Log:The Hard Way, Pt. 1
The Hard Way, Pt. 1
Location: Nar Shaddaa
Participants: Guri, Nyla Forr, Jehni'va Cihn
Guri hires a mechanic.
It's evening on Nar Shaddaa, which I would like to say is the most dangerous time there, but this is Nar Shaddaa, and basically any time is the most dangerous time, even more so with much of it being a war zone. Still, night works in favor of those who like to lurk in shadow, and skulk all stealth-like to stalk prey. Which is what Guri is presently doing, and she's doing it well, right now from a rooftop of a building that borders an alley. The alleyway is largely vacant of people right now, though the street it joins to has a number of people walking quickly to their desired location. It's also stormy, because when isn't it here.
Nar Shaddaa is a really gross place - it's not prime real estate, but living tucked away in the grimy crevices of the Smuggler's Moon sometimes has its perks. "Shit, I should have brought an umbrella." One of the voices floats up from the street. A lazy glow cast from a nearby streetlight illuminates the pilot's face as Jehn laughs, squinting her eyes around a doofy grin as that more-than-slightly acidic rains lashes against her face. So much for nice hair - she hauls hers up into a blobby, shapeless bun. Sorry, Nyla. "There's this place up a few streets over that sells the best fried ice cream." She is advising, holding a door open for someone behind her. Awkward and terrible, but the lanky woman seems to be rather chipper despite the darkened streets and typical downpour (thanks for that by the way, Nar).
Nyla Forr turns her eyes up at the rain that pelts them, not too bothered by it with much shorter hair than her taller companion. "You are a bottomless pit," Nyla observes with a shake of her head, turning to look at Jehn with a wrinkled nose. "But yeah, okay. I'm in." The rain has already flattened her own, meticulously done hair. Alas. "But then home. Get out of this rain an' into our sleep clothes. Dressing nicely is the /worst/." She looks down at herself, frowning at the only slightly above casual clothing she wears as it darkens with splats of acid rain.
There are two ways in which this can go. The easy way, which includes polite conversation, and an offer of an exchange of money for services, but that's the mundane way of doing things, and offers very little in the way of entertainment. Then there's the hard way, and though that is usually the less trod upon path, it's the one with the potential for violence, menacing, and general troublemaking. Which one do you think Guri is going to pick? She steps up onto the ledge of the building, and then off. It's not a super hero landing, though, even if her knees are literally replaceable parts, and instead she repels down to the ground below. Shortly there after, the engine of a ground vehicle flares to life, and moves down the street, slowing and then eventually coming to a stop just ahead of the women with rain ruined hair.
For the record, Guri's hair IS in a similar state of being damp, but as with just about everything, she wears wet hair well.
Jehn is only barely not wearing pajamas as it is. She's a jumpsuit, jacket, and boots kind of chick no matter the occasion... Which is to say that she only owns like four articles of clothing - three, since the anooba crapped out another pair of her pants.
"Then home." She agrees with a wry grin, letting the door shut with a 'clang' behind them and casually reaching for the other woman's hand as they step out into the street. "We should find a tarp to hide under." She comments brightly, a small 'sboosh' of water erupting around one boot as it crashes through the water collected in a pothole. "I packed a /mad/ j-" Her voice cuts off at the blinding flash of lights that now hover menacingly ahead of them. Seriously? Trashfire couldn't wait for /one night/? "Um -"
Nyla Forr splays her fingers, pushing the bangs from her forehead as they drip rain down her face. The other hand slips easily into Jehn's as she trots close to try and use Jehn's height as an umbrella. "Hey," Nyla snorts, dancing around the splash far after it soaks into her pants leg. The droid mechanic nearly bumps right into the back of Jehn, hand still clasped as she lifts her free fingers to shield the light. "Hey! Move it, sheesh!" Nyla barks as she starts angling Jehn closer to the sides of the street. "Can't be in your right mind to drive that thing on this street," she complains with a huff. Some people.
Trashfires wait for no man. The rear vehicle door on their side opens slowly, but there doesn't appear to be anyone inside of it yet, but there is obviously someone on the driver's side, and the window slides open as well. "You're that mechanic, right?" This is asked of Jehn. She is, Guri knows this, because she is capable of recording everything that she sees. It comes in handy. "Come with me if you want to not die." Ah, there's some of that sweet, sweet menacing going on, and just to emphasize the point, she lifts up and wiggles a blaster that's aimed at them while smiling a beautiful smile. "Now, please."
Jehn's grip tightens slightly and she shifts her gangly, awkward body forward protectively around the shorter woman. "Um-" She repeats, eyes going wide with fear, yes - but mostly mind-numbing confusion. "Why - /what/ mechanic? I'm -" She blinks, and then realizes that scary hot lady must be talking about Nyla, because this makes no sense to her. This just bristles the ship mechanic more, because the only thing more terrifying than a confused, unarmed, uncoordinated, stoner is an angry, over-protective, unarmed, uncoordinated stoner who is still just as (if not more-so) confused.
