Chapter Five Nata groaned as she rolled over in bed and swatted at the alarm that was going off. She snuggled back down into her pillow, wishing she had more time to sleep. Her night had been long and hard. Chandar had been there until nearly five in the morning. Sighing, she sat up and shuffled out of bed, feeling a soreness all over her body as she moved over to her dresser to get ready for the day. As she peered at her reflection she noticed a nasty purple coloring appearing on her right thigh. It was obviously from the night with Chandar, and she was surprised she didn't have more bruises on her. She hoped she wouldn't have to deal with him again for a while. After dressing she made her way out of her room and down the hall to the cafeteria to find something for breakfast. * * * * * Jade gently came to as her alarm blared. She blinked blearily at it, then at the man lying beneath her. He was still soundly asleep, which struck her as funny since he was known for being alert. Perhaps he was a bit too in character with this particular mission. “Mmm, Ben,” she murmured, thanking the Force that she remembered to use his false name. “Honey, wake up. You need to get out of here.” She reached for his face and brushed her fingers across his cheek, pecking at his lips. Obi-Wan drifted back to the waking world and melted into her kiss. “Kitten?” His accent had slipped, and Jade’s eyebrows rose with apprehension. “Sure thing, babe. Ben…” She accentuated the name, petting his bare shoulder. “You stayed all night, and I don’t think Cress is gonna like that. Especially since you’re not paying.” Obi-Wan seemed to understand and nodded sleepily. “I got a few credits, if that makes you feel any better.” He smirked roguishly, making Jade roll her eyes. “It doesn’t,” she grunted, pushing herself off of him. “Come on, I’m serious. You have to go.” “All right, all right…” Obi-Wan slipped away and grabbed his underwear, sliding it on quickly. Jade couldn’t help but stare as his bottom disappeared into his boxers. Obi-Wan turned in time to catch her look. “Someone just turned into a horny schoolgirl…” Jade blinked up at him, unused to hearing him be so candid. You’re almost too good at this… “Not hard with a guy like you around, Ben. Now get lost already! I gotta go check on Nata. She took a pretty big risk for me last night, and I need to make sure she’s okay.” Obi-Wan nodded as he finished putting his clothes on in a hurry. He leaned down and kissed her swiftly on the lips, pulling his coat on in the process. “I’ll see you. Let me know how everything goes. And you know where to find me if you need me, lover.” “That I do.” She smiled up at him, toying with his messy hair before he rushed out. Jade rested her face in her hands, curling the blankets around her and retreating from reality for a long moment. She practically stared within herself and hoped they weren’t becoming too involved in these alternate selves they had created. Before she could worry further, she got up to shower and dress in a plain shirt and denim pants. Having done this, she went to get herself some breakfast. She spotted Nata at once and moved to her side. “Good morning,” Jade said brightly. “I wanted to thank you again, Nata, for last night. Are you doing all right?” "Not a problem. I'm just glad you got to see your man last night." Nata smiled then quickly put her hand over her mouth as a yawn escaped. "Ehh, I'm so tired." She shook her head and laughed lightly. "He stayed far too late last night." “Well, mine did, too,” Jade grinned. “He stayed all night, in fact. Only difference is he let me sleep. Are you sure you’re going to be okay today?” "Oh yeah, I'll be fine. This is normal. Just wait until you get your first payer. Most keep you up all night." Nata leaned back in her chair and winced as her sore muscles protested the movement. Jade made an empathetic face, noting her pain and feeling responsible for it. “If there is anything I can do…” Nata shook her head. "Nothing at all, I'm great. However, we do need to go and get in some dancing this morning, then we can take the rest of the day off. We could head above ground for a while, what do you think?" “That sounds great!” Jade crowed, hoping she didn’t sound too fake. “How would you feel about Ben being there? I… haven‘t seen him in awhile, and he kind of makes me feel safe.” While this wasn’t entirely a lie, she also wanted him there to hear anything important that might help in their investigation. "‘Course he can come with us. I'd love to get to know him better. I'll try and ditch the bodyguards so we can have a bit of privacy. Cress tends to trust me enough." Nata finished off her orange juice and stood up, grabbing her trash. "Ready