Port Town Purloin

[Molly Black]

Getting back into the city in the clouds had not been the complete disaster that Molly Black had been fretfully expecting. In fact, all things considered, the whole thing had gone down faster than a Zeltron escort at the high stakes table. Mostly owing to the fact that Molly had acquired an impromptu guardian angel, a blue one, with false ID's in place of wings. Whether the Chiss would prove angel or demon was, as yet, undetermined. Right now Molly had bigger things on her mind. Things about fifty-five meters in length, with a hull that was so shiny she could have applied her eye-liner in it's reflection, and... containing everything she owned. The problem was that the Horizon-class luxury yacht, given to her for services rendered, was belonging to Molly Black - and right now she was Mrs. Temperance....Something.

Strolling through Port Town, even peopled with criminals, did not give her pause. This was her kind of crowd, and at least she knew what to expect form them. Though - she did pause at a vendor to purchase a steaming to-go cup of stim-caf, suddenly feeling like she was going to need the brain fuel. Taking her cup with her, Molly parked herself on a bench directly across from the docks where her 'baby' was indefinitely stowed, crossing her legs and bobbing one toe in a nervous manner while she tried, in vain, to come up with something to get her ship back.

[Kallum Romanoch]

Upon arriving in Port Town, Kallum saw a man; there were grease stains on his forearms and bits of fried fish in his beard. The standard was set, and he imagined that, with each step, he could feel it plummeting all around him. It was a place where the buildings were braced with durasteel girders and bulbous rivets to keep them from falling apart in a sort of triage-style of renovation. The streets where mostly empty, except in the places where there stood rickety food stalls dispensing hot rancid slop to the local wastrels and junkies that had slipped through the cracks of prosperity. And how it reeked! Kallum, whose olfactory sensibilities had been retempered with the likes of aromatic candles and scented oils, wished nothing more than to half bury his head into the collar of his jacket to minimalise the risk of infection. But that wouldn't do. His job was to blend in, mingle, and score a batch of Jeeta for his mistress.

Strictly speaking, Rai'faani Meorrrei was not his employer, that particular privilege belonged to her mother, Senator Taataani Fai'sheea Igaarrai Meorrrei, daughter of Sirraaithi Meorrrei, Rrou'fai of House Meorrrei, and Baroness Executor of Koensayr-MeorrreiCorp, if you please. That said, it was a family business, a Cizerack family business at that, meaning his penis had no power. Thus, by virtue of her gender, Rai'faani was his mistress, which was why he was wandering the grizzly underbelly of Cloud City at night in search of illicit herbal rememdies. It was fortunate then that Kallum Romanoch had a wealth of experience with grizzly underbellies and scoundrel instincts that could spot a drug dealer at a hundred paces. So he slumped onto the bench beside the conspicuous-looking woman and pressed a couple of credit chits into her hand.

"Wha' 'ave yeh go' f'me, darlin'?"

[Molly Black]

Just because Molly could handle herself, and the ruffians of Port City too if she had to, did not necessarily mean that she wanted to. Or even that it would in her best interest to do so, while simultaneously trying to keep a low profile. Sure, if someone got a little too familiar, or pushy, with her it was within her capabilities to fight back. After being tossed down a flight of stairs by her former landlord, a past boyfriend of Molly's - Hadrian Mortmain, had outright insisted that he teach her some self defense moves. Some of which were actually pretty vicious as Hadrian did not possess the.. restraint of a law man.

So when she was unexpectedly joined on her bench, Molly did not panic. She did not retort with 'A black eye?' as she was inclined to. Provoking the strung out types never ended well for anyone. Instead, she handed the wad of currency back to him, along with her cup of stim-caf, figuring the poor soul had more need of it than her.

"Here's a better idea, sugar. Go get a meal in you or something, huh?" In truth, she didn't even look at the fellow. She was far too distracted watching the comings and goings of the dock entrance across from them.

[Kallum Romanoch]

Back and forth, Kallum stared, his face twisted with bewilderment, at the returned credits and the half-empty cup of stimcaf. It took him a moment to registered what had just happened, but once the dust had settled on his upturned thoughts, the bewilderment became outrage.

