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[Jared Quinn]

It had been two years since the events of that fateful night, he had spent two weeks afterwards scrapping up scraps and trying to find a place to live; from there he found other ways to make money on the side. Some included using his fists to make a living in illicit fighting rings, but fate stepped in once again as he worked in the storeroom of the store he worked in during the day. Unknown to him as a large Zabrak walked into the area he was working in, the creature had been sent to escort him to Don Giska Ora'rey; the bothan had been watching the young man for a few months and was pleased with his progress. "Boy, you come with me to see Don Ora'rey."

Jared's head snapped up at the mention of the bothan who ran the fighting rings in Cornet at the moment, his first reaction was to run out the back door but he also knew that the Zabrak would probably be on him before he could even bother to turn the corner."Whats Giska want with me?"

The Zabrak didn't bother to answer as he motioned for Jared to follow him before walking out of the storeroom, Jared followed the zabrak and sighed slightly as he mind turned to his mother and little brother and sister; he had been giving her as much money as he could afford. It was one of the reasons he had entered the fighting rings.

As they went outside he was greeted by the sight of a luxury airspeeder with a the bothan crimepin sitting in the driver's seat"In Quinn, we have much to speak about. Jared climbed into the other side of the airspeeder before they took off heading south towards the training center he used."I want you to fight for me Quinn, your a good human who has a good head on his shoulders.

Jared looked over at the bothan and sneered slightly."Get to the point Giska, I've got to get back to work. He didn't want his boss to catch him not there since it could very well mean he'd lose his job and only way he had to support himself since the money he made fighting in the ring went to his mother to help with his sibilings.

"Quinn, do not test me or bad things could happen." It was at that moment that Giska turned on a small holoscreen aboard the speeder and the image flashed of Jared's family as Giska smirked looking at him."Now then, I want you to fight for me.

He looked over at the bothan and sneered knowing the furry sentient was holding all of the cards at the moment, Jared didn't like the idea of fighting for the bothan but knew if he didn't something bad would happen to his family even though Giska didn't say it outright. "Fine Giska, I'll fight for you. Jared didn't like the idea of fighting for Giska since he had heard stories of what happened in the fighting rings that Giska personally oversaw, but he reminded himself at the moment those were just rumors passed around between fighters.

Shortly after agreeing to fight for Giska he was dropped off outside the training center and given a address to be at that night, Jared then returned to the flat he rented to relaxed before he headed off to the address; unknown to him at that was the fact that it would be the stage of his first true fight for his life. He arrived at the address in question around fifteen minutes early only to be greeted by the Zabrak that had nearly dragged him out of the store earlier."Come Quinn, tonight you truly fight."


Jared was curious what the Zabrak spoke about, but his answer came a moment later as he walked into the back of a large room filled with other fighters only to see a Gran being taken out the door in a clear bodybag; the cold hand of fear gripped his spine as he realized exactly what happened here. He was only given a few moments before his name was called and he stepped up to the gate that led into the ring."Come on Giska, you never said anything about this..."


Giska ignored Jared's words and only gave the signal that sent Jared stumbling into the ring where he saw his opponent who growled at him before stalking around the ring, Jared thoughts whisked away as he tried to dodge the Cathar's vicious attack only to be swatted across the ring like a gnat. He hadn't expected anything like this but something in the back of his mind told him he'd better fight or he'd end up like the Gran he had seen in the bodybag and fight was exactly what he did, as the cathar approached him Jared lashed out with a punishing blow to the catlike creatures solarplexus before swinging around the bring the durasteel toe of his boot into contact with the cathar's kneecap.

The spectator's stood with a cheer as the cathar let out a scream of pain, Jared himself backed up and clutched his midsection that was still bleeding from the cathar's claws."You die here human." The cathar spoke before lashing out at Jared who was just in the reach of it's claws which raked over his leg sending Jared to his good knee as pain shot through his leg and up it seering any thoughts from his mind except survival.

