[SpringsSong]

Hannlya, 756a62 -- in anthro (Cathar) form.

Hannlya had almost forgotten the smell of a spaceport.  Depending on the planet, there were certain delicacies that could be smelled in the air, along with grime, dirt, scum, and many other less-than-savory things.  This spaceport was already reminding her of other places she'd been to--the underbelly of Coruscant, one of the more seedy ports on Tattooine, the entirety of Nar Shadaa--but she was a far cry from any of those places.

"Here's hoping that this visit will be a quick one," Hannlya remarked, tilting her hat downwards as she spoke to seemingly no one in particular.  "I'll signal you once I'm ready to leave."

"Reading you loud and clear," a voice replied on her headset.  "Watch yourself all the same.  We still don't know much about this place; what sort of bounty hunters and other unsavory scum might be crawling around here."

[Azura Rayume]

After all this time, he had gotten pretty good at running. Not so much at hiding from those who did the chasing, but the running was alright. Ryzen crept through the shadows near the vendor stalls, just another cloaked figure in the crowd. He snuck closer to stand selling fruits and spices from across the galaxy, the merchant shouting about his wares on the opposite side. With a practiced quickness, he snatched the first thing he could and kept walking. Not exactly the expected behavior of a Jedi, but he did what he had to.

A shout from behind froze him in his tracks. Someone had noticed and alerted the merchant, who came storming after him. "What the hell do you think you're doing, kid?" the man roared, reaching out to snatch at his cloak.

Ryzen took a breath and turned, eyes locked on the peddler as he attempted to look as innocent as possible. Not that it was especially easy, getting an adult to trust a teenager. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, waving his empty hand in front of the man.

The merchant let him go and scratched his head. "I don't..," he stammered, narrowing his eyes in confusion. "Get outta here, kid. I've got a business to run." The teen gave a nod and ran back into the crowd before slipping the fruit out of his cloak to take a bite with a grin. He had been living like this for a while in the spaceport- everything but his cloak and weapon were stolen, and he slept in alleyways and under awnings- but it was coming time to move on again. The bounty hunters would be closing in soon, and no place in the galaxy was really safe for a Jedi for long.

[SpringsSong]

"What the hell do you think you're doing, kid?"

These were words that Hannlya was used to hearing--usually directed at her or Sevrina when they would be playing their games, or at kids who were trying to steal things from right under the adult's noses--so, naturally, she looked up to see where the roared statement came from.  When she saw a young man in a cloak wave his hand, the vendor let go in confusion, and the young man duck out of sight, she was genuinely intrigued.

Well, that's not something you see everyday, Hannlya thought to herself, her arms folded as she leaned against the wall.  In fact, that sounds like something that Gran Hannlya would've seen--probably stepped in and helped out with, too.  But that was a different time.

She scanned the crowd slightly, moving herself into a position where she could catch his attention, but subtly.  That, she figured, wouldn't be the hard part--her attire was rather unique, with a finely-tailored coat, sleek pants, matching gloves and boots, and (her favorite part) a wide-brimmed hat that hid her eyes when looking straight at her, and she had two blasters holstered at her side that she wasn't afraid to have in plain sight.

Positioning herself at a point along the cloaked man's path, the young woman waited, although she would clear her throat when she noticed him pass by.

[Azura Rayume]

Ryzen took another bite and toyed with the thin braid that hung beside his face, smirking. It was in his favor that most of the people here were weak minded for such a little trick to work on, and he had almost perfected the expression he needed to catch them off guard. Once or twice, he had managed to give the bounty hunters the slip the same way, accomplishments he was especially proud of.

The crowd he moved through was typical for most of the Empire-controlled star system, mostly humans and related species with a smattering of outer rim traders of varying races and workers of both robot and slave species alike. He had trained himself to look away from the slaves as best he could, but their unhappiness weighed on him regardless. Instead, he did his best to seek out unusual faces in the crowd.

He managed to succeed this time, and better than just some old human with a strange nose. No, he spied someone just off to the side, a well-dressed woman and a... Was she a Cathar? He hadn't seen a Cathar in ages, not since his training days. He gave her a friendly nod before continuing on his way. Maybe a rarity like that meant his luck would start turning up.

[SpringsSong]

When the young man gave Hannlya a friendly nod, but did not stop, the smuggler move her way into the crowd, trying her best to keep up with him.  She had to keep her guard up, as well--being a smuggler and an alien didn't exactly make her very popular with the Empire, especially with the ship that she had (or the tricks that her friend, Sevrina, used to dodge their star destroyers).

"You don't exactly look like you fit in here, kid."

Hannlya said this in a low voice as she came up next to Ryzen, although she didn't look directly at him when she said this.  Her commlink buzzed in her ear briefly.

"Hannlya, what are you doing?  You know our contact better than that; we've done business with her a thousand times before!" Sevrina said.  Hannlya bit her lip and cast a glance around.  After a moment, she shook her head and placed her fingers against her commlink.