"Who d'yeh think you are?" he hissed, "Deh Queen o' Naboo!?"

It was difficult, he discovered, to force objects upon someone who had no intention of receiving them. So he stood up to gain a height advantage, and once again tried to present the patronising woman with her stimcaf and his credits. She was having none of it: arms folded, and her gaze fixed intently upon the long line of docking bays behind him, Kallum got the distinct impression she wanted him to disappear. That made the both of them, then. So, grasping at one last diplomatic straw, he leaned forward and addressed her in an undertone:

"Look, just gimme some jeeta, and I'll be gone."

[Molly Black]

"Yes.. Exactly so. I am the Queen of Naboo", she confirmed with a regal, albeit distracted, bow of her head. "You may bow if you like."

He did not of course, just kept coming at her with his insistent demands for the kind of wares that Molly Black did not peddle. His rather abbreviated diction smoothed out somewhat with the last request, put to her with the sort of urgency she would expect of a junkie. As if her compliance with his request would mean salvation or hell for his night.

Snapping her blue eyes to his, she was but a breath away from giving him the' Queen of Naboo' set-down he had coming. "Look....", she started, but something made her stop.

Arching a brow, she took in the state of her pest more closely. He was not just.. some junkie. He was clean, well fed and dressed better then some of the so called gentlemen that had come into the Cloud 9, or Bliss for that matter...but there was more.. He seemed oddly familiar, though she was having a hard time placing from where.

Her eyes roamed him over up and down in blatant curiosity before she gasped. "No way..."

Without explanation, she stood up. Stepping up onto the bench so that she was a fair bit above him, thinking the new perspective would aid in her suspicion, and she was correct... She blinked down at him with a hesitant little laugh. "Kallum...?"

[Kallum Romanoch]

Kallum gaped like a land-locked gooberfish. What a change a shift in perspective makes. Suddenly, he was a grubby-faced ten year old once again. This woman, he knew. She had curly hair back then, and short skirts, and long legs and clickity-click heels. She had a made-up kind of name... Molina. Molly. That was it: Molly. She was one of Sorsha's favourites. Years had come and gone since they last met, and now, a reunion in Port Town, of all places.

It occured to Kallum that he'd thus far not said a word since Molly had mounted the bench and uttered his name. In the meantime, his expression had morphed through shock, to wonder, and finally, settling on confusion. His brow knit as he considered the damning evidence before him. At last he said:

"Molly? When did yeh become a drug dealer!?"

[Molly Black]

Watching the play of emotions cross the increasingly familiar face confirmed all Molly needed to know. The pest of today was, indeed, the pest of years ago. When he said her name though, Molly rested a hand on his shoulder, stepping back down off the bench.

"Shhhh, I'm not Molly.", she looked around in a slightly fearful manner. "I'm Temperance now, apparently."

She did not sound happy about her new identity. In fact, the more she pondered the name the more she became increasingly convinced Vilen had selected it for her on purpose. A continual reminder of the real danger she was in and not to be reckless. Which was exactly what she was being, just by being in Port Town.

"...and really? I look that bad that you thought I was a drug dealer?" Her bottom lip turned out in distress, but she shook it off. Just being near the kid made her feel decidedly old. The last time she had seen him he had been covered in grease and... disassembling Sorsha's hyperdrive.

"Look at you though.. little mascot, all grown up. You look good, kiddo.", she teased, sitting back down on her bench and patting the space beside her.

"What do you want with that stuff anyway?", just because she didn't indulge, or have any on hand, did not mean that she could not locate it if there was a need.

[Kallum Romanoch]

"It's no' f'me," he said, taking a seat, "It's f'someone wi'... discernin' taste."

Old acquaintance or not, Kallum wasn't prepared to divulge a name to a woman whose career was built on information. Buffeted by a cold wind, he pulled his jacket tight and sunk deeper into the bench. They could look suspicious together. On the horizon, pale lights glared for as far as the eye could see, where great machines heaved, and droids swarmed around ships in the bustling loading bays. There were ports and docking bays to accomodate every variety of ship, and the night sky was scarcely unstreaked by the glow of departing engines. It was an impressive sight, provided one could put out of mind the purgatory that rose up behind them. Kallum took in their surroundings, and noticed that, apart from the string of seedy cantinas that littered the skyfront, there was nothing else of interest to be found. His eyes snapped to Molly, narrowed in sudden disbelief.

