Under Pressure

[Callum Attar]

With their combined effort, the doors posed no issue. In one fell swoop they were pried open, and their route to safety was laid bare before the duo. All things considered, this place didn't look as bad as it might've. It didn't seem do go down very far, and from what he could tell, it didn't look like it'd collapsed.

Oil, dirt, and grime caked every inch of this place, but such a thing was to be expected. He'd seen and had been made to do far worse during his training, so despite his pristine appearance, this'd never impede anything where he was concerned. But he had notice Astrid fidgeting ever so slightly in place. She'd pushed past her annoyance effortlessly, yes, but it was there. The roles were reversed, as out of the two, he was absolutely the one who looked like he'd be the least pleased with the current situation. Especially if one considered he'd been wearing black, leather gloves throughout the entire ordeal.

In his mind, there was only one issue that needed to be solved. Light. The lift was too dark to be seen clearly. Thankfully, the emergency kits that had been opened to tend to minor wounds contained flashlights, so taking one or two hadn't been a problem.

By now, of course, people had begun to pay attention to these two individuals, both with Coreward accents, who'd nonchalantly moved against the current. Their intentions had now been made clear, but none moved to stop them or join them. Evidently, the crowd had decided that it'd be better for them to wait for rescue, and the disdain for the duo's decision was visible on some of their faces. But that wouldn't be stopping Callum, and it didn't seem like Astrid was the type to care.

Having offered a flashlight to the redhead, the Acolyte pointed his at the empty shaft. The lift could be seen at the bottom, and it didn't look particularly deep. This was a service elevator after all. Clearly designed to drop off heavy cargo, not make a lot of stops. Cobwebs, dust and rat paw-prints coated most of what could be seen, and it the air smelled stale, but it didn't get much worse than that.

In more practical terms, there were plenty of metallic protrusions placed to fortify the structure that could be used as hand and footholds, outlining a variety of relatively simple paths to what looked like the top. That said, the dust coating might've made some of them hard to grab onto. Still, there was only one way to find out.

"No deformed monstrosity living in the abandoned shaft? I feel cheated, somehow." - he said jokingly, though he genuinely was a tad disappointed at how easy everything had been.
@Herrith

 

[Astridia Kazaczecho]

Astridia took the torch she was offered with a muttered thanks, turning her head right at the rest of the group and nodding to them, as if to say 'yes, this is happening'. She wiped her forehead and brushed her hair out of her face with a grimy hand, knowing that she probably just smeared black goo all over her face but not caring enough. Maybe it'd help with the 'survivor' story they'd need to bring up once they got out of here. She leaned her head down the shaft and then looked up, shining the torch where her eyes focused as she did so. Her head swiveled to Callum while he spoke, flashing a smirk.

"Go hop down and find out, then."

A pause as she looked back up the shaft. "So who's first? I can't catch you if you fall."

Astrid was already taking a half step in, knowing the answer was probably going to be 'ladies first'. And she wasn't going to dislocate her shoulder trying to catch this guy if he fell. She wasn't overly heroic like that.

 

[Callum Attar]

Naturally, when it came to exploring the passageway, it hadn't really occurred to the Acolyte to allow the woman to go first. After all, he was trained in combat and motion, and though she didn't look like your average anything, let alone civilian, he couldn't really know what she'd prepared for.

Ironically, while the Sith remained in thought, she had beaten him to the punch. Before he could get a word in edgewise, she was already past gearing up and was practically beginning her climb. What's worse was, she had a point. If he did slip up, her smaller frame would've had a much harder time breaking his fall than he would hers... Callum really hadn't wanted to place an individual he'd only just met in actual harm's way. To the Coruscantian, this whole ordeal had been little more than a fun way to while away an otherwise dull situation. After all, if worse came to worst he could always rely on his lightsabre to claw his way out.

Now, normally this wouldn't have mattered. He would've gone on ahead and then come back for her. The last thing he wanted was a perfectly interesting night ruined by an avoidable injury. But there was something about her attitude that gave him pause. Something that he couldn't quite put his finger on, that told him to keep watching. So, after a good, long moments of thought, a furrowed brow and a genuine, audible "Hmm", the man finally chose to conceed.

