This for That

[Kalladrrl]

Emotive, lowkey music warbled merrily from both the metal jukebox and paired speakers suspended from the high ceilings of the dimly lit lounge, cheerful red paint peeling off the stucco walls all around them; the sound was flattened and tinny, the electrics of the speakers battered by years of sand and neglect but the jukebox continued broadcasting its carefree song into the lounge even as it was punctuated by a sudden thump of a massive fist on a dingy, green felt topped table in the back corner, surrounding by beings of various size and species. The deep rumble of a growl followed it, like the hum of a freighter’s engine as it began to overheat.

“Hrrrrglr rrroGH rklarrrg, hrogrrr hgrah!” said the growl’s owner, his voice bass-toned as he spoke the throaty, toothy language of his people. The other patrons in the Watering Hole (just the Hole to its regulars), simultaneously Tatooine's most reputable and most criminal drinking and entertainment establishment, turned back to their drinks and conversation after a moment of hushing to bend their rubbery necks and look at the commotion. The acrid smoke issuing from one of the Rodian’s cigar burned the Wookiee’s eyes and he could feel what little grasp he had on his temper slipping further and further away. His fur already reeked of whatever that little green puke was smoking with no concern for himself or the other players.

“Kalladrrl, please!” The human begged him, simpering like startled cattle before sighing in
dejection, the Quarren to the Wookiee’s left chuckling wetly. “He says, “My grandmother plays cards faster than you, and she’s dead!’” Black fur and rough lips parted to reveal long, gleaming white teeth as Kalladrrl chortled, amused by his acidic humor and by making the little, soft thing repeat his words. The Rodian’s brow furled at the human and he began to babble in his native tongue. He slammed a bet down, causing play to finally move around the table.

“He says, “You better shut your mouth and lose, Wookiee,’” the human said as he pitifully flung his own cards in the center, the Wookiee and Rodian’s bickering making him faulter and lose his nerve. Kalladrrl shook his head as he pushed more chips into the center, increasing the bet as he looked the Rodian in its black eyes. The other two humans, another man and a woman, both immediately threw in their cards as the droid dealer, ramshackle in its blue paint job with the facsimile of a dealer’s visor fashioned into his head casing, looked over the small silver cubes, counting and tabulating.

“The bet is now…three hundred,” it announced from its stilted vocabulator.

The remaining players folded. It was down to the jet-black Wookiee and the teal Rodian, with Kalladrrl’s eyes boring across into the wide, all-pupil orbs. With a grumble in his own language, he threw his cards on the table and his hands in the air, folding the hand to the bold Wookiee, who hooted in predatory glee as he used his paw-like hands to rake in his new credit stack. In a show of malicious arrogance, he flipped over his two cards to reveal his hand – two and a seven, perfectly useless and precisely bluffed on the Wookiee’s part. Small, barking chuckles turned into a pealing roar of laughter as the Rodian leapt to his feet, gesticulating wildly at the table, the hands, and the Wookiee. The others at the table tsked and tutted like chastened hens; they’d been had and had well.

“Hroor, loggrllach ar rhar rillhrhrgh!”

“He says, “C’mon, try to win your money back!’”

The Wookiee smiled, trying to look warm. His large teeth made him look like he was considering a tasty piece of meat. The Rodian narrowed his eyes in suspicion, eyeing the pile of credits in front of himself and Kalladrrl, before he sat down slowly, like a speeder descending a lift; to the Wookiee, he looked like a frog concentrating on a particularly meddlesome insect as he motioned to the dealer droid to resume the game. Kalladrrl only showed more teeth to his fellow players, and the Wookiee felt flush with relish at the prospect of another hand, eyeing the stack in front of him and those of the other players, wondering how much of their money he could walk away from the table holding and if he'd have to smack them in their loathsome gobs as well.

@The Captain @Nefieslab

 

[Allard Keever]

Allard wasn’t a big fan of worlds like this one – it was far too hot for him to wear his big coat so he was kind of left to flounder in his just rather rustic suit. It was fine in itself, he rather liked how he could be armoured and yet comfortable, but even that was not ideal for a place like this planet. How somewhere this Force-damned barren could still exist was, honestly, beyond him. How long would it have taken for someone to decide to at least try and change it?