"D'yeh 'ave any idea 'ow shifty yeh look 'angin' round 'ere in deh gloom?"

[Molly Black]

Although at the moment Molly could care less who he was procuring the jeeta for, it would no doubt resurface in her thoughts later when she was not completely focused on the recovery of her property. Stretching out her long legs before her, Molly crossed her ankles, pulling the strings on her hood tighter. It was getting chilly, she should probably abandon her quest for tonight.

"I look shifty?" Molly hadn't considered that. She was used to looking like a million credits, and the possibility that she did not at present had never even occurred to her. She pulled her hood lower over her face, suddenly convinced she looked like a Hutt sitting there.

"I'm not trying to be shifty. See that dock?" It was impossible to miss the immensity of the dock in question right across from them. "My ship has been impounded there. I can't just go get it... I'm kind of in a...spot of trouble."

[Kallum Romanoch]

"Lemme get dis straight. Yer in 'ot water wi' dee authorities, 'oo 'ave also impounded yer ship, an' because yeh can't jus' go knockin' on deh door, yeh thought deh best thing teh do was 'ang around outside 'til someone started askin' questions?"

The question was emphasised with a unflattering peak in the pitch of his voice. Kallum cleared his throat, and leaned forward until his elbows rested on his knees. His head gave a tilt so he could peak inside Molly's hood and see her face once again. Where there had once been the harsh lines of disbelief, his expression was soft and his eyes were bright with amusement. He smiled.

"Yer 'aven't thought dis through prop'ly, eh?"

[Molly Black]

That was the second time she had recently been accused of not thinking the situation through (http://theholo.net/forum/showthread.php?22582-When-She-Was-Good&p=383269&viewfull=1#post383269). It must be true. Molly sighed. "Yeah, someone else already told me the same thing."

"You make it sound so silly when you put it like that.", she grumbled, taking a sip of her stimcaf to ward off the chill.

"It's not like that. I just sat here when you accosted me, you scamp. I'm doing some.. reconnaissance. That's all."

Her defense was weak. Really weak, but she was an informant/waitress not the master mind of dastardly deeds and yacht theft.

"I suppose you have a better idea?", she peeked out from her hood with a hopeful expression.

[Kallum Romanoch]

Kallum read her expression carefully and took note of the tone of her voice. Absent was the condescending sneer and the self-important bluster with which he had become so accustomed from the other women in his life. How refreshing it was to look into Molly's eyes and see genuine need. The question was a request then, not a challenge. Suddenly, he sprang up from the bench.

"Actually, I do," he said, and with a playful smile, gave a nod towards one of the nearby cantinas, "Come an' 'ave a drink wi' me!"

[Molly Black]

There was nothing more to be gained from sitting here, apparently looking shady, and trying to think of a clever way to gain her ship back. Tired and tense as she was, even Molly understood that. Besides, Kallum was wearing this playful expression that was way too promising to ignore.

Nodding her assent, Molly tossed her rather nasty cup of 'caf away in a receptacle as she rose. "Yeah ok.. sure."

The hell could it hurt?

"Which of these completely reputable cantinas will you take the Queen of Naboo to?"

[Kallum Romanoch]

"Well, yer 'ighness, yer spoiled f'choice. Over dere is Deh Squinting Geejaw, which looks respectable enough - only 'alf deh lights are ou', see? An' da' pinkish place over dere is called Deh Violet Lounge."

Molly gave him a look which, despite failing to disarm his practised innocence, made the decision for them. On the outside, The Squiting Geejaw was an unassuming place; tucked between tall dilapidated factory buildings, it was a hole in the ground beneath an arch of green flickering letters. This was the style of most cantinas in Port Town - it being the exposed weather-beaten edge of the city that it was - where a sunken entrance kept the bracing winds at bay. And so, with the howling night at their backs, Kallum and Molly descended the narrow staircase into the maw and were greeted by the sound of music and cheer.

