed nothing out of place nor suspicious, and so Reiel moved on to her target place.

She pulled her commlink out and, honing in on the Ranger's frequency, she muttered quietly,
"Storage rooms are clear. How are things on your end?"

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Arah Tizun

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Arah slipped into the doorway and was greeted by an office space. Dark however, a few desks and consoles, all powered off, the office clearly off the clock. Large window peered into the storage spaces, normally during a busy day you'd see worker bots and lifts scattering about. Tizun, cognizant of the window and sightlines avoided the window the best he could. He couldn't quite see, through the dimly lit space, but he decided to listen, closely, but couldn't make out anything.

A voice entered his ear. A familiar yet unknown voice. It was Reiel asking for a status update. Maybe he was wrong, but he felt like her voice was different compared to if he talked to her in person. Maybe he was just getting use to the voice? There's a really good chance he was just fooling himself.

"Front door down. In an office space, I can see into the work area but I can't hear or see anything." He replied simply. He casually left the office space ensuring to make as little noise as possible. "You good?"

Now that be was out of the office, he could hear the murmurers of people talking. They were still far enough he couldn't make out clearly what was being said; that didn't stop him however, he walked closer toward the voices, sticking to the shadows for now. He looked up and could see at least one catwalk but he didn't see a guard.

As he progressed closer to the area, he could see clearly now. His primary target, someone with their back to the ranger. The two ahead, flanked by two more guards. Those two guards however, they made the ranger pause and take a breath. The way those two stood, another Twi'lek and Bothan, they meant business. This was not their first deal. Arah noted, they scanned the area, they stood upright, confident, blaster within reach of a quick draw. These folks definitely were trained and hardened. They'd be the ones to watch. He only saw 4 people here - he saw 5 when he scanned the location earlier - of the 4 here, 3 were from earlier as he never saw the hired gun. Would the front and back be the two others? He couldn't make out their features from so high up previously.

Foolish though, the ranger stepped forward and announced his presence. However, he was already thinking of his escape routes for when not if this goes south. "Theo Amandu!" His voice boomed, "By order of the Rangers, you're under arrest! Lay down your weapons!"

Tadu jumped at his announcement, stepped back and eyed the ranger now. The two guards quickly moved to unholster their blasters - but they did not draw. Theo did not move at all. Theo stood tall, wearing a black shirt and black trenchcoat. A six foot male human, medium build and medium complexion, a hat covered most of his features.

"Ah. Ranger. Was wondering when your kind would show up. I had expected so much more, but here you are." The human thug spoke cooly. Not a sign of fear.

"I must say, you're a little bit… well idiotic. I think we'll choose not to lay our weapons down." A stupid grin flashed across his mostly hidden face. "You should probably take your own advice. Go on."

The ranger smirked himself. It was a bit of a stare down right now. Clearly one did not want to start a fight with the other, casual almost. "Theo, you need not do this. The supply is not worth it."

A laugh echoed from the human thug, "oh I disagree with that, chum. This will be quite the benefit." He rose his hand when he finished the statement.

Arah Tizun responded by dispatching his one and only stun grenade to distract the group before they could take a shot or shots at him. This was key, he needed to strike first, and he did. With the loud bang he dived off to the side behind a set of a loaded rack. He swung his rifle around, ensured it was on stun and waited for a quick moment while he took a deep breath. No turning back.

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Reiel Mal Crowholde

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"Copy that, chief. The going's good so far–" Reiel was saying in response to the Ranger's question, but immediately cut herself off when she caught movement from the end of the hallway she was traversing. The path presumably led to the major storage space itself if the movement she noticed entailed the presence of a guard.

The young Mandalorian remained hidden in the shadows as she tried to ascertain the guard's – if that was what's at the end of the hallway – identity. She crouched low, trying to be as still as possible to avoid detection. Another movement rewarded Reiel's patience, only for her to curse mentally upon seeing the tall figure of a male Devaronian pacing by his post.

Damn it. Possibly more guards, huh. So there was reason to be kriffing suspicious, after all.

The Devarionian had his back to her, and Reiel took the opportunity to creep closer. She knew that this brute could easily overpower her in a close combat fight, but if she used her speed and height against him, a quick stab of one of her vibroknives in the neck–

No killing, remember?

Reiel could only curse her luck. But she would stick by the Cathar's rules – that was, if push didn't turn into a full-blown body shove.

