Wanderer
Seo had faced Sith, slavers, criminals, and more than a few people who had wanted her dead over the years. Somehow, deciding what to wear to dinner had proven unexpectedly troublesome.
She stood in her quarters on Veradune looking down at the clothes she had laid across the end of her bed, mildly annoyed with herself for giving the matter as much consideration as she had. Dalvos had promised her dinner during their first meeting aboard the Copper Rose, back when he had possessed a hole through his thigh and enough stimulants in his system to make remaining conscious seem like a reasonable decision. At the festival the previous evening, they had discovered rather conclusively that the attraction born during that strange first encounter had survived considerably better circumstances. Their first kiss had become a second, and Seo had gone back to her quarters afterward with absolutely no uncertainty about whether she wanted to see him again.
Dinner was different, though.
There would be no wounded refugees, damaged ships, bonfires, mysterious gifts, or crowds of Protectorate members around them. No convenient distraction whenever conversation wandered somewhere personal. Tonight was simply the dinner he had promised her, and Seo found herself looking forward to that more than she cared to disguise.
Eventually, she chose something simple. Seo had never possessed much patience for elaborate clothing, but neither did she intend to arrive dressed as though she had come directly from an investigation. The clothes she selected were comfortable and flattering without being formal, her very light blond hair left loose rather than secured for work. Her lightsaber remained behind. Veradune was one of the few places in the galaxy where doing so did not make some deeply ingrained part of her immediately object, and carrying a weapon to dinner with a man she had kissed the previous evening seemed unnecessary.
It was while checking herself one final time that another thought occurred to her.
She had never told Dalvos about the Dark Hand.
Seo went still for a moment before a faint expression of disbelief crossed her features. He had told her aboard the Rose that he had once belonged to the organization before moving into the Protectorate Intelligence Services. Seo had listened to him explain his past, his cover, and the complicated collection of identities he carried through different corners of the galaxy without once mentioning that the name meant considerably more to her than he realized.
In her defense, the man had been bleeding through his clothing at the time.
Still, Seo could not help wondering whether Dalvos had begun putting pieces together since then. She had hardly concealed that Veradune was familiar to her. Last night, when they parted after the festival, she had returned to her own quarters rather than arranging accommodations or transportation elsewhere. For an investigator himself, that should have been enough to raise at least a question or two. Whether he had reached the correct conclusion was another matter entirely.
The thought brought a quiet smile to her lips. Apparently, they still had a few surprises left for one another.
Seo left her quarters and made her way through Veradune at an unhurried pace. She knew these paths well enough that there was no need to consult directions, and the familiarity of the world around her only made the omission concerning her history increasingly amusing. She had not deliberately hidden anything from Dalvos. The opportunity simply hadn't presented itself, and Seo wasn't inclined to unload her entire past on someone during their first two meetings just because she found him attractive.
And she did find him attractive. There was little point in pretending otherwise after last night.
By the time Seo reached the place they had agreed to meet, anticipation had comfortably replaced whatever nerves she might have felt while preparing. She slowed as she approached, gold eyes searching ahead for the familiar platinum hair and white eyes that had become surprisingly easy to pick from a crowd. The prospect of seeing him again brought the same warmth she had felt when he appeared at the festival, and Seo made no effort to suppress the smile that accompanied it.
Perhaps tonight she would finally tell Dalvos that when he had confessed to being former Dark Hand, he had unknowingly been confessing it to someone who understood considerably better than he could have imagined.
Or perhaps she would wait and see how long it took the investigator to figure it out himself. Seo rather liked that option.
Dalvos Thrakan
She stood in her quarters on Veradune looking down at the clothes she had laid across the end of her bed, mildly annoyed with herself for giving the matter as much consideration as she had. Dalvos had promised her dinner during their first meeting aboard the Copper Rose, back when he had possessed a hole through his thigh and enough stimulants in his system to make remaining conscious seem like a reasonable decision. At the festival the previous evening, they had discovered rather conclusively that the attraction born during that strange first encounter had survived considerably better circumstances. Their first kiss had become a second, and Seo had gone back to her quarters afterward with absolutely no uncertainty about whether she wanted to see him again.
Dinner was different, though.
There would be no wounded refugees, damaged ships, bonfires, mysterious gifts, or crowds of Protectorate members around them. No convenient distraction whenever conversation wandered somewhere personal. Tonight was simply the dinner he had promised her, and Seo found herself looking forward to that more than she cared to disguise.
Eventually, she chose something simple. Seo had never possessed much patience for elaborate clothing, but neither did she intend to arrive dressed as though she had come directly from an investigation. The clothes she selected were comfortable and flattering without being formal, her very light blond hair left loose rather than secured for work. Her lightsaber remained behind. Veradune was one of the few places in the galaxy where doing so did not make some deeply ingrained part of her immediately object, and carrying a weapon to dinner with a man she had kissed the previous evening seemed unnecessary.
It was while checking herself one final time that another thought occurred to her.
She had never told Dalvos about the Dark Hand.
Seo went still for a moment before a faint expression of disbelief crossed her features. He had told her aboard the Rose that he had once belonged to the organization before moving into the Protectorate Intelligence Services. Seo had listened to him explain his past, his cover, and the complicated collection of identities he carried through different corners of the galaxy without once mentioning that the name meant considerably more to her than he realized.
In her defense, the man had been bleeding through his clothing at the time.
Still, Seo could not help wondering whether Dalvos had begun putting pieces together since then. She had hardly concealed that Veradune was familiar to her. Last night, when they parted after the festival, she had returned to her own quarters rather than arranging accommodations or transportation elsewhere. For an investigator himself, that should have been enough to raise at least a question or two. Whether he had reached the correct conclusion was another matter entirely.
The thought brought a quiet smile to her lips. Apparently, they still had a few surprises left for one another.
Seo left her quarters and made her way through Veradune at an unhurried pace. She knew these paths well enough that there was no need to consult directions, and the familiarity of the world around her only made the omission concerning her history increasingly amusing. She had not deliberately hidden anything from Dalvos. The opportunity simply hadn't presented itself, and Seo wasn't inclined to unload her entire past on someone during their first two meetings just because she found him attractive.
And she did find him attractive. There was little point in pretending otherwise after last night.
By the time Seo reached the place they had agreed to meet, anticipation had comfortably replaced whatever nerves she might have felt while preparing. She slowed as she approached, gold eyes searching ahead for the familiar platinum hair and white eyes that had become surprisingly easy to pick from a crowd. The prospect of seeing him again brought the same warmth she had felt when he appeared at the festival, and Seo made no effort to suppress the smile that accompanied it.
Perhaps tonight she would finally tell Dalvos that when he had confessed to being former Dark Hand, he had unknowingly been confessing it to someone who understood considerably better than he could have imagined.
Or perhaps she would wait and see how long it took the investigator to figure it out himself. Seo rather liked that option.
Dalvos Thrakan