to get to work?" Jade nodded. “Better to get it over and done with.” She hurriedly ate a piece of fruit, knowing she probably looked very unladylike. Then she followed Nata out to the dressing rooms. The two found an empty practice room and began mapping out new choreography for their next dance. Nata could feel her body aching under the strain of the dancing. Her movements were not their normal smooth lines, instead they were choppy and stiff. She tripped twice during the practice, and when they were finished, she had a slight limp in her right leg. Jade herself was slightly winded, as she would be when finishing a sparring session at the Temple, but Nata’s limp troubled her. “You’re favoring that leg a great deal,” Jade huffed, wiping sweat off her brow with a towel. “Did you injure yourself? I could look at it.” "It's nothing. I must have stepped on it wrong or something. Don't worry about it." Nata tossed a bottle of water to Jade. "I'm going to go get a shower. Come to my room when you're ready to go, and we'll head off, okay?" Jade nodded, putting on her best false grin as Nata limped away. Jade knew pain when she saw it, and Nata wasn’t fooling her. She mentioned the night before that Chander had a tendency to be rough, but just how rough? Jade shook her head and went off to take her second shower of the day. She didn’t get this sweaty tracking down smugglers, which gave her a bit of a laugh. When she was finished washing off, she contacted Obi-Wan via comlink, telling “Ben” to meet her and Nata at a nearby diner. He promised to be there, and she promised him a good time. This time when Jade dressed, she chose something a bit slinkier. The short, rosy dress was perhaps a bit much, but she knew Obi-Wan would enjoy it and comment openly with his mission persona as an excuse. Jade went to knock gently on Nata’s door and saw it was slightly ajar. She pushed the door fully open and peeked in. “I’m ready…” Nata jerked towards the door, the side of her skirt falling back down below her knees as Jade peered in. She had been looking at the ever growing bruise on her thigh when Jade showed up, and she didn't want her to see it. "So am I! Shall we go?" Nata said, flipping lights off and heading towards the door. Jade nodded and let Nata take the lead, squinting at her back as she followed. “I told Ben to meet us at the place we ate at a couple days ago if that’s okay.” "That sounds perfect," Nata replied. "Do you want to go to one of the malls? I don't know if you've been to any, but the malls here are pretty. Lots of life inside of them." Jade acted the part of an excited young woman, clasping her hands together. “I’ve always wanted to see someplace like that! Sounds wonderful.” In truth, she’d seen Coruscant from top to bottom and doubted there was anything that could be new about this city. They reached the front entrance to the Head Rush, two bodyguards looking ready to tail them. Jade smiled uneasily at them, wondering if they truly would be able to shake them. If Jade were allowed to use her Force powers, it would be no problem, but in this case that wasn’t an option. Nata stopped, walked up to one of the bodyguards, smiled at him. "Just heading to the mall. We'll be back before the evening rush. Cress won’t miss us. We don't need you today, so... stay here." "We're not supposed to do that, Nata," he replied, and Nata rolled her eyes. "I know, but Cress allows me out by myself all the time. Today is no different." The bodyguard sighed, looked over at the other one, and shrugged. "Alright, but you better be back in time for your work tonight." "Don't worry, I haven't been late yet." Nata grinned and took Jade by the arm, leading her out. Jade peeked over her shoulder at the bouncer, then back at Nata. “That was a lot easier than I thought it would be.” "Yup, they pretty much trust me here. I mean, they should, I've been here just about all my life." Nata shrugged. She peered out at the busy airways and waved her hand as she spotted a taxi coming their way. Jade climbed in with her, and Nata ordered the driver to take them to the diner. It wasn’t long before they arrived, and Jade took the liberty of tossing a few credit his way as they exited. They entered, and Jade saw Obi-Wan at once, waiting for them at a lonely booth. She scurried over and plopped down beside him, grinning openly when he kissed her. If nothing else, it was wonderful to act like a couple for once. “Ben, you remember Nata,” Jade said. “Good to see you again,” he said, nodding toward her with a smirk. Nata grinned. "I see Jade talked you into going shopping with us. Hope you enjoy doing girly things." “I’ll survive,” he said simply, pulling Jade tight against his side. “You