Tyla's eyes shot open as she was awoken from her dream by a hand on her mouth. She caught sight of Revan and that her finger was to her lips. Tyla nodded and Revan removed her hand and moved back slightly. Tyla slid out of the bed softly and landed on the ground as Revan threw some clothes at her.
Tyla caught them and tried to inspect them, but in the darkness of the room it was impossible to see anything. Trusting Revan's judgment she slipped the outfit on and ghosted out of their room. Whatever it was she was wearing, it didn't feel like it was covering much. In fact, it didn't feel like it was covering much at all. It was when she was in the dim light of the enclave hall did she finally look down.
"What the frack Rev? Why am I wearing this?!" Tyla demanded as she gazed at the outfit in shock. It was a cantina dancer's outfit basically. Only more revealing. If that was even possible.
Two thin straps of white laced around her neck and almost entirely exposed her back. Thin material covered her chest while two straps at the bottom wrapped around and hugged her back as well. Small white shorts lined with gold covered her butt and that was about it as of that. The intricate golden designs on the white fabric made the entire thing mesmerizing.
"Because I got a tip that a local bar is hosting a slave trafficking ring. We're going to go check it out." Revan explained as they silently walked through the halls of the enclave, their voices being the only thing to disturb the silence.
"In this?!"
"Oh shut it. You're going as a dancer; I'm going as a waitress. We need to see what's going on out there." Revan finished as they made it out of the twisting halls of the enclave and out into the Coruscant night. Tyla sighed as she looked over at her friend. She was basically wearing the same thing and it only covered a little bit more than her own outfit. That made her feel a little better.
"Be glad I trust you Rev. I would have hit anybody else that made me wear this." Tyla stated dryly.
"Even...nah, I won't ask that. You wouldn't get it." Revan commented, stifling a laugh.
"Even who?" Tyla asked, curious despite herself.
"I told you that you wouldn't get it Ty." Revan said dismissively with a small wave of her gloved hand.
"I still want to know!" Tyla responded annoyed.
"Really?"
"Really!"
"…nah."
"Revan! Why won't you tell me?" Tyla demanded.
"Because you need to figure this out on your own. I can't tell you this one kid." Revan replied, turning a corner and stopping. Tyla stopped beside Revan as they stood waiting for something.
"I look like a hooker working a street corner." Tyla grumbled to herself, her hands crossed over her chest as she tapped her foot impatiently. Revan rolled her eyes at Tyla and waved out into the air traffic. A speeder stopped and a guy waved at Revan.
"Hey! What's up?" he called out. Revan smiled at him and nodded back.
"What's up Jadowyn? Have you met my lovely friend, Kiana?" Revan asked, pointing in Tyla's direction. Tyla forced a smile and waved back at him. She couldn't deny that the guy was handsome.
He had jet black, shaggy hair that stopped right around his neck. His hazel eyes shone even in the dark Coruscant night. He wasn't human, Tyla knew that much already, but he seemed pretty close to it.
"I don't believe I have. How are you Miss Kiana?" he asked politely, and Tyla's smile went from being forced to a true smile. This guy was pretty cool. She wouldn't mind to get to know him.
"I'm fine, thank you Jadowyn. How are you?"
"I'm doing wonderful now that I've had the opportunity to meet you." He replied with a wink. Ok, so he was a flirt. He had the looks to pull it off.
"Alright, stop flirting. We need a ride." Revan interrupted and Jadowyn turned back to her.
"Of course. Where to?"
"To the new club that opened up. I forget what it was called already." Revan laughed as she climbed in the backseat of the speeder. Tyla climbed into the seat beside the guy and he gave a dramatic sigh.
"Aw, so you're not wearing that because that's what you like to walk around in? Damn." He laughed as he took the speeder back into the air. "You work there I guess? Because if you do, I might just have to go see you." Jadowyn finished as he glanced over at Tyla. Ok, so why was he so interested in her?
