Eye of the Beyonder

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

The doctor happened to be a togruta male with tan, yellow, and copper coloring. "Oh good, you're awake." He strode over and began taking her vitals. Kinsey immediately sat up in bed, the sheet falling to her waist. The open air hit the small opening of the gown at her back. "Not too fast now," the doctor tutted.

"How long have I been out? Where am I? Who ARE you?" Fingers scrunched into the mattress, eyes darting around the room for a weapon. Her weapons. Where the kark was her stuff? At least she didn't have to worry about the map. She'd memorized it on the way to coruscant and gotten rid of the datachit.

"Ah good. Looks like you're nearly back to normal. You took quite a jolt young lady. Heart would've stopped in just about anyone else. You're very lucky."

Kinsey's lips parted. "Yeah but who..."

"And even more lucky that Mister Thawne was around." Headtails twitched. "You should really rest a bit more." Firm hand pushed on her shoulder.

Kinsey glowered at the doctor as her head hit the pillow again.

"I will go tell Mister Thawne you are awake." The togruta turned on his heels and disappeared from the room.

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

The doctor wandered slowly over to Felix, clearly not afraid of him but somewhat weary. He smiled and urged the man over, the good doctor leaning into him to say something in a whisper. Felix nodded, and then sent the man away. "Your pay will be in your account."

Felix assured the man.

SIN was a completely legitimate business, entirely on the up and up and even cooperating with the Galactic Alliance. The Doctor would be in no way tied back to the Coratanni Cartel, just like this penthouse wasn't and just like Felix himself wasn't. To most of the greater world he was simply the son of a Slevin and Natalia Thawne, a pair of very successful and very powerful business people. Of course the reality was far more...dangerous, but there was never a need to mention that.

Felix dabbed at his face with the napkin, placing it on the table before standing up.

Without another moment of hesitation he crossed the penthouse, heading towards the makeshift medical suite.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

Mister Thawne? Didn't Felix say that was his last name? She frowned and sat up again. Heart rate monitor began beeping faster. She paused for a moment, making sure the doctor wasn't about to hop back in, then reached over and plucked the sensor off her hand.

Fingers dropped, trying to tie the confounded hospital gown at the side. Facial features scowled in frustration. Three scars ran the length down one of her arms, like claw marks. Bruises dotted the rest of her pale, skin here and there. But the layer of grease that stayed under her fingernails? And dirt? All of that was gone.

Hands rigged the two sides of the gown together as closed as she would get it, finally noticing she wasn't alone. "Felix," there was a trace of embarrassment across her features. "Do you um, have my clothes?"

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

"They are being dry cleaned and repaired." He explained quickly. "They were pocketed with scorch marks."

A rather sad state of affairs.

Without a word however Felix walked over to the edge of the room and opened a closet. He dug around for a moment and then pulled out a large fluffy robe. It had clearly not been made for Kinsey, but rather was something that had likely come with the penthouse at one point or another. He walked over to her, his expression never changing. "Here."

He offered the robe.

"Your clothes will be ready in a few hours." Felix said.

They wouldn't have been much good to her right now anyway. The cleaner had put so many holes into them that she basically would have been wearing rags.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

"Thanks," the explorer said a bit hesitantly. In her mind a robe wasn't much better than a hospital gown. Still felt vulnerable in it. Wasn't something she was used to wearing.

Fingers clutched the material. It was soft and fluffy. Something she hadn't felt since her time with Sage. Made her quickly push those uncomfortable thoughts aside.

"Why?" Brow furrowed. Oh stars. Had he seen her naked?! One hand came up to tuck a ribbon of golden brown hair behind one ear. It was oddly smooth and silky. Untangled. And that lavender vanilla smell.

"I'm assuming you want something?"

Nothing was ever for free.

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

He chuckled. "What could you possibly have that I'd want?"

The treasure map?

No. Felix wasn't some kind of affluent adventurer that ran around the galaxy trying to find treasure. Perhaps Matthias would enjoy that sort of thing, but Felix? No. He had his fun in the clubs and nightlife of Coruscant. It was more than enough excitement, especially considering the fact that he could have whatever he wanted here. He smiled for a moment, then looked towards the medical equipment. Most of it had been sourced from Nikolas, apparently he had some sort of connection.

He shook his head.

"No." Felix turned back towards Kinsey. "I don't want anything from you."

He wasn't some sort of savage, running around and picking women off the street to demand things from them. He had helped Kinsey the first time simply because it had seemed beneficial to do so, the second time? Well he had enough conscience not to leave someone on the floor to die.

Most of the time anyway.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

The young Starchaser was slightly offended by that. What could she have? More like what she could do. Well. And her knowledge of all the places she'd traveled. Still. It was nice not to OWE anyone.

