The Best Little Cantina in the Outer Rim

[Zandra Fenni]

Slow night. Zandra wiped down the bar top as she eyed the chono. It wasn't even that late, but they were dead. Only two customers drinking at a small, shabby table in a corner. The Echani eyed her cantina. It really did need some work.
The bar was made up entirely of scraps of metal found in the junk yard that they'd welded together piece by piece until it resembled what it needed to. The wooden counter top was also trash picked, old slabs of wood from Gods know where. Marked with burns, scartches and thousands of beautiful imperfections. The tables were collected from here and there, so none of them matched. She didn't even think she had two chairs that were part of the same set anywhere in the shabby old building.

"Thryk," the Echani sighed to the wookiee, "I think we aught'a do last call and just close up soon. Don' wanna waste the electricity."

What happened today? Usually this place was a bustling hive of activity. Usually she wouldn't be closing up shop until about 4 AM. It was hardly midnight. The Echani pushed wild locks of white out of her face and poured herself a shot of corellian whiskey. She'd give it ten more minutes.

 

[Sevrina Varm]

Sevrina Varm pulled the cowl of her cloak tighter around her face. It wasn't due to any weather nipping at her face. On the contrary; the air was stagnant and made her skin feel damp. After stepping into an empty alley and continuing on her path, she had heard the sound of footsteps behind her. Three pairs of footsteps, to be exact. As it was getting near to midnight, there was not much light offered to them. The moon had been blocked out by the city pollution and the area of the city lacked street lights.

Without hesitation, Sevrina quickened her pace, dancing lightly on her feet and ducking around corners and alleyways. She didn't know the reason for being followed, but she didn't have much of a desire to find out. It happened often enough in her life that she merely got used to evading her followers and continuing on her way. Sometimes, they proved more difficult to lose, but the irregular and cautious footsteps behind her made her think that these fellows were new to the tracking business.

Though she couldn't hear their footsteps behind her anymore, her sensitive ears picked up frantic whispers between three males. Most likely her pursuers realizing they had lost sight of their target. Not wanting to count herself lost quiet yet, Sevrina placed her hand against the wall beside her and searched for any edge she could climb onto. With a few quick steps, she vaulted up the wall and reached up for a ledge. Her fingertips brushed one and she quickly pulled herself up onto the roof of the small building. In the darkness, she pulled her cloak around her body and waited to see her followers. It wasn't long before she spotted three frantic men rushing through the alleyways, obviously searching for someone.

Sevrina waited until she couldn't hear a footstep or worried whisper between the men before sliding down the wall. While she had been atop the roof, she had spotted a light in the distance, filtering out through a doorway. Most likely a cantina, and not a busy one at that. The perfect place to wait and see if her pursuers were looking for a fight. With the cowl of her cloak still pulled down to hide her yellow green eyes and Zygerrian features, Sevrina ducked into the cantina and moved calmly towards the bar.
Her original assumption about it not being busy turned out to be correct. She took in four people in the entire establishment. Two of them were sitting in a corner, conversing quietly over drinks. Another was a Wookie, whom she assumed was the bouncer. The last was an Echani woman standing behind the counter. Sevrina marked her as the owner and made a mental note that if her followers happened to stumble into the cantina, the Echani woman would probably not take lightly to a fight and would have the Wookie forcibly remove them all.

Still keeping her head low, Sevrina moved up to the counter. "Corellian ale," she asked in a polite tone. To any who knew, her accent was an undeniably thick Zygerrian purr. If she had hopes of concealing her race, any utterances made would only give her away. However, in this situation, with her cowl pulled low around her nose, Sevrina wasn't too worried about giving anything away.

 

[Thryykarr]

Thryk walked out from the back room at Zandra's pronouncement, taking a quick peek at the chrono sitting above the bar. Just past midnight. Damn. Tonight was too quiet for him to slip out unnoticed. Not to escape his captain's notice. Lady Z always knew where he was going, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. She probably understood, too... Working at the Nameless was fun, but his real work was out in the streets, hunting.