"If that is what you wish. But do me a favour. Make sure heroics stay in children's books, where they belong. If the path gets too complicated, come back down. I may be heavier, but I also have longer reach. The important thing is that you get out of this in one piece. Alright?"

@Herrith

 

[Astridia Kazaczecho]

"Mm. No heroics. Like I intended to do anything overly marvelous anyways. So are we climbing at the same time or is it a one-at-a-time thing? Ideally you'd be able to snatch me a few meters below rather than from...however low this is to ground level."

Astridia glanced at him as she stepped out past the doors and gripped one of the sliding metal pieces, looking up at the shaft. She looked back down at the actual elevator and then for some kind of ladder. So this was going to be difficult, then. As far as she saw, no ladder. What kind of safety regulations permitted that? Oh. Right. Outdated safety regulations on a dirt world. She looked back at Callum as she rolled her shoulders and stretched her legs, making sure all her clothes and stuff was on and wasn't going to fall away during the climb.

"Or, you know, whatever suits you. I don't know how you usually do things. Seems like you prefer calling the shots, if i'm being honest."

Another shrug and then a large inhale before Astrid grabbed the top of the elevator door frame and went to pull herself up, one boot sliding against one of the partially opened doors while the other hung loose. Immediately she knew she had a bit of an issue. Her slightly strained voice called out to her escape partner.

"Yeah, uh, boost up my free leg there, please?"

She could reach plenty far up, just didn't want to burn herself out this early and would rather get all the help she could get. No sense trying to be too tough at any rate. Not like this was banking on a promotion or anything significant.

 

[Callum Attar]

An eyebrow perked up and twitched at her little 'do things your way' jab. He hesitated. "That's..." - Callum paused again, to properly mull her words over - "Probably true." - he added with his hands raised, one eye closed and his head tilted downwards apologetically, a display that he'd been bested. Force of habit. ... Attar had almost spoken those words aloud, managing to stop himself just before they'd escaped his throat. It was clear by now that the woman was beginning to suspect a few things about his identity, but while he had nothing to hide, there was no fun in giving away free hints.

"And that sounds like the smart thing to do." - he acknowledged with a smile, referring to following her up so he wouldn't have to catch her fall from particularly high up if she fell - "You seem to know your stuff. Next time I find myself having to use an elevator shaft to escape being buried underground, I'll know who to call."

Like Astrid had asked, the Acolyte moved to grab her free foot and raise it up closer to where the redhead had intended for it to reach, taking note of her movements, and the path she'd taken, so he'd follow suit once she'd cleared this step.

@Herrith

 

[Astridia Kazaczecho]

Astridia pulled herself onto the top of the doorframe for the elevator sliding doors, holding herself there by hanging onto some very old, sticky, and dusty pipes while he spoke from below. She looked up and slacked her arms, then pulled herself up to the next conduit of pipes and grates, grunting slightly while she looked down and the man followed with his speech and body. Then looped her leg around an outreaching pipe to rest for a second and then respond, looking down slightly while her hands found some place to brace better.

"I know climbing. Elevator shafts technically count as that. See a lot of interesting...cases, you do a lot of interesting things."

She was being a little shady about being an Imperial agent (who really hadn't taken on a whole lot of cases recently) and hoped she just came off as maybe a police officer. Or detective. Or something. Astridia waited for him to catch up and spotted him in case stuff wasn't going too well for the larger human. After he was up, she stared back to the top of the shaft for a way to progress.

 

[Callum Attar]

In spite of his pristine appearance - that somehow remained dignified despite the dirt, oil and grime - Callum was agile and strong, the results of a strict and harsh training regiment he imposed on himself. After all, it would be unbecoming for a Sith to be thwarted by such the environment, would it not?

