Private Cards on the Table

[Rafe Laroque]

When she declined, he nodded and returned the cork to the bottle, though he left it and the other glass on the table in case she changed her mind. It really was something special and he would be remiss not to give her the chance. His own glass he swirled lightly and then took a sip of it before sitting down at the table. He let the liquid roll around on his tongue, just a small amount from the glass, and then swallowed it slowly. It was an experience for certain. He never got tired of that sense of enjoyment.

Couldn't say the same for the way she cut right to the chase.

"Twice in one day I meet people with no love for foreplay, in Sabaac and Jedi investigation."

He sighed, but honestly, even though what she saw out in the city was really who he was, sometimes it was good to ease up a bit. He set his glass down and reached to his wrist, undoing the device there before setting it on the table. Pushing it across towards her, he'd let her investigate to her hearts content. There certainly were metal playing cards in the dispenser he wore on his wrist, but there was a key difference between them and the one that had been found on Gondor: his didn't have sharpened edges.

"You're not looking for a card player, though. Not a real one. Probably plays sometimes for high stakes just for camaraderie sake, but not someone with a love for the game." He pointed to the metal cards. "Notice anything?"

ATTIRE: Brown Pants and Duster w/ a Purple Shirt | WEAPONS: Purple Lightsaber, Metal Playing Cards

TAGS: Katarine Ryiah​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Me lookin' at you, you lookin' at me?​

Tags: Rafe Laroque

The crack about foreplay made her wince. Katarine was never going through that again, ever since Zeltros she had vowed never to make those mistakes.

At the thought of Zeltros she felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. Suddenly she was connecting the dots. The purple ship, decorated with such refine, and the expensive alcohol enjoyed at a slow pace. For one second the yellowing eyes she knew all too well flashed in her mind. Her heart was now hammering and she was willing it to slow. No wonder this all left a bitter taste in her mouth. She had done this before with devastating consequences. This same environment … the liquor… the purple… the atmosphere…. him.

He slid the device over and she stood to investigate, but she was shaky on her feet. She closed her eyes, trying to push away rising panic. Her fingers traced over his device but the cards were not sharp, and certainly nothing like the murder weapon.

“I’m sorry. It looks like I was wrong to accuse you.”

She sat his weapon back down and turned, in a hurry to get out of there, but unfortunately the panic and her racing heart was making her lightheaded.

“I am sorry I wasted your time. I..” she tripped slightly and the next moment she was on the ground, her head spinning and blushing. She pushed her hair out of her eyes, completely embarrassed.

Smooth Ryiah. Real smooth.

 

[Rafe Laroque]

He might not be a mind reader, but he could still pick up on feelings fairly well when someone wasn't closed off. It was what made him good at doing what he did. Something was causing her distress, and he was pretty sure it wasn't him, at least not directly. He hadn't done anything to her, after all, but when she stood she seemed rather unsteady on her feet, like she was the one drinking and not him. He looked at his glass, then back at her and tilted his head as he tried to analyze what it was that he was watching play out in front of him.

She apologized, and he was about to say something, but she spun quickly intending to leave as though something were suddenly wrong. He had to look over his shoulder just to make sure there wasn't some Boogeyman there. There wasn't, of course, but it didn't make her reaction any less bizarre. Save that when he looked back she was on her way to the ground.

"Well damn, darlin'," he said, setting his glass down and standing up to walk over and crouch beside her. "You alright?"

No blood that he could see, which was good, but he offered her his hand so he could help her to her feet.

"That happened faster than a credchip changin' hands on Nar Shaddaa. You didn't even let me tell you that you were in the right place despite being wrong about me."

ATTIRE: Brown Pants and Duster w/ a Purple Shirt | WEAPONS: Purple Lightsaber, Metal Playing Cards

TAGS: Katarine Ryiah​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

It's always the same, it's just a shame, that's all​

Tags: Rafe Laroque


“Yea… clearly had one too many at the bar.”

She of course had barely even sipped her drink at the bar but she wasn’t about to admit she was an emotional nutcase to someone she just met.

