Leg It!

[Denton Jax]

A short burst of blaster fire echoed out through the walkway, followed swiftly by an excited, whooping cry.

"Hey, I just need some money for food, guys! You need to chillax!"

Another round fizzed past Denton's face, burning a hole through the peak of his hat. He was backpedalling - well, backskipping, really - hopping around and trying to keep out of the sights of the two blasters that were tracking him. Two particularly disgruntled Bothans were chasing him down.

Spinning around - with a hand on his hat to keep it in place - Jax darted off, leaning into the corner and pounding the duracreet ground as fast as he could. Level 132 of Port Town in Cloud City hadn't proved particularly fruitful for the youth.

He whooped again as another shot rang out behind him, landing in the ground a few feet in front of him. He hopped up theatrically as if trying to jump a hurdle - arms and legs akimbo - running with a cheeky swagger that seemed almost just for the purpose of teasing his chasers.


Denton weaved around into another walkway, and the moment he was out of sight, he plucked the hat from his head and planted it on a nearby human. That done, he dodged to the side, grabbing another passer-by by the shoulders and pushed them up against the wall. He forcefully locked lips with the stranger, closing his eyes and hoping the Bothans would overshoot him.

[Tegan]

"Mmmmmmmmpppphhh!!!!"

:: Tegan's scream was muffled as Denton's mouth assaulted hers, and she squirmed to ger free of him. Her eyes widened as blasterbolts whizzed by, and she felt his tongue in her mouth ::

:o "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!"

[Denton Jax]

"There! With the stupid red hair!"

The Bothans growled, Denton's plan having failed. He pulled away from the blushing young woman, flashing her a grin, and catching her by the wrist. He made eye contact for a brief moment, before hauling her with him as he moved across the walkway to collect his hat from the confused human. As soon as he did so, blaster bolts dotted the space Tegan had been standing in just a second or so ago.

Snatching his hat, Denton replaced it on his head, holding it in place as he pulled the girl in after him, darting away from the Bothans and into the nearest open turbolift. He thumped the controls as they entered, the doors sliding shut behind them.

"Ha, not quite as planned" he said, turning to the bewildered Tegan. He bowed down slightly, lifting her wrist to kiss the back of her hand with a wink.

[Tegan]

:: She blushed, pulling away as though his lips burned her, and brought her hand across Denton's face so hard it left finger marks ::

"HOW DARE YOU???!!!" :o

[Denton Jax]

Denton gasped, his hat jumping off his head and down to the floor. His head snapped around with the force of the slap, the youth poking his tongue into the assaulted cheek and eyeing the girl cautiously.

"I guess that makes us even, eh?" he quipped, an impossible grin spreading on his face as he stooped down to collect his headwear.

"You know, I've been nothing but nice to you" he continued, wagging his finger at her as he pulled on his hat. "Alright, admittedly I nearly got you shot...but hey, here you are! Fresh as a daisy! You could have done worse than me, lassy."

[Tegan]

"My name is Tegan." she replied. Her lips still tingled. It was a wonderful kiss, but she was too angry to admit it.

"Why are those Bothans after you?"

[Denton Jax]

"Oh, you don't wanna hear about that" he replied with a dismissive wave, but her gaze told him otherwise.

"Well, look, it ain't anything bad. I just...tried to lift one of their pockets..."

Denton chewed his lip briefly, rubbing his sore cheek.

"Haven't eaten in a bit, you know how it is."

He shrugged, not once letting his chirpy expression drop.

"Denton. Or Jax. I would have said sooner but...well, you know. You tried to knock my face off."

The red-head looked up at the display, figuring it might be helpful to work out where they were headed. Upwards, by the looks of it.

"Quite an arm you got there, Tegan" he said, running his tongue along his teeth to double-check they were all present.

[Tegan]

:: Tegan rolled her eyes ::

"I could turn you over to them."

:: Her face took on a wicked expression ::

[Denton Jax]

"Aha!" he exclaimed. "Yes, you could."


Denton moved to the back of the elevator next to Tegan, leaning against the side.

"But what purpose would that serve, my lady? There's a good chance they think you're in cahoots with yours truly here" he explained, resting a hand on his chest. "And your fate will be no better than my own."

He paused for a moment, then wagged his finger at her again.