The fight continued like this until the cathar finally slumped to the dirt floor in exhaustion and bloodloss, Jared leaned against the duracrete of the ring wall clutching his midsection in agony; he looked down as he pulled his hand away only to see blood seep from the four gashes he had received from the cathar who now laid in the middle of the ring. Jared barely registered the gate opening again as he hobbled towards it, the Zabrak smirking at him as he allowed Jared to pass and enter the backroom where he landed on a table while trying to maintain conciousness.

Edited by Jared Quinn, 22 January 2009 - 09:01 PM.

[Diandra Devin]

Nirium was used to seeing violence. She was used to seeing death and hatred; she did, after all, work in the same rings that Jared now worked in. She like many others there did what she could to survive, and it was not always the most pleasant of work. She had seen the entire thing from start to finish and though only a child herself, felt badly for the boy who hobbled out of the ring with blood dripping from several gaping wounds on his side.

Nirium felt bad enough that when her boss did his rounds, she knelt and asked to be freed.

"Why?" He sneered at her. "Gonna go in the back finally and do some real work?"

"No," she said. "But I imagine that Don Ora'rey doesn't want to lose his new prize fighter to blood loss."

Her boss grunted and set her free. She jumped easily from her dancer's platform and headed into the back room where she had seen them lead the poor boy. It only took Nirium a moment to find him. There were three deep gashes across his chest and left side; a nasty scratch on his right arm; turning him over revealed some already developing bruises on his back. Nirium bit her lip and hoped to the gods that she could fix the poor boy. She wasn't a doctor, or even a medic, but living where she lived, some medical knowledge was mandatory. What she knew was basic at best; disinfecting things and stitching up wounds if need be, but that was it.

Nirium had seen far too many young men like him go into the ring and never come out again. She could barely remember the first time she had seen it; the shock had been so great that a much younger Nirium had fainted on the spot. More than a few of her friends had gone into the ring, and like the rest, had not survived. She refused to let yet another young man die in such a way. Besides, there was something about the boy that called to her.

There was only one thing to do. With a nod to herself, Nirium rolled him onto his back again and gently patted his face.

"Boy," she said softly in his ear. "Wake up, boy. We need to get you out of here, else you'll die on this fraking table."

[Jared Quinn]

The events after he crawled up onto the table were a blur to the young man as he felt pain seering through his body from the injuries he had sustained in the ring; he realized someone was tending to some of his wounds and he tried to lift his head only to groan and lay it back down. Jared gritted his teeth in pain as it shot through his body again.

He slowly opened his eyes as she patted his face then turned to look at her, it took his mind a few moments to register her words; he slowly swung his legs over the edge of the table and noticed his white work shirt covered in his own blood but pushed himself up with a low groan as pain reminded him of the beating he had just gotten done taking a few moments ago."Where would we go?" His voice strained tight as he breathed shallowly tried to alleviate some of the pain he felt at the moment.

Edited by Jared Quinn, 27 January 2009 - 09:49 PM.

[Diandra Devin]

"You just let me worry about that," Nirium replied. As he stood, she took off his work shirt and then pressed it to his gut, then pressed the hand of his injured arm to the shirt. As soon as she had done that, she took his uninjured arm and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Alright, darling. Let's get out of here."

Nirium led him out of the back room and into the streets. It took them five minutes to get them where they were going, but to Jared it would seem like an eternity. She wasn't unaware to his pain; in fact, she stopped frequently to let him catch his breath before continuing. Where they ended up was at an apartment block. He wouldn't be surprised when she let herself in with a keycode and then made her way to the turbolift.

The next few minutes would be a blur for him as she led him to the turbolift and then to her small dingy apartment. It was clean, though, and it smelled nice; like her perfume and some sort of incense. He'd notice too, that the colors of the apartment were warm and inviting, unlike any other apartment he'd ever been in.

She led him over to her kitchen table and had him lay down upon it. Nirium wasn't surprised when the boy passed out; she had expected as much. Biting her lip, she set to work patching him up. Afterwards, when she had finished with him, she brought out a blanket and a pillow. The pillow went beneath his head, and the blanket went over him. She dared not move him again -- not until he could wake up on his own at least. Now all she had to do was wait.

So, she waited, dozing lightly in one of her kitchen chairs until Jared awoke.