The Devaronian stopped pacing and stood in the middle of the doorway, his body nearly framing the opened door. Something seemed to have caught his attention, prompting Reiel to turn up the dial of her helmet's audio receptor. The guard guffawed and said something about an idiot Ranger. The young Mandalorian tensed – had the Cathar been spotted or had he made his presence known?

Not long after her audio receptors caught the sound of a stun grenade being dispatched. She hoped that it was the Ranger's – but even then the push did become a shove. Reiel was expecting a scuffle, to be honest. No criminal in their right mind would simply surrender. The Devaronian ahead moved to enter the storage space, possibly as back-up. The Mandalorian assumed the worst that the Ranger was outnumbered and didn't need to have a Devaronian adding to the list of people he had to be facing out there.

"Hey!" Reiel said, instantly catching the guard's attention. He turned to her, eyes widening at the sight of a Mandalorian stepping out of the shadows but the surprise was quickly transformed into mock glee at the obvious height difference between them.

"Pipsqueak," chuckled the Devaronian. Reiel scowled.

She was going to make him regret saying that.

With the sounds the exploding stun grenade and quite possibly blaster fire already coming from the storage space, the young Mandalorian was glad for the elimination of the need for stealth. Reiel lifted her blaster rifle, aimed at the legs of the slowly approaching Devaronian (clearly underestimating her), and fired. The shot hit the guard's left leg, causing him to stumble. Reiel further lifted her blaster rifle up to get one of his arms, but the Devaronian staggered to his feet and rushed her. She backed off before he could grab her, leading the stumbling guard further away from his post and headed back to where she saw the small storage rooms.

The Devaronian drew his own blaster pistol while doing so, roaring angrily after Reiel and aggressively firing one blaster bolt after another. One bolt hit her on the chest plate, the force behind the shot knocking her down with a loud grunt, but not before her hand slammed on the control panel of one of the storage rooms' door. It slid open and Reiel was quick to crawl inside.

She grinned when the Devaronian lumbered after her. Hiding underneath a table, Reiel watched as the enraged guard stumbled in the room.


"Come out, pipsqueak," grumbled the Devaronian. He moved further inside the room and Reiel took it as a cue to reveal herself. The two aimed their weapons at each other, the Mandalorian moving away from her hiding place and the Devaronian inching ever closer. They circled each other, Reiel aware of the door's location. Before the guard could fire another shot she had already clipped him on the shoulder, causing the Devaronian to crash on the floor. It was Reiel's turn to rush him, and before he could comprehend what was happening the young Mandalorian had already swung her blaster rifle on his head with all her might, the weight of the weapon and the force knocking him out cold.

Deed done, Reiel quickly made her way out of the room but not before closing the door behind her and overriding the control panel to keep the Devaronian locked inside. She made a mental note to remind the Ranger about the guard later, once all this was over. Quick walk turning into a hurried dash, the Mandalorian made her way back to the hall leading to the storage space and tensed at what she saw when she reached the place.


Ducking for cover so as not to alert them any further of her presence, Reiel quickly scanned whatever catwalk she could see for hostiles. Just the one – another Twi'lek, by the looks of it. He was aiming a blaster rifle in the general direction of the target, probably at whoever was pinned by the dealer and his henchmen who seemd lucky to have avoided the stun grenade. Again, assuming the worst that it was the Cathar Ranger. Her hand flew to one of the flash charges strapped to her utility belt, but decided against it knowing that it would impede the Ranger's vision as much as it would their targets'.

Well, stealth's out of the picture already, she reasoned to herself as she watched Theo and his men – oh, hey, there's Tadu, perfect! – prepare to rain down another series of blaster bolts at the direction where she presumed her companion was taking cover. And between the two of us, the Ranger is more armed to stun than me. Okay, time to be the bait, then.

Reiel moved out of her hiding place, firing at the Twi'lek situated atop the catwalk and missing on purpose. As expected, her action drew the targets' attention. The young Mandalorian couldn't help but snicker at look of comic surprise on Tadu's face at the sight of her.

Cathar to the front and Mandalorian to the back, indeed.


"Kriffing– Mando, you bastard!" Tadu roared at her in anger.

She ran and ducked for cover as Theo, his men, and Tadu began firing at her direction. But she could garner that the group was now torn between paying attention to her and the Ranger. Reiel began running at the catwalk where the Twi'lek was positioned, intent on incapacitating him so as to prevent him from taking any advantage of having the high ground and possibly endangering her partner.

Talk to you later, Tadu.

If the Ranger was intent on capturing his target alive, now would be the perfect time to incapacitate them with stun shots. But he would still have to watch out for any blaster fired to his direction, however.

