Ask Wrong side of the bed

[Max Dram]

NAR SHADDAA
06.30am local time
​

Max rolled over, caressing the woman's painted face. He kissed her slowly on the lips. "More". Her eyes flashed in recognition, despite the intoxication they were both feeling. She passed him the spice, smiling playfully as he took a long drag. He kissed her again, rolling back over to play with the Chiss waiter this time. He was the perfect counterpart to the girl and Max was enjoying them both immensely.

There was a sudden bang and Max was conscious of movement by the door. He sat up and reached for his pistol, but strong hands pinned his arms to his sides. There were three of them he thought, through the haze. Two tall heavies and a small man. Did he have a silly goatee?

"Max, they call you Max right?" The man knew his name, but Max wasn't keen to confirm. He was already naked and held down, which was a bad start to the day.

"What's it to you?" he replied. The retort earned him a smack across the face from one of the heavies. The woman and the Chiss scattered, hiding their modesty.

"This is my apartment" the man with the goatee replied "you're snorting my drugs and sleeping with my people. You'll tell me whatever I want to know".

"Then it's Lieutenant Dram" Max said, still coming round.

"You're a cocky fellow arn't you" the man snorted "make sure you kiss that Imperial uniform when they give you another one. If you weren't military, you'd be dead"

Max had no chance to reply as strong arms lifted him up and shoved him across the room. "Guys guys, let's talk about this-". He hit his head against the wall, then before he know it he was shoved out into the backstreets.

Totally, and utterly, naked.

@Reylo4evr

 

[Iniya Pochi]

Iniya was back on Nar Shaddaa, and it was just as filthy as she remembered. She was in a particular dirty part of town, with alleys along the street full of spice runners and black market dealers. Her dark outfit blended in but she could still feel eyes on her, as usual.

She was walking with her head turned to the side, looking into a particularly dark alleyway when someone slammed into her from in front. She stumbled backwards and whipped her head around. "What the hell-" she paused abruptly when she saw who she had run into. He was an attractive human male and at first glance he appeared to be topless. Iniya got the feeling that she wouldn't have to look down to know that he was entirely naked. She tilted her head slightly, her dark magenta hair falling to one shoulder. His eyes were hazed and he looked confused; he was likely high on spice.

@Alhon

 

[Max Dram]

Max whirled, planning to give the heavies another earful, but they slammed the door in his face.

"Guys!" he yelled through the durasteel "we've got off on the wrong foot here..." but there was no answer. He was conscious of a slight breeze in places that were not used to feeling it. This was a real bad start to the day.

The backstreet was empty at the moment, but that wouldn't last long. The markets would be opening soon. He banged on the door repeatedly, to no avail, breathing deep as he tried to clear his head. What was he doing? He frackin loved spice, yes, particularly when he was on leave. But he'd obviously messed with the wrong dealer here. The guy wasn't going to give him anything other than a kicking if he got the door open.

Max stopped banging, standing in silence in nothing but his dogtags. He needed a plan. Clothes first, any clothes. A naked man, even a soldier, would not do well on Nar Shaddaa. Then he could head back to his unit in the port district. But that felt like a defeat. He needed his arrangements to get hold of the good stuff next time he was in town.

He turned, making down the alley and walked full square into someone coming the other way.

"Woah" he leapt back, ready to defend himself, but relaxed with a smile. It was a woman, a Zeltron by the looks of her, with a pretty face, exotic hair and a fine figure shown off in a close dark outfit.

"Well hello" Max said, making no move to cover his modesty. It was far too late for that. He paused momentarily, noticing the blaster pistol at her hip. "Bit of a tough morning here, but I could really use your help mam?" he held his hands out reassuringly "I'm a solider and I can make it worth your while".

@Reylo4evr

 

[Iniya Pochi]

Iniya raised an eyebrow as the guy stumbled backwards. He immediately gave her what he thought was a winning smile, relaxing in her presence. A mistake on his part, but it would be amusing to mess with him. She listened with a skeptical expression as he spoke. He talked as if since he was a soldier, all hearts should melt for him.

"Worth my while? How do you plan on doing that?" she said, crossing her arms. A faint smile rested on her face as she waited for a response. It was definitely an interesting start to her day.

@Alhon

 

[Max Dram]

The Zeltron held her poise, which Max respected.

"Well credits are the easiest way" he replied, talking of recompense "though not always the most fun". He held his smile a moment longer, but sensed this one was a tough cookie. She was going to need action.

"Like I say, there's credits in it for you" he continued, holding up his dog tags "The name's Max Dram. I'm an officer in the Imperial military. You might have seen bigger fish but trust me I'm big enough. I just need a little bit of your time and for that there is a quick reward?". Declaring himself as an Imperial was not without risk on a Hutt world, but he was counting on her to know the Emprie had some of the deepest pockets around.

