Private A Game of Opportunity

[Marcella Fiora]

M A R C E L L AㅤF I O R A
Location: The Star Lounge
Tag: Ivory Stroud ​

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Only the Beginning
Marcella had heard good things about the Star Lounge, a popular venue focused on serving the higher echelons of Coruscant society through food and entertainment. She was well dressed for the occasion, wearing a discreet navy blue suit as to blend in, she was simply looking for a nice, quiet evening and maybe some easy money.

Now, sat at the bar, she turned to the bartender, "Corellian whiskey, please" she requested, sliding a credit chip across the bar before turning around to watch the singer, Neesa Loroka, perform.

 

[Ivory Stroud]

​

(Black Hole Sun, Postmodern Jukebox)​

The Bartender, a handsome Zeltron wearing the professional black attire every employee of the Star Lounge wore, nodded at the woman's request and immediately turned on his heel - grabbing a bottle from the back of the bar and proceeding to pour her a drink. "On the rocks, ma'am?" He asked, voice as smooth as velvet.

The name-tag on his shirt read "Phaelix" in bright letters. It was unlikely the woman sitting at the bar would catch him glancing in her direction... However she preferred her drink, he'd deliver it within moments then take the offered credit chit with a smile. "Thank you, miss. Will there be anything else?"

Miss Loroka, the "Shining Star" of the Star Lounge, played tonight to a smaller crowd - the typical hustle & bustle present on the weekend being somewhat more subdued tonight. The smell of food from the kitchens floated through the air - a few couples and singles were upstairs enjoying private meals, and nobody was dancing tonight. The atmosphere felt intimate, relaxed, and pleasant.

As Marcella Fiora watched the stage, one of the servers passed by with a tray held aloft - a sizzling, popping plate of meat and vegetables smoking on a hotplate. The smell was positively intoxicating. Phaelix was the only bartender working tonight, and Marcella would find him an attentive listener.

 

[Marcella Fiora]

M A R C E L L AㅤF I O R A
Location: The Star Lounge
Tag: Ivory Stroud ​

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A Drink?
"Mmm, please" she nodded to the bartender before reaching into her pocket and taking out a cigarra from her Fiora Ivory carton and placing it in her mouth. Eyeing the entire bar she looked for any suspicious or dodgy characters that she might recognise, happy to see none she was interrupted by the Zeltron, "Could you recommend an appetizer?" she smiled in response, tempted by the smells that crept from the kitchen and passing servers. Cigarra unlit, she began searching for a lighter..

 

[Ivory Stroud]

Quicker than the eye could follow, there was suddenly a flickering open flame extended in Marcella Fiora 's direction. Phaelix stood, arm outstretched, holding a golden lighter in his slender, pink fingers. He was watching her with bright eyes, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"If I may, miss, the Kinrah Gold stuffed mushrooms are to die for." He offered as he lit her cigarra. "They're coated in our special herb-butter and stuffed with mozarel and romana cheeses. Would you like some fresh bread? We have the best honey butter on Coruscant." He spoke matter-of-factly, obviously proud of the offer.

Behind Marcella, Miss Loroka finished her current tune and began the next in her set.

 

[Marcella Fiora]

M A R C E L L AㅤF I O R A
Location: The Star Lounge
Tag: Ivory Stroud ​

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A Lovely Evening!
A coy yet confident smile began to show from Marcella, leaning forward she indulged, allowing her cigarra to be lit by the Zeltron. An eyebrow was raised at the food recommendation, a good recommendation too. Exhaling smoke, she sat by the bar, swirling the whiskey glass gently with the cigarra in the same hand "Sounds perfect" she smirked, appeased with the service so far.

Marcella half-turned in her chair to enjoy the entertainment, "So.. Phaelix. How long have you worked here?"

 

[Ivory Stroud]

The lighter disappeared as quickly as it'd been produced, and the handsome Zeltron turned toward the small screen set behind the bar; inputting the order with slender fingers which moved like a blur. He was incredibly dexterous... for a bartender. The order wouldn't take long; the Lounge delivered food in record time.

"So.. Phaelix. How long have you worked here?"

He turned back from the screen, picking up a rag and wiping down the bar top a few feet away from the beautiful woman sitting at the bar. He liked to remain busy, but he seemed more than happy to engage in conversation. "For the Lounge... Mm... Only a few months. For The Family, years."

The subtle mention was offered casually; easily dismissed or assumed to mean whichever affluent Family owned the Lounge. Only someone familiar with Coruscant's underworld would pick up the potential secondary meaning. In that moment, he was testing her; but it was not a pass/fail. He smiled at her, looking her up & down in a moment where she was distracted by the Lounge's entertainment. Marcella Fiora was a beautiful woman and carried herself with elegance and poise. He had a good sense about these things...

If she wasn't one of Them, she certainly could be.

 

[Marcella Fiora]

M A R C E L L AㅤF I O R A
Location: The Star Lounge
Tag: Ivory Stroud ​

---

A Subtle Clue?
The Family.. she thought, she whipped her head to the side elegantly, side-eyeing the Zeltron. That name piqued her attention, she knew nothing of the group however it seemed unusual. She had spent the last four months on Coruscant, working for a number of the slimy characters that offered well paying jobs to 'recover' items of interest and she had only heard that name once and thought nothing of it.

She turned to Phaelix, offering a curious smile, "The Family? Might I enquire as to who they might be?" she quizzed, taking a sip of the whiskey, asking out of pure curiosity as it would be a shame to let the opportunity to go to waste.. Perhaps they might have a job or two available.