But whatever. He didn't know if he'd have gone out tonight, anyway. The bar being this empty bothered him, like a hunch that was sitting on the edge of his mind, but he just couldn't describe. He was distracted from that thought by the feline-smelling female who sat down at the bar he'd helped bolt together out of scrap. With a forcibly relaxed expression, he tugged at the leather vest and pants he was wearing before pulling a shot of whiskey from the tap and setting it in front of the girl.

"Here ya go, kitty-cat."

Now he looked over at Zandra and shrugged.

"Don't see any reason to close, I guess. Unless you're gettin' tired, Z."

Thryk gave her a teasing grin, and then pulled himself a rather large mug of whiskey.

 

[Zandra Fenni]

Ah! Just in the knick of time! She'd been ready to close up for the night! The Echani grinned and greeted their new guest with willd enthusiasm.

"Hello! Hello! My Friend! So good to have you in tonight!"

She'd reached to fulfill her order, but Thryk had gotten there first. That was fine. The quicker the customer was served, the quicker they'd be back... to spend more credits. Her excitement was almost uncharacteristic. The night honestly had been that slow.

"Now, now, Thryk," The Echani shot back, with a teasing grin, "I'm an old lady now. Ain't got as much bounce as I used ta."

 

[Sevrina Varm]

The amount of enthusiasm the Echani woman treated Sevrina with made the hair stand up on the tips of her ears. She had grown accustomed to harsh treatment from those around her. Either because of her race or because of her employment and affiliations. In response, Sevrina merely reached towards the tip of her cowl and pulled it down lower around her face. To those around her, only her red lips and chin were visible beneath the hood.

The Wookie bouncer wasn't much different, in her mind. His addressing her as "kitty-cat" made her fingers twitch for one of the various blades hidden away under her cloak and armor. Though, when she glanced up at the towering humanoid again, she reminded herself that he wouldn't even break a sweat pulling her arms out of the sockets if she didn't jump away fast enough. Sevrina ran her tongue along the sharp point of her upper left canine; a habit she had fallen into whenever she was trying to calm her eruptive temper.

Sevrina gave the two a gracious nod of her head as she pulled the mug of whiskey closer to herself. Living on Nar Shaddaa and working in the dark circles of the Hutt Cartel had trained her body to accept the burning and harsh flavours of whiskey. After a while, it had become a soothing burn that sent comforting shivers down her back. In an attempt to not come off rude - as rudeness was something she herself was not fond of - Sevrina cleared her throat and said to the Echani woman, "Not many in tonight, barkeep. Something happening in the city?" Indeed, rudeness was not something she was fond of, but her main intention with striking up the conversation was to find information. Cantina's were always full of information, and the owners had a tendency of hearing all of it. The fact that she was an Echani and had a Wookie bouncer only added to Sevrina's suspicion that the two probably knew more than they gave off.

 

[Thryykarr]

Thryk snorted into his drink and reached out to ruffle Zandra's hair before he remembered that there was somebody there to watch. Usually he'd have waited until later to be so silly, but it was slow tonight, even with this girl sitting at their bar. He might've added a comment, but their guest seemed to be asking about something.

"Ah-ha... If we knew what was going on, we wouldn't be sitting here waiting for people to wander in. Probably somebody decided it might be a good idea to shoot up some Hutt spice mill somewhere."

He drank down the rest of his whiskey before standing up again and glancing at Zandra. If something like that really was happening, and he hadn't heard about it yet, that was a problem. Namely because it meant that one of his informants was either dead or indisposed. And that meant that there'd probably be a major need for the heavy pistol he kept hidden under the bar.

"Whatever it is, it ain't our business unless somebody brings it in here. If they do? They'll probably have to deal with us."

 

[Zandra Fenni]

The Echani snorted and took a shot of her whiskey. Bitter. Burning. Perfect.

"What ever it is, 's bad fer business," she almost snarled, "Can't have slow nights like this. Electricity ain't free, and Hutts hate late payments."

