Public Crawling

[James 'Slinger' Antilles]

Slinger knocked back another drink.

“Another.” He barked at the bartender.

“Perhaps you’ve had enough.”

“Perhaps I’m the one paying and you should shut your gob and gimme a gorram nother drink” Slinger barked back raising his voice.

“That’s it. I’m cutting you off. Go back to your ship and sleep it off.”

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Slinger shouted back.

The bouncer a Gammorrean came over and grabbed Slinger. Slinger struggled and kicked the Gammorrean between it’s legs. Oh it was female. She didn’t look amused. She picked Slinger up over her head and marched outside throwing Slinger into the muck and the mud as rain pelted down on him.

Slinger groaned, moaned and got up on all fours in the street.

“Well that wadn’t humiliating at all.” Slinger said to himself. “Charming Slinger, thrown out on your ass by the lovely lady with tusks.”

Slinger picked himself up, dusted himself off as best he could. Wondering for a moment if he should take the bartenders advice and head back to his ship.

“Ah Slinger you’re getting old. Thrown out of one bar and you’re ready to throw it in for the night? Time was it wasn’t a proper pub crawl until you’d been thrown out of every pub on the street. The night’s still young. Plenty of trouble and opportunity yet to be had for those of a daring, adventuresome spirit. So what if you’ll be waking up with a throbbing head, throwing up in the latrine for the next two days. This is a matter of honour. No one says Captain James ‘Slinger’ Antilles can’t hold his liquor enough for a full night.”

James felt better having given himself the speech so he tried it again.

“So what if works been a little slow. No one willing to run with Jimmy Slinger. The galaxies all Sith and Empires anyway. Tough for any little guy to make a living let alone honest smuggling. Work’ll pick up you’ll see. After this you’ll go to Smuggler’s Paradise see what works available, but for tonight you’ll prove that no matter how many times you get thrown out on your ass, you’ll always pick yourself up again and continue on.”

The second part of his speech wasn’t as effective as the first at picking up, the Captain of the Silver Sparrows mood. Mostly it made him feel sad, with a heaviness in his heart. Tired too. Maybe he should go home. First though one more drink. Just to prove that he wasn’t beaten. Captain Slinger could still run with the youngest and best of em. He’d show em.

Slinger stumbled on down the road, looking for a bar desperate or disreputable enough to let a stumbling drunk, covered in mud into their fine upstanding establishment. Or atleast a bouncer greedy enough for a couple credits that he’d let James in anyway. Maybe he should try the red light district. That seemed disreputable enough. Or the docks. At least then he’d be close to his ship.

 

[Valaras Ca'rid]

Valaras made his way down the street as the rain flowed off his armor in rivulets. It had been a profitable run. He despised Hutts, but this client had been desparate. Desparate means credits and sometimes ignoring one's principles.

He stepped into the street long enough to see a man get tossed out of a bar by a Gamorrean. His head tilted as he watched the man muttering to himself. Checking his helmet feed it didn't appear this guy had an active bounty. He took his hand off his gun and strode forward to help the guy before he fell again.

"Now you look like a guy who knows where to have a drink," he said.

 

[James 'Slinger' Antilles]

James frowned as some new guy stepped up towards him. Oh a Mandalorian. Mandalorians were an unpredictable bunch when it came to drinking some were stoic as a knight never taking off their helmet in company, some liked to toast and cheer to their victories. James sighed but put on a brave grin he didn't quite feel as he turned to greet the man offering to have a drink with him. At least that's what James thought he was doing between his own drinking things like speech were coming through a filter in his brain. Right now the man could be threatening him and James might here an offer for a drink.

"Indeed I am friend! Care to join me while I tear through these lovely establishments down the lane?" James asked gesturing wildly to the row of pubs, clubs, taverns and other establishments. “And what do you do with yourself when your not accompanying devilishly handsome strangers on their nightly round of debauchery and fun?”

“Ah forgive me introductions should be made. I’m Captain James ‘Slinger’ Antilles, Captain of the Courier ship The Silver Sparrow. You got a job for me I’ll take it. Don’t much care what it is. And who might you be?”

 

[Valaras Ca'rid]

Inside his helmet Valaras smiled slightly. Any other day this guy might be entertaining. The armored merc stood silent for a moment. “Valaras Ca’rid. I was hoping you might take me to the most wretched place possible. I may find…leads there.”

His hand clenched into a fist, the augmetics in his armor whirring. With an inaudible sigh he lets it release.

“So how about it, Captain? I can guarantee you won’t get thrown out on my watch. I’m good in a brawl, too…”

He sizes up Slinger as he says that last part.

 

[tinymoon]

Ces had been wondering sketchy streets for what seemed like days at this point. She didn't have anything but an old stolen ship, and was exhausted, freezing, and hungry. Worst of all, the rain never seemed to cease. Finding a dark and quiet corner of an alley, which only partially sheltered her from the downpour, she closed her eyes. The sound of the rain pelting the ground was peaceful. It had been the most relaxed she had felt in years. For the past week she had been wandering the streets trying to find honest work, but that was hard to come by. So she had resorted to pickpocketing and stealing just to get by. She kept telling herself she wasn't "bad", she was just doing what she had to do to live, even if she had no idea what she was doing.