"Yeah. It's pretty cool." Revan stated off-handedly. She was completely relaxed against the back of the seat and Tyla couldn't help but wonder how long this ride was.
"How long is this going to take?" Tyla asked mentally.
"Not long. It's a short way there but we needed a ride to get there."
"Oh yeah, what's with Kiana?" Tyla asked.
"It's your middle name." Revan responded simply.
"With an extra 'a' added to it. And so? That doesn't mean you can go around giving it to random people."
"Random, hot people." Revan laughed and Tyla glanced back at her.
"Hardy har har." Tyla shot back dryly.
"Alright girls, we're here." Jadowyn interrupted their mental argument and Tyla hurried out of the speeder. Revan scrambled out with her and thanked Jadowyn.
"Thanks for the ride Jad. I'll talk to you later." Revan said.
"Not a problem. Don't be afraid to call on me anytime you need my services. And I might come back around tonight to see you." Jadowyn finished with a look at Tyla as he took off into the night.
"Well I think he likes you Ty." Revan stated and Tyla narrowed her eyes at her. "What? I was just stating a fact!" Tyla glared at her and turned around, waiting on Revan's direction.
"Let's go Rev. Can we hurry this up and get back? Who knows how much trouble we will get in because of this stunt." Tyla complained loudly.
"Some more than others." Revan mumbled quietly as she looked at their outfits. Tyla glanced down at her own outfit then back at her friend's.
"Yeah, and I'm going to be even more screwed because you wanted to be a waitress and make me a fracking dancer." Revan muttered something under her breath at Tyla's statement but she couldn't hear her. Revan quickly led the girls away from where they were standing and she navigated them through several turning streets. They soon stopped in front of a glowing building and Revan dragged Tyla through the side entrance of the club.
They were standing in a room filled with activity and life. Girls of ages over 15 and races ran throughout the room putting on outfits or making final touches to their appearance. A young man that looked to be about the age of 20 was working his way through the throng of girls and he waved when he saw Revan.
"Alice! So good to see you again. And this must be Kiana. Lovely to make your acquaintance. I'm Darren, the manager here. I'm afraid I don't have much time to talk, but I can say that today was an excellent day to start. Today is the night that all of our girls wear masks. Here are yours," Darren spoke quickly as he handed them masks that matched their outfits, "and enjoy yourselves tonight. Ask Yana if you need help." Darren finished, pointing to a beautiful purple Twi'lek. Darren took off again and Revan gave Tyla a small shrug. They pushed their way to Yana and tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped slightly and turned around, but she smiled when she saw them.
"Ah, you must be the new girls I heard about. It's lovely to meet you finally. As Darren probably told you, I'm Yana and I take care of the new girls here. You already have your outfits on I see." Yana spoke fast and loud, but she smiled and she seemed nice enough. "Miss Alice, you need to go see the lady right over there. She's in charge of waitresses." Yana said after a brief moment and she pointed to a human woman. Revan nodded and ran off to her while Yana turned her attention to Tyla again.
"Being a dancer is probably one of the easiest jobs here. You dance on the floor with some of the other girls and eventually I guy will come up and ask for your hand. You hold out your hand and he puts some credits in it and you can pocket them. Then you dance with him for one song and if he wants another, he needs to pay you again. Flirt, but don't let them touch. You aren't property. If some guy gets a little too playful, just call for one of the guards and they will throw him out. If you know someone here, go ahead and talk with them, but don't let it distract you. You get part of the credits that the guys give you so you want to dance as much as possible. You get all of that?" Yana asked, and Tyla gave her a look. Yana simply laughed.
"I know it's a lot to take in on your first day. If you ever have a question, ask me or one of the other girls. We're all friendly here." Yana finished up. "Alright, I must leave now, but you should be fine. Head out to the floor and go ahead and watch some of the girls dance first if you're nervous. You'll catch on fast." Yana noted as she left the frenzied room. Tyla looked around, momentarily lost in the commotion of the room.