She set her empty shot glass in the bubbling sink to wash later, then pulled out a pack of cigaras. The kind her husband used to smoke, back in the day. The scent reminded her of him. It was all she had to replicate that feeling.

 

[Sevrina Varm]

Sevrina brought the mug up to her lips, silently eyeing the two in front of her. An older Echani woman and a Wookie; a weird companionship in her mind. They had both been very welcoming to her in the cantina, which surprised Sevrina. Most wookies Sevrina had met through her life were not the most friendly. Granted, she had usually been bringing them in for something. Or vice versa.

With a slight hiss as the burning liquid worked its way down her throat, Sevrina set the mug down on the bar counter. She lifted one of her long fingers and ran it along the rim of her glass in a slow circular, rhythmic pattern. Again, she ran her tongue along her canine. Neither the Echani or the Wookie seemed to know much about the situation outside. That, or they didn't want to tell her anything. The comment about the spice mill shoot up made her ears perk up slightly, but she knew someone would have contacted her and pulled her in if something that serious had happened.

The Echani woman muttered something along the lines of payments and Sevrina quirked her eyes at them from under her hood. From that description, these were the kind of people Sevrina dragged in to the Hutts when they were late on payments. But with another glance at the woman, despite her age, she probably would be difficult to bring in.

Still running her finger around the brim of the whiskey glass, Sevrina shrugged her shoulders. "Close it up early, then," she asked. More in the tone of a question rather than a suggestion.

 

[Thryykarr]

Thryk shrugged at Zandra with a bit of an unconcerned air. It was completely fake, for the customer's benefit. His armor was sitting, quite ready for him to put on and use as soon as there was a sign of trouble. In fact, he actually did grab the heavy pistol out from under the bar, now, and dropped it in its holster at his waist.

"Well, it's worse for business if one of us gets shot. If it blows over, it blows over. If not, it'll get blown over."

That was pretty much the least subtle thing he could've said, but it was true. Nothing would happen to this bar (or his captain) while he had anything to say about it.

 

[Sevrina Varm]

Sevrina saw the Wookiee pull the blaster pistol out form under the bar and sling it on his waist. She smirked and registered his movements. In certain circles, it was meant as a warning, and Sevrina took it as that. Unless she had a reason, though, she was not looking to cross arms with the Wookee bouncer or the Echani woman. But, if they were behind on their payments...

Still running her finger around the rim of the mug in front of her, Sevrina clicked her tongue and wiggled her eyebrows, even though the two in front of her couldn't see her do that. "Bold words, master Wookiee," she purred with her thick accent. Her long slender fingers moved from tracing the mug to picking it up and lifting it to her mouth. "Are you willing to act on them?" Her tone became suggestive and, perhaps, considered threatenin by some. Though she didn't mean it as such, Sevrina didn't mind if some took her tone as threatening or not. Either way, she normally got her point across to those she was addressing.

 

[Zandra Fenni]

The ex pirate felt her entire body stiffen at the cat-womans words. A threat? It sounded like one. She narrowed her eyes, and puffed on her cigara.

"Ey there now," she snapped, "We don' want no trouble. Drink your fill. If you're payin' we got drink fer as long as yer here. But don' go makin' Thryk here nervous. You seen a nervous wookiee? They ain't half as nice as me."

She cast a 'look' at her partner, suggesting that he help her ease the tension somewhat in the room. Of course, with one hand, she checked under the bar too where her blaster was kept 'just in case'. It was a rough life out here. You had to know how to protect what was yours.

"Thryk, Pour the girl another drink. This ones on the house."

 

[Sevrina Varm]

Her point had gotten across. Almost more than she had meant it to, it seemed. Sevrina tipped her head at the Echani woman. She meant business, and as Sevrina had suspected earlier, she was a force to be reckoned with.

