Innocent Voices (OPEN)

[Mégumi Cyvelle]

The light had gone many hours ago. She couldn't see much of anything save that of the sky above that was painted with stars. The only thing she could feel was that of her own life pouring out of her body. Blood, sweat, tears, anything and everything covered her face like a splattered painting as she tried to protect the hole in her stomach with her crimson colored hands. She panted and wheezed as she found the air harder to come by, it easily going in but hard to breathe out.

It wasn't her fault she was in this mess but it was her fault that she was laying there slowly dying, allowing herself to succumb defeat. She tried to move but she was immobile, both by fear and by her body shutting down on her. Damn her father for putting her into this situation, damn everyone who betrayed her.

A black shadow came over her, his face being hidden by the darkness, he laughed at her, laughed at the situation, and laughed at her ignorance for thinking she could kill him. "Did you want to die?" He asked in a voice that was deep and coarse. She felt a fear she had never felt before but she couldn't do anything.

"If that was the best you could do, then by all means do your worst." She was barely able to reply but somehow she was holding on even though she was rushing towards the cliff, ready to jump off the edge and plunge to a certain death. How he would admire her for the words she spoke no matter how faithless they were. If only she knew that he could do worse and that he would.

"Kill me..." She said lowly, a small gust of wind allowing her to breathe for a moment.

"What if I prefer to watch you suffer?"

"Is that an ultimatum? If so, I'd rather die swiftly." The man drew in a sharp breath that could be heard even six feet down from his towering body.

"Enjoy the afterlife, Még, so few of us have the opportunity to see it." He pulled out a shiny blaster and aimed for her but he stopped short of ending it all, hesitation stepping in. "Enjoy the pain." He knew she wouldn't be walking, her legs were crippled by powerful blows by object they had managed to find, too bad he had found the blocks first.

In a way she was glad he was leaving her, but any thought of survival was a forlorn hope, she was in the middle of a dark alley where nobody would see her, she had to think of a way to live and think of a way to avenge the wrongdoings her family had done to her.

[Jesimae Phoenix]

Jesimae was breathing heavily as she ran down the alley and saw her lying on the ground, bleeding from an unknown source. Her letter had come two days late and she had no way to contact her without letting anyone know of her whereabouts. Mégumi was trying to keep everything hidden but it was too late now, Jesimae was too late.

She bit back the tears as she turned the corner, walking towards the body that laid lifeless on the ground. She could see her eyes were closed, blood sprayed on her face, hair stuck to her face from an obvious fight. Jesimae had lost enough family already, she didn't think she could lose anymore.

"Oh God..." Jesimae let the handle of her blaster go after she had tucked it tightly into her holster. She glanced around wearily, hoping the attacker had gone for the way Még looked she didn't think she could fight the person off, the information they had was too great to lose, too great to sacrifice their lives for without telling someone else.

The woman lying on the ground coughed violently and Jesimae had drawn her weapon as if this person laying on the ground was to be feared in such a condition.

"Még, I'm here." Jesimae fell to her side quickly and pushed the hair out of her eyes, blood off her face, and tried to see if she could move.

"Little late don't you think?" Még grinned, biting back the pain seh felt coursing through her body as if it were liquid fire being pounded through her veins.

"Don't be smart, come on, I need you to use every bit of strength you have, we must get out of here and go back to the shelter."

"Shelter?"

"Don't ask questions, Még, you're too weak. But I've found him , he's going to help us" Még groaned in response as Jesimae picked up her head and grabbed her right hand.

"I can't walk, he broke my legs." Jesimae glanced into her dark eyes, the fear and panic written on her face. She swallowed the hard hitting information with a grain of salt and nodded.

"No matter, I'll carry you if I have to." Még laughed and Jesimae wondered how she could keep her sense of humor at a time like this but she admired it none the less.

Jesimae was good for her word, everyone knew, and if she assured Még safety she was going to do it. Despite not being blood related the two had known each other well enough to say they were and there was one thing Még knew Jesimae wouldn't do and that was leave her there to die.

"He's not seen the last of you, not if I have anything to do with it." Jesimae grabbed her under the arms and lifted her up, trying her best to get her to the cruiser.

[Mégumi Cyvelle]

It was the best thing she had seen all night, along with the best thing that had happened as well. The two quickly made their way from the cold and dismal night which held undeniable fears in the shadows and night life that she despised more than anything. They dodged heavy traffic as Jesimae went to their asylum, where Mégumi knew she'd be helped immensely.

"Cousin," Még said happily once they had made their way into the apartment where they both found she had not been impaired as greatly as they had thought. "I cannot repay you for this great rescue, why hadn't you come sooner?"

Jesimae knew the answer would disappoint her but she had to tell her the truth for no answer at all would hurt her more deeply. As Még sat in the bath that steamed heavily, killing anything that touched her body, cleansing her to such a point that her body glistened the creamy white she had always been proud of. Dirt, sweat, and blood floated around the edge of the water allowing her to see how horrid a shape she had been in. Jesimae sighed as she walked into the bright bathroom where she watched her lean over the side of the tub, holding a glass of whiskey.

