Chapter Text
The distinctive feeling of being watched caused the fine hairs on the back of my neck to raise in alarm. Without turning to look over my shoulder, I knew who was staring at me. He’d been coming into the cantina for the past two weeks, and it was like he made it his mission to make me as physically uncomfortable as possible. All while never actually bothering or speaking to me.
The first few nights had me asking my fellow bar mate if I could stay at her flat…just in case he was out lurking in the dark waiting for me.
He never was though. And after that I felt it was ok to travel back to my place outside Lothal’s city limits, with my newly bought blaster. Just in case.
The only time I ever saw him was during my shifts and not once had he approached me. Like clockwork, he would show up at some point during the night and just quietly leave. Never did I see him outside of the cantina. Instead, he kept to himself, tucked away in the corner of the cantina. The location wasn’t lost to me. Not only did he have a clear view of the bar and main entrance; but he was hidden by the lack of lights in that area.
Meaning I never could get a clear view of him.
Those view times I braved a glance his way I was met with his intense and piercing amber gaze. The rest of him covered by the black hood of his cloak.
Keeping my attention on the glass I was cleaning, I tried to pay him no mind.
Being stared at wasn’t anything new to me, between myself and Luna we both received our fair share of attention from those of men. And the occasional lady as well.
Yeah, but they would actually come up to speak with one of us at one point…not just sit there and stare like a damn creep.
Just as that thought ran through my mind, goosebumps instantly prickled along my bare arms, causing me to take a chance to glance over at my silent watcher. Yep…still watching…fuck me. I was about to return to my task when he did something that caused my breath to catch before my eyes snapped forwards once more.
He smiled.
Really that was putting it nicely…bared his teeth was more like it. The whiteness of them was easy to see in the shadows and it had been the sharpened canines that caused a shiver to run down my spine.
“Lora…hey…Lora!”
The shout of my name startled me, the action resulting in the glass I held slipping right through my fingers and to shatter at my feet.
Silence fell over the cantina at the crash, and I flushed at the attention I immediately received. With a snap of my cleaning rag, I crouched down to collect the broken shards. Thankfully I had my black boots on, unlike a certain pair of pink frosted pumps, yes, I said pumps, that came into view.
How the hell did this girl make it through a shift in those I would never know, nor did I ever want to. “Are you ok, Lora?” At Luna’s question, I looked up at her. The concern plain as day in her crystalized pink orbs, standing out against the unique and beautiful markings that decorated her face and montrals.
Giving the Togruta a small smile and a nod of my head I said, “Yeah…just having an off night is all.” That was an understatement, but I wasn’t going to drag her into anything. Luna was many things, one of her best traits being loyal and protective to a fault. I had seen her nearly sink those pretty fangs of hers into a drunken flyboy once after he tried to place his hands where they clearly weren’t wanted.
She had been fully aware of my silent watcher that very first night he appeared and on the second night she had approached him.
Whatever was spoken between the two, but when I asked her guarded attitude went from that of a territorial nexu to a relaxed loth-cat in the sun. The smirk she gave me afterwards had been positively nerve wracking.
And then came the small jabs.
Teasing me for having an admirer.
Admirer my ass…no thank you.
If Luna didn’t feel any animosity towards him, I trusted her instincts; even though mine was still very much on alert when he was in the building.
Perhaps he was harmless, but that didn’t mean I was going to trust him, or any other patron in the cantina.
“You said that last night too and the night before,” the accusation was noticeable in her tone as she crouched down to help but I quickly shooed away her hands. Her playful hiss followed, one I answered with my own, though it was nowhere near as animalistic as hers. “Come on, Lora. Talk to me…is it him again?” Her voice was a damn purr at the last part and I immediately glared up at her.
A sharp pain sliced through my palm as I had carelessly grabbed ahold of one of the shards too hard. Hissing out a curse, I released my hold on it and watched as blood quickly pooled out of the meaty part of my palm and begin to trickle down.
“Oh shit! Hold on…come on get up and let’s have the droid handle this. You should have let J.J clean this up anyway.”
