Nephill
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Mando Mod
[SKB:NephillKilner]
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Post by Nephill on Mar 14, 2013 21:46:52 GMT -5
Natalia took a seat on the table, flipping her head so that she could at least semi-gather her long hair on one side of her body. This failed her slightly, as most of the strands flew into her face, where she had to use a series of head movements to move those stray strands to their proper place.
As she allowed her spine to relax from being taut in agitation, her tank top underneath her jacket sagged to reveal a tempting valley of cleavage, and Natalia watched Dred quite obviously to see how he reacted to the semi-intentional display. It was clear through her gaze that she was evaluating, rather then tempting the Pureblood.
She listened to his story silently, her contorted facial expression unchanging, although her eyes definitely followed the locations of the more easily weaponized tools before leveling out to stare out an interesting splotch on the wall. She listened to his story, and gave it the fair share of unbiased judgment that she always dolled out for every being, circumstances regardless.
Her hands remanded tightened into painfully taut fists, and Dred could even make out marks where her fingernails cut into skin. It was clear she was channeling her emotion through her hands. Her fingernails were in fact relatively short, only extending a few millimeters over the fingers. After living her life as a slave, with long, impractical, and frankly handicapping fingernails, she couldn't stand to keep them long and regarded them as symbols of her freedom and the individuality that had been suppressed for most of her life.
She jerked when Dred made a mistake, and let out a stream of interesting curses that were partly composed in Korun.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?!" she exploded, cheeks red, her voice surprisingly intimidating instead of the screech of most attractive females. "If you cut off my hand or finger, I'm going to rip off one of your fancy tendrils and shove it up your ass!" she said quite emphatically, although it was left up to the Pureblood on how to properly react to these bold exclamations.
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Post by Solaris on Mar 15, 2013 9:24:22 GMT -5
"I might not be doing it so much if you were not so, ah, distracting," Dred said good-humoredly, completely unflustered by her fury - it was actually rather cute on her, though he wasn't about to tell her that. She was easily one of the most beautiful women he'd encountered in his life save perhaps that actress who'd shot a holofilm in Mos Espa a year or so ago. Between her trying to get her hair in order, exposing her cleavage, and then the way her gaze simply arrested his eyes . . . Oh yes, this was a dangerous woman indeed. He thought it was perhaps fortunate she couldn't see where he was looking, though he had to admit he didn't know many men who wouldn't slip up a delicate operation with her providing such a view.
"The worst, I am afraid, is over." He gave a deft twist with a small screwdriver jammed into the locking mechanism and the cuffs detached, falling off her bruised and scorched wrists. "I was trying to avoid doing it the way I had to - not only was it to be destroying my blade, but - and I find this the more important, which I think you might agree - I was not being certain I could destroy it before it harms you." He frowned, his impenetrable yellow eyes studying the damage done. "Which I am thinking was a worthy concern."
Dred stood up and walked over to the small first aid kit mounted on the wall. This was, after all, a workshop - he was prepared for minor injuries and traumas in here. "So now we are left with what to do next," he said as he opened it up and pulled out a couple of bacta patches. "To my mind, our best course of action is being to go on the attack." He turned to face her, setting the bacta patches down on the table and folding his arms across his chest, looking down at the much smaller female. With how unpleasant she was being with the whole rescue and release thing, he wasn't about to go out of his way to be nice to her now that her hands were free. "I assume you have some ideas as to where your previous owners are."
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Nephill
Faction Moderator
Mando Mod
[SKB:NephillKilner]
Posts: 159
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Post by Nephill on Mar 16, 2013 1:03:00 GMT -5
Natalia let out a huff at his comment, the multiple meanings of his statement either lost or ignored by her. Her hands, once freed, did not unclench until they were safely in her lap, where she rubbed her wrists to restore circulation and soothe the scorched skin. She listened to his words and gave a seemingly benign nod of acknowledgement.
She tensed her body up as the Pureblood turned, and her eyes flicked to the most deadly weapon - a wicked looking power drill of sorts. Her hand itched for it -
- and stopped.
Her hand returned to her lap, albeit reluctantly to wring its counterpart as Dred returned with the bacta patches.
