Don't Stop Me Now [First Order Military Ball]

[Jia Zhu]

Jia sighed and looked at the man who was her date and flashed him a real smile. He was so charming and he wanted to be out with her. Which made her very happy and nervous.

"I'm sorry Viktor. I'm not trying to do that." She nodded her head and took the drink from him reaching up with a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

 

[Ludolf Vaas]

"Likewise, Konrad," Ludolf said, affirming [member="Konrad von Grimmelshausen"]'s statement of friendship. "Perhaps we'll meet on the battlefield someday, where we can put our promises into action. For now, we celebrate."

Vaas took a sip of his drink. The whole 'party' thing was somewhat lost on him, to be sure, since he had spent his entire life being programmed to terminate his enemies. But at least Ludolf was intuitive enough to figure out how to fake his way through social gatherings. This of course didn't mean that his sentiments were not genuine. Rather, he often found himself at a loss for the appropriate human reaction to certain social situations that didn't take place on a battlefield.

There would be dancing soon. Ludolf assumed that it would be unbecoming of him not to participate in that.

Turning towards [member="Harley"], Ludolf shrugged. He had never heard of [member="Darth Prazutis"], the man she mentioned and subsequently pointed out to him, nor did he recognize the woman he was with. "Forgive me, I'm unfamiliar with this Darth Prazutis. Is he a significant figure in the One Sith?" Ludolf asked.

 

[Kenrath]

Viktor held out a hand to lead [member="Jia Zhu"] over to the dance floor. Everyone was splitting into various clicks talking back and forth about who knows what. Viktor spent every minute of every day doing that. So tonight he would just relax. Once they got to an open spot on the floor He pulled her close his free hand going to the small of her back. Their bodies pressed together Viktor's lips only a millimeter from her ear.

"You want to know the secret to fitting in at events like this?" "All you have to do is believe you are as stunningly beautiful as you are." "The rest will fall into place."

 

[Hailey Sosis]

Harley turned to [member="Echo Kora"], and Said Yes I am fine Pudding. She was now, she used force rage as her main force power. As such was subject to some times taking slights, worse than she should. She then looked at [member="Ludolf Vaas"] as he asked her about [member="Darth Prazutis"], Well he is Dark council member like [member="Konrad von Grimmelshausen"], she then looked at him, but unlike you he is also a member of the clan Zambrano, as one of [member="Darth Vornskr"] main heirs. She then looked at the two men, and wonder if they where going to sit down and talk politics, or ask her or the Echo to dance. She was not bothered ether way for know, but did not want to stand around for much longer. Though if they did not ask her to dance some time to night she would be upset, as otherwise what was the point of a ball.

 

[OK-3103]

[member="Icarus"]

Meneer was unsure if the fact that his superior officer had not frequented such an event before as positive or negative. It was good that they were as likely as each other to get it wrong, but on the other hand, an experienced guide would have been a blessing right now.

He took the drink instinctively, not noticing or even caring what it was. The glass was small and the contents pale and fizzy. He knew enough not to down it in one, but beyond that, this was all new territory.

"Sir, do we mingle or keep with other officers? I'm unsure of the protocol."

 

[Marzena Vaas]

Marzena walked up the steps into the venue for her next performance. She’d been booked at a few large venues recently, but she had never performed at a palace before. It was a very classy place, and she felt that she fit in quite well. The singer was well aware that the party had already started, but had chosen to arrive late due to the fact that there were acts scheduled before she would take the stage. It was always Marzena’s way to arrive late anyway; she liked to leave her fans or dates in hopeful anticipation. Tonight she was dressed in a sleek black dress that hugged her body in a flattering, yet tasteful way. Her dark tresses were styled meticulously and her face was made up to perfection. The clicking of high heeled shoes could be heard as she made her way inside.