A group of girls were leaving the room and heading out into the main room and she trailed behind them. They didn't seem to notice her as they laughed and talked amongst themselves and Tyla didn't mind. She just wanted to get through the night and get back home.
The girls quickly made it out into the main room and they separated as they took up different positions, dotted along the dance floor. They began to dance in time with the beat of the song, starting off slowly as they moved. It was all designed to attract the attention of the customers. As the music picked up their dance did as well and they became a flurry of movement. Tyla watched for a few moments before she felt she had a hold of what she was supposed to do. She continued to watch though. Some of the girls were approached by willing customers, others weren't. A certain girl with shocking blue hair got on the floor and worked her way over to the Jedi.
"You aren't going to just sit here on the side. Let's go." She declared, pulling Tyla out onto the dance floor. Tyla was momentarily shocked at this strange girl's behavior. She didn't get her senses back until it was too late and she was already on the floor.
"Who are you?" Tyla asked as she started to dance slightly. It was nothing major, but it was enough so that she didn't stick out. The blue-haired girl didn't answer her but instead continued to dance with her for a few seconds until Tyla was forced into full out dance to keep up.
"See you later!" the teen exclaimed as she smirked and took off. The blonde wanted to chase her down, but she couldn't do that. She was already on the floor and dancing with the others. Growling in frustration, the Jedi was about to move towards the center of the floor where she was less likely to get noticed when she was approached by some guy.
He seemed to only be a little bit older than herself but he was fairly tall. He had dark brown hair and bright blue eyes and handsome features. He didn't look like some of the creepier people in the bar. In fact, he looked like he could be a noble or something.
"May I have this dance?" he asked politely, holding out his hand to her. Stunned, she accepted the offered hand and he instantly spun her around and gracefully caught her in his arms. He smiled down softly at her for a moment before speaking.
"What's your name?" he asked, his voice rich. Tyla stared at him unblinking before her senses came back to her and she stuttered a response.
"K-Kiana. You?" she answered and felt incredibly stupid for making it sound like she didn't even know her own name. The guy didn't even seem to notice as he changed the direction of their dance.
"Shayne."
"Wow, it matches you. I like it." She answered, feeling more comfortable than she had been before. Dancing with Shayne was easy and fun. She definitely liked dancing with him, that was for sure. Shayne looked like he was about to say something when he glanced around the room. His eyes caught on something specific but Tyla didn't look. That would have looked kind of creepy.
"I'm sorry to leave so abruptly, but I must leave. I hope you have a good night." He bid her farewell, taking an extra moment to spin her. Tyla spun out of Shayne's surprisingly comfortable arms and landed in some slightly familiar ones. She glanced up in surprise as her blue eyes locked with hazel ones.
"Jadowyn?" Tyla asked in surprise. Jadowyn smiled at her as he spun her around perfectly and caught her in his strong arms again.
"Hey Kiana. Just thought I would stop by for a little bit and say hi. I wasn't expecting you to already be on the floor so early." Jadowyn explained as he led her in the dance. The music had changed so that it was more of a formal dance, well as formal as a bar can get. It seemed that most of the common citizens had left the floor and taken their seats while the slightly higher class took the stage.
Jadowyn was leading her in some dance she didn't recognize but she was enjoying herself. It was fast and had a lot of movement. If dances had vocabularies, slow was not in this one's. As she turned again she bumped into another pair of dancers and she was forced to move closer to her new partner.
"If you wanted to get close to me Kiana, you could have just said so." Jadowyn said as he helped Tyla up slightly and pulled her closer to him.
"Thanks for the help back there Jad, but I can take care of myself now." Tyla said, trying to gently pull herself away from the older guy but it didn't work.
"I wouldn't be so sure Ki. There are still some rather creepy guys looking at you." Jadowyn whispered as he jerked his head to the back corner of the room. Jadowyn spun them around so that Tyla could look without making herself look suspicious.
