A Second Cantina, Perhaps Some Ale, but No Sandstorm

[Blessèd Sith]

Nalaen put on a sweet, endearing smile as she lowered the cowl of her cloak, exposing a relatively pretty face, covered in ritual tattoos and minor scarification. Her eyes shone almost invitingly as she slowly shrugged the black robe off; one shoulder, then the next, it slipping leisurely onto the back of her chair.

 

"I'd love a game," she said with a sigh, reaching into her robe and pulling out a worn deck that she had been collecting since she was a kid. This would be interested. Hell, even if he didn't have any information to spill over a nice game of pazaak, she could still get her mind off the woman in the corner . . . Her eyes went to Kira's and back to the man beside her so quickly that only one sensative to the Force would have ever been able to tell there was movement. She wanted to know what Kira thought. On the pretense of setting her cards casually on the table, she reached out with a tendril of the Force, searching him. But even before she probed him, she knew something with him was up. Why would one come to such a dingy cantina to play pazaak and win credits? No one here would have enough to make it worth his while to do professionally. Interesting.

 

So what was he here for? Or was she just over-intellectualising? Perhaps he was completely innocent and really was just here for a drink, fondle and game of cards. Nothing wrong with that. Still, she was a trained Sith; moreso, a trained Sith assassin and it didn't do one well to assume that people weren't a threat. Especially when she was on a mission.

 

"Let's play."

[jokemaster]

"All right." The man felt her probing her, but only blocked off essential areas and subtly lead her elsewhere.

He set up his deck slowly, as if though he was a newbie to the game, waiting to see how she would react.

[jblue789]

Lussk leaned onto a counter as Jezrinth hopped up next to him. "I'm guessing that means your 'moves' were successful?" the Trandoshan queried, pointing at a red mark on his friend's neck.

 

"Oh no, she was a bit boring, ya know? Not very talkative. Found a group of other ladies who were much more talkative," Jezrinth grinned, as Lussk chuckled. "So, how were your games?"

 

"Oh, they were fine, earned about ten thou total. Last game I played I lost. Good player, he was." Jez nodded.

 

"So, what're you doin' now?"

 

"I *was* watching some holo-coliseum games, until you interrupted me."

 

"Ah! Really now? Who did Bragga set up for this one?" Jezrinth said, peeking over at a screen.

 

"An old Jedi Master, one of those real short fellas. Up against a huge group of mercs and stuff, the Jedi is just destroying the mercs."

 

"Not that surprising."

[Writer]

Kira smiled slightly and shifted slightly to get a better look at the game unfolding in front of her.

 

__________________________________

 

 

Meanwhile, across the cantina, Nadira finally began to glance around the room. Her eyes first settled on Kira, who returned the stare until she felt she couldn't. Nadira smiled slightly when the other woman dropped the stare. Then, she looked at the others in the cantina. Finally, her gaze fell on Nalaen and her smile faded.

 

"I've met you before," she whispered to herself. Flashes of things began to resurface in her memory.

 

The Cantina, the perfectly dreadful few hours spent there. The start was the worst. Nadira and the others there had been trapped in a dirty cantina on Tatooine because of a perfectly dreadful sandstorm. To add to an already bad day, Nadira had asked for water and had recieved Force knows what. It had been terribly bitter and she'd demanded the mistake be corrected.

 

"Adar," Nadira whispered. She'd once called him a brother, but he had betrayed her and her parents. Thanks to being trapped in that cantina, she'd confronted and killed him. A small gasp. That was it! This other woman had been in the cantina and had also wanted Adar dead! That left Nadira to wonder who Nalaen's companion was.

[90SK]

Kablo, now desperate, looked across to a dark corner. A woman sat alone at a table. She was staring over at another table, occupied by...pazaak? Were they playing a game? Kablo squinted. They were! Did this lone woman wish to engage in a game? Kablo grimaced. Fate was conspiring against him. But, alas, his aversion to women was less so than his aversion to being arrested for not paying docking fees. He got up from his table and approached the woman's table.

 

Kablo had little charm about him. He stared into the womans eyes. They were very pretty eyes... "I'm sorry to bother you, but I couldn't help but notice you seem interested in a game of pazaak."

[Writer]

At first, Nadira did not answer. But when she did, her voice was almost inaudible.

 

"Am I interested in the game?" she asked quietly. "Or the players and the audience?"

[90SK]

Kablo raised his eyebrow. A crazy. Just what he needed.

 

He sat down.

 

"Those people over there. They were playing pazaak. Actually, there have been several games going on, from what I've seen. You seemed interested. I can only assume you too wish to play. I'm offering you a game. Are you interested?"