She knew very little about the First Order, however, she had the thought that they were some sort of military operation. Marzena cared little about politics, and she didn’t mind performing for such a group of people... after all it also meant that there would be smartly dressed men. There was something about a man in a uniform that she found very pleasing. The singer stood near the entrance for a moment, taking in the energy of the crowd and taking the time to look a bit mysterious behind her dark sunglasses. Sure, it was very impractical to wear them when night had already fallen... but it was all about the effect. Red lips curled into a very slight smile, and the toe of her black shoe tapped lightly against the ground. There was a slight air of snobbery or impatience about her, but she was hiding the fact that she was very excited.

She supposed that she should make her way inside to find the man that had contacted her about performing here... or better yet, she would wait and let him find her. It would be more fun that way.

[member="Ludolf Vaas"]

 

[Ludolf Vaas]

Ludolf leaned in to hear [member="Harley"] over the din of the party.

"I see, If he is a Dark Council member, then I shall have to extend to him my greetings," He responded to her, glancing across the expansive room at [member="Darth Prazutis"]. "I am quite familiar of the Zambrano clan and Vornskr himself. After all, I used to work directly under him."

Smiling, General Vaas would leave it at that for now, preferring not to reveal too much of his past unless pressed to do so. After all, he had technically defected from the One Sith to join the First Order, which left his personal relationship with the One Sith somewhat uneasy and up in the air.

Meanwhile, he couldn't help but catch the gaze of [member="Marzena Choi"] from across the room, his eyes snapping to her as they peeled off the Dark Council member across the hall. It was a face he recognized well despite having never previously met her before. The First Order's party tonight would be a place for quite a few up-and-coming artists to try to establish themselves, it seemed. Ludolf was more than happy to oblige, as he was certain his troops felt the same. Turning back to Harley, "Excuse me for a moment, Ms. Quinn. It seems our next round of entertainment has arrived."

Ludolf crossed the expanse of the ballroom until he stood before Marzena, himself a statuesque figure clad in the crisp, clean black of a First Order officer's uniform, the only color coming from the red symbol emblazoned on his left shoulder.

"You must be Marzena Choi," Ludolf said, nodding low and tipping his glass at her. "I'm General Ludolf Vaas of the First Order. Welcome to the party." He held out his hand.

 

[Jia Zhu]

Viktor was being so charming right now, and she appreciated that very much. Jia was quite taken with him and she hoped that she impressed him enough to be taken out again. She slipped her hand into his hand as he led her out onto the dance floor.

His head lowered towards hers and whispered into her ear. His breath tickled her skin and she sighed contently. "Thank you Viktor. You're very kind and charming." Jia reached up and kissed his cheek softly as they swayed to the music.

[member="Viktor Alexander"]

 

[Darth Prazutis]

While he stood alongside [member="Briga Tiin"] the distance allowed Prazutis to get an up close look at the woman. The caprine mystic wore an elegant black dress, one that was both ornate and beautiful, while being conservative. There was something about the womans slightly feral appearance that caught his attention. The very fine light layer of fur on her skin, the shorter horns, the sharp teeth and claws all a perfect blend. It wasn't too feral or too distracting, rather it worked well and further added to the alluring figure standing before him. It was no surprise now that the woman was a popular socialite amongst higher courts. Something about these feral features drew people to her.

"I must say Lady Tiin I am in the same situation as well. I've heard some things, but I cant say i've ever met a caprine before, especially one as beautiful as youself." Prazutis replied to the woman, smiling lightly. He was willing to answer any questions the woman had, after all if there was something he couldnt answer, or potentially leak classified information he could just as easy lie or state that he couldn't and continue on, there were many tools at his disposal. "I am from a world called Panatha in the Unknown Regions, as for my role in the One Sith Empire.." Prazutis said as he briefly stopped to halt a passing waiter carrying a tray of drinks, taking a glass for himself. "I deal in the business of information for the Empire. Knowledge is power Lady Tiin, and it is my job to direct the agency whose responsibility it is to help keep the Empire safe from any and all threats." It was a textbook answer to describe the Imperial Intelligence Agency that he ran.

"How about yourself? I've heard you have quite a following back on your homeworld."