The Coruscantian nimbly made his way up, continuing beneath Astridia just far enough that he wouldn't get in her way, but close enough to be able to catch her if she slipped. Their frames and weights were very different, so he'd often use different holds and, though to a smaller scale, had to test them before committing. It wasn't the simplest thing he'd done, but it was by no means the most difficult. When she looked downwards to check on his progress, their eyes met and he smiled, finally answering her question.

"It's a living." - he remarked, nonchalant as ever. Circumstances didn't allow, but a slight shrug would likely have emerged after these words, and it showed. Particularly when the red-head seemed squirmy about her background, it was fun to be cryptic back. He then moved to the proverbial offensive and prodded slightly, if only to see her fidget a little. She was cute when she was flustered.

"Interesting cases, huh? You'll have tell me all about them, sometime." - he mentioned, sporting that same, annoyingly charming smile, that seemed to be able to look through people.

@Herrith

 

[Astridia Kazaczecho]

Astridia continued climbing, pausing at one moment to prop herself in between a pipe and the cement wall to reply. She shifted her boot, almost slipping with a loud squelch but being rather okay. She took in a shaky breath afterwards and looked down, brushing hair out of her face. 'It's a living'. Ha. Ha. She mocked a laugh and rolled her eyes while the guy continued, purposefully scraping some old grime down below.

"Yes, it's a living. And if you're going to be hearing about them, I'll need to be very drunk. That applies to you too."

She reached up and pulled herself to another higher pipe, then paused and continued.

"A-And it's not like it matters that much anyways."

Stupid smile. Exactly the kind she'd like to knock in if she could.

 

[Callum Attar]

The snark continued, and her purposefully sending some dirt down his way had not escaped the Acolyte's perceptive stare. Even as it reached his hair, Callum's smile remained. It deepened, in fact, when he heard her stutter, and then offered what sounded an awful lot like an invitation to go drinking. She was warming up to him, he thought, though it did look like she hadn't realised it yet.

He found a decent hold, shifted onto one hand, wiped his free hand and then ran its fingers through his hair, removing some of the soot-like dust she'd sent down earlier, before continuing the climb.

He'd purposefully let Astrid finish her speech and had given it a few beats of silence before he replied. Just to let the redhead's flustered words ring out in the aether a little while longer, and let her stew in them a little bit. Occasionally he'd look upwards, both to keep an eye on her should she slip, and in case she looked downwards, so he could get some eye-contact and show her his perfect smile, just to dial up the charm. After all, it'd gotten to her before, and he firmly believed it was bound to get to her again.

When he finally did reply, he was cryptic as ever. A simple "Is that so?" escaped his lips. It sounded like he was interested, but gave zero indication on whether this interest was on the drinking 'invite', or the following statement where she downplayed the whole thing. Just to make things a little more vexing for her.

Who knew coming close to being buried alive could turn out to be fun?

@Herrith

 

[Astridia Kazaczecho]

Astridia pulled herself up another pipe and paused at the long silence. She shook her head and kept climbing. Probably just focusing on keeping up. Not that she could care any less. Even though she probably should, considering he was her fall guy in this instance. Ha ha. She looked up at the elevator shaft and then looked down again for some reason, locking eyes for a second too long before looking away. Just climb the damn elevator, Kaz. Not that difficult. He can take care of himself. The response to her words didn't help any, and her mind wandered some while she continued to climb. Who the hell could be smiling in such a predicament? Oh. Right. Her and Callum.

A short moment of not focusing on where she was sticking her hands later, a hot pipe from what she could presume was a thermal vent made really nice contact with her palm, causing her to lose her grip and slip, balance going all wrong as her center of gravity shifted. Astrid quickly grabbed onto some old electrical cables with a short gasp, cradling her burned hand close to her chest as she recovered and replaced her feet onto secure spots. She took a few deep breaths and looked up, opening her mouth to speak.

"Uh..hot pipes right here. Be car-"

The wires snapped, and Astridia lost her balance in her precarious position, hands outstretching for something to grasp in front of her and clamping onto the spot her feet had been planted only moments ago. Her burned hand stung as she lost her grip on that and immediately planted her feet deep into the pipes just below. A few shaky breaths and Astrid shut her eyes, putting her burned hand back onto an anchor point, rubbing tears out of her eyes onto her sleeve.

