Ask Corellia Ramen and Muscles

[Natalie Hope]

"FINALLY!" Natalie called out the moment the sound of grappling hooks rang out. She jumped up, a couple of wild blaster bolts flying by without causing her any trouble at all. Turning to the shooter of said blaster bolts, she propped her foot up on the railing and took aimed with the carbine. She fired a couple of bolts, hitting nothing in particular. It was the last bolt she concentrated with the Force, putting it square into the blaster at the end of the gangster's polearm, breaking it.

She tried to do the same with the second gangster but it'd been years since handling a blaster. The swoop bikes locked to the side of the skiff, and the two gangsters started climbing aboard. Natalie backed off a bit, knowing enough about tactics that she wasn't about to waste shots. One of the gangsters popped their head above the railing, and promptly lost it when Natalie put a bolt between his eyes. The second raced over the railing.

Natalie met him there, parrying a swing from his polearm with the carbine to her left, then buttstroking him in the face. The gangster fell backwards, swinging the polearm again as Natalie squared back up with him. She was able to deflect the polearm with her arm, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt like a Hutt's ass. Natalie's resting bitch face flared into a scowl. With a low growl in her throat, she stomped on the gangster's crotch. His body folded as he howled in pain, only to go silent when Natalie put a point blank bolt into his mouth.

"That's why you never hit a lady, fuckface," she said. She turned to see how Muscles was fairing. "You good over there, Muscles? Got your mean face on yet?" Clipping the carbine back to her belt, she rubbed her forearm. She was going to have a bruise tomorrow. If only she had a complicated skin care routine so she could bitch about it!

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

Kotru made a few wild potshots as just the one of said pair approached, the other stuck in his sidecar with the broken grappling mechanism leaving him to only drift and make those blind shots at the Zabrak. He returned a few in kind, durasteel flashing and sparking with the man hiding inside of his jury rigged pod. The approaching biker grasped the railing of the skiff, throwing himself aboard and making a leap for the Iridonian.

Making a wide swing with the glorified pipe, Kotru raised an arm and managing to catch it. Pain flared from his ribs on the impact, the blunt metal slamming into his side only to find itself with the Iridonian's underarm clutching it tight as he took a step forward. Kotru reeled his head back, horns forward.

"AUUUGH! M-MAH' EYE!"

When Natalie turned, she saw the Iridonian in the middle of a headbutt. His horns and forehead were clad in a mask of vermillion and cloudy viscera, yanking his head back as the shrieking biker clutched his face with both hands. Kotru planted his blaster against the man's gun, two cerulean flashes sending the man falling over the side in a limp mess of limbs.

"Fine," He grunted plainly, using the pipe-turned-spear to hook around the grapple from his remaining opponent. The Iridonian's expression was one of harsh focus, lips pursed as he turned to their cheuffer. "Swerve!" The skiff turned to the left and right carefully, moving from one lane to the other as the boarding pods swayed wide.

The only one with a rider still in it finding themselves slammed into a nearby traffic barrier, flying off in a mess of shattered metal and hitting the ground. They were already too far to hear the crunch of his impact.

Wiping his brow free of (some) of the blood and eye-bits covering his forehead, the Iridonian rested a palm over his side. "Those bikes'd still be following us. Get ready for 'em."

@TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

"Well, that's one way of using your head," she said. She turned, kicking the pole arm from her dead gangster and catching it. She did the same as Muscle, hooking it under the grappling hooks one by one to dislodge them. The swoop bikes disconnected and trailed behind, void of occupants. "Thanks, come again!" she waved to the empty swoop bikes. She decided to keep the polearm, twirling it a bit in her hands as she turned back to Muscles.

"So when you said mean face, I didn't expect you to look like you face planted in some redor sauce," she quipped with a smirk. "Not bad though." She twirled the pole-arm until it rested on her shoulder, the most shit eating grin plastered on her face. Nothing like a little combat and fun to bond with a boy you just met, eh?

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

"Horns're bone 'n sharp. Might as well use 'em," Kotru exhaled in response, feeling his side as his chest slowly sunk down with his breath to feel for where the pain was. A hiss slipped through his teeth at the rippling sensation as he slowly breathed in. The polearm in his free hand was planted down blunt-end first, watching as they passed another intersection.