[member="Briga Tiin"]

 

[Marzena Vaas]

The singer had just finished touching up her red lipstick when she spotted movement over the top of her mirrored makeup compact. She removed her sunglasses and let her gaze match that of [member="Ludolf Vaas"] as he approached. Marzena noticed immediately that his every stride seemed to have a confidence about it, and his stature projected authority. The smile remained on her lips as she took in his appearance, he was clean cut, handsome and very fine looking in his dark uniform. Not bad at all... she mused to herself.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, General Vaas.” Marzena purred as she extended her arm, letting her slender hand fall momentarily into his grasp. “I am honored to perform for the First Order.”

Tonight she had traveled with only her small clutch bag, and carried her music file on a small drive, so there was little that needed to be set up. She placed a hand on her hip, glad that she had chosen a dress that emphasized her small waist.

“I am ready to start.” She said with a small nod, Marzena took a small step in the direction of the stage, but paused. “Perhaps after the performance I could join you for a drink?” She raised a brow and peered in the direction of [member="Harley"]. “Of course, I wouldn’t want to impose.” Marzena had seen Ludolf engaged with conversation with the other woman, and she didn’t want to cause a jealous scene... although she had to admit that would be quite dramatic. She flashed the general her most charming smile, hoping to close the deal.

 

[Ax'no]

Briga could feel the Sith Lord's dark gaze upon her, inspecting her inch by inch. She was not put off by his careful evaluation. The Caprine mystic was his companion for the night, a fact which was laden with promise - either a kiss or a night of ecstasy. But it was the anticipation alone which was the most intriguing. She did not fault him for looking, and her amber eyes met his with a welcoming stare of her own. But even if Lord Prazutis had never met a Caprine, the ambitious Priestess appreciated the flattery. As the tray passed by, Briga also selected a wine glass with a blood red concoction and drank from it deeply.

"Knowledge is indeed power. I suppose you have your sources, and I have mine," she said. "I may be revered on Iktotch, but at times I'm lambasted as a buffoon." She didn't mind revealing her current weakness to the Sith Lord - her public persona. It was primarily why she was hanging on his arm tonight - to increase her credibility. She gave a husky, dulcet laugh. "I care not for public opinion."

Her clawed hand made its way into the crook of his elbow, gripping his muscular arm. Her touch was not threatening, but was easy, resigned and slightly territorial. Briga watched him drink from his own glass and added, "I can help you with information if you're open to unorthodox ways of obtaining it."

[member="Darth Prazutis"]

 

[Kenrath]

Viktor smiled.

"I am whatever I need to be little one."

It was almost as if nothing else in the room mattered. His focus completely and totally on her as they danced. In reality he heard everything going on around him. With each passing moment more of the Sith he had walked away from showing up. It was not a good situation to be in not really sure how much of a grudge the Sith held or would hold.

"I do hope you are enjoying yourself tonight Jia." "It is not very often these types of events are held." "We may not get another chance like this for a year or more."

[member="Jia Zhu"]

 

[Darth Prazutis]

She had no idea.

The Priestess of Ikotch spoke of his sources and her own, but she truly had no idea how deep this network ran, how complex this game was. He was constantly surrounded in a web of lies, careful deceit and half truths, he was the king of the snake pit in which this game was played. A careful network of agents, informants, corrupt government officials, blackmailed figures from the lowliest employee to planet celebrities, enforcement officials and even crime bosses. Funds poured into shell corporations and offshore accounts from across the Empire, there were benefits to being named a Dark Council, being the Director of the Imperial Intelligence Agency and he held the key to the city of deceit which was built.

A weaker willed man wouldn't be able to handle all these lies, all of the hard choices one had to make without letting your conscience or moral compass get in the way of everything. It separated you from yourself almost like an out of body experience until you felt just like a stranger in a room. The pressure to keep the Empire safe, to sit on top of a throne of blood and bone deep in the pits of deception and always remain vigilant lest your enemies tear down everything you have worked so hard to build. It changed men into something else, something they couldn't even recognize anymore, that one moment of weakness is all it takes before its over. The lies start carrying weight crushing you beneath their might until you collapse into nothingness.