[Jared Quinn]

Jared woken nearly twelve hours later with a groan and low curse as he tried to move only to feel pain rack his body as his back and stomach wounds reminded him of what had happened to him recently, it was then he also realized he was not in a medical centre or his own apartment which set of alarms in his mind given he didn't remember the girl at the moment. Where the Frak am I?"

His voice low as he tried to push himself up with a struggle, he looked around the warmly decorated room before noticing the girl around his age sleeping in a chair near the table he was laying upon; Jared then remembered about the girl talking to him in the fighter's prep room. He remembered bits and pieces of what had happened after the fight but nothing exactly solid since his mind had been quite addled with pain, it was then that Jared slowly slid off the table and towards the sink since his mouth felt drier then the tantooine desert at high noon.

He searched in the muted light of the room for a glass before turning on the faucet and filling the glass, as he drank the water that had small flecks of dirt and metal in it he felt one of his teeth wiggle in the back of his mouth; with a groan he reached into his mouth after setting down the glass and felt around before finding the offending tooth."Fraking lovely, another busted tooth."

[Diandra Devin]

Nirium opened her eyes as she heard him shuffling around the kitchen. She'd always been something of a light sleeper; the idea of sumarily being robbed and raped while she was in a deep sleep frightened her. She watched Jared fumble about for a long moment.

The boy got himself a glass of water, all the while grumbling to himself.

"Fraking lovely," She heard him say. "Another busted tooth."

"Well, yeah," she replied. "You took a couple of hard hits to the mouth -- what did you expect?" She sighed softly and rose from her chair, stretching languidly. She had since changed out of her dancer's costume and slipped on a pair of loose drawstring pants in a soft gray and a light blue halter top that hugged her curves lightly and flared out at the hips. She looked comfortable, but still worried.

Nirium started towards him, her bare feet making a soft slapping sound on the cool flooring of the kitchen. She brushed a few stray pieces of flame red hair from her face and then began to look him over without touching him. Her bright green eyes searched his form, her mind checking each wound that she had dressed. Satisfied, she looked up at him. Freckles dusted her fairy-like face that was now wrought in an impish half-smile.

"You're a tough one," she said. "But you shouldn't be up moving about. If you go to the living room, I'll pull out the bed and you can get comfortable."

She turned and pointed slightly at the old worn couch in the apartment and to the pile of blankets and sheets that lay next to the sofa. He would note, too, once he looked around that the apartment itself pretty much consisted of the living room, the kitchen, and another door besides the one just to the left of a small holo-vision and bookcase that had five or six different locks on it. The second door no doubt led to the bathroom.

"I'm Nirium," she said, offering him a hand. "And you should be resting."

Nirium gave him another little smile and then turned to go into the living room to pull out the fold-away bed and make it up.

[Jared Quinn]

Jared looked over at the girl as she spoke, the motion of twisting his midsection reminded him once again of the ebbing pain in his back and he gritted his teeth for a moment. He looked the girl over and tried to remember exactly what she did there. The events of the previous night had happened so fast that many of the details still eluded him at the moment but never the less he watched her as she walked into the living room.

You're a tough one, but you shouldn't be up moving about. If you go to the living room, I'll pull out the bed and you can get comfortable."

He ignored her words as he moved towards the living to look around for his shirt so he could pull it on before leaving, his boots still felt like they weighed a ton but he walked around trying to find the shirt, it was then he wavered and caught himself against the doorway that separated the kitchen and living room; he felt the room spinning and things weren't as clear as they had seemed to originally be.Maybe your right.."

He pushed himself forward while wavering as his head swam, he made it over to the bed she had just pulled out but barely as he face planted into the bed with a groan.

[Diandra Devin]

He would feel her moving about behind him; in a moment, he felt cool sheets touch his naked back. She effortlessly rolled him and made the bed with him on it. Nirium grunted once or twice as she moved him and got things situated. Then came the top sheet and a heavy comforter on top of that. Once she had it all situated, she tucked a pillow under his head and wandered into the kitchen again.

"Do you have a place to stay, kid? I know that the arrangements would be kind of awkward, but, I'd be glad to offer you that side of the bed you're laying on, and my bathroom and kitchen."

