Ask Coming or Going

[Darth Tiamat]

She thought it would be exciting to get out of the core and see more of the galaxy. Childhood daydreams once told of all the adventures one would have if they could leave the safety of their backyard. However, it turned out the rest of the galaxy was as horrid as the world she came from and those backyards seemed safer no matter how confined they were. The further one got from the core, the less rules and laws there were for others to follow or at least they were in place, but the enforcement was...lacking. It made getting jobs done easier and more difficult at the same time.

There seemed to be a limited amount of jobs she could do on this port city, the faster she completed this, the faster she could go elsewhere. It was busy, but small and it was in no doubt easy to spot the locals in comparison to those just passing through. The teen looked down at the slip of paper which she had scribbled down instructions to an address. It was a simple job: pick up the parcel, get paid, and move on. Though she had a feeling there was a catch to this, she was learning there was always one of sorts, especially when the work was questionable and there were no answers to give comfort in uncertainties and suspicions. She looked at the building that seemed to match the description given to her on point: grey, crumbling, security holos on all corners, and a greasy bunch in front of the door, who have seemed to take notice of the redhead. The downside to this description, all the buildings in this area match that description and all the groups that hanged out in front were greasy looking to Lyra.

Looking back down at her scribble, she sighed and pocketed the paper, debating to even continue as she could feel the few credits in her pocket. She was about to walk away when she heard someone cry out, catching her attention. A humanoid waved to her, holding a slim parcel and continued to approach, "Hey, Jimm said you'd be coming, tell him he should come by next time instead of paying children." The teen frowned and took the parcel, finding it rather light and reached to open it but the humanoid raised a finger, "Don't do that, just give it to him."

The girl was not comforted by his statement, but he did not bother to stick around, leaving just as quickly as he appeared. She gave the box a shake, there was still nothing. It became pressing for her to see exactly what was inside but opening it only brought confusion and slight disappointment as she pulled out the note.

A set of coordinates.

She was certain she had seen weirder things as she tossed the box and kept the paper, but now it was time to collect her credits.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry had landed on world, continuing her search for other Force sensitives that she could learn from. Much of what she did to search for them seemed aimless, but it was not. She inquired of the Shadow, she performed several rituals, and this was where she was led.

She didn't know where she was going or what she would find, but if this was where she was directed, then this was where she would go.

She walked down the street to see that the population was... unpleasant. They looked like they were more interested in jumping her for one of several unsavory reasons than anything else.

Metallic jungle, she thought to herself. It was just like being back in the wilds of Dathomir except the predators here were different. Far more clever... but also weaker. It wasn't a rancor even if it was far smarter. But they could attack in packs. Pack predators could bring down much larger prey.

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Lyra rubbed her nose while she kept studying the coordinates on the paper, making sure to avoid bodies as she walked against the pedestrian traffic. There wasn't much that she knew about her contractor except he was looking for someone to pick up the package and then bring it back to him. Her eyes narrowed as ideas popped into her mind as to why he refused to get something so simple. She paused and found a spot to think without running into anyone, her gaze falling out onto the beings that went on with their daily business.

She crumbled the paper and stuffed it in her pocket and leaned against a junkyard fence. As far fetched it could be as she thought about the idea, she was beginning to wonder if she was doing something illegal while carrying this piece of paper. Clearly her contractor didn't want to be seen or interact with the contact. It was suspicious and it was very much a curious situation.

In the shades of grey that washed over the port, her thoughts were interrupted by someone who tended to stick out. Strangely, her getup was not the first thing that drew her attention, it was a feeling, one that beckoned Lyra to follow. Listening to this gut feeling, she forgot about her current job and watched as one of the greasy groups from the warehouses had also picked up on the Dathomirian.

They followed Renfry, whistling and calling out with compliments about her gait, her outfit, and her body. When those did not work, those compliments would quickly turn to jeers, insulted by the lack of her attention and one twi'lek in particular would pick up his pace to grab Renfry by the arm in an attempt to bring her back to the others.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry continued to walk down the street, hearing the sounds of the men as she passed by. She didn't pay them much mind at first, but the shouts became more intense and she could sense the building of aggression in the Shadow.

