Can't we play pretend?

The little actress

"Showgirl Cantina, Marina District- should be waiting at the bar."

"How long?"

"Hour, maybe two."

"Wait outside the bar, I'll meet you there."

"Copy."

Ap'leks staticky voice cut out, leaving Kylo on his own. He had tucked himself away in the corner of a dinky restaurant right outside the Theater, smack dab in the middle of the Marina District. Unlike the rest of the city, this venue was quiet- relaxed even. Kylo felt the ease of the other patrons flowing through him, as if their diluted, drunken blood were pumping through his veins.

If only they knew.

A smirk slipped its way across his lips at the thought of tearing through every other person in the room. He closed his eyes and breathed in, pretending the metallic scent of old cups was the blood of the fat man serving drinks or the feel of his weapon slicing through their muscle and bones. He let out the breath he was holding, chasing the serenity out of his system and replacing it with hunger.

Last week, Kuruk informed him of a tip about a resistance spy on Naboo from a bartender in the Marina District. The tip was sent months ago, but Kuruk had decided to investigate before telling his master in case it was another trap. Fortunately for the First Order, it wasn't a ruse. The rebel was recruiting locals at the Showgirl Cantina every Saturday night for the resistance.

Tonight, It was Kylo's job to get recruited.

Dressed in poor Naboolian attire, Kylo dawned a loose white button down and brown pants. The cool metal of his lightsaber grazed his skin, tucked safely away in the hem of his pants. He shifted, itchy with urgency and ready to fight rather than wait around for the recruiter. It had been a long time since he and the knights had gotten to spill some blood, their collective thirst thick in the crowded towns air.

The screams of children playing outside broke Kylo from his thoughts, his head snapping in the direction of the door. Without thinking, he dropped a few credits on the table and left the hushed bar. Through the mass of the bustling streets, Kylo could see a tiny theater poking out against the current. Like a moth drawn to light- Something within Kylo sought out that theater. It was like his entire demeanor shifted, allowing his senses to dull and his curiosity to take over his sound thinking. Feet moving before his mind, Kylo let himself be allured. He sensed an urgency from within the building, a calling. As if he'd been here a thousand times before, Kylo knew exactly where to go. The theater was run down, the faint smell of booze rising from the crimson carpets covering the floors. An archway sat at the opposite end of the front doors, chipped with flecks of gold paint splattered over it. The words 'Secret of Sorrow' were scribbled over the archway in rushed black ink. The whole theater screamed run down, but Kylo didn't mind.

He was going to see the show.

Deliberately or not something, or someone, had pulled him here for a reason.

The doors whined as he pushed them open, very few attendees sprinkled among the rows and rows of cheap velvet seats. The curtains pulled apart right as he entered, as if the show was waiting for his arrival to begin. He found a seat, quickly settling in before the stage filled with actors. As the show progressed, Kylo became more and more displeased. The acting was mediocre, at best, and the plot became increasingly hard to follow. He was about to get up to leave, when a soft melodic voice caught his attention. His eyes darted back to the stage to see a girl giggling her way through a scene. Like he was caught in a trance, he couldn't look away. The entire room seemed to be sucked into her vortex, every eye unblinking out of fear of missing what she had to say. From what Kylo could tell, she was the love interest of the protagonist. A soft, white gown hugged her frame, seemingly melted into her glowing features. She danced around the stage, gifting the other lacking characters with her charm. When it became just her and the Protagonist, she gave him a red flower she had stowed away. He took it, giving her a peck on the cheek in return. Kylo grimaced, shifting in his seat, as he felt that hunger from before chase away the concentration he had on the girl. As the man left, so did the blood thirst, until it was just the girl onstage.