There were posters on every inch of the flanking walls, and ancient notices peeling away at intervals, advertising drinks, bands, and job openings. The most recent glossiest addition to the wall was plastered overhead at the foot of the stairs, it was promoting the cantina's current house band, a local group called Smuggler's Scruff. And it the music of Smuggler's Scruff, and the sight of dozens of drunken spacers all singing in rowdy unison, that greeted them when they stepped inside. The floor was sticky and glass crunched underfoot as they squeezed their way to the bar. Whereupon, sandwiched between an amorous couple of Rodians and an unconcious Wookiee, they were approached by a burly bartender with mostrous tattooed arms.

"What'll it be, me old mucker?" he grunted.

"Gimma a Quick Chit, an' f'me lady friend 'ere, a Slicer Spicer," he glanced at Molly, and said, "Trust me, yeh don' wanna try any'n' else in a place like dis!"

[Molly Black]

"I believe you.", Molly laughed, pulling back the hood from her head once more. Tugging free her pony tail, she gave her hair a quick shake out, turning just in time to grab her drink that the bartender had sent sloshing her way. "Thank you!", she beamed a grin toward him that was utterly wasted, in her opinion.

All in all it was not so bad of a place, as seedy dives went. At least they were a lively bunch presently. Molly wasn't a hundred-percent sure of the lyrics to their songs, but tonight they were sung with such enthusiasm and repetition that she was pretty sure she would know them all forever by the time they left. She proved this theory a minute later by lifting her Slicer Spicer at the start of the chorus and singing along.

Laughing a little she turned back to Kallum. "Alright, I defer to your superior knowledge of disreputable cantinas. Lead on."

[Kallum Romanoch]

As he etched a path from the packed bar to the deserted booths, Kallum gave Molly an amused sideways glance, "Like yer so innocent."

It was a stab-in-the-dark kind of assumption, but one he made with a moderate degree of confidence. Back then, he was too green to know the sordid details of Sorsha's associates, but that Molly had associated with her at all was reason enough for suspicion. She was no common scum, though, even as a kid he could see that. Kallum suspected she was some kind of specialist, like a high-class assassin who bedded senators of a night and poisoned them in the morning. Maybe it was no coincidence that their paths crossed, after all. And if there were deadly intentions behind that killer smile, he thought, as they sat, then he was doomed.

"Teh scum an' villainy!" he raised his glass, and drank, "Now, tell me abou' dis ship o' yours."

[Molly Black]

Scum and villainy. Yeah, she would drink to that. If the years had proven anything to Molly it was that you could count on their type to be exactly what they were, scum and villains. At the same time though among that same crowd were the only people that she truly trusted. The ones that came through when it mattered. Knowing who to trust was very important to her. She would not go so far as to say she trusted Kallum. She liked him just fine, but it had been years, and the sort of people they knew.. she might be worth more to them as a heap of long legs and tumbled skirts in some alley.

Shuddering at the thought, Molly sipped her drink, which was... not half bad. Choking just a little she began as she slid into a booth.. "Alright... the ship was given to me by Sorsha. It's not just a ship though, I mean.. I was living in it.", she admitted sheepishly.

"You remember a girl named Varla (http://theholo.net/forum/showthread.php?17847-Take-Her-For-A-Spin!-(Varla)).? A working girl, liked the alien types. Well, she had the ship outfitted so nicely that once I saw her, I never really wanted to return to my silly apartment."

She leaned forward as if to impart something incredibly secret. "There's a pool!", she whispered, but then sat back with a sigh. "And all my clothes and shoes..."

"Well, after I left Cloud City I became...", she looked around and dropped her voice even lower, " .. a person of interest. If I try to just waltz in there and get my ship I'm sure to get detained."

[Kallum Romanoch]

"An' dat's why I'm callin' yeh Temperance righ' now?"

The name, if it really was a name, tumbled out with a note of disbelief. Kallum's expression wilted in pity. Still, a dodgy alias was better than a prison number. As he sat and listened to Molly's story, it seemed the more she said, the more she wrapped herself up in mystery. It made Kallum wary of her company and of the bleary-eyed drunks all around them. Absently, his gaze flicked from corner to corner, from the entrance to the stage, and from the bartender back to Molly. There was nothing immediately suspicious to be seen, but he knew from experience that a wanted man, or woman, could seek refuge in the company of scoundrels for only so long. The Empire would find her, it was only a question of when, and when depended upon just how interesting a person of interest she'd become.

