Ask Sugar, Spice, and a Lot more Spice

[Laeonas Tannaras]

The Planet Coruscant
Somewhere below Level 100,
Around Y141,
Probably the Evening


The air recyclers were good, probably the best around... wherever Laeonas happened to be at the moment. The air was only a little stale, and the scent of rotting food or used up speeder oil wasn't nearly as pungent as it would be on even lower levels.

The boy was, at the moment, allowing his torso to hang over the guard rails of the second floor hotel room he was staying in. Splayed out before him wer the layers of buildings that were parallel to the open speeder lanes that accommodated the traffic on this level. This place wasn't the only one of it's kind-- there were probably millions on Coruscant, with accommodations ranging from palace-like splendor to mite infested boxes with faded wall patterns, and a refresher that didn't work unless you kicked the wall a few times.

Laeo liked to think that he was lucky; his room was cramped, but the refresher kept him (relatively) clean, nobody had broken in, he hadn't heard any blaster fire outside, he'd had near completely undisturbed privacy, and as an added bonus, he had a holo, with six whole channels on it!

It was... drab, and he would sometimes hear his neighbors yelling, or doing something... else. But he was fine! Completely!

...completely.

"Ai need a kriffin' drink." Was all he managed to mutter. He didn't want to start... thinking for to long. That made him start asking questions, and he'd already done a lot of that on Ossus. There was a bar only a few blocks down; he could find his way there, if he wanted to.

He definitely wanted to.
​

@Killa Ree

 

[Deva Gendrel]

There had been a time when she had walked the upper levels of this karking shithole. When she could feel a bit more important, or at least with the illusion of self-importance. She had a good life, a cushy job, a husband. The galaxy was twisted, and she hated the whole damn thing.

"Damn it."

She scowled at the levels above, vision swimming as she craned her neck further. Levels upon levels, bodies upon bodies, each of them stinking and sweating in this special menagerie of hell. She had been riding high for a good few days, furious with the loss on Byblos, and was starting to crash. She could feel it deep in her bones, a tattoo of pain that rushed to a sickening crescendo in her skull and down her throat.

She had been on the down-low. Technically looking for a place to sabotage, but really, did it kriffing matter? Her thin nose twitched, and she gagged as a waft of old cooking oil sailed past her nostrils, staggering away from one grimy wall. She had credits, was flush with them really, but she craved another hit, another high. Soon she'd be all out, and wouldn't be able to eat. Maybe she'd starve to death, one less stain on the galaxy.

Force, a girl could only hope. However... meantime, she was content to follow her nose and try to find the next spice den.

If only her head would stop ringing.

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

Swiping his room key over the electronic lock, Laeonas found his way through the doorway and across the room to the night stand next to his bed. Pulling the drawer open in a rush, he pulled out the credit--chip he'd loaded near every one of his credits (all 430 of them) that weren't in his travel fund. He didn't plan on breaking into there tonight; after all, what good would the alcohol be when he was forced to start mugging people to get off planet?

Walking back out, a gust of wind tore through the boy's raven hair, and aquamarine eyes were forced to squint as he threw himself over the guard rail. Gripping the lower end, he landed on both his feet, though his shins hurt a bit more than was necessary.

It was probably the quickest movement he'd make tonight; even his reflexes weren't immune to the effects of alcohol.

Merging onto the never-ending tide of foot traffic that was present on even the highest levels of coruscant, the boy made his way towards the bar he'd visited just a few nights ago. The booze wasn't top of the line, but it wet his whistle and satisfied the unique thirst that anticipation had started to build up in his throat. The pleasant feeling that came with a lack of inhibitions and complete absence of judgement was always welcome, especially on a night like this.

Was it a night? "Who could say," He muttered aloud, turning sharply as he followed the memorized directions to the drinking hole. Traffic didn't seem to follow him this time, and the boy realized that he had, completely on his own, wandered into an alley rather than another lane for traffic. It dawned on him briefly, but he could only shrug.