But the true man under Darth Prazutis, the man known as Braxus Zambrano worked to make peace with this long ago. For years he wandered across the galaxy without purpose, killing and doing unbelievably dark acts for what, credits? The blood and gore flooded over him drowning him beneath the crushing weight of the seas. He remembered the constant panic attacks, even then the lies he had to tell began to pile up until he too looked into the mirror and saw someone he couldn't even recognize anymore. Even then the dark side ate at the fringes of his mind infesting it with dark thoughts, fighting a war for dominance with his conscience, a moral compass the Zambrano Clan has a well known history of being devoid of since the days of Solomon the Black.

Some would say it was fate for him to fall from grace, to give into the darkness. For over eight hundred years since Solomon the Black and his sorcerous, vile ways corrupted the Zambrano Bloodline to the point of no return, the progenitor of a noble clan of some of the most vile monsters to walk the face of the earth, even so many years later the darkness still pulled at the fringes of ones mind. The lies, the death, the gore, the pressure, morality, it didn't crush Braxus Zambrano. He wanted all of it to go away, even if it meant embracing the monster that he truly was. Even so many years before he met [member="Darth Vornskr"] in his citadel on Thule, brought to the young God-King at his behest where he spoke of his Zambrano relatives power, his potential. Even before he ascended through the hierarchy of the dark side, Darth Prazutis was born then and there, the same day that he finally let the Zambrano side of him take over.

The Sith Knight nodded in understanding as she spoke of being called a buffoon on her homeworld, by her own people. That wasn't something he could tolerate, if your own rivals could publicly disgrace you with impunity then you were no longer a person to be feared. Prazutis looked over at Lady Tiin as she latched onto his arm, a territorial and symbol to those in the room who may have their eyes on the infamous whispering shadow. "If your rivals are allowed to openly disgrace you with impunity, even one such individual then you are no longer a person to be feared. Destroy them and everyone will both fear and respect you." Prazutis replied. The Director's own mind was in particular strain this night, the dark side pumping through his veins thanks to the work of [member="Soeht"] that increases his strength, empowered his force potential, and the dark crystal constantly hung around his neck or hidden carefully on his person, Valthris, the gift from [member="Mythos"] before the Warforged Titan of Atrisia faded into the background of the galactic stage both worked in tandem to try and force their way into his own mind.

They whispered to not trust the caprine mystic Briga Tiin who clung to his arm, she was just another rival trying to take what was his, she wasn't being as kind as he thought. They tried to tell him that she was an enemy, they roared through his mind that she had to be destroyed just like all the others, but he wouldn't let their paranoia take hold. Both Darth Apparatus and Lord Mythos warned him of the side effects of the boons they bestowed upon him, and he was ready to combat them. "There is something I wanted to know." Prazutis said in response to her mentioning of unorthodox measures, taking a sip of some crimson liquid flowing in his glass, turning towards her and leaning in closer. "I want to know more about you. Tell me Lady Tiin about yourself, things that I couldn't read inside a briefing file."

[member="Briga Tiin"]

 

[Hailey Sosis]

[member="Marzena Choi"] [member="Konrad von Grimmelshausen"] [member="Echo Kora"]

She looked at the dancer a she came forward, and interrupted her conversation. She was trying to be polite, and wait for one men to ask her to dance. Then she blatantly plans to take the lesser one away, after all the other may be rude and have no social graces, but he was better looking and a member of dark council. Still she was most annoying doing it, part of her wanted just to reach out snap her swan like neck. She could totally do it as well, she was stronger than she looked. As thoughts of killing her entered her mind, her body began to strengthen. She also could not let the slight pass, as [member="Darth Prazutis"] says "If your rivals are allowed to openly disgrace you with impunity, even one such individual then you are no longer a person to be feared. Destroy them and everyone will both fear and respect you."

She had to do something, whilst killing the little wretch here in front of everyone, was an appealing idea. It would probably cause a scene, and apparently that was bad, when not in the company of the one sith. So she grabbed [member="Ludolf Vaas"] hand, with the strength of the force behind it. No pudding you was not disturbing us, he just about to ask me to dance though. She was being good, as she did not use the force to stare at her, and inflict pain on her that way. If she had to, she would frog march Ludolf on to dance floor. She did not put on pretty dress not to dance, and have some trumped up little batchi stop her. She did look at Ludolf like if you don't follow me, I am going to crush your hand, and kill the girl.

