They leave the warehouses behind, rising higher from the core of the moon as they climb the walkways upwards. She doesn't know if they are headed the right direction, but trusts Ren and assumes the entertainment district would be located farther up, in a newer level. The Lucky Runner sounds like a cantina or some other place people pay to get lost.

They don't make it far, however, before Kylo retreats into a dark alley, his hands rising to press to his forehead. Jeyna hesitates, frowning, at the outward display of discomfort that is so unusual for him. She doesn't know what to do, or how to help him.

"I hate this moon," he spits out suddenly, and she fights the urge to reach for him as he winces.

"Can I help?" she asks uncertainly.

Kylo focuses his gaze on her, scrutinizing. She searches his eyes, hopeful there is some way she can calm him down. She is caught off guard by his lunging forward without warning. His hands reach out to cradle her head, tilting her face up as he stoops down to press his forehead against hers.

She closes her eyes at the sudden intimacy, breath catching. Light flares brightly behind her eyelids at the abrupt onslaught of his presence, forcing into her mind. The connection is back, she can feel him. He feels lost, drifting, unable to focus amidst the chaotic swirl that is Nar Shaddaa.

But that's not all, is it? Before Jeyna can follow the thread of something else, something worming its way through his mind, she is swept back by his power. She cringes at the force of him, dominating her thoughts, but yields. She can feel his desperation as he clings onto her, both mentally and physically.

His hand has knotted itself firmly in her hair, keeping her in place. She tries to breathe through the intensity of the moment, to focus so she isn't lost in the tidal pull of him. But he feels her longing the moment she does.

Kylo's lips find hers, demanding as he steadies her against his body. She's struggling to stay upright, her fingers digging into the leather that covers his shoulders. He lessens his grip of her mind, and she immediately feels more rooted in reality. It only serves to bring her attention to his tongue, teasing hers into a deeper kiss.

Please…

The single thought drifts through her mind, and she has no idea if it came from her or him. His hands rip at her shirt, forcing up under the clothing to rove restlessly across her skin. The feeling immediately brings back the rush of lust she'd been suppressing, and her body ravenously demands more.

Kylo moves, biting her neck gently. She gasps at the familiar gesture of his claim to her body, and heat rushes through her. He returns to her mouth, nipping at her lip and making her heart race. His hands are searching, down her spine and over the fabric of her pants. The clothing blocking his touch frustrates her. She longs to be naked before him, nothing to stop his hands and mouth from taking all of her. And would he let her do the same? Would he let her stake a claim to the vast expanse of pale flesh underneath his clothes, let her cover him with her lips and tongue?

The noise that comes from Ren sounds almost pained as his presence surges stronger again in her brain. He staggers forward, shoving her backward until she's against a wall. She throws her arms around his neck in a panic as he grabs her thighs and lifts her suddenly, resting her pelvis against his. Her legs wrap around him automatically, squeezing as he rocks against her. The motion sends a wave of pleasure through her, starting in her core but radiating everywhere.

When they kiss again, it devolves into a lustful clashing of tongues, teeth, and lips. Jeyna buries her fingers in his hair, pulling them through the soft locks. She's gasping for breath between his kisses, as he rocks his hips into her again. It pulls a cry out of her, his name, broken with her euphoria.

He pulls away from her lips, his body stiffening with sudden tension. His head drops, face burying into the crook of her neck. "Not that name. Not here."

He's spoken so faintly, muffled against her skin, she barely makes out the words. His presence completely leaves her mind, and he slowly lowers her feet back to the ground. She's struggling to get her bearings, and he seems to know it, his hands steadying her.

Jeyna searches his eyes in confusion, but they are somber and bare. She wants to say his name, to voice it like a question. But she hesitates. Something about her saying it had broken the moment between them, and she doesn't understand.

"We can't do this here," he repeats softly. She nods, her wits finally returning fully. They are in a narrow alley, shoved between a cantina and a pazaak den. A blush creeps up her neck as she realizes how exposed they'd been, embarrassment tinging her cheeks.

He steps back, giving her space. "Let's focus on finding the Lucky Runner."

Night on Nar Shaddaa

The Lucky Runner turns out to be a sprawling casino, the shady type with bouncers lining the perimeter. They're admitted without problem once Ren pays off the Gamorrean at the door, but where to begin their search for Gleo Branic is questionable.

They end up at the central bar, the handsome bartender giving Jeyna a slow, appraising look as he strolls over. "What will you be having, Miss?"

Ren scowls. "We'd like information, not drinks."

"Information flows when drinks flow," the bartender quips easily, before giving Jeyna a flirtatious wink. "Besides, she looks thirsty."

The look the commander gives the man behind the bar is scathing, eyes quickly turning murderous with their intent. But still, the other man doesn't waver, giving an easy smile.

For a moment, Jeyna can see Ren how this stranger must see him. Not knowing who he is, the skills he possesses, leaves Ren to appear like a young, hot tempered man. Something that is a dime a dozen in the galaxy. Even the fury that emanates from him isn't anything impressive, if you don't know the power that lurks beyond it. And judging by the way the bartender grins at the frustration he's inflicting, he is completely unable to sense the unstable energy coming from Ren. He doesn't understand what he is poking at for fun.

Jeyna's mind flashes back to the protocol droid exploded into pieces in the warehouse before she opens her mouth to speak. "I'll take a drink," she concedes. "If you wouldn't mind helping me out. I need to find someone."

His grin widens in victory. "What do you prefer?"