Knowing Luna was right, not that I would tell her that, I placed the rag with the rest of the pieces on the ground and stood up. Taking a clean rag from her to press against the open cut, I gave her a thanks before turning to call for J.J, the service droid we had. The words died in my throat as instead I met those amber eyes.
And they were positively burning.
Nearly glowing as they stayed locked onto mine and I froze. Every muscle in my body reacted as though in the presence of a dire-cat, an apex predator.
The noise of the crowd didn’t register as we were in a silent stare down. I couldn’t pull my eyes away from his and he…well…I had no clue what was going through his mind.
I knew what was going through mine…pure panic.
I felt a trickle of blood seep through the edge of the rag and without thought readjusted it to better press against the wound.
The movement caused a reaction from him.
A jerk of his body.
“Yo! J.J! Could you come over here please?” Luna’s shout next to me broke whatever hold his stare had on my body. Shaking my head, I quickly turned towards her to ask, “Are you alright if I head to the back to clean this up?” And give me a moment out of his sight.
Though a glance back over his way sent a shock through me – he was gone.
The glass at his table was half full.
Ok then…I was in the clear.
“Honestly Lora, just head on home. We only have two hours left and you, my dear, look like bantha shit. No offense.” She placed a hand on my shoulder and turned me around, so we were facing the collection of liquors. “J.J, Moira, and I can handle the bar for the rest of the night. Wouldn’t want your admirer to see you keep making a complete Gungan of yourself.”
Her description of my actions had me rolling my eyes and snarking back, “Oh thanks…you know just what to say to make a girl feel better about herself.” I didn’t bother to correct her over the admirer part.
But her offer to let me just go home was too good to pass up and one I greatly appreciated it. As lead bartender, Luna was able to make those calls when our manager was out. And it just so happened that he was.
“Thank you, Luna.” Reaching up I pressed a quick peck against her white marking on her cheek, smirking up at her to add on, “I owe ya a weeks’ worth of caf from that fancy new café down the way.”
“Damn right you do! Now get outta here, get home safe.”
Wiggling my fingers of my injured hand, I winced at the sharp pain that zipped through with the motion as I said my goodbyes. I trusted her completely to close out my drawer and any left-over credits from tips from my current costumers I knew I’d find in my pocket at our next shift.
Now that he was no longer watching me, I felt more at ease as I made my way out from behind the bar and towards the back office. Weaving in and out of the crowd, I offered a smile and goodnight to those who were regulars and knew me by name. My favorites.
And just when I thought I was in the clear, a firm hold on my upper arm brought me to a complete stop. The jerk caused me to drop my hold on the rag against my palm in surprise. What the –
“If I ask nicely, will I get the same treatment you gave that Togruta, sweetheart?” The heavy, and slightly slurred, voice of one of the customers had me grinding my teeth.
Of fucking course.
Gone was the anxiety and gone was the panic as annoyance settled in place. Dealing with those who couldn’t handle their liquor was nothing new around here. The green, bulky, and very drunk Twi’lek was not a regular and not one I had seen here before.
And one that was about to be on my shit list if he didn’t release me at once.
Narrowing my eyes on him, I felt my lips curl into a snarl in warning and when I tried to pull out of his grasp, he merely tightened his hold. “I’ll let your rude ass comment slide this one time, since your obviously new here.” My voice cold as I glared up at his smirking face and demanded, “Let go.”
The throbbing in my hand was increasing with every moment, the cut still bleeding now that nothing was pressed against it; though thankfully not as bad as before.
Those at his table chuckled in response, only serving to piss me off further as he pulled me up against him. Close enough to smell the whiskey on his breath, my nose wrinkled in disgust. “Come now, pretty one. Just one kiss is al—”
His sentence broke off just as I felt the presence behind me. The heat that pressed into my back was comforting as it was alarming before whoever it was growled out, “If you want to walk out of here alive, you’d best listen to her.”