 

Of course, Kablo thought to himself, when she finds out that I have nothing of value to bet, any potential interest will fade. He sighed. He could always bet his ship...

[Writer]

A hint of a smile fell on Nadira's lips. "I do not gamble." She looked back to the table that held the other two women and their gambling friend. "However, I do thank you for your kind offer."

[Blessèd Sith]

He fumbled with the cards in his hands. She gazed idly around his face and the area behind him. But peripherally, she followed his fingers. She noticed something slightly odd, but she couldn't quite nail it down. Though he acted like a rookie player, his fingers touched the cards with professional familiarity. Was he trying to play mind games with her? How delightful. She did love mind games. Smiling almost blushingly at him, she gained her composure and nervously set out her cards. Two could play at that game, though she suspected the rattling of her nerves would aid her deception. Not that it really mattered to her. Whether he was professonal or not, she could bet any amount of credits and lose them all; all that really mattered was trying to grill him. For something. She didn't know what yet.

 

She felt something strange. As she continued to search him with the Force, it was almost like gentle breezes were pressing on her will, making her want to redirect her search. She wouldn't allow her brow to furrow, lest she give herself away, so slowly, calmly, she withdrew the tendrils, not quite understanding. Could he have sensed her? Could he be Force sensitive: or even a practitioner? It didn't matter right now. Instead, she let the Force rest around him, sensing the aura he was giving off, as all creatures did. As she let those tendrils rest like lazy arms, she concealed herself in the Force, to block everyone else out. If there were Force users about, she didn't want a sign above her flashing "I'm a Sith!". This would do for now.

 

The game commensed. Nalaen looked blankly at the cards on the table; then she looked to the four in her hand. Her expression didn't change. If this spawned something and she made it out of here, she could inform the Masters that allowing pazaak really had been in the Siths best interest. Who knew? Sensing Kira staring at her, she turned her head slightly and smiled, the first betrayal of emotions. Calculated of course. What could her opponent get from her acknowledging the person she was with? Nothing. And it made her look normal and slightly nervous, needing to look to someone else for comfort. So it could do her some good.

 

It took a moment, but the sense finally creeped in. The woman was looking at her. And she felt familiarity, not just from herself, but on HER part. So, she was recognised, and it felt like the woman was wary. But not enraged or unsure. Well, that was interesting. Most people who had ever met her were lucky to hate her later. So who was this person who didn't loathe her but knew her? The woman didn't feel like a Sith . . . but still. There was something about her.

Damn it. Her wandering mind made her lose that hand. Not a muscle twitched on her face, not really caring about the credits on this game. There was still two more hands to go anyhow.

[90SK]

Kablo held back a sob. A mocking voice in his head sang out. Ha, no pazaak for you.

 

"I see. Why don't you gamble? Did you have a bad or experience," He tried to sound conversational, but his disappointment showed in his voice, "or are you just cautious?"

[Writer]

Nadira stared at the man sitting across from her. Could he possibly be near tears simply because she refused to gamble with him? Her conclusion was that he was desperate.

 

"I do not gamble because there are far better ways to gain credits," she answered patiently. "Whenever you gamble, you'll eventually loose. In light of this fact, I conclude that it is better to simply avoid the sport altogether."

[jokemaster]

The man looked up after winning the hand, and grinned.

"Well, I've NEVER won two hands in a row, let's see how my luck goes."

The man arranged his deck again, this time his hands worked only a little bit faster.

[90SK]

Kablo was lost for words. While he wanted to be annoyed, the woman's logic was flawless. At long last, he sighed, and shrugged.

 

"Do you have any better ideas, opposed to gambling?" Kablo said, resigned. "I'm open to suggestions if you know of lucrative alternatives to pazaak."

[Writer]

"How much money do you need?" Nadira asked, staring directly into his eyes.

[90SK]

What? Kablo tried to avoid the eyes, looking down at his hands instead. This woman was not like one he had met before.

 

"I...just enough to pay the docking fees. I'm not staying on this planet for long." His voice trembled slightly, and he cleared his throat.

[Writer]

"The two women over there," Nadira said, nodding toward Nalaen and Kira. "I know you noticed them. Approach the one who's playing pazaak with the man at the table and tell her what I'm about to tell her this: Adar's killer greets the Sith warrior who hunted him."

 

"If you tell her this," Nadira went on, "I will give you the money you need."

[jokemaster]

The game was close this time, at least as close as the man could make it and still lose. He wondered exactly who the woman was and what she was doing here, and watched closely for any reaction.

[90SK]

Kablo listened with amazement. All he needed to do was go over and relay a message? It was unreal. There was more to this than he was getting. He sighed. Nothing but trouble.