"And I know for a fact..." he said, leaning closer and lowering his voice to a whisper. "...that they don't kiss like me."

[Tegan]

:: Her cheeks burned again, and she punched him in the arm defensively ::

"Shutup!" :o

:: The elevator stopped, and she slipped out as soon as the doors opened. It was getting too warm in there ::

[Denton Jax]

Jax chuckled heartily as she made her exit, following her briskly out into the street.

"Land of opportunity, Tegan! Chances to make it everywhere."

They had emerged on one of the highest levels of the city, where the rich dwelled and entertained themselves. It was a warm night, flourescent signs flashing about everywhere and casting the dull walkways in rainbow colour.

Denton slid passed a small crowd and around to Tegan's side, walking with confidence, despite his tatty appearence amongst the elite of Cloud City.

"So what's with you? You don't look like the normal type that hangs in Port Town. Far too..."

He sniffed the air, glancing down at her.

"Clean. Yes clean. A positively shining star amongst the dregs of that foul place. Must be destiny, you know, us meeting like this" he finished, giving her a gentle nudge.

[Kallum Romanoch]

"Yeah, must be."

Denton recieved a nudge back, far less gentle than his own, and it came from the young man who had just spoken and now occupied his place next to Tegan. He draped his arm around her and gave her a wink.

"Alright, kid," he said playfully, "Pleased teh see me?"

[Tegan]

:: Tegan laughed happily, and glomped Kallum to feel safer from Jax. Maybe now he'd take the hint. She belonged to Kallum ::

"Hello Kallum!!!! I'd like you to meet our new friend..."

:: She looked at Jax a bit haughtily, and let him introduce himself to Kallum ::

[Denton Jax]

Denton skipped ahead of the two, turning to face them and pacing backwards.

"Oh..." he piped, a little confused, before realisation hit him. "Oohhh!!"

He gasped, lifting a theatrical hand to cover his gaping mouth.

"Oh, well, this all makes sense now. My lips are sealed, I swear. I don't kiss and tell" he teased, drawing a cross across his chest with a slender finger and winking at the pair.

[Kallum Romanoch]

"'oo are you?" he asked, giving the red-haired boy a scathing once over, "An' wha're yeh talkin' about?"

He glanced at Tegan and quickly muttered, "Wha' is 'e talkin' about?"

[Denton Jax]

Denton let out a short, sharp laugh, turning and falling into line with Kallum, throwing an arm around his shoulders.

"Denton Jax's the name" he chirped, strutting alongside his newest rival. "Don't worry yourself with it. Focus on the here and now. That's what really matters, right? But!"

Jax released Kallum, sliding around smoothly to the opposite side of Tegan, stooping down so his head was next to hers, keeping eye contact with Kallum.

"Do you want to tell him, or shall I? It would seem a shame to deprive the curious lad".

[Tegan]

:: Tegan gritted her teeth, but thought fast ::

"Jax stole something from the Bothans. He's offered to share it with us in return for hiding him."

:: She smiled sweetly at him ::

"Isn't that right, Jax?" :D

[Denton Jax]

Despite the unexpected reply, Jax's grin remained perfectly in place, delighted with the girl's spirit. There was certainly much more to her than had first anticipated, and something relaxed in him, certain that she wasn't keen to see him on the end of some jealous frenzy from boy wonder next to her.

He pulled away from Tegan, checking his pockets for anything of value, having stolen nothing from the Bothans before they had found him out. Still, he had stolen something much more valuable from this charming creature.

"Why, of course!" he replied, moving behind the pair and resting an arm on each of them, and placing his head where Kallum's arm extended across to Tegan. "This little sweetheart offered to...put me up, for the night. What a generous soul she has. Ain't that right my man?"

[Kallum Romanoch]

His fury at the boy's patronising antics was so palpable he could taste it in his mouth but at the mention of stolen valuables, his rage rescinded and the tension eased from his shoulders. He watched him eagerly, the boy couldn't keep still for a second and before he knew where he was, he was draped around his shoulders.

"Yes, generous..." he muttered, somewhat bewildered, and craned his neck to make eye contact with the red-haired nuisance, "Can yeh... gerroff me? Dis is a new jacket!"