 

[cheshire_kitty]

Konrad stood with the group for a little longer before he wandered away to a corner by himself once he had greeted the man responsible for the ball. He was not a man of many words and so did not have much to add to the conversation the group held. He may have been a high ranking member of the One Sith army but socializing with others was not his strong suit. The General never had much to say in such situations unless his conversation partners wished to speak about army related matters.

He watched the group he took leave from for just a few moments longer and watched as [member="Harley"] attempt to drag [member="Ludolf Vaas"] onto the dance floor with a sense of relief. It had been many years - over a decade in fact - since he danced with a woman. His dearly beloved fiancée who died an untimely death was his first and only dance partner which was something he had wished to preserve. Swishing his drink around in the cup, Konrad thought about the last time he attended a ball with the woman he had dearly love on his arm. He touched his shoulder with his hand as he remembered the gentleness and warmth of her hand on his shoulders. He also remembered her breath tickling his ear as she whispered something to him and the softness of her full plump lips against his as they stood on the balcony looking at the stars. "I'm glad that we were betrothed to each other by our parents," she had said to him as she looked at the stars. “Me too." was his simple reply.

The High General could feel himself tearing up at memories of happier times. Blinking away his tears, he put on an emotionless face - a mask he wore to hide his true emotions - something he had done often after her death. As a result, it was an art he had perfected long ago. Taking an swig of his drink, he watched as the attendees of the ball enjoy themselves from a distance.

OOC

Spoiler

Sorry, I've been slow. I'm currently taking Konrad out for a bit since I'm currently dealing with RL drama which has caused me to be a slow poster (by my standards).

 

[Ereza]

"Do you now?" gentle, amused words uttered after [member="Cameron Centurion"] just before he averted his attention to making the rounds. First stop of the night; the First Order's apparent Playboy. Handsome, swarthy, she was reminded faintly of a blond version of the late Mikhail Shorn, were it not for the fact that this man's gaze was about as sharp as a balloon. Warm smile split just enough to reveal the weapons hidden within, broadening ever more at the glance this garnered. Amore gave her husband's arm a gentle squeeze, remaining quiet at his side.

This was his show tonight, his faction, and she was complacent with her position just outside of the spotlight.

[member="Raph Tritum"]

 

[Ax'no]

Briga didn’t know - or grasp - the complexity of Lord Praxutis’s role on the Dark Council, and perhaps if she had, she’d be more nervous to hang so tightly on his arm. But the Caprine didn’t get to where she was in on Iktotch by being shy.

Still, she raised an arching eyebrow at his advice and strove to control the blush spreading across her cheeks at the slight faux pas. Worst of all, he was right. To be ridiculed in public, a target of gossip, misinformation and public animosity… it was intolerable. And she’d been letting it go unanswered since she was a teenager. Briga felt momentary shame, but since she was raised in the public eyes of her caprinean peers, she recovered her composure fairly quickly.

“You are astute,” she said. He was a man who would be suspicious if more flattery was piled on, so she kept her response brief. “I don’t know that they are necessarily rivals, but their scorn and mockery will not stop me. In fact, you’ve given me an idea on how to handle them. When Ax’no returns and scorches the ground, eradicating all of the vile sinners on Iktotch, they will be the first to burn.” When Lord Prazutis drew in closer, she realized how powerful his darkside Force aura was. She knew there was nothing to fear, but the Caprine mystic was, in a sense, awed by his sheer malicious presence. She could almost see the souls of the dead that he’d murdered staining his dark complexion. Briga shifted her weight to one side and toyed with the rim of her wine glass as she thought of what to tell him.

