Ask What does the Fox say?

[Maeve]

Maeve began to remove some of the loose hay sticks and the muck that sticked to it. It smelt horrible, but she was certain his sensitive nose was have it even worse. While Kodi started a climbing maneuver, Maeve gave the Bantha an actual 'hello', wanting to prove that they meant no harm, but she received a huge 'Bantha hello' in return.

Scowling, she shook her head before she began wiping the Bantha saliva off her face - yet another disgusting layer she'd have to wash off as quickly as possible. But for now, they had to focus at breaking out. Kodi was back down and Maeve didn't even bother veiling her annoyed sigh this time. Why had he chosen a freaking barn in the first place?!

She gave the Bantha a pet, ruffling through the clotted, shaggy fur which the Bantha seemed to enjoy. "What?!", as he mentioned climbing onto it, she gave him a quizzical glance. She then spotted the fusion cutter in his hand and resigning, she sighed again. "You're bad luck. I'm going with that for now. Whenever you appear, absurd, chaotic situations happen". Maybe it was because he never thought his plans through...put scowling didn't help, they had to get out asap.

"Alright, let's go you muddy beast", perhaps a double etendre, but she grabbed a hand full of hay and began to lure thr Bantha closer to the window before she dropped the hay. She then buried her hands in the Bantha's thick coat and pulled herself up, her rib once again painfully reminded her of another incident his idea had caused in the first place, but a few moments later she was up - for now, the Bantha minded its business, only focusing on chomping the hay, seemingly not even noticing Maeve's light weight.

She gave Kodi a quick nod before she focused on balancing, watching the people in a halfway ducked position. "They're busy. You're good. Stay close to this side of the barn", she gestured towards the according side behind her back, her gaze not leaving the people.

For a moment, he'd be fine cutting his way out, but Maeve soon noticed a speeder racing by, clearing stemming from the local authorities. Right. She was a fugitive here, too. But she was certain they had found the stolen van by now. "Hurry...". The Bantha began moving forward and Maeve almost fell, once again digging her fingers into its fur being the only thing preventing her from doing so, but by then Kodi should have been done.

She slid down the animal and gave it another little pair before she jogged over. "They've got my ship. I've heard them calling it a piece of junk and that they had no use for it, so if we make it back there, I'll give you a ride. It's most certainly unattended, they've dropped it a few clicks off the prison". She has no clue how he had made it into the prison in the first place, but for once she was really willing to cooperate.

@Sreeya

 

[Z'Kair]

There was something deeply satisfying about the fact that Ruby had to deal with the bantha. Not only did she look stupid with the hay sticking to her, but the smelly beast licked her entire face and covered it in slobber. Kai said nothing about it because the moment was too perfect and he didn’t want it jinxed. He looked over and saw Ruby practically half dangling off the bantha with her face dangerously close to its rear end.

Stifling a laugh, Kai continued to work on the fusion cutting. At last, he pushed out a slab of wood wide enough for them to fit through. He scrambled out of the barn and glanced back when she gave her idea.

“You want to go back to the prison?” Kai hissed, “That’s the dumb-” He paused, rubbing his chin in thought. No one would think to look for them back by the prison - they would be too focused on the getaway speeder and trails near the barn, “All right,” He agreed begrudgingly. Plus…his own ship was also parked there. He really did need to get better at planning things through…

“I hope you know you need a disguise,” Kai said dryly, “Your mug is probably circulating across all the local media,” He said as they walked away from the barn. He was safe for now since he had been in that uniform and it would take a while to connect the missing guard to Kodi D. Fox the janitor. He already began to wonder if he could secure a reward for 'turning her in' without getting himself conned in the process.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

Once out through the hole he had cut into the wooden shed, he obviously had an objection he didn't bother sharing. She was about to argue for her case, knowing they'd run into less patrols there as they were most certainly combing through the area here, where the stolen van had been parked and not back there, but his little fox brain got the idea a moment later.

They started moving, using the cover of the night to avoid raising any attention for now. Maeve kept ridding herself of the scratchy hay sticks, yet the thick muddy layer didn't make it any easier - at least the caked fur of his ears offered an amusing little view that kept making her stiffle her chuckles.

"Yup. I'd suggest a little detour through some backywards. Maybe I'll find something useful and maybe we'll find another hose". Right now, she wouldn't mind the water. They had to stop every now and then when speeder threatened to drive buy and take cover behind the nearest fence, bush, or whatever they found, but in the end they entered a little residential area that separated them from the prison.

Maeve purposely checked for sounds and lights before she hopped over a garden fence, quickly searching through the garden. "You sneaked into a prison for a necklace. Why?", she suddenly asked, her voice barely more than a whisper. They had a quick moment and she was curious. "I suppose I've got to thank you for getting me out though". The last part slipped out rather involuntarily. Had she just thanked him? Well, if she was being honest she did have a reason to do so, even if he hadn't done it out of good will.

