Ask Coruscant Summer Streets

[Ailis Drast]

Coruscant, Lower Levels​

Ailis shoes pounded duracrete as she ran for her fucking life. Apparently, bailing on your gang in the middle of the night and leaving them high and dry without a word or a fresh supplier was a bad move. Apparently, expecting them to be happy to see you after a few months was not the move.

She was wearing a trendy and fasionable Coruscant fit which thankfully had practical shoes for running. She didn't really own shoes impractical for running though, not much of a heels girl. She grabbed hold of a vertical water pipe that graced the corner of an alleyway, sliding around it and continuing to run down the alley with her momentum intact, looking for her next move.

Ailis could still hear a trio of feet slapping the ground behind her as she assessed her options. Fence at the end of the alley. Fire escapes. Dumpster. Lightsaber hidden in the folds of her coat. None of them great. Cornered. Trapped.

"You shouldn't have come back girl." She heard the voice of one of her old gangmates behind her, Scratch. His words carried the tone of someone boosted on crude. The tone of someone intent on some wicked violence. Turn and fight it was.

"And what you gonna do about it?" She spat back at him as she turned and faced them. It was only three of them, their eyes shining as they approached menacingly. She didn't want to pull her saber out, had barely even thought it was a good idea to bring it with. Better to be with than without if she needed it. Instead she reached for a metal rod that was cast aside at the base of a dumpster and focused on it. Concentrate. You can do it.

It floated to her hand, a little unsteady. Not fast. But it got there and she grasped the cold metal with a stronger sense of confidence than without it. The trio of her old gang members looked confused for a second before they each pulled out nasty little vibrating knives. Shit.

@Logan

 

[River Kesyk]

The lower levels of Coruscant definitely weren't for everybody. River never had much trouble down here, but she did understand why her friends weren't particularly keen on joining her when she'd asked if they wanted to go to a really sweet indie art show.

That's why she was currently alone, headphones buried in her ears blaring a tune, casually strolling along as she headed back to the spacebus stop so she could get a ride back to Yavin. Passing by a really cool looking piece of graffiti, River by chance decided to stop and take a pic to post on her Spinstagram. It also helped that her outfit was hella cute.

When she brought up her phone to snap a pic, River suddenly got a really weird tingle feeling that ran up her spine, nearly giving her a shiver. Pulling out her headphones, she paused her song and listened for a moment before picking up the sound voices coming from a nearby alley. Something didn't feel right. Maybe it wasn't chance that she'd decided to stop here, after all.

Walking towards the voices, River poked her head around the corner and into the alley and was met by a rather harrowing sight. Three people, all with knives, bearing down on a girl that looked to be about her age. What the hell? River couldn't just let whatever was about to happen happen. She had to help!

Hey, leave her alone! She shouted, walking into the alley proper. Just back off and put your knives away and leave.

One of the knife guys turned around to face her and laughed when he was met with River instead of someone, well, someone more intimidating.

You should've minded your own business, girlie. The man said, breaking off from the group and walking towards her. Pretty obvious he was intent to use that knife of his. Not ideal.

I'm warning you, just leave before you get hurt. River said, her tone a little bit shaky, but still confident. She'd never actually had to fight someone who was literally looking to kill her, but she had trained her whole life for something like this. Her thoughts drifted to her dad and the lessons he'd given her in the dojo.

The man simply laughed and ran right at River, lunging with his knife. With her left hand, River would slap the man's knife attack away and leave his guard wide open. Her knee would come up and catch him in the gut, making him double over, and her right hand would thump the dude right on the back of the head.

He crumpled pretty quick, knocked out cold but still very much alive.

Two versus two? She called out to Ailis, flashing her a comforting smile.

@Arcangel

 

[Ailis Drast]

Ailis odds weren't looking good. Three to one against some hopped up crudeheads. A shiver went down her spine and she felt a phantom pain tremble throughout her. These guys had Crude. Maybe if she could just... No. It had been weeks since she used and she wasn't about to use here. Though she had to admit to herself that coming back home was a... horrible idea while she was still suffering from some of the withdrawals.

Her foes where moving in and she hefted the iron bar into a Form I-ish stance. The bar was heavy and her technique was still a little sloppy, so what. Maybe she wouldn't have to worry about using, maybe she would die here. No, she could take them. Just as Ailis and her foes were about to commit to this, a voice rang out from behind them in the alley.

"Shit." All four of them all said in unison before one of them broke off to deal with the newcomer. Great, not only was Ailis getting herself killed for coming home, she was getting some other young girl killed too.

She really didn't expect much, just a quick flash of the blade and a scream and she readied herself to charge in while one of them was distracted. Instead, She got to see a rather impressive array of moves that took the guy out in like half a second.