[Tegan]

:: Tegan grew impatient ::

"So do you have the goods or not? Those Bothans weren't chasing you down for no reason!"

:: She stood hands on hips and scowled at Jax ::

[Denton Jax]

Denton released himself from the pair briefly, moving around Kallum, patting and rubbing his jacket as he made his way around to the front, pressing a hand on the youth's chest to stop him. Jax hopped back, moving his head from side to side and crouching slightly, framing Kallum in between his thumbs and index fingers as if taking an imaginary picture.

"And a mighty fine jacket it is!" he finally concluded, standing upright again. "However!"

He shuffled forward between the two, ushering them closer with his hands and whispering.

"Can't really get my goods out in public, you know? Might get carted off, you see?"

[Kallum Romanoch]

A practised cautionary glance to the left then to the right then Kallum snatched Denton out of the air before he could flounce away.

"Listen, yeh red-'aired little dren," he said through clenched teeth, his grip on his shirt tightened as he pulled him in close, their noses almost touching.

"Time teh stop messin' around. Where are de goods?"

[Tegan]

:: Tegan caught a rush of movement behind them, and cleared her throat. The Bothans had caught up with them ::

"Kallum, put him down!!!"

:: She took a backwards step ::

[Denton Jax]

Jax landed a wet kiss on Kallum's cheek and sprang back out of range.

"I told you, this ain't the time!" he chided, going up on tip-toes to see what Tegan had spied.

"Aww...frell it!"

He heard the Bothan's bark as they recognised him, and instantly ducked down low. He looked around frantically, spying a row of parked speeders a short run away.

"Viola!" he exclaimed, pushing his hat down firmly on his head, catching hold of the wrists of Tegan and Kallum to drag them away.

[Kallum Romanoch]

The whipping wind was icy where his cheek was wet, it was like a cold prodding finger highlighting his moment of shame and he used the cuff of his jacket to wipe it off furiously. His lovely new jacket. His other hand tugged at Denton's grip but to his surprise the boy whippet was strong.

Angry red flashes whizzed overhead, he glanced over at Tegan who seemed as bewildered as him. They ran the length of the row of speeders when Kallum tugged so hard the trio were forced to stop, his eyes were fixed lovingly on a bright red sports racer with beautiful curves.

"Dat one! I wan' dat one!" he said breathlessly.

[Tegan]

:: Tegan sneered in annoyance. What was it with boys and their speeders anyway, she thought. Then a blasterbolt singed her hair ::

"Frelling Hezmana!!!"

:: She hopped into the passenger seat, frantically petting out the flame on the ends of her hair ::

[Denton Jax]

The crowd erupted into chaos behind them, and Denton whooped loudly, shoving Kallum roughly into the small space for luggage behind the seats and hopping across to the controls. He stooped down, resting his head on Tegan's thigh as he wired the speeder and the engine roared to life.

"Huzzah!" he yelled, putting the vehicle into gear and revving the throttle.

The speeder lurched around violently, running backward into another one with a crunch. Jax bit his bottom lip and cast quick glance at Tegan, flicking a few switches and pulling away from the walkway as more blaster shots came there way and alarms rang out across the street.

[Kallum Romanoch]

"Degads!" Kallum cried from somewhere behind them, "Wha' de 'ell are yeh doin'?"

The luggage space was narrow and cramped. Kallum lied on his back with his knees almost dug into his chest, after the minor collision he propped himself up with an arm on the gleaming chasis. The speeder lurched forward and shot off into a lane of busy traffic with effortless acceleration.

"'ang on a minute! 'ow did dis 'appen?" he barked, stirring from his little pocket of space. He prodded Denton on the shoulder and stood. "Lemme drive!"

Another burst of speed and with nothing to hold onto, Kallum fell back into the luggage well with a string of angry expletives.

[Tegan]

:: Tegan growled as she leaned over and grabbed the wheel with both hands, pulling with all her might to swing them around into a sharp u-turn. Instead of speeding away from the Bothans, they were speeding towards them ::

"THEY SHOT MY HAIR!!!" :verymad

:: She stomped on Jax' foot, forcing the speeder to accelerate like a missile. It was frelling personal now ::

[Denton Jax]

Denton whooped again, punching the air a few times as they sped back towards the walkway, narrowly missing numerous collisions. His hat flew off, disappearing into the traffic, but the red-haired cared little, caught in the moment.