He could hear her opening up her refrigerator and closing it again. It wasn't long before he could smell something good cooking. It was then that her weight dipped the mattress and he could feel her hips pressing against his as she settled down on the edge of the bed. She laid a warm hand on his shoulder and gave a little squeeze, at the same time pushing on it gently to get him to turn over.

"Here," she said, offering him a steaming coffee cup. "It's not much, but it's the best thing I can give you. It's some tea that should help with the pain."

[Jared Quinn]

Jared moved momentarily and rolled onto his back for Nirium, he then pushed himself up slowly onto his elbows as he looked at her, he still wondered about her and her reasons for helping him."Why are you helping me?"

He laid there waiting for her response as he took in her face and eyes wondering exactly how a girl like her ended up in the slums, but he also wondered how she ended up in the ring since most of the women there were down on their luck and at the end of their wits.

[Diandra Devin]

"Why are you helping me?"

Nirium didn't know why she was helping him, honestly. She couldn't explain what had made her leave her dancer's stage and go to the back room of Giska's establishment to help him. She couldn't explain why she wanted to continue helping him. She just did. Maybe it had something to do with something in her past. Nirium pushed a paritcularly depressing thought from her mind and instead gave him a warm smile before handing him the hot cup of tea.

"Don't worry about why I want to help you," she replied. "Know that my motives are pure and I have no interest in anything you have except your friendship. We're in the Coronet slums, right? You need good friends here, and they're hard to come by, aren't they?"

She fell silent after that, still sitting on the edge of the bed. Her hands knotted themselves in the excess fabric of her pants, then released a moment later. Slowly, Nirium stood, brushing her soft hair away from her face again. She looked down at Jared, her expression slightly sad. It was hidden a moment later though, when she turned and walked back to the kitchen to check on the cooking food.

"Dinner is almost ready," she said. "I hope you like bantha steaks."

[Diandra Devin]

Rain pattered on the roof and the window panes of the apartment, making a sound that most would find calming, if not down right sleep-inducing. Nirium, on the other hand, found it just the opposite. It was maddening. She stood at a window inside her room, wrapped in a towel, holding aside the sheer curtain that gave her some privacy from the outside world. Still fresh from a shower, beads of moisture ran down her lithe body, ignored by her for the most part. A wet tendril of hair fell into her face and she brushed it back behind one ear. She was deep in thought, her expression one that she wore only in private.

Jared was not there to see her, and therefore, she let her more morose feelings show through. It was the rain that had brought them on, and it was the reason that she hated the rain. Today wasn't The Anniversary. It wasn't long off though; The Anniversary pained her, and she figured that it would continue to pain her for the rest of her life. After a long moment, she turned away from the window and let the curtain drop back into place.

Off came the towel; it landed on the single bed not far from her on her left. Nirium took up a bottle of sweetly scented lotion from the dresser to her right and poured some of it into her hand. As she spread it on her still moist skin, her thoughts drew her deeper into her private misery.

"Ara, Jared," she whispered. "I hope that you get out of this hell hole soon."

She frowned at herself and settled down on the edge of the bed to spread the lotion on her long legs. Despite the fact that she was considered plump, Nirium was well toned and flexible. Several months had passed since she'd met Jared for the first time, and since then, they had become good friends. Or so she liked to think.

Giska, after discovering that his newest death match fighter was staying with one of his better dancers, had been delighted. At first, being together had only been a means of keeping an eye on him when he was wounded, as it had been that first week they knew each other. Then, it became a job from Giska himself. A way to spy on him, to know if he was going to run, or worse, rat that slemo bothan out. All this in return for never having to turn another trick again. It was an opportunity that she hadn't been able to refuse. She just prayed that Jared was smarter than that.

So, she suggested at one point during their short relationship that he move in with her. It was natural, since he was staying with at her apartment more often than he was staying at his own. He had accepted and they had moved together to a nicer side of the Blue Sector. They had their own separate rooms now, but Nirium had to admit that she missed sharing a bed with him.

Not that he ever tried anything with her, aside from occasionally throwing an arm across her midsection in the middle of the night and cuddling close.

