childofrebellion | Convention with Yamato II

... Huh. Some kind of debt thing. Yamato shouldn't get involved, this is definitely a bad idea for the mission.

He still finds himself striding over there, affecting a general aura of slightly bewildered foppishness.

"Ah! Pan, my dear fellow," he says, shouldering past the enforcers as though he doesn't even notice them, "Just the man I was looking for."

Cassian follows behind him, holding onto his cover as Pan gives a nervous glance to Yamato.

"Oh, I didn't expect to see you today."

"I like to check up on my friends," Yamato says, warmly. "And there seemed to be some commotion here with this marvellous ship of yours. Tell me, what model is this?"

"Our jewel," Pan turns on the charm as he caresses an inlay with the cladding, "Isn't she beautiful?"

Cassian listens as the toughs go out of the hangar, muttering about getting paid.

"She is. A racing craft?"

Yamato reckons it's small enough to be an air superiority fighter, but he can't see any weapons.

"Yes, with some personal amenities, but she's mainly built for speed. Would you like to look inside?"

Pan is happy to talk ships instead of anything else. Again Cassian waits just beside to help if he can and pick up other conversations.

"By all means," Yamato says, because making polite conversation is probably the best way in to finding out who those guys were and what kind of trouble Pan is in.

"... Tell me," he says, casually enough, after a moment. "Those fellows. Were they giving you trouble?"

They obviously were, Yamato could see that much.

Pan rubs his hands over the ship and looks at it instead of at Yamato,

"I had a few bets go the wrong way."

"A few?" Yamato asks, arching an eyebrow. "Exactly how many credits are we talking about here?"

"The interest has piled up faster than I thought it would but a couple of thousand."

Pan says the number as quickly as he can and glances around to check that no one else heard.

"A couple of thousand?"

Yamato shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Okay. And you're going to pay them back how?"

"I've been saving up and hopefully the race that's happening might provide an answer."

Pan looks nervous as he clearly doesn't have that much of a plan. Cassian winces as he listens, this gets worse and worse.

Dryly: "By which you mean, you're going to place another bet, right?" He asks. "Get yourself further into debt?"

Pan fidgets instead of answering.

Cassian says quietly, "The Hutts aren't very patient. Do you have another plan?"

Yamato turns his head towards Cassian.

"I might have another plan. Not a good one, though, and you're not going to like it," he mutters to him.

"What is it?" Cassian asks as Pan looks worriedly between them.

"You. Stay," Yamato says, sharply, jabbing a finger at Pan.

Setting a hand on Cassian's back, he turns them around so that they're facing away from Pan, and from everyone else.

"If he drops a bet in the race, then the worst case scenario is he ends up in even more debt, and the best case scenario is he doesn't get enough to pay it off. Bookies aren't that generous," Yamato murmurs to Cassian. "Prize money on the other hand -- subtract whatever exorbitant entrance fee they've got going, and add a winning bet to it, and he'll probably have enough credits to pay them off, with extra."

"He's not a racer."

Cassian says as he can start to see Yamato's plan and he doesn't like it.

"Gee, y'think?" Yamato asks, shaking his head. "Well, you can't fly in the race, because you're meant to be slipping under the radar, which is the opposite of winning a big race. I don't know, maybe we can find a sim and give him a crash course ..."

He steals a glance back at Pan, then turns away and back towards Cassian again.

"... Yeah, okay, there's no way he's becoming an ace racer in time."

"So you're going to race."

He rubs his hand over his face, this could work but its incredibly risky.

"You're the boss, you can shoot down the plan if you want to."

Beat.

"But my other plan was selling cupcakes until we get the funds needed, and my cupcakes are good, but they're not that good. They're a little dry."

"You'll need time to practice and we'll need to figure out how much it costs to enter the race. This is the best, worst idea."

Cassian will keep thinking of a better idea but they'll have to start with this.

"I just have to not die and also win, right?" Yamato says. "It's doable. If there are sims here, then I've got at least a day or two of practice time."

He flashes a quick grin at Cassian. "Unless you think I can't do it."

He might be needling Cassian a little now.

"I'm not answering that until I've seen you in the ship you'll be flying. You tell him the plan, its your idea,"

Cassian nods his head up to Pan.

"Fine, but I'll be asking again once you have. You're not off the hook."

Yamato turns towards Pan, folding his arms. "You. You'll be arranging us entry in the race, with your fastest racing ship," he says. "The Hutts know you don't have any credits, so you're going to promise to pay them out of your winnings. Your business can be collateral."

He shrugs a shoulder.

"Or you can place a bet on another racer and hope that your luck's better this time around, but I wouldn't gamble on that."

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject