Moondancers

[Moonbeam]

First Contact-Topaz
Topaz steps off the shuttle and makes her way around the shuttleport.  She slowly treks her way through the city. She had a destination in mind but wanted to linger about, taking the long way as to not draw attention to her objective. She needed to find the loading site, see who was there but more importantly what they were unloading. 

Simple enough.  She had done missions like this in the past.  In her line of business, it was easy to find out stuff.  Stuff most were trying to keep hidden.  Besides, she made trips to Mos Eisley all the time, buying supplies for the cantina she was helping run.  Nothing out of the ordinary.

 She really thought she was done with this part of her life.  Funny thing about this life though, it has a way of sucking you back in.  In a world of "I scratch your back, you scratch mine," literally in some cases, you have to do things to get by.  Contacts, friends, even family, came with strings attached sometimes.  She needed his help, therefore she would help him. 

Walking past the theater, she sees her targets.  She continues on, slowing to take in as much information as she could.  Memorize, lock it down, recall it all later when she needed. Just as she had been trained to do.  She turns her head away when one looks directly at her.  Don't let them get a good look, wear something you wouldn't normally wear so they can't identify you later, all secrets of the trade.  Topaz quickly inventories things in her mind as one of the henchmen starts moving her way.  And don't hang around to long, it was time to move on. 

Turning, she makes her way into one of the neighboring buildings.  She moves through to the back and out the other door.  Hopefully she got what she needed.  Moving around to the other side, she connects back up with Aumi. Nodding slightly, she lets her know she is all done here.  Now if she could just get a hold of her contact.  She hadn't heard from him for a while.

[Moonbeam]

Old Habits-Alysheba
Old habits were hard to break.  Aly wandered through the city, missing her old life, her old friends, her sisters.  Time had a way of making you forget the bad stuff, and long for the good times.  She missed dancing.  Along with that, money was getting tight.  She needed to find employment.  Steady employment.  

She had heard of a few places hiring dancers.  Some were small enough that she thought she could get away with dancing and not draw too much attention to herself.  Hopefully her sisters wouldn't get wind of it either. 
She smiled as she thought of her old dancing days. She loved performing, the costumes, and to be honest, the attention.  Stopping in front of the building, she looks around. No signage.  Unmarked.  This place might do.  Sighing, she steps inside. 

[Moonbeam]

Finding Her Place-Kerenza
Kerenza lay on her cot, enjoying the sound of rain on her roof.  It had been a long time since she took the liberty of just enjoying the peace.  She took this moment to think over the last couple weeks. She liked it here.  She felt content, like she belonged.  She didn't think she had ever felt like that before.  She missed her sisters of course, Aly and Topaz. But she was keeping tabs on them and they seemed to be doing fine without her. 

Turning over on her side, she views the rain outside her door. She felt safe with the rain. Not at first. It felt as though it might drown her, so heavy and drenching.  Weighing her down. It wasn't until she embraced it, allowing it to soak into her soul that she could bare it. Washing over her, taking years of fear away.

Extending out her hand, she curls her first two fingers as if beckoning the rain to her. Drop by drop, it comes sideways through the door to land in her palm.  Once she has enough, she lifts her hand to her mouth and sips the cool refreshing water. 
Taking a deep breath, she stands and prepares to start her day.  She had no idea what was instore for today but she looked forward to it. As she leaves her hut, she stands for just a moment in the rain, letting it cleanse her.  She was looking forward to what they were about to teach her, as she walks toward the Great Hall. 

[Moonbeam]

For a Price.. Alysheba
Aly needed to get back on task.  She had wandered around the city for a while, burning time.  She had a job to do and she was running out of time.  She was to meet him in less than an hour.  He said he had information for her.  Information about them really.  And for a price, he would keep quiet.  What did he know?  Surely he didn't know the truth.  They had covered their tracks to well.  No.  He didn't have that information.  Then what?  What did he have that she would pay to keep quiet? 

She had contacted her sisters but neither had responded.  Apparently Kerenza was dealing with her own issues at the moment.  Aly could feel it.  She had felt her pain and disappointment.  Topaz was to busy running her business.  She had commitments now.  That left Aly to find out who and what on her own.

They had been so careful. Or at least she thought they had.  She had been avoiding everyone lately.  Keeping to herself.  She didn't want to put anyone else in danger.

Moving closer to the meeting place, she slows her pace and hunkers down behind a huge crate.   If she got here early enough, maybe she would catch a glimpse of him.  Maybe she would recognize him.   Maybe she could get the upper hand.

Hearing footsteps, she takes a few calming breathes before peeking around the crate.  As he moved into focus, Aly gasps, jerking back against the crate.  "No. No." she mutters to herself.  "No, it can't be. " Scrambling to her feet, she turns and runs as quickly as she can in the opposite direction.  He had found them. 