And then one had the audacity to put his hands on her. If someone had seen her eyes they would have almost seen the flash of rage pass over her face. There was no warning and she struck like a snake as her hand glowed bright green and slammed down on his arm.

The sound of the bone snapping was immediately replaced by the screams that followed. The men were on their feet immediately in response to the move, and Renfry's feet spread slightly apart. She gave no sign of wanting to run. It was clear that not only would she fight, but she was perfectly comfortable with the idea of taking them all on at once.

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Lyra had quickly caught up with the group following the witch just in time to hear the distinct sound of bone snapping. The teen came to a skidding stop, wincing to to the sound. She watched the twi'lek stumbling and screaming, eventually throwing himself against the wall to prop himself up as he tried to not pass out from the pain. The rest of the group didn't seem concerned for their pal's well-being and instead found it an excuse to put this woman in her place.

As Renfry grounded herself and readied for the fight, the remaining three surrounded her, clearly believing they held better odds if they all got involved.

Lyra stepped past the Twi'lek and pulled out her blaster; as disgusted she was to see his arm hanging awkwardly, there was a sense of awe from the teen to see someone to bring that much power to subdue her enemy. And as much as she wanted to see the witch take out the rest of these goons, she knew once she started fighting, more would come to back them up. The teen pointed her blaster at them, "Break it up boys." she said as sternly and strong as she could muster, but it sounding not bad in her head, it sounded awful saying it out loud.

They also must of found it ridiculous as one of them turned to Lyra, the other two closed in on Renfry. "And what are you going to do?" he chuckled, towering over the teen.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Pack hunters on Dathomir were more organized and far more dangerous than these goons. Renfry knew how to deal with them, and the first step was to never let them behind you.

She kept them in front of her, fully prepared to smear them all across the street when another person showed up. It was a woman who Renfry had never seen or met and she was waving a blaster. On the bright side it appeared that the woman wasn't trying to attack Renfry. At least it was another person to split the thug's attention, though she had little hopes that the woman would fare very well. Maybe she would?

Renfry didn't linger on the thought. She didn't have the patience for anything slow. She was going to inflict pain and death as quickly as she could. She was no one's prey.

There was a vicious fury in her movement as the Shadow lashed out on her behalf. Two more bolts of green slammed into the two men coming at her. Burns and impact sent them both slamming back and the one who had the misfortune of landing close enough immediately found his head bashed repeatedly against the brick wall he'd been flung into until his head turned to mush.

She glanced back to the woman, seeing how effective she had been at subduing her attacker. In Renfry's current rage-filled state she'd be more than happy to turn another one into a dead lump. @GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Lyra did not have the finesse like other woman, as she was more awkward and clumsy, but when it came time to prove herself perhaps she could be less awkward about it. The goon knew he could quickly overpower her if he could just lay his hands on her, but there was hesitation in lunge, as though he were thinking about his buddy who just had a new joint put into his arm. His uncertainty gave the girl opening she needed to dodge under his arms. He stumbled forward and Lyra aimed and squeezed the trigger of her blaster, firing several bolts into his back.

She turned to look to see where the other woman was and watched as she created brain jam along the walls. The man on the ground beside her yelled out a bit louder and tried to reach out and grab Lyra's ankle. The teen kicked it out of the way and then gave him another kick in the side; he let out a groan in pain and anger.

Lyra backed up and turned her attention to Renfry, "Hey, we need to get out of here, if more of their guys show up and see either of us, it'll be hard to get off-world." she explained, looking around to make sure no one would get the jump on them. Though Lyra was certain this woman could hold her own if a whole system toppled on her.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

The woman seemed to have done well enough. She had dealt with the last of the men and it didn't look like he was going to be getting up again. Dead on the ground just like he deserved to be.

