Private A neat, sweet, meet and greet

[Amea Virou]

A musky mixture of smoke and dust floated through the cantina. For everyone that came and left there was a rise in temperature before the automated climate control kicked in. The patrons by the bar went about their drinks with guarded hunches over their substance of choice while those in the booth leaned back into their seats with an almost nonchalant grin and placed their boots on the table with an arrogant measure of self-assertiveness to facade the scared little child hidden deep beneath the surface.

One such individual, a brown eyed, tall brunette, sat in a remote booth in the very corneriest of corners to go over the dossiers of people she had reached out to. A select few with their names crossed out, others with a heavy blue circle around their portraits to symbolize their acceptance into the next tier of candidates.

It wasn't so much a job people applied for as much as one that snuck up to them. This booth usually didn't belong to Amea, it belonged to one of the names in her files. A 'Lethe Harrow' that had shown promise as a potential replacement for the agent that Amea had recently lost. Perhaps not a very subtle agent, but information could always be gathered in more ways than one.

Before her on the other side of the table stood Lethe's drink of choice, a gift for the interview that they had never accepted but an interview that would have been forced upon them nonetheless. In front of Amea stood a tall glass of wine accompanied by an already half-emptied bottle she had spent a better part of the day sipping away at.

The sound of someone hot on the approach was enough for Amea to sweep the dossiers away. The alchemical storage space in her hand pulled them back into the built-in pocket dimension as she straightened her back and grabbed the glass with a lopsided smirk.

The figure stepped into the open. Amea gave them the look over…

Lethe Harrow

 

[Lethe Harrow]

Amea Virou​

She stalked through the cantina with the gait of a predator. Long, purposeful strides that brokered no outside inference as she cut through the crowd without sparing them a glance. Her irritation almost palpable to the clientele unfortunate enough to get caught in her advance. One glance at the tight, cold smile plastered on her face with the thinnest of veneers enough to silence any objections they might have otherwise entertained. She was a woman with a purpose, and they were lucky enough not to be included in that.

For now, at least. The night was young.

And so was her tormentor, it seemed. Far younger than the usual type to be playing these games. Rough around the edges, but young and attractive enough that Lethe almost second guessed herself before she arrived at the table.

“Is this seat taken?” It might have held the illusion of a question, but the words themselves were hollow. Lethe was already occupying the opposite side of the table before any sort of response could have been issued. Pausing only for a second to gaze at the squat glass that perched at her elbow before turning her attention to her wouldbe host. Phattro; her poison of choice. The meaning, of course, wasn’t lost on her. A subtle, yet effective way of reinforcing the message from her host; I know who you are, Lethe Harrow.

This was certainly the right place. The smile widened viciously.

“You know, I think this is the first time a stalker has actually had the gall to buy me a drink.” She mused softly, mostly to herself as she regarded the woman a little more closely. Was she the Man behind the proverbial curtain, or were there more strings at play here? She clicked her tongue dismissively as she reached for the glass. “For that novelty alone, I’ll give you the luxury of thirty seconds to state your case.”

 

[Amea Virou]

"Stalker?" Amea recoiled with feigned indignation and arched her brow. "Oh please, I am nothing so crude. I prefer to call it more of a silent admirer."

She shifted her body to face Lethe in her entirety. Eye to eye, woman to woman, employer to would-be employee. Her fingers knotted, forearms rested against the table.

"Here is the pitch, Miss Harrow," Amea said and straightened her back. "You have a set of skills that would suit someone in my position very well, and I have enough money just itching to be thrown in the direction of said someone provided that they are not afraid to get their hands dirty."

"You do jobs as you want for me, and in turn I provide you with legal assistance as well as safe places to rest your head among the rest of my crew." Amea began to push a small piece of paper across the table that she quickly pulled back to pique the merc's curiosity. "All I ask in return is a constant flow of information, be it state secrets or gossip. How you go about attaining that, I leave entirely up to you."

And then, the paper with details began to slide back towards the merc again.

Lethe Harrow

 

[Lethe Harrow]

Amea Virou
​

“Oh, gag.” The Tapani brunette responded with a grimace. The thin scar on her lip dragging the expression towards something more feral before it was hidden behind the rim of the glass. Asserting some measure of dominance back into the equation by making a show of drinking the reddish liquid without any hint of hesitation. A false confidence built upon various suite of cyber modifications and a lifetime of building up a tolerance to a wide arrange of poisons during her tenure with the Mecrosa Order.

“You know, when you phrase it like that,” Lethe replied dryly as the woman finished, regarding the papers with a mixture of both disdain and interest. The fact she used paper alone was worth a curious glance. Even flimsi were a rare sight to behold in this common era. That meant this lady was either eccentric or acutely afraid leaving an electronic data trail behind. Perhaps a little bit (or a lot) of both. “It sounds almost like you’re inviting me to join a stalker - Sorry, silent admirer - pyramid scheme. You stalk-admire me, I stalk-admire two other people…”

The ice rattled as she placed the glass back down, pushing it to the precarious edge of the table with the back of her knuckles. Clearing room to take a better glance at the supposed contract. It was an interesting offer, but it sounded a little too good. Where was the hidden clause, the other shoe, the barbed hook.