Surely someone had tried, right?

The Watering Hole was a bit of a dive but on this planet? Well, Allard wasn’t too sure that this place wasn’t going to turn out to be literally the best place on this damned dustball. He didn’t have any strong feelings about sand but he swore to himself that if the stuff was inside as well then he might end up getting rather annoyed at the stuff.

One upside however? Well the company was great.

Daesh’afenn was a travelling companion that Allard would love to travel anywhere with, anytime, and he hoped she felt the same, at least a little. She had told him that there was a job to be done and he had jumped at the opportunity to come with – he rather liked the idea of getting another job done and he wanted to make sure that he was still doing everything he could to represent the interests of their Guild.

If he didn’t, she might find some other smooth talking Core-boy to replace him with!

As they entered he could see a Wookie at a table, playing some kind of game. He raised an eyebrow and cast her a glance,

“Looks like the only Wookie here… I do believe we may have found our ‘man’.” He observed drily before quickly purchasing three bottles of ale from the bartender, “Let’s go and say hi shall we?”

Setting one of the bottles down in front of the Wookie, Allard pulled up a seat beside the Wookie and grinned,

Raaaaaahhgh aaahnruh? he asked in the Wookie’s native tongue, "Aaahnruh aguhwwgggghhh aaaaahnr huurh wuuh huuguughghg uughghhhgh uughguughhhghghghhhgh aarrragghuuhw uughguughhhghghghhhgh awwgggghhh raaaaaahhgh aaaaahnr huuguughghg huurh huurh?"

@The Captain @RXX

 

[Daesha Keever]

Allard was suffering under this intense heat, and as much as it hurt her to admit that, Daesha was kind of enjoying that fact. Even if she wasn't raised on Ryloth, she was built genetically for a hot, dry environment like this, and she had opted for a light ensemble that kept her from overheating without leaving her almost naked. She was actually somewhat comfortable on Tattooine, if nothing else from after all the time Herrith and her had spent on the world trying to get her Zia flying again. But Allard? The normally overdressed Alderaanian wasn't doing nearly as well, having to strip down to a far lighter outfit, and even then he was clearly far from happy with this arrangement. Seeing Allard in such a human, mortal context, sans infallible charm and debonair good looks, was actually somewhat refreshing as it reminded Daesha that the man was real, and not just part of some extended dream where she met the perfect charming rogue and began her own smuggling empire. Plus, Allard was dressed in some very thin clothes, something that vastly improved the view. Mmm.

In any event, Daesha wasn't just here to get Allard out of his coat, but to get some extra local muscle for a job hauling some contraband off the planet. An arms shipment, specifically, hidden in a secret cache somewhere in the area in a place called 'The Dueling Dragons'. Now, Daesha had done as much digging as she could not being a native of Tattooine, but it seemed that this obscure little location was a local secret only. Hence, she needed a local to help her locate the shipment and get it off world, which was why she came to the Watering Hole Cantina in search of a Wookiee named Kalladral. Well, one of the reasons anyway, the other was hoping to hire some muscle to help beef up her own guild, she needed more than just winning smiles and quick hands to get by in the underworld. So when she wandered into the bar and spotted a rather smug looking Wookiee playing a game of cards, Daesha knew that she found her new hireling.

"Looks like it." Daesha followed Allard over to the table, letting him take the lead as their best linguist and speaker, although she had no idea those skills extended to Wookiee-speak.

 

[Kalladrrl]

Three common cards were dealt to the center of the table, their values revealed to the players; each of them was dealt two cards face down, to try to make the highest hand amidst the five common cards and their own secret cards. Rounds of betting were wedged in between the dealing of the initial common cards and the two additional cards; it was there that Kalladrrl felt the best place to apply pressure.

His thumb, thick as a young tree shoot, held his two cards up so that only he could see, and his predatory smile deepened as two newcomers to the table arrived. He glanced at them and noticed the intent with which they were fixed on him; it was enough to give him pause as the human male sidled up to him, setting down an open bottle of ale and speaking in his own language.