Her eyes spun up to the woman, a vicious fury still lurking behind them. She was sizing the red head up, deciding if she was as threat as well and preparing to respond in kind. Fortunately, it seemed unnecessary.

There was logic in what the redhead said, and Renfry quickly turned to get... anywhere other than here.

You know these streets? Where to go? she asked. She had more than a few questions for this one, but she didn't want to ask them here while they were exposed to more trouble. Or where the thugs who weren't yet dead might recover from their injuries. @GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Lyra could see the fury in her eyes and she prepared for a moment to defend herself, but the woman seemed to understand the urgency to get out of the area. Where to go? She was asking her, Lyra stood a little taller finding it pretty cool someone was asking her for directions that she knew how to give.

"This way." she said walking past the witch; she talked down the end of the road and paused, looking each way to ensure there weren't anymore unsavory beings lurking around before crossing the road. Lyra tucked away her blaster to not draw any additional attention, but her guest seemed to stand out on her own. She wasn't sure if it was exactly her looks as it was more a feeling one that she also had for herself that she constantly attributed to her fiery red hair.

The path was unusual, what seemed like dead ends turned into new access points by either climbing over or under rubbish that had piled up and the locals were just using it to divide their lots. An utility access tunnel took them to another section of the port where it seemed the residents have made their homes. Tightly packed, home atop of homes, Lyra lead Renfry to the place where she was staying. She paused at the door before entering, "There is another woman in here, but she is old and blind, and she won't give you trouble. She pretty much just blends in with her place." the teen reassured "Its a lot cheaper preparing her meals for the day than paying for some backend room at a bar. Safer too, don't need to worry about creeps."

The door open loudly allowing for the both of them to enter.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry followed the woman quickly, her eyes flicking around as she did. She had no interest in having to deal with any more of those goons, but she also wasn't exactly trusting of this woman, but it was better than the alternative.

She continued to follow through what felt like a maze. Places where it looked like there was nothing turned into open spaces for an agile person to slip through. She followed adeptly, her footsteps careful and precise.

In short order they were into a building that felt... tight. And apparently there was a blind woman that lived here as well. Renfry was exceedingly skeptical of it all, but held her tongue for the moment. People didn't just help other people.

Why are you helping me? she asked, finally speaking up after being silent for the entirety of their trip. @GABA

 

[Darth Tiamat]

The woman seemed a bit on edge, but the teen understood, she was also jumpy for different reasons, but her questioning of her help did not surprise her. The galaxy was not a helpful place and she had learned early on that there was a catch contrary to what she was raised on by her parents. So why did she help Renfry? The answer sounded weird, relying on a gut feeling that told her to intervene and she thought speaking out loud would not ease the woman's worries in her experience.

People gave you odd looks and walked away. No one she knew spoke of such feelings or sensations and she wondered if she was coming down with some space cold from her last travel.

"I..." Lyra started and shrugged, "You look like someone important..." She stumbled in her words for a moment, finding it harder to not sound suspicious. She tried to read as much as she could from the young woman and decide which direction she wanted to take this conversation before finally stating, "Look, if you didn't want my help, you don't have to be here. I don't want anything from you if that is what you're afraid of." she waved her hand in a dramatic gesture, feeling a bit more relieved she covered up any weird feelings and emotions she was having with annoyance and irritation. It has worked before, people see you angry and they stopped asking questions; sometimes they took her seriously, while others pushed her buttons further.

A frail voice called out from the room in the back of flat that drew Lyra's attention, "Yes, I'm coming Ms. Izel."

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry frowned deeply as the woman said that she looked important. That was a sketchy answer if ever Renfry had heard one, and her suspicions were not particularly alleviated by that explanation.

Then the woman promptly told her she shouldn't have come if she didn't want help and this caused Renfry's face to scrunch up a bit more. Renfry hadn't even done anything and the girl was getting... well, it didn't matter. She said she didn't want anything and Renfry didn't believe her, but what she wanted would remain to be seen.