Nyla Forr blinks, not incredibly surprised that yelling at someone has provided an encounter. "Just get out of the-- what?" Nyla, at least, follows the eye contact from the woman to Jehn with realization. "Woah, what the /fuck/," Nyla says all lady like, her hand going to her... "/Shit/," she spits, realizing her belt and blaster are at home. That smile.... Nyla furrows her brow. She /knows/ that smile... but from here?"/Wait/. I friggin' know you. You're from..." The dawning of revolting recognition is registered. "Jehn /run/," Nyla snaps and pushes Jehn away from the vehicle.
Yes, Jehn, run. Guri doesn't seem at all surprised that the pair are trying to flee, and she also doesn't seem displeased. Quite the contrary, their attempt to escape inspires a wicked little titter. The door is thrown open and she turns her body, lining up the shot, then squeezes the trigger. It hits Nyla square in the back, but lucky for her, it's not set to kill, but to stun. Regardless, it's going to hurt, and once the shot hits it's mark, she takes several long strides toward them with the clear intent of making them get into the vehicle whether or not they want to.
While Nyla is coming to an important understanding, Jehn is still blinking stupidly at the lights. "What?" She blanches, stiffening up - but the hands pushing at her side snap her into a clumsy scramble of movement. Jehn's boots fail to find immediate purchase on the slippery pavement, and she falls to her hands and knees in the sudden lurch of retreat - but then she hears the unmistakable whizz of blaster fire. She spins, eyes going wide with terror and rage. "/Nyla/!" She blurts out, skidding to a halt and stooping to grab her roommate. She doesn't get the whole stun/kill thing - she just knows she got hit. "/Fuck/!" Jehn gasps, managing to hoist Nyla enough to support her weight as she clambers backwards, struggling to put distance between them and the fast approaching Guri.
Nyla Forr is turning to scamper away, the blast exploding just below her shoulder blades. The makes a gurgle of pain, flumping forward and slamming her nose into the wet, acidy concrete. It immediately begins to bleed. Nyla attempts to find her feet, but all she can really do is writhe in pain. "/Go/," she pants. "She's after you, /run/." The edges of the world are a little fuzzy as blood leaks down her chin and neck.
Guri is fast approaching, because she is both fast, and there wasn't a lot of distance between them to begin with. She's got her blaster out still, and once again it's levelled on the now limp Nyla. "That one didn't kill her," she informs Jehn, even as she's attempting to leave. "The next one will. You have two choices, discover what her insides look like when they're on her outsides, or take both her, and yourself, to that vehicle, and get inside. If you do, I won't kill you both."
To no one's surprise, she can't pull Nyla to safety fast enough. "No, no, no-!" Jehn is panicking; her chest rising and falling in gasps as she sloshes to a halt at the sight of the blaster. "Please -" She stutters, voice cracking as she tries to insert herself between the prone droid mechanic and the weapon pointed at her back. "Don't hurt her, please!" Begging on her knees - which isn't /exactly/ how she pictures this night going - Jehn lifts her hands with a strangled choke. "I'll do what you - you want, please just don't hurt her. I'm - don't hurt her." Desperation floods her as the pilot stares up at the tall attacker pitiful, defeated, and streaked in rain. "Please." Negotiation isn't her strong suit.
It's... kinda how Nyla saw it? Like, in a totally different way. Whatever, this is fine, too. The moment Jehn is forced to let go, Nyla collapses face first in the acid wash of a puddle, blood dripping and mingling with the oily street water. She parts her lips, the blood running into her mouth on it's way down. "Whadd'ya want?" she slurs out a demand, trying to prop herself up enough that she isn't drowning in the inch and a half of collected rain.
Guri isn't surprised by the begging, because that's what generally happens, first you fight them, then you break them, then comes the begging. Lucky for them, what comes next isn't killing. "She is going to fix my ship." This is so anti-climactic, that one has to wonder why she's going to these dramatics to achieve this end. The answer: she's bored. "So we're all going to go to it, it's going to get fixed, and you'll both get to leave alive and well." Her gaze travels the length of Nyla, down, and then back up. "Mostly well."
Jehn lets an anxious hand drift behind her to clutch at Nyla as the other woman struggles to rise. Her eyes are locked on the muzzle of that blaster, heart rattling against her chest. Can they hear it? As her fingers curl at the fabric of the injured mechanic's jacket, Guri imparts the psychopathic explanation they've all been waiting for - and her mouth falls open. Overreact much? "Y-You couldn't have just /asked/?" She blurts out before she can stop herself. "For fuck's sake I do it for - you could've - I -" Still, it's not astute to bicker with the one pointing the gun. "Okay, okay." She nods, dumb and obedient. "I'll - fix your damn ship, just don't hurt her." She's an incorrigible cliché, and slowly rising to her feet with her hands held out in front of her in surrender. "I'm coming. Just..." She passes a shaky, pained look at Nyla on the ground - bloody and soaked. "Please leave her out of this. I'll do what you want, okay?"