Oh Maker…my heart stopped at the deep and smooth, rolling over me and causing every single hair on my body to stand up.
It was him.
I knew without a doubt.
Whatever the Twi’lek saw behind me had him rethinking his retaliation, but he didn’t release the grip he had on me. Instead, he tightened it to the point of pain that had me hissing out.
That certainly had my watcher reacting. In a move too fast to follow, I was suddenly released from the drunk and shoved behind him. The black cloak covering everything from view but left me with the sight of his broad and tall form.
It also gave me a nose full of his own unique scent. It was a reminiscent of smoke, leather, and a hint of something…spicy. It was pure male and I’m embarrassed to say but it caused my mouth to water and something warm to settle in the pit of my stomach.
Fuck what was wrong with me, getting turned on by a stranger’s scent. A creepy stranger…granted he just helped me out…but still.
The back of his hood turned slightly as though he was going to look back at me but didn’t complete the turn. Instead, his voice rumbled over me once more, “Off you go now.”
Damnit if that didn’t cause my pulse to race. I will blame it on the slight adrenaline rush from the near confrontation.
I narrowed my eyes at his order but knew I needed to get the cut cleaned up. “If you’re going to fight, take that shit outside. I won’t put up with it in here.” I gave him an order of my own, keeping my voice tight and from the way he tensed, he heard it. The slight dip of the hood had me relaxing some in his agreement and before I turned to continue my way to the back office, I took a breath and said a bit more softly, “Thank you.”
By the time I made it to the back room, only allowed for employees, I felt like I had just outrun the authorities. My heart raced within my chest at how close I had gotten to him and his voice…fuck.
Double checking the door to ensure it was locked, I went to the attached refresher that had the med-kit. In no time I had washed, ensured no glass was in the cut, and slapped a gauze patch on. There was no use wasting a bacta patch on something like this, even if the stinging sensation annoyed and frustrated me to no end at my stupid mistake. If I had been paying more attention, then being stuck in my head this wouldn’t have happened. Honestly though a cut was the least insane injury I’ve ever had. The number of bar fights we’ve all had to break up at one point or another had left us each with our own battle wounds from time to time.
Thankfully those were good and far in-between though.
The whole time I kept an ear out for any sign of a fight in the main room. It happened enough where customers were already in the heat of the moment and wouldn’t take their issues outside the cantina. But thankfully nothing alarming reached my ears by the time I was finished.
Good…she didn’t want to deal with anymore shit.
Once everything was put back into place I glanced up at the mirror above the sink. Luna wasn’t kidding when she said I looked like bantha shit if the dark circles under my violet eyes were anything to say. My hair, a rich brown in color, had once been in a tight and neat plait down my back was now loose from constantly moving about my shift.
I may have dropped a glass today but at least I didn’t spill anything on me this night. I had even been prepared this time just in case…opting for my black cargo pants and a black halter top. The hem of it stopped just above my navel, allowing just the right amount of skin I wanted without being too much.
Unlike Moira or Luna…but then again, I could never pull off their sense of style. Those two were an eyesore, in the best of ways of course, but I would rather dig my eyeballs out than wear the neon colors they seemed to love.
Once, Luna shoved me into one of her nauseating neon yellow dresses due to a loss on a dare. To make your eyes pop had been her reason for choosing that color…it had been too tight. Too bright. Too small. Whereas Luna had a tall and lithe form, I was bit shorter and curvier. The Togruta had cracked up the whole night at my attempts to keep both top and bottom hem from revealing too much.
She could be such a cruel, cruel bitch.
And don’t even get me started on the heels she tried to stuff my feet in. Thank the Maker we weren’t the same size, and I was able to wear my black boots while wearing a smug smile at her horrified expression.
Needless to say, I never took her up on a dare after that.
Pushing off the sink I turned towards my cubby, punched in my code to unlock it and grabbed my black jacket and my matching satchel. A quick look showed that I had everything I needed and without a second thought besides getting home as quickly as possible, I slid out the back entrance.