The move went against the core set of values she had been living by as of late, but the move seemed to be dictated out of fate, and not conscious decision. At any rate, she was committed now.
But she would still get answers.
"I handle my own business," she snarled, glaring at him for a brief moment of ferocity. But then she let it subside. "Why are you helping me? I'll start there."
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Post by Solaris on Mar 16, 2013 1:28:15 GMT -5
"That is being a good question," Dred said, "if you are assuming 'sociopath' is the norm rather than an aberration." He glanced at the grinder as he turned around, then followed her gaze back up to her eyes. He said nothing about the murderous impulse he'd sensed from her, but only raising one horned eyebrow questioningly. He was beginning to lose his air of good humor. Still, she could've been just a little more grateful - he had just saved her from a horrible fate, after all, and was even offering to help her resolve the situation more finally. He didn't expect a hero's reward, but maybe just a little less hostility would be nice.
"I am not thinking you are one, properly, but you do a credible impression," Dred said as he slid the patches across to her, his expression hard - not that his face was really designed for anything else. Still, this woman was beginning to wear on his patience - though he supposed it didn't help he was picking up her irritation, too. "I help you because I choose to. Beyond that, my reasons are being my own.
"Let us, however, be establishing something," Dred said in a calm, conversational tone - but something about him reminded of a vorn-cat watching its prey. He looked and acted relaxed, but he seemed prepared to pounce and deliver a killing strike. Dred studied her for a moment, then took a deep breath and let it out. The big Sith unholstered his blaster pistol and placed it on the table then slid it across to her. His expression softened, and when he spoke his tone was gentle. "I am not of the like you are being used to, I think, Miss Rossi. If you are needing a weapon to feel safe, then you may be borrowing mine. It will serve you better than my tools, and is less likely to be breaking on my skull. I don't need it, at least until we are landing." He chuckled. "Then I am probably going to be needing it back."
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Nephill
Faction Moderator
Mando Mod
[SKB:NephillKilner]
Posts: 159
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Post by Nephill on Mar 16, 2013 12:57:09 GMT -5
Natalia held her own, glaring back at him ni that brief moment. However, she sensed there and then he was far the superior in any type of combat match.
Not that it seemed, she would ever have to.
Her fierce expression dropped completely with his, and she appeared just to be the young scared girl she was inside.
Picking up the blsater, and running her fingers over it, she thrust it back towards him. "I'm sorry. I don't trust anyone in this galaxy, Dred. But I'm thinking I might trust you," she said in a tired voice, staring up at him shyly. "Keep your sidearm."
She picked up the bacta patch and tore it open, attaching it to one wrist. The fact that she was occupying both hands in his presence meant something. Although she was far from of physical intimidating size, she was of equal level to even an above average human male with basic combat training unarmed. That being said, she was still far from commando ability. In fact, it was a wonder she hadn't been captured earilier, as she was pretty vulnerable.
But no longer, she hoped. Deep inside, she was lonely and afraid. She hadn't really gotten over Thrash's death, despite her hardened exterior. She needed someone else to watch her back. And she really hoped that this Dred could be it, despite what Thrash had warned her always: Never trust. But something about Dred felt right...
"What's our course....captain?" she asked, her voice stronger as she applied the second bacta patch.
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Post by Solaris on Mar 16, 2013 14:14:09 GMT -5
Dred smiled warmly at Natalia when he felt her anger and hate subside to reveal the underlying loneliness and fear. He thought that trick with the blaster would work. Getting her to lower the walls she built up between herself and the rest of the world was important - walking around just using people and hating all of them was no kind of way to be living.
Especially not loose on his ship.
"Well," Dred said in his soft baritone, "in this sort of situation, you are wanting to be going after the one who placed the bounty on you. Ordinarily, this is being rather difficult - escrow agencies are not known for their loose lips." He waved his clawed, spike-knuckled left hand dismissively. "This is not being an ordinary such situation, though. We can find who placed the bounty on you quite easily - we just need to be flying back to where you escaped from. Your former owners, they are being the ones who placed the bounty - or their next of kin, perhaps. All it is, then, is a simple matter to resolve the tediously violent bits that follow from there."