"Arorghr rlrorara rrhrgr-roranri rloraghr krrlrlr kroragi," he replied with a venomous bark as he snatched the bottle from the table, raising the burnished, recycled metal to his lips and draining the ale in a single, quick pull. He thumped it on the green felt in less than a second, the vessel thrumming with vibration.

"Rwooo raag," he said, levelling a long finger emphatically at the male, "Aroroorg Drrlkuri rrfr. Oh grrhrgrl ohr grrpahn greegrl wroshkuri rongr!" The Wookiee barked once in laughter as he relaxed again, patting his new acquaintance boisterously on the shoulder. Nice clothes. No dust. Offworlder for sure. Nobody worth a damn came from Tatooine. On this planet, it was a question of time. Kalladrrl’s lanky arms and chest were covered by armor plates sewn into mottled brown, breathable fabric; both the metallic armor and woven fabric had felt the touch of the desert.

These two? Not so much.

The human looked like he’d been soft, once. But he’d brought plenty of smoke and fire and blood into the galaxy, that Kalladrrl was certain of. And his companion? He had to stop from staring, her skin so out of place on this barren rock and so very much like…

His home.

Was that heartache? Was he in the water again or on the sand seas of the galaxy’s biggest junk heap?

The Wookiee thumbed at his cards, frowning at them before matching the bet. The Quarren raised. Predictable. Kalladrrl shook his head once, hopefully just perceptible, hanging it for a moment before he spoke to the human, his voice steely and as hard-edged as a cruel blade in the dark.

"Ohri rurkir Woohiee gahn rishik, ehn shrakal, rgeh rrgrt eh raoka?" He lifted his cards and invited the pair to look in on them; the were the same value in different suits. A single star was on each card, matching another card on the table. It was already a very strong hand and with the promise of two more cards to yet be dealt in common he was going to be laughing those credits into his satchel.

"Rrrrrgr rahrga, rn?" He tried to sound dry and thin, like a reed instead of a barrel, hoping the human would elevate his deception. His eyes darted to them, moving past the woman quickly. Looking at her was like looking into the twin suns, but his eyes did catch the paired blasters she carried. Kalladrrl was good at cards and he’d bet both were murderous with firearms.

 

[Allard Keever]

Daesh’afenn was the leader in these negotiations he knew, but he would be the one to do most of the speaking and the listening considering who their contact was. Being able to understand a Wookie was a rare thing and Allard was rather understably proud of his ability to do so. He might have wanted to be on this mission rather than Daesh’afenn just buying a protocol droid because of that pride if he was honest with himself.

Though seeing Daesh’afenn showing more skin on this hot planet was worth quite a lot to him as well now that he thought about it.

He pulled out Daesh’afenn’s chair for her, as was proper, before setting her ale down for her and doing the same himself only once she was seated. Not only was she his superior in this situation but she was a lady – when a lady was sitting down you did your best to ensure that she was seated comfortably before you seated yourself.

Allard raised an eyebrow at the Wookie’s confidence but said nothing as the Wookie took the offered drink and finished it within the first five seconds of their meeting. He chuckled a little bit at the mention of understanding Basic,

“Oh good!” he declared, glancing at Daesh’afenn, “Our new friend here understands Basic so I don’t have to tear my throat trying to speak like a native again – handy that.”

The pat on the shoulder almost jarred him too much but that was to be expected – the Wookie was absolutely massive compared to him after all. He raised an eyebrow at the Wookie using some nonsense before speaking to Daesh’afenn in Twi’leki,

“He’s talking gibberish.” He explained to her in her native language so that the Wookie’s opponent wouldn’t cat it, “He’s trying to freak out his opponent. Strange person, this Wookie, my Rose, but seems to be the kind we hang around with.”

He hummed a little bit, faking a sharp intake of breath at the sight of the cards. Daesh’afenn would catch on as he explained,

“He’s not feeling quite so confident about this now…!”

