Kiran walked down the garbage strewn street, hoping the girl wasn't following him. He didn't want to have to kill her if she attacked him. He laughed quietly. If he killed her, he'd have gotten rid of a valuable asset. She was strong, capable, and smart, just as he had been when he'd first started.

Of course, she was a little bit sloppy. He'd watched her cry after she'd stabbed the Togruta that first night he'd seen her. He imagined she'd been through a lot. The way he'd watched her cry struck even his cold soul, but you can't do that on a mission. Hesitance and emotions were the tripwires to downfall. Safety was just an illusion, and it was the strong against the stronger in this world, there's no place for the weak. Every man for himself. That was what he'd learned.

He'd been following her for a week after he'd noticed her. She'd killed three other people since then, and after that one night, she hadn't hesitated at all. She was working for something. Earning enough credits to get off the planet most likely. Smart move, but then what? What would she do with her life then? She obviously had no home to return to, or family, which was made her the perfect target for him. She could just fall off the grid and come to work with him. They could make so much more than the few credits she was mugging off people every day, and he could teach her all he knew, and make her the best assassin in the business.

Personally, he didn't know why he was so obsessed with finding this girl. He was making good money alone, just him and Jarkin; but something had drawn him to her. Maybe it was the way she reminded him of himself. A scared orphan boy, surviving the only way he knew how. He shook his head; He didn't want to remember that. There were too many hurts there. Too many emotional scars.

He looked up into the rooftops, where the girl seemed to spend most of her time. She didn't even have a home, which amazed him, and the only weapons she seemed to be using were two little daggers and a blaster for when she was in real danger. She hid out up there, watching, waiting for the best moment to strike, like a serpent, which is what he was calling her for the moment.

His com link began to blink, and he knew it was Jarkin, who was antsy to leave. They needed to get off the planet to find a new assignment. Jarkin had been gambling a little too much in the local bars and had easily managed to lose all his portion of the last kill. That was why Kiran was the superior assassin, because he managed to earn money, and keep it without much of a problem. He'd spent enough time without funds to go and waste it all in a pointless game. But Jarkin obviously had not, so his habits manifested themselves in lack of money, and desperate pleas to Kiran for funds, only to go and waste them again.

Groaning, Kiran spoke into the link with a sarcastic tone. He didn't have time to chat. He had to find this girl. "What is it?"

"I swear, if you're not back within the hour, I'm going to the surface and leaving this grimy planet without you. You can find this girl alone, without me!" Jarkin's demands didn't surprise or upset him. He knew that Jarkin needed him too desperately to leave him here. Kiran was with all the power, and that was the way he liked it.

"That's fine, just come pick me up when you need some money to refuel the hypertank." Kiran laughed as he spoke the words, knowing that he'd gotten on the nerves of his friend. "I have to find this girl. She got away from me last night."

Jarkin cursed at him, angry but helpless to do anything more to dissuade Kiran. He would find the serpent, if it was the last thing he did.

Above in the rooftops

Thalia watched the man in the hood that had been tracking her for so long. He was talking to someone, and she was straining to hear their conversation, but he was too far and all she could hear was muddled voices. Frustrated, she sighed as the man continued to walk down the street, finished with his conversation. He was obviously looking for her, for whatever reason. She didn't know if he was a friend or enemy, but she figured there was only one way to find out. She had to confront him.

Quietly she jumped down from the roof and landed almost silently. He was turning the corner of the street now, and drawing out her knives, she took the back alley as a shortcut and went to catch up with him. He was tall, muscular, and from what she could tell he was a human, like her. She came up behind him, and from the shadows, called out to him, questioning.

"Who are you?" He turned around, unsurprised by her presence, and drew out his own weapons. Prepared for a fight, she crouched low and waited for him to pounce. They stood there for almost a whole minute, waiting, watching, breathing and staring into the shadowy eyes of their opponent.

He stood up from his defensive position, hoping she wouldn't attack as he took off his hood and holstered his blaster. She remained in her position, but her eyes changed slightly when his hood fell from his head and lay on his shoulders, the streetlights outlining his face and features for her to see plainly.

A jagged scar crowned his forehead and ended near his dark eyes which were empty, void of any emotion or feeling of any kind. His hair was brown and was swept to the side, as a few strands fell and covered his eyes. His jaw was set, and his mouth was frowning in thought as he took in her form the same way she did his.

"My name is Kiran." He said, and she repeated the name in her mind, wondering if she'd met him before. "Its nice to finally meet you." He smirked at her as she stood in the shadows away from him.

"You can come out now," Kiran said, his smile mocking her. "If I wanted to kill you, I would've done it easily with my blaster." She looked down at her shaking hands and realized her knives would've done nothing against him. He was obviously experienced, unlike her. She straightened and walked out from the shadows where she'd been hiding for so long. She left her hood where it was, but allowed him to see her in the light, where her curves and form took shape. He watched her for a moment, just as she'd done to him. He took everything in through his dark empty eyes and left her blushing under her cloak.