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Nephill
Faction Moderator
Mando Mod
[SKB:NephillKilner]
Posts: 159
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Post by Nephill on Mar 17, 2013 22:23:19 GMT -5
The word "owners" stuck Natalia for a few moments, and she took a few seconds to force the emotions that phrase caused down. A mixture of fear, sadness, but mostly burning, terrible anger. And that scared her. She had felt that only once, and had managed to do unspeakable things....
"His name was Grabo the Hutt. My friend and I, we....he and his lieutenants are dead. It must be either his friends or family. Probably family. We embarrassed the Hutts quite badly by penetrating a supposedly well defended palace on Nar Shaddaa. I suppose they still want me as...a trophy," she said, her voice strong but faltering at two points. One was at the mention of her "friend", and "trophy." She had no either way to describe both, at least not now. And she was being frank. No time for pleasantries.
"I'm sorry for not trusting you, Dred. It's just...I've only meant one good person my whole life. The rest of the galaxy has exploited, lied, and raped me. It's not that I'm rude or combative...I just...really don't know what a nice person is like. I have no one," she said, the words coming out in a rush, laden with emotion. She looked up at him with sad eyes, one hand reaching out to rest on his - skin warm and soft.
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Post by Solaris on Mar 18, 2013 18:51:55 GMT -5
Dred frowned at mention of the dead Hutt. Had her owner been still alive, they could have persuaded him - maybe - to give up the bounty in exchange for credits.
When she started talking about her trust issues, though, he almost froze. The vast differences in their life experiences struck him, and he couldn't help but think back on how extraordinarily fortunate he had been in his life to have always had someone willing to help him out when it was necessary. Small wonder the poor girl hadn't trusted him despite his obvious intentions - and he had to remind himself that she had no empathic talents, whereas he could as easily tell if someone were lying as look at them. It had to be difficult indeed to trust if she were so handicapped and had her life experiences.
"Had," Dred said softly as he took her hand in his, careful so as to keep the claws away from her soft skin, and gently caressed the space between her thumb and forefinger with his thumb. It was a pressure point on the human hand, he knew, one that helped induce pleasurable relaxation.
Dred's knowledge of anatomy extended to more than just disassembly, though the acquisition of any such was almost purely incidental.
"You had no-one," Dred continued. "Now you are having me." He forced a smile, though it was more than a little strained. He was, after all, being almost as directly subject to her own emotions as she was. "'Nice' is over-rated. Being good is better. That, I am thinking, you know how to do already - whether or not you are admitting it to yourself."
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Nephill
Faction Moderator
Mando Mod
[SKB:NephillKilner]
Posts: 159
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Post by Nephill on Mar 23, 2013 18:33:06 GMT -5
She let out a short laugh in response, and conveyed pain instead of happiness.
"I'm glad you can say that. I doubt I could see that in myself," she said bitterly, although she felt...better. Despite the pain that was built up inside her, she felt right somehow. And her hand felt good. Her muscles began to relax subconsciously from the Pureblood's ministrations.
"But I'm not sure how you can help me. The Hutts are numerous and powerful, and we have no idea who even has put out the bounty...it could be an entire Hutt Clan. What could we possibly do against people like that?" she asked, defeatism clear in her voice and expression. Clearly, right before Dred's eyes, she was consigning herself to an envisioned life in which she spent her days always alert and paranoid.
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Post by Solaris on Mar 24, 2013 13:25:32 GMT -5
"We could win," Dred replied confidently. "We are not needing to kill them all, only to convince them that they no longer wish to take you for their property. In most matters such as this, you will be finding that there is but one or two Hutts at the most who did not profit more than they suffered from the death of their kinsman - and that it is solely a matter of pride for them, not truly a desire to be avenging their dead but to be frightening us 'lesser' species away from the thought of cutting them down." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I am not saying it will be easy," he said, "only that it can be done. The first, I am thinking, will be to track back the bounty on your head. Are you remembering any Hutts who were close to your dearly departed gastropod?"
He found it surprising how strong his reaction to her sadness was. She was certainly an attractive young woman, but even so Dred hadn't thought he'd be drawn in so quickly. He couldn't help but wonder if she were doing it on purpose trying to manipulate him into helping her, or if he was seeing the genuine Natalia.
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