Spoiler: Language

Green is Basic, Yellow is Twi'leki

 

[Daesha Keever]

This guy was a big one, wasn't he? A hulking mass of fur, muscle, and metal sitting at the table as if he was any other mercenary, which couldn't be further from the truth. If nothing else, regular mercenaries didn't guzzle entire bottles of ale in one swallow, which in and of itself was impressive. But she wasn't here for Kalladral's drinking abilities, she was here to get directions and hopefully some muscle for his upcoming job. For now though, it seemed she had a card game o play into, as Allard offered her a seat and she graciously accepted, giving his arm a subtle stroke as she did so, a gesture of appreciation for his gentlemanly conduct.

"I figured, kind of hard to be a mercenary in this galaxy when you only understand one language." Daesha was sure that Kalladral must speak another language besides Wookiee-speak, otherwise he'd only be able to work for and with other Wookiees, and they weren't exactly a plentiful species, especially on a world like Tattooine. Regardless of what language he spoke, however, watching the Wookiee almost swat Allard over with a friendly pat on the back earned him a good chuckle from Daesha.

"Hmm?" Well, this was quite the interesting mind-game wasn't it? So he had brains under all that fur too, so Daesha was willing to speak Ryl and play along. "Well then let us by all means help him."

Peaking over the Wookiee's massive shoulder, Daesha bit her lip and shook her head subtly, trying to indicate that the Wookiee's hand was terrible, although nothing could be further from the truth.

 

[Kalladrrl]

The Wookiee put on his best stone-faced look, despite the racing of his heart, and not just from the excitement of taking these morons to the cleaners. His bluff was working, with the Quarren, face tentacles twitching in amusement, raising the bet to five hundred. The humans called, and the Rodian raised to six hundred. The mousy human to Kalladrrl’s right called, and Kalladrrl whimpered as the bets returned to him. He stacked his chips for a moment, picking them up and placing them down, the little cubes clacking together like a bony hand cracking its knuckles. Slowly, he called the bet and waited for the Quarren to call, revealing the next card.

Another single star looked at them all, players and spectators alike, and Kalladrrl knew he had them. All the other players made sounds of consideration at how interesting the game was now, but they didn’t know they’d already lost to the Wookiee.

Five hundred credits were thrown in by the Rodian and Kalladrrl hooted once in sorrow. Maybe he was laying it on a little thick, but at this point there were thousands of credits on the table. It was a big enough stake that his next move would force their hands, quite literally in this case.

He threw in his chips and hoped he knew the player to his left enough. The Quarren’s long fingers danced on his chips, and he raised again.

He had them now.

Play progressed around the table, with the other players matching the increased bet with an air of resentment. The pot was huge; it was more than one score for Kalladrrl and probably double a week’s pay for the human menials at the table. As play progressed to Kalladrrl once again, his demeanor changed, and his teeth were exposed in the smile of an evolved predator who had trapped his prey inexorably. His massive hands, paw-like and covered in jet black fur, the tips faded to auburn from exposure to the suns of Tatooine, laced their fingers together and pushed his entire pile of credits to the center of the table. The humans gasped and the Rodian slammed his hands on the table, a multitude of languages overlapping each other in disbelief at the moxie of the Wookiee.

"Roohrgra roorkara, oh hngrlrgk hrekkas!" With resent, bubbling and buzzing, the Quarren pushed his chips in, not that his were anything to write home about. The two humans folded; Kalladrrl had taken most of their money already. The Rodian wasn’t about to let this stand and pushed his chips in as well, making the pot over ten thousand by Drrl’s rough calculations. The mousy one folded, pushing his head into his hands at how played he’d been.

The robotic dealer paused, calculating.

“Twelve thousand, six-hundred and fifty credits in the pot. Players are all in. Performing showdown.”

It flipped the last common card. It was an eight and the Rodian pumped his fist in triumph. The dealer’s thin, proboscis like card appendage reached across to the Quarren, using its electrostatic claw to flip its cards.

“Three of a kind, aces.” Respectable. It wasn’t enough. It moved to the Rodian, performing the same maneuver.

“Full house, aces full of eights.” The Quarren snapped his fingers in defeat while the smug Rodian puffed merrily on his cigar. The dealer progressed to Kalladrrl, whose smile widened at the Rodian, staring him down with murderous glee.