Too close. Astrid sniffed and caught her breath.

 

[Callum Attar]

Callum had had to dodge to avoid getting a foot to the face when the poor woman fell. He pivoted his body to the left side, so he could free his right hand and avoid Astrid crashing down onto him, before his free arm moved out and up, preparing to support the red-head, or break her fall and draw her closer to him, where he'd be stronger.

But the woman was nothing if not resourceful. By the time his hand reached her lower back, she'd managed to regain her hold by herself. It was clear she was in pain, but right now there was nothing he could do, and she didn't seem like the type who'd enjoy being asked questions like 'are you alright?', but his hands were a little tied at the moment, so he couldn't do much more than that.

"Nice save. - the man remarked, honesty and a sense of genuine praise coming off in his tone. He probably would've caught her if she'd actually fell, but that didn't change the fact that this woman had some serious reflexes. She really had pulled a rabbit out of her hat, here. His right hand remained firmly planted on her mid-lower back, pushing her upwards and closer to the wall. While she didn't need it now that her footing was solid again, Callum thought it might help add an extra sense of safety.

"If we can, let's find a place where you can free up both of your hands, and I'll give you some cloth to bandage that up. If we can't, then don't worry. Just look up, you can see the light there. We're almost home."

@Herrith

 

[Astridia Kazaczecho]

Astridia sat there for a few seconds, calming down from the pressure on her back but immediately snapping out of it and pulling herself up and out of reach, looking for a spot to take a breather as Callum suggested precisely that. She nodded and looked up, pulling herself to an especially outstretched lip jutting from the walls of the elevator shaft. Probably used to access something, must have been filled in or blocked off. She pressed against the wall and sat down on the long lip as best as she could, looking down to make sure Callum was alright. Then she moved on to her hand, wincing as she unfurled it from its clenched fist.

It wasn't too bad. Not great, but certainly not as bad as she thought. No blistering, just a nasty burn from a pipe that was just a little too hot. It'd be raw for some time but Astrid had certainly been through much, much worse. She flicked her disheveled hair from her face and looked up to the top, scoffing.

"R-Right..almost there.."

Astridia fumbled through her jacket for her biking gloves as Callum made his way up and suggested some cloth to help with the burn. She pat her last pocket down and then groaned in irritation. Stupid. Left it back with the bike...wherever it was. Damn. She let out a long string of Huttese curses, smacking the small outcrop she was on with her bad hand, immediately paying for it with a nice painful sting. A short gasp of pain and she grit her teeth, shutting her eyes as her mind wandered elsewhere. Callum. The hand. The smile. Rather nice for a Sith in all honesty. Not that it mattered any at all.

 

[Callum Attar]

Callum was mildly surprised by the woman speaking another language. Though he himself did not understand Huttese, he did know enough to figure out which language she was speaking, and from her demeanour figure out more or less what she was saying. A little interesting, he thought, that she’d so clearly curse, but choose to do so in a separate tongue. Perhaps Basic couldn’t quite scratch that itch?

Made him want to learn the language of the Hutts, himself. Either way, what mattered was that she required some alone time. So, he found a small himself a small nook where the tunnel was particularly thin, and was able to prop himself up by pressing his legs against one end, and his back against the other. When she was ready, she’d climb again, and he’d follow, to make sure everything turned out alright. The end was in sight, and Astridia was ready to reach it. She didn’t even need a push, by the looks of it.

This woman, who originally seemed so despondent, was now driven to succeed. To go above and beyond. For good and for bad, it seemed the Galaxy had gained another capable citizen. These were the kind of friends he wanted. And a little good will can go a long way.

