A Deft Hand

A Deft Hand
Date of Scene:	25 February 2024
Location:	Black Spire Outpost Spaceport - Batuu
Synopsis:	Lynx agrees to help Ellari retrieve some beskar armor from a back alley vendor.
Cast of Characters:	Ellari Zin, Lynx

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Ellari Zin has posed:
    Black Spire Outpost is a hub of activity from all around the galaxy, in spite of its relatively remote location in the Outer Rim. People of all shapes and sizes come here to trade, shop, and even sightsee, with the beautiful forests that surround the outpost. It's a good place to get away from home, wherever "home" might be.

    And so this is where Ellari Zin finds herself, as she is just disembarking a shuttle at the spaceport. Her silver and red armor glints in the afternoon sun as it streams in through the foliage outside and through a window near the docking bay ceiling. Although she isn't wearing her helmet, she carries it at her side, clearly marking her as one of the fearsome warriors calling themselves Mandalorian.

Lynx has posed:
At first, all that can be seen of the mechanic known in these parts as Lynx, is her booted feet. They stick out from underneath a speeder which seems to be monitored by a gruff looking Gamorrean who has his arms crossed, impatiently grunting and growling his displeasure. Sparks kick up from the machine, accompanied by the acrid smell of metal being fused into place at high temperatures.

A moment later, Lynx slides out from underneath, pushing herself up with one hand while the other tugs up the welding mask covering her features. Soot and grease mark her cheeks, standing out against her unusual, multi-colored hair. "That should do it. Give it a shot and see if it holds power, now."

The Gamorrean grunts once, then goes to get on his speeder, even as Lynx rubs at one eye and looks around the port, eyes settling briefly on the Mandalorian arrival, head tilted curiously.

Ellari Zin has posed:
    The moment Lynx's gaze turns toward Ellari is the same moment Ellari's gaze turns toward Lynx, the revelation of that hair from under the welding mask attracting her attention. Interesting, she hasn't seen that species before.

    She approaches Lynx and the Gamorrean, giving the latter a dirty look. "Show the lady some manners, won't you?" she chides, fully expecting that it won't and maybe doesn't even the capacity to learn such things.

Lynx has posed:
The Gamorrean stops in his inspection of the speeder to look up at the approaching human. His snout flexes, revealing more of tusked teeth, but there is an expression in his eyes that suggests recognition, if not of the person, then at least of the armor and the threat it carries. He snorts once, grumbling under his breath before muttering broken Basic. "Took long. Not like wait." He starts the speeder engine, the machine giving a sputtering cough before it finally seems to start.

"If you want faster service, you might consider getting a speeder that isn't old enough to be in a museum? Do you have any freaking clue how hard it is to find parts for that thing?" Lynx rolls her eyes as she gets to her feet, grabbing up a few tools along the way before slinging everything over one shoulder.

To Ellari, she offers an incline of her head, respectful, but perhaps a little wary of the stranger. "Don't mind Xarg. He knows I'm the only one around here willing to fix this ancient shit." The Gamorrean grunts once in response to this.

Ellari Zin has posed:
    "Xarg, huh? Well Xarg, patience is a virtue," Ellari remarks. "And often a critical one. The difference between life and death, even, at times." she adds, her tone becoming a bit dangerous.

    Her gaze moves back over to Lynx. "Well if that's true, perhaps he should give you a bit more of the recognition you deserve. Having a good relationship with someone you know you are dependent on is a wise move." She smirks, glancing over at Xarg momentarily again before turning back to the Firrerreo woman. "But then again, people like him aren't exactly known for being the brightest, hm?"

Lynx has posed:
Xarg seems to look momentarily confused, perhaps not having a concept for what 'patience' is, or what a 'virtue' is. "Xarg bring work. Xarg pay. Armor leave Xarg alone." He snorts in Ellari's direction. Then, to Lynx, he gives a dismissive wave of one meaty hamhock of a forelimb and kicks the ancient speeder to life, zooming away with a puff of dark smoke billowing out the exhaust.

"I give it three days before he's back again for that exhaust system." Lynx murmurs with some bemusement, taking off her welding mask and tucking it into her bag. "If he was smart, he'd have me fix everything all at once and get a discount." She lifts her unlaiden shoulder in a half-shrug. "But, there's no convincing a Gamorrean of anything."

That curious expression forms on her grease-smudged face, again. "Not often your people end up out here. Let me guess... bounty hunting? Or maybe you're tracking after that Beskar that made its way through here a few weeks back?" She asks, raising one red brow and giving a playful flash of one pointed canine tooth.

