Ask What does the Fox say?

[Maeve]

Not that Mave hadn't been followed by the authorities before, but this time was so much worse. She had taken off, but only hours later she had been woken by the alarms blaring on 'the Ship'. She had escaped them once, then twice, but she never got an actual chance to rest. She was in deep pain, her ribs badly bruised and her blaster bolt wound still burning as the charred skin wasn't yet recovering and Maeve simply didn't have a good time at all.

The hunt continued, with her having run through countless scenarios in her head, but as she stopped at a space station to fuel her ship, they had her cornered. She hid whatever she could (including herself), but the whole mayhem ended with her having been dragged out of her ship. She tried to play the innocent, but as she had gathered quite a bunch of authorities along the way, they didn't let her go.

They insisted on her having stolen the Alderaan jewels, she insisted on not knowing anything about them, until they found them and told her about the tracker. The fucking fox. She had never been so mad (and even if she would never admit it, also a tiny bit proud at the same time) at someone. Given that they hadn't treated her with truth serum and Maeve was a skilled manipulator, they kept her retained, yet couldn't fully prove that it had been her and not a set-up.

She was glad that she hadn't been transferred to a high security prison, but the cells inside the space station were nether spacious nor was anyone giving a damn about her injuries. Her only hope? The same fox that had screwed her over hard for the second time now. Despite the pain, Maeve never skipped her backup plans and so before she had attempted to leave the sector, she had sent him a slightly suggestive selfie that showed her with all the souvenirs she had taken from him and read:

"If you're looking for something, you know where to find me - xxx"

She hadn't hit sent, preferring to keep the leverage for a while, but before they had dragged her out of her ship, the last thing she had still managed to do was to hit sent after having added the most recent coordinates. Whether she actually had something that was considered leverage, she didn't know, but for now she laid on the bare, cold floor of her cell, blankly staring at the ceiling and in strong pain as they hadn't really brought her in with care...

@Sreeya

 

[Z'Kair]

If it were anything else, anything at all, he would have scoffed at it. However, he kicked himself for not checking his belongings after he woke up from being drugged. He had been so caught up in his ploy to get her away from him with the tracked gem, he didn’t consider her getting the one up on him. He had underestimated how clever she was, and it made him bristle with rage.

But he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the picture she sent. Not because of the ample amount of cleavage, but because of the necklace. His necklace, the one given to him by his mother. It was the only thing he could keep from her as she was physically taken into slavery. The Fiani growled and punched a nearby wall, leaving long streaks with his claws. He got his frustrations out before he decided that he had to retrieve the necklace as soon as possible. It looked unassuming, which meant it very well could be in a prison cell with her.

It wasn’t long before he applied for a janitorial job to work there, intent on scoping out the place to break her out. He had to roll his eyes at having to bust her out after putting her in there himself. He hoped this really would be the last time he would ever run into this insufferable woman.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

Laying curled up on her unscathed side on the cold floor, nothing really happened for Maeve. She was waiting, whether it was for another interrogation or for information on how long they intended to keep her here, she didn't know. Whether they deemed another punishment just, she also didn't know and as someone who usually planned every little detail, she was severely frustrated. She was also bored, not finding enough will to plot a possible escape and also doubting as long as she wouldn't get to talk to someone, she even had a chance of doing so.

For Kai, fate had once again aligned. He had gotten his job and as a lowly worker, no one paid him too much attention. The prison itself wasn't too keen on carefully planning details for its janitorial staff, so while he had received information on how, apart from cleaning, he was also in charge of some minor maintance tasks, most parts, apart from the cell blocks, were accessible to him.

If he was to find out where specific prisoners were kept, he'd have to acquire the data for it unless he preferred going in blind, but lucky for him, he'd at least overhear an interesting conversation if his sensitive ears were in the right place at the right time.

"Damnit Colter! Where ya headed? They've told us not to leave the canteen with lunch".
"Chill. I won't spill anything. I got control room duty, while watching the screens I can eat without making a mess...this time".
The first guard just rolled his eyes before she hungry Nikto went his way. It was chili day, and the bowl wasn't just extraordinarily full, but the chili also a bit too thin. Whether Kai followed the guard or waited for the catastrophe to enfold, was oup to him.