 

[Ivory Stroud]

Marcella Fiora

Phaelix smiled at the question, continuing to wipe down the bar top. Who wants to know? was the first question to come to mind, but that's wouldn't be good Customer Service. Instead, he played coy.

"Oh, the Loroka Family has owned The Lounge for many years... they pay well enough. Their niece is up on stage, this very moment." He nodded his pink chin toward the stage, indicating the woman currently performing. It was a simple dodge - a second test, to see how well the beautiful woman seated at what he considered his bar would do. The nape of his neck was tingling.

 

[Marcella Fiora]

M A R C E L L AㅤF I O R A
Location: The Star Lounge
Tag: Ivory Stroud ​

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A Test?
Marcella wasn't buying it, she had a gut feeling there was more to the place than the Zeltron was letting on. She recalled his previous comment, "For the Lounge... Mm... Only a few months. For The Family, years." "I see.." she considered, taking a puff of her cigarra while thinking about her next move, as if it was a game of holo-chess.

She laid back in her chair a little, further swivelling towards the well formed Zeltron, "How about the family?" she pressed, convinced that the Lokora Family and 'The Family' were two different entities entirely.

Her trip had taken an unexpected turn, what went from a quiet evening in a prestigious establishment now turned out to be much more, there was something about the lounge that seemed.. different, perhaps it was the conversation with the Zeltron that piqued her interest or maybe something else, something she hoped to discover perhaps?

 

[Ivory Stroud]

"How about the family?"

Phaelix grinned at that. The woman wasn't taking "No" for an answer, nor was she a fool.

"The Family... Well, they own this place. Own the stool you're sitting on, the whiskey you're drinking, and the mushrooms you're about to eat. Which should be coming out any moment." He slyly took a peek around the left side of the bar toward the kitchen doors down the hallway, then turned his attention back to Marcella Fiora .

"What kinda work do you do?" He asked; another casual question one might get from any bartender in any bar across the Galaxy.

However, she wasn't in "just any other bar".

A few minutes later, the woman's order of stuffed mushrooms and steaming french bread with their famous honey butter would be delivered to her by a beautiful young woman wearing a name-tag indicating her identity as "Athena". The woman would smile a practiced Customer-Service smile, giving the bartender a nod, then disappearing back into the kitchen and leaving the two alone.

 

[Marcella Fiora]

​

M A R C E L L AㅤF I O R A
Location: The Star Lounge
Tag: Ivory Stroud ​

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Correct!
Appeased with finding out that her suspicions were correct, she was more pleased that the topic had moved to the discussion of work. She paused for a moment to take a sip of whiskey, considering how to best provide a response to the question, offering a mildly cryptic response: "I'm usually hired to work my way into places I shouldn't be to retrieve things I shouldn't have." If Phaelix wasn't oblivious to the world of crime, which she was convinced he wasn't, that should make a considerable amount of sense.

As the waitress delivered her mushrooms, she let out a discreet grin out of excitement, "Thank you."

 

[Ivory Stroud]

Marcella Fiora

Phaelix eyed her carefully, studying her for a moment as he finished wiping down the counter.. He swept the damn rag away into a bucket behind the bartop, appearing to relax for a moment as he leaned forward. Marcella could practically hear the gears turning in his head as he considered her job description.

He watched as she began to dig into her small meal, head cocked to one side like a pet curious about its owner.

When he next spoke, his voice was softer - a low tone which would easily be swept away by the music & inaudible to anyone nearby:

"Are you working, now... or between jobs?"

The stuffed mushrooms were as delicious as he'd made them sound - savory, cheesy, with a mild herbal flavor that became more addictive the more one ate. Which was precisely the goal. The honey butter tasted like it'd been crafted by hand - sweet and salty; a delightful pairing, to say the least.

 

[Marcella Fiora]

M A R C E L L AㅤF I O R A
Location: The Star Lounge
Tag: Ivory Stroud ​

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The Question!
Marcella smirked lightly after taking a bite of a single stuffed mushroom, Phaelix spoke with such seriousness that she found it both amusing and disconcerting at the same time, "No, not tonight.." she paused, "Tonight is for myself, although I am looking.."

She politely continued to enjoy the combination of the seemingly perfect stuffed mushrooms and Corellian whiskey, brushing past her last comment discreetly, hoping he would pick up the hint.

 

[Ivory Stroud]

Phaelix simply watched, at ease with their line of conversation. He nodded absently, as-if he were considering a far off question in his mind. As Marcella Fiora continued to enjoy the steaming & flavorful combination of earthy tones and sweet melted cheese, his green eyes glittered with a look of approval.

"You know.." He said quietly, "not everybody here comes just for the food and music. You should come tomorrow night. Bound to be someone you'll want to meet."

 

[Marcella Fiora]

M A R C E L L AㅤF I O R A
Location: The Star Lounge
Tag: Ivory Stroud ​

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The Offer!
Marcella paused her meal, shifting her eyes back towards Phaelix, she played the game and received a positive outcome, "Oh?" she took out a stylus, and grabbed a napkin, "Tomorrow, you say?" Marcella started writing: Star Lounge, Tomorrow Evening. Her eyes moved back to Phaelix again, smirking slightly "I'd say it's worth coming solely for the food and music" she mused, returning to her mushrooms and sliding the napkin in her pocket.