Ellari Zin has posed:
    Ellari watches him zoom off, smirking when Lynx tells her about her dealings with the Gamorrean. "Of course not, but all the more credits for yourself isn't that right? Shrewdness...another admirable trait." she comments.

    A brow goes up at the mention of beskar. She's definitely interested. "Beskar, you say? Armor, weapons? Ingots? Not often we end up here, true...and not often these parts see beskar, either."

Lynx has posed:
The corner of Lynx's mouth remains quirked upward in a wry smile, her head tilting ever so slightly in acknowledgement that she may not be trying very hard to convince such clientel to work smarter, not harder. "If it is said from the lips of a Mandalorian, it must be so." She gives a little playful flourish at that before making sure she has all of her equipment and tools, zipping up her bag.

"Exactly. When it ends up around here, there's usually nothing good that brought it to the markets." The fact that Ellari wasn't previously aware of the rare metal's presence isn't lost on Lynx, but she also isn't the sort to try backpeddle about it, either. "Too rich for my blood, either. Not worth the risk of drawing blaster fire down on my head." Even as she explains this, there is still that hint of amusement showing on her features.

"Armor, at least some pieces of it, anyways. I didn't get a good look at it, myself, but those helmets are hard to mistake." Lynx motions at the one under Ellari is carrying. "No one is going to say where they come by that sort of thing, you know? But if you want my guess, likely a bounty hunter bit off more than they could chew."

Ellari Zin has posed:
    "Is that so?" Ellari asks, chuckling a little bit when Lynx makes that remark about Mandalorians. "What makes you say that?"

    "True enough." she answers, when the other woman speaks of the armor being more trouble for her than it's worth. She takes a step closer, although hopefully not enough to scare the mechanic off. "Say, what is your name? I am Ellari Zin, of House Vizsla. Whoever it was that bit off more than he could chew, the armor belongs back where it came from, would you not agree? If you could tell me where you last saw the beskar, and anything else relevant, I would be willing to pay you handsomely." Let's just say her family isn't lacking in the credits department.

Lynx has posed:
There is a soft laugh that follows as Lynx runs a hand through her multi-colored hair, the strands seeming to fall back haphazardly, "If I learned anything traveling the stars, it's that you don't argue with a Mandalorian unless you want to end up at the end of a blaster, or a blade." It's obvious that Lynx, herself, is armed, but the rifle is simply attached to her bag in a way that suggests she isn't really ready for a fight. "And there's never just one of you. Piss off one, piss off the whole house, yes? I don't have that kind of firepower behind me." A motion of her hand suggests that all Lynx really has, is... well, herself.

Even if she may find the prospect of a Mandalorian a bit intimidating, Lynx also seems relatively relaxed, not the sort to take someone as an enemy until they make themselves one. "Folks around here call me Lynx. Pilot of the Dawnbreaker and mechanic for hire. A pleasure to make your aquaintence, Lady Zin." She follows this with a small bow of her head.

Then, onyx eyes lift to consider the offer. "Let's just say, I'd rather be in your good will than have your money. The former is far more valuable." Her lip quirks again. "As for where I last saw it, it was about a week ago. A vendor in the back alleys who goes by Glass. He's a Bith, no big time anybody around here, so I'm guessing he's just acting as a face for someone else."

Ellari Zin has posed:
    Ellari smiles as Lynx starts talking about how fearsome Mandalorians are. That's certainly what she likes to hear, and not a single shred of people like Revara or Volken, or Caine for that matter, soiling that reputation. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lynx." she says, offering a hand to shake.

    "Ah, is that the case? Well you would have that regardless of credits being involved or not. If I am able to retrieve the armor, I will be happy to offer you compensation. If anything as a token of my appreciation for your assistance."

Lynx has posed:
Lynx accepts the handshake, her fingers a bit rough in places, likely from her work as a mechanic. Once the hand is released, she looks over her shoulder, as if checking who else might be around this part of the spaceport. Thankfully, there only seems to be a couple of dock workers unloading a ship some distance away and paying the two of them little heed.

"I'd be a fool to turn down generocity twice, and besides... my ship always needs fuel and upgrade credits." Lynx chuckles softly to herself.