"Stay alert, Sev," she said, turning her head away from the young man.  "Something's come up."

"Don't get yourself in too much trouble," Sevrina's voice came over the commlink.  "I can't do a whole lot for you from orbit."

Hannlya nodded (although she knew Sevrina could not hear a nod) and switched her commlink off, looking ahead of her again.  Speaking in a low voice, she addressed the young man.

"You're obviously not Imperial, because the Empire doesn't give a friendly nod to a nonhuman like that--especially not one they've never seen before," she said.  "I also can't say I've seen many Imps wear cloaks..."

[Azura Rayume]

He sensed her before she spoke. Ryzen barely managed to contain the need to bolt; even friendly strangers could be dangerous out here. He had never heard of a Cathar bounty hunter, but that didn't mean they didn't exist. Now that he thought about it, that wouldn't be a bad plan if the Empire had any kind of sense. Hire people from races the Jedi were more inclined to trust, then stab them in the back.

"Neither do you," he muttered, his voice low enough that only she would hear him. He kept walking, eyes forward, while maintaining the conversation so as to not attract attention by stopping in the middle of the crowd. A hand twitched over the silver cylinder hanging from his belt, ready in case she decided to jump him after her short conversation over her commlink.

"Not everyone in the Empire thinks the same way." He gave her a sidelong glace to judge her reaction; he still wasn't sure of her intentions, though she didn't give off the same vibe as the hunters he had encountered previously. "You should have figured that out by now. As for the clothes, well, not everyone has the credits to dress as well as you."

[SpringsSong]

"I suppose that's true enough," Hannyla remarked when he said that she didn't look like she fit in, either.  "I usually only stop off at spaceports when I need to conduct... business.  And it's not the kind of business that the Empire likes, either," she said, a hand resting on one of her blasters.  When he said that not everyone in the Empire thought the same way, she allowed a tiny chuckle to slip from her lips.

"They might not, and there's Imps out there that pay good for the services I provide... but those contracts usually end with my friend and I blasting out of a spaceport with at least one star destroyer on our tail," she said.  "Creds don't usually stick around long enough to invest in much more than food when you've got Stormtroopers and angry Imp officers on your tail.  Made most of this myself--except for the hat," she said, pulling it forward ever so slightly.  She had spotted at least two bounty hunters in skimming the crowd, and they appeared to be looking for someone.  Flicking her commlink on again, she coughed slightly.

"I've spotted two," she said in a low voice.  "Not sure what they're looking for, but I don't think we're gonna be starting the Kessel run anytime soon, Sev.  Could be our contact was compromised, or they're lookin' for us--or someone else."

"Damn, are you serious?" the voice on her commlink crackled.  "Do I need to--"

"Wait for my signal, Sev," Hannlya said before addressing the young man again.

"Name's Hannlya.  Captain Hannlya, if you wanna get technical," she said.

[Azura Rayume]

From the way she spoke, he figured she wasn't a bounty hunter. Either that, or she was an exceptional actor. She talked quite a bit to be a hunter, though; they all seemed to be pretty stoic unless they were gloating, and even then, they didn't say much. It sounded like she was a smuggler from the way she bounced around the topic, and smuggler was something he could work with. He had been meaning to get out of here as soon as possible, and if she had a ship he could stow away on, his chance might have just come.

"Tell me about it," he said, gaze locking on one of the bounty hunters. They were searching the crowd, but he wasn't sure if they were after him this time of the Cathar and her friend. She had noticed them as well, and their presence seemed to put a kink into whatever her plans were. Either way, it was probably time to get out of here.

"Well, Captain, we seem to have company. We should probably make ourselves scarce if we don't want any trouble in here." He tugged at the front of his hood and turned down a nearby alley, out of sight of the bounty hunters. She was free to follow him if she wished. Introductions could wait until he knew they were a bit safer.

[SpringsSong]

"Yeah," Hannlya said shortly, glancing around before ducking into the alley behind him, casting a glance over her shoulder.  It didn't look like the bounty hunters had seen them for the moment, and Hannlya breathed a sigh of relief as she shook her head.

"Man, I wish I could find one port where they don't have bounty hunters lookin' to make a quick score," Hannlya said in frustration, her voice still low.  "Seems like they'll take almost any contract out there these days.  From what I've heard, there's contracts out there from former Senators to Jedi that managed to survive Order 66--hell, not just Jedi, I'd just say Force-sensitive beings; the bounty hunters don't seem to care if they were born before or after Order 66," she said.

"You know I can still hear you, Hannlya," the voice in her commlink said.

"So," Hannlya said.  "I don't believe I caught your name?" she said, leaning up against the wall, her arms folded as she looked at the other curiously.

[Azura Rayume]

Ryzen clenched a fist at the mention of the Order but managed to keep his voice a practiced calm. "Maybe that's because I didn't give it yet," he responded, a note of sass in his voice. He turned to face her and gave her a grin. "Ryzen, from Coruscant. Haven't been there in, what, seven, eight years now, though? Something like that."