@Herrith

 

[Astridia Kazaczecho]

Astridia finished her long string of expletives in Huttese. Really, the only reason she'd switched was because she didn't want to sound like a sailor in front of Cal--a fellow Imperial, of course. She needed to maintain a slight manner of professionalism despite HIS best attempts at breaking that barrier. She looked his way as he pulled himself up to a relatively stable area and waited. So much for getting some help with her hand. She unzipped her jacket all the way and grabbed at the edge of her shirt, ripping a nice piece out the bottom to turn into a decent wrap...at least till they had access to better facilities.

Astrid would be looking like a video game heroine for a little while with her brand new short-cut shirt, but it was certainly better than getting her burnt hand burnt...again. Or worse. She nodded to Callum and zipped her jacket up again.

"Onwards."

By now she was rather eager to get out of here. The pipe had pissed her off, and she was more than keen on making this journey quick so that she could tend to her stupidly-earned injury later. Astrid gave him a look and then continued the climb, hopping up to pull herself to a set of higher pipes. Not much longer to go, after all.

 

[Callum Attar]

The Acolyte had had a few thoughts to continue poking some fun at the redhead, but if he was to be honest, this particular venture had been considerably more tiring than he thought it would. Perhaps it'd been because he hadn't used the Force? Who could say. Regardless, he wasn't interested in risking dimming the flames that burned behind the woman's eyes. A fire he felt he'd helped stoke, no less, so from this point until they reached the top, the climb would be the priority.

As a result of this newfound devotion perhaps, the remained of the trek went surprisingly smoothly, and before he knew it the duo was at the top. Just as when they began, the hurdle before them was a pair of closed elevator doors. Relatively thin bits of metal that separated them from freedom. Their footing now was less stable, and one of her hands was injured, but even then it wouldn't be a problem. They'd made it. And without a hitch, at that... well, almost.

When they could finally relax and he could finally return to his ways, a pensive look emerged, replacing the patented smile.

"I've just realised something. I go to a bar, meet a girl, we crack a few jokes, have a good time, and by the time we leave, she's got a ripped shirt and an injured hand." - the Coruscantian looked Astrid over, before a set of self-derisive chuckles escaped his lips, followed by a deflated sigh - "I've got to say... I've looked better."

Sith were interesting creatures. Despite their morality-challenging, callous ways, they remained enslaved to reputation, just like everyone else. Portrayed as these quasi-gods, able to bend reality to their will, their image was an unavoidable, essential part of who they were. Even when they donned their 'secret identities'.

@Herrith

 

[Astridia Kazaczecho]

This was it. They finally reached the top. Astridia had fallen onto her back upon touching ground level, panting as she clutched her throbbing hand and let her burning legs rest, bending them slightly and extending them. She pulled open her eyes, resting her hands on the sides of her head while her partner in crime returned to his usual act. She finally let herself smile and laugh at what he had to say. Just the feeling of getting out of there had rendered her a bit more easygoing. Which SO did not mean she was growing to enjoy his poorly done conquests. Definitely not. Another small laugh escaped her lips as she looked over at Callum.

"Well, I'm sure you enjoyed seeing at least one of those outcomes. And a good time in a caved in bar is...an interesting idea."

She chuckled again as he finished.
"I've looked better, too, don't worry."

 

[Callum Attar]

"I can neither confirm nor deny." - Callum, humoured, offered a (non-)response to her little jab about enjoyed outcomes - "And what can I say? I'm an interesting man." - he added, still visibly joking. Humility truly was not one of his better qualities. But he was self-aware enough about his own narcissistic ways to be able to crack a few jokes at the expense of his own ego.

The man opened the ground-level elevator doors by himself, giving Astrid a moment of rest, and the scenery of Ord Mantell laid bare before them. There didn't seem to be too much destruction, only a few collapsed walls, and some rubble across the streets. No large buildings had caved, at least in the immediate vicinity. The duo truly had been unlucky, in their pick of a drinking establishment.