Immediately, the warm night air was a refreshing welcome compared to the stifling filtered air inside the cantina. The cool breeze felt so nice against my bare shoulders before I threw the jacket, while the breeze felt nice now it wasn’t going to once I was on my speeder bike.
Speaking of…there she was. My pride and joy. Smiling at the custom design, I threw my satchel across my shoulder and hopped on. The speeder bike was my baby, one I had built from scratch after finding it at one of the scrap yards and it had taken me years to customize it to how I wanted it. Granted it didn’t have a few of the accessories that normally came with it…
A reach into my satchel had me searching for my goggles and the fob for my speeder.
Releasing the lock with my thumbprint, my own custom design, I started it up and slipped on my goggles before slowly navigating my way through the streets and towards the express lane that led outside the city.
Only once I was free from the speed limitations and was out on the open plain – I took off.
And just like that, all my stress and anxiety washed away as I sped off into the night. The city lights became smaller the further I got.
Riding was something I had grown to love and enjoy from my mom. She had taught me everything I knew now. Every time I worked in my small shed outside my home or hopped onto my speeder…it was like she was right there with me. Even long after her death.
Weaving through the grasslands, I went to shift into a higher gear to accelerate when I heard it first. A sound that didn’t belong at all when it came to my baby, and one had me silently panicking as sparks started to slowly build up along the front engine.
“No! Nononono!”
I quickly pressed on the brakes, easing the bike to a stop and while the high pitch noise tempered down, the sparks did not.
Oh shit…oh shit –
The second I came to a stop, killed the engine, and hopped off; I was quickly staggering back just in case it got worse. How the stars did this happen? Smoke rose from my speeder bike and all I could do was stare in despair. There had been no problems at all with it ever since I maintenance it a few weeks ago! And on the way into work, it had been completely fine, no issues at all…what the actual fuck!
My bag dropped to the ground as I ripped the goggles up and over my head as the sparks started to die down. Now as the darkness of the night pressed in with no light provided from the speeder, I had to rely completely on the moons above. Thankfully they were full, though even then it wasn’t enough for me to get a clear look at what the problem could be. Searching through my bag to see if I had a light-stick or something to help me see better, I let out an ah-ha in triumph.
Thank the stars I did!
With the light-stick in hand, I approached the speeder once the sparks were completely gone, still fully prepared to back away in case.
“Ok Lora…think…think…” raising the light up, I began the daunting task of checking over the speeder, starting from the very front and slowly, and I mean slowly, working my way down the side carefully. Surprisingly, the engine was completely fine. Not a single thing was out of place from what I could see. The back end was intact and nothing loose or busted.
It was when I reached the underside that I froze. While nothing was fully noticeable at first glance, it had been when I had run my hand along the still warm metal. A bump was against the side panel, small…about the size of my thumb…and something that definitely didn’t belong there.
“What the –” lowering my back to the cool grass, I shimmied my way so that I had a better view of just what was attached to my baby. The second I saw it caused my blood to freeze…an icy chill slithered down my spine at the blinking red light that flared every few seconds.
A part of me honestly had no real idea as to what it could have been, but the other part of me had a clue…a portal disruptor. That was the only thing that could have caused my speeder to break down. And while they were rare, I knew they could be bought on the black market.
“What the actual fuck!”
How…more importantly who would have done this? And why?
But then another thought crossed my mind just as my stomached filled with dread, fear trickled through me…where was the trigger man? The only way the portal disruptor – if that’s actually what it was - could activate was if the one with the trigger stick was within the radius.
Oh shit…oh shit oh shit oh shit.
I needed to get out of here…I needed to get the fuck out of the open.
Now.
“Having troubles, are we? My lady.”
That voice – his voice – caused me to jerk up instinctively only to knock my forehead against the belly of my speeder. I hissed at the flare of pain that caused before scrambling to my feet. My heart pounding in my chest as I caught sight of the familiar cloaked figure that stepped out between two rock formations.
All too familiar amber eyes locked onto me and the fear I felt before turned into pure terror as my watcher stood before me.