Hopping out of the seat, he pulled Tegan across to she could take full control, standing with one foot on the passenger seat and one foot lifted onto the bodywork of the speeder, jutting his chest out proudly and saluting to the Bothans that were fast coming closer, resting his free fist on his hip.

"Flee, comrades!" he yelled. "Hell hath no fury like a lass with singed hair!"

[Kallum Romanoch]

"Tegs..."

The voice was muffled. Kallum scrambled onto his knees and leaned forward. His lips were inches from the girl's ear and his eyes were fixed on the rapidly approaching Bothans. A hand felt at his hip for his blaster, he'd use it if he had to but starting a shootout on Cloud City was a really stupid idea. So was this, he shook her by the shoulders.

"'ave yeh lost yer mind? Tegs! Tegs! Stop! It's just 'air!"

[Tegan]

"SHUTUP!!!" she scolded.

Her eyes narrowed as she plowed through the Bothans, pitching them into the air like matchstick men. One managed to cling for dear life to the front of the speeder, terrified as it stared into the whites of Tegan's eyes.

Gleeful and bloodthirsty and temporarily crazed, she steered the speeder towards a big stack of food crates. She intended to smash through it with ramming speed, with the unlucky bothan as a hood ornament ::

[Denton Jax]

Denton danced a short jig, sliding down the bonnet. He ripped the Bothan's coat from him, in the hope that it would have something of some value inside, before crawling back towards the seats.

"Please keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times!" he sang, pushing Kallum's head back down into the well before hopping into the cramped space on top of him to take cover from Tegan's wild driving.

[Kallum Romanoch]

She's as crazy as him, Kallum thought, floundering around under the weight of the red-headed lad. The vehicle shook violently and there was an almighty crash. His heart raced and he flailed every limb to be free of Denton's writhing body, not caring if he shoved him overboard. He called out.

"Tegs! Are yeh alright? Gerroff me! Tegs!"

[Tegan]

:: Tegan had bonked her head, and was out like a light ::

[Denton Jax]

Denton hauled himself out of the well, pulling on the Bothan's coat and standing behind Tegan's seat. He crouched, placing a hand on each side of her face and tilted her head up.

"What a woman!" he grinned gleefully.

The speeder was wedged amongst a mess of crates, the Bothan having disappeared beneath them somewhere along with the front end. The vehicle was angled upwards - it's butt in the air - with the engine having cut out.

"Move! Security coming through!" came a distant shout, pushing through the stunned crowd.

"Awww...why now, you silly girl!?"

Hooking his arms under her shoulders, Jax dragged her out of the seat as a flustered Kallum emerged.

"Come on, boy wonder. Do something useful, will ya?"

[Kallum Romanoch]

"Tegs!" he cried out, met with the sight of Tegan hanging limp in Denton's arms.

He scrambled out of the speeder and threw open the door on the driver's side. Crouching down, he cradled Tegan's face in his hands and shook her gentley, repeating her name. There was no response but she was still breathing. He hooked her arm over his shoulder and quickly hoisted her out of the vehicle with the help of Denton. Behind him, he heard the sound of the parting of an alarmed crowd and the clunk of heavy boots closing in on their location. They had to move fast.

"Take her down dat side street der!"

[Denton Jax]

"Righty-o, captain!"

The pair hobbled along as fast as possible with Tegan hanging limply between them, Denton having to repeatedly blow her hair out of his face so he could see properly.

"Is she always so wonderfully dangerous?" he asked with a grin as they slipped into the secluded alley.

[Kallum Romanoch]

"No," he answered coldly, staring into the darkness.

Once in the alley they found a place to set her down; she was sat unceremoniously slumped against an overflowing trashcan. Kallum looked down at her helpless form for a second before turning to their red-haired accomplice. He drew his blaster and in one smooth motion, the safety was off and it was aimed at Denton's chest. Kallum's eyes glimmered with malice in the dark.

"Yeh 'ave ten seconds teh reach de udder end o' dis alley an' be outta me sight. Gorrit?"

[Denton Jax]

Denton raised his hands defensively, having never even owned a shooter.