gonna buy something for me?” “If you’re a good boy,” she said. “Well, looks like I won’t be getting’ anything,” he chuckled. "I think we should head out," Nata said. "We have to make sure we're back in time for the dances tonight." “Sure thing,” Jade said, getting up and leading Obi-Wan with her by the hand. Their previous taxi had left, but they quickly hailed another and were off to the nearest mall. “What is it you girls need?” Obi-Wan asked casually. Time alone without surveillance, Jade explained. But besides that? “Just some new outfits maybe. Perfume and makeup… Chick stuff.” "Yeah, that’s pretty much it, and any random things we find that we suddenly must need," Nata chimed in. “And with a bunch of girls, there’s no telling what we’ll suddenly need,” Jade grinned. Obi-Wan smirked in return. “Saucy thing,” he purred at her. The taxi landed outside of the enormous mall, and the three piled out and headed inside. Jade and Nata spent some time in a clothing shop, Jade pretending to be interested in the pretty outfits, all the while mulling over the things she needed to discuss with Obi-Wan. As they paid for a few small things they’d found, Jade turned to Nata. “You go on shopping for a bit,” she urged. “Ben and I… need to talk.” She tried to make it seem like a couple issue, putting on a bashful look. Nata eyed Jade with a weary look. "I can't really do that... If I leave, and you run off, it's my head on the chopping block." Nata smiled sheepishly at her. "Not that I don't trust you... but still." “I have no intention of running,” Jade laughed. “Where would I go? Really, there are just some things that Ben and I didn’t get around to discussing. The heat of the moment took over, as it often does with us…” Making a face, Nata finally consented, "Alright... but I'm coming back for you in fifteen minutes. I can't leave you longer than that." “Understood,” Jade said solemnly, moving away from Nata and toward Obi-Wan in a hurry. Fifteen minutes would have to do. When Jade returned to Obi-Wan alone, he seemed more like the man she was used to, standing straighter with a brighter, more avid quality to his eyes. “Nata is off on her own, but she’s coming back in fifteen minutes,” Jade told him at once. “She’s afraid I’ll try to run. I wonder why.” She followed this with a dramatic roll of her eyes. “Have you discovered anything going on out of view in the Head Rush?” Obi-Wan asked at once, dropping the accent for the moment. Jade smiled at the familiarity of his cultured tones, then shook her head. “Nothing yet. Other than Cress being a rapist. But with how rampant that sort of behavior is in a brothel like Head Rush, I doubt there is much we can do.” “We can find out what else he is up to and stop him that way,” Obi-Wan said. “Has the Council narrowed down their theories at all?” Jade asked. “They seem to be leaning toward some kind of drug ring,” Obi-Wan said with disdain. “Which is a job for local authorities, not Jedi,” Jade put in. “My sentiments exactly,” Obi-Wan replied. Jade was already shaking her head as she considered. “No, it’s more complicated than that. I can tell. I haven’t seen a lot of drugs, but I already have evidence of dancers who have disappeared without any word of where they may have gone or any investigation into their whereabouts.” “What sort of evidence?” Obi-Wan asked. “I’m replacing one of them,” Jade said gently. Obi-Wan balked and placed his hand against her cheek. “This must have you more than a bit shaken.” “You better believe it,” Jade chuckled. “Why do you think I called for backup?” She put her hand over his and soaked up the strength he so readily offered her. “Her name was Lathe. See if you can find anything on her.” “I will,” he said and pulled his hand away to reach into his coat pocket. “I have something for you, should you need me in an emergency.” A black, velvety box was presented to her and opened, revealing a necklace with a pink jewel. “Simply put your thumbnail under the catch on the back of the jewel setting to send out an alarm to my comlink.” “Is it stupid to say that it’s utterly gorgeous?” Jade asked with awe catching her voice. Obi-Wan watched her, equally stricken, but not by the jewel. “Not stupid at all. I had hoped you would like it for more than its practicality.” Obi-Wan motioned for her to turn as he pried the necklace from its box. Jade did so and actually giggled when he pulled the chain around her neck and fastened it. Her hand fell against the jewel, sighing where it laid coolly against her skin. She turned and smiled broadly, giving a kiss of thanks. Obi-Wan watched her steadily, basking in her loving embrace. Slowly his face changed to express concern. “And… something that has been praying