"From what I can tell, Glass wasn't having much luck selling the pieces he had. Wouldn't surprise me if he's looking to smuggle it out to a more lucrative location off-world where buyers are more likely to be found. It's possible he still has them, or that he's passed them along to someone else to get them off-world." Lynx explains, lightly biting at her lower lip with a bit of uncertainty. "I imagine you wouldn't have too much trouble getting answers out of him, if you can catch him before he spots you and runs."

Ellari Zin has posed:
    "Runs?" Ellari echoes, arching a brow at Lynx. "Well, do you have any clout with him? Perhaps if you told him I was coming, and that he needn't fear for his life unless he plans on refusing to trade like a normal citizen of this place for some reason. If selling is what he aims to do, then he has a guaranteed customer. Whether that is the armor itself or information regarding its whereabouts." she says, smirking.

    A pause, then something occurs to her. "Or what if you came along with me to see him? Perhaps that might...soothe his fears?"

Lynx has posed:
"What? You don't think all of this is enough to have a black market dealer shaking in their boots?" Lynx motions to 'all' of Ellari, her brows raised questioningly. "Like I said, anyone with half a brain out here doesn't fuck with your people, unless they're already on someone's bad side."

Shifting her weight, the mechanic seems to think over the prospect. "If all you have in mind is business, then I have no problem with showing you the way. So long as you don't expect me to lie to anyone. I'm pretty easy to read in that regard, or so I've been told." The colorful woman does seem to wear her emotions on her sleeve, at least at face value.

"Mostly, I just don't want my name getting linked to a firefight if things go bad. I get some good gig work out here and I wouldn't want to lose that." She lifts a brow, "The good graces of your house only go so far when it comes to a loss of reputation. And out here, sometimes that's all you have."

Ellari Zin has posed:
    "Perhaps, but this time I wouldn't want him to be so fearful that he'd run at the first sight of me." Ellari notes.

    She nods. "A reasonable enough request. Yes, if all goes smoothly, I only intend to conduct business with him. I will pay either for the armor, or for information regarding its whereabouts should he not have it in his possession any longer. But I wouldn't hold it against you if you had to take off should a fight of any sort break out."

    "...that being said, if your reputation is somehow damaged as a result of this, I am sure I could find a place for you in Sundari. A mechanic's skills are always needed. Or if you have a desire to employ yourself there either way, I would be happy to look into it for you."

Lynx has posed:
"Fair enough." Lynx seems content enough with the arrangement and that she wouldn't find herself in hot water with other vendors should things go off kilter. "Glass usually isn't in the markets today. He's off on procurement runs off-world." She explains, reaching down to drag out a datapad from her bag, "Shoot me a com frequency, and I can reach out next time I see him in the markets."

Then, with another of those sparks of curiosity that seem to cause those subtle tilts of her head, Lynx asks, "Sundari? Can't say I've ever been. Thought most Mandalorians worked on their own gear, but I suppose everyone needs help with ships or speeders from time to time, huh?" It's a ponderous sound, as if she's never thought of that. "I tend to go wherever there is work, to be honest. Either moving people or selling my services, so if you ever need a deft hand, you know where to call."

Ellari Zin has posed:
    "I see." Ellari says, nodding. It's good that Lynx knows this, it means she must know the Bith man fairly well. Which means that he's more likely to listen to her. "And I believe that with you along, the chances of anything coming to blows are diminished." She also gets out a datapad, and makes sure Lynx gets that frequency.

    "Most haven't." she remarks, regarding Sundari. "At least, most outsiders anyway. And yes, it's true we mostly work on our own weapons and armor," She actually seems somewhat impressed that the other woman knows this. It just meant she was a well-studied and cultured individual, something Ellari respects. "but our ships can always use more care. The fact that you are the only one around these parts who can fix a bike so old speaks for itself."

Lynx has posed:
With the frequency transferred, Lynx tucks the datapad back away into one of the pockets of her bag, then adjusts the strap along her shoulder again. "I think you give me far too much credit. Most folks around here I know as a matter of business. I just think Glass is in over his head again, and I'd rather not see him end up on the wrong side of the wrong folks."

At the appraisal of her skills, the female gives a strange sound, almost a trill that seems to suggest appreciation. Her shoulders straighten a little. "I don't know so much about that, but I love getting my hands into just about any tech, even if it's old and falling appart. It's a challenge."

With that, she glances over towards her ship, the one she had pointed out earlier. "I'm going to go stow my gear. You have good luck with... whatever it was that brought you to this backwater place. We'll talk when Glass is back." Inclining her head, Lynx heads off towards her ship, with a little bit of pep to her step, it seems.