She got to her feet, her cheeks still flushed but mostly from embarrassment. What was wrong with her? This self-doubting, hard ass emotional wreck was nothing like who she was. Katarine was a playful, flirty, caring and kind woman, or at least she used to be. She felt like her life had been upturned so many times she didn’t even know who she was anymore.

His words sounded far away, but when she focused they caught her attention. She might not know who she was but she did know an investigator shouldn’t ignore a lead.

“Wait… you know who killed the senator?”

 

[Rafe Laroque]

Somehow he doubted that considering she hadn't shown signs of being drunk before. Not to mention the fact she'd turned him down when he offered her a drink. Drunk people rarely turned down the opportunity to get more drunk. Something was amiss, but he didn't know what it was and she clearly didn't want to tell him about it. He'd find a way to get it out of her at some point.

In the meantime, he seemed to have touched a nerve in her investigative mind.

"I do, in a way."

Now that she was back on her feet, he went back and sat down where he had been before, taking up his glass and sipping from it as he watched her. Part of him was trying to discover if it was warranted, him telling her. Some Jedi got to be just as corrupt as the politicians around them. He knew this because he was a Jedi himself, at least in name. He didn't follow the code exactly, but he did largely agree with it. What he didn't like were the restrictions that came along with the order, not to mention their self-righteous attitudes and tendency to be politically influenced.

"I know the person behind them both, but I don't know the exact name of the murderer. They're a hitman."

ATTIRE: Brown Pants and Duster w/ a Purple Shirt | WEAPONS: Purple Lightsaber, Metal Playing Cards

TAGS: Katarine Ryiah​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Turnin' me on, turnin' me off​

Tags: Rafe Laroque

"A hitman?" Katarine sank down into a chair, lost in thought. The last scene was chaotic and disheveled, which of course did not read hitman, but perhaps it was a clever forensic counter measure? It certainly had thrown her off, though maybe this man had more to do with that than she knew. Her deep green eyes flickered to him, properly studying him for the first time since they met. Now that she took the time to properly look at him, and actually feel his presence she realized he was Force sensitive. Was she so jaded she didn't even look at men anymore? How had she missed that?

"You aren't part of the Order.... but are you tracking this hitman? Or do you just make it a hobby of knowing dangerous people." She half smiled at him. Finally she was starting to come around, using all her senses instead of backing away from anything that moved.

 

[Rafe Laroque]

"Mhm," he said before taking another sip of wine. "Not sure who they are, but it was clearly done to frame me, so they must at least know OF me."

Oh, he knew well enough that it was intentional, the framing. He poked around too much and it upset the apple cart. Now people were being killed, and he knew the whole list of targets. Some of them were mildly involved in the whole thing, not really knowing what they were funding, but knowing just enough that they were a threat. Some of them were just people who sniffed trouble and now were being taken out because of it. Galactic politics was like that. Not even the Alliance, with all its failings and current problems with being attacked, was without its corrupt side.

When she smiled at him it was almost unnerving for a moment. Had something happened to her? It was like she'd gone from this person who only cared about investigating, and who clearly disliked him, to suddenly being interested. He decided it wasn't worth caring about and smiled back at her.

"You've stumbled into a whole hornets nest of trouble, darlin'. What's your relationship with the New Jedi Order and the Senate?"

Had to be sure before he told her more.

ATTIRE: Brown Pants and Duster w/ a Purple Shirt | WEAPONS: Purple Lightsaber, Metal Playing Cards

TAGS: Katarine Ryiah​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Making me feel like I want too much​

Tags: Rafe Laroque


She could see that she'd thrown him for a loop with her behavior and honestly she'd thrown herself for one too. She felt like a multiple personality disordered individual, or maybe just some trauma victim who didn't know what she was doing. It wasn't a pleasant feeling and it was probably pushing people away or at least confusing them. Not that she needed to get exactly close to a saboc dealing rogue, but still it wasn't exactly the Jedi way to just push everyone away. She'd have to work on that.