Nyla Forr is pushing herself up, the pain starting to ebb. "Jehn," she mutters. She doesn't appear to have anything to say, she just groans and manages to extend her arms full and prop herself up on her knees. "Jehn..." Nyla manages again. "I'll be okay, get outta here." It's not really a possibility, but that's just what you say in this kind of situation, right? She can almost feel the blaster aimed at her.
Guri is obviously considering Jehn's plea for mercy, but let's be real here, this is not a merciful creature, and so she simply gives a smile that's not /really/ a smile. It's a subtle turn of her mouth, but it's not friendly, and doesn't touch her eyes. "Nah. Both of you get in. If I have to ask again, I'm going to start punching holes in someone." With her blaster, presumably.
It seems convenient that the moment things take a turn in the right direction, Jehn's life immediately is shot to shit once again. "Okay, okay, okay..." Jehn breathes, struggling to keep herself calm. How did she manage to screw this up? The psycho is here for her, so obviously she found /some/ way. "We're going." She mutters darkly, hands still raised out in front of her as she stares in fear at the woman on the other end of the gun... There is something broken in this one's smile, and the cogs at the back of the pilot's mind turn. There is death in those eyes - even Jehn knows she doesn't trust it. But is she dumb enough to do something drastic?
Of course she is.
There isn't much time between Jehn's decision to /do/ something stupid settling and actually doing it: she just looks at Nyla and mutters "/run/" before she launches her long, lanky, awkward body at Guri. Without any formal training or skill, she is going at her less like a ninja master and more like a drunken spider monkey, trying - and failing - to knock the blaster from her hands. "/Fucking run/!" She tries to punch out at the blonde's face.
Run. Okay! Okay. Nyla pants out and pushes to her feet, her back to the scene. She manages to get halfway before she's slipping on the wet pavement and scrambling forward, throwing an arm in front of her to try to block the blow to her already broken nose. She yelps out at the pain, the edges of the word getting darker as she lays still. Sorry, Jehn.
The fact that there is another attempt at attack and escape doesn't surprise Guri, she probably had some calculations going somewhere in her mind (processor) on the odds that it would happen. Jehn makes her attack, and the droid that looks so very human makes an easy dodge. With /one/ hand, she grabs the mechanic up by the jumpsuit, and literally flings her at the open door of the vehicle. It's not hard enough to kill her, or even really wound, but there will be bruises, because that landing is going to suck. Nyla tries to flee, and even though she fails, the blaster takes aim at the fallen woman. She shows no regard or concern for the fact that she's already stumbling or injured, she simply squeezes the trigger, a far deadlier bolt flying from the weapon to hit Nyla right on the leg. It's not a fatal wound by any stretch, but it's not a stun this time. "Are we going to cooperate now?" she asks, long stride carrying her over to Nyla so she can lean down, and try to drag the fallen woman to the vehicle.
Jehn sucks. Who would have known? There was never any real doubt of this in her mind, but at the haphazard attempt to protect her... Well. Let's just say this all went to shit in a hand-basket. The shout she lets out when Guri grabs onto her jumpsuit is nothing compared to the scream of panic when she fires off another bolt at Nyla. "Don't you fucking touch her!" She sobs, grabbing at Guri's wrist.
And then she is airborne.
Jehni'va crashes into the vehicle with enough force to thoroughly knock the wind from her, and her head smacks against the surface hard enough to knock her vision wonky. Sound bleeds into one, throbbing pulse behind her ears - a muffled, incongruent cacophony. She isn't built for this, she isn't built for any of this. "Dun touch'er..." Jehn slurs, eyes rolling back as her consciousness fails her, hands curling against empty air as she goes limp. "'m sorry..."
The bolt hits. The yell that rips from Nyla's throat is brutal. You can hear her vocal chords tearing slightly with the guttural scream she emits. Nyla slumps right back into the street, curling on her side and blindly trying to grasp at her leg. She is certainly in no position to resist Guri. Still, she struggles, like a sick puppy, and growls and pants out noises of excruciating pain.
Guri wholly ignores the protests from Jehn, and goes about doing exactly what the lanky mechanic said not to, which is to touch Nyla. Just enough to drag the smaller woman to the vehicle, and then deposit her onto a seat. The landing isn't gentle, but it's not near so rough as Jehn's. "Imagine how much it will hurt if I choose to shoot something important." With her prey now caught, she closes the door, and slides back into the drivers side, not at all worried about who might've seen, or whether authorities were called. It's Nar Shaddaa, this shit happens all the time. Where they go isn't one of the starports, but a building that one can both drive to, and land on, because she pulls inside and parks in the dimly lit structure and shuts the vehicle down.
