Of Shadow and urchins.

[Megan Simoson]

Haha!

A roar of laughter spilled from a old grubby back street pub somewhere deep in Couruscant' depths. Down here the sunlight hardly met the greasy underlings of the poor districts. If you can imagine two separate worlds on the same planet, that is how it exsisted. The richer, more comfortable families living in the suns reach and the poorer, less fortunate people living in the shadow of the skyscrapers.

They had their own system of dealings, own underground pirates and organizations, and in some parts even their own unofficial currency. The life of a street urchin was one of many shadows, many hardships. Slaving for people, doing dirty jobs, mucky and smelly alike. And for a little girl of Megan age, it was hard not to grow up in the hands of a prostitute and become one.

The day began as any other did, Megan sat idle in the back street next to a pub, waiting for her ' master' to return to her and make her do odd jobs for him. of course he'd be drunk, agressive and violent, the bruises on her face proved this. But this was how she earn her keep, the roof over her head and the bread in her belly.

' oh, i wish someone would help...i really do Schizzo' he petted a grubby cat next to her, its fur like a mass of matted fur.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Up the street, a Jedi Knight was cautiously backing out of a shop. A gun was pointed at him, as the rotund shopkeeper slurred something about not wanting his type of folk in his shop – it was a local shop, for local people. Jedi, apparently, were not local. Dasquian had only wanted to buy some droid parts and had dropped in upon seeing the shop on one of his patrols. It was no small wonder that this particular shop had no custom, if the owner treated everyone like this.

Turning on his heel, he began walking once again. It wasn't the place of the Jedi to interfere in people's private lives, but he couldn't help but feel sympathy at he looked around at some of the people he passed. Most gave him dirty looks of anger or bitterness, that the Jedi did so little to help those in the under levels of Coruscant. He sighed, his eyes falling onto a young girl, sitting with a tangled mass of something or other that he could only guess to be a cat. He smiled slightly as he passed her, feeling a sense of familiarity for a moment…

[Megan Simoson]

A blonde man walked past, a Jedi it seemed, such men of that occupation rarely visited the under works of the city. it was, to her atleast, a treat to see such a fine person of the law wander these parts of the city.

' Hello sir... she said, a gentle yet angelic type voice came from her. ' I wonder if you could spare some food?' She was indeed starving. She ate little more than a scrap of bread and cheese and it was surely past midday.

' You dont have to, it..it' She was quite nervous to talk, begging was one ting, but talking to a Jedi was quite against the rules down here. She looked away suddently. A Huge man waddled from the nearby bub, a lantern from the pubs sign " The Hickerydock" only lighting his way.

' Come on you mass of useless sith spit, get up and lets go to the market.' he yelled in his druken way before heaving her roughly to her feet.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Dasquian stopped, and looked over his shoulder. The man dragged the girl, who put up little to no resistance, as though she was a ragdoll. He frowned. He couldn't stand by and watch that – not when he felt the Force telling him to do otherwise. He could sense her fear and desperation and so stalked quickly towards the pair.

"Excuse me, sir," he said, in a terribly official voice.

"You are aware that slavery is illegal in the Republic, aren't you?"

[Megan Simoson]

"Slavery? who s'd dis' is a slave?" The balding man said nodding down towards the girl, she knew better than to argue back.

"So if you dont mind...." He started around the jedi, a frown upon his face, and the girl.

[Dasquian Belargic]

"Are you sure about that? Perhaps the girl could speak for herself, and tell me what her relationship with you is."

[Megan Simoson]

"Huh?" This clearly confused him.

The girl was about the speak when from the entrance to the grotty pub spilled another three top heavey goons each carrying ether a club or item of furniture. Quickly they made a semi circle around the jedi and the other two.

" Al'righ boss?" Said one, the biggest one.

" Yeah, cept' dis meddlin' Jedi"

" Wunt' uz lot to take care of im'?"

The balding man holding the little girls hand looked at the jedi knight and then back towards the other 3 heavies.

" Kick his butt and make no mistake..." The Balding man smiled, put the girl between him and the jedi and watched as the three goons approached the jedi, furniture in hand.