When she saw who he was talking about Tyla mentally cursed. What the hell was Kavar doing here?! As Jadowyn spun her again she noticed Zhar and Malak slinking in the shadows. Oh frack, they were so busted.
There was a flash of black hair as the music changed again and Tyla was whisked away from the dance floor by a smaller figure. Somehow or another Tyla ended up back behind the bar. Revan tore off her own mask to assure Tyla that it was her before she started to whisper frantically.
"Malak, Kavar, and Zhar are all here!"
"I noticed. Hide yourself Rev. I'll see if I can distract." Tyla whispered back, glancing around to make sure nobody was hearing their conversation.
"Oh yeah, how do you plan on doing that? Flirting?" Revan joked sarcastically.
"That might work." Tyla shrugged. Revan gave her still masked friend a look of amazement.
"I could see you doing that if you were me or somebody else, but you're not! You don't flirt Ty!" Revan said, her hands waving wildly. Tyla grabbed her friend's shoulders and made her look her in the eyes.
"Rev, trust me on this. I'll be fine." Tyla stated calmly, and there was a moment of silence before Revan nodded trustingly. "Go." Tyla repeated and Revan took off into the back. She walked to where her master was standing, letting the sensual atmosphere of the bar wash over her as she removed her mask and threw it to the side.
She was surprised to see him wearing dark pants with a tight white shirt and was that leather jacket? Interesting and very sexy. She shook her head, digging through her inner brain to find her darker side. The side of her that she held in extremely tight control. She found it after a moment and slowly began to allow it into her system. It was like a drug if used too much.
"How 'bout you and me have a little fun for once master?" Tyla purred, pressing herself against him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled him closer to her slightly, but enough to be very suggestive.
"Ty, don't do this. You don't know what you would be starting." Kavar replied, his voice usually tight. Well, in this situation it might not be unusual. Tyla just shrugged and pulled him closer to her. See, this is what most people didn't know about her. She had another side completely opposite of her normal behavior, and when it broke out, it usually wasn't good. Tyla leaned up slightly before starting to talk.
"Then why don't you show me what I'm getting myself into?" She whispered seductively in his ear, nibbling on it ever so slightly. She dropped back to the ground softly. This time it was his turn to wrap his arms around the bare skin of her exposed back as he pulled her to him fully. She was mildly surprised as she looked up at him and perhaps slightly scared.
"Tyla Moore, stop this right now." He growled through clenched teeth.
"Why? You don't seem to be minding much." Tyla shot back, gesturing to her current position.
"Because you really don't want to know what I'm thinking right now." He muttered more to himself than her.
"Do you want to know what I'm thinking right now?" Tyla responded instantly as her hands messed with the back of his jacket. She knew that she was already in way to deep but she couldn't resist. Her other side was fueling her on, daring her to see how far she could push him. She quickly discovered how fast Kavar could push her when he spun around with her and she fell against the table. His arms were holding her wandering ones down.
"Hmm, somebody's excited." Tyla grinned. She wasn't really expecting a real response to her statement of course. She knew that she was having way too much fun with this, but she just couldn't help it. Tyla was only doing this to let Revan get away and Kavar thought she was only doing this so they wouldn't get caught. So he was going along with it, only as an act, but might as well milk it for all it was worth.
"You have no idea." Kavar smirked. Okay, that was more than just an acted response. Just for a moment, there was a flicker of doubt in her mind lost in a haze of…never mind. Was there more to this than she had first thought? No, that wasn't possible. They were just really good actors. Good enough to convince each other. A tiny voice in her brain called out, but she ignored it. No, not possible. Why did that little voice mysteriously sound like Revan?
"It depends on what you're willing to show me." Tyla replied, trying and failing to shift under his heavier form. Now that she thought about it, moving in their current position probably wasn't intelligent.
"Don't tempt me."
"Haven't I already?" Tyla countered with a devious smile.