@Sreeya

 

[Z'Kair]

Kai overheard the conversation and knew it was the perfect way in. For now, he kept his distance, looking over at the path the nikto would have to get to the control room. The fox slinked ahead with his mop and bucket, purposely slicking the floor with water before ducking out of view. From there, he just had to wait in another corridor while the Nikto eagerly walked over. Sure enough, after a few steps, the man slipped like something out of a cartoon, landing right on his back with the chili doing a dramatic arc in the air to splash all over him.

The Fiani ‘noticed’ from the adjacent corridor and walked over with the mop and bucket, “Are you okay?” He asked, faking concern, “Oh man… you’re a mess,” He reached over to help the man out, his other hand casually swiping the keycard he had on him, “Here, I’ll get the mess cleaned up here.”

The Nikto was completely flustered and embarrassed, taking no note of his missing keycard. He quickly shuffled off to the refresher to clean up. Kai knew he had a long time before the Nikto got the chili off himself. Kai did his part doing a slight mop job before pretending to need additional supplies from the closet. He walked down the corridors and casually used the badge to duck into the control room.

Right away, Kai began to try and search through the terminal data logs. He had no idea what that woman’s name was or how she would be classed, so he had to go by date of incarceration. Working under pressure, he began to keep looking till he found her mugshot. Even seeing her face made his ears flatten and a growl to resound.

With his work done, he printed off a prison layout with access codes, and snuck out of the control room. Kai was already back to mopping by the time the Nikto lumbered back grumpily. The Fiani stuck the badge back on the man as he passed, finishing up the cleaning.

With the coast clear, he made his way towards C Block, where he knew Ruby was.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

Her throat was dry - they was a little sink in her room, but the water had an oddly artificial taste, so as if the chemicals that cleared the water were still somewhat present. It was metallic and slightly bitter, so that she had only laced her throat with it once. She was hoping they'd move her into a permanent cell if they intended to keep her, but for now she didn't feel like moving in general.

Her gaze shifted across the ceiling, attempting to find anything that would get her further, but she began to concede mentally. Perhaps she had to wait. Her cell was firmly locked, the ray shield preventing anyone from passing through without deactivating it first...

If Kai was to move towards Cell block C, he'd soon approach a bulky, relatively muscular and fully armored guard from behind, his face hidden behind the dark visor after having entered through the security door that led to the block. There was a blaster rifle in his hands, stun cuffs and a blaster pistol fastened at his hip. He was walking briskly, so as if on a mission, but disdain in every step, however the door that opened behind him, stopped him in his tracks.

Even from behind the visor, Kai would be able to tell that he was being studied closely. The guard was oblivious to the fact that a Janitor wouldn't even have access to this part (or perhaps thought Kai was a janitor in a higher position), but he wasn't too happy about spotting the Fiani right now. "Whatcha doing here? This corridor is closed, prisoner transfer. For your own safety, I'll have to insist on you leaving. Now".

@Sreeya

 

[Z'Kair]

Kai was unfazed by the grumpy guard, “Ohhhhh that’s today?” He said with a sigh, “All right, I’ll come back later,” He said nonchalantly as he walked away. Getting the schematics from the control room had proven extremely useful. He could see where the armory was and he promptly made his way there. It was the room with all the equipment of guards, and he quickly changed into the gear, shoving his tail uncomfortably into the armor as well.

Before long, heavy footsteps took back towards the guard. Kai gazed at him through his new visor, his modulated voice resounding, “You are required in Cell Block D. I am your relief.”

“I wasn’t told this.”

“This is protocol,” Kai said simply, with that same monotone and mechanized voice the other guards used.

“Ugh! I always have to leave when the action happens!” The other guard grumbled as he stormed off. This left Kai standing where the other man had been, and he even had some weapons to boot. His initial plan was to just snatch the necklace off the bitch and put her back in her cell. He could play it off as a regulatory frisk. She wouldn’t even know he was here.

The corridors opened and he walked in with one other guard. The two would arrive at Maeve’s cell to take her. Kai’s eyes narrowed behind the visor. Where was that necklace?