He seemed to know a lot about the situation though and if what he was saying was true then her investigation had just opened a big lead. He also seemed to know he was being framed, which she had suspected as well in the beginning. If she kept a clear head maybe she wouldn't stumble again... literally. She still couldn't believe she did that.

His question about the New Jedi Order surprised her. "Well to be honest the New Jedi Order is... in a complicated place right now. I've been working undercover on many missions for them for a few years... but ... now... " How best did she phrase this? She didn't want to give the impression that the Jedi were not strong, because they were, but that particular group of Jedi was having a lot of issues at the moment.

"I'm not openly hostile or adversarial with them, but I also wouldn't consider myself a part of the organization anymore. I'm here because local law enforcement needed help. They requested a Jedi, but no specific allegiances so here I am."

She had spent a lot of her time with the New Jedi Order undercover so she really didn't know anybody there. Now she felt foolish, like maybe hew as part of that order and she should have known him. "Are you affiliated with them? I really don't know many in that Order."

 

[Rafe Laroque]

"You think they would be affiliated with someone like me, darlin'? Better chance of winning a jackpot on Nar Shaddaa than of that happening."

He couldn't help but chuckle. To be fair, he once had been affiliated with them. A while ago, though.

"Used to train with them when I was a kid. Don't think they liked my roguish ways, and my view that the code is more of a means to a method than rules, per se. Kind of left on my own because they were too rigid and too much was happening right under their noses that they refused to see and do something about."

No names to be mentioned in regards to that. Wasn't any reason to. He understood that the majority of them had been too busy to handle much of the local affairs. They were all focused on fighting Sith or Imperials and let the small people slip through the cracks. Lot of nastiness happened within their own borders that just didn't get seen. He cared more about them than he did about fighting Sith or Imperials or whatever other government was out there. It was more about filling a hole than it was personal glory.

Though he did enjoy the glory.

"I grew up in Canto Bight. Playing sabaac is kind of my way of life like Corellians enjoy their dice. I'm good at it, even when I don't cheat. Makes a good way to get things done, too. Win things from people instead of fightin' 'em." He waved a hand. "I digress, though. Sorry, darlin'. You've stumbled your way into something big, though. Senators doin' things they shouldn't big."

ATTIRE: Brown Pants and Duster w/ a Purple Shirt | WEAPONS: Purple Lightsaber, Metal Playing Cards

TAGS: Katarine Ryiah​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Livin' with you is just putting me through it all of the time​

Tags: Rafe Laroque


She understood what he was saying about fighting the Imperials and the Sith. Katarine herself spent more time in the Underworld or doing police work than she did fighting political opponents or war. She was more of a micro Jedi than a macro one and that suited her just fine. His explanation about senators doing things they shouldn't though warranted more investigation. Katarine hated politics and she hated politicians, but she especially hated dirty ones.

"Well I guess now that I've kicked the hornets nest I may as well stick around and get stung. The question is do you want help on your agenda? Or are you gonna make me go back and play nice with the cops?"

She knew one way or another he was going to keep investigating this so she figured they may as well work together instead of getting in each others way.

 

[Rafe Laroque]

He leaned forward a little, stared her in the eyes, squinting like he was trying to get a read on her. It was interesting that she had taken up the call from some police shmucks to investigate a murder. At the same time, it wasn't exactly low profile. They were talking about dead senators after all. There was a lot more to this than just him handing her a name, too. So much more. He had to be sure she could be trusted, and there was one thing about that he just couldn't abide.

"I can't fully trust someone who won't take a drink with me."

Even though he was still smiling, he almost always was, it would be easy to see the seriousness in his eyes. His hand reached over and nudged the bottle of wine in her direction before grabbing the glass and moving it within her reach.

"Doesn't have to be a big drink, just a drink."

Trust was something earned among people like him. It was never freely given. Taking a drink together would show him that she trusted him not to kill her, and that he could trust her to at least trust him. If that was the case, then she would be alright with what he needed to tell and show her, things that most people would get very upset about.