"Do you really want to know how much?" he asked and Tyla glanced at her current situation. What surprised her, and slightly scared her, was that she really didn't mind being caught in this situation.
"I think I can figure it out." She answered gesturing to the fact that he was practically straddling her.
"Just be glad I'm still trying to restrain myself." He answered lowly, pushing her down on the table and leaning over her. "Because if I lose control, it's all over." When Tyla felt the jolt that formed the huge knot in her stomach, she knew it was time to end this. And it needed to end soon before something happened. She pushed him off of her mixing physical force with actual Force. She scrambled off the table quickly. This entire situation was forcing her to face things she wasn't ready to face yet. She was about to walk away when two hands grabbed her waist.
"Why aren't you letting go?" Tyla squeaked, her voice acting on her own and her previous behavior completely forgotten. Well, maybe not entirely forgotten. Certain emotions hadn't faded away yet. He slid closer to her and she blinked in half shock half something else that she didn't care to figure out. They were both just playing their parts to not get caught…right? Everything that had happened was just playing a role. She had to make herself believe that no matter how stupid it sounded.
"I think that would look a little suspicious." He whispered into her ear and she shivered slightly in his grasp. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing…or maybe both. Well, got to play the role right?
She extended her arms upward slowly in time with the music. Her body was swaying with the steady thump of the beat again and her eyes closed halfway. She let the rhythm of the bar around her to flow through her and take control as her arms wrapped around his neck. A pair of lips kissed her neck softly yet possessively. A jolt of electricity went down her and her back arched slightly. This could not be happening. She refused to believe that she was feeling…lust for Kavar. It just wasn't possible, no matter what every other thing in the galaxy was telling her.
"What the-?!" Revan shouted in Tyla's head and her eyes snapped open. Revan had tackled Malak to the ground, surprising for a girl her size compared to him, and Zhar was trying to separate the two. Realizing that Revan had given Tyla the distraction she needed, Tyla broke out of Kavar's grasp and she spun around to face him.
"Master Zhar, Malak, and Revan." Tyla whispered to him hastily and he nodded. Kavar disappeared into the crowd and the bar seemed to be normal at first until a voice that was vaguely familiar called out something loudly. There was a ruckus and now the bar had escalated into a full out bar room brawl and the other two males had disappeared in it.
Tyla was about to go find them when an arm grabbed hers. She yelped loudly but it was lost in the drowning sea of noise. She was dragged outside and spun around by what looked like an angry yet very amused Revan.
"I swear it wasn't what it looked like!" Tyla said quickly, attempting to defend herself.
"Well then care to explain what I was seeing back there? Because it certainly looked like what I thought I was seeing!" Revan shot back with her hands on her hips. Tyla couldn't decide if her friend was angry or trying to control laughter.
"Umm…I'm not sure how to explain it. We were just playing our parts to not get caught." Tyla tried, running her hands through her hair.
"You were playing with parts alright." Revan muttered quietly but Tyla heard her.
"Rev! Really, can we just drop it and go back in there and find them?" Tyla growled with a roll of her eyes.
"No need to find us Padawans, we're already here." Zhar's voice sounded from behind them and both girls jumped and turned around.
"Umm, how long have you been there?" Tyla asked, trying to look innocently curious.
"We just got here. Why?" Kavar answered, giving her a strange look.
"No reason!" Tyla squeaked and then she dove behind Revan. Revan turned around and glared at her slightly, amusement clear in her eyes.
"I'm glad you find this so amusing Rev! Care to explain to me what's so funny?!" Tyla growled.
"No, not at all. You can figure it out on your own. I am going to be so relieved when you do. Then you can realize how much of a clueless idiot you have been these past year." Revan laughed. Whatever she knew that Tyla didn't was apparently very obvious and very funny.
"Revan, you're not helping! At this rate, I'm never going to figure it out! Just tell me already!" Tyla hissed in frustration. There was a drawn out pause as Revan seemed to think over her reply.