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

The constant whirring of the shield drove her mad over time. With clenched fists, she tried to keep her thoughts straight, but it was almost impossible. Apart from that, it was silent, until she heard the sliding of doors and the steps that followed after. Was that it? Another interrogation coming up?

She let out a sigh before she rolled to her unscathed side, the pain of the other side however making her grimace in pain. As the pair of guards stopped in front of her cell, she did at least know they were really there for her, but this meant she had to get up again or else they'd yank her off the ground, so she preemptively began to push herself of the ground, keeping it together as best as she could before she faced them.

"Have you found evidence that proves my innocence yet? The casino's footage has to show something...I've never been up there", she quietly said, faked fear dripping from her voice. Of course she had pretended this was her first time in prison and that it affected her horribly - she was still hoping they'd find a video of the fox stealing the jewels with her just being the innocent stranger that got shot at downstairs when the theft happened...

Maeve was oblivious to the fact that the one in the slightly looser fitting uniform was said thief, but what Kai would notice was that on her neck there was only her black choker - no sign of the necklace he was after. Maeve obviously had considered many scenarios and had thus stored some important extras in a pocket they had left unchecked...

@Sreeya

 

[Z'Kair]

Kai was bristling with rage as he heard her speak.

“Silence,” He commanded curtly, harshly jerking her to keep her walking. The two guards escorted her down the corridor and towards a bay with transport speeders. He was concerned that he didn’t spot the necklace anywhere at all. Did she lose it? The rage simmering was almost overwhelming. He paused their walking, turning to the guard, “I got her. Can you go check the bay to see if the transport has checked in?”

“Are you sure?”

“She’s harmless,” Kai said with a scoff. The other guard guffawed and walked off for now.

The moment he was out of sight, Kai whirled around and slammed Ruby against the wall behind her. His hand found her throat right away. He leaned in close to her face, “Where is the necklace?” He growled. While the voice was mechanized, the animalistic growl was unmistakable. She would know who this was.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

The one guard immediately told her to shut up, and so she did. Artifical fear caressed her soft, innocent features as her ocean eyes widened. A citizen would be incredibly intimidated, so she stayed true to her role and swallowed. She was forced to follow and her left hand soon slid back up to the rip, the positioning alleviating some of her pain.

She was led out of the compound and towards a speeder - great, so they were transporting her further away. Her heart skipped a beat as the one guard send the other away, somehow it left her a little fazed for a second before a wave of hope washed over her. On guard, armored and equipped with a bunch of weapons...but could she possibly-

Bam. She was slammed against the wall, her eyes widening in actual panic now. Fuck. That...was bad. What had she done wrong? She stared at the stranger until he asked for the necklace, a beastial growl accompanying the question. There it was. Her picture hadn't gone unnoticed and her plan had worked. Despite being pressed to a wall, her windpipe roughly compressed, a hint of relief washed over her.

The flash of pain that ran through her body was tormenting, but she forced herself to smirk. "I'd say 'harder', but im afraid we don't have time for an actual foreplay", she cheekily remarked, a mischievous glistening in her eyes, before she realized that his angers was truly real and she was lacking air. "It's...on me. But I can't.. access it right now", she pressed forward, realizing that the only reason he was here was indeed the necklace and it made him furious. Her smirk turned into an apologetic smile, even if she was also hit by the realization that he was her ticket out.

@Sreeya

 

[Z'Kair]

His fingers curled tighter around her throat. He wasn’t a direct killer usually, letting others take care of those things or avoiding it. However, he was angry now, “I don’t want to hear this shit again,” He growled, remembering back to how much she delayed with the antidote, “I’ll get it. Where is it?” He asked again. They only had precious moments before the other guard returned. Kai almost considered just doing the actual transfer to let her rot in prison right there.

She would have a chance to answer, but he couldn’t respond in time. The other guard returned by then to inform them that the transport was here. Kai joined him for now, shoving Ruby in the back. He plopped down next to the other guard, riding as the passenger.