 

"What an amazingly generous offer." He looked up at the woman and leaned closer in. "What's the catch?"

[Writer]

Nadira grinned slightly. "A catch? Well, I hadn't thought of one... if you want one, I'll oblige." She glanced at Nalaen. "After hearing this, there's really no telling what she'll do. I do believe, however that you won't be killed. You'll live to collect the money."

[90SK]

Kablo laughed, dryly. What wonderful incentive.

 

"Fine," he said, meeting her stare. "I've been bored as hell anyway."

 

He got up slowly, stretching out his muscles. Then he sighed, and sauntered his way across the cantina up to the woman's table. Like his tablemate said, she appeared to be playing pazaak with a young man. It was a good match, and for a moment Kablo found himself caught up in it. He couldn't help himself, it was second nature too him. Then, reminding himself that he had more important things do, he fortified himself, and lightly tapped the woman on the shoulder.

 

 

"Excuse me. I'm terribly sorry to interrupt your game: I have a message for you."

[jokemaster]

The young man looked up at the new arrival, curious to see what the message was.

[jblue789]

Jezrinth sighed and handed a hundred credits to a Rodian. "Well, I'm kinda tired. Wanna head out?"

 

"Sure."

 

After waving good-bye to their friends, the two left the Cantina, heading for the docks, and hopping onto their Corellian Freighter, the Vermillion Eagle.

 

((Well, I don't really want to do anything in the cantina anymore, so, I'm off ))

[Blessèd Sith]

Nalaen had actually won that hand. Nice. She allowed a look of glee to flash in her eyes. To show no reaction would be too telling of her practice. They set out their cards once again; to her, these games of absolute random chance were intellectually interesting. All her life, she knew that the Force influenced everything. From the way the wind blew, to how rocks formed, the Force was thriving. A simple twist of her mind and she could change the workings of the Force, change how things ended up. Manipulate situations, minds, events. But these cards: they had no natural life. There was no Force connection. And though she could probably increase her odds with strenuous application of the Force, it still amazed her that in this galaxy where coincidences were actually the workings of the Force, these cards were truly random. A few won games in a row was really the only true coincidence that could exist. Because then the cards could turn, and there was nothing one could do about it. The Force had no power here. The only power was in the mind behind the cards. But that wasn't the point of this game. It didn't matter if she won, so there was no point in cheating.

 

There was a presence near her. She couldn't see it, but she could feel it, watching . . . not so much herself, but the game. Another pazaak player? What else would someone willingly come into this place for? That, booze or cheap women. Her eyes flitted around. Very cheap. Returning blank eyes, and an equally blank face to the game, she studied the cards laid out before her. Yuck. This would take a lot of luck for her to win. Even thinking the word luck made her wince; luckly she was able to keep it mentally. Luck wasn't a word Sith used. It wasn't a word any Force user should use. But here she was, at the whim of fate: a card too high or too low could sink her. And still it fascinated her. Looking at the two cards left in her hand, she recited the numbers in her head over and over as a focusing tool. What to do, what to do?

 

But there was nothing to be done. The one hovering tapped her shoulder. Her muscles stiffened slightly, her mind flying immediately to the hilt of her double-bladed red sabre at her hip. Caressing it with the Force, she felt better just knowing it was there. After all, if this was an attack, she certainly wouldn't be given polite forewarning. Looking up at him, her eyes flashed.

 

He looked kind of nervous. Unsure. She gave him a slight snarl, eyes narrowing. What did he want?

"Excuse me. I'm terribly sorry to interrupt your game: I have a message for you."

 

Her brows flew up. "Oh? A message for me?" Thoughts raced through her head. A messenger? About what? Someone she was supposed to kill who found out and outwitted her? A message from her Master demanding her immediate death -- no, that was a bit extreme. Her immediate presence, which may as well be her immediate death. To tell her something she should have known but didn't? A replacement for her on her mission?

 

Slowing her thoughts, she blocked the discomfort out. "Well . . . what is it?"

[jokemaster]

The young man winced as he saw he lost.

"Damn. Final hand?"

[Writer]

Kira frowned as the messenger approached. What message could Nalaen possibly need in a place like this? Her eyes fell suddenly, suspiciously on Nadira. Could it be that this strange woman had recognized Nalaen? Kira cautiously reached out with the Force, trying to read Nadira's mind...

 

Nadira sensed the intrusion immediately and blocked it, staring at Kira as she did so. Her face told Kira, Don't even think about it...

 

Kira winced as her probing was rejected, but said nothing. Teri's voice whispered in her mind. She's been trained by Jedi... Kira responded with a low growl, but still said nothing.