[ 02 - CHAPTER TWO ]

― an unexpected arrival ―

Hours passed within the dimly lit Coruscant Cantina, and Indirys had yet to lose a single game of Dejarik. Men and women of all shapes, sizes, and colors had trickled in to see the young Calrissian's victories with their own eyes, wondering what had aggravated people so extensively that they would exit the building in such an irritated manner.

Contestant after contestant had stalked out of the cantina with an aggravated look on their faces and a string of vile curses emanating from their mouths. Of course, Indirys Calrissian was the source of each of those competitor's frustrations. They'd all volunteered to face her in a holographic game, proceeded to place bets on the basis of who won, and had all lost innumerable amounts of credits to the slender girl. Indirys didn't mind the vulgar insults that were thrown at her by the individuals she beat. To her, it was simply a reminder of the plethora of currency she now possessed.

The accomplished hustler took a sip from her glass of Bespin Fizz as she waited for a potential contender to make themselves known. When a scrawny Geonosian took a step forward and seated himself across from her, she couldn't help but grin. "If you'd like to play, I need you to lay some form of currency down for the taking."

The Geonosian's translucent wings fluttered, and he laid fifty credits on the table in front of him. Indirys rose an eyebrow, her eyes lighting up with an eagerness and yearning she had yet to experience that night.

"Fifty credits," she mused. "A considerable amount. Let's hope you're skilled enough to avoid losing that much." As an afterthought, she added, "I'll bet fifty as well."

A dissonance of clicks and snaps sounded from the bug-like creature, and Indirys pressed her lips together as she recalled that beings from his species didn't usually speak Basic like the majority of the galaxy did. She mumbled a brief curse under her breath. If she was unable to communicate with the Geonosian, then she would be unable to compete against him, and would not have any chance of receiving the credits he'd wagered. She was dismayed at the possibility, and began to look into the crowd for assistance.

"Does anyone here speak Geonosian?" she called out, hoping no one could hear the desperateness in her voice. If anyone picked upon it, it would mangle the confident appearance she'd been striving to maintain.

The crowd was silent. The onlookers glanced at each other, shook their heads, and shrugged as they began to realize that no one could understand the odd language enough to translate it. Indirys' stomach twisted itself into a knot, displeasure rooting itself in every bone in her body. She was about to lose a phenomenal aggregate of credits simply because she couldn't understand the native language of the man who was offering them, and it was difficult to avoid feeling exasperated about it.

When a hooded woman stepped forward claiming she could translate Geonosian, Indirys breathed a sigh of relief. A warm feeling flowered in her chest once she glimpsed under the beige hood to see who it was concealing, and she bounded towards her inconspicuous savior.

"Delorian?" she exclaimed, a look of pleasant surprise masking her soft features.

The woman pulled back the entirety of her cloth hood to reveal playful, amicable eyes and short, choppy hair. "In the flesh."

"What are you doing here?" Indirys asked, disbelief and glee melding together as she spoke. "I haven't seen you in ages!"

"It has been a while, hasn't it? The last time we saw each other was, what? When we got Lando into trouble with Alderaanian authority?"

A broad smile encompassed Indirys' lips as she allowed herself to briefly reminisce. She remembered the occasion Delorian was referring to with ease - it was a memory that had remained with her ever since Lando had scolded her for her involvement in it. She couldn't help but chuckle as she recalled how furious her brother had been. He'd even threatened to leave the two younger girls on Alderaan when he found out they were the reason he'd been detained, but no threat he made could stop Indirys and Delorian from sharing devilish grins with one another. In fact, Lando had reminded her of the situation a few weeks prior, shining a spotlight on the fact that she and Delorian had created a grand scheme involving the theft of a guard's clothing just to get him in trouble.

"Hey!" a man hidden among the crowd shouted. "You ladies can catch up at another time, just get to translating already so we can start the bloody game!"

Indirys and Delorian exchanged grins as Delorian threw her arm around her old friend's shoulders. "Hutt-spawn," she mumbled, earning a hushed laugh from Indirys.

As Delorian headed toward the Dejarik table, she leaned in close to Indirys' ear and whispered, "What do you say to me and you practicing a little sleight of hand after this? For old time's sake."