She is surprised to see Ren clench his jaw, but say nothing, allowing her to take over. It gives her a strange rush of courage. "Juma juice," she answers with a shrug. Jeyna isn't much of a drinker, not liking the way it clouds her thinking.

He serves her quickly, and she takes a small sip of the stuff to be polite. He leans onto the bar, inclining his head closer to hers. "So, what brings you to the Lucky Runner?"

"I'm looking for Gleo Branic," she replies, allowing a small, entirely fake smile. He doesn't seem to notice that it is forced, creeping closer to her. She can see Ren's shoulders tense from the corner of her eye, but he is fighting to control himself. "Would you happen to know of him?"

"I know everyone that comes around here," he assures her, his hand sliding closer to hers where it rests around her glass.

"And how much will it cost for you to point us in the direction we can find him?" she persists.

"Do you really want to deal in something as bland as credits?"

Ren snaps. "Credits are the only thing she will be dealing in," he growls.

"I'm sorry, is she yours?" The bartender asks, sarcasm coating his words. Jeyna's heart pounds at the aggression she can feel, overflowing from Ren to pool into the base of her brain, the connection between them weak but still lingering from earlier. It sends adrenaline through her veins as she tries to resolve the conflict.

"Credits really are the only thing we can offer," she says, angling her body in between the two men in a failed attempt to break their glaring. "But we would make it worth your while. There's no need for this to escalate."

"You should space your boyfriend. He's got an anger problem."

"You should take the offer of a nice payday, over getting in a needless fight," she retorts. His eyes finally leave Ren's, turning to hers. The flirtation is gone, replaced with a shrewdness that she finds easier to work with. "You tell us what we need to know, you walk away richer. It ends there," she pushes, eager to convince him.

To her relief, it works. "300 credits."

She jerks when Kylo slams the exorbitant amount onto the shiny surface of the bar, his arm looping her waist to pull her possessively back against his body. "Gleo Branic?" the request is spoken like a final ultimatum.

"You'll find him at the sabacc table, all the way in the back. He'll be the one half gone on spice, probably falling off his chair," the bartender says, swiping the money from the counter. He gives a nod at Jeyna before snidely adding, "Good luck with him."

Ren is already towing her away, weaving through the crowd of games and gamblers. The casino is large, but becomes more sparsely occupied the farther back they go. Jeyna realizes the back of the place must contain the high stakes games.

They enter a room that is flanked by guards, the sabacc table filling the space. Smoke hangs thickly in the air, rising from the cigarras most of the men playing hold. Jeyna's eyes land on a man who looks half delirious, his skin a wasted, sickly gray.

Before they can approach, another man throws himself to his feet, the chair he'd been occupying toppling over behind him.

He rounds the table, hauling the sickly looking man to his feet by his shirt collar. "Branic, you lost! If you don't cough up what you owe, I'm taking you outside and smashing your head into the kriffing ground!" He rants, irate.

The other men seem entertained by the display, some even laughing. They throw their cards in, the dealer gathering them up to straighten back into a neat deck.

"I told you, I don't have the credits right now-" Branic slurs.

"Why did you bet something you didn't have!? You think you can rip me off?" the other man demands, face a furious shade of red. He looks close to violence.

"If I may interrupt," Kylo says, loudly as he steps forward. "I'd gladly settle Branic's debt with you, if you turn him over to me." The men at the table turn their attention to Ren, looking even more interested in the turn of events.

Branic's face shows panic as he looks at Ren. "Who're you? Is there a bounty on me?"

The man holding him shoves him back by his shirt in disgust. "Does it matter?" he spits at him, before turning to consider Kylo. "You'll pay me what he owes?"

"Yes."

The man's face looks considerably less red, as his anger seems to dissipate. He regards Ren skeptically. "He owes me almost a thousand."

Ren pulls the money out, unflinching. "Then take it, and give me Branic."

The gamblers seated at the table get wide eyes at the sight of the credits. Jeyna herself is stunned by the large sum. Did he come prepared to buy his way through Nar Shaddaa, or does the commander just keep ridiculous sums of money on him at all times? She reasons that he probably knew he'd have to bribe or pay his way though the moon, especially since he implied he was familiar with the place.

The man lets out a noise like a laugh, but darker, striding forward to practically throw Branic at Ren's feet and snatch the money. "Gladly!" he retorts, counting the sum to ensure it is all there.

Ren pulls the broke gambler to his feet, and even with the help Branic staggers, inebriated by spice or juma or some mixture of the two. "I can pay you, I can get you money, you don't have to turn me in," he's pleading, apparently mistaking him for a bounty hunter.

Ren ignores him, turning to pull him back towards the main doors of the casino. One of the gamblers at the table calls out, "Hey, come back if you want to play a round!" The others laugh in agreement.

Jeyna trails behind the pair, Ren's tall form towering over the shrunken, poisoned body of Branic as he forces him forward. They pass the bar, and are almost to the exit when she hears the bartender let out a whistle.

She turns, seeing him give a flirtatious wave goodbye, eyes locked on her. She cringes when he is suddenly propelled backwards, twisting so that he collides with the wall of liquor bottles behind him horizontally. They are sent crashing to the ground with him behind the bar.

The patrons who are sober enough to have their wits about them startle, several giving surprised shouts. The guards go on alert, a few walking slowly towards the bar, eyes scanning for the source of the commotion. Jeyna whips her head away from the scene, picking up her pace to slip out of the doors, behind Ren and Branic.