Still, there was a feeling of confusion running across the streets as the authorities began to rush into this building or that one and move people aside. After a quick glance around, the man found the entry-way into the bar he was in, and a team finishing the preparations to drill. The Acolyte was far enough from the situation to not be spotted, but close enough to make out a few faces, and there was one that he recognised: The face of the local who had been in charge of guiding the Acolyte through the planet. No doubt he'd finally figured out Callum's last known location and had dispatched a team of rescuers.

Too little, too late. Callum wouldn't act against this individual, of course, he was by no means that petty. But he would let him anxiiously bark at the firefighters while they dug their way in and enter the bar, only to find that the Sith was missing. That lesson would be enough.

The Coruscantian then finally breathed a sigh of relief, and leaned his back against the frame of the now open elevator door and allowed his waist to fall to the ground, landing on a seated position. This truly had been tiring. He stayed there in silence, for a good few beats longer, before he remembered something.

"There is still the matter of that story you owe me. I seem to recall something about us getting drunk as well?" - he told Astridia, his tone more amused than ever. He would not be letting this girl forget she'd asked him out on a date. That was far too much fun to let go. "And there are easier ways to get me liquored up, you know. Though I will say, you do get points for creativity."

The usual smile had crept back up as he looked back at the woman - who still seemed to be catching her breath - and patiently awaited to see just how flustered the redhead would get.

@Herrith

 

[Astridia Kazaczecho]

Astridia mocked his neutral and, frankly, unsatisfying answer with her own mouth movements, watching tiredly while he pulled open the elevator door in an impressive feat of strength. She eyed the outside with him. Figures moving to a familiar-looking entrance, relatively undamaged cityscape. Figures. Guess my luck finally decided to run out. She let out an irritated huff to the ending of his first bit of speaking, hopefully to send the message that he was being ridiculous.

And then the next part came, which she was completely unprepared for, and which was COMPLETELY uncalled for. She locked eyes with him, heat rising in her face before she looked away, crossing her arms and staring daggers into the dirt.

"I-It wasn't like that at all. The drink had gotten to me, I wasn't thinking. If you HONESTLY think I'd share a drink with someone like you, you-you're mistaken."

Her vision remained fixed on the ground the whole time. She normally had relatively smooth and professional remarks about such attempts. What changed now? She couldn't possibly like all this--it was just him messing with her, getting inside her head.

And to be honest, Astridia was saying these things more to convince herself than him.

 

[Callum Attar]

A few more moments of silence elapsed, while Callum calmly looked over the woman, who was currently too embarrassed to look him in the eyes, his smile deepening. Astridia seemed to be someone who took went to great lengths to be in control of the situations she found herself in. And it was enjoyable see her out of her comfort zone in this way. Reminded the Acolyte that, whatever their circumstances, no matter how hard they trained or worked, at the end of the day people were people.

"Is that a fact?" - he remarked, polite as ever, despite the slight rhetorical hint the question possessed - "I must have been mistaken. Alcohol can make people do strange things, after all." His tone didn't sound very apologetic, despite the contents of his words, but his cordial, gentlemanly demeanour made it difficult to pinpoint just how true that was.

"I suppose that's why your cheeks are flushed, then?" - the Sith added, his eyebrows raising quizzically; again, pinpointing how serious he was seemed a tad difficult, considering his voice always sounded like this, and the smile never did seem to go away - "Unless you're coming down with something? Should I go and get a medic?"

"I do hope it isn't anything serious. It's a good look for you, though. Matches your hair."

@Herrith

 

[Astridia Kazaczecho]

Astridia's flush deepened as Callum considered to advance his words. She hovered a hand in front of her face to cover her cheeks, looking back down the shaft while her partner continued pressing. She cleared her throat, standing up suddenly and facing square with the Sith once more and opening her mouth to speak, the Imperial clip re-entering her mouth despite the uncertain and flustered expression on her face. She kept her hand cradled square in front of her chest, above her heart.

"What are you looking for me to say? What are you trying to get out of me, hm?"

Raising an eyebrow while she planted her feet. Maybe this sudden outburst would get him to back off of...whatever this was. She couldn't be involved with such a thing. Not dealing with this--terrible flirt of an Imperial and his...stupid smile.