A little later that night, Nahlia carried two blue drinks in short glasses over to Obi-Wan as he sat at a table in the corner of Rondo's bar. She placed one glass down in front of him. "Here you go. A shot of Cerfuse, much easier for the casual drinker to handle than a Red Vortex."
"Thank you," He took a sip. "Mmm... this is good." Obi-Wan kept an eye on their other companion sitting by the bar. There Zep was chatting with a grey-skinned Aqualish. He had agreed to help them get information on the twin's disappearances and Volacca but Obi-Wan couldn't figure out what his angle was now. "Nahlia?"
She swallowed a sip of her drink, then answered. "Yes?"
"Why exactly did Zep decide to help in my investigation?"
Nahlia shrugged. "Must have been something I said." She hoped he wouldn't ask for further clarification. The less he knew about the situation, and the man she called father, the better.
"I must admit," Obi-Wan smiled. "I have been rather impressed with your powers of persuasion."
'Is he flirting with me?' she wondered. 'Usually when a man smiles at me like that, he's flirting...' Nahlia returned the smile, then tucked a bit of hair behind her left ear. "You should see me at the Intergalactic Trader's Market. I'm practically a Hutt at bartering."
"Really?" Obi-Wan then admitted. "Bartering isn't really my strongpoint."
"Don't Jedi just use that mind trick thing to get what they want?"
"It's not really supposed to be used like that." He explained. "The mind trick is only used when it's absolutely necessary and we can't use it to gain material things for ourselves. Besides, all of a Jedi's needs are provided by the Republic."
"Really? All of them?" She asked, her hope blighted. 'I knew he couldn't be flirting with me...'
"Well..." He finally confessed, "most of them."
On the other side of the bar, the mysterious woman observed them as she drank. She cleared the light blue hair away from her right eye, revealing the deep scar on her beautiful ivory colored face, and a cybernetic eye that glowed red as it focused on Nahlia and Obi-Wan.
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Zep stood with Obi-Wan and Nahlia as they spoke quietly in a corner of the bar. Zep pointed at muscular creature with large yellow spikes coming out of his shoulders who was gulping down a pitcher of ale at the bar. "See that cranky looking blue fella?" He informed Obi-Wan. "That is Volacca."
"Right." Obi-Wan could sense Nahlia's concern as she looked over the menacing creature he had to confront. "Be right back." He told her with a confident smile.
As Zep watched him approach Volacca, he smirked at the thought of witnessing the young Jedi get mashed into asteroid dust.
Volacca didn't notice Obi-Wan coming up behind him as he set his empty pitcher back down on the bar and demanded another in a loud gruff voice. The bartender quickly took the pitcher and began to fill it as he new better than to keep this particular client waiting.
Obi-Wan cleared his throat. Slowly the creature turned his thick neck to see who dared intrude on his drinking.
"Volacca?" Obi-Wan asked calmly.
"Yeah," The creature shifted off of his barstool and stood up - towering above Obi-Wan. "What's it to you?"
"I need to ask you a few questions regarding two ladies you were seen with last week."
"I get seen with a lot of ladies." Volacca's yellow teeth glistened as he grinned. "Hard to remember 'em all."
"I think you'll remember these particular ladies." Obi-Wan continued undaunted. "They are identical twins named Zana and Fiana. Remember now?"
Volacca's smile disappeared at the mention of the women's names. "Maybe." He took a step closer and put his thick hands on either side of his hips to make himself look even more enormous. In response, Obi-Wan never broke eye contact with the monster. He placed his hands on his hips as well, his robe opening up to reveal the lightsaber on his belt. This did not go unnoticed by Volacca. "Jedi, huh?"
The bar had gone silent as everyone watched the confrontation, with the exception of Zep who stood by Nahlia as he muttered to himself. "Come on... get on with it."
"Yes, I am." Obi-Wan finally answered. "Are you going to cooperate?"
Volacca stood silent for a moment as the tension in the bar grew. Nahlia's fear grew for Obi-Wan as she wondered how in Coruscant he would survive this fight. Just then, two Rodian patrons entered the bar chatting in Huttese, Volacca only needed to hear the whoosh of the door opening and was off, knocking over the entering patrons as he fled to the street.
Zep's jaw dropped in astonishment. "What the-?!"
Nahlia watched as Obi-Wan immediately took off after the creature. She started towards the door as well before Zep grabbed her arm. "Where are you going?"
"Obi-Wan might need help!"
