Private Colorful Corsage

[Delsin Shaw]

B E S P I N
Arriving in the Quinn's Passion​

This was a very interesting meeting I was going to be holding. With the multiple times we had spoken, One particular Echani kindred of mine spoke highly of Srina Talon . A woman who despite the title of Empress, Mother of Dragons, and was directly tied to the Emperor in marriage, Quinn Varanin had stated she was one of the more notable people within the Sith Order that I needed to connect to. Namely because of what we were attempting to do. Much of our exploits were trying to do much for the order, and for ourselves, and our people on Eshan. Despite it being within Galactic Alliance space. While the both of us had been back and forth multiple times to our home planet, It had come to some scrutiny that the Empress had not been able to do the same. At the very least, what we knew.

For that end, I wanted to contact her and reach out. To meet in a place where there would be less eyes and ears than what was held within Imperial Capitols or in the confines of Sith Temples. As such, we were meeting among some of the higher class levels of Bespin. A location where many elites of the political world, and grubby credit thieves made their mark with the exportation of Gas used for weaponry. Hiding in plain sight as it were.

I dressed nice. A simple black tunic and coat, but the typical red sash I wore. Moving to sit at the table, Waiting and just looking at the menu that had been handed to me silently by the waitress. A Twi'lek who had seen plenty of days working among those who looked down on her. She looked worn down and haggard in terms of mood, but looked quite easy on the eyes. A thought to "take her away" crossed my mind and perform experiments was there for a split second before dashed away with a shake of my head. A soft smirk along my lips as I ordered two drinks. One was that of a Seikoshan Whiskey. A up and coming constant flavor I enjoyed when choosing a drink. The other? I assumed not of what she would drink, and thus ordered a simple Cloud-tree Root Tea. A hot beverage considering the winds were a little whippy today.

The waitress bowed her head and walked off. Leaving the menus for now in case my "plus one" would require something. I returned the bow and slid a credit chip across the table to her. She took it and pocketed the coin before moving on. Leaning back a bit in the chair, I pulled out a datapad, just flicking through the information held within not really paying attention. My eyes instead playing over the area. Keeping a situational awareness considering the situation, who I was meeting with, and for the fact of wanting to be present and not just sitting down like a slob. As much as I may have wanted to currently.

 

[Srina Talon]

Tag: Delsin Shaw
Location: Bespin
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Bespin had not been chosen without purpose….The gas world was a haven for profit and duplicity, a place where one could be both seen and unseen, depending on the angle of the light. It suited her. Her duties as Empress chained her to matters of state and war, yet her blood, her heritage, drew her to acknowledge meetings such as this.

Eshan and the Six Sisters would always be part of her….But that didn't mean she entertained every request. It was the voice of Quinn Varanin that held enough weight to cause her to orbit this distant planet for longer than necessary. Brosi was only barely behind them. Her adopted daughter didn't tend to fill her ears with useless prattle, so when she suggested an introduction, the pale woman accepted.

She listened.

The hallmark of a sovereign worth their mettle was to follow one simple rule. Trust—But verify. To face all their people with skepticism and accusations of malfeasance was to invite discord where it needn't be. It would crack a nation that required a smooth, perfect surface. She would not be the one who left it in shambles because of paranoia and witless anxiety.

She arrived quietly, her long white hair and simple attire turning few heads, in a place that was more than accustomed to decadence. Some wouldn't be able to help themselves when she passed…Seeing beyond what she wanted them to. She was beautiful, all Echani were, but there was something about her that thrived just beneath the surface of her skin… Something that pulled others in just as much as it threatened their very existence.

Golden orbs swept the chamber before settling on the table with the lone figure that anticipated her presence. Drinks already ordered. Courtesy? Or a presumptive calculation…

She didn't know yet.

Srina stepped into the space as if it already belonged to her, lifted by quiet grace, her presence carrying the cloying scent of jasmine and rain. Most mistook it for perfume. It wasn't. Merely power leaking from her pores while her body failed to contain it…She slid into the chair and pale blue fabric settled around her as if she had been poured into it. "Hello."

Her greeting held…Nothing. She didn't reach for the beverage that was obviously for her because she was keenly aware of those who wanted her head. She held a working resistance against most poisons, but there was always something new. Always.

"Perhaps you might care to enlighten me as to why my daughter is painted scantily clad on the side of your ship?"

Oh. Yes—She had noticed that.

 

[Delsin Shaw]

It was very clear who she was. Her presence alone told me much about her. She was a strong practitioner of the force, but did not overtly flaunt it. She tended to let her presence just simply flow from her easily. Not forcing it out to command attention. A soft eloquence in how she presented herself. However deep down, there was a clear power that did not only draw from the force, but her as a person. It came out even stronger as she spoke to me. Voice. As she slid into her chair, I had half a mind to stand when the presented herself. Showing some kind of gentlemanly acceptance of her coming to meet me. However, her tone, and how quickly she took the seat was not one for platitudes. She likely dealt with them every moment of the day from others. So a more relaxed approach was likely the case.