Despite his apprehension, Kallum kept his cool. If a cloud of stormtroopers descended upon The Squinting Geejaw, the only crime of which he could be charged was a poor taste in women and drink. It was loyalty that kept him rooted, a loyalty that he believed to have been misplaced long ago, when he was snatched from the jaws of depravity by his illustrious mistress. It was a curious thing: everything about the place, the company, and the conversation was anathema to his new life, a life of luxury and privilage, the sort of life crooks dreamed of living. And yet, it was there, in the gloom, with the smoke, and the music, and the sticky floors and wobbly tables, with spice in his pocket and a blaster on his thigh, that he felt most at home.

He considered Molly a moment longer, then leaned in close on his elbows. His gaze was locked and alight with mischief as he said:

"So... Temperance, jus' 'ow interes'n do dese Imps dink yeh are?"

[Molly Black]

"Not sure really." She swirled her drink around in her glass, not really drinking it so much as she was toying with it.

"They aren't after me at all really. It's someone else they want, and they think I know where to find him." She chose not to elaborate on whether or not it was true that she could find this person.

Molly sighed deeply, feeling the full measure of the phrase 'No good deed goes unpunished.' If she had stuck to dirty deeds, she would probably now be swimming laps in luxury, not sipping drinks with Kallum and listening to the Smuggler's Scruff's latest set. Nothing against present company, but her bleeding damn heart was going to get her exactly that - shot in the chest.

She watched Kallum as he watched everyone else. Molly couldn't blame him for the paranoia. She probably was bad news and she was grateful that he had pointed out how suspicious she had been making herself appear. This was all new to her. This was the sort of worrying other people did while she patted them on the arm consolingly and served them a nerf filet.

"So, how hopeless am I?"

[Kallum Romanoch]

"Salvageable, I reckon," he said, with a shrug, "It's no' like yer mastermind'n' a plo' teh assassinate deh empress, after all."

Truthfully, Kallum was relieved to the point of being a little disappointed. So Molly knew something the Empire wanted to know? Who didn't these days? And if the boys in white could have their way, they'd torture and interrogate every Imperial citizen on principle alone. There was a good chance she could remain on Cloud City indefinitely, and without fuss, provided she avoided any official checkpoints. Unfortunately, what with the lustful way she'd been eyeing up that dock, Kallum wouldn't bet on it.

On the stage, Smuggler's Scruff appeared to be wrapping up for the night: Tobi Ho, the Twi'lek vocalist, rose from behind his nalargon and flitted about his band mates, providing them with introductions and applause. First there was Caribu Con, a bass mando-playing Besalisk who also provided throaty backup singing. Then, there was a Mon Calamari xantha-player called Mon Whiskey, and his little boy, Blue Milk, who honked alongside him on a scruffy floonorp. Finally, there was Umbongo, the drumming Dug; he recieved the loudest cheer of all. When he returned to his nalargon, Tobi Ho announced that the evening's set would be closed with a new song called Emperor's Black Bones. Another cheer from the crowd.

"What's deh plan, den? Steal away wi' yer ship, take a dip in deh pool," honestly, he was dubious about that bit, "An' den wha'? Waitressin' on Nar Shaddaa? Yer own syndicate on Hutta?"

[Molly Black]

"Hey...", she lifted her chin, looking down her nose at her drink as she sipped. "Queen of Naboo, remember?"

She was absolutely not going to admit to Kallum that once again, she had not thought that far ahead. Besides, it was only half true. Molly had thought about making an expedient exit. She'd decided against it, figuring all she would achieve would be the Empire and a vexed Chiss after her.

Yeah, no..

"Think I'll be sticking around here for a while actually. I just wanted to do it on my own terms. I'll have to find new work, and I don't want to start it by having to depend on an employer for every little detail. I don't want to owe any more of a debt than I already do, and it is my ship.", she felt justified in taking it back.. however it was done.