ATTIRE: Brown Pants and Duster w/ a Purple Shirt | WEAPONS: Purple Lightsaber, Metal Playing Cards

TAGS: Katarine Ryiah​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Runnin' around, staying out all night​

Tags: Rafe

"I can't fully trust someone who won't take a drink with me."

Katarine's deep green eyes narrowed, though her lips curved into a lopsided, amused smile at his words. He leaned in a little too close, the heat of him brushing her skin, and goosebumps rippled along her arms. Still, she held his gaze, her own eyes amused but calculating. She had grown up among underworld types, trust was never given freely, and she had long since learned to measure every word, every glance.


In her youth, she might have met such attention with careless flirting, playing the game without a second thought. But trauma had a way of tempering recklessness, forging wariness where innocence once lived. Men who carried reminders of her past mistakes brought her defenses up sharp, even when her smile pretended otherwise. Yet she knew one could not stay hidden forever. Grief, in time, gave way to something else, and wounds, however deep, always strained toward healing.

She poured the alcohol into the glass, still holding his eyes, and brought the glass to her lips, hesitating only slightly to speak.

"If this is a ploy to get me drunk you should know that I am more than capable of kicking your ass, drunk or sober Ace." With that she downed the alcohol and sat the glass back on the table.

 

[Rafe Laroque]

He lofted a brow at what she said, and then laughed.

"Darlin', getting drunk off of wine is an insult to the wine. It's meant to be enjoyed, like a good game of sabaac, not wasted on excess indulgence. Especially wine like this."

She might have gotten goosebumps, but that wasn't likely to be all she ever got. Though he didn't make too much attempt to touch her or anything. Handsy though he might be when the atmosphere warranted, he wasn't going to go an unwanted route. He'd just have to continue flirting and see if she came around. If not, well, such was life, no?

"Slow down, jeez. Savor it. This isn't a gin and tonic at your local cantina."

He shook his head and grabbed the wine back from her. He babied the bottle as he returned the cork, almost like it was a child.

"But anyway, I reckon I can trust you, that you're interested in the truth and punishin' those what need it. That being the case, Senator Tirra Vonn of Corulag is the one that hired the hitman that killed the senator on Fondor. She had no involvement whatsoever with the senator here on Ord Mantell. That was all me."

ATTIRE: Brown Pants and Duster w/ a Purple Shirt | WEAPONS: Purple Lightsaber, Metal Playing Cards

TAGS: Katarine Ryiah​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Taking it all instead of taking one bite​

Tags: Rafe Laroque


He snatched the bottle away and held it like a baby and Katarine couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. This guy seriously loved his liquor.

“So do you think Vonn was trying to frame you on Fondor? Because the murder weapon made me suspect you… so it’s working.”

She also wanted to know why he killed a senator. That was not a very Jedi thing to do, but one step at a time.

 

[Rafe Laroque]

"Of course she was. I've been poking around in her business and she saw the need to get rid of some people and me at the same time. Classic response to the situation."

It was obvious that he was being set up for the Fondor murder. That explained the murder weapon. Only problem was, his cards weren't sharp and he didn't use them to kill. In fact, he rarely ever killed if he could get away with it. It was far better to take the bad guys down and see them suffer in prison than give them the easy way out that death offered.

He finished the last of his wine and stood, carrying the empty glass over to place it in the cleaner. The wine he carefully returned to its place in the cabinet. Then he turned around and motioned for her to follow him.

"Got somethin' you may want to see. Or, rather, someone."

ATTIRE: Brown Pants and Duster w/ a Purple Shirt | WEAPONS: Purple Lightsaber, Metal Playing Cards

TAGS: Katarine Ryiah​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

Living with you is just putting me through it all of the time​

Tags: Rafe Laroque

So he had dirt on the senator, and that had set this whole chain of events in motion. She was still confused on where the latest victim came into the picture though.

“So how does the most recent victim fit into all this?”

He asked her to follow and she nodded, wondering if he had more evidence or some video surveillance for her to see. She got up and trailed behind him. Her leather boots made a soft clicking sound as she walked. Her leather jacket rustled as she walked, concealing her lightsaber within its depths, as well as a datapad that probably had a hundred missed messages from the local detective. She wasn’t looking forward to dealing with that.