Maybe she'd misjudged Felix.

"Oh," she murmured features smoothing out.

Someone just wanting to help? She could see it from Brak or Xin. But they were friends. From strangers?

It was odd.

"Don't meet many folk like you. I assumed you would've sold me to the highest street gang bidder by now. Or just left me there. Would've been easier to walk away. Can you turn around so I can change?" Legs swung over the side of the bed.

Kinsey hated hospitals or anything that felt like it. She wanted to get out of that hospital gown and into something else as soon as possible.

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

Felix turned around.

"Street gangs don't concern me." True enough. Coratanni dealt with them out of necessity, but here on Coruscant they were little more than an annoyance. They were small fish in a very, very, big pond. There was no reason to deal with them. "And."

One could practically hear the smug in his voice. "I don't exactly need the money."

Selling her probably wouldn't fetch more than a few thousand credits, even with everything she knew. That would hardly pay the rent on his penthouse for more than a month or so. No. He had helped her simply out of the fact that it was entertaining, plus that little conscience in his head.

"There is food in the dining hall." He told her, heading towards the door. "You can find me there when you finish putting on the robe."

Felix was no peeping tom after all.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

"No, I suppose not," she mused, eyes breaking away from Felix as she glanced about the lavish suite on the upper Coruscant levels. This was a place Kinsey would never be able to afford. Much like the lavishness she'd experienced as a mind-washed sith. She scooched off the bed as he left. Toes wiggled on the thick, plush carpet. Turning her back to the door, she tugged off the gown and quickly slipped on the robe, tying the waist strap securely closed. There were even some white, fluffy slippers. Feet quickly slipped into those.

Still. So strange. And a far cry from her boots. Still made her uncomfortable.

Shuffling out of the room, starburst blues couldn't help but stare at the size of the space where prime real-estate was a premium. And those decorations? All ornate. Nose caught the smell of freshly cooked food.

"Smells really good," mouth was watering. She'd been out almost two days, no wonder why her stomach was grumbling and rumbling. "And I meant to ask you, my toolbelt and boots. Do you have those or are they with the clothes?"

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

"Your tool belt is in the closet besides the door." He motioned towards the exit. Felix hadn't bothered looking through it, though the thing had passed through a scanner to make sure there were no bombs or anything of the sort inside. Security was the one thing that mattered to Felix and the Coratanni Cartel. Everything in this penthouse was entirely legal, everything surrounding Felix was, but that didn't mean people didn't want to strike at Felix.

He was a Thawne, and that meant danger.

"Your boots are also being cleaned." He frowned for a moment. "They were filthy."

More than filthy really, he'd barely been able to stand the smell. He assumed that Kinsey had stepped into some poodoo at one point or another, though from what sort of animal he had absolutely no idea. He supposed that he could have asked, but such a question would have been entirely uncouth.

Not something he wanted to discuss. "Please, Have anything you like."

He motioned her towards the table.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

Eyes traveled to the closet before returning to the table of food. She could get that later. Fingers plucked up a gold-rimmed china plate. She frowned, thoughts immediately worried she'd break it. Course, she'd never be able to repay Felix back for any of what he'd done anyway. Walking around the table, she began filling up the plate with roasted roots, fresh greens, roasted nuna, and some cheese.

A sheepish grin was offered to the young man about the boots.

"Yeah. I had to wade through a swamp before this." A shrug of her shoulders. It was the most terrifying thing she'd done in awhile but that was all because of not knowing how to swim. Luckily low tide had only been up to her hips, just like Kurt predicted. Swamps weren't known for smelling like perfume and roses.

Sinking down into a seat, she began picking at the food on her plate.The girl couldn't stop the grunt of pleasure escape her lips. Much, much better than ship rations.

"What exactly do you do?"

Must be someone important and rich to afford all this and offer it to strangers.

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

Swamp.

That made a lot of sense. Her clothes had been nothing but rags and her boots had stunk to high heaven. There were few things in this galaxy that Felix detested as much as a swamp. His homeworld, or what he believed to be his homeworld, of Rishi had many of them. The island that he and his family had grown up on were generally devoid of such things, but the truth of the matter was that they couldn't really be avoided on a planet that was half jungle and half water.

"I work for my parents." He stated simply.

"They own a corporation called SIN Enterprises." He smiled at the name. "I see to their affairs here on Coruscant. Deal with various captains, manufacturers, and other Corporations in order to ensure that everything runs smoothly."

It was easy to tell that he was rather prideful of that fact. "It's time consuming. Though profitable."

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

Profitable.

"Yes," eyes traveled up to the crystal chandelier above her head. "I can see that." She quietly munched on another piece of grilled nuna. Blues flecked with vibrant grays and whites settled back on her host.