“And what is your position?” Lethe leaned back in her chair, “What is your angle, exactly?”

She placed a hand on the papers, pushing them back slightly.

“You want me to sign on a dotted line, with the promise - all too good, I might add - of an easy payday for future services rendered. Services that clearly have no use for someone with a functioning moral compass. Hardly galactic shortage on individuals that would fit that bill, and yet you sought me out, specifically it seems.

Why?”

 

[Amea Virou]

"Well, when you put it like that…" Amea said as her eyes swept to the side for a moment before she glanced back. "Look, yeah, the deal is way too good, and I am way out of your league."

"I represent an organisation with interests rooted primarily in the free movement of individuals across the galaxy. I deal in jobs and information, the others deal with the rest." The fixer's shoulders rolled with casual disregard. "Your record shows a surprising grasp at moving through shadows. We also have files that indicate cybernetics and debt."

"Seeing you for myself, I believe it. Maybe not quite as much with the display you showed on your way here, but we can work with a temperament as well."

"Look, I'll keep it very simple. I do this because I hate the idea that anyone can consider themselves beyond the reach of others, if that's what you wanted to know. Gossip is a loose end, and loose ends can be pulled at to undo the fabric of a poorly woven lie. If a loose end can't be found…" She chuckled. "Then you poke at the seams until you do."

"What I would want from you, if you want to join up, is for you to poke at those seams and see what comes out. Sometimes you are the one who finds these seams, sometimes I am the one who finds them. In the end your pay will depend on the value of the secrets you unravel."

 

[Lethe Harrow]

Amea Virou​

The fake, cold smile became a touch less of either of those things. Or perhaps it was a simple trick of the cantina's abyssmal lighting. "Don't take it too hard, darling. Very few people make the cut for my league."

She paused as she reached for her drink, her head tilting slightly to the side as she reflected on what the other woman was saying. Or rather, not directly saying. An organisation of that scale would require considerable resources, logistics and backing. So that was the line, but the hook was still yet to be seen.

While she hadn’t picked up any hint that the other woman was lying, not about anything that mattered, at least, that didn’t mean the mystery woman was providing the whole story. It sounded all too vague. All too mysterious.

And there were few things Lethe hated more than mysteries.

If it was anyone else, she would've been sorely tempted to break out the knives, but the woman had brought her a drink and thus earned a moderate stay of execution in that regard. Besides, money was increasingly light in the wake of her Tatooine misadventure.

And there was always tomorrow, after all.

"Fine." She relented, mirroring the woman's earlier shrug. "I suppose I have nothing better to do. I'll accept, provisionally, for a job. Maybe two. If things work out, then maybe something more permenent can be arranged."

The glass rose slightly, "I'd offer a toast to our new venture, but you still haven't given me your name."

 

[Amea Virou]

Amea mouthed an impressed 'Oof' at Lethe's dry remark. A woman after her own heart it would seem. At least as far as humor went. There were some reasonable concerns from Lethe's side and Amea could hardly blame her. The process for entry into their field of work was one that relied on equal parts instincts as it relied on trust. This olive branch that was extended was one that demanded both.

So, to see Lethe be open to it brought a warm smile to Amea's lips.

"Naturally," She said and leaned back in her seat. "Of course, we would never expect someone to just sign up and let the good times roll. We can provide you with a few jobs, let you get an idea of how we operate and let you choose where to go from there."

"As for me, I am Amea. I handle distribution of information." Amea said and leaned forward again to take a sip from her wine glass. "And hey, I get the frustration with the whole mystery persona bullcrap, it gets a bit more intuitive the more you work with it."

"I live from planet to planet, so we might just stubmle upon each other every now and then. It is also surprisingly good for keeping people off your trail."

Lethe Harrow

 

[Lethe Harrow]

Amea Virou
​

"Clearly not good enough in this instance." Lethe said, indicating her glass with a nod. The rosey contents serving not only a testiment to Amea and her organisation's information gathering skills, but also as damning sign that Lethe's own trail had been a little too wide and circumspect as of late. "It seems that a few birds have been chirping out of turn."

She would have to handle that later. For now she simply took a sip and placed it down next to the papers, careful to keep the condensation away from the valuable material. She might have fallen along way from her charm school days, but she wasn't a complete philostine after all.

"Do I sign now, or do I get dinner thrown in?" Lethe cast a glance around the cantina as she spoke, her nose scrunching critically at the decore and clientele assembled. The only reason she touched the glass was she was fairly certain the high alcohol content of her drink would be enough to disenfect the vast majority of the petri dish the cantina clearly swam in. "If it is the latter, I am hoping you have reservations at a place a little more... upscale than this."

 

[Amea Virou]

"Not quite."

Seemingly out of nowhere, a small disc materialized on the table within the fingers of Amea Virou. The fingers pulled back as the thumb punted it by the side and pushed it across the table towards its new owner. The hologram flicked on and began to display a lavish mansion.