He spied a clothes line on a first floor balcony two doors down, with laundry hanging in the morning breeze. "Why don't I get dressed first" he said, not waiting for her reply before he sidled past her to beneath the balcony. Pulling himself up on the drainpipe, he was just able to reach up and pull a few clothes from the line.

Max pulled the clothes on, but not too quickly, taking a final chance to try and charm the woman - or at least thaw that cold exterior. The ragtag vest and camouflaged cargo pants made for a poor outfit, but they would do.

"So...." he said, looking pleased with himself "main thing is I need an escort back to the port district. But, if you're interested, I'm also looking to secure new arrangements for getting hold of spice, here on Nar Shaddaa". He cast a look back at the closed apartment door "my previous partners didn't quite work out".

@Reylo4evr

 

[Iniya Pochi]

Iniya knew what the man was going to suggest before it came out of his mouth. The fresh air seemed to be sobering him and he seemed to realize he was butt naked. He pulled down some clothes drying on a line and pulled them on, rather slowly she noticed. He was trying to impress her- he would have to do better if he wanted to get her help, or even her company.

When he finally finished Iniya was tempted to say 'about damn time' but he opened his mouth and started talking first. When he put his offer up in the air, she was silent for a moment, conisdering. The fact that he was an Imperial soldier meant nothing to her personally- but it did mean he likely had more credits to offer and the fear of Jedi or rebel retribution was low as the Sith slowly expanded.

"Say I agree," she said, shifting her weight slightly. "Why would you need an escort? I can sober you up real fast, if that's what you're worried about," she continued, her smirk growing.

@Alhon

 

[Max Dram]

"I wouldn't say I need an escort" he replied, flexing in the stolen clothes that were a little on the small side. It was partly true, he was a tough guy and could probably make it back to the port district alone. "More a nice to have. Nar Shaddaa is a bit ropey at the best of times and I'd rather not go wandering alone with no weapon and no shoes..." he looked down forlornly at his bare feet.

"Sobriety's not an issue. Truth is I'm a moderately worthwhile hostage for the dim-witted" he explained "and there's also plenty who just like to give the nearest Imperial a bit of a kicking". Something about the way she stood told him she would join in for the right price, but he could work with that kind of outlook. He also still held out hope she might prove more interesting than a simple credit-chaser.

"But what about the spice?" he asked "do you know any upstanding merchants you can introduce me to?"

@Reylo4evr

 

[Iniya Pochi]

Iniya had already decided she would do it before Max finished speaking. As for the spice... "Upstanding merchants? You're looking at one right now," she drawled, her smirk widening. "While I'm not an official spice runner, I do keep a stash of only the best and would be willing to make a deal with you," she continued. "Iniya," she said, giving her name and extending a hand.

Max was extremely cocky, making him very easy to toy with, especially considering his noticeable interest in her. She let her voice and body language become suggestive as she made extended eye contact with the Imperial soldier.

@Alhon

 

[Max Dram]

"Am I really?" he replied, only half-surprised. "Well that's fine with me, the officialness is less important than effectiveness". He wondered how much time she'd really done in the spice trade, but if she could get the stuff when he needed it then it didn't matter. He was just starting something here and she could be a big part of that.

"Nice to meet you finally" Max smiled, reaching out to shake her hand. It was soft and warm and he pulled on it suddenly, using his weight to try and tip Iniya into a brief hold, as if they were about to dance. She wouldn't like it, but if he managed it then he'd take the chance to look in those deep grey eyes and speak softly in that ear "Tell me about what our deal could look like".

@Reylo4evr

 

[Iniya Pochi]

Iniya let him take her hand and was not very surprised when he pulled her closer, barely an inch of space between their chests. Iniya placed a hand on his chest and slowly, gently, pushed back, tugging her hand from his just as slowly. All the while, she smiled tauntingly at him.

She placed her hand on a small pouch tied onto her belt. "Why don't we settle this somewhere a little more... comfortable?" she said softly. There were a few people in the alleys watching their exchange curiously. "And we can discuss our little deal,"

@Alhon

 

[Max Dram]

Even up close, Iniya remained a real woman of mystery. "Alright" Max replied, genuinely a little unsure whether she was planning to sell to him, silence him or sleep with him. Whichever it was, he could agree the alley was not ideal; the morning was breaking and people were starting to bustle past, beginning their day.

"Lead the way mam" he said, intrigued "a place that does breakfast would be perfect, but as you know I'm a little light on credits this morning. If you would take pity on a hungry soldier".

@Reylo4evr

 

[Iniya Pochi]

Iniya gave Max a little smile after he agreed and snaked her arm through his. “We’ll go back to the room I’m renting,” she replied, completely ignoring his request for breakfast.

Thankfully, her room was close, and the walk would not take long. Iniya pulled her arm back and unlocked the door, walking and throwing the keycard onto a nearby table. She pulled out some ration packs from a cabinet and tossed them to him. He could eat if he wanted, and she would grab her spice while he ate.

She dumped a small pile on the counter and leaned forward on her forearms. “How many credits do you have?” She said.

@Alhon