"Interesting name for a company. I imagine it attracts a certain kind of person." She popped a dark purple juicy fruit into her mouth, then took a sip of blue milk.

"Do you like it? If you could do anything in this galaxy, would you still do what you're doing?"

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

"The company started as an entertainment business on Rishi." Felix didn't mind sharing that, it was public knowledge after all. "A nightclub actually. Though since then the company has grown far beyond just Rishi."

Obviously.

Of course, Felix didn't mention that most of the growth he referred to was because of SIN's Criminal enterprise; The Coratanni Cartel. That was a connection that not many knew of, and something he would not be telling Kinsey about. As far as most people knew SIN was simply a corporation that played to the darker side of peoples needs. Clubs, Casinos, legal prostitution, it was all within the wheelhouse of SIN. It helped that everyone had something they desired. "I do enjoy it."

He said with a shrug.

"I'm good at it." That was certainly true. "I'm not forced by my parents to participate."

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

"Wasn't insinuating that you were," she commented and took another sip of blue milk, almost going to use her robe sleeve to wipe her mouth. She stopped herself just in time. Sheepishly, she lowered the arm and picked up a napkin, instead, wiping those lips of hers. "It's good you enjoy your work," she mused and popped another round fruit in her mouth.

For Kinsey?

Same thing. Except, she didn't exactly have one job. Sure, she did a bunch of stuff with the fleet and a whole lot more on her own. The young girl craved adventure and excitement. She had a way of pressing her luck against the odds and for the most part, she came out alive on the other end. Wasn't sure how much longer her luck would hold out but it was worth living every day like it might not.

There was a timid knock at the door.

"Clothes delivery," muffled voice sounded from the other end.

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

Felix looked at the door for a moment, then slowly pushed himself out of his chair and stood.

He glanced at Kinsey for a moment, giving her an odd look before he quickly crossed the penthouse floor. The small stairs right in front of the entryway seemed to be an odd sort of barrier, and if Kinsey looked she would find there was actually a Ray shield projector. The device was meant from barring someone unwelcome from coming in to the penthouse, and was clearly set up as a mechanism for defense.

"Ah.' Felix said as he opened the door and retrieved the small package.

There was no doubt in his mind that the job had been done well, given that he sent his own clothes to the same tailor and dry cleaner. There was no need to check inside of the small package, and thus he simply gave a tip to the delivery man and turned.

He wandered towards the Kitchen, setting the package down. "Your clothes are here."

Felix stated simply, returning to his seat at the table.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

"Perfect," face brightened. Putting down the silverware, she untucked those smooth legs from beneath her and quickly left the chair. "Thanks," she murmured and scooped up the package. Finally, she could get out of this fething robe. And these slippers. Fluffy-slippered feet padded to the small hall closet where he said her toolbelt and boots were. Bending down, she scooped those up too, cradling and balancing all the objects as she straightened.

Starburst blues peeked from beyond her bundle at Felix.

"I'll just change and get outta your hair."

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

"There's no need to rush." Felix told her with a small smile.

He found her odd, that was certainly true. She took the comforts of this place almost...awkwardly. He knew half of Coruscant would likely jump at the very chance of visiting a place like this, much less being allowed to take part in what went on here. Fine dining, fine food, he had expected her to ask for more.

"You'll still have to deal with those gangs." He reminded her. "Plus getting off-world won't be easy."

Felix leaned back in his seat. "The Alliance has declared Coruscant it's new capital, and with that came new security measures."

It was clear that Felix was not at all a fan of those new security measures, whatever they might be.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Coratanni Cartel"]

No need to rush?

This whole place was so out of her element. The explorer quickly retreated back to the bedroom and disappeared behind one of the walls, stripping off the robe and kicking the slippers aside. One, two. Bare toes wiggled on the carpet. Even the carpet was a strange sensation.

A luxury not usually on the types of ships she traveled on.

"Don't remind me," she huffed, tugging on her undergarments. "Not so worried about Alliance, though." Thoughts turned to the station and how she'd saved a bunch of them. "They kinda owe me."

Kriff. Her clothes smelled really good.

"I take it you're not a fan?"

Fingers went to shake out her pants, next.

 

[Coratanni Cartel]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

"I'm a fan of any government that brings stability." Felix answered truthfully.

There could be no business without stability, and the Alliance certainly brought plenty of stability. Their territory stretched from the core to the outer rim, and that made trade and business quite easy. Of course there was a downside to that, mainly taxes and other more strict measure.

That was what annoyed Felix. "Security checks however? Well that tends to slow people like me down. A shipment can be delayed for days at a time because of the checks, and now? Well now it's even worse since they made this world their capital."

He shrugged.

"I don't dislike the Alliance." Again, truth. "I just find it annoying when it gets in the way of business."