Your Business is My Business and Business is Booming

Posted on Thu Nov 22nd, 2012 @ 11:00am by Berry & Morgo Le'Shaad
Edited on on Thu Nov 22nd, 2012 @ 2:35pm

1,780 words; about a 9 minute read

Chapter: Chapter II: Era's Dawn
Location: Galactic City, Coruscant
Timeline: 0500 (local time), Day 6

The cantina in the Imperial City was known for its rowdiness and entertainment, but all of that was done by at least five in the morning. Exhausted bartenders and guards did not do well for a business.

This was fortunate for our little adventurer, as Berry had grown tired of wandering the hard metal streets of the city after having been roused by a guard or noisy cantina patrons taking shortcuts through shady alleys she wanted to sleep in for, like, three times tonight. Although yes, the streets were cleaner and not as gross as on Stinky Moon, but…there wasn’t any place to sleep! Anything that wasn’t expensive, though! Nimo had grilled into her head to always save money for the next meal, and that was what Berry was determined to do.

She wasn’t thinking about a place to lay her head, as locations on the ground were in ample supply…but this was a strange place. Somewhere higher up would be better, where no one could wake her. In fact, sometimes no one was around and she couldn't sleep. She had this frustrated feeling at the back of her head, like there was something she had to do but she forgot...or maybe it was an itch she couldn't scratch. Just all around uncomfortable. Berry peered up into the still-dark sky. How was Thrane doing, anyway? Usually thinking of him had her feel like bad...but she had a feeling something was related tonight.

She gazed past the streetlight, and saw a balcony sticking out above the closed cantina. She smiled tiredly and gripped a guard grate over a window, pulling herself up, before suddenly leaping to the balcony. She landed with a thud, falling asleep almost as soon as she hit the ground.

But not all was quiet in the dark streets of the city…especially at the edge like this.

"No! Stop!" shouted someone in a heavily winded voice, "Stop, goddammit stop! " There was an edge of panic to his voice as he sprinted under and past Berry's balcony.

"Ooh no you don't!" chuckled the man's pursuer in slightly oily voice as he lunged forward and surged ahead, gripping a handful of his target's grimy linen shirt. With a power push, his target landed face first into a steel end of a trash chute and several empty trash cans awaiting cleaning. A cacophony of steel hitting the street, clanging on the metal walls or rolling away was deafening. Laying half slumped over a trash can, a low groan could be heard coming from him. Running a tongue over his lips in nervous habit, he hissed when he touched a tender spot. He'd split his lip on the metal chute from before, and blood ran down his chin like drool.

"You know, Allegan." cooed the man's pursuer, who in the brighter light of a nearby window, was surprisingly thin and tall for such a baritone voice, "It's not nice to run away from friends like that." and reaching down, he gripped the shirt of the man's back and raised Allegan to his feet, pushed at his shoulder to spin him around, and roughly pinned him against a wall.

Allegan wiped at his chin, considering the blood across his palm before wiping it on the other man's pristine white shirt with a weary grin, "Like kriff you're a friend of mine, Chip."

Berry lifted her head from the grimy cantina balcony floor, blinking slowly. What was that noise? She struggled to her feet and peeked over the balcony edge, surveying the place groggily. Huh?

"You're gonna pay for that shirt, Allegan," Chip hissed, "and for all that debt you still owe us."

At that, Allegan pushed off the wall, darting past his collector. Chip was too fast for him, however, whipping around and grabbing the man's loose shirt again, tearing it. Then in one swift motion, he slammed the man's face into the opposite wall, a sickening crack echoed while Allegan screamed in pain, collapsing to his knees and holding his nose in agony. Blood ran from in between his fingers, dripping to the street.

"Kriffing Sith! You b-broke my nose!" he shouted.

"Hand over all 100, 000 credits, Al, and I might not break something else."

"I d-don't have it."

Chip sniffed, "What?"

"I don't have it!"

The thin man growled, grabbing a handful of Allegan's dirty blonde hair and yanking him forward. With a cry of shock, the man had to scurry on his knees to avoid being dragged.

"What did you do this time, Al? Gambled what little you had away again?" He asked mockingly, drawing an arm back, preparing to wreck the other man's face.

Panicked, Allegan tore his hands away from his face and held them in front of him in defense, "No! Chip! You gotta listen to me! It wasn't my fault! The tables were all rigged—"

A fist to the face silenced him and his skull hit the ground with a force that left his vision swimming. He slowly rolled onto his back.

"I don't wanna hear your excuses, Allegan."

