The First Rule of Fight Club

The fighting pits on Nar Shadaa were never calm. No matter the hour, no matter the day, they were filled with rowdy spectators, boastful competitors, and all manner of swindling con artists. They were busy and loud, swirling with neon lights and the smell of any type of food the galaxy had to offer.

Niqui had never been to one before.

She walked through the crowd, sticking as close to her companion as she could, her eyes wide as she took everything in. Sure, she'd seen fights before. She'd been in her fair share, too. This was different though. This was a sport. There were rules, or so the boards said. Some of the matches were even to the death. Luckily she wasn't here to fight. Not herself, at least. Niqui doubted she would last five minutes in one of the cage matches, let alone win. No, that was what Gela was for.

Walking slightly ahead of her, effectively clearing a path, was a fellow bounty hunter. She didn't cut as impressive a figure as most of the others who were entering the competition: slight, carrying only a handful of weapons, and an alien on top of it all. Her blue skin stood out in the crowd, and the fact that she was a woman didn't go unnoticed by those that saw her.

Niqui followed her to where the contenders of the fight were gathering, getting ready for their round. Gela wasn't up for a while still, but they both had work to do before that. She hovered over Gela as she once again checked the panel on her wrist, venting heat and making sure all was in order. Niqui bit her lip and fussed with the row of needles and tubes arranged under her jacket.

“You're sure you don't want a quick kolto infusion? It might help if someone gets past your guard.”

Of course Gela didn't want that. She didn't need that. Niqui had seen her fight and she hardly ever needed it. Except when she wasn't be careful. Which was almost all the time. She probably did need the infusion, actually. She just wouldn't accept it.

“You'll be careful though, right?” She crossed her arms over her chest, giving Gela the sternest look she could manage on a face that looked perpetually young. “No flashy heroics when you don't need them? Because I can't help you from this side of the cage, you know.”

Niqui was so used to watching people's backs that the thought that she couldn't rush in and help made her uneasy. She wasn't nervous at all about her role in this scam, but Gela? She was nervous for her.

“I know, I know, I don't need to worry.” She shook her head, trying to focus. Everything would work out fine. Gela had said so. She trusted her. But if something happened to her, Niqui wasn't sure what she would do. She'd never had the chance to make very many friends, and she didn't want to lose this one. “It's just....it's nothing.”

She smiled and let the conversation shift, using her hands to flatten out the wrinkles in her all too revealing top. “Ok, I'm going to go do my bit. Do I look ok? Cute?” Cute enough to lull the big, dumb men into thinking she didn't know anything?

With one last reassuring look, Niqui wished her friend good luck and took off into the crowd again, weaving her way through it and looking for the perfect group to swindle out of their credits.

Gelathora took in a deep breath as they stepped into the pits, breathing in the smell of the food, the sweat, the blood. It was a stench that could never be eradicated from a place like this, and it was a smell Gela welcomed with a sense of familiarity. Of course her face remained as stone-cold as ever, seemingly unaffected by the place that brought back so many memories of all the fighting pits she herself had spent time in. It was before she became a bounty hunter, before she joined the Empire, and before she met Niqui- her new partner in crime, so to speak. Before Gela earned her reputation as a bounty hunter it was in fighting pits like these where she made the credits to survive during her younger years.

And today she came to these pits, not as the 'Vorn Slayer' she had become, but instead she came as Gela, with her blue-skinned face on full display. When other pit fighting participants or simple observers of the fights looked her way, she returned their gazes with her own sharp red glare. She was accustomed to such looks- looks that wondered why she was here- looks that underestimated her ability because of how she looked. It mattered little to Gelathora, and in fact would only help with their task. Gela was going to enter the fights, and as was customary for this particular pit, she came armed with two weapons of her choice- identical vibroblades that were holstered to the back of her waist. She also came without her armor, wearing only a tank top, cargo pants, and some heavy boots.

She felt... exposed showing her face as she did, but so long as no one connected her to Vorn, she would be fine. And though she didn't mean anything personal to Niqui, it would be best if they're interaction was kept to a minimum until the job was done. She glanced back at the younger bounty hunter subtly, a short look over her shoulder before she answered. "This isn't my first fight. I'll be fine." She glanced back again when Niqui seemed ready to say something, but then changed her mind. Gela's sharp gaze seemed to soften for the smallest hint of a moment, and she stopped to turn to her companion.

"These idiots won't know what hit them. Just take a deep breath, you'll do fine." She held Niq's gaze for a moment, and then, looking around and turning away from her again, she quickly said, "And for the remainder of this evening, we don't know each other." It was best if no one saw them talking, so those who lose their bets don't catch wind of something fishy. She was confident that Niq understood that when they came up with this scheme. It also would make it more difficult to tie Gelathora to Vorn via interaction with Niq, but her fellow bounty hunter didn't need to know about that small detail.