@Sreeya

 

[Z'Kair]

Kai gave Ruby an ‘are you serious right now?’ look and a scoff when she asked why he broke into the prison for the necklace. That was a personal level of detail he wasn’t going to share with anyone, least of all her. He remained silent as they hopped the fence and he spotted what looked to be an empty house. His sensitive ears picked up nothing but silence in that particular house. He scowled at her when she thanked him for getting her out, “I had no desire to get you out,” He said dryly as he turned to lockpick the back porch door, “Now keep watch.”

After a click, the door was opened and Kai snuck in. The house, unfortunately, belonged to an elderly couple. This meant that Ruby would have an interesting catalogue of clothes to choose from. Kai casually started raiding the kitchen, opening the fridge and taking out a carton of milk. He removed the lid and started drinking from the carton itself, chugging the entire thing in one gulp. He next moved onto rummaging through their nicely packaged tupperware to start snacking on items.

At some point, he looked up and saw Cubic Zirconia still there, a milk mustache over his lip, “What? Go change upstairs. I’m sure you’ll find something,” He said before he popped a freshly baked grandma cookie into his mouth.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

Of course she never received a reply. Not that it surprised her, but she had at least hoped for a funny story. He was still nothing but hostile and while she couldn't blame him for not trusting her (as she had 'poisoned' and sedated him before), she was a little surprised by how angry he still was.

"Ouuch", she playfully remarked at his cold comment, her hushed voice dripping with sarcasm, however added, "I'll keep my eyes on it". Perhaps (most certainly) a veiled jab, but she did as he bid. As it was late, nothing apart from the wailing sirens in the distance could be heard. It was quiet in the house too, and judging from the furniture, the owners had surely taken their hearing aids out for for night already.

As the coast was clear, she sneaked in after him, only to find the Fox munching on snacks. "Seriously?", she asked, raising a brow at his snack attack, but hushed past him a moment to find the nearest drawer. She found an ancient wardrobe in the foyer and carefully opened the heavy, wooden doors. And bingo. She found a violet coat, presumably from the last millennium and a terrible hat. She twisted her hairs into a bun and shoved the hair underneath before she put on the coat.

As she found a fitting fitting outfit for Kodi right next to it, she carefully grabbed it and wwet back to the kitchen, tossing it over. "Put that on. Better safe than sorry. They might have you on the radar by now as well". She didn't want to take any chances and she was definitely the one with the well considered plans. "You done or you wanna raid the full pantry first?", she asked, actually being serious while she impatiently tapped her foot. She simply wanted to get out.

@Sreeya

 

[Z'Kair]

Kai looked at her with a sandwich halfway into his mouth. Seeing her in old lady get up made him start to cough and almost choke on the sandwich. He took a moment to recover, finally swallowing the food to chuckle to himself. That was until she presented his clothing. Kai scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest and refusing.

However, somewhere a radio had been left on and it was spelling out both of their descriptions. Kai groaned, snatching the stupid old clothes. Both of them would smell strongly of mothballs. The Fiani scowled when she gave him grief for loading up on the pantry, “I don’t want to hear you bitching later because you’re hungry,” He knew that was going to happen the moment they returned to the ship. Kai was a practical man and he knew when he needed to refuel.

“I’m almost done,” He said before he bounded up the stairs. Kai came back down a few moments later with a duffel bag full of stolen jewelry. Clearly he had no qualms about robbing nice old people. He even packed a few granola bars and canned soups for extra measure.

“Okay let’s go,” Kai said as he stepped out. As they were posing as old people, he had to walk slow. His tail was hidden behind an old coat, and his ears were squashed under a hat. It was only then that it dawned on him that they couldn’t exactly take a space uber. Kai looked around the backyard before he spotted a rusty old bicycle, “Fuck me..” He grumbled.

Kai hopped on the bicycle, hating this idea. He wanted nothing more than to ditch Ruby here and leave, but at this point she could screw him over. He sat down on the bike, moodily gesturing for her to hop on. Of course, she would have to hold on tight like in those sappy movie sequences. Kai was not in great shape, but he started pedaling nonetheless, expecting to take a century before they arrived at the prison.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

"It's the middle of the night and the munchies haven't befallen me yet", she replied, crossing her arms in front of her chest, clearly seeing how his late night snack orgy had totally escalated. Truth was, she was starving, but she absolutely didn't want to admit snacking wasn't a bad idea, but she did pour herself some water and gulped it down.

He reluctantly put on the clothes and she had to cover her mouth immediately- he looked like someome straight out of a kids show - Foxy, the patched adventurer or whatever. She could definitely see it. The clothes fitted just fine even if his tail, which did however give him a little hump at the back that just made it more comical. "Yeah...let's", she actively had to avert her gaze as his fluffy hump jiggled when he walked and given that she was at least solidly sleep deprived, she could barely hold it together.

As Kodi finally made out the bike, she was almost choking, however stiffled whatever half laughing half dying sounds threatened to escape her. "Fancy little ride. It will do". She half expected him to ditch her, but he gestured for her to hop on and so Granny Maeve did. He started pedaling and she tied to give them a little boost with her feet before they were off - zigzagging a little, but at least on their way.