She smiled at that thought as she replaced the bottle of lotion on her dresser and pulled on a lacy set of smallclothes and on top of that, a loose pair of pants in a soft gray color and a light blue tee shirt that clung to her curves. Her feet were left bare. Nirium picked up a brush that sat next to her lotion and began to drag it through her thick, tangled tresses. She winced once or twice, but never made a sound.

Her thoughts still revolved around her private pain. She couldn't help it. The Anniversary was coming up, and it was just around the corner. Three weeks, and she feared that she'd have to relive the pain of that day. She'd have to work, too, she knew, and Jared would no doubt be in the rings. That, of course, just made everything worse.

"Ara, give me strength. If you can't lend me strength, then at least lend me some sanity for the coming days."

Her brush worked quickly, and her fingers even more quickly. In a few moments, a thick, still damp braid hung down her back, secured by a bit of string. After a moment, she stood up from the bed and moved into the sparsely furnished living area. There were five doors there; one led to the main hallway, one led to the fresher, one to Jared's room, one to hers, and the last one, made of clear glass led to an uncovered patio of sorts.

She walked over to this one and opened it, then stepped outside into the drizzle. The rain hit Nirium's skin, bathing her anew; she stood there like a fool and let it wash over her as she stepped up to the flimsy railing and leaned against it, her gaze far off as she watched for Jared to come home. A sudden thought came to her; it was peaceful and it made her smile.

For once, Nirium didn't mind the rain.

Edited by Diandra Devin, 08 February 2009 - 10:36 PM.

[Jared Quinn]

Meanwhile on the other side of the Blue sector Jared stood in the training facility all of the fighters who were on Gizka's payroll worked out in, he had spent a good part of his day there training and generally preparing himself for the upcoming fight he had. At the moment he was working on the heavy bag trying to get his power punches up."Come on Quinn, I want to see some power out of you."

The female Chiss trainer he was working with today watched him carefully, she had been teaching the young corellian man the art of Forebelean Defense; she knew he was good but had a tendency to let too many punches or slashed through which normally cost him a a good amount of bruises or open wounds."Faster, Harder. Like you're in the ring Quinn."

With that Tia'herva'preva lashed out at his side which caused Jared to move quickly and attempted to move himself into a rudimentary form of Forebelean that Tia had taught him, it worked to a point as Jared stepped back a few steps instead of falling over."You're getting better, a month ago you would have been sprawled on the mat beneath you."

It was then the woman turned noticing Gizka watching them, she bowed to Gizka before moving towards the women's locker room, Gizka approached Jared and looked him over for a moment."Much better boy, I am glad to see you are becoming a true fighter..

Jared merely ignored the shorter bothan as he took a towel, his chest covered in sweat from the workout he had just finished; the bothan continued to follow him around the training centre."Now then boy, about Nirium. Have you sampled her charms yet?" He leered at Jared as he asked the question, a twinkle in his grey eyes. It was well known amongst those who either fought or worked in the rings that Gizka favored Nirium greatly but she always turned him down flat every time he propisitioned her.

"Gizka, go frak yourself."Jared then turned and headed for the locker room to shower and get dressed, he had lost the motivation to work out unless it was Gizka's head that he was using for a punching bag. It was a short time later that he was walking through the light drizzle that hovered over the sector, he shrugged it off but at the same time wished he had a good coat to wear.

Jared continued along Blue Sky Boulevard towards the Row as is was called by the locals who lived in the area, as he approached Treasure Ship Row he saw the throng of people that always seemed to be there. He moved through the crowds and saw a pawn shop that had a holovert playing about their wares, it was then Jared saw a coat he had to have; He slipped into the pawnshop and walked over to the coat, it was a simple bantha leather coat dyed black but what interested him was the plates woven into the inside of the coat itself."Those durasteel in the pockets?"

The shop owner nodded and pulled down the coat slowly allowing Jared to look over it."How much?" Jared knew that coat could save his ass in the ring since the plates would absorb a good deal of the blows. The shop owner looked him over for a moment and then looked at the price tag."1500 Creds kid."