Sevrina raised one hand in a sign of peace to the Wookiee and the Echani woman. "I mean no harm to either of you or your establishment," she said in a calm voice, though she didn't protest to another drink on the house. With slender fingers and long filed nails, Sevrina reached up and pulled back the cowl of her hood. One of her ears twitched at the new temperature outside of her cloak. The five silver piercings in her ears made a small clinking sound with the movement.

"I was simply curious if you were willing to stand on those words," she continued in a non threatening voice. With her sharp accent, though, her words always came out slightly harsher than she meant, but she had no complaint with that. Her people had built their reputation with the assumptions others made based on their demeanor. "Often times in these parts, you must be careful what you say as some," Sevrina paused to lift her mug to her lips. Her green and gold flecked eyes looked up sharply at the Echani woman, "Might take it as a threat." The Zygerrian woman tossed back another swig of the Corellian ale, the tips of her ears twitching as another shiver ran down her spine. She shrugged her shoulders lightly. "Not all, however."

Indeed, she was Zygerrian, she was considered a warrior among her people, and she worked for the Hutt Cartel. Sevrina preferred those around her to assume she was not to be tested, but the Wookiee and the Echani woman had proven themselves to be equally strong. While she didn't back down from a fight, she also didn't go looking for them.

 

[Thryykarr]

"Heh, seems like my nose is never wrong. Here's another one, cat."

Thryk poured the Zygerrian woman her drink and put it down in front of her before resuming his kind of forced relaxation. His gun was still quite unsubtly on his hip, and anybody who saw him would understand that it was more than a deterrent. And anybody who knew him personally would know what the gun was. His Scrapper was something he'd built with his own hands, like the bar, and the suit of old armor sitting in the back. He thought about that, and he genuinely relaxed.

"Threats are no fun. No point in drawing ol' Scrappy if all I can do is flash my fangs at the guy down the barrel."

 

[Vi-Stri]

Nothing. A whole day of investigation in this sinkhole amounted to little more than confused stares or threatening jeers from the locals, more often than not in a language that Gomorrah couldn’t even understand. It was only now that she’d realize that no ground would be made without a translator; this was the Outer Rim after all. It had only been a day into the girl’s search, but she was already beginning to doubt if she’d ever find the information needed to locate her best friend and father. Legs achy, they stumbled over, forcing the rest up against the side of a building for even the briefest of respites.

Now that she was standing still, it became apparent just how dark and menacing night here could be. Light was sparse, making this part of town feel like a dungeon. The handful of figures scattered around didn’t help the nerves either. Some were large, some were small, but all were unknowns, potential threats that could spring out and attack at any moment. Lurching back to a stand, Gomorrah willed herself to keep moving, searching for any semblance of safety in this mad house.

The sight of the scrappy looking cantina was dwarfed instead by the light coming from inside, which mostly blinded its new customer when she walked in. As her sight returned, Gomorrah was pleased to see that the place wasn’t crowded in the least bit. Was it because the establishment looked like it had been cobbled together from whatever was lying around? No matter, this would do.

Not looking to bother the other patron at the bar, the young human grabbed a seat on the other end of the counter, giving out a heavy sigh of relief, which then transitioned into a gulp at the sight of the Wookiee. “I’d like some kopi tea, please.” This came out as a stammer to the bartender, the girl still focusing on the large furry figure to the side. “You guys got food here? Salamander sticks? I’d just like something with meat…” With the order out of the way, Gomorrah turned her attention to the old wood counter, wanting to do nothing more than to doze off to sleep here and now.

 

[Red]

Three times. Three times had she avoided trouble today. It was near the evening as she far as she could tell. She had came to town to find her brother Cael. "He probably ran off somewhere..Maybe hes out the house right..Right? Where am I", Red shivered. She looked around uneasily quickly pulling over a hood , she looked for shelter. The streets weren't that empty. Although she could easily read all of the building's signs hanging down.

Despite her height she managed to see them at a decent angle. She spotted Cantina and debated entering. her legs were worn from the walk here, and she was rather hungry. Not to mention the thirst built up from the hot weather. She placed the lightsaber hilt a pocket in her cloak. To conceal it so no one would notice. She headed for the Cantina in hopes of a little food and drink. She pushed open the door, and stood there silent. Before yawning and heading towards the bar.