Bright blue eyes with the occasional fleck of green darted around, his senses demanding input on all fronts. The scent of oil was particularly... vile, and it only got worse the longer he walked in this direction. He was tempted to turn and find another way, but every second made him grow thirstier and thirstier.

What would his mother think? Her prince, wandering through an alley, on a shortcut because he was to desperate for a drink to walk with the rest of the crowd? How would she think of how he'd gotten the credits to spend? How would--

"Shut up ya daft prick." The boy snarled, this time much more audible than a simple muttering. He'd found, once again, that he'd stepped into a new place; past the alley, he'd stepped into a new lane, with even fewer people. He spotted a few bothans, one rodian, and someone who looked as human as he was.

Though, a bit more pale.

​

@Killa Ree

 

[Deva Gendrel]

It always came rushing back to bite her in the ass, sooner and sooner with every crash from the high. Cold sweat trickled down between her shoulder blades, nausea bubbled in the back of her throat as someone snarled in an alleyway. Sharp violet eyes glared venomously at the boy speaking, one bony fist curling tightly as a narrow, sharp profile loomed into view, peering at him with a cold fury. Withdrawal shakes were already starting; she could feel them in her fingers, slithering into her belly and burning a fever against her temples.

"Are you lost?" she rasped in a harsh, grating voice, her throat parched sandpaper. He didn't seem too out of place, but talking to himself in a place like this?

It was gonna get him knifed if he wasn't careful. These days, everyone was jumpy.

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

When Laeonas got a look at the skeletal woman, he was almost taken aback. The gaunt, drawn features and pale skin caused him to physically recoil. Such a figure, smaller and more bony, shouldn't have frightened him-- the boy was taller and heavier, and while not bulky to any extent, he shouldn't have been scared of the woman overpowering him.

Yet there was something in those violet eyes that was inherently hostile. It was like she wasn't all there-- something else was pulling her psyche in another direction, one that Laeo's instincts recognized. It was the look of an animal's instinctive response to a possible threat-- one that he himself had worn a multitude of times during his involuntary stay on Dantooine.

The woman's smaller frame shook a bit, and Laeonas further took a step back. His eyes darted around, searching for a way to diffuse the situation, but the crowd of civilians made their way past, unbothered by the human and probably near-human standing closer to the alleyway than the rest.

Still, the seemingly hostile woman, shaking for whatever unknown reason, made the first move to do so. The skeletal woman's gaze, harsh and hostile, was contrasted against her seemingly... friendly question?

It wasn't like the tone of her voice matched, lining up much more closely with her physical demeanor. Still, the fact that she hadn't moved on the boy caused Laeo to let his guard down ever so slightly.

"...who's askin'?" Was all he could initially ask, aquamarine eyes still wide and cautious. His accent wasn't the harshest on this world-- many of the trillions of inhabitants didn't speak basic as a first language. While the trade language of the old republic was the tongue he'd been born to, his speech had never been refined by any form of education, and brentaal's uniquely influenced dialect had a heavy impact on many of the words that escaped his mouth.

Continuing on, in a slightly less unsettled tone Laeo added, "Yer throat sounds laike it's less 'ydrated than Tatooine." It wasn't lost on him that it might just be the woman's natural voice, but... no, it definitely wasn't her natural voice.

Thinking back to her question, the boy actually had to pause to determine his answer. Looking around, he spotted a few familiar sights in this neighborhood-- a tacky neon sign hung over what happened to be a small store. Right next to it was a speeder bike rental station, and an automated employee stood, waiting to collect the identification and credit chips of any who wished to use the vehicles for quicker transport.

Finally, Laeonas shook his head in reply. "Ai'v been stayin'ere fer a few days; Ai was just 'eadin down ta get a drink." The boy explained, tone returning to a casual, yet familiarly exaggerated tone.