“Four of a kind, aces. Congratulations!”

The Wookiee roared, his body shaking with the force of his own mirth, as the Rodian leapt to his feet, pointing a squat finger at Kalladrrl and babbling in his native language. Kalladrrl was still laughing even as he produced a leather sack, sweeping the dull silver cubes into it, sparing some for the dealer droid, who produced a vacuum attachment and beeped at their receipt.

“Thank you, patron Kalladrrl. Your tab is clear and your contribution to the Watering Hole is noted.”

The massive Wookiee, flush with cash, indicated to a passing waitress.

"Aloo yc wrrkrls ahn ehrca," he gestured to the offworlders, "yc ahrrral soaaargha Salla." The human nodded and trotted to retrieve his order as he turned to the pair, focusing on the human but glancing towards the Twi’lek and feeling that roar within his chest again.

"Ohh, aahrahrkl rawhn rwakr," he began, smirking. "Yrr gahnr rishik, ehn shrakal, rgeh rrgrt Rodia raoka rrshi. Hrrn, oh grrpah ganr hrrgr, uma?"

 

[Allard Keever]

This guy was absolutely huge and that was going to be useful he could already tell, though Allard honestly hadn’t actually ever worked with a Wookie before. Strange, perhaps, given his talent with their language but not unexpected if he was being honest with himself. They weren’t very well spread out throughout the galaxy after all.

Allard smiled and nodded, responding to Daesh’afenn in the language of the Twi’leks again to make sure that no one understood what they were saying,

“Indeed.” He smiled a little bit, “I think having the brawn and the brains to use them correctly is going to be a rather lovely combination for our job. And perhaps more, should he prove to be as useful on a job as we believe he may well be.”

Card games were boring.

But the mind games that came along with this one were enough to keep Allard from feeling too tempted to tune out until the Wookie was free to actually talk to them. He smiled in mild amusement at the result of the hand and, apparently, the game. Allard nodded in appreciation and showed it vocally for Daesh’afenn’s benefit,

“We would be glad to celebrate your victory with some whisky – but not too much eh?” he declared with a grin as the waitress left, “Thank you for sharing the wealth so to speak… But yes, we are speaking of a job.”

He gestured subtly to Daesha to take over as he accepted the two small glasses of whisky from the waitress and set them down for himself and Daesha, still ready and willing to translate from the Wookie tongue to Basic.

@The Captain @RXX

 

[Daesha Keever]

"We could always use a little muscle, Zoonn's bored of not having anyone to spar with anyway."

Allard wasn't one for card games, although why that was Daesha had no idea. They were a blend of social manipulation and strategy that a charmer like Allard Keever would be perfect act. He could clean out casinos from here to Coruscant if he bothered to learn these games, Daesha was sure of that, but for some reason the man seemed to find card games to be an exercise in boredom. Daesha, on the other hand, did not, as a bit of gambling was an excellent way to get a read on someone. And to that end, Kalladral read like a master-class textbook on card sharking, as the Wookiee played these chumps like a kloo horn. They threw everything short of their underwear on the table, assuming that they had this bet in the bag. Well, Kall took that bag and smashed them all over the head with it, cleaning house in one swift stroke of cards. When the Rodian stood to gesture at Kalladral, whether he meant to threaten him or was just a sore loser, Daesha tugged up the edge of her jacket, flashing the blasters at her hips at the Rodian. Needless to say, he became a much better sportsman after that subtle threat and took off.

"A mercenary, a gambler, and a gentleman, you truly are a triple-threat." Daesha was always happy to get a free drink, so when whiskey was passed around she took the drink with gusto before getting down to business. "I'll cut to the chase, we're here to pick up an arms shipment, but our contact didn't give us a location we can find on any map, the 'Dueling Dragons'. Figured we should try hiring a local guide, someone that knows the planet to get us where we need to go, and if this all goes well we could have a very profitable position open for you in the future, if you're interested."