For a while it was business as usual. The transport was moving away from the facility and towards some sparse roads. After a while, Kai complained about stomach issues. The other guard bickered with him about protocol, but eventually pulled over. The Fiani waited till the transport was parked to casually grab his blaster and stun the other man.

Kai hopped out of the speeder and walked around back, popping the doors open. He had a blaster pointed right at Ruby.

“The necklace,” His mechanized voice echoed, “Now.”

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

As he pushed for the information, her gaze drifted downwards, wondering whether she wasn't saying enough with the glance. "You can try to get it, but you'll be in big trouble then", she simply couldn't help it. Despite his angry features, the fluffy ears amused her a lot, just like the fact that his fluffy tails was squeezed into the suit,

"I can get it out here. It's-", but before actually specifying, they'd be cut of by the approaching guard. She considered starting a scene, yet figured she was still somewhat dependent on Kai, at least until they were out of the station, so she refrained from pushing him further.

Maeve was led, or rather forcefully shoved into the back of the truck where she took a seat on the wooden makeshift bench. She wasn't sedated, so apart from the strong pain and the cuffs, she was still somewhat flexible, so as the truck started driving, her head began to race.

She wondered whether Kodi was driving because it was a relatively rough and bumpy ride, yet in the end, they suddenly pulled over. Having followed the vehicle's movement in her head, she was certain they had left the facility and so when it stopped, she considered positioning herself in a strategically advantageous position to spring at whoever was about to open the door, yet in the last second she figured there was maybe an even better way that would give her an advantage.

Before the door could be forced open, Maeve placed herself on the ground, rolled her eyes up and kept her lips slightly parted. She played unconscious (also something she had done many times) and only listened to his questions. She made out the Fiani's voice again, however didn't flinch. He could go ahead and search her, but she'd remain unresponsive for now while she waited for her chance.

@Sreeya

 

[Z'Kair]

Kai was half expecting a flying karate chop or some other nonsense move from her. Instead, he found her lying there like a dead fish. Of course. The Fiani bristled, pacing back and forth to consider his next move. Clearly she must have bumped her head or some bullshit with the guard’s terrible driving. Kai took off his helmet, running his gloved fingers through his hair. With a sigh, he made up his mind. He shot her with the stun gun for good measure and to ensure she stayed down, hopping off and closing the doors behind her. He needed her to stay unconscious till he could get them to a secure location. Naturally, he had absolutely no idea that he managed to actually knock her out for the first time…

When she woke up next, she would find herself tied to a chair in a barn. Kai had parked the transport far away and had to haul her all the way here. Like she had done, he took time to freshen up so he wasn’t sweaty and panting pathetically by the time she was awake. Once he was ready, he grabbed a garden hose and sprayed it on her to jolt her to life.

“I searched all over and it’s nowhere on you,” Kai grumbled, “Who has it?” He said, beyond furious but trying to keep his tone calm, “Just give it to me. I won’t pull anything after this and we just walk away from each other,” Kai’s tone was serious, implying that the necklace meant a tremendous amount to him. She knew the material was cheap, which meant it was all sentimental.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

Maeve's convincing performance tricked the fox again, but to what price, she sound wondered? She heard him pace, at least that was what it sounded like, obviously she couldn't look. In the end though, she heard him fumble around with his armor and so for a moment, she pondered jumping and overthrowing him, but she was too slow as her world was suddenly swallowed by an impenetrable darkness.

So Maeve was out cold and once she awoke, she first felt that she was being tied to something, giving that something cut into her wrists. She then realized she was seated and didn't like it any further, but her mind was still completely dazed before she was suddenly hosed without mercy.

Her eyes were suddenly wide open, her clothes and hairs completely drenched and she was beyond shocked. "Are you freaking mad?!", she screeched loudly, catching her breath over the unwanted surprise refreshment and only slowly realized she was in a barn. The fucking fox...

Her eyes narrowed as she finally saw him clearly, his patched eye, his folded ears, the slightly bristled fur. Her brain needed a moment to process his words, but once again her gaze wandered down. "Okay. No more games. Let's get this over with. Untie me and I'll get it out", she almost pleaded, exhaustion, frustration and resignation in her voice.