[Moonbeam]

Silence-Kerenza
Aly walks into the bedroom of her residence.  She immediately notices the clothes strewn about on the floor along with a sewing kit and some other materials.  Sighing she looks over at her bed and sees Kerenza stretched out and asleep, as if she owned it. Huffing slightly, she moves towards the bed and bounces down on it, knowing it would jar Kerenza awake.  Smiling to herself she watches as a startled Kerenza gasps and launches into a sitting position. 

"What are you doing?" She growls at Aly once she realizes it was her sister that woke her.
"I could ask you the same question." Aly responds a bit snarkily.

Kerenza stares at her for a moment before turning and lying back on the bed.  Not one for talking much, she knew this would annoy Aly more than anything she could say. 

Aly waits for her to say something, and when she doesn't, lies down beside her on the bed.  Closing her own eyes. 

Kerenza opens one eye and looks over at Aly.  This was unusual.  She normally would have reacted. Something was going on.  She continues to watch her for a moment longer before closing her one eye again and going back to sleep.

[Moonbeam]

Curiosity - Alysheba
Probably not her smartest decision. She was supposed to wait for her escort, but Aly didn't like having to ask for help. Or the fact that they thought she needed someone to protect her. So she went to the local taverns on her own to see if anyone was talking about the attacks that was happening around the city. Maybe she could get some information that would help them figure out who was doing this. She just kept thinking of those poor victims. She had to know why they were taking the right arm. Why just one, why not both? What were they doing with them? It was a strange mystery for sure. Plus it took her mind off her own problems.

[Moonbeam]

Change - Kerenza
Kerenza walked slowly and quietly through the village. It was raining so hard you could barely see your hand in front of your face, but Kerenza used this time to practice. As she walked she manipulated the rain drops to spread out before her creating a clear path. The rain didn’t touch her. She continued to walk this way to the training grounds. She wanted to practice with weapons today, maybe with a gun or sword. She was still weak with those. She had pretty much mastered hand to hand combat, the old style of Teras Kasi fighting. Her body was its own weapon but she wanted to be able to use other weapons if needed.

It was quiet around here these days. She had gone on a few hunts for food and hide to make clothing but other than that her days had been filled with studying the ancient tomes and honing her skills with the elements. She had an aptitude for water. The others elements were a struggle and did not come as naturally. She needed to work on that also.

She had not left Dathomir in months. She had no contact with her sisters although she knew instinctively that Aly was ok. Their psychic link was still strong. She would just know if she was in trouble. It worked both ways, as Aly would know if she needed help also. Someday she and Aly would need to sit down and talk about their connection. There was so much Aly still didn’t know. But not today.

Kerenza continued on down the corridors until she reached the training rooms. Taking a deep breath, she entered the large room and headed towards the weapons locker. Turning the lock, she opens the door and reaches inside for a pistol. Seems like a good choice for today. She immediately turns and fires at the target across the room.

[Moonbeam]

Sisterly Love - Alysheba
Aly rubs her eyes, smearing her make-up even more than it was as she staggers towards the bar in the Underworld. It seems she had fallen asleep there again. Those couches were like big fluffy clouds. After dancing for hours, they just called to her. Grabbing a bottle of wine she pours herself a glass and immediately drinks most of it down in one gulp. She lowers the glass when she hears the swoosh of the entrance door. Turning, she groans when she sees Topaz walk in, looking absolutely beautiful and put together as always.

“Well this is surprise,” Topaz says as she juggles her datapad and a few new bottles of whiskey in her arms. “You look refreshed this morning.”
Aly watches her struggle with her load but doesn’t offer to help her, instead she rolls her eyes and takes her half filled glass and moves to the other end of the bar.
Topaz finally manages to place the stuff on the counter without dropping them and looks down at Aly.
“So did you spend the night here again?”
Aly just nods at her.
“Still a morning person I see.” Topaz giggles.
“What are you doing here so early?” Aly asks her.
“Dropping off a few bottles of a new product we are thinking of making at the distillery. “ She holds one of the bottles up for Aly to see, but immediately jerks it away when she tries to reach for it.
“You’re no fun,” Aly mumbles.
“That’s what you keep telling me.” Topaz responds as she leaves the room obviously hearing her.

Once gone, Aly circles the bar and picks up one of the bottles looking at it closely, “Why not,” she shrugs as she twists the cap off. Grabbing a shot glass from under the counter, she pours a tiny bit into it and brings it up to her lips. The strong alcohol smell assaulted her nose just before she threw it back and swallowed. She immediately coughs and gasps for air.
Her throat felt like it was burning all the way down to her belly. She turns to the sink and turns on the faucet. She didn’t even bother with a glass, just cups her hands and fills them with water before gulping it down. Raising her head she hears the faint sound of Topaz laughing.