Thinking back a bit, the boy's eyes lit up momentarily. "If yer throats parched, Ai wouldn't mind a drinkin' partner; Ai might need someone ta make sure Ai don't get robbed." Laeonas suggested, an idle smirk slipping across his lips.

The woman would be given a bit of time to mull the offer over as Laeonas found himself leaning on the metal wall of one of the buildings that made up the alleyway he'd passed through seconds before. Studying the woman, he couldn't really tell what she wanted; though he had begun to recognize the shakes as the familiar signs of withdraw.

Making a final attempt to be friendly, he added, "Where Ai'm from, eyes laike mine are tha'odd ones out. Can't i'magine 'ow mae ma would react if she saw those violets."

​

@Killa Ree

 

[Deva Gendrel]

What an odd fellow.

The pain stabbing through her brain threatened to recede a bit listening to the odd speech; if she tried to disengage thinking for a little while, she could almost understand it clearly. Ah, he was saying she sounded like shit? She grimaced once, resting a thin hand on her hip. But he offered drinks... perhaps it could numb things a bit.

However, his last words made her jerk her head back in surprise slightly, and cock a dark brow. Was he flirting? With her? He must have been drunk. But yet she couldn't smell a bit of drink off him. Possibly just trying to be friendly... A thin, tired smile washed up on her lips, but on such an angular face it was rare, foreign.

"I could use a drink... friend," she rasped, stepping closer. "Sure, I'll watch your back if you watch mine, Mister...?" She cocked her head, waiting for him to fill in the rest of whatever he would say in that odd inflected dialect of his. Perhaps a few drinks would help her understand him better.

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

The violet eyed woman gave a response that seemed to contrast. Laeonas began to wonder if this was just how the woman behaved, but he felt reserved about making any concrete judgments. Between the wild eyed looks and shakes, contrasted against friendly questions, the boy couldn't help but question what this woman was... about? It wasn't like she was the first person he'd met that communicated oddly... but on his world, most people who couldn't manage to do that wound up dead.

She'd first worn an expression that looked offended at his words, and her body language almost looked second nature-- like insults were the normalized experience when talking to others, instead of a sudden event that warranted a physical response. The two of them... differed on that front.

The whiplash had only come after he'd commented about her eyes. Her quick change from an offended matron to a flustered and confused woman had caused him to respond in kind, head pulling back a bit. He cocked one of his own, the aquamarine gaze almost asking the question of "what're ya doin?" On their own. For a moment the two of them almost looked comedic, like a pair of twins or genderbent alternative universe counterparts in some rerun of an old holo. The moment passed when the pale, drawn features of the woman drew into an outward smle.

Ofcourse, whiplash hit him again when he heard the rasped voice from the woman, but this time the boy made a conscious effort to put the demeanor aside. The important fact was that she still hadn't tried to stab him.

All the thought had gone into this woman, who he'd scarcely met less than a minute ago, and yet neither knew their names, as she'd pointed out. Awkwardly, the boy answered, "Ai... Ai guess ya can call me Laeo? Laeonas Tann'ar'as if ya wanna be formal a'bout'it." He'd glance down and around again, features relaxing ever so slightly. "And uh, what're ya called? Don't tell me it's somethin' a'bout violet."

The thin, pale woman somehow managed to look like even more of a mess than he was, yet the boy wasn't about to turn down a possible drinking partner. There were those who loved to take advantage of the inebriated, and having a partner-- even if that were a stranger-- could provide some level of security.

...and to an extent he wanted someone to talk to.

​

@Killa Ree

 

[Deva Gendrel]

Kark, the kid was young. Laeo, was it? He seemed skittish, but not too bad. At least he didn't try to touch her.

If he had, she would have no remorse stabbing him and letting him bleed out in this filthy alleyway alone. Still, his quip about violet made her lips twitch; it barely classified a smile, but it was a reaction.

"Deva. Deva Gendrel."