Gelathora broke away from Niq, weaving through the crowd until she reached the fighting cages where a big brute of a man stood at the gate with his arms crossed. As she approached him he watched with a furrowed brow and a short huff.

"I want in." She said once she stood right in front of him. He laughed, looking her up and down, and before he could say anymore, she handed him a credit chip, "I brought my entry fee."

After a few minutes of wandering the crowd Niqui spotted a group of men huddled by a small booth. The neon sign above it labeled it as one of the many betting stations – spots where all the official bets were marked and recorded. She slowed her pace and studied the people around it carefully as she approached.

There were three of them, four if she counted the man behind the counter. With the exception of one around her age, they were all at least a decade older than her. Good. Two were human, one indigo skinned twi'lek, and the last a towering trandoshan. Their body language suggested they were regulars here: arms casual at their side, slight slouches, eyes comfortably wandering the arena. Perfect.

She knew how to read people well. She had to when her job depended on it. For the past handful of years she had made a living as a personal bodyguard, before being locked up at that damn hutt's estate, that was. She knew when someone was comfortable and content, and even better she knew when someone was up to something. While she had never put her talents to the test in the way she would be tonight, she figured a little acting wouldn't be too hard. Especially when the men she was targeting probably wanted to be fooled, if it was by a girl like her.

Niqui gave her vibrant and unusual green hair one last tossle and walked up to the booth, squeezing her way past the men. She let her hips brush against the arm of the young twi'lek as she walked by him, knowing full well it would attract his attention. When she reached the small structure she set her hands on the metal ledge, her feet lifting to her toes so she could see inside better.

“Excuse me, is this where I go to place a bet?”

The human behind the counter rested a tired chin on his hand, but brightened up when he saw her nonetheless. “Sure is, sweetheart,” he said, eyes roaming up and down her figure, noting her young age and lost look. “First time here?”

“Yes. I've always wanted to see the fights up close but my father...” She trailed off, as if deciding the men didn't need to know her backstory. It wasn't even lie, really. She had never been here. Her father having anything to do with it, though, was pure nonsense. “Um, do I have to fill something out?”

The men around her laughed. She had all of their attention now. “Not here. We're a little less fancy than that.” He leaned forward and she could smell the cheap beer on his breath. “How many credits you wanna bet? Most start out with a hundred for the first fight, then up after that.”

A hundred credits was far above the normal bet. Niqui knew that. She knew most people started with a modest twenty credits, unless they had inside information or a serious gambling problem. The man was inflating the price, thinking she didn't know any better. It was just what she wanted. Besides, she wasn't planning on losing a single credit, so why not start high?

“A hundred? That's a lot isn't it?” Niqui pouted prettily, but didn't hesitate to dig around in her bag and place a hundred credit chip on the counter. “Here.”

The other human, now leaning up against the booth and watching Niqui with cool blue eyes, spoke up. “And who you wanna bet on, sweetheart? Lotsa good looking fellows huh?”

Good looks didn't win a fight, but these brutes obviously thought she was going to pick the one she thought the best looking. It might even be how some people did choose their bet. People who had no sense of fighting.

She made a show of scanning the contestants, who were by now milling about near the cage. Her eyes stopped on a broad man who looked like he was more likely to win a beauty contest than a brawl. “Oh, yes. That dark skinned one is very handsome. I think-” She paused, cocked her head to the side, then pointed at Gela. “No, wait, how about her? The chiss? There's not a lot of women here.”

“That one?” The trandoshan growled, his voice sounding strange and harsh as he spoke in basic.    “There's not a lot of women for a reason. Never seen her before, no reputation. But, hey, it's your money.”

Niqui had to resist the urge to stab a needle from under her jacket into the scaly skin of the man. She couldn't wait for him to loose his money to a mere woman. “Then I'd like to bet on her winning, please.”

The men all shared a private glance to each other, likely thinking of the money they would win off of the young girl. Niqui pretended not to notice.

Just as she was about to act like she was leaving, the twi'lek pushed his way closer to her, giving her a hopeful smile. He wasn't really too bad, once she got a close look at him. A bit red around the eyes – insomnia or a drug habit, she couldn't tell without more information.

“Hey, you want a nice view of the fight? You can come up to the box with us.”

And there was the icing on the cake. She'd be able to see their faces then Gela won her first match. A little surprised, but not worried. They'd call it beginners luck. When she won the whole thing and Niqui took all their credits...well, that look would be worth putting up with them for an hour or so.

“Oh, that would be great. Thank you.”