I leaned forward and grabbed my drink. Taking a sip as she continued. Her words in a rather aggressive tone. One that was upset, but also curious. Questioning the fact that Quinn had been a pinup on the vessel I used. While of course when operating in stealth the image would fade, when not in use, it was emblazoned upon its hull like an old Galactic Empire Rebellion era Pinup. A soft sly smile came to my lips as the liquor left its sharp notes down my throat before I sat it down with a soft clank of glass on the table. My hand indicating her drink to take if she would like.

"That is some new information for me to process."

I breathed in. Learning that Quinn was being called the daughter of Srina Talon. Empress of the Sith Order. A bunch of thoughts came through my head. Knowing that she was the daughter of Ashin and Spencer Varanin. At least biologically. We had talked in passing how her parents were... not always there. So my first thought was Srina was an adopted mother figure and thus the terms of Mother and Daughter were used. However, the secondary thought of God-mother was there. Unsure of what it was, I spoke clearly but in a simple tone.

"Quinn is a good friend of mine. Her biological parents and my father were allies during the days of the Sith Empire when Ashin and Spencer were Empress and the Chosen Apprentice. Our families have a history. The gesture is one not to mock her personage, or presence."

She cared for Quinn. She had a deeper connection to the woman than I had been led to believe. Quinn never mentioned the talons to be an extended family to me. I guess that is why she had me get into contact with the woman without telling me. For consequence of doing this. I almost wanted to laugh at her next time we met. Letting her know she got me with her little games.

"The depiction was done as a friendly jab to her. As she had done to me in the past. Nothing more than friends riffing one another for self indulgence. Like the time she paid a hefty sum of credits to dump a bucket of water on me during the Galactic Kaggath tournament."

I picked up the glass of whiskey, bringing the rim to my lips before continuing.

"I was unaware that you were so closely affiliated with her. She did not deem it important to... provide me that information. Likely knowing you would ask."

The soft smirk returned to my face as I took another drink. Holding the glass in my hand and swirling it to activate more of its features. Breathing with it so close to my face produced its scent and the stench of alcohol and its composition.

"However, I do not believe that she asked me to speak with you, to be chastised for our games."

Srina Talon

 

[Srina Talon]

Tag: Delsin Shaw
Location: Bespin
____________________________________________________

For a long moment, Srina did not speak. Her gaze fixed on Delsin Shaw with metallic eyes so unyielding that it seemed to hollow out the space between them. There was no performance to it—Her stare simply was what it was. Sharp enough to cut through excuses and pretense alike. When she finally answered, her voice was calm, soft as still waters. Gentle…Were it not for the fact that her emotionless expression seemed to have frozen in emptiness.

"Quinn is not a game."

She breathed…Breaking the stillness, ruining the idea that she was made from smooth porcelain rather than flesh and bone. "She is a princess…And regardless of whether she chooses to acknowledge it at every turn, the galaxy remembers. You may think your jest harmless, but emblazoning her in such a way risks more than her pride. It risks her reputation. Among our people and beyond, perception is everything—And we are ruled still, in many places, by men who would use such imagery to reduce her, to dismiss her worth."

Her chin lifted slightly, and a flickering image of the sovereign she had become on Jutrand would make itself known. Sith politics were brutal, and few knew them better than the woman many referred to as "Mother" across the Empire. She was often dismissed for being small, diminutive, next to colossi like Darth Empyrean and Darth Carnifex . More often than not…Because she was female and therefore weaker, lesser than her counterparts.

Quinn had expressed her wish to ascend to the Throne of the Sith in the future, and it was a role that Srina was more than willing to relinquish when the time came. Srina carried weight…But she was a soldier and carried not a drop of nobility in her veins. She wore a proverbial crown that she was most unsuited for, sullying it with the ignominy of her birth. But…

She would not set her daughter up for failure.

"I will not permit that. Not from enemies…Not from friends. If it brings unintended consequences…Understand that I will hold you accountable."

The tone she used never wavered, non-threatening, and seemed to hold the severity of one recounting the weather report. He was correct in one aspect, however. She doubted that Quinn had suggested they break bread for the sake of scolding him for his indiscretion...But no one could contain the wintry warrior. She did not yield, she did not bow, not even for her husband. This man seemed to wear a perpetual smirk, but to the white-haired woman, it was neither here nor there. He did not ask for further explanation on how it had come to be that Srina mothered the Princess of Eshan, and thus she did not provide it.

Srina spoke quite plainly and expected the same from others, though there was a sense of wisdom that emanated from what she offered. Always looking at the bigger picture.

"My daughter did not inform me of her intent…Only that it would please her if I obliged."

Her eyes swept down toward the tea…But still she left it. Regardless of the placement, it had not been officially offered, and it would be rude to make assumptions. "I see no harm in spending time with those who risk life and limb in wars that are not entirely their own.", the words paled, hinting that she knew a little bit more about Delsin Shaw than she let on. They had met sparsely in the past…

But there was always something to interrupt.

War—For instance.

"Have you questions for me?"