Private A Measure of Respect

[Balthus Larr]

It wasn't the sunlight streaming though the bay window of his penthouse that woke Balthus up, but the soft chime of an alarm. With his face still partially below the rumpled sheets, he grimaced and rubbed a palm across closed eyes. His entire skull ached, and any confusion over why was dispelled when his gaze landed on the side table. A haphazard collection of mostly empty liquor bottles accompanied a bucket of ice water and a few glasses. A dusting of red powder coated the side of a drawer.

A Devaronian woman, still mostly beneath the duvet, murmured drowsily while Balthus checked his holopad. He had to squint for the words to come into focus.

9AM- Meeting with Valery Noble

"Fuck."

Passed out at the foot of the bed, a Zeltron in a sparkly dress stirred. Larr ran a hand through his disheveled hair and lifted himself from the bed. "Cyril!" He barked, hailing an assistant droid from the adjacent room.

"Yes, Master Larr?" The pear-shaped automated servant intoned pleasantly.

"Call them a cab." He flicked a hand towards last night's bedmates. "And clean this place up as quick as possible – I forgot about this damn meeting."

"At once, Master Larr." The droid acquiesced pleasantly. "Although, I did remind you of your early meeting with Master Noble twice yesterday." Cyril's head swiveled mechanically, taking in the empty liquor bottles and loose spice. "I see why you cannot remeber."

"Can it, you bucket of bolts." Larr grumbled as he stepped into last night's pants.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Denon

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Balthus Larr

Valery raised an eyebrow and looked down at her datapad to check the time again. The meeting was supposed to have already started, but she still hadn't been summoned into his office. Denon was already an unpleasant place for her to be, given everything that happened here, but waiting just made it so much worse. What if the wrong people knew about her presence here again, and another attack was about to happen?

The bombing of the train had been a close call, but she couldn't always stay that lucky.

The sudden sound of the lock opening pulled Valery's eyes to the door, and her posture already straightened to greet the senator with politeness. But, much to her surprise, a pair of women stepped out, their hair and make-up messy, and why were they walking like that?

Oh...

Valery smiled awkwardly at them but didn't say anything, before quickly sticking her foot between the closingdoor and its frame to keep it open. If they weren't going to summon her, she'd just have to make her own appearance.

"Senator Larr?" Valery asked, as she stepped into his room, hoping to finally get this over with.

 

[Balthus Larr]

Balthus was busy sliding an unbuttoned dress shirt over his shoulders as Valery let herself in. The Jedi had no respect for one's space, it seemed—but he let it slide with a sleazy grin.

"Master Noble, how punctual." He purred, making no effort to hide the tilt of his head and his sweeping gaze. "They didn't tell me that the famed Sword of the Jedi was also an incredibly attractive woman. I’m almost jealous of those Mawites you crushed…”

With a wave of his hand, he gestured for Valery to follow him to the bar which overlooked a modern breakfast nook. There were several stools flush to the long counter space, and an array of last night's liquor bottles lined up neatly thanks to Cyril. Larr seated himself with a sigh and flicked his gaze to Valery

"Can I offer you a drink? Brandy? Cognac?"
He made no attempt to apologize for the state of his penthouse, or the scene she'd walked into. As far as he was concerned, he was here and that was enough.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Denon

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Balthus Larr

The moment Valery spotted Balthus putting on his shirt, she quickly averted her gaze. She had already broken his privacy by just stepping inside, but it seemed the timing couldn't have been worse. Or well, it could have, considering the two women that had only just left his office, but she did not want to think about that a second longer.

When she turned back to him, though, he was already facing her and spent no effort hiding his gaze sweeping over her. Valery perked a brow at it in response, and wasn't sure to laugh or slap him for what he said next.

"Is this just an attempt to gain my vote, senator? That'll take more than flattery," Valery said with a smirk in response, before she followed him to... the bar? She had expected a nice office or perhaps a meeting room, but to watch a senator plop down in a bar stool with his hair messed up and his shirt unbuttoned was a sight she never thought she'd see.

"If I came at an inconvenient time, we can always reschedule," she carefully offered, but something told her that he wouldn't be much better next time. She then waved off the booze, and sat down herself before meeting his gaze. "How have things been here since you've stepped into office? My last meeting with the senator of Denon was... interesting."

 

[Balthus Larr]

Balthus waved off Valery's concern while he went about fixing himself a drink. If she was already here, there was no point in rescheduling.

Her question, politely stated, was something of a probe. Denon's problems were well known to the Alliance thanks to the terrorist cell calling themselves Darkwire. Larr was well aware of Master Noble's unfortunate connection to the planet as well.

"The transition of power went as smoothly as you'd expect." Came his coy answer. Balthus settled back into his seat with a glass of Cheedoan whiskey.

"Your last meeting…" Murmuring in thought around a sip of the amber liquid, Balthus gently swirled his glass. "Was that the one with your unfortunate train incident? It seems that Denon does not agree with you."

The Senator grinned from one corner of his mouth. "I certainly hope that you and I can get along."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Denon

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Balthus Larr

"The transition of power went as smoothly as you'd expect."

Valery squinted a little at the answer, both because of his tone and because of what it could imply. Transitions of power on Denon never went smoothly. It usually involved political schemes, assassination or other forceful ways to remove one person from their position in favor of another. Which one would apply to him?

"No, my last meeting happened after investigations into that incident already started," Valery corrected with a polite, and likely very fake smile. "It's where I learned the senator worked closely with some rather... problematic people here on Denon." Of course, nothing eventually came out of the investigations either, and the one responsible was still out there.

She had never gotten the feeling that Denon took what happened seriously enough.

"I can get along with anybody, senator, as long as certain lines are not crossed." While still fake, her bright smile was very convincing and clearly practiced over the many years. "I am curious, though. What is your perspective on Denon's future?"

 

[Balthus Larr]

Balthus considered Valery's words between slow sips. The Senator may not have been a brilliant politician, but he liked to think that he was skilled enough in talking to people. He'd done particularly well giving lip service to the downtrodden masses that writhed in the district slums; at least, well enough for those in his corner to applaud his insincere and half-hearted efforts to appear as a man of the people.

In the end, Larr was just another corporate rat looking to keep the Alliance's self-righteous nose out of Denon's business. Less interference meant that he and his contemporaries could continue to do as they pleased.

"Denon's future…" He pretended to ruminate on this question, rubbing a thumb idly across his jaw. "The DireX board is looking into a number of initiatives that'll increase the quality of life for every citizen on Denon. Equitable housing, healthcare, you get the idea." His free hand waved dismissively. Of course, the board wasn't talking about any of that in earnest. They'd maybe start an assistance program or two that would inevitably have their funding cut during the next budget period.

Her plastic smile was meant with one of Larr's own, though the Senator's had a distinct air of self-assurance. Valery Noble may have been a Jedi Master of fierce renown, but she was in his territory. Balthus lifted the drink to his lips and tilted his head back,

"And rest assured," Ice clinked against the glass as he brought the cup to rest in front of him again. "In the wake of your incident, we've stepped up patrols to root out those connected to it."

That part was true, at least. There wasn't a corpo alive on Denon who wasn't funding some gang or another. That was what made Darkwire different and dangerous. Still, the crackdown affected many who were not affiliated with Darkwire.

Valery Noble