Assets

[violencetobasic]

Son'ja was digging out a few bits of fungi from under rocks and watching Gammoreans pout. They'd broken the legs off the training droid that had been tossed to them an hour or two before, and it was decidedly much less interesting, but they didn't know how to fix it, so were just kicking in aimless annoyance.

She strode over and offered them her snacks. "From Dhrakon," she said. Then gestured to the no-longer-walking scrapheap on the ground. "For Dhrakon?" Gammoreans. Small words.

This is decided as satisfactory. She probably could have skipped straight to claiming the thing for Dhrakon, but she hadn't spent a proper meal on it, and there wasn't really cause to stir them up and leave them as assets for whatever riffraff was dreaming about ineffectual power plays against her lover today.

Her terms quickly agreed to, she scooped up the damage droid, threw it over her shoulder, grabbed the legs, and returned to the cage smiling.

Comments

[dhrakon]

He's come to trust her when she says something will be needed. There's not a lot of resources down here - but for the clever and resourceful, there's always some.

Still, he's curious. "What's that?"

[violencetobasic]

"This is a walking planning-desk," Son'ja explains as she tosses it to him. "Or it will be walking once I put the legs on. These things are so easy even I can manage that. But it's what's inside that counts. My old instructor always said that information systems were a basic teaching skill. Let's see if I'm still any good."

[dhrakon]

He glances at it, and shrugs.

"I've used these things before. They bring training droids down now and then. Sometimes before big parts. About all I can do for fixing is help hold it"Really that useful?"

[violencetobasic]

"Holding it would be helpful, thank you." And as he does so, she'll get to work joury-rigging the simple legs back on. "I'm sure you can have some fun using it for its intended purpose," she said quietly, then, quieter still. "And I'll see how much of an unintended purpose we can give it. Programming in floor plans, the overseer schedules, system reboots -- it could be more reliable for coordinating more people, Someday, than just going by memory; we can't recite to an indefinite number. Plus, there may be things we can use the processing system to calculate that we couldn't do in our heads."

[dhrakon]

He nods once, putting most of his effort into keeping the droid stable.

"That makes some sense... never would have thought of that. You've been busy."

[violencetobasic]

"Thanks," she says, continuing until she's gotten the mamkeshift joints together again. "I'll show you some of how to do it, of course." He'd gotten better at reading as time went by, after all. No scholar, but they'd made progress. "But I should probably handle most of it for us."

[dhrakon]

"I agree. I'd hate to ruin something accidentally. Have you made any progress with the gangs? Anyone in particular giving you trouble in getting deeper?"

[violencetobasic]

"Some. Those that'll talk, it's not hard to see where to get leverage on them. Today's bullying distraction is the Trandoshan. He's not trying too much yet, but really seems like he's steadily going to become more of a nuisance with getting taken seriously.

[dhrakon]

"Rile him up a little next opportunity, but be careful. Trandoshan honor is strong - and if he's here, he was captured. I believe that's their ultimate insult... shouldn't be hard. I'll deal with him from there."

[violencetobasic]

She listens and nods, smiling a little. "Show a little attitude without getting myself killed. All right."

[dhrakon]

"Precisely, just enough to get his attention. Keep some distance. Dealing with Trandoshans is always... interesting."

[violencetobasic]

She nods as she opens up a panel in the droid to ascertain about memory storage. "I'll follow up on that in a little while, then. Is there anything you need right now, Dhrakon?"

[dhrakon]

"For the moment, we can concentrate on getting this as done as you need it to be - and then out of the way. I did arrange for something for you, though."

[violencetobasic]

"...For me? Why thank you." She makes the best estimation she can of the damaged droid's capacity and closes it up again, setting it in the corner.

[dhrakon]

He nods, offering her over a new outfit - of striped Nexu fur. There's not a ton to it, certainly.

"One of the pack didn't survive the last match." Such is the way of the arena, and nexu ferocity sometimes. "I thought this fitting."

[violencetobasic]

She looks at the skimpy fur outfit. "Very fitting." Keeping it in the family, really. "Thank you."

Once she's changed -- perhaps with a little flaunting of the new clothes -- Son'ja will eventually head out again to another area, full of various sentients -- and Gamorreans, she thinks to herself -- with their own matching scars. She knew enough about this particular pit gang to know what to focus on in terms of reasoning for 'better coordination': everyday things like preventing food shortages/spoilage/etc and improving collective scavenging were a good enough reason to give more access to and information from their corner.

And when the Trandoshan started calling over with angry remarks to break up the conversation, she just looked at him from where he was "Adults are talking."

[dhrakon]

He admires the change - and her, in general, in the new outfit. He's happy enough to let her show off - but eventually, work calls.

He stays where he is around the cage to let her work. He's noticed, so long as she has suitable backing, others respond to her approach better than his. People just need to know she can't be pushed around without consequences.

The Trandoshan hasn't learned yet. "Until I cut out their tongue."

[violencetobasic]

The Trandoshan looks at him. The rough dun scales are covered in scars that indicate the species' much-touted healing has met with some exhaustion.
Nevertheless,
"Try. I have a score to bring up."

[dhrakon]

That gets the Trandoshan's attention.

"Score? Many Jagnath points?" it muses aloud. He knows she has something in mind - and intends to prove he's up to the challenge. Weak looking thing like her can't be worth many points anyway... and he has a long way to go before the Scorekeeper would forgive him for being captured alive.

[violencetobasic]

Son'ja stares at him some more. "Well, I figure I get credit for the assist if you die today. And then, depending on how much of a disturbance it makes, I can use any fuss to start wracking up hits on the reputation of some of the overseers in terms of keeping order and preserving the stars. Hopefully some of the really stingy ones. Who knows, if they get enough disapproval of how they do their job and added to the Maimed Attractions, maybe the meals'll get less skinflint. Either way, any of them would be quite a coup, so at least you'd have managed to be good for something."

[dhrakon]

The Trandoshan snarls. "Will not die today. Small, noisy thing would not talk so much if her protector died."

[violencetobasic]

Son'ja looks at him blankly. Yes, the idea of losing Dhrakon makes her heart go cold, but that's something that's a factor day, so she just trusts, as ever, that he's the most dangerous person down here and doesn't let the thought fester.

And then she returns to looking at those she was originally talking to, pointedly ignoring him although not turning her back, keeping on the other side of the little crowd from him. "In any case, a few long-term careful manipulations to get the guards in trouble could be handy and pleasant; yet another reason to coordinate."

[dhrakon]

The Trandoshan's ego gets the better of him at that point.

"Tell Dragonson, will see him. See him in arena. Then shut up small, loud thing."

[violencetobasic]

The flick of the lekku is something between acknowledgement and dismissal.

[dhrakon]

The Trandoshan growls - but lets her be for now. She'll pay when Dhrakon is dead, and he's collected his jagnath points.

[violencetobasic]

Son'ja continues her negotiation a while, not letting anything unsettle her. Dhrakon will not die here.

When she's made all the headway she clearly will for now, she returns to the cage. "Did the best I could."

[dhrakon]

"Good. I've been hearing good things - the Gamorreans respect you. They will follow, so long as I refuse no challenges."

[violencetobasic]

She nods, smiles thinly. "He'll be after you so he can get rid of me. Well, and, probably, because you've got to be twice anyone here in terms of his scoreboard."

[dhrakon]

"Good. Make sure the guards and overseers hear about it. They'll keep us separate, give us both harder fights for a bit. Provided he lives through that, they'll put us against each other when it will draw a crowd. Until then, he'll stop bothering you."

[violencetobasic]

She nods.