While younger and more naïve, the horned seer was not a stranger to vice. As the reincarnation of Ax’no, she was supposed to be chaste… pure. Free of the pedestrian and the profane. Elevated. But Priestess Tiin had dark secrets which she strove to keep hidden. She had her own network of confidants who she paid handsomely to ward her from and cover up her dubious activities. Oh how you’ve tried, Briga. So gallantly in fact, but she knew it was no use. She would never rid herself of the desire that itched under her skin like a burrowing parasite. She was aware of the Sith’s use of passion to fuel their power, but what inflicted the female Caprine could not even be used for anything constructive. Or could it?

With a half-smile, she said, “Ax’no is not the goddess that my people think she is. She gives more than blessings for a bountiful harvest or for good luck in conceiving a child.” Her black pupils constricted as she continued: “The cosmic Force is not a unifying gestalt as the Jedi say,” she spat. “It’s entropy and disorder.” She finally took a long sip own wine as though breathing it in like oxygen.

“Now I will ask the same of you. Though I suppose I would need to hire a slicer to find out nearly anything about you.” Director of Intelligence meant there was very little on the open market about the intriguing Sith. “Lord Prazutis, what is hidden about you in the recesses of some cold, databank dungeon?”

[member="Darth Prazutis"]

 

[Cameron Centurion]

A simple smile was the only response he thought [member="Amorella Mae"] truly needed to her undoubtedly rhetorical question. [member="Raph Tritum"]'s verbal response, however, drew quite the broad grin to the Sith Lord's features. As Esmae knew full well, he'd had more than his fair share of...interactions with the Tapani Nobility in the rather distant past. In fact, the mechanism for that interaction had been a member of the Crusade with them...quite the ardent member herself.

Offering the young man a subtle nod of the head, Cameron allowed his expression to gradually neutralize. "Ah. Tapani Nobility. The pleasure is mine, Mr. Tritum. I am Cameron Centurion...no official noble connection." A thin smile steadily returned to Cameron's gaze as he motioned subtly to the radiant beauty on his arm. "This is my wife, Amorella Mae." Naturally, Cameron did not air out Esmae's family connections. She had, after all, taken a rather definitive step to distance herself from such.

"What is it you do for the First Order, Mr. Tritum?"

 

[Ludolf Vaas]

Taking Marzena's smaller hand in his and bowing cordially, Ludolf's pale eyes followed hers as he rose again.

"The stage is set for you, Ms. Choi. I greatly anticipate your performance." A small upturn of his lips punctuated the end of his statement, like a slight flicker of humanity escaping from the stony veneer of cold, iron-fashioned militarism that surrounded Ludolf. Of course, Marzena's playful smile and offer for a drink did not go unnoticed.

Neither did the iron grip that fastened around his hand from behind a moment later, before Vaas even had a chance to reply. Ludolf turned, surprised to see it coming from @Harley. His eyes widening a little, Ludolf cracked open his mental journal, still left over from his days as an Agent.

>>10:23 PM: A most peculiar occurrence at the Ball. It seems I am the object of some sort of female pheromone struggle. Unfortunately, experience offers no relevant protocol for me. i was not trained in diffusing such a situation in the Academy. Nor have I been trained to dance... I shall have to improvise.

He had always known to expect the unexpected, but his training would not help him here. The Sith Empire had spent most of its time training Agents in the fine practice of coming up with creative ways to kill people; not much time was spent on the social graces. But Ludolf would wing his way through it. He always did. He said nothing to Harley, and began to walk back with her, though he turned over his shoulder to offer [member="Marzena Choi"] a calm word.

"Perhaps, Ms. Choi."

Then, he focused his attention on Harley. She was a Sith, so he shouldn't be surprised at her rather obtuse insistence. He had dealt with her type at length, and they were rather used to getting what they wanted. Though he couldn't say he had never danced with one. This ought to be interesting. Ludolf would pretend not to notice the way Harley's form-fitting dress accentuated her curvature much better than traditional Sith robes, and when they were in the middle of the dance floor, Ludolf finally removed his hand from her grasp, and placed his large hands on her waist, signaling for her to drape her arms around his shoulders.

"Maybe the singer will play something for us to dance to," He said to Ms. Quinn.

 

[Darth Prazutis]

The most dangerous rivals are the ones that you don't see.