"Nahlia." He tried to point out the folly of her concern. "The giant blue hulk of muscles was running from him."
"Stay here if you want. I really don't care." With that, Nahlia rushed out the door and into the street.
Out in the street, Nahlia grew more and more anxious as she looked down the crowded street but could not find Obi-Wan. Zep hurried out the door and called after her. "Nahlia!"
"I don't know where they went." She said worriedly as she continued searching.
A short distance from him, Zep noticed a middle-aged man park his sleek red speeder bike on the sidewalk and begin to walk towards the bar. He was in the process of putting away his starter chip when Zep snatched it out of his hands.
"Hey?!" The man blurted out in protest.
"Sorry." Zep answered as he jumped on the bike and started it. "Jedi business."
The man stood in shock as Zep flew the bike up into the air and over to Nahlia down the street. Zep landed it and beckoned to Nahlia. "Get on."
"I'm not getting on that thing with you." Nahlia snapped back. "Where did you get it anyway?"
"I borrowed it."
"Borrowed?" She asked suspiciously.
"Hey! You!" The man came charging down the street at them. "You're not a Jedi! Get back here!"
"You want to find your Jedi, don't you?" Zep asked her as he prepared to take off again. "Then get on."
Nahlia hiked up her long black skirt enough to swing her leg over the bike so she could sit close behind Zep. She wrapped her arms around his waist tightly as he took off.
"Hey! Come back!" The man shook his fist at them as they flew off into the busy Coruscant traffic. Behind him, the blue haired woman from the bar appeared and noted in what direction they left. A voice buzzed loudly in her artificial ear causing her to twinge. "Not a problem." She responded coolly.
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Obi-Wan continued to pursue his quarry down the street. Volacca was not that far ahead of him but the creature's long running strides kept him well out of the young Padawan's reach. Obi-Wan wanted to use Force speed to catch up with the behemoth but the crowded street prevented him and he had to settle for his normal running speed as he weaved through the steady stream of people.
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Nahlia clung to Zep's back and kept her eyes sealed tightly shut, as they flew recklessly through the air traffic. Terrified, she chanted softly to herself. "I hate flying! I hate flying! I hate flying!"
"Nahlia!" Zep continued to concentrate on not getting them both killed by oncoming traffic. Below, he could see a trail of people who had been knocked over or injured by something. He figured he was going the right way for Volacca, and Obi-Wan was likely not far behind him. "You're going to have to help me look for your boyfriend."
She opened her eyes and yelled back. "He's not my boyfriend!" Just then a blue speeder zipped by her head. She screamed then buried her face in Zep's back and squeezed him even tighter.
"Can't breath!" He gasped out. Once she had loosened her grip, he made another plea. "Look, I can't fly this thing and look for braid boy at the same time."
"His name is Obi-Wan." She said angrily.
"Whatever," He responded as he swerved rapidly to the right into a new flow of traffic. "Just tell me if you see him."
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Volacca continued to distance himself from Obi-Wan. When he looked behind him, he could barely make out his pursuer as he pushed he way through the mobbed street. Volacca had far less trouble as pedestrians usually got out of his way, or were easily pushed aside by the brute. Observing the entrance of an Ogby's department store on his left, he ducked inside in hopes of escaping the Jedi.
Inside, a PD-10 droid was manning the perfume counter inside. She had the appearance of a shapely human female but with a pink metal exterior while her cranial unit was in the shape of a gold head of hair sweeping out at her shoulders. She perked up when she noticed Volacca enter the store and head towards her department. Just as he was passing her, her hand dropped to reveal an opening in her wrist and cologne spritzed Volacca. He sniffed the strange pungent odor a moment and smelled his armpits trying to figure out where it had come from. "That is our latest cologne 'Tatooine Sunset'." Pleased she had gotten his attention, she began her pitch. "As mysterious as the desert... it will ignite a passion within her - consuming her like the fire of two suns... 'Tatooine Sunset' brought to you by the makers of..." She stuttered a bit as she realized her prospective customer was now snarling at her - a low growl registering in his throat. "Oh... my..." PD-10 said nervously.
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Nahlia remained clinging to Zep as she searched the city street far below them. She had managed to calm herself, with help of the thinning air traffic, but now the height at which they were flying was giving her terrible vertigo. She was relieved when she spotted Obi-Wan finally. "There! To the left!" She told Zep. "He's gone into that store!"
TO BE CONTINUED...