"The Yillean Estate is a temporary home handed to the highest bidder." Amea explained as their booth was illuminated by the image of the picturesque mansion. "Located on Naboo, this mansion is more often than not rented by royalty or otherwise important people for both prolonged stays and weekend getaways." Amea exhaled a small chuckle. "It has a waiting list longer than some penthouses on Coruscant."

The image became that of a Rodian with a deep scar that ran along one of their eyes and down the rest of their face all the way down to the mouth. They wore an expensive suit but that was really just a facade.

"This man is an unknown. We have no idea who it is or who they work for, but given the amount of weapons that entered Naboo's criminal networks as of late we suspect that he is the cause of it." Amea grabbed her glass and took another sip to clear her throat. "Naturally, you most likely drew this conclusion as well. The questions we want answers to are simple:"

Amea began to count them on her fingers

"Who is he?"

"Who does he work for?"

"Why now?"

And then she lowered her hands.

"We know it is tied to what is going on with the Confederacy, but the rest is unknown."

Lethe Harrow

 

[Lethe Harrow]

Amea Virou​

“Naboo, mansion, Rodian. Seems frightfully straight forward, but I suppose if you’re picking up the cheque, there are worse things in life than a few days spent touring Lake County.”

She leant on her elbow, chin resting on her palm, features awash the dim blue light cast by the holoprojector. Finger tapping idly against the scar on her lip. The picture of practiced disinterest, perfect in almost every regard, save for the sudden shift of intensity of her eyes. Those burned amber orbs hungrily devoured every image.

“And I take it I will have a free hand in how I acquire these answers, yes?” Her gaze returned to Amea, the intensity undiminished. Watching for a reaction, any kind of reaction, to the obvious implication. She had a reputation, one that made her a known quantity in situations such as this, but the same could not be said about her mysterious wouldbe employer. It would be better to find out now than later. “No second guessing, no moral quandaries, no regrets after the fact. Total Carte blanche.”

 

[Amea Virou]

A deep chuckle rumbled in Amea's throat as she leaned forward.

"Miss Lethe, my trade is information - not right and wrong." She said and cocked her brow. "Sometimes agents have to go dark for the sake of our operations, sometimes we just lose communications for a bit. At times, well, mistakes are made. Things can go a bit wrong in even the most well-planned operations."

"I naturally have my reservations about torture, leaving a trail of witnesses, that kind of thing. But in the end it is the information that I want. The pay is usually better when done quietly and discreet."

"Soooo, just don't get caught if you decide to take more drastic measures to extract something from them, Okay? Okay. Thanks."

Lethe Harrow

 

[Lethe Harrow]

Amea Virou
​

The gaze lingered for a spell before Lethe let out a derisive huff of air. She wasn't sure if the brunette was quite as cavalier as she made out, or if she was simply lying to herself. Regardless, Lethe had the answer she'd wanted, the rest was largely immaterial for now.

"Don't worry, darling. I'm a professional." She drained the last of her drink in one quick motion before slamming the glass back down on the table with a rattle of half-melted ice cubes, wincing at the minor brain freeze that clutched at her temples. "If I leave a body behind, it is because I want it to be found."

"And if you have any further information, send it to me with my retainer by EOD. I'll be out of contact after that, and will assume this," Lethe waggled the disk between thumb and finger, having palmed it as she rose. "covers it."

 

[Amea Virou]

"Indeed." Amea said and took another sip of her drink. "You do this, and I send you a tidy sum of credits for the troubles."

It felt like they were just about done. Lethe looked open for the job, Amea was about to get the information that was eluding her… Things were good, all things considered.

"Do it with nothing tying you back to me, and I will double the pay." She said before she paused for a moment. "And the usual. Don't try to double cross me. I've already tracked you down once before. I would hate to do it again."

Lethe Harrow

 

[Lethe Harrow]

Amea Virou
​

There was a slow, drawn out intake of breath followed by an equally long sigh. Just when Lethe had started to warm up to the other woman, she had to go and do something as stupid as threaten her.

"For the record, you found me because I didn't know you existed." Lethe replied with an even measure, smile still plastered in place, yet it there was a discernable edge that hadn't been there a few moments prior. A razor blade chill that seemed to sap the warmth from her earlier disposition. "Though clearly your intelligence isn't quite as flawless as I had initially assumed."

The tapani woman leant on the edge of her chair, resting her elbows on the backrest. "If it was, you'd know that I rarely react well to threats, veiled or otherwise. In fact, I have a rather nasty habit of taking it quite personally."

She let that hang in the air for a beat before stepping back, dark messy locks framing her face as she tipped a small nod. "But you did buy me a drink, so that earns you some measure of leeway, I suppose. That and the extra... Shall we say, ten percent on top? ... That should be an adequate enough apology for this no doubt unintentional misunderstanding, don't you think?"

Again, not a question.

"Outstanding." She turned and started to slink off, "Look forward to hearing from you soon, Amea. We should do this again sometime."