Maybe if I just sit tight for a while, the hunger will go away and I'll-

Her thoughts were interrupted by a commotion at a nearby bar, a drunk man was tossed out onto the street. Her dark brown eyes flew open, ready to pounce and take whatever he had left on him. What was he going to do? Buy more drinks? The man was a mess and no reasonable bar would let him in, right? And if he planned on drinking more, he probably had a decent amount of credits on him. But as soon as she finished thinking of her "plan", a Mandalorian had already approached him. This made things a little more difficult. Nobody else would've cared if she pickpocketed a drunk, but now she was intimidated. Especially as the man was offered protection in exchange for showing him the more abhorrent places in town, a place she really did not want to follow. She couldn't back down, the day needed to end with some credits in her pocket and food in her stomach. Regardless of whether this "Slinger" accepted the offer or not, she was going to follow, as she saw no other option. She glared at the pair, trying to come up with a couple different plans depending on what they decided.

 

[James 'Slinger' Antilles]

James swayed drunkenly on his feet while the Mandalorian helped him up. James blinked a couple of times, and resisted the urge to throw up before giving a cocky drunken grin.

“Sounds like a plan my burc'ya” James had picked up some Mando’a in his travels. James actually liked Mando’s sure they were a little strict with their warrior codes of honour and all, but often they were quite congenial company. Presuming you didn’t try to take off their helmet. James had learned that one the hard way. Winding up in a not to dissimilar predicament as the one he had just been. Thrown out of a reputable establishment on his arse.

James frowned as he noticed they had picked up a shadow. A skulking half starved looking thing. James sighed knowing when he was being cased.

“Come on out there. You can’t have our belongings but we’ll get you a meal and a drink. You can join our company on this glorious night that seems to have turned around for each of us. Fiar warning though. My new friend and I are rough company so if things get heavy you may want to skedaddle.” James paused “Or join in on the fun I suppose if you’re feeling up to it.”

James gestured with his arm and started a march down the street looking for the next disreputable establishment to let them in. Things were already looking up he had new companions on a promising night out. James stumbled over his own feet for a second just in front of the next bouncer who scowled and shook his head at the party.

“So tell me of yourselves? What brings you to this charming little city?” James paused “Ah how rude. I am James ‘Slinger’ Antilles Captain of the Silver Sparrow. At your service. Looking for a job and a place to rest away from all the Sith out there conquering the Galaxy.”

“Damn Sith. No good for anything except killing each other and even then the little guy gets squeezed in between.”

“What of yourselves?” James asked curiously

 

[tinymoon]

Aah! He can barely stand! How can he see me?!

Her cover was blown. Well, it’s not like she was trying that hard, but she also thought he was too drunk to see. She wasn’t hiding as well as she thought she was.

A meal and a drink was nice, but belongings were preferred, and she really didn’t want the company of anybody, especially men who looked like they would certainly get picked on in a fight.

If things get heavy?… Manual labor? Why?
What is he talking about? I guess I should help if they’re offering a meal, does he even know what he’s saying? Ugh…I forgot, he’s drunk. Of course it’s nonsense.

Cesi thought, pondering over her options. One the one hand, she really didn’t want to do any physical labor and just wanted what was in his pockets. But, she also wasn’t in the position to refuse. Although, she didn’t want to be in the company of those with poor reputation, but then she began to question her own reputation, and not wanting to admit she was also a shady character, she slinked out of the corner and looked around her surrounding courteously before approaching the two.

“Ces.”

She started blankly at the two as she said her name. The woman had choppy dark hair that looked like it was horribly cut by a piece of metal…By a maniac. Bruises and a couple superficial cuts covered her dirty skin. She was fine and she didn’t really care about her appearance, but she looked the most suspicious out of the bunch.

Alright. Alright. Maybe I shouldn’t’ve be one to criticize.

“Everybody’s looking for work.”

A dismissive answer to the question. Of course she was, she was even retorting to pickpocketing drunk men. The streets were crowded, and at least with a group, she blended in a little. She glared at the bouncer at the bar that denied them entry as Slinger rambled on about something she was only half listening to.

“Shh shh shh shh shhhh!”

She chastised, stretching out the palm of her hand and taking a couple steps back, bumping into somebody who shoved her back and gave her a nasty look and they walked away.

“Don’t talk like that in public! Are you stupid? Crazy? Or both?”

She returned to the duo, her argument now a quiet whisper.

“How have you not been killed, walking around, talking like that! Are you that drunk?”

She was terrified of the Sith. With just as good of a reason as anybody, but it was careless to say that in public and not think there would be some consequence. To Cesi, you couldn’t be too careful.

“I’m not saying you’re wrong, I just…Let’s leave. If anything happens, I’m using you as a shield.”

She mumbled, looking up at the Mandolorian.

"If anybody asks, we don't know each other. I'll take your charity, but I won't take any association with you two."

 

[Valaras Ca'rid]

Valaras’ head tilts as he silently regards the street rat. He’d registered her presence but disregarded her as a threat. Now she was in front of him, and apparently joining.

"You may come along. Don’t get in my way, kid, and make sure you keep up."

He turns to Slinger and motions for him to lead the way. This is quickly becoming a waste of my time.

He doesn’t seem worried when Ces and Slinger mention the Sith- he’s dealt with them before but never publicly acknowledged the events.