 

[Zandra Fenni]

The echani had been close to saying something to the cat-woman, when two more walked in. Her heart jumped for joy! Finally! Some customers!
"Welcome to Nameless!" she sang, "Have a seat, get comfortable. I'll be right with ya!"
She flashed a grin at the wookiee, heading to the first young woman that asked for 'meat'.
"We gots all kinds! Bantha burgers, imported from the finest slaughter houses in the Galaxy. Fish from Naboo. And yes, Salamander sticks! Have a look at our menu. Can I get ya a drink while you decide?"

 

[Red]

Red was awfully nervous, her voice stuttered in the unfamiliar Cantina. She looked around before placing a decent sum of credits on the table, letting them clank on the metal table. She sighed , checking for force signals in the room, with none evident she was set off even more. She begin to stutter as she talked

"H..Hey..J-jus' Water.."

She muttered quietly hoping she would not have to repeat herself. She looked at the other people in the Cantina, a smile arose at the diversity and just mere excitement of the room. And all over one person aswell. She giggled idly while glancing about the room before turning back to the bar, awaiting her drink. While doing so Red fiddled with a coin, not much special to it. Merely a figet to keep her occupied while she waits. hoping it not be too long...

 

[Vi-Stri]

Gomorrah jumped a bit at the overt friendliness of the barkeep. Service with a smile was one way to describe it, which was a pleasant surprise to the more rough establishments that usually operate in places like this. But a quick gaze around confirmed that it wasn’t her tired mind playing tricks on her; besides the four other customers, this place was dead. “Nameless, eh?” The girl muttered. She unhooked her bag and placed it against the bar near her feet, and did the same with her rifle, setting that on top of the bag.

Looking over one of the paper sheets used for a menu, Gomorrah half listened to the food options listed by the Echani woman, and half watched the young teenager who approached the bar. She could feel her heart twinge for the girl as she didn’t look any older than 15 and yet she was out this late, in a place like this no less. She was probably homeless, maybe a runaway from an abusive household by the way she threw down those credits, most likely stolen from her parent’s pockets. It was a sad sight all in all, but these things happen all the time.

An attempt was made to turn attention back to the menu but it only proved to tempt her with various dishes that would probably be captioned with “Delicious!” if they had been pictured. “Yeah… I’ll have a plate of salamander sticks, a nuna salad sandwich, a glass of kopi tea… and put whatever that girl wants on my bill.” Gomorrah stated flatly, pointing her thumb at the jedi Padawan.

 

[Red]

Red perked up, quickly darting her eyes towards the woman, raising a brow. She slowly took off her hood and examined the woman tilting her head to left. She chuckled once or twice, shaking her head "No need. I can pay for my own food and water.." She smiled full of heart. before turning back to the table. You couldn't define her as a Jedi padawan with the cloak she was wearing. She did look like a poor girl who might have even stolen the credits. You could tell she looked rather fit and athletic. This was all evident.

Red waited for her water idly humming and rocking from side to side on the chair. flipping the coin she had. She tried to put off her nervousness with a tune but it didn't really help. She didn't want to really do anything,, talk to anyone just sit there. It was nice, there was a breeze and she couldn't wait for the refreshing water.

 

[Thryykarr]

Before the cat could say anything, Thryk saw a redheaded girl walk right up and stare at him for a few moments before finally ordering. He had that effect on people, and he had to stifle a laugh at the expression on the girl's face. And then his mood fell a little when he saw the smaller girl asking for water. Without a word, he poured out a rather large glass of milk and set it in front of the younger girl, ignoring her insistence that she could pay for herself. Either way, it was good that there were people here.

"So, um, food. Lots of food for the redhead chick, and for you, kid?"

He looked at the younger girl again, grinning at what he hoped would be the reaction to a Wookiee speaking Basic.