"Sorry Ty, but I can't do that." Revan answered finally. The group of Jedi walked in complete silence for a good amount of time and even Tyla and Revan's mental link was quiet. Revan kept sending Tyla glances and laughing silently while Tyla continued to look down, her mind still having trouble comprehending everything that had happened.
Everything that had happened back in the bar…it seemed surreal. She was half-hoping that it was all a dream, but she knew that wasn't possible. The emotion back there had been all too real.
Also, she had never lost control that much before. Ever. With anyone. Not even when she had been trying to see how deep her darker side went. There was only one answer to her dilemma and she didn't like it.
So maybe it was possible she had a small…crush on Kavar. That was possible, but it was nothing but a tiny, little, innocent crush. She would get over it. She had to get over it. From now on she was going to ban that little crush and all non-Jedi like feelings for anyone out of her system.
Tyla looked up suddenly to realize that she had drifted away from the rest of the group. Zhar was talking to Revan, Malak was trailing behind her, and Kavar was walking by himself. Tyla was away from all of them and she was about to join Malak when she heard somebody from her other side.
"Kiana! Wait up!" Jadowyn called and Tyla gave a silent plea for help. This was so not what she needed right now. She turned around and smiled at him softly as he caught up with her.
"I'm glad I found you. After you disappeared you were gone for awhile and I was worried about you. Then that fight broke out and I wasn't sure if you were still in there or not." Jadowyn explained and Tyla thought for a moment.
"How did the fight break out anyway? I didn't even see anything happen." Tyla asked, curious even though she should have been sending him away.
"I got choked by something and when it stopped I looked around trying to find the guy who had done it and when I did I punched him." Jadowyn explained sheepishly.
"Who was responsible?"
"This really big biker. He was an asshole." Jadowyn growled.
"Did you actually see him choke you?" Tyla asked. She knew that sounded stupid, but if had been attacked from behind it was possible that he hadn't seen anything that had happened between Kavar and her.
"Well no, but he was the only guy around big enough to do it. Then he tried to punch me and then another guy defended me and then the entire bar got involved." Jadowyn admitted and Tyla nodded. At least that question was answered.
"Look, I'm glad you're safe and everything but I need you to leave. Right now isn't the best of times for me and it would be really good if you left." Tyla explained, her voice dropping to a hurried whisper.
"What, why? You don't have to work now and I didn't think you had anything else planned for the rest of the night." Jadowyn asked and Tyla shook her head.
"Look, I would explain to you if I could, but I can barely explain it to myself. I swear that it has nothing to do with you though. I just can't." Tyla stumbled, trying her best to explain everything without explaining anything.
"Okay then, I won't pressure you. But when could I see you again at least?" Jadowyn asked, almost pathetically. Oh Force, couldn't he take a hint?! Tyla was about to answer when she felt someone behind her and before she could do anything and arm slipped around her waist.
"Come, Padawan." Kavar commanded and Tyla glanced up at him before she glanced back at Jadowyn.
"Padawan…wait, Jedi? What?" Jadowyn demanded and Tyla opened her mouth to explain what was going on before she was turned around and dragged off. After they had left the confused teenager behind Tyla spun out of Kavar's grip and glared up at him.
"What the hell was that about?" she demanded angrily. Kavar just shrugged at her and kept walking. Tyla growled in frustration and stayed behind the rest of the group. She wasn't sure what was up with his behavior, but he would get over it…probably.
Just like she would get over this crush. Control the emotions. It shouldn't be too hard to do. She glanced up right as Kavar glanced back at her. An electric shock went up her side and she glared back down at the ground. Okay, so maybe it would be harder than she thought.
Anything familiar belongs to LucasArts/BioWare/Obsidian. Tyla Moore and Jadowyn Flen belong to Shadows of the Storm. Aurali Adrics and Shayne Desaneh belong to Aurali Adrics.