It was then that she also realized he still hadn't understood that she kept his necklace in a very special pocket, so her head dropped for a moment as she let out a deep sigh. "Listen, they took whatever they could find, so I had to become creative and use a...different hiding spot. You need to untie me and leave this room. You've got my damn word. We won't have to meet again this time". Again, her gaze flicked down on herself. "I've been in prison, thanks to you, do I need to spell it out?".

@Sreeya

 

[Z'Kair]

Kai rolled his eyes at her usual nonsense. He opened his mouth to tell her to knock it off, but he stared at her for a moment. The expression on her face and her tone of voice built up a sense of horror in the pit of his stomach. The very slow, terrible realization befell him and he wanted to use the stun gun on himself.

“You what?” He growled so loud that it actually sounded like a roar. He flashed all four fangs at her, his eye glaring and more terrifying than ever. The Fiani shook his head in frustration and complete disbelief. In another reality, he would have laughed at this bizarre outcome, but he actually cared about this necklace. The greater part of him didn’t believe her and almost hoped she was bluffing.

“I will untie you,” He said calmly after a long moment. He did so with an easy swipe of his claws, still on high alert. If she tried anything, he would be quicker just on principle. However, he then walked over, turned a chair around and plopped right down across her. He switched his blaster to lethal and pointed it at her.

“But I’m not going anywhere,” Kai stated flatly.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

He wouldn't buy it. She was conviced he wouldn't buy it. And then he did. She did throw him an apologetic grin for a moment, curiosity was internally nagging at her because somehow this necklace was of great value for him. Was it really worth credits? She doubted it...but apperently there was a sentimental worth to it.

"What was I supposed to do? They would have thrown it away", she defended her doings even if she was pretty shameless about it. It did surprise her that he made a move and came over to actually cut her loose, and again she considered taking him out. But what then? He had weapons, he was also quick...she was hurt so she wasn't taking any chances yet.

Once she was freed, she watched him go, her eyes drifting to the barn door. Only now did she realize that the room was relatively dimly lit, but it soon turned out that it was not dimly lit enough. "Fine, then go put your patch on the other eye then", she immediately replied, actual indignation bleeding into her voice.

The freaking pervert...she couldn't blame him for not trusting her and she had done freakier things before, but this - "you aren't serious, are you". Regardless of his reply, just to the test the waters, she did reach for the button of her pants, opening it hoping he'd look away before she'd actually go looking.

@Sreeya

 

[Z'Kair]

Kai simply glared in silence. She would notice his gaze never lowered even as she reached for her pants, “Don’t flatter yourself,” He scoffed, “Hold it up next to your face once it’s out,” He couldn’t believe this is what it came to. He was entirely too angry to think about the scenario or where his precious necklace was stashed. How would he even clean it off? Kai didn’t know where Ruby had been. His thoughts only made him progressively angrier.

For all of it, however, she would notice that his gaze never lowered even by accident. It was just a single, angry eye glaring at her own eyes. He was drilling holes into her with his gaze. He may have been a scumbag, but he wasn’t a creep. Kai would patiently wait till it was out.

Unbeknownst to both of them, there was an all out search for the transport reported missing. On top of that, the owners of the barn were returning from a day out.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

Was this really going down? This might have been one of the weirdest scenarios she had been in, yet Maeve saw his gaze. He was being serious, so she let out a sigh of pure resignation before she continued with the pants, finding a way in. She watched him, holding his gaze even, to ensure he wasn't being an absolute creep, but to her surprise, here, he kept his word.

Maeve did her best to grab hold of the little package - obviously, she hadn't just shoved in it without wrapping it hygienically - after all, she had prepared this before they had finally caught up with her, but the setting was still absolutely absurd and when she had it, she unpacked it.

"I'll grab that hose to ensure it's fine", she growled before having put on her pants properly again, but as she squatted down and let the cold water run over it, but the moments she was done, she heard voices outside, clearly close to the barn door, obviously spotting the light.

Freaking kriff. Why was shit following her everywhere?! Without thinking twice, she called a hushed "hide!", before sprinting for the nearest hay stash, diving right into it, hoping Kodi would somehow manage to do the same. With her wet clothes, the hay would surely stick to her, but getting out if this was definitely more important.