They now looked like a perfectly elderly couple from a comic stripe going on a late night rusty bike right to feel young again or something and so a certain tune was constantly stuck in her. As absurd as the situation was, Maeve really had to hold her tongue in order to avoid breaking into full blown laughter as she held on tightly. "You know...maybe you've found your signature look. Together with your patch it looks like you're a badass veteran" - and not just an adorable, yet crooked fluff. She really bit her tongue, struggling hard not to lose composure.

Kodi kept pedaling and Maeve held her balance as best as she could, not wanting them to wiggle too much, but after a seemingly endless episode of them cycling and the bike painfully creaking, the prison would finally come into sight. After they took a turn, they'd literally drove by two policemen who gave them a really curious look, but hoping Kodi would tip his head or something, Maeve answered in a high-pitched, fully changed and much older sounding voice, "evening gents".

A bit perplex, the two guards followed them with their gazes, however immediately went into the next backalley, apperently not having realized they were not the next door elderly-young-at-heart-couple. She exhaled in relief, leaning in a little as she said, "They aren't following. We should be good to get to the ship".

@Sreeya

 

[Z'Kair]

Kai moodily glared ahead as she remarked on him appearing like a vet, “Hush before you trigger my war PTSD,” He said grumpily. However, even he couldn’t keep a straight face, a grin cracking as he considered the absurdity of the situation. Kai was thankful he was posing as an old man, so he could get away with pedaling slowly. He had to lug around both Ruby and also the duffel bag of stolen goods.

He turned a corner and almost ran into two officers. He stared widely and he hoped it just came across like he was senile. Fortunately, Ruby was quicker to recover and got them by. Eventually, Kai was able to stare ahead at the prison docking bay and saw it completely overrun with guards and local authorities.

Kai snickered at the sight, “Well, here’s your drop off,” He said as he gestured for her to get off his bike. He technically got her to her ship and that was more than generous. He nonchalantly waved by to her, “Good luck, granny,” He said. He didn’t budge just yet - he wanted to see how she would navigate her way past the rows of guards to get to her own ship. His ship, thankfully, was an unmarked vessel parked further away. There was no chance in hell he would give her any way off in his ship unless she had something epic to offer.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

As she was holding onto him from behind, even without seeing it she could feel his chuckle. His remark and the laugh she finally managed to draw from him was infectious, so while she kept it together for most part, the situation was simply way to bizarre to stifle her own chuckle completely.

Upon arrival, she slid down, however not gracefully as she normally would, but she took her sweet time, holding her back and it helped that she was still in actual pain - all in all her elderly lady performance must have been convincing enough. "Thank you, Kodi", for once, her tone was genuine as she met his gaze, being all serious even if her posture was just crooked.

She was grateful that she wasn't just free, but the prospects of her actually getting off this shithole were good. She slowly waved to him as though an actual granny, saying, "Well, take care and make sure you get the Bantha much off the fur". With one last mischievous smirk, she slowly turned, crossing her hands behind her back and started walking.

She took her time, her gaze directed at the ground and seemingly staring into the unknown, her slow walk passing as one of an old, senile lady. She pretended not to see the guards and just kept walking, even if her heartbeat sped up, she didn't bother picking up her pace. "Excuse me...uhm, Miss, you can't pass right now...". Of course they'd adress her.

Gathering all the experience from her different personas, she raised her voice as squawkingly as she could, her arms wildly flailing around. "Help! What a rascal! Stay away you impudent, ill-mannered rapscallion!", she feistily launched at him like a senile lady gone mad, which let all bystanding guards take a dismissive step backwards. "No, no! We mean no harm". "Gods, let her pass. Don't give her a heart attack".

Aaand she was trough. She angrily glanced over her shoulder again as she began limping onwards, muttering something under her breath before she pretended to look around. She zigzagged closer to the ship and waited until they were not paying any more attention before she briskly approached the ship.

Her ship's sensor had been an implant in her lower arm for a while, so the ship opened without any trouble. She hastily stormed up the ramp and once inside, she heard the first "HEY!". She slammed the ramp shut and immediately began starting the launching sequence, so while the attention was finally on to her, Kodi could slip away easily.

Whether they wondered whether the grandma had gone mad or someone actually stole the ship didn't matter, as after the refuel she was ready to jump into hyperspace and stop them from pursuing her for now anyway. As for Kodi, he'd be fine to leave, maybe assuming he'd never run to her again, not yet knowing he was sorely mistaken...

@Sreeya

 

[Z'Kair]

Kai said nothing in response to her ‘gratitude’, but he didn’t miss that it sounded almost genuine. He gave her a simple jut of his chin, watching as she hobbled away like an old lady. The entire scene was hysterical and her acting like a scandalized granny actually drew out a chuckle from him. He watched her actually navigate her way to her ship as he lit up a cigarra and grinned.

“Goodbye, Ruby, I hope I never have to see your stupid mug again,” He said as he blew out a cloud of smoke. Kai hopped on the bike and hastily pedaled out of the scene to make his own escape.

/End Thread