"Whoa, easy there, Trigger" he replied, stifling a laugh. "What's got you so riled? May I remind you, my good man, that you chose the horrendously fast speeder, and that she drove us into this here situation. I'm the only innocent party here" he quipped.

[Kallum Romanoch]

He wasn't buying that dren, he wouldn't even humour it. This guy had endangered Tegan's life for kicks. His finger caressed the trigger and he spoke in a whisper.

"Ten... nine... eight..."

[Tegan]

:: Tegan revived with a moan, to the sound of Kallum counting ::

"Kallum ... "

[Denton Jax]

By this time, Denton had snatched up the lid of the bin as a shield, clutching it with both hands and biting his lower lip. His face lit up as Tegan spoke, hoping she'd talk some sense into the crazed lad.

[Kallum Romanoch]

He glanced down at Tegan then returned his gaze to him. He held his weapon fast a moment longer, his eyes burning with violent desire, then lowered his aim and quickly reholstered the blaster at his hip. He dropped to one knee next to her as she roused from unconsciousness then finally tore his glare away from Denton. Her hand was soft in his, he squeezed gently and stoked her cheek.

"Y'alright, kid?"

[Tegan]

:: It took her a moment to focus, and smiled. Then she winced ::

"I think so."

[Denton Jax]

Denton threw his arms up in celebration, tossing the lid backwards in the process, sending it rolling down the alley.

"Well those Bothan's ain't" he beamed, doing a short tap-dance to move closer to the pair. "Good job you! Speeeed demon!"

He clicked his heels together in mid-air, landing behind Kallum and resting a hand on his shoulder, mentioning nothing of the threat. Jax was still in one piece, which was what had really mattered to him for his lifetime.

[Kallum Romanoch]

The weight of the hand on his shoulder made him grow tense but his smile never faltered as he eased Tegan to her feet. He rested his open hand on the small of her back to provide support.

"Yeh gave me a fright der," he confessed.

As he turned her away from the glare of the city lights and towards the long gloom of the alley, his free hand swung back and he planted a snappy backhand to Denton's crotch.

"Yer in fer a treat tonight, kiddo," he said immediately, guiding her forward, "Yer got me teh look after yeh. Yer wish is my command!"

[Denton Jax]

Denton birefly mouthed a silent "oooooooo" before rubbing the assaulted area and hopping up and down, hissing through his teeth.

"Trying to put me out of commission there, laddy?" he winced, shoving his hand down the front of his pants. "1...2...and 3. Okay, we should be fine."

Pulling his hand free, he rubbed it across Kallum's face and retreated along the alley.

"Where to, my friends?" he asked, whirling around, starting to search the jacket he had stolen.

[Tegan]

:: Tegan looked at Jax in disbelief, wondering why he hadn't ditched them already ::

"Anywhere you're not?"

[Kallum Romanoch]

Ignorant of what was being said, Kallum knocked over a trash can while thrashing in the dark; swatting, twitching, retching.

[Denton Jax]

Jax's jaw dropped, and he stopped in his tracks - as a result of both Tegan's cold remark and Kallum's reaction. He lifted his hand to his nose and sniffed.

"Oh...sorry there pal. Wasn't aware quite what I was unleashing on ya" he said with an innocent shrug, flapping the hand around in the air. "But as for you!"

The red-head placed both hands on his waist, jutting his hips slightly to one side, gazing at Tegan.

"What's this all about? I pull you from a wreckage of your creation, and this is what happens?"

He laughed sharply and loudly, wagging his finger at the girl.

"And, my hat got lost. Now, Tegan, darling..."

He moved smoothly back towards them.

"That's not very nice, is it?"

[Tegan]

:: Tegan smiled as sweetly as possible at Jax, just enough to lull him before delivering a good sharp kick in the shin. Her mood began to brighten ::

[Denton Jax]

Jax breathed heavily out of his nose, sucking on his bottom lip. She had a kick like a mule.

"You know what?" he finally replied. "I like to play fair, but you two are something else. Frikkin' nuts."

He rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Starting to wish we hadn't gone tongue to tongue, you know?"

It was once in a blue moon that Denton got even the tiniest bit annoyed. His optimistic approach to things was clear for everyone to see, but being shot at, slapped, grabbed by the collar, extorted, driven into a bunch of food crates, threatened at point blank range by the boy wonder and his blaster, slapped in the groin and kicked in the shin? There were only so many straws in Jax's hand.