The words were spoken with the same quality of a Coreworlder; an old habit, slipped on like a favorite coat, filled her words with honey and her mouth soured. She couldn't help the old instincts, especially with the promise of booze involved.

"Know any good watering holes, Laeo?"

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

There was a certain level of relief that washed over the boy when she responded. Between what almost appeared as a smile, and her desire to make conversation eased whatever tension had been in the air. In all honesty, he was still glad that she hadn't just tried to attack him at this point.

There was the added benefit of having a name. "Shorter than mine. Good." The boy replied, flashing perhaps the most awkward smile he could. There was a surprising elegance to her self identification. The raspy tone to which she had initially greeted him had fallen away. This greeting was instead strongly contrasted against her appearance.

He would've assumed that she had a wealthy background... but what would anyone with two credits to rub between their fingers be doing on this level? She was a curious figure, that was undeniable. Not just a random junky-- she would've probably asked for money or been violent. He could recognize the signs of addiction well. He knew from plenty of experience that she had... dependences.

But the boy wasn't one to judge. His own thirst for something alcoholic was growing, and it wouldn't be slaked standing here. Her last question invited a genuine grin, exposing teeth that had no right to be as white as they were. "Know plenty well enough," Laeonas answered, drawing his coat up as he began to head back into the crowd. Beckoning the woman to follow, he added, "This one club Ai've been headin' ta... well, it's surprisingly closed off fer where we are, ya dig? Ai can get us both in though."

If the woman chose to follow him, he'd walk what felt like a good five blocks down the busy streets. Speeders would rush past, and crowds of chatter would make further conversation impossible. Neverheless, they would be heading to their destination-- and the young night would open up to them both.

​

@Killa Ree

 

[Deva Gendrel]

The further she was strung along sobriety, the harder it was to focus on the timber of his voice and his words. She could feel it begin to pull on the thin tendons that held her together like so many rubber bands. She was already stretched thin enough, but he chattered on. Club, she recognized that word. Closed off, sounded less good.

She could feel the Darkness begin to curl around her throat again, sharpening violet eyes.

But, booze.

She followed after him, light and stealthy as a cat. Despite her bony physique, she could easily keep up with him through the smothering crowd, but the thought of touching those bodies made her shiver in revulsion. Touching anyone crawled a slick, bug-like feeling beneath her skin, a fine wire tapping on her spine of tattooed anxiety dripping with the need to dull it all with death sticks.

Kark, she could really use that drink.

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

For it being barely more than a ten minute walk, it felt like an eternity to the boy. His pace had been steady to begin with, but that changed as thirst weighed on him. The desire for... drink, grew with every step he took. At first it was a general thirst, but it started to weigh on him. He felt to alert, to aware-- even for a force user it was to much.

The formerly slow walk grew into a brisk gate. Laeonas' ankle length jacket actually fluttered a bit at the ends; not quite what one might experience on a speeder, but not to far off. Booted heels clacked against metal and concrete alike, a confident near-jog picking up. Despite that, the look on his face displayed urgency, and the rate at which he moved showed he was obviously in a hurry. Some would pay attention, others wouldn't. They would see to unkempt near humans rushing in the direction of a cantina-- it was a self explanatory phenomena.

His own, seemingly intense drive to reach their destination was parodied by his compatriot. The skeletal woman had moved more subtly than him. Hers wasn't a gate of quick strides and loud, clacking heels. The near-human moved like she was trying to avoid attention-- no, like she was averse to it. The painful awareness Laeonas was experiencing helped his observations (as subtle as Deva's own movements), and he took note of almost everything. The slight shivering when anything touched her, her violet orbs sharpening like the sword tucked in his jacket.

To call this woman a "junkie" didn't do her justice. It took a fairly high level of addiction to progress to shaking at a person's touch, at least from Laeonas' experience. It wasn't impossible that the boy was wrong, however unlikely that was. He had peddled drugs on a planet that served as the axis to two of the largest trade routes in the galaxy, and had come into contact with more narcotics than the average abuser could hope to in a lifetime. Planetary DE agents had nothing on his expertise.