Jesimae tossed a towel over the shower rod that was empty save a few rings that normally would hold a curtain which nowadays seemed useless considering the more wealthier tenants of Coruscant had more expensive showers than the mere bounty hunter had, well ex-bounty hunter.

Még heard her sigh softly as she busied herself in a cabinet trying to find ointments and bandages to mend her fresh and stinging wounds they had both found and gasped in horror before her bath.

"I can't tell you how sorry I am, cousin, truly I am." The remorse was easily heard and even worse when she looked into the hazel eyes that were trying hard to remain focused.

"I didn't need an apology, Jesimae, I asked why you didn't reply to my letters, why you never came to visit, and why you didn't tell me about father." Még raised her eyes from the yellow liquid in her short glass to see Jesimae glance down at her.

"You honestly think I knew that your father had paid Deacallion to kill you and your brother?"

"I don't know why you didn't after all-"

"How dare you accuse me of such a thing! Jabari had been killed by Deacallion do you truly believe I'd allow him to take your sibling? I thought I knew you better." She slammed the door closed and Még realized how she had offended her but she had to ask, who else knew of Decallion?

"I'm not meaning to accuse anyone at this moment, I'm sorry but I need answers and right now I'll settle for just about anything." Jesimae rubbed her eyes and walked to her and sat down on the floor, grabbing a sponge to clean her bruising back.

"It's all right, I suppose. Decallion has been looking for me, he's been stalking me."

"How do you know?"

"I can feel it. Még it was stupid of you to come here to get revenge on your father." Jesimae was right, she always was, but she couldn't help but feel that she knew too much at times.

"He paid to have me killed! I deserve to find him and to kill him, I just didn't know I'd find a man protecting him, a much taller and stronger man." Még let out a sigh after drinking the rest of the whiskey.

"What am I going to do with you, you can't traipse around Coruscant trying to find a man you cannot find and seeking personal vendetta's. You'll get killed doing it and this time I might not be around to save you." Még nodded and leaned up, the tub barely covering her.

"I can and I will." Jesimae sighed out in anger and stood up, tossing the sponge into the water and beginning to walk out of the bathroom. "Where are you heading?" She watched the tall curvacious woman turn around and grin.

"While you go kill a bunch of beastly men and become more injured than you already are I am going out." Jesimae turned and walked away out of Még's view.

"Since when did you go out ?"

"When I stopped seeking vendetta's."

[Jesimae Phoenix]

"Please!" Még said as she rolled her eyes and grabbed the plug in the bathroom and allowed the water to drain. She grabbed the towel and quickly dried off and put it around her, covering her body up as she stepped out into the living room where she saw Jesimae bending over and grabbing a blaster and stuffing it into the holster she had around her thigh knowing it was the only way she loved to carry concealed weapons.

"Stay here and get some rest, I've got some business to attend to, Még."

"Yeah I'm sure you do, when you get killed I'm gonna look at your body and tell you how I warned you about going out and gambling." Jesimae sighed and turned around glancing at the barely covered girl, wishing she wouldn't feel so free to wander around like that. Sure they were kin but it bother Jesimae to think she was bringing her past life into her home.

"I don't think you have a say in what I do just like I didn't have a say in your...red lighting."

"Don't start. I was young and stupid."

"Really I guess now you're old and stupid? Why are trying to kill a man you can't find?" Még crossed her arms, angry that Jesimae was actually trying to stop her from getting justice.

"Jesimae, he tried to have me killed because of what I know."

"Hmm, what you know and I guess that's everything?" She watched her struggle to find something to say after a moment of silence she turned and grabbed the long black coat off the chair and pull it on.

Még watching the long material come to a stop by her knees as she mentally fought with herself. She didn't care how Jesimae got money and made a living she just wished she stop acting like she wasn't a bounty hunter when both knew good and well she had slipped back into the line of work that killed her brother.

"I'm going to bed. If I were you I'd try not to get any stains on that nice coat, I don't care how advanced this galaxy has become blood is still hard to get out."

[Mégumi Cyvelle]

Még heard Jesimae scoff as she turned and walked out the door, the walls practically shaking down when the door finally slammed shut. Még understood how she had crossed some lines while speaking with her but she didn't care, she needed to understand that this was personal, her own father was trying to have her murdered, his own flesh and blood.

Slowly she walked into the bedroom where she found a few clothes in Jesimae's dresser, all fitting perfectly despite Még being a bit smaller. She walked out after a moment to find the liqour cabinet, helping herself she poured another glass of whiskey and slowly sipped in the room that was shadowed and dark.

Footsteps could be heard down the hall and she wondered perhaps if Jesimae was coming back to apologize for the smart remarks but when the person stopped and banged on the door violently she couldn't help but laugh.

"Always forgetting your keys!" She said as she sat down the tumbler and walked to the door where she could see the person's shadow under the slit. "You could never keep up with them!" Még walked to the door and began to unlock it but when she caught a glimpse of the person in the peep hole she stopped.

Whoever it was, it surely wasn't Jesimae.