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[Hira Mitsae]

TERMINUS​

​

[member="Zeynab Kazat"]​

-​

​

Terminus was supposed to be a rest stop.

Just a pitch in between goals.

But Julian Imani had not been expecting his cargo to get stolen two days in. It was a week now. Somehow the thieves were still eluding him even with Shadowman hunting their trail. That little detail (plus the fact that they had known how to break through his protections of his small cargo ship) told him these weren't ordinary thieves.

Specialists.

Arcane stuff? Rivals? Jul wasn't sure.

But he was about to find out.

He had managed to get in contact with someone. That someone had told him to sit in this dinky bar. Leviathan's Slumber. Just a dusty nothing around the corner, three clicks away from the spaceport. There he was to wait for his contact. Zeynab Kazat.

Why anyone would name their child that was anyone's question.

Apparently Kazat was a new player in the game. Good at what they did. If anyone knew where his chit was, it would be them. And so Jul waited in the corner of the bar. A small alcove. His fingers played with the rim of the glass. It was dirty. But the drink was fine enough. He had been through worse in his time.

"Dun be worrying, brejin, ya? They come soon 'nuff an' we be getting our chit back."

A shadow at his elbow shifted a bit.

"Fin, fin. Ya chit. Dang prickly."

 

[Kotos]

Nasvalo made good pirates. Not that she was one—no, she’d farmed that work out to a select few. But they were good at what they did. Strong and imposing, physically so. Handled their weapons well. Had a strange willingness to die for their cause, but then again their lives hadn’t seemed to be going anywhere beforehand. That’s what happened when thousands of restless refugees streamed into the capital, unable to find work or feed their families.

The cantina was as typical off-the map type of establishment. Who knew how many shady deals this place saw in a day? A mountain of a man was at her side; tall and well-built and silent. The silence continued as the pair of Nasvalo slipped into place, seated across from the man of the hour.

“Forgive me for being late.” Everything about Zeynab was warm, from her voice to the way her face softened into a smile. It was no manipulation tactic, not anything that she was doing consciously—this was just who she was. “I’m sorry to hear about your recent loss, Julian.”

A bar boy came over and she ordered an ale. The sentry beside her said nothing. Was he a guard or a slave? Probably both.

Wrapping both hands around the glass, she exhaled slowly to organize her thoughts. “Oh, what am I doing—I’m being rude. This young man is Argos.” She waved a hand briefly towards the mountain with no further explanation of who he was or what function he serves. Argos…remained silent, shockingly.


[member="Julian Imani"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Zeynab Kazat"]

He tilted his head at their approach.

Then their settling in the open seats.

"Mah friends be calling me Jul, yah?" That look he gave her. It was relaxed, casual, it roamed and studied her lines. From the shape of her jaw to the wrinkle of her eye. It took it all in at once yet dissected all the same. There was a patience there. "Argos. Good name. Strong. Did ya pick yo name or did ya name pick ya, eh?" His eyes had glanced over to the mountain of a man.

The silence dragging out as Argos' attention remained steady.

Silent.

"O' maybe it dun' matter, eh?" His hand waved as he switched his attention on Zeynab again. "Da friends ya keep tells tales o' ya. I be wondering wha Argos tells about ya."

A chuckle there as the tension broke.

"I kno' many a thing, yah? Can discover more. Dem's people who took whats mine... they ain't easy to find. I 'ear ya got a knack for it tho. Where is cyattie from, hmm? Taller dan most, exotic, dey might say..." He spoke easily. Spoke a lot. It was like water flowing from a stream. Free and relaxed. The act of making conversation seemed to energize Jul even more.

A cycle, dig?

 

[Kotos]

Zeynab lifted the mug to her mouth. “All good things, I hope.” Lips curved gently against the rim of the glass before she took her drink.

Careful of that Kazat schutta. She’d slice her own mother from stem to stern if offered enough credits.

All in all, Zey was no different than every other common criminal. Willing to cut throats and betray loyalties if the price was high enough. Galaxy was full of em. Criminals. Scum. But the galaxy was also full of opportunities, and criminals ‘n scum sometimes wound up at the head of planetary governments.

A soft laugh slipped past her lips at the mention of what