And with it, the four speeder bikes that had been following them. "More of an Aro-Voan chilli kind of guy, m'self..." The Zabrak trailed off, gazing between alleys when he noticed the high-speed blur of the bikes become less and less prominent as their driver sped through the streets.

Which was soon cleared up, as they burst out from the alleys their skiff had passed and began to gain on them. "Back at ya'. Got more of 'em!" Kotru called back, reeling his arm back with one of the polearms as he closed one eye and flung his arm.

One of said bikers was nailed directly in the chest, ripping them from their speeder and throwing them to the asphalt. The remaining three watched as the last bike would continue without direction, slowly losing throttle and coming to a halt. They would continue their approach minus one, sending occasional bolts of scarlet from their pistols as the gang got closer.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

Okay, he had a point. Chilli was pretty fucking fantastic. Not as good as ramen, but up there in the things Natalie enjoyed more than basically anything else. It was a good thing that ramen portion she had earlier was large; hunger threatened to remake an appearance at the thought of all that delicious bowl-oriented food. Wait, they were doing somethi- HOLY SHIT DID HE JUST SPEAR A MAN!?

"Holy shit!" Natalie walked next to him after he'd thrown the spear like a javelin. It was the perfect throw, with the perfect impact, and a perfect outcome. She stole an amazed glance toward Muscles. "Remind me to bet on you if you're ever in the Galympics."

Three more bikers were coming though, and Muscles here was clearly hurt. As much as seeing him struggle would be entertaining, that pesky thing called compassion kicked in and ruined Natalie's fun. She passed the EE-3 carbine back to him, giving him a glance and jerking her head toward an empty seat. "You're hurt. Let me handle these ones. Just sit down, relax," she said, uncaring that a blaster bolt whizzed by behind her head. "Maybe take in the scenery, y'know?" Despite her candid banter, her hazel eyes were fixed on his, and had hardened into a this-is-not-a-request stare.

She turned to the bikers that quickly approached. One would expect her to begin twirling and spinning the spear to block and maybe even deflect some blaster bolts, depending on its make. Natalie didn't move though, holding the spear propped against her shoulder as she let the bikers attach their cables and start climbing. Any blaster bolt that came her way, she simply moved out of the way. These bikers were fixing to fuck around.

The first guy certainly found out. The moment his head popped up over the railing, Natalie spun the spear in her right hand, giving an over-handed thrust into his face. He didn't even scream, just gurgled something or other and dropped to the asphalt to become roadkill. The second biker managed to get a foot on the skiff. Natalie answered this rude transgression by spinning the spear horizontally, smacking the biker with the flat. He toppled over into the skiff; Muscles could have that one.

The third one was fully planted in the skiff, and started swinging away with his polearm. They were unfocused, almost panicked swings; swings that a toddler could have blocked. Would that be a sight? A toddler fending off- nope, fighting, right! Natalie smacked his polearm with one end of hers, then followed up immediately with the other side. Off balance, the biker was easy pickings to plant the spear into him like a flag pole and let him think about his life mistakes on the deck of the skiff.

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

'Holy shit, I cannot believe that worked.'

Kotru pulled his arm back after the well-aimed toss, lips curling into a confident grin as the impaled biker's figure quickly became lost in the haze of adrenaline and narrow focus as all three bikers continued their steady approach. Before he could bring his pistol level with any of the other bikers, he felt the cylindrical barrel of his carbine shoved back into his arm. "'M fine, jus' a big pipe," The Zabrak snapped back, icey blue orbs meeting the harsh hazel of Natalie's own gaze.

"Fine. Take tha' front," He gave in, choosing not to bicker as he took a few steps back and planted himself down in the tray. 'Ohkay, that is actually quite a bit better,' A short-lived relief ran through his features as the strain on his hips was eased from his new position.

As it turned out, swinging a glorified plasma cutter translated fairly well to swinging a big pipe.

Kotru could only watch as Natalie's twirling strike sent the first man under his own bike that trailed the skiff, a faint crunch being audible as the vehicle passed over his body without care. The second one hit the skiff's floor after, only to find himself facing the business end of a carbine. A flash of scarlet light follows.

The last of the bikers was swiftly impaled by Natalie, facing the sky as their throat clogged with a metallic taste and their consciousness slipped away. They weren't given the same face-to-face look as their partner, the Iridonian aiming for their chin and putting them out of their misery with one last well-placed shot.