[Kallum Romanoch]

Kallum lifted his face from his hands, it was red raw from rubbing and it was obvious his eyes had been running. He snorted, spat at the wall, then approached the couple with a menacing swagger.

"Wha'?"

[Tegan]

:: Tegan blushed fiercely, and ducked out of the way ::

[Denton Jax]

"Would you like me to spell it out?" Jax replied, his grin returning, miming the actions of extending a telescopic pointer and pointing it at an invisible display like a teacher.

"Kissing. Verb. To kiss. To touch or carress with the lips as an expression of affection, greeting, respect or amorousness. Also known as making out, or one of my personal favourites..." he explained, pointing out every syllable, and nudging an imaginary friend with his elbow at this point. "The tongue tango."

[Kallum Romanoch]

While Denton spoke, Kallum had predator eyes locked on him, and his body visibly tensed; jaw locked, nails dug into his palms, and his chest rose and fell steadily, expelling long huffs of air through his nose. His burning gaze flicked to Tegan and pierced her, desperate for the truth.

"Dis true?"

[Tegan]

"He stuck his tongue down my throat!!!" she protested, glaring at Jax hatefully "Then he nearly gets my head blown off by those Frelling Bothans and now he doesn't know how to take a hint if it punched him in the nose!!!!" :verymad

[Denton Jax]

"Hey! I know when these things are reciprocal or not!" Jax replied, throwing his arms out and laughing hard. She could shovel the blame on him, but they both knew she didn't protest as much as she could have. :P

Denton could almost taste Kallum's rage, boiling up inside. It if were possible, steam would most definately be hissing from the boy's ears.

"Look, let's not get caught up in who did what here. Like I told you, the here and now. You're both fine, I'm...minus a hat. Let's call it quits, eh?"

[Kallum Romanoch]

Kallum threw himself at Denton with an indecipherable battle cry.

[Tegan]

:: Tegan watched the fray, and smirked irresistibly ::

[Denton Jax]

Jax tried in vane to swat Kallum away, before getting caught fully in the face by the enraged youth's fists and stumbling back, tripping over onto his backside.

"Kallum you frellin' lunatic!" he yelled, covering his face with his hands to offer some sort of defense against the onslaught.

[Kallum Romanoch]

When he caught Denton with the blow that knocked him down, a hot racing feeling swelled inside Kallum's chest and the thrill of violence danced in his eyes. He pounded away relentlessly at the red-head as he desperately tried to shrink away from the onslaught, yet he found most of his blows were glancing off Denton's raised forearms which left him frustrated and he surged forward, lashing out with limbs thrashing.

His enthusiasm got the better of him however, and he tripped over one of Denton's flailing legs and tumbled forward over himself with his own momentum, taking down a couple of trash cans on the way with a flurry of curses.

[Tegan]

:: Tegan spied movement out of the corner of her eye, and slipped into a hiding place before the Cloud City Authorities spotted her ::

[Denton Jax]

Denton scrambled away from Kallum, rising to his feet and checking that his jaw was still in the right place. A bruise had popped up instantly on his right cheekbone.

"Take it easy, wonderboy" he teased, skipping backwards, before freezing as a firm hand rest on his shoulder.

His hands were pulled back behind him, his wrists bound in a flash before he was forced to his knees. Two more burly men advanced on Kallum, Jax closing his eyes and lifting his head upwards, sighing heavily as he realised Tegan had vanished.

[Kallum Romanoch]

Having managed to get his leg stuck in one of the upturned trash cans, Kallum wrestled to be rid of it and kicked it off, not before blurting every expletive he could think of to offend the damn thing. He whirled around.

"I'll show yeh who's a frellin' wonderboy, lad! Raaarrgh!"

A white hot fury blinded his senses and apparently, his peripheral vision too, as all he could see was Denton, all he could think of was Denton, there was only Denton and he was going to pummel him all the way to the Outer Rim. He charged, gripped in a frothing foaming frantic fury.

"Deeennnntoooooonnnnn!!"

Then something very hard and very metal struck him in the face. And his white hot rage quickly became a murky black unconsciousness.