Jared stood there for a moment weighing his options and then pulled out his credchit before swiping it, he then took the coat from the shop owner and pulled it on; the durasteel plates added a good deal of weight to the coat but it hung on him naturally. It was then he head back to the apartment he and Nirium shared, he opened the door slowly after swiping his keycard on the lock. It had been a long day and he was looking forward to relaxing the rest of it.

[Diandra Devin]

Jared could easily see Nirium standing out on their little patio, already half-soaked from the falling rain. She had her head tipped back slightly; her body language suggested that she was deep in thought, only half aware of the world around her. For the most part this was true; she had barely heard him enter but she figured that he would go straight to the fresher first, as was his custom.

She continued to stand there, leaning against the railing. Her eyes were closed; for once, she enjoyed the sound and the feel of the rain. Her thoughts no longer morose, they now rested on some slim possibility that would get the both of them -- or at least Jared -- out of the rings. Nirium knew that Jared hated Giska, and she knew that Giska would only keep Jared around for a short time. It was destined. Giska had gotten rid of several fighters that he no longer favored -- especially if they showed any type of interest in Nirium.

All she had to do was cut a deal the bothan. In short, she thought that if she offered herself to Giska on the condition that Jared be released from fighting unharmed and unhunted for the rest of his natural life, that slemo would have no choice but to agree. Giska's lewd proposals to her were enough to let Nirium know just how badly he had it for her; then again, Giska was the type of bothan that desired anything that had a nice rack and a long set of legs. She could try, at least. If Nirium could never be personally happy again, then she could at least be happy for someone else.

The only way out that she saw for herself was death. It gave her an idea, but it was so difficult to fake one's own death these days that she knew it would be nigh impossible to get that particular plan to work. But still, if she could get Jared out, then that was enough for her. She couldn't say that she was in love with Jared, but she at least felt something beyond friendship for him. Maybe one day it would develop into more.

She didn't even know if Jared trusted her or not. He had every reason not to; she did, after all, work for Giska, just as he did. Only, she was much closer to him than he was. It didn't help that she had agreed to keep Giska informed of Jared's doings in return for something she'd wanted very much. Nirium supposed that it was one of the tougher lessons of life: it was survival of the fittest, but even the fittest had to do dirty deeds once in awhile to survive. Friends backstabbed friends, if it meant they could continue to scrape by for another day.

It didn't mean that Nirium didn't feel bad for making a deal with Giska; in all honesty, she felt horrible for it. But never having to turn a trick again was something that a girl just didn't turn down. Every dancer in Giska's employ worked as a whore on the side, should any customer wish to have a little fun. She was the only one who could say that she now had the privelege of telling a wanting man to frak off and die while still getting paid as if she were going to bed every man in the joint.

Nirium turned slightly now to look over her shoulder. She caught a glimpse of Jared from her peripherals and saw that he wore a new coat. She smiled a little to herself, and then looked back out over the cityscape. He had no idea that things were about to get better for him. I wasn't able to stop Eeth's death, she thought to herself. But I can sure as hell prevent his.

With that thought, she put a smile on, then turned and walked into the living room where Jared stood, having just shut the door. Confident that her plan would work, she closed the door to the patio and went over to him, stopping long enough to grab the lapels of the coat and straighten them out.

"Well, look who's back. So, Handsome, where'd you get this...?"

[Jared Quinn]

Jared grinned over at Nirium walked over to him, he opened the coat for a moment and then let it fall against his body again."The pawnshop down on the Row. Guy made me a hell of a deal on it and I couldn't say no."

He took it off and set it on the back of their couch for the moment before walking in to get himself something to eat, Jared had been thinking of ways to escape the slums and he had seen a imperial army recruiter today who hounded him to join but Jared had walked past him ignoring him at the moment. The recruiter's promises rang in Jared's ears now."Get out of the slums, see distant worlds. Be apart of something true and powerful." The thought of getting out of the slums appealed to him but he worried about Nirium as well since if he left she's probably end up back in that crappy little apartment she had been in when they had met.

"Hey Niri, you ever think of getting out of here. I mean the slums and even corellia?" He knew he couldn't just leave her here which meant they'd have to come up with someway to get offplanet without Gizka noticing them.