She sensed something different about her, though. The Shadow seemed... closer here. More so than with most of the people she had met off world, but this one didn't look to be a member of any sect.

Before Renfry had concluded the line of thought, a voice called out for the redhead from the other room. The redhead went to check on her and Renfry... well, she promptly started poking around the room. She was a snoop, too, as it turned out. What was the worst that could happen? Surely the redhead wouldn't try to shoot her just for being snoopy.

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Renfry would have a few moments to herself to snoop around, though most of what she would find were stacks of cans, papers, and a collection of tea cups stored in the cabinets. If she found the rat drawer, she would have been greeted by the pungent smell of decay that seeped into the surrounding drawers on the counterspace.

Lyra was uncertain of what she had gotten herself into with this stranger; she wanted to tell her just to leave, but any thoughts of pushing her away brought discomfort, as though there was something that needed to be accomplished first. The young teen returned to see that she was still present, looking around the room. Silently she stood, chewing on the inside of her cheek in thought as to figuring out who this person was.

"So, uh... why are you here?" she asked, but realizing it was terribly vague, Lyra continued, "Not like here, in here, I know why you're here... I mean here here, on this world...at this port..." her cheeks reddened with awkward embarrassment, "Are you here to meet someone, pick up something? Or just make brain jam...and what was that funny green stuff from your hands." Lyra leaned on the back of a chair, pushing it slight forward in attempt to stretch her legs as the questions poured, "I've seen weird things, but that was the strangest."

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry poked around the room but, unfortunately, didn't find anything particularly exciting. She didn't really know what to expect, but perhaps learn a bit about the girl in question.

The girl came back a few short moments later with a barrage of questions. Renfry was always full of questions herself, so she could relate, but she also wasn't overly willing to share information with other people. It was a bad combination in most situations, but typically resulted in a direct exchange of information. A question for a question, as it were.

It was magick, she said plainly. Of all the questions she was asked that was the one she was most willing to answer. She didn't really know why she was here. Perhaps it was to find this very girl.

You kill a lot of people? she asked. She couldn't help but note that for someone so young - even younger than Renfry - she didn't seem to bat an eye at shooting someone in the street or watching their head turned to paste. Whether justified or not, it would leave most people shaken.

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Lyra was having a hard time reading her guest. However, she did get one answer, she called her power: Magick. Her eyes narrowed, not in suspicion but in curiosity as she tried to decipher what that meant. She heard about the Force, but never had she heard stories of it glowing green. The woman asked her if she killed a lot of people and Lyra's thoughts went back to the spat from only moments earlier and all the dangerous encounters she had faced.

The teen pursed her lips in thought, "I might have, I tend not to miss. Missing can be deadly." she replied. The dangers of the galaxy were learned quickly by the teen. She not only did she know what was out there from her Ranger parent's investigations, but she learned to shoot and then ask questions when she first went on the run. Lyra lifted her chin with a smirk, "You did not miss either, in fact, you made a really big mess." Lyra left the chair and walked over to the kitchenette to begin to prepare some tea for the old woman in the back. "Like, I would make sure people knew I could do something like that so they didn't mess with me."

Lyra cleaned out a teacup with her sleeve, frowning when she realized the cup was probably permanently stained. She fell silent for a moment before asking another question, "Are you one of those Jedi and Sith? Is that what they call the force-stuff? Magick?" she asked.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry probably shouldn't have been surprised that someone so young had killed. She had been in her share of deadly situations by that age as well. The wilds of Dathomir were filled with things that wanted to kill her.

I did what I needed to, she said with a shrug. She didn't think much of it, the slime deserved it. She hadn't gone looking for that fight and she didn't like to think about what might have happened had she not been capable of what she had done.

What do you know of them? she asked, referring to the Jedi and Sith that she had mentioned. Perhaps this girl was one of them, but she kind of doubted it. Surely she wouldn't be living here in isolation and slinging a blaster if that were the case.