Kiran coughed as he realized he'd been staring. She was beautiful, and he hadn't been able to see her fully in the shadows where she lurked, but now seeing her, his heart began to pick up pace and an excitement that he hadn't felt in a while crept into his mind and heart. He wished she would take off the hood, but he was too stoic to ask. He had to save face, and not let her see his thoughts. He didn't have time for emotions especially not the ones he was feeling.

Pulling his racing thoughts back together, Kiran looked straight into her shadowy face. "Are you going to tell me who you are, or…?" Kiran's voice faded as she looked down towards the ground nervously. Shifting her position, she finally decided.

"That depends…" she said, waiting for his response as her pulse raced inside of her and she felt the blood burning in her veins like liquid fire.

He smirked, mocking her "tough" countenance. "On what?"

She was surprised by his sarcasm but remained calm as she spoke. "It depends on why you're asking."

He cleared his throat. She was smart, and she had caught onto him. He cursed in his head and spit on the ground. He hated emotions. Jarkin was right, he should've left this girl and gone on their next job. He was stupid to see himself in this girl, but something in him stopped from turning and walking away. What was it that drew him to her? It couldn't only be what he saw in her. It was something else. Some sort of connection; and it made him angry to simply be following a girl because he felt a connection. That was soft, and unlike him.

He sighed, frustrated with whatever war that was going on inside him, but decided not to leave her, and began to explain whatever he had been trying to do for the past week.

"I've been following you." He started, watching to see her response.

She nodded, glaring at him. "I know." Obviously, she didn't like that she'd been found, but she couldn't help it. He was a master at what he did.

"I saw what you did to that Togruta." Her face didn't change as he'd expected it to. Only her eyes flashed for a moment and then returned to their icy cold stare as she searched him for clues of why he was here. "You did a good job not getting caught," he turned, and grabbed his blaster, inspecting the barrel and pretending to be uninterested in her murdering escapade. "but you also did a sloppy job of killing him."

She gasped and grabbed her blaster in case he was going to shoot her. Good. She didn't trust anyone.

"Yeah?" She replied, "You couldn't do better?" He laughed at her attempt of a challenge.

"I could demonstrate on you right now," He said, glaring at her with a hatred for getting to him. For touching the part of him that had been dead for so long. She was a stupid girl, and he was an experienced killer. "I could take you any day."

They stood in a thick silence, waiting for the invitation to shoot. But none of them did, none of them could.

Thalia's hands held her blaster steadily aimed at Kiran. She liked him, but she was ready to shoot him in a heartbeat if it came to it. Her blood rushed intensely, her ears rang, and her mind shouted the one cry that had been on repeat since the disaster.

Survive! Survive!

But as hard as she focused on pulling the trigger, she couldn't, and neither could he. They both breathed heavily until finally Thalia put down her blaster and placed her hands on her hips. Kiran was furious, but he did the same as she and waited until she finally broke the silence that screamed so loudly in their faces.

"You were saying?"

Kiran didn't know if she was taunting him for not shooting her or telling him to continue with what he was saying before. He chose the latter, seeing as he couldn't bring himself to kill her.

"You're sloppy," he grimaced, shooting daggers at her through his eyes. "And you need a teacher if you're wanting to get anywhere in life."

Thalia laughed. "Some teacher", she whispered under her cloak. His face didn't change as she realized he was telling the truth. She was shocked, but also relieved. A chance to get out of here. A chance to run away. This was what she'd been hoping for since the disaster and finally it was being offered to her, by this sarcastic but strangely charming person she had never met. Her heart raced as she looked into his eyes and he waited for a response. She didn't know what to say at first, then finally the words stumbled out.

"Fine."

"Fine?" He said. "If you have other options waiting for you, princess, please consider them. I don't want to waste your time at all." Her face moved into a frustrated glare and he realized his sarcasm, but he didn't apologize. He had to have some dignity left after this encounter.

"I don't have any other options, and I'm not a princess. My name is Thalia." She said, sighing, annoyed at him. She took off her hood, and he hated her for it. She was beautiful, through and through. He moved his gaze down towards the ground as he repeated her name in his mind. Thalia.

"Alright." He turned out away from her and saw a flashing light on his com link again. "Jarkin, I've found her, we're coming back." He turned off the link completely so that Jarkin's responses could not be heard. No doubt when he got back, he would be furious, but it was fine.

"Do you have a ship?" Thalia asked, replacing her hood as he did the same.

"Yes, its at the surface." He started running away from her in a silent command for her to follow. She did as he wanted, and raced of behind him, wondering if she'd made the right choice in going with him.

Author's note: Alrighty guys, so, this is basically an improv story lol. I just start writing on a basic idea and then let the characters do whatever they want, but I don't have a clue for what is going to happen next chapter, so please please leave a response and tell me what you think should happen. Obviously the relationship between Thalia and Kiran should grow, but idk anything else. I always love to read your reviews so please leave a comment and have a great day!