[Diandra Devin]

"Hey Niri, you ever think of getting out of here. I mean the slums and even Corellia?"

The question caught her by surprise. He could see it on her face which then slowly softened into a look of sadness.

"Every day," she replied quietly. "Every day I think about leaving the slums and Corellia behind. But where would I go, Jared, and what would I do? I don't have any skills except as a whore and a dancing girl. What good am I? Giska would know anyway and he'd make my life hell until I returned to this crummy planet."

Nirium turned away and went to the patio door again to look out. She didn't expect to ever get out of the slums. She figured that she'd probably grow old and die there, all alone in the apartment. She might not be able to get off planet; she might not even be able to get out of the slums. However, Jared was a man and that made it all the easier for him to get out and away from the gutters of the planet.

After a long moment of staring out, she turned and looked at him again. She smiled at him softly and tucked a bit of loose hair behind one ear.

"But you can get out," she said. "Make it big or something. I could come visit you, you know?"

[Jared Quinn]

Jared listened to Nirium go on about how she had no skills and Gizka would know, he had plans on how to deal with that at the moment but hadn't told her about them yet."I'm not getting out of here unless you do as well, I can't leave you down here to rot away under Gizka's thumb."

He stood there and as she turned to him he took her into his arms and gave her a warm hug."We'll get off this rock, trust me on this." His plan was simple yet nasty, the next fight he was going to through since it was just a simple to the knee match, after doing that he planned on throughly pissing Gizka off by telling him that he was leaving.

[Diandra Devin]

"We'll get off this rock, trust me on this."

Nirium leaned against Jared, her eyes closing as she inhaled slowly. Her nostrils filled with his scent -- his after shave, the clothes detergent he used, and the scent of his skin. It comforted her and made her want to believe him. Oh, how desperately Nirium wanted to believe his words about getting off Corellia and moving onto a better life.

The red-head exhaled slowly and looked up at him, her eyes still holding a hint of sadness to them. She gave him a weak smile and pulled away to step into the kitchen area, where she promptly began dinner. During this time, she was silent. Her thoughts revolved around several things, though they kept coming back to rest on one thing alone: Once off the planet, how would they survive?

"How... how would we make it out there, Jared?" She asked him finally, her voice soft. "How would we survive? Even if we had a little money put aside, what would we do? We would eventually run out of money and there would be bills to pay and food to buy. We're keeping our heads above water here, but only because you fight and then work a job during the day. What would happen to us out there? We'd get sucked back into the filth, Jared."

As she spoke, her soft voice grew more and more despondant the more that she thought about the future and how they would go about surviving in it. One thing was for sure: Nirium's loyalty to Jared knew no bounds. And while she couldn't yet admit to herself that her loyalty tied into her deeper feelings for Giska's newest prize fighter, she could allow herself to admit that she cared deeply for him.

Nirium stopped her preparations for dinner as she turned to look at him.

"I wish I could see things as you did, sweetie," she said quietly. "And trust me, I'd love to get off this rock and live a different life. But I don't know how or if I could."

Edited by Diandra Devin, 14 June 2009 - 03:23 PM.

[Jared Quinn]

Jared walked over and leaned in the doorway as Nirium started making their dinner for the moment, he listened to her worries and waited til she finished for the moment."I'm alot more resourceful then you think I Niri, Leave the details to me and just make sure you're ready when I tell you it's time."

In truth Jared's plan was insane at the least, he had been making deals with some of the swoop gangs and other undesirables who were being pushed around by Gizka's men down on treasure row. He knew that when the chips hit the floor all hell was going to break loose in the slums and also knew that Corsec would be down there the fastest they had ever been. "Niri, one thing though. I'm telling Gizka I'm quitting after the next fight."

He then walked over and kissed her cheek softly before moving towards the bathroom to get himself a shower. It didn't take him long before he was walking out wearing a clean set of clothes and then he walked into the kitchen looking for Nirium again, he had to go out and begin planting the explosives he'd bought a few weeks earlier. "Niri?"