The bikes remained stuck to the rear of the skiff, the sounds of their engines slowly easing without any throttle as the craft's own repulsorlifts overpowering them. Kotru lowered the carbine, the slamming of both of his hearts finally starting to slow down.

"That 'nough trouble for ya'?"

@TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

Natalie turned to Muscles, rotating her arms as if to work out some cobwebs. "Until dinner, yeah. Then the quota for trouble resets," she quipped. The harsh gaze was gone, now that the trouble had been dealt with. She looked at him, first meeting his eyes and then lowering to his favored side. Must have gotten whacked pretty good. She should- hold up, we are NOT a charity! Muscles is a big boy, he can handle himself.

Of course her body betrayed her, and she moved over to him, kneeling next to him. "Let me see it," she said. Of all the times for empathy and compassion to show their ugly little heads, now!? Natalie was so going to have a long talk in the mirror later about this. She reached behind her, snapping her small medical pouch open and retrieving some pain reliever pills that she held out for him. It was his lucky day. Not only did he finally get to lift his shirt for a woman, but she was about to give him prescription level pain relievers.

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

"Think that's all of them. You good back there, merc'?"

"Meiloo'. Get us to the drop."

A brief exchange was given between Kotru and the driver, the sunset-colored Twi's lekku twitching as he made a turn and continued driving quietly. When a certain someone's shadow was cast over his form, the Iridonian tilted his head back and looked up to Natalie. A small huff of amusement was given at the unexpected concern, rolling his left shoulder to nudge the coat aside as his fingers wrapped around the hem of his shirt and lifted.

Just above his hips was an already nasty looking bruise. The burly one who had made the strike certainly wasn't pulling any punches when he delivered the blow. The Zabrak raises a sleeve up to his forehead, wiping up some of the blood and plucking a chunk of pearly sclera to flick off the skiff. He would take a few of the pills, tilting his head back and throwing the painkillers back.

"Thanks."

@TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

Bruising, swelling. Probably a couple cracked ribs. She didn't have anything that could treat that, aside from the pain killers she already gave him. Giving him more could cause an overdose, not that he'd probably mind in the state of his torso. She'd have to take him to a clinic or something to get a bacta pack and get it wrapped up. Wait, she'd have to do what now? On Ord Mantell she'd have left his ass in the dust, probably skimmed some of his reward too. Oh how far the stubborn have fallen!

At least with the realization that she couldn't do jack, nor shit, the shit eating grin Natalie was back. "Well the good news is, I don't think anything is broken," she said, standing up. She gave the bruise a good ol' love tap on her way up, smiling at him. "The bad news is that I don't have anything other than pain killers to treat cracked ribs, so you're gonna need a bacta pack."

She made her way to an empty seat in front of the one Muscles sat in, and plopped down into it. Her feet kicked up onto the railing. "Looks like you get to spend that reward of yours on treatment and dinner for two."

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

Kotru had no such luck diagnosing his own injuries, thanks to a general lack of medical training back on Elrood. After all, it was easier to play it up and earn some of that workman's comp rather than actually figure out what was wrong. A scam that the Iridonian had seen plenty of before and participated in just as much. All he knew is-

"Ack!" His thoughts were interrupted as Natalie sent a fresh flash of pain up his waist with the tap on her way up, glaring up at her with a frown. "S'fine. Know someone that'll be able to help me out wit' it," He leaned back against the skiff, resting on the wall separating cargo and passengers as an idle hand checked the capacity on his weapon's power cell.

"Dinner already? Movin' a bit fast, don't ya' think?" The Zabrak grinned back mischievously, letting himself lean back a bit into the chair as he let a hand idly drum against the durasteel barrel that sat in his lap.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

He knows a guy. Everyone knows a guy. The kind of guy that has zero medical training, but still says "trust me, I'm a doctor." She could respect the hustle though. Muscles may be just as stubborn as she was. She's definitely the smarter one of the two though, seeing as how she never trusts the guy. If they have to tell you they're a doctor, they probably aren't.

"Nah, I'm just hungry," she said, pursing her lips. Maybe she'd go for a chilli this time? The sight of Muscles with gore all over his head and horns didn't stop her appetite, and him mentioning chilli had done her in. "Besides, you get to keep your rate. Least you can do buy me an insta-noodle. I'm just a poor, homeless, pajama girl after all."