 

[Kalladrrl]

A whole slew of beverages was set down by the waitress, including a short glass filled with viscous, clear liquid. The special sauce. Kalladrrl wrapped his hand around the tiny thing, careful not to spill a drop of the odorous fluid, its scent betraying the high proof of the stuff. He took an appreciative swallow of it, feeling a burn that neither whiskey nor ale would provide for him; those spirits were made for smaller beings.

The human yielded the floor to the other, who was quick to flatter him. Wookiees didn’t turn pink like humans; if you weren’t a Wookiee, it might be difficult to tell when one of his people were embarrassed, but he felt flush as he heard her words. He merely nodded, taking in her words as she continued to lay out the job, with the promise of something bigger – more profitable. Kalladrrl felt the thrill of possibility rise within him and the corners of his lips turned up, and he nodded several times in quick succession.

"Yrra pahnhrrroo rrrrglana hroraaa," he said directly to the Rutian, "yc hrrrrngralarh yrr ranrrklr rhroo rnrghla." He paused for a moment to take another slug of the fierce sauce and an interesting idea popped into his head, and he looked over both the human and the blue one in consideration, narrowing his eyes.

"Rorooro, ranroo arnrrara yrr gnhrhlro crrrrdi roo yc crrrrdi rooloo...hnr yrr hrn rrrlgrlharha rnokra oh. Yrr hrna krgrrr yrrono, yc yrr rooha ik ohrnyrr wrrlkr ohrnyrrolooo horolgha. Yrr grohlr crrrdicarhl oohra oh grs grnhoo." Kalladrrl indicated to the human with his potent glass, savoring another pull of the burning alcohol.

 

[Allard Keever]

Yes they probably really did need the muscle now that he thought about it.

While both Daesha herself and Allard were capable pilots and gunslingers they weren't exactly the type of people who could intimidate people with their presence alone and for literal muscle mass you could almost not do any better than a Wookie. There was a saying that those who had played cards here had apparently never heard of; Let the Wookie win.

Because he honestly didn't think that winning was considered winning still if you lost your limbs to your opponent's anger. He chuckled a little bit,

"Do you think they'll start on arm wrestling or just skip straight to beating each other without mercy?"

Daesha laid out the plan and Allard just watched, alert, in case Kalladrrl had any issues with what was being said. As much as he liked the wookie so far, he was rather protective of Daesha and he was ready to draw his pistol and fire should the Wookie look to start violence. He honestly didn't but there was something about Allard that was just making him more paranoid about making sure she was safe these days.

Good god, this was probably just his feelings for Daesha getting complicated again.

Raising an eyebrow, Allard turned to Daesha,

"He says he will do this job without asking for any credits..." he glanced at the Wookie, "He wants us to accompany him on a little mission before we go anywhere thought. A tit for tat kind of arrangement - nothing said about what the mission would be."

@The Captain @RXX

 

[Daesha Keever]

"Quid pro quo, huh? Alright, so what's the job?" Well that was an interesting proposal wasn't it? There was no telling what Kalladrrl would want from them or how long it would take, but the Wookiee was perhaps her best chance of getting to the shipment and making their delivery on time, plus they could always use some muscle like him in their guild. So long as he didn't do anything stupid, of course.

 

[Kalladrrl]

Squid pro roe; seemed like an odd expression in Basic but he understood the gist of its meaning. He’d have to try to use it in conversation. "Hrrgrtr," he said after pulling down another mouthful of the heady liquor, "rrhr hrrnf. Hrra rrgrlrh wrrooorgr rrnar rrfrlr yc nrrf rorani rrf roorn raahhrfa roraroranyn." He looked back to the human, then to the Twi’lek. "Ynnrn rflgr ranirior hrrpahndryn, royn prrrtold hrrpahndryn Drrlkuri rrrtanr," he said, with an air of fondness undercut by nasty rage, rising within him as he thought of the slight against him and the depraved filth that would dare to steal his droid. He finished the thick liquid in his glass, letting its fire fill him as the knuckles on his other hand tightened, balling into a fist.