[Diandra Devin]

Niri was silent. She was standing there, staring at the food that she was preparing. Quitting? Giska most likely already knew that Jared was planning on quitting. That meant that the next fight would be Jared's last.

Nirium's body seemed to stop working. She couldn't control herself. Her fingers loosened their grip and the spatula that she held dropped from her hands. Now, as her thoughts flew, she felt herself turning and heading to the kitchen table, where she sat down and stared at its top. Quitting. Eeth had been planning on quitting, too. He had gotten a better job on Coreilla. They were going to move out and get married... start their own family.

Only, the night before Eeth was to tell Giska that he was quitting, Giska had him murdered. The man that Eeth had gone against had secreted a knife into the ring and had disembowled her lover right in front of everybody. And she had never gotten the chance to say good-bye. She hadn't even been allowed to grieve, much less get off her stage and try to help him, with as limited as her medical knowledge was.

Nirium's mind had left her body, and just as she had been incapable of continuing to cook a moment before, she was now incapable of the tears that started to roll down her cheeks. She had trusted Jared when he said that he would get them off the planet and out of the slums, but she thought that he would do it without telling Giska of what they meant to do. Telling Giska that he was quitting the rings was like signing his own death certificate.

The red-head didn't say anything to him, or even look up. All she could see in front of her now was a man that she loved in front of her, dying of his wounds, as he had several years before. Only, it wasn't Eeth's face that she was seeing.

It was Jared's.

[Jared Quinn]

Jared walked over and picked up the spatula before he tossed it into the small sink near the stove, he watched the redhead for a moment wondering what had happened since she didn't discuss what happened to her before he came along in the sudden way he had. He was also worrying about the rest of his plan since it had a lot of things hinging on it like the swoop gangs doing their part of the deal he'd made with them, the plan itself was simple. Use the chaos caused by the explosions for them to get out of Treasure Row and up to the nice side of coronet so they could board a transport ship bound for somewhere far better then where they were.

He walked up and touched her on the shoulder softly to get her attention, he cared for the woman like he did his little sister who was at home with his mother."Niri. I'm heading out, are you going to be alright?" The biggest difference between Jared and Eeth was he was going to wait til the fight was over before telling Gizka, he also knew as soon as he told the slimy bothan the explosives would go and let chaos ensue around the fighting establishment.

[Diandra Devin]

Nirium did not look up or answer Jared. He might've planned to tell Giska after the fight, but she knew that the slemo bothan already had an idea of what Jared was planning to do. He most certainly would not know about the explosives, and he most certainly would not know about the swoop gangs, but he would know that Jared was planning on quitting and moving onto something better. She remained motionless in her chair, not even budging when dinner began to burn.

Tears still streamed down her cheeks as her mind poured over ways that she might be able to stop Giska from killing him. She came up with nothing and knew that nothing she could say or do would make Giska consider otherwise, even if she was to offer to sleep with him. Giska might promise with his mouth to her that he wouldn't kill Jared, but it would be a lie -- something that the bothan was very good at.

After sitting there a moment longer, she regained control of her body and looked up at him. "Don't go," she pleaded. "Please, Ara, don't go, Jared. He'll kill you. He already knows -- if you planned this out, he already knows that you've got something better lined up. He already knows that you plan on quitting -- you don't have to tell him. But Jared, if you go into the rings tonight, you will die, and I... I can't do it anymore. If you die, I... I don't know what I'll do."

[Jared Quinn]

Jared gently put his fingers under Nirium's chin for a moment to lift her up."Fine, then we'll slip away in the chaos. Gizka will be none the smarter until we're far away from the planet and well into hyperspace to somewhere much better." In truth he was worried about Nirium since she had been in the life far longer then he had been, he was worried she want to stay with Gizka out of some strange sort of loyalty.

"Now, I can count on you when the time comes can't I?"He had make sure, since one weak link in his plan and it would go up in smoke infront of his eyes and he would be dead for sure once the dust cleared. In his mind he was running the plan through his head again, the explosives triggered and shook the foundation of some of the larger buildings before the swoop gangs came through and caused chaos around the ring allowing both of them to slip away unnoticed until the dust cleared, by that time they would be boarding a ship bound for the core worlds.