| Posted by Ctulu Katzl (Felice) on 12-07-2001 | |
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The Twi’lek stopped smiling. Ctulu couldn’t help but be a bit proud—after all, the victory could be won before the race, and maybe she’d just done it, at least as far as this One-tail was concerned. But then he confessed, and she realized she hadn’t done much, subduing someone already subdued. Rather damped by that, she didn’t pay much attention to what he was offering—he said it so obliquely after all, she wasn’t sure what he meant. But trust Daren to simplify the situation. She saw his weapon and tensed. Tranquilizer blasters and experimental missiles were one thing; hand-to-hand stabbing was infinitely queasier. ”Daren…” she would have said, but Padre blended in. ”This Little Miss knows how to fend for herself - And win for her team!” he was saying, but how could he mean it when him and Daren were getting worked up for her sake and doing her fending for her? Actually, nevermind—Padre’s stake in it was clear, and Daren—well, he loved to contribute to the glow of victory, and there was that bit of cash. It really was just Ctulu, alone above the track, who cared about Ctulu’s glory. Padre wanted her to say something. ”You’re very kind, but…” She knew what she wanted to say, but the sting of it seemed lame on someone pointless to sting. But who better than she to play actress. She beamed her best warm, pitying, skeptical smile. ”…when it’s zooming ahead of a reluctant first-timer versus getting tangled with Lerros for messing with their strategy…I’d pick the first anyday.” Afterwards, though, there was that awkward time when everything was ready except the race, and there was just waiting to do. ”I’m gonna go think,” she told them, stepping out into the corridor to their section. It wasn’t like she’d never been attacked in a race—even her qualifier for OutRight had been one of those violent ones. And Lerros didn’t have enough racers to sic two or three on her—unless she was their main competition, and … well, so far nobody would think that. So she spent a good while dissecting everything the Twi’lek had said, considering the possibility that it was all a lie to make her race cautiously, or like Daren said, the Twi’lek had some personal spat with someone in Lerros, or maybe it was true, in which case she wouldn’t have to worry—but of course, maybe One-tail was lying again, trying to look pathetic so she’d underestimate him, maybe he could knock her off the course—there hadn’t been any racing data she could look up, but an unknown was surely something to fear, but then again, if he really was loyal to Lerros, he wouldn’t so baldly incriminate them, since this was a straight non-combative race…in the end, she still hadn’t figured it out, but she’d race perfectly all the same, for the money, for herself. ------------------------------