But on Coruscant, nothing was impossible.

Maybe she was just on a brand of spice with fairly severe withdrawal side effects, and she'd be fine if she got past it a week later. Maybe her last batch of death sticks had been laced with a nasty nerve agent. His expertise as a petty drug dealer wasn't omniscient. But from what he knew, the woman just a few feet behind him was one bad trip from an overdose. His affinity to the force helped to purge poisons from the body, but that wasn't something the woman could do.

Unless she was a force user, but what were the odds of that?

It would've been difficult to spot their location if the eye was untrained. Fortunately, the boy had been to this place just two nights ago. Slowing down and turning his head slightly, he'd nod in the direction of a duracrete building. There was zero signage out front, and the exterior was covered with rust stains from corroded gratings on top of the building. Even compared to the impoverished block around them, with tacky neon and explicit adverts, this building looked like it ought to be demolished.

The click-clack of his boots stopped when he reached the singular durasteel door right off the front side of the building, leading into the alley he'd slipped into. He'd give four knocks, and a slip would open. "<password?>" a mechanical voice asked in robotic huttese. Two large photoreceptors peered through the slit. The boy leaned forward, whispering, "<Rishi, red, rain.>"

The door would begin to unclick. "Laike a karkin' spy 'olo, Ai know." He idly addressed his compatriot. Stepping out of the way, the large metal door would swing inward. Outstretching an arm in the general direction of the dimly lit hall in front of them, Laeonas spoke two words to the violet eyed addict.

"After ya."

​

@Killa Ree

 

[Deva Gendrel]

Was he planning on killing her for credits?

For some reason, she found that hilarious. But the place looked practically abandoned. Still, at his words, she blinked, then tilted her head. "Was that in Basic?"

But still, she wouldn't say no. What was the worst he could do, kill her?

"You've got a sense of humor there, Laeo."

@Tom

 

[Laeonas Tannaras]

The man paused for a moment as he heard the girl's reply. He wasn't sure if she was referring to his huttese, or his... basic. Either way, it prompted conflicting emotions in him. There was a temptation to laugh, and a feeling of offense. It wasn't the most... biting comment he'd ever received, and it further helped that there were a litany of insults he could throw back at her. He held his tongue, responding with a simple, "Whatever ya think it was." The man watched as the thin woman made her way through the doorway, and followed shortly after.

The man watched, following behind the shorter, raven haired woman. The silence grew into a distance thumping of a beat. They wound through the corridor, and bright neon shown through the end. There was anticipation grew as they moved, a silent crescendo building to what was to come. Both knew what was waiting, but Deva had no idea what surrounded the objects of their desire. By the time they'd gone through, it was like they had entered another world.

He was familiar with this place. The neon, the sabacc pots, the pazaak corners. The bar extending through the middle, and the tables surrounding it. There were the other rooms, curtains for where men and women of all species chose to indulge in each other, and rooms with beads covering the entrances, where indulgences of all kinds waited for consumption. None of it was free, and all of it was expensive. These were the places in the galaxy that justified all Laeonas did. Spice running, extortion, assault. All of it was to experience the raw decadence places like these represented.

It was Beautiful.

There was a look that ran over the man's face. He'd glance down at the near human, aquamarines reading her. His lips were pulled back into a smirk. There was something... perverse about it, but not directed at her specifically. It was almost recognition; searching for mutual understanding of what this place was, and why they were here. Who they were outside these doors didn't matter; they were flesh, creatures of pain, pleasure, whatever it was they desired.

The look lingered as he slipped away towards the bar, choosing to immediately indulge in what he wanted most. The death sticks and spice would come later; right now, he wanted to get drunk.

Very, very drunk.
​

@Killa Ree