on my mind…” “Yes?” she prompted tenderly. “Those precautions,” he grunted. “What exactly is meant by that? Some form of… birth-control?” “No, Obi-Wan,” Jade laughed. “A much better fail-safe than that, I promise.” “I don’t understand.” But Nata was already returning as their fifteen minutes were up. "I'm so glad you didn't run off. Then again, I had a feeling I could trust you." She smiled. "Uh, did you guys finishing talking?" Jade turned to her and smiled. “We did. Thanks for giving us a minute.” She winked at Nata and pointed to the new necklace. “Everything’s fine.” "That is beautiful!" Nata smiled. "Now we should really be heading back. We're due on stage in two hours, and I'm sure the bouncers are getting nervous." “Sure thing,” Jade said. She turned to Obi-Wan and smiled faintly. “Well, Ben…” “Go on, honey,” he said, then reached out to brush her necklace one last time. “Will you be dropping by?” she asked. “Not tonight,” he said. “But soon.” Jade nodded and pressed herself into him, giving him a swift kiss before turning away. “All right, let’s go.” The girls returned back to The Head Rush and moved off to their separate rooms to change for the show. After changing, Nata was walking back down the hall towards Jade's room when she spotted Annette heading towards her. Nata sighed inwardly and slid off to the side of the hall and lowered her eyes. She didn't want to talk to Annette, and she hoped the other would just brush past. “Nata!” Annette greeted almost too cheerily. “I’ve been looking all over for you. I have some news.” She was leaning over Nata, being slightly taller and much more intimidating. "What do you want Annette? You chafing again?" Nata asked, giving the other a bored look. “There’s nothing you can say that will spoil my mood,” Annette purred. “Know why?” She dove in before Nata could ask. “You’ve been sold. Cress finished the deal not even an hour ago.” Nata's eyes narrowed. "What? He wouldn't sell me... This joke is lower then your normal ones, Annette." “You can’t make up a joke this good!” Annette cackled, tossing her golden head back. “It’s Chander. You were almost too convincing the other night. He wants you to himself. Get ready for more bruises than you can strategically cover, darling.” "Why do I think you had something to do with this?" Nata asked, shaking her head. She couldn't believe it. Cress was actually selling her. She never thought that she would end up being one of the girls who he sold. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe you’re not everything you think you are?” Annette growled. “You strut around here like you have Cress wrapped around your little finger. Well, you don’t. I do. Have fun dancing tonight. And pack your bags when you’re through.” With that, she started away, a satisfied grin on her disgustingly gorgeous face. Blinking back tears that threatened to fall, Nata reached down and brushed the bruise she had covered with makeup on her leg. She was going to have to talk to Cress right after the dance. There had to be some mistake. Taking a deep breath and trying to regain her composure, she went the rest of the way down the hall to Jade’s room. Jade was just finishing with her costume when Nata knocked timidly at the door. Jade yelled “come in!” in the hopes that it was not Cress. She was glad to see Nata instead of her worst fear and beamed at her. Her face fell when she realized instantly that something was wrong. “What?” she asked softly. "What? Oh, nothing." Nata gave Jade a small smile. "You almost ready? We're due on stage in twenty minutes, and we still need to warm up." “Yeah, okay,” Jade said, putting on a false smile of her own. Perhaps Nata would tell her when she was ready… * * * * * The lights were down, and Jade and Nata were on separate sides of the stage behind the curtain. The music started up, and the crowd began to holler as the dance was about to start. Nata however, wasn't about to go out on stage. She had tuned out the sounds of the Head Rush a while ago, lost in her own fears of being sold. Jade heard the music gear up, then watched as Nata stood stock still, as though she hadn’t heard it at all. She waved her arms, but Nata still failed to notice anything amiss. The men in the crowd began to boo and grow restless. Jade could presumably run across the backstage area and shove her into the lights and noise, but she saw a more reasonable recourse. She twirled onstage and began moving to the music in an impromptu dance, slowly making her way to the other side of the stage where she took Nata by the hand. “Do you want me to take this one?” Jade asked quickly. "I... We're on?" Nata's eyes widened, and she moved onstage beside Jade. "No, I've got it," she