"Howsa Yousa do dat?" Tef asked as we started walking through the lower areas of the city. I smiled.
"Practice." I answered. He kept smiling and we kept walking.
"Howsa wesa gonna find my mother?" Tef asked. I smiled at his question.
"I'm going to ask a friend if he knows of any place the boys in white might have taken your mother to." I answered. We continued walking through to the other side of the area we're in, to the cantina. The New Order has hardly been concerned with this place even though it's the epicenter of crime in the city. I walked in through the door of the unmarked building, and had a strange feeling as I entered. Tef had been following pretty closely. I looked around, and my head immediately turned to the back table, where the gamblers were. It was also where my friend was. No one batted an eye at our attire, we looked about as worn as everyone else in the room. I walked over to the table, not looking at anyone but my friend. He looked up from his cards and smiled at me. He laid them flat on table and rested his arm on top of them as he greeted me.
"Mara, what took you so long? Come'on, wanna join us for a game?" He said in an obnoxious, drunken tone, surrounded by thugs at his gambling table.
"Not today, Rodan. I need your help with something." I said sternly. He then got up out of his chair and approached me and Tef.
"You need my help with something. " He repeated. "What do you need help with?" He asked.
"I found this gungan child right outside the city. He says stormtroopers have taken his mother. I was wondering if you might be able to help me find out where they took her." I practically whispered, and looked around to make sure no one was listening. I couldn't let anyone hear for a lot of reasons. I felt eyes on me. I glanced around and saw no one looking, but there was someone in a hood, that was looking straight down at the table he was sitting at, which was right beside us. I took a few steps back, and Rodan followed.
"Can you find out who took her?" I asked, in a hushed voice once again. He nodded.
"Stay here, this should only take a few minutes, I'll be right back." He said, and got up from the table. I Nodded. I barely trusted him to begin with, but he has a habit of always being able to deliver. I sat down at the gambling table and pulled up a chair so Tef could sit behind me. I joined the game and kept my eyes peeled for both Rodan and anyone else watching me. Then, the hooded someone pulled up a chair. He removed his hood and sat down with a small bag in his hand. It was dark in the cantina, but I managed to make out what he looked like. He was a boy. He looked not two years older than me. I sighed, but no one else at the table did, they were too fascinated by the jingling bag in his hand. He must have been stupid. I got up from the table, and started to walk outside as Tef followed. I wasn't going to be a witness to that kid's death. As I walked outside, I saw that that the city's weather shields were up. I looked up and saw water droplets bouncing off of it. I looked down at Tef, who was still peeking his head in the door to the cantina. Tef took a step backwards and stumbled, a hand out of the doorway caught his arm before he fell. It was the kid. Tef regained his balance and looked up at him. He smiled at Tef. Tef didn't smile back, he hid behind my leg again. I was speechless, and actually quite surprised he wasn't dead. He wasn't holding the small bag he had with him earlier. However, there wasn't a scratch on him. He started to walk off, but as he started to leave, he immediately turned around, put his hand over my mouth, grabbed me, and pulled me into the cantina through the open door all within a fraction of a second. It automatically closed in front of us just as I freed myself. Tef had been holding onto my leg as we were getting pulled through the doorway, but he was now sprawled across the floor. Before I could say anything, the kid rushed to the door and turned his back to it, blocking our exit.