She glanced back at him with a shit eating grin. "If you don't, I'm sure TwitchyTentacle over here would." The driver looked at her as if she had three heads, which of course she was smart enough for three heads, c'mon man she only had one. He shook his head and mouthed no-fucking-way. His loss too.

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

Kotru watches the streets behind his partner start to slow down as their driver understood the lack of flying bolts, curses and metallic clangs as a sign of relative safety. Last thing they needed was cops breathing down their necks for speeding as well. The Iridonian let his palm rest over his side, the painkillers starting to work their magic as the waving sensation started to dissipate. For now, at least.

The Iridonian hummed thoughtfully as Natalie's statement. Yeah, he could go for a bite to eat. "Alright, alright. Twist m'arm int'a havin' dinner why don'cha," He remarked, letting his limbs fall back into a cross together.

There was another turn shortly after the Twi put his eyes back on the road, finding themselves in the industrial sector as the skiff passed through different manufacturing centers.

"Jus' a lil bit further. Don't get too comfy," He remarked loudly.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

Hell yeah. Had some fun, and scored some dinner. Muscles was an alright guy. When he wasn't covered in gore. Would she even care about eating next to a guy covered in blood and brain matter? Probably not. She had definitely eaten next to far worse. Nothing, and she meant NOTHING, could ever ruin the noodley goodness of ramen, or the savory meatiness of chili, or the warm embrace of soup.

Don't get too comfortable he says. "Yeah like your running a luxury yacht, here," she said. Her feet were kicked up, arm draped over the railing. Actually, she was pretty comfortable. Granted, she could afford to be comfortable. She rested the back of her head on the seat, closing her eyes and reaching out with the Force. To them, she'd look like she was sleeping, but she was still very much awake. Sadly.

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

After a restless moment, Kotru raised his sleeve up to his features. The blue cloth of his overcoat was pressed against the viscera that remained on his forehead, rubbing away at the metallic scent that was going nowhere anytime soon. He did look a little better, at least. A quick polish to his horns with the Iridonian's cuff and he was somewhat presentable. "That'll do," He murmured under his breath.

Where to go, though...? There was a barbecue place not too far from the industrial sector, often visited by tradesmen after a long day's work. He wasn't exactly planning on going anywhere fancy, not like they'd let him in with a bloody coat and face. His thoughts trailed off for a moment as he bounced the idea around, the Iridonian brought back into the moment when he noticed that Natalie had gotten comfy anyways.

Ah, whatever. He'll ask later.

Letting the steady hum of repulsorlifts soothe himself, Kotru would follow her lead and kick back. There was a slight twitch in his lips after a moment, looking up from his folded arms and around as if looking for something. Why did he feel like he was being watched?

"Th' hell?"

@TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

Oh, that tingle. Like a tickle at the back of her neck at first, and then it was like a sting. That's it, that's what she was looking for. She hopped up, making her way back to him. There was a smile on her lips, and her hips seems to sway a little more than they normally did. "Hey, Muscles," she said quietly. Dropping to her knees in front of him, she grabbed the EE-3 carbine. From an outside point of view, it wouldn't look anything like that, though. Her eyes met his, hardened.

"Someone's watching us," she said, her voice low. The smile had faded completely. "Probably up high. I can sense them, but I won't be able to find them with that alone. Unless you want me flashing my glowbat around to protect us from snipers, I need you to find them. I can hit them if you find them." She moved her hands to his shirt, lifting it up slightly, feigning to check his wound. This time she was careful not to poke or prod it; Natalie needed him painless and in the game. He'd notice her eyes were closed. She was trying to pin point the intent with the Force.

"Look for a glint, or a sihloutte." The intent was growing. They didn't have much time before Natalie was going to out herself as a Jedi to Corellia. It would be a shame, that; she rather liked the little parades and ramen shops.

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

Raising a curious eyebrow at the way Natalie seemed to sway and grin. Far too sweet for what she's shown so far, she was up to something. His fingers lightly drum against the barrel as she knelt down in front of him, taking the weapon and speaking in a quiet and much more serious tone to prove his point. That odd sensation grew stronger, realizing it was originating from the Jedi. His sky-blue orbs met her eyelids, shut tight and focusing on... whatever the hell it was Jedi did.

