The stink of old piss, engine grease and exhaust fumes wafted throughout the winding, wounded streets of the Undercity, staining every inch and corner until there was nothing left but the cloying odour and the cacophony of noise that never seemed to quieten down. It was an onslaught on the senses, an assault that never allowed those living in the city's depraved depths a chance to forget the cruel reality that kept them there. Even under the blanket of night Nar Shaddaa woke, the constant symphony of sounds bursting forth in the rivets of blood that splattered its hardened skin. There was never a night when the great moon would spite the weak that infested its streets and infected its air, the sound of their screams marking another life Nar Shaddaa claimed in all of its cruelty and mercilessness.
Ariadne heard it all, the pulse of the urban jungle that rippled from the dingiest wards all the way up into its tallest towers. It did not matter whose territory she stepped into or whose turf remained the safest. It was all the same, the screams were still there. The streets of Nar Shaddaa were all marked by the same melody of madness, all playing to the same tune within the churning tempest of corruption that swallowed the scarred moon.
Many tried to run from it but not Ari, no...she danced to it. She enjoyed it.
Only a few transcended the smog that suffocated the city, only a few held the power to break through the stench of death and as the young woman slipped through the shadow of night, she could not help but stifle a grin at the scenery before her. This was her home just as much as the man she was meeting. The entire moon was endearing, in the most mutilated of ways.
Light footfalls graced the polished tower with which she was told to go, the rhythmic steps of her lithe body echoing into the tower and silently chasing after the soft song that bled through the ceiling. Khaleel was singing or humming, from the distance she couldn't distinguish which, but the very fact she could hear the slightly off key melody of his throat ripple into the air around her told the woman enough of what to expect once she finally came face to face with him. It had been a while, long enough for Ariadne to begin to grow irked at having to deal with sniveling representatives and messengers whilst he was lost in Force knows where.
It wasn't sentimentality that pushed her here, it was business. Or so she told herself anyway.
With a shrill beep the autolift creaked into life before sending Ariadne upwards, the sound of the man's humming growing louder and louder as she ascended above the smog riddled haven below. It seemed fitting, having to knock on heaven's door to meet the Underlord of Nar Shaddaa. Many would tremble, some would come screaming with guns ablaze and sabers drawn but the elusive 'Zen' came with nothing more than the simple black outfit adorning her slim body and the handgun at her side.
Clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth, the pale skinned woman stepped out into the cool embrace of night, the scent of worn cologne and cigarette smoke greeting her before she even laid eyes on Khaleel.It was almost inviting, a flood of old nostalgia threatening to invade her mind before she stifled it with a tense frown. Quietly, the woman advanced, actually content with the fact there would be no intermediary to help with their discussion.
"You sing now?" She uttered tersely, stepping around the man before joining him cross legged atop the roof, the breeze brushing her hair against her shoulders. No smiles were given, no handshakes or kisses just a cock of a brow and glance at the glowing cigarette trapped between his fingers.
It was just like old times, right?
[member="Khaleel Malvern"]