He was more than aware of the contracts out for himself and people like him along with anyone who had the nerve to shelter them. Jedi were kill-on-sight most of the time, and he had seen orders to capture any Force-sensitive individual possible, though they could be killed as well if they resisted. No doubt the Emperor wanted them for some reason or another, either to train them in his own Sith ways or use them as target practice for his own apprentice. Neither seemed like a desirable fate.

"Bounty hunters will do anything for a bit of credit," he said, a finger tracing over the ridges of metal that made up the handle on his waist. He still wasn't sure he could trust her entirely, and that uncertainty kept him on edge. "Unfortunately for them, some of the people they're hunting are better trained than they're expecting. Almost eight years is a long time to run, and any Jedi left out there have only gotten better since they started all this."

[SpringsSong]

"Ryzen.  It's good to meet you," Hannlya said, raising her head so that the brim of her hat wasn't obstructing her face any.  "Coruscant, you say?  Haven't been there in a few years myself.  Not... a fan of some of their establishments.  Too frilly, makes someone like me of more humble beginnings stand out like you wouldn't believe.  I'm from Dantooine, originally."

Hannlya nodded slightly as Ryzen said that most of the marks that bounty hunters were chasing these days were better trained then they were prepared for, taking her blaster out and twirling it slightly.  "Don't I know it," she said.  "I've had bounty hunters come after me expecting me to just roll over and come willingly, be put into whatever terrible fate they had in mind--doubtless as a dancing girl for some disgusting Hutt--and they're always surprised when I break out these two," she said, indicating her blasters.

"Now, I couldn't help but notice..." she said.  "When you noticed the bounty hunters, your response seemed to indicate that you've had a few run-ins with 'em yourself," she said, holstering her blaster again as she cast a wary glance towards the alley's entrance.

[Azura Rayume]

He cocked an eyebrow at the mention of Dantooine. "An Outer Rim world, eh? I don't know what part of Coruscant you visited, but it's far from frilly, believe me. The best part of the city was the Jedi Temple, but that's in ruins now. Everything else is too loud, the people are rude. It's like the whole planet is one huge spaceport."

Ryzen gave her a nod and crossed his arms as he watched her. Definitely a smuggler, with that bravado and confidence as well as her travel record. Doubtless that meant she had a ship stashed around here somewhere, either in a nearby docking bay or just off-world. Hopefully, he could hitch a ride with her when she left, which was likely to be soon if she was at least a little spooked by the hunters.

"Oh, uh," he stammered, fumbling for his excuse. "Like you said, they're after pretty much everybody these days. I've had a couple of issues with them in the past, but I can usually spot them before they get too close."

[SpringsSong]

"The bars," Hannlya said, laughing.  "For someone from an Outer Rim world, even the bars in the underbelly of Coruscant have some... opulence to them.  And someone tried to get me to smuggle spice because hey, couple of blasters and a mind for the underworld; must be willing to smuggle anything, right?"

Here, Hannlya scoffed as she kicked a rock.  "Sorry.  It's... if there's one thing I hate almost as much as bounty hunters that'll kill a kid just because they can use the Force, it's people who think that smuggling spice is a good idea."

After a moment, her commlink beeped.  She nodded her head, and then, turned to Ryzen.

"Well, Ryzen," Hannlya said, straightening her posture.  "If you're lookin' to get away from those hunters, I might be able to help with that."

[Azura Rayume]

Ryzen pulled a disgusted face at the mention of spice. Through his years of running, he had seen what the stuff could do to people. Every world had its share of junkies crowded into back alleys, begging and stealing to scrounge up enough to afford their next fix. They were looked at with such contempt, but those who brought the stuff to sale were far worse in his mind.

"Don't apologize," he laughed, giving her a small smile. "There's a lot of scum out here in the galaxy, and I'm willing to bet you run across more of it that most people. Honestly, if you didn't shoot him, you have better self restraint than half the smugglers I've bumped into."

A bit of commotion at the end of the alley drew his attention for a moment, and something told him that her friend's timing could not have been better. "I'm more than willing to take up that offer," he said, fingers tensing in case they had to fight their way out, "but we might want to move. The sooner the better, actually."

[SpringsSong]

"Oh, I shot him--just not to kill," Hannlya said in a low voice.  "That particular piece of bantha fodder will forever have a limp, and my friend might have convinced him to re-evaluate his life choices.  Don't know if it held beyond the first day or so..." she said.  Sevrina didn't particularly care to have her Force-sensitivity discussed, but if Ryzen were to join them, then it would doubtless be discussed sooner or later.

"Hannlya, are we mobilizing?" the voice cracked on her commlink.

"Have Kryslania ready for an extra person, Sev," Hannlya said in a low voice.  "And expect a fight.  There's at least two hunters out here, and they're getting antsy."