 

[Rafe Laroque]

“Ord Mantell’s senator was an accomplice to what Vonn was doin’, same for the dead one on Fondor, though she didn’t know all the cards in Vonn’s hand. She’d been duped into believin’ that they were helpin’ t’ relocate people from recent battle zones. In reality, they’re sellin’ ‘em.”

They went from the main lounge area, clearly the nicest part of the ship because Rafe was, in fact, vain, and back towards the cargo hold. This was filled with crates, all legitimate and all with papers, that had been loaded in for him to transport elsewhere. He did legitimate business as well as illegitimate. Making an honest buck made it harder for people to track down what his other business affairs were, and subsequently made it harder for him to get into real trouble with the authorities. Easier to pay a bribe with honest money than it was dirty money.

“Found out when I secured some of their victims and gave ‘em back their freedom.”

He stopped at a seemingly innocuous spot in the room, between a couple of stacks of creates that were strapped down. Bending down, he placed his hand against the floor in the middle of a panel, and after a moment, there was a click. As the panel started to slide away, he stood and motioned with his thumb towards the woman that was currently asleep in the smugglers hold.

“I give you Senator Varis Deyra, alive and well, minus a few scrapes and cuts needed to make the scene look real. You thought she was dead, right? Well, she ain’t. I’m keeping her hidden and intended on doing the same with the next on Vonn’s list provided I beat her killer there. The locals here are on the take with Vonn so I had to make it look like Deyra was dead.”

ATTIRE: Brown Pants and Duster w/ a Purple Shirt | WEAPONS: Purple Lightsaber, Metal Playing Cards

TAGS: Katarine Ryiah​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

I could leave, but I won't go​

Tags: Rafe Laroque

She followed him into a secret area of his cargo hold and there was the senator, unharmed and resting. She huffed in amused disbelief and leaned against the wall, folding her arms over her chest and half smiling.

"Well I got to hand it to you, it's a good plan. If it weren't for me nobody would have bothered you. I'm also glad I didn't arrest you, considering you aren't a murderer."

She chuckled softly again, shaking her head at how far off she was on this case. It happened to the best of them yea, but Kat was lamenting just how rusty she was. Over 900 years on ice will do that to a girl she guessed.

"You have my help now if you want it. I'll tell the locals I came up cold as far as leads."

 

[Rafe Laroque]

"Eh, everyone wants me for one reason or other. Some to lock me up, some to kill me. Few for... other reasons."

He winked at her and then quietly closed the hatch that was keeping the sleeping senator safe. She wasn't a bad one, this senator. Her world might be messy and full of rusty, crusty scoundrels, but her heart was in the right place. The one Vonn had killed? Well, that one had known far more. Probably why they were dead first. Kill the strongest threat before tying up the weak loose ends.

But, if she wanted to help, he wasn't going to say no to it. Wouldn't be bad to have someone like her around to work with. Certainly make mornings a lot easier, knowing he'd wake up to go and see a beauty like her.

"Wouldn't mind some help. Need to figure out who her hitman is and stop 'em. Then we can get these other senators to spill to the right authorities."

He held out his hand to her.

"Partners?"

ATTIRE: Brown Pants and Duster w/ a Purple Shirt | WEAPONS: Purple Lightsaber, Metal Playing Cards

TAGS: Katarine Ryiah​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

It'd be easier I know​

Tags: Rafe Laroque

"Eh, everyone wants me for one reason or other. Some to lock me up, some to kill me. Few for... other reasons."

Katarine rolled her eyes and gave him a look that said really, but it was humorous in nature. Now that she knew he wasn't a killer she figured she could put up with his ladies man routine. Most of those tended to be an act in one way or another, though some were legitimate trouble. Either way she felt more confident that he actually meant business so she'd deal.

He mentioned what they needed to do and she nodded. It sounded like a good plan to her.

"Partners?"

She shook his hand and nodded. "Partners. Which I guess can start with introductions. My name is Katarine Ryiah.... partner."