Being invisible just meant that your rivals were doing something right, waiting for the right time to strike and take everything that you had. In his experiences Prazutis found it was a mistake to mistake silence for inaction. He could sense Briga's anger bubble to the surface as she agreed with his position, she was allowing these rivals to live and publicly ridicule her, ridicule her behind her back. These were pirahna's jealous of the success of the reincarnated goddess, trying to take bites out of her to bring her down just a few pegs enough to sweep her away, to prove her divinity false for all to see.

One of his many gifts was the uncanny ability to read other people around him, and by the redness manifesting in her cheeks he could tell she didn't expect the conversation to take this kind of turn. Briga was a women used to controlling the situation around her, manipulating her peers with cunning and deception. But Braxus Zambrano played the same game she did, only his game started over a century ago and he was one of the best, baddest snakes in the pit. Many have tried to pay against him in this game, and the uncountable amounts of bodies were visible proof of what happens when you step up to the tyrant.

It intrigued him on what the reincarnation of the goddess Ax'no kept hidden, tucked away from the masses of people she dealt with. There were those things he could find in an intelligence briefing, and then there were those things one couldn't, so what were they? Then it hit him. Prazutis reached out to her mind with the force, she was untrained in the arts of the force and wouldn't be able to feel his own mind not pushing into hers, but analyzing the emotions that came from within as she searched for an answer to his question. But from within he picked up the fringes of something buried deep, burning desire, she was careful and hid this well but still he was able to provoke her enough for it to rear its head, not all of it of course.

Prazutis had his own ideas for what this desire was and thanks to his acute senses he was able to find what she was hiding, now he only had to draw it out. He fought back a grin as she mentioned in a shrouded way how the goddess Ax'no wasn't what everyone thought she was, this was painfully obvious to him. "The Jedi ask the force, consult it for help and limit their use of it, cutting off their potential." He said as they walked through the crowds of people, they disappeared into more isolated areas, he was an expert at disappearing and this needed exactly that if he was to find out what she was hiding.

He didn't bother answering her question just yet and held up his hand to halt her inquiry. Prazutis carefully slid his arm out of her grip "Come on Lady Tiin...Briga." Prazutis replied clearly unsatisfied with her answer as he rounded behind her and moved close, close enough to invade her space but leave some room between him and the elegantly dressed caprine. Prazutis with one hand reached over and gently grabbed the drink from her hand, placing it down on a small table nearby with his own, before both hands rested in the exposed patch of skin on her arms "Your people worship you as the reincarnation of a goddess, Ax'no herself. That's a pressure no king or queen could ever feel. Every high standard your people believe, they hold you to it, pressing their own designs upon you who you should be." Braxus whispered into her ear, so close in fact that she'd feel his breath on her skin.

Prazutis slowly moved his hands up her arms and gently tucked them under the loose cuffs to touch her bare shoulders "It feels like a crushing weight trying to constantly bury you, and you want to meet these expectations they have for you, if only you could. But like many of us at times of our lives you conceal who you truly are.." Once more he whispered into her ear, pulling his hands off her shoulders while he looked out at the crowds of people in the distant. The caprine maidens were nowhere in sight, she would have no security, no familiar faces to help her rebuff his attempts to draw her out she was in the grasp of the Whispering Ghost of Panatha, the Seeker of Darkness alone in a sea of strangers. Prazutis then touched below on the sides of her upper body, and very slowly moved them down the sides of her body without hesitation "You struggle to meet the expectations and show them you are everything and more, but you can't hide from the darkness within, the darkness provides temporary solace against the pressure, and it cries for release, I understand Briga, I really do." Prazutis said as he closed the only distance between them so he was pressed against the caprine. The mans hands stopped on her hips and he held this position for a full minute in silence before he whispered into her ear "Now I will ask again. Briga reveal to me more about you that I couldn't find in a file. Show me the darkness, the things you hide from your people." Prazutis said.

Now he only had to wait in anticipation to see if his ploy worked, there was both power and a darkness inside her, and he would seek to find out everything about this goddess, this larger than life socialite.

[member="Briga Tiin"]