"You know I don't do things like that, Del," Indirys responded, giving her friend a look that said she should know better. "It's not my style."

"Oh, but hustling money from a bunch of middle-aged men is?" the other girl teased, one side of her mouth raising as she did so.

Indirys smirked at Delorian's jocular behavior. She did have a point. What Indirys did in her free time - tricking drunk bar denizens into giving up vast amounts of their money - was widely considered immoral. Besides, she used to regularly participate in the sorts of activities her long-time friend was referring to. Whether it was pickpocketing or another form of ordinary street crime, Indirys was one of the best at it. However, as time passed, she began to resort to hustling and smuggling. At least that way her actions weren't considered stealing.

Delorian lowered her voice when she next spoke, and Indirys had to strain to hear her. "I'm kind of saving your hide right now, aren't I? The least you could do is hang out with me in return."

Indirys took a deep breath, contemplating what her answer should be. She wanted to spend time with her friend that she hadn't seen in so long, but she'd matured. She no longer enjoyed participating in direct thievery, especially when the victim hadn't put their money up for the taking. It just didn't sit right with her anymore.

She took a look around at the people surrounding her. They stood, watching, waiting. Expecting the two to begin conversing with the Geonosian man, so the highly anticipated board game could begin.

"When it grows dark," she began, ensuring her voice was quiet enough that it would not be overheard. "When the streets grow crowded and the shadows in the alleyways deepen...then we will do what you call 'hanging out'."

Delorian smiled, a beam of satisfaction crawling onto her honey-colored skin. She glided over to the Geonosian and the array of holomonsters that lie before him, announcing to him and the crowd of spectators that she would act as an impartial translator for the game.

The members of the multitude grunted in acceptance, and as soon as Indirys took a seat in her chair, the game commenced. Holomonsters of all shapes and sizes, each handpicked by their puppetmaster, slid across the Dejarik board in all directions. The players' eyes danced in correspondence, endeavoring to remain aware of every possible direction the game could head in. They both had bet too much on such a short, meaningless game, and were not willing to lose easily.

The game progressed rather quickly. Delorian knew it was simply because Indirys wanted it to, but she would not admit that to the man who'd pitted himself against her. The fragile-looking girl who'd obliterated each of the man's predecessors had been in control of the game the entire time, even when it seemed like she was losing, and it would take a skilled eye like Delorian's to recognize that.

Within minutes, Indirys emerged as the victor. She tried not to boastfully grin, but rather leaned back in her seat and picked up the fifty credits that were now hers.

"Better luck next time?" she jokingly suggested, allowing herself a slight smirk as the Geonosian stomped away. Once he was out of earshot, she turned to Delorian, who returned her smile in levity. "It's just too easy."

Delorian laughed. "Oh, don't let that head of yours grow too big. You'll end up just like your brother."

"And that, without a doubt, would be the worst thing that could happen to me."

"Well, obviously."

Indirys gathered up her credits to secure them in the satchel she was carrying. She stepped away from the Dejarik table so that other players could test their abilities, and Delorian trailed behind her as she bounded to the exit of the cantina.

"Well, Delorian Fisseha, it appears to be dark outside," she announced, receiving a laugh from Delorian for the mock extravagance she instilled in her speech. "Are you ready to risk your life for the sake of thievery?"

"Do you doubt my dedication to the glorious cause of stealing from others for our personal pleasure?" Delorian responded, deciding on a whim to go along with her partner's ridiculous way of speaking.

"As a matter of fact, I do."

Delorian feigned offense. The moonlight that shone upon the pair was just bright enough to illuminate her gaping mouth and raised eyebrows, throwing shadows upon the rest of her face as she acted hurt by Indirys' playful words. "If you're going to question my loyalty, then I have no other choice. We must compete against each other in a duel."

Indirys halted in her tracks, the playful look in her eyes having disappeared as quickly as the sun in the middle of a thunderstorm. "No. Delorian, there is no way I'm doing that again. I hardly wanted to do this in the first place, so do you really think I'm going to overindulge that much?"

"Oh, come on," the other girl begged, her features instantly blending into a more pleading expression. "It's not like we do this all the time. Besides, I never see you anymore. Are you really going to deny me the opportunity of spending a little quality time with my best friend?"