So why the did he feel like her gaze was drilling into him?

Brushing those thoughts aside as her hands slipped beneath his shirt to 'check the wound', Kotru turned his gaze back to the road as he scanned the different buildings. It didn't take him long to notice, the afternoon sun causing a shimmering along one of the windows. The mark was small and circular, glinting with a focus that followed them. A macroscope.

"Building with the Novaldex ad. Third floor up, second window from the left. Got a scope peerin' us," Kotru whispered back, slowly guiding the barrel towards the target. Natalie could discern the razor-sharp intentions coalescing on that single point, almost like a bullseye to their psychic sight. "Plug 'em."

@TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

Ah Muscles, a man after her own heart. Her eyes closed and she reached out to the carbine with the Force, trying to see through the sights, or even the barrel. She waited until the sniper was in the carbine's sights. They wouldn't know what hit them. Natalie deepened her connection to the carbine with the Force, wrapping a small tendril around the trigger, and with a flick of her fingers, used the Force to pull it. The carbine barked, the bolt screaming through the air, and the sniper was no more.

Natalie paused though. There was a spark? No, wasn't bright enough to be a spark. An aura maybe? A peddle dropping into a lake. A grain of sand tumbling in a desert. A plastic bag drifting through the wind. Maybe it wanted to start again? Like a paper thin house of cards, just one blow from caving in. What the hell was that? The most confounding thing was that it was coming from Muscles.

She opened her eyes, pulling away from him, but stayed kneeling. Her brow was furrowed, lips pursed, and her eyes drilling into his. Of all the things to discover. This asshole didn't think was cute. No, wait, that's not it. He was Force Sensitive. Did he know? Did he care? Why the hell did she care?

"Fuck you, Muscles, I'm adorable," she said. Standing up she made her way back to her seat, propped her feet up again. It wasn't her place to change a man. It was up to him to ask her things.

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

Kotru angled the end of the barrel to the left and pressed down on the stock as he adjusted the weapon's angle subtly and slowly. The Iridonian barely moved his head, icy gaze flicking towards the building as they passed it. Natalie's supernatural sight would dance across the weapon's macroscope, finding herself eye to eye with an opposing sightline. Lowering the weapon in brief confusion, the sniper found a crimson flash punching straight through their head, falling to the ground of his hotel room.

But Kotru didn't pull that trigger. When he pressed down, he felt something else there. Almost like a thin string against his weapon that sent an alien feeling down his spine. It resonated with something that the Iridonian had always held within himself, unaware as he was. "Nice shot," Kotru exhaled, the sensation like the first step into a river. As suddenly as it came, the feeling dissipated.

A hand moves across to the stock, loosening the brace of the blaster as he folded it up nice and neat in his lap. "Fuck y'right back, Nat'. You're cute, but y'also stare at me weird. Y'like what ya' see or somethin'?" The Iridonian flashed a smug, toothy grin as he leaned back against the skiff.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

Natalie gave him a grin. So Muscles did think she was cute. Knew it. "Have you ever thought that maybe you're just weird, so that's why I look at you weird?" she asked. See something she liked? Yeah, someone that was gonna get her a nice bowl of noodles. She gave him another look over. He wasn't make her brain bluescreen hot, but he wasn't half bad. "You're pretty cute too, Muscles. Though you should actually work on the muscle part."

She leaned back and closed her eyes. Reaching out with the Force again. She sent a gentle push into Muscles' hurt side with a smirk. Nothing that would damage him further, but give him a little spike of pain. It never got old.

@FreelanceGarbageMan

 

[Kotru Eabrod]

"I dunno, I'd say the one pullin' triggers wit' their brain is the weird one 'ere," Kotru huffed back, an idle hand moving along to a small dial on the E-11. He twisted it and felt for the thrumming in the blaster's grip. Battery still held about half charge, that's good. He released the weapon, reaching behind his coat as he clipped the carbine back in its place.

Which was about when Natalie decided to move other things with her brain.

"Agh- Kark," Kotru felt the unseen pressure press down on his side and give a short flare of ache across his hip. The Zabrak looked up and furrowed his brow into a pout. "I'll keep it in mind. Also, quit doin' that," He continued, pursing his lips as that same wavering flutter made it's way across his body. "Y'freakin' me out."

@TheDudeMike