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Arah Tizun

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There was but a simple smirk on the Cathar's face now that things have changed. Even under fire, he still mustered it. Things were going exactly as planned. Sure they didn't have a verbal or written plan, but the Ranger had deduced the way the raid would go, even if she didn't realize it - she didn't exactly what she was supposed to do. Rifle in hand he gripped it tightly before the blaster bolts from the thugs struck nearby and exploded the cover he had… well more like the concealment he was using, he knew these containers wouldn't hold long; he rolled over once more in the smoke from the blaster fire.

He crawled now, as the thugs got distracted. He couldn't line them up like a sniper would but he had enough of a visual that he pulled the trigger in a rhythmic - two shots centre mass before changing targets. The first target fell almost instantly, the other target took a shot before taking a knee, problem was the Cathar was feeling a little cocky and was already on the move when the blast merely phased. Well, he couldn't stop now, he'd have to commit and close the distance - he was better at melee combat anyways. It was him vs 2 able bodied and one not at the top of their game. He clearly made an error - why he thought a blaster rifle of that magnitude would work well as a multi-stunner was beyond him. He should have just blasted the henchmen.

Arah moved with purpose slinging the rifle back and drawing the baton almost simultaneously. The half stunned thug was closest to him and he quickly swung the baton to the available knee - enough to take the legs out from underneath, followed up with a secondary strike to the back. His stun baton was decided more for pain compliance then true stunning capacities like a stun bolt. The Cathar took his eyes off the prize for a moment, once he looked up he took a blaster bolt to the shoulder, he pushed through it and closed the distance. He was putting a lot of hope into the fact that Tadu and Theo were not Teras Kasi Masters, or at the very least not martial artists - there was one thing in his favor, or at least he hoped - Tadu really liked Mando… besides Tadu wasn't who he wanted.

As he closed the distance, Tadu came to his senses and tried to get the heck out of there. Narrow the playing field now, Ranger vs Thug. He suspected Mando would cut off the hired gun - or if she didn't, he'd get him later. After all, he and unequivocal faith in mando for cutting off the escapes. However, Tadu was not as honourable as some and he ensured to take a few cheap blaster shots toward the Ranger, one striking him in his support side. Arah Tizun hissed in pain due to the impact. The shot distracted him long enough to allow Theo to get two unarmed strikes past the Ranger's guard; his baton on the ground now - but that wouldn't stop him or even hinder him. He quickly gained his composure and locked eyes with his quarry.

Tizun squared up with the slugger, never taking his eyes off of him from here on out. The Ranger's mind entered the fight mode, his mind already planning the series of the fight. Anticipating moves, reading every little flinch and twitch. This was his element now. Theo tried to get a few more shots in, each blow blocked but no counter for the first two blows, the next blows duck and weaved before striking in the stomach.

The two would exchange blows nearly matching blow for blow. Arah was trying to test his opponent's techniques and stamina. It was like being a computer or a droid. Calculating and registering the moves.

A devious grin flashed across his face as he drew his claws. Time to finish the fight.

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Reiel Mal Crowholde

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Reiel was halfway from reaching the ladder that led to the catwalk when she caught sight of the new development in her counterpart's actions. It was two henchmen versus the lone Ranger, and while she was confident of the Cathar's abilities it also didn't sit right with the Mandalorian how outnumbered he was. There were still Theo and Tadu to look out for, as well as the Twi'lek guard spectating from above.

"Osik," hissed Reiel as the said Twi'lek lined up a shot, intent on sniping the Ranger from where he was fighting Theo's henchmen. The Mandalorian lifted her blaster rifle and, without a second's hesitation, fired at the the hand holding the Twi'lek's own weapon. The pain prompted the guard to pull the trigger on instinct, but at least the shot missed the Cathar by a huge margin. But she had to give it to the Twi'lek – he was in pain, but didn't let go of the blaster and attempted another shot.

Left with no choice, the next bolt from Reiel's blaster rifle found its mark on the guard's head. She was already moving to intercept the escaping Tadu as the Twi'lek guard fell from the catwalk, dead before he could hit the ground.

It's either him or you, Mister Ranger. Wouldn't willingly break my word if it weren't for your safety. Here's hoping you'd understand.

And then her partner was duly left alone to deal with his own quarry. Glancing briefly at how the Ranger and the Slugger were squaring off in their own fight – Theo's got some good moves, but Reiel's full bet was on the Ranger – the Mandalorian would only let out a pleased hum in acknowledgement at the Cathar for narrowing down the playing field and his seemingly outstanding close combat skills.