"Grroo hrgg grrlldr," he said as he held up the satchel of credit cubes and shook it, hearing the dull rattle of twelve thousand in value shake dully within the confines of the leather sack. "Rooyn grrldrnrh. Ynr hroogan roogrrroo hranin hra hrneh, hraaarha rrgan prrrtold, rgggan hrrrfr wrghhhrar, rroohoo grrtgt gran grrfr hrnr. Hrfr mrgrfrlyn." His voice shook with growing rage as he spoke, but he ended on a murderous smile, showing off his pristine white teeth designed to rip soft meat to shreds.

"Hrroo, grndrn...rrookka rnrohr," Kalladrrl said, motioning to the pair, "ynrri rroka rrnr hrass." He turned to speak directly to the human, noting the blue eyes the looked back at him and how they twinkled with wit and mischief. "Rrook, hrann ohnra hrrpahdryn rraniyngrr hrrogrr Rrgraghr Krarrlrdn." He looked the pair over, furling his brow like he was appraising a fine blaster. "Rrrohroranigrf?"

@The Captain @Nefieslab

 

[Allard Keever]

Daesha wanted to do the job to get the Wookie's services and he didn't mind that at all - as far as he was concerned it made a lot more sense to work together first before it came to their mission to this dirtball riding on the Wookie. Plus it would work well for them to evaluate the Wookie in case he might turn out to be a good fit for the Guild.

It was already beginning to feel a little bit weird to him, to have something like a Guild to focus on like this, but he had to admit that he really did like it. If he was feeling poetic he might make a comment to himself about how it must be what belonging felt like.

He raised an eyebrow as he translated,

"He had a protocol droid but it got stolen by some local thugs who wanted a ransom for it - quite a big one for a droid - and he planned to give them half, load the sack with dubby weight for the rest and grenades. But with us he thinks we can take them all down with ease."

Allard smirked before adding,

"And he has correctly deduced that I would appreciate not having to repeat every word he says."

@The Captain @Rexx

 

[Daesha Keever]

It was genuinely unnerving being in a conversation with someone that Daesha couldn't understand, especially when that person could snap her arms from her sockets with a flick of the wrist and they seemed to have only two emotions, anger and eager anticipation for violence. The giant sack of whatever-that-was clenched in his big, meaty paws wasn't helping either. Not that Daesha thought he would, or even could hurt her or Allard, she knew both of them could outdraw this brute with their off-hands. Thankfully, Allard was able to translate the ambiguity of the Wookiee's growls into an interesting story.

"So he needs us to get his droid back? Alright, I'm always game for a little bedlam, especially at the expense of a pack of echuttas." Daesha said before snickering to Allard. "I think we'd all appreciate that, Allard. So when do we get started?"

 

[Kalladrrl]

Kalladrrl looked the two of them over, nodding to himself and them as the corners of his lips curled up at the prospect of his revenge. Allard, the human – and one whose name he might even be able to say, which was always a nice touch when working with aliens –didn’t look like fighting close up in this engagement would be the best use of his skills; his companion, skin still drawing his eyes like the vastness of the ocean beckoning to him, and she would do better with Kalladrrl drawing the enemies’ attention as well. They both had that smell – not one he could scent with his nose, but it was a smell. Many Wookiees had it. Kalladrrl was sure he smelled of it too; the lounge in which they sat had steeped him in its odor.

Violence, and the willingness to use it.

Kalladrrl reached for the glass of sauce and drained it, his arm boisterous in setting the metal vessel on the table. He grinned at his companions as the Rutian asked when they were to begin.

"Ruroh wrrlskrsrhgroh yc yrnighrthr. Rrani llrlga krrrrl rrlka krrn rranroorlr hrgrara rahkar yn roraniroorlr."

 

[Allard Keever]

Yeah, they really all could be happy that he wasn't going to be in charge of this one anymore, right? He might very well be able to understand the Wookie and translate for him but that didn't mean that he actually wanted to do it - there was no challenge in such a job and it was far better suited to droids than it was to people. But he could tell that Daesha wasn't comfortable holding a conversation with someone who seemed to know what she was saying but she didn't know what he was saying.

One of the many reasons why he liked languages.