@Sreeya

 

[Z'Kair]

Kai saw that at least it was in a little…container. It was the first time his glare softened even the tiniest bit. He waited till she was dressed before moving from where he sat and allowing his eye to wander. However, his sharp ears caught movement arriving at the barn. Unfortunately, he couldn’t exactly run away and she still technically had his necklace. For once, he listened to her suggestion and dove into the pile as well, burying them deep in the hay.

For now, he was pressed against her in the stupid hay pile, lying completely still as the farmers walked into the barn.

“God damn it Karl, ya left the light on again.”

“I didn’t! I checked it twice! Honest!”

“Ya know there’s a killer on the loose. We can’t be leavin’ the door open willy nilly.”

“Sorry pa…”

“Whatever, take the hay to the bantha shed.”

Kai froze, panic welling in his chest. Technically he could probably kill them both with the blaster, but that would draw even more attention. Without warning, the hay pile they were in started to move. In their hurry to dive into the pile, neither Ruby nor Kai had checked that it was positioned on a repulsorsled…

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

As if being clad in hay wasn't bad enough, Kodi did actually join her enough. He squeezed in, hay poking her skin everywhere, especially because the wet fabric let even more pointy ends through. Then, Kai was completely pressed against her, half on top of her even as he had jumped in after her, so not only was he crushing her bruised ribs a little, but she also didn't appreciate the sudden proximity after he had just made her retrieve his necklace right in front of him.

She held her breath, trying hard not to much at all, but after the little exchange, her eyes widened in horror: Bantha shed. Why. Was. This. Getting. Worse. As the pile started moving, she was beginning to slip backwards, and, needing to hold onto something, she grabbed Kai by the arms out of sheer reflex.

Obviously, as he was also not really stable where he was, it only helped a little, but it was enough not to have her legs slip out and give them away. This was still pretty pretty bad and they kept moving until they'd suddenly roll down a ramp like logs. Both would land on a sticky, muddy surface and the smell would make them question whether it was earth or something worse.

Maeve held her tongue though. She waited until the steps disappeared and they were left to themselves, allegedly. "I can't...believe it", she pushed herself of the ground, grimacing severely before her gaze drifted across the dirty tail. The hay that had formerly sticked to her had literally helped a little, so she did find it somewhat amusing that Kai was covered in more shit than her, but they were literally locked in a bantha shed.

And there was the first bantha. Maeve heard a huff that was followed by a moist, warm cloud grazing her skin. She slowly turned and spotted the massive creature staring at them yet curiously sniffing the air. They were at least lucky that Banthas were usually peaceful creatures...She started wading towards the door, but it was indeed fully locked with not even a handle on the inside. "Any chance you've got something useful on you?". There were windows, but they were up high and they'd somehow had to climb up there.

@Sreeya

 

[Z'Kair]

Kai strongly regretted taking off his helmet. The rest of the armor protected him from coming into contact with the mud and shit they rolled into. With his luck, he half landed on his worst enemy. Kai scowled down at her before promptly rolling off. He took a moment first to snatch his necklace back at last, liberating it from its horrifying baggy and back into his possession. The bantha looked stupid and confused. Kai ignored Ruby for now, pushing up to stand and looking around for an exit.

The Fiani finally shed the bulky armor, realizing it was slowing him down. Once the plates were off, he moved to the side of the shed and sprang up. He dug his claws into the wood, sliding down, but he hopped up again. He clawed his way up till he reached a high window, peeking through the glass. He saw several people standing around outside chatting. One guy was using an axe to chop wood.

Kai pressed off the wall and hopped down, growling to himself, “People out there,” He said gruffly, moodily making his way over to a corner to sit down. The bantha took a great interest in Ruby and extended a tongue to give her a full face lick in the meantime. He reached for his fusion cutter and looked for a place to cut his way out in the opposite direction of the people. He needed some way to keep a lookout and the window was high.

"Climb on the bantha and let me know if anyone is walking this way," Kai suggested. He hoped she would actually make herself useful while they were stuck in this conundrum.

@LadyRen