Ailis angry face broke into a grin at the display that she directed at the white haired girl as the two gang members eyes flashed with a false confidence. "Let's fuck 'em up!" She shouted as she moved in on the two crudeheads, swinging her metal rod at one of them and missing narrowly as he dodged back.

She backpedaled as she swung a blocking swipe, metal rod smashing into the dude's arm as his blade nicked her shoulder and cut her coat. That thing was brand new. She came face to face with him as he continued to press in on her with his blade wide, grappling for her throat with his other hand. Shit.

Uppercut! She brought the bottom end of the pipe up and cracked him in the jaw, sending blood and teeth spraying into the air and sending him sprawling to the ground. She... wasn't sure if he was still alive. She looked around for the last gangster and for the white haired girl who hopefully wasn't dead yet.

@Logan

 

[River Kesyk]

River nodded her head in agreement at Ailis' exclamation. Hell yeah it was time to fuck 'em up. What kind of people corner a girl in an alley and draw knives, anyway? Giant dickheads, that's who. And giant dick heads deserved to get fucked up.

The gang member not fighting with Ailis quickly turned on River, the look on his face some weird mix of confidence and anger. River met him with her own look, making it clear that she wasn't gonna be intimidated by some loser weirdo.

The guy swiped at River with his knife and managed to catch her on the side, the sharp blade easily able to slice through her shirt and leave a thin cut near her rib cage. It wasn't a deadly wound, but damn did it sting.

Before he could pull back the knife and attack again, River brought her right hand up and jabbed the guy with her fingers right in the Adam's apple. He started coughing immediately and she wasn't going to give a chance to recover. With a swift movement, River swung her foot in an arc and slammed her heel into the side of the guy's head, knocking him out cold.

Looking over to the other girl, River saw that she'd been able to dispatch her own opponent.. with a solid piece of metal pipe. Nice. Brutal as hell and a little scary, but nice.

Running over to Ailis, River would flash her a reassuring smile before reaching out to grab her hand - should the girl let her - to drag her out of this alley and to somewhere safer. Plus, sometimes after really messed up and scary situations, someone holding your hand could make you feel better.

We should get out of here before they wake up. River said, the look on her face making it very evident she was worried for Ailis. I'm River, by the way. What's your name?

@Arcangel

 

[Ailis Drast]

Ailis found the last gangster as the new girl kicked him in the head and knocked him out cold. She glanced back at Decker, she recognized what remained of his face. He looked so still. She clenched her jaw as she stared at him, squeezing her fist against the pole. She could see where she broke his face. She had done that. That was her.

The metal rod clattered to the ground as Ailis turned away to see River's worried face. They should get out of there before the gangsters woke up. Ailis didn't think her guy would be waking up anytime soon.

"I'm Ailis.' She said a little grimly as River took her hand, still reeling with shock. She glanced back as they started walking away, stumbling her step a little bit as she stared back.

"Fuck this isn't good." She muttered to herself before glancing at River. "You saved my ass back there." She gave her savior a small grin. And they had also landed in a whole heap of trouble. If she was still with the gang she knew how she would react to what they had just done. She glanced at River again.

She seemed competent. The spine to step into a back alley murder and the skill to walk out without a scratch. Scratch that. "Holy shit you're bleeding." She said pointing to a small red stain on her white jacket where it touched her cut. Ailis felt a sting as the adrenaline of the fight wore off and she glanced down at her shoulder. "I guess I'm bleeding too." She said as they got away from the alley and out onto the open street.

@Logan

 

[River Kesyk]

Hey, don't worry about it. I'm sure you would have done the same for me. River said as she and Ailis fled the scene and made it out onto the street.

It took a minute for River to register what Ailis had said about being injured, though the stinging pain become suddenly apparent when she instinctive reached up and ran her fingers over the wound. Much more concerned with Ailis' injury than her own, River would look at the girl with worry in her eye.

Are you alright? She asked as the two kept moving with the flow of foot traffic. Hopefully they would be lost-in-the-crowd enough that if those thugs had any friends, they wouldn't be able to pick them out. What was that back there? Were those people trying to kill you?

It might not have been her place to pry, but Riv couldn't help but be concerned that just because they'd gotten out of one jam, that didn't mean that her and Ailis were out of the frying pan just yet.

Do you have somewhere you can go? She asked, that same look of worry from before creeping back into her features. I can help you get there, if there's somewhere safe.

Despite not feeling any immediate danger through the force, Riv couldn't help but feel a little anxious. They'd both gotten lucky that the thugs hadn't had blasters. She doubted that they'd make that same mistake twice.

All I ask in return is that you are honest with me about what happened and who those people are. Truthfully, River would help Ailis regardless but it would help a lot if she could at least know who and what kind of danger they were dealing with.

@Arcangel