"Wait, no! You gotta lis—"

A scream ripped from his throat when Chip brought his boot down on his hand, brutally crushing it. Raw with blindingly white pain , he looked at his right hand—his bike hand, now cruelly misshapen. When he tried to move it, tears sprung to his eyes.

"You're going to regret ever trying to cheat us, Al." the man chuckled sadistically, hovering over the man on the ground.

"Wait, Chip! I can still pay your boss! I can still pay him..." he ground out between blood stained teeth. Breaths heaving from his chest, he looked up at his tormentor, "I have a race...tomorrow." he said, body trembling violently.

The thin man stopped his assault, narrowing his eyes, "A race?"

Allegan nodded feverishly, "A swoop-bike race. If I can—"

Chip suddenly laughed, his expression incredulous, "You mean that race with Jesper? You're telling me you think you can beat him?" he shook his head as he brought his foot up again, preparing to crush what pieces of bone Allegan's hand had left into splinters, "Don't kid with me, Al." he said in a vicious whisper, his face darkening.

Allegan held his only functional hand left in a desperate attempt to stop him, "No wait! Please! Let me finish—!"

As soon as Berry's sandaled foot touched the ground she had the mean guy's blood-spattered white shirt in her hands, a burst of speed bringing her there almost instantly. His mass slowed her momentum, but barely, as she transferred her forward force into him and threw him across the street.

Berry stood there, fists up and frowning seriously at him. Her hair was smushed to the side as she had not switched sleeping position and one braid was becoming undone. "You go away now," she warned him. "Or I'm gonna throw you again."

Chip groaned rolling onto his elbow and sitting up. What the Sith hell was that? The image of a girl with greenish skin, and sleep flattened hair came into view.

"What? Who the hell are you? Stay out of our business!" he shouted even as he stood, stalking towards the pretentious brat.

Berry's stared at him, a little confused as she watched his movements. "You're not staying out of his."

"That's because he is my business, girl."

The part-Aquar lifted her golden-green chin, brows furrowing. "Well, now he's my business, too. Wanna fight for his business?" She paused, smiling amusedly. That sounded funny.

"Sith hell..." Chip grunted and charged forward. Another vigilante.

Guess that was a yes. Berry shot forward, fist sailing straight for the guy's face. There was so much force in her punch that he spun in circles away from them before crashing into some more metal cans that happened to be on the other side of the street. Berry smiled triumphantly, brows lowered still in warning. "Now you get out of here!"

Chip laid unmoving, save for the slow rise and fall of his chest. Allegan couldn't believe it, just one punch could do that?

Berry gasped and looked over at the injured guy, her eyes wide. "Hey, guy, are you all right? Here." She extended a hand to him.

Nodding absently, Allegan was about to give her his right hand, but stopped midway, extending his left hand instead. Alarms were already coming towards them and the man, grateful for the mysterious girl's help started to jog away in the opposite direction. With a wave of his hand, he gestured her to follow him.

"Hi, uh, thanks for back there." he nervously scratched his cheek, "What were you doing on that balcony?" he asked, more than a little confused.

She jogged after him, some dark gold shadows under her eyes. "Sleeping." She sighed tiredly, still running in a lively manner despite her sleepiness, seen easiest in her drooping eyes. "D'you know where I can sleep? I keep getting chased off or woken up...and I don't wanna spend a lot of money 'cause I need to eat!" The stubborn frown on her face spoke of her non-budging on the matter.

The man's lips thinned in thought, "Well uh, you could stay with me? I mean, " he stuttered, knowing just how it probably sounded to the girl, "My wife and I would be happy to have you in our guest room. It isn't much, but if you need a place to stay...." he trailed off, staring at her uncertainly, "Uh, I mean you did save my life back there."

They turned a corner, only a block away from his house. Increasingly, the streets became narrower and squalid. Garbage littered the dark corners and more and more, signs of people living became more apparent. Coruscant may have been the jewel of the Core, but even a place this grand had its poor and down trodden. Allegan was still thanking his lucky stars that he had a flat on the surface, and not in the under-city beneath Coruscant. Being a Twilighter, though often painted as exciting, was not something a man and his new wife wanted to be.

Berry blinked slowly at him, the words gradually making it to her brain. "Ohhh, that'd be nice...um, do I have to pay a lot of money? 'Cause I need money to eat..."

"I'm offering so that you wouldn't have to pay. Though I must ask...what is your name?"

The part-Aquar grinned him, her braid and half-braid bobbing with her steps. "My name's Berry Z. Fieros, and I'm gonna be the Pirate Champion!"

~TBC~

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