Allard watched the Wookie however, raising an eyebrow when he caught the large creature looking at Daesha with undisguised interest. He smirked a little bit before leaning over to whisper to Daesha,

"I think he might be getting a crush on you." he whispered to her in the Twi'lek native language, smirking a little wider as he did so, "Well I can't fault him for his taste now can I?"

Chuckling a little bit, he took his own drink and finished it in a swift gulp. He motioned for Daesha to do the same,

"Once we have finished our drinks we shall depart for this gang's current location near the spaceport."

@The Captain @Rexx

 

[Daesha Keever]

It seemed that Allard had also caught the rather...specific look the Wookiee gave her, like she was edible or something. Now, whether that meant Twi'lek's were attractive to even Wookiees, the brute liked her aura of danger, or he was just interested in literally eating her, would remain to be seen. All Daesha could do was nod at Allard's comment, keeping her eyes on the walking carpet across from her. If he tried something she'd have her blaster down his throat before his cleared the holster. Disrespect, or attempted ingestion, won't be tolerated.

"Then let's get going." Daesha gunned her drink in one solid swallow before standing from the table and addressing Kalladral. "After you."

 

[Kalladrrl]

He reached his immense, rough-skinned hand into the bag and rummaged around, producing three of the cubes and leaving them on the table before stuffing the full sack down the neck of his armor, letting the bag rest in between his musclebound chest and the plates of his chestpiece. Luckily for him, the Hole had been built with larger beings in mind, a design scheme that did not persist throughout much of galactic engineering. There was a measure of clearance to the ceiling which put Kalladrrl at ease as he stood head, and in the Rutian’s case, head and shoulders and body, above them. The man was tall for his people. Maybe he wore lifted boots, but he seemed in proportion for a human.

The Wookiee’s steps covered ground like few others’ as he made his way expertly through the mixed crowds of the Hole, with the bartender calling after him, yelling about his favorite customer as the Wookiee brusquely waved him off. They were on the hunt for his property and he would not stop until he could smell the blood and fire they were going to inflict upon those worthless lowlifes. A small staircase curved up and out of the lounge, dirt and dust caking the concrete under Kalladrrl’s feet as he led the two up to the main thoroughfare into the rundown starport.

The smell of it always got to him. It was a confusing mix through the heart of the small town; the plateau was small, so everyone was packed to the gills in one of the only true cities on the face of the planet. Food vendors lined the streets, selling skewered meat of dubious origin. Sometimes water-dwelling creatures were imported from other planets; those were always Kalladrrl’s go-to. No such luck today on that front. Unwashed masses were going to and from shifts at all hours; with the traffic up and down and in and out and up and down at every hour throughout the day and night there was always a demand for hands to do some lifting or cleaning or fixing. Many humans dotted the streets, but they weren’t as prevalent here in the furthest back of all backwaters. All sorts of races dotted the streets under the late afternoon light of the two suns. Kalladrrl hung a right, toward an elevated set of landing platforms. No doubt they’d come this way to find them.

"Hrrana drrldahnrhr, rorran rurrrt rinrr rhranr ornr drrrrrd, rinrr ohrnr rglhrlr hrasi," he said back to them as he made an effort to shorten his stride for the two of them.

 

[Allard Keever]

Allard had warned Daesha and that was all he needed to do now wasn't it? She was hardly some defenceless little waif - if the Wookie tried something he would likely react violently himself but he would likely have to get in line behind Daesha himself and that just made him want to grin.

Was it weird he liked the dangerous edge to Daesha? No, it was probably rather normal.

Making sure his own drink was finished, for the sake of politeness if nothing else, Allard stood and followed the Wookie alongside Daesha, making their way through the crowds towards the mission destination. He chuckled a little bit as the Wookie had to shorten his stride to make sure they could keep up with him,

"You really must take shorter steps if we're trying to keep a low profile and still walk together - nothing worse than two shorter people half-jogging after a taller one for stealth." he joked a little bit before nodding and translating for Daesha, "Past the spaceport and on the path towards the dunes."

He made sure that his blaster pistol was ready to be drawn in a moment's notice and nodded to the Wookie before they advanced further, pushing past the spaceport,

"Any plan of attack? Or is 'attack' the plan?"

He could work with either.

@The Captain @Rexx