"There are many other ways to spend quality time with one another than to make a competition out of stealing from innocent civilians."

Delorian shrugged nonchalantly. "Yes, but none of them are quite so fun as seeing who can swipe the best goods."

Indirys was unconvinced. Ever since she was a child, she'd been taught it was okay to steal and lie in order to get what you wanted. Her parents had raised her and Lando on those morally ambiguous ideals. It had taken Lando an extensive amount of time to break his little sister of that mentality, and despite his many efforts, both Calrissian descendants still survived on the money they won through gambling and other disdainful actions. The only difference between the children and their parents was the fact that they refused to steal when their victim wasn't looking, and they certainly didn't steal when there was a possibility they would get caught. It was a fine line they walked on, the dividing line between respectable and disreputable thievery, but it was one they made sure to walk well.

"Is a Calrissian woman saying no to a bet right now? I didn't know that was even possible," Delorian pressed.

"Delorian-"

"One time. Just enjoy yourself for one night, and then I won't ask you to do it ever again."

Indirys inwardly groaned and cursed to herself as she began to realize what she was about to do. She'd never been one to bend under the weight of peer pressure. In fact, she was usually the one who pressured someone else into doing something they typically wouldn't want to. But against Delorian? She had no resolve when it came to telling her closest friend "no", and she didn't expect she would begin to develop some at a time when she was being reunited with her friends after months of separation.

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair before answering, "You're definitely going to ask me to do it again, even if I agree to participating in your...malicious games this time."

"There's no need to be so harsh," Delorian responded, once more finding herself pretending to be offended. She allowed herself a moment's pause before continuing with her persistence, saying, "Is this your way of saying yes? I'm your best friend in the entire galaxy, there's no way you could say no to me."

Indirys nodded, and her friend's face lit up. The two companions shared a glance, and the effervescent competition between them began. They'd had no need to make commentary about boundaries and rules of their makeshift game - they'd played it dozens of times before when they were younger. It was only when Indirys had matured and started to feel guilty for stealing from innocent people that their consistent participation in the game had slowed.

As Indirys slipped through alleyways and in between warm bodies of Coruscant natives, she began to remember why she'd enjoyed common thievery so much in her past. The thrill of the adrenaline running through her veins excited her beyond comprehension. The burst of excitement she got when she snatched a valuable item from an unsuspecting salesman, the exhilaration of grabbing a few credits from someone's purse, and the rush of sliding valuables off of a person's body without them noticing - it all made her wonder why she'd stopped stealing with Delorian in the first place. The overall effect it could have on a person was intoxicating.

It was only when a calloused hand tightly gripped Indirys' shoulder that she remembered why she'd stopped pickpocketing. She stopped in her tracks, and every inch of her body froze in fear of whoever it was that had grabbed her.

'I'm done,' she thought to herself. 'This is it. An imperial guard, a stormtrooper, or something caught me red-handed, and I'm going to be locked up.'

Her eyes flicked around, desperately searching for the person who convinced her to steal in the first place. As expected, Delorian was nowhere to be found, meaning Indirys had to figure out a way out of trouble on her own. She shakily breathed in and out in a futile attempt to calm her nerves. When she finally built up enough confidence to face her captor, she whipped around, making an effort to seem calm as she said, "Listen..."

Her words died on her lips. Rather than trembling in fear of an unforeseen punishment, or trying to weasel her way out of being detained, she found herself beaming up at the man whose hand still remained on her shoulder. Where she had initially expected a scolding or a glowering gaze from an officer of some sort, her smile was returned by the cocky one of an individual she knew all too well.

Her posture relaxed and her expression softened as she stared at the man that looked down upon her. Just as she instantly recognized his soft, brown eyes and his ridiculous facial hair, he recognized her crooked jaw and mischievous grin that was so similar to his own.

"Lando," she effused, an unmistakable appearance of gaiety shining through every curve of her face. "It's good to see you."

( gif by antigalactic )

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I promise, things will start moving at a much quicker pace very soon. I just needed some time to introduce the characters and their relationships with each other(because we love a good subplot), and some time to develop Indirys' personality and what she stands for. That being said, the next chapter is going to (objectively) be the most important chapter in the story, so just  bear with me a little longer,and I hope you've enjoyed the story so far!