Looking for them for some reason? she asked, not actually offering an explanation about herself right now. It would have made sense why she stepped in during the conflict.

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Lyra stood facing Renfry; she was still using her sleeve to clean the inside of the cup as the water heated on the burner. The young woman before her was cool and calm from what she could observe, it brought feelings of admiration and Lyra wished she had same aura. After having answered her question, the witch asked her own; Lyra was beginning to see how this was working.

"I just know the Sith are a bunch of warmongers, and the Jedi..." she paused, thinking of the best term she had heard from her parents when they were alive, "I heard they were flip-floppy and useless." Lyra explained, "But they both have this thing called the Force." the young teen set down the teacup and added some tea leaves, "Some weirdo politician (@Nefieslab) told me I had it once. I didn't believe him, in fact, I didn't, or don't believe it's real." Lyra poured the water in the teacup and let it set, shaking her head in confusing thought as her feelings conflicted.

"I'm just feeling- I mean, seeing it more..." she let her own voice trail uncertain of how to explain what was happening inside of her without sounding freakish. Lyra looked at Renfry, "Are you looking for them?" she asked.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry frowned and looked at the woman with skepticism.

Yes, it's all an illusion. You didn't actually see anything, she said, the comment probably coming off as a bit snarky, but Renfry was at a loss for how the woman could deny its existence after what she'd just seen.

I guess you could say that, she said as she was asked if she was looking for Jedi and Sith. She'd already found and worked with Sith multiple times and was even considering joining their cause to learn.

So what do you want from me? she asked, not at all believing the woman wanted nothing. That just wasn't how the galaxy worked.

 

[Darth Tiamat]

Lyra's eyes narrowed and her expression quickly turned to an obvious pout to Renfry's snarky remark. She wondered if the young woman had thought she was some dumb kid and Lyra resented that, she was fifteen and grown, practically an adult! The girl decided to finish the tea, she did admit to herself that she felt dumb, perhaps more so regretful, even mentioning it to the woman. All of them, Jedi, Sith, whatever, were aloof and odd, no wonder people made up stories to make them sound better.

Her guest finally asked her what she wanted from her.

Lyra turned to look at her and frowned, she knew what she wanted, but instead of telling the truth, the shrugged and picked up the teacup, "A ride off this world." Perhaps it was even intimidation that prevented the redhead from revealing what she did want from Renfry.

There was suddenly a loud rap at the door and shouting that startled the teen; she had dropped the cup in response and inhaled sharply reaching into her pocket and removed the paper before shoving it back inside, her eyes wide. She had completely forgotten the job.

"Mrs. Izel you have a thief in there! Open up! Lyra! You sticky fingered scum!"

Lyra was already moving, she had grabbed her pack and went to a small window, glancing at the young woman, "They're exaggerating." she said flatly as she slid open the window. Most would not be able to even fathom fitting through such a tight space, but Lyra as scrawny and nimble making it look too easy as she climbed through with her pack to the rooftops to escape.

The door eventually caved from the pounding, and several men entered, determined to find their belonging and the redhead.

@Phoenix

 

[Renfry]

Renfry was skeptical of taking anyone anywhere, but it depended also on where the girl wanted to go and why. Renfry wasn't the caring and sharing type, but she did pay her debts. Though... she hadn't actually asked for the woman's help, so was that even really a debt?

Where do... but her sentence was cut off by a pounding at the door. Renfry could sense the violence in the men's minds and was about ready to make some more smears when it seemed the girl was ready to run. From her own house? She wouldn't even stand and defend herself and what was hers?

Can't I just... she started but the girl was already leaving. Renfry squinted at the tiny space. She frowned for a moment before squeezing through for herself.

They made it out to the rooftop and Renfry stopped dead. Running from a predator only resulted in the declaration that you were prey. It always ended the same: death.

Wait, she said, not taking another step as the woman prepared to leave.

Why are we running? Why not just kill them and be done with it? Otherwise they'll catch us eventually, she said with a frown.