Cathar versus human, Mando against Zabrak. And, injured as he was, Reiel trusted that the Ranger would quickly put an end to his own fight.

Reiel grunted in surprise as a blaster bolt found it's mark on her chest plate yet again. Effectively knocked on the ground due to the impact and accidentally losing her grip on her weapon, Tadu used the opportunity to vault over the fallen Mandalorian and made haste for the escape route. The Zabrak would have gone far if it weren't for Reiel rolling over to haul herself up to her feet and activating her whipcord, the cord catching the hired gun by the legs. Tadu crashed on the floor with a loud yelp.

"Going somewhere, buddy?" asked Reiel as she began the tedious process of hauling a Zabrak who weighed almost thrice as her to her general direction. Tadu began struggling, attempting to yank the cord off his ankles. Failing that, he aimed his blaster and fired another bolt at the young Mandalorian – with his position most of his shots were off kilter but some managed to hit nonetheless. But she had already anticipated the action so Reiel planted her booted feet firmly on the ground, using the Zabrak's weight to anchor her footing.

One bolt glanced her helmet's left "cheek", causing the Mandalorian's head to jerk backwards. Tadu used the opportunity to shoot one of her legs, but was suprised when the hole burned on the fabric on top of her flightsuit revealed thighguards crafted from beskar. Reiel's answering grin to the Zabrak's shock was shark-like and, one hand letting the cord go to retrieve one of her bladed weapons, threw a vibroknife at Tadu's weapon arm.

Blaster gone, the Mandalorian was satisfied at the frightened expression on the Zabrak's face. She did scare him even on their first meeting back in the client's ship, after all. And Reiel was intent on using that fear to ensure that Tadu wouldn't be putting up yet another fight in him.


"I asked you a question, Tadu: going somewhere?"

"Kriff this!"

Tadu, for his part, lunged at her once the distance between them had been closed. He grabbed one of Reiel's legs and pulled her down, sending the Mandalorian crashing flat on her back. Caught off-guard by the action, Reiel didn't notice that the Zabrak had used the opportunity to untangle his ankles free from the cord. The sudden feeling of weightlessness overwhelmed her, and she realized a little too late that Tadu had already hauled her up before proceeding to bodily throw her away from him.

Reiel was sent crashing down amid a couple of crates a few feet away from the Zabrak. Okay, it looked like Tadu was getting over his fear of the Mandalorian and intent on kicking her shebs to kingdom come. But she was not going to lose to this junkie-slash-dealer. Forcing herself into quickly recovering from getting disoriented, Reiel immediately pulled herself away from the crates to meet Tadu head on. Reiel pivoted to her left when the Zabrak delivered a powerful kick at her, using her fellow hired guard's lost momentum at not hitting a target to kick him on the shin. Tadu staggered but remained upright, turning to swing a fist at her. Reiel met the attack resolutely, her helmet letting out a satisfying chink! when Tadu's knuckles met Mandalorian steel. The Zabrak howled in pain, nursing his knuckles.


Reiel then grabbed Tadu by the collar, yanking him down to her level and letting his nose meet her helmeted head in a violent kov'nyn. Blood instantly rushed out of the Zabrak's broken nose from the impact and he fell to the ground, dizzy, bleeding, and nursing his injured face. Reiel stepped over him, lifting one booted foot to knock the living daylights out of him with a swift kick to the temple.

"Just making sure you don't get up and fight again," said Reiel to the now unconscious Tadu, a little disoriented from being thrown around like a puppet and getting her bell rung from that punch and headbutt – still trying to catch her breath. The young Mandalorian gathered the length of cord the Zabrak discarded before proceeding to bind Tadu's hands and feet with it. She had no desire to see his horned mug ever again, so Reiel decided to hand him over to the Ranger and the authorities. Tadu was, after all, a known associate of Theo the Slugger according to the Cathar himself.


Done with her end of the deal, Reiel turned around to watch the Ranger square off with Theo. It was the Cathar's fight, that much she could garner, but she readied herself nonetheless should things go south. With his henchmen wiped out, Theo was bound to panic and use any dirty tricks right up his sleeve. Or maybe get his ass handed to him by the Ranger.

Reiel turned Tadu with her foot so he was lying on his stomach and promptly sat herself on the Zabrak's broad back, short legs stretched languidly in front of her and shoulders drooping from exhaustion. She'd spectate on the fight a few meters away from her, but ready as ever to provide backup.

Not like the Ranger needed it, though. Despite the distance, she could see his claws drawn and the devious grin on his face. Nice.

@Zigara
 
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