whispered back as she began to dance. It was only a few moments before Nata lost her concentration again and began to miss steps in the dance. Her body seemed to start moving in a weird, forced way as her injured leg started throbbing. Nata stumbled across the stage as she tried to twirl and almost fell off the other side of the stage. Jade nimbly caught her and whirled the other dancer into her arms, doing her best to make this look like a part of the show. The men seemed pleased, cheering raucously. Thankfully the music and lights went down soon after this, and Jade helped Nata limp offstage. “What was that?” Jade asked, still panting from her exertions. “Nata, you’re really hurt. You lied.” "Jade... I... not here... I can't talk now. I have to go find Cress," she said, turning and stumbling off towards the hall. “Nata!” But she wasn’t listening or even turning toward her. Jade logged this away nonetheless, knowing it would lead her to the answers the Council sought. * * * * * Cress raised his eyes slightly to the open doorway, smirking when he saw Nata framed there. “To what do I owe this visit? I mean, you never went out of your way to see me before, so this really is a rare occasion.” "Annette found me in the hall today." Nata said, tilting her head slightly at Cress. "You're selling me?" “Afraid so,” Cress grunted, going back to the paperwork he’d been studying. “I guess you’re here to ask why.” He put out a hand toward the chair across from his desk. “Have a seat.” Nata sat down and crossed her legs, a frown spreading across her face. "How could you sell me, Cress? I've been here longer than any other girl. And it's not just the fact that you're selling me, it's that you're selling me to Chandar." “He’s one of our more well-off patrons,” Cress said, putting his papers aside to devote his attention to her. “You know that. He handed me a pile of credits that could not be refused. Besides which, seniority has nothing to do with this business. That Jade chick you seem to have attached yourself to could easily replace you in a month’s time. She just needs to be broken in.” Nata bowed her head as she felt hot tears starting to roll down her cheeks. "Why not convince him to take Annette? Why not try to get him to take anyone besides me? You know how he is." “Because Annette manipulates me, but at least she is honest about it,” Cress said, narrowing his eyes. “Don’t think I don’t notice you playing me, Nata. I saw what you did with the bouncers earlier, and you know the rules. Despite how long you’ve been here, the bouncers are there for your protection. And I don’t like being lied to. If I can’t trust you, then you can’t work for me.” He paused. “I hear you and Jade whispering about me, and if she doesn’t cut that shit out, she’ll be next. Her scruffy boyfriend won’t be too happy about that, but he’ll be lucky if I let him live at all. I don’t know how he did it, but he snuck in and spent all night here without a proper membership card. I still have some security recordings to go over, but I will figure it out.” He seemed to have forgotten he was even speaking to Nata, falling into his own angry musings. "How long do I have, Cress?" Nata interrupted his ranting. His eyes focused on her again. “Six days,” he said. “I want you to spend as much of that time as you can finishing up with Jade. She’s a natural, but she still needs some fine tuning. I’m gonna be calling her to my private quarters in a few days, and I want her to be good.” "I'm not going teach her how to please you," Nata huffed as she stood up. "Not after this." Cress shrugged. “I can make it two days,” he said. “Chander wouldn’t mind picking you up early. Then I can get Annette to train her. She’d be glad to get alone with her and do something unpleasant, I’m sure.” "No, fine, I'll do it. Anything is better than spending more time with that man." Nata turned and left the room, heading back to her own. Cress nodded at her back. He was still the master of this club, and getting girls like Nata to do what he wanted was his specialty. He turned away from his desk and went back to what he’d really been doing before he’d heard Nata’s heels approaching from down the hall. He rewound the recording and played it over again, watching as the sheets to Jade’s bed writhed with the forms beneath. He’d watched it a thousand times by now and was convinced he heard something very soft beneath the rustling. It could be construed as nothing more than a random noise made in the heat of the moment, but he was sure it was something more. It sounded almost like “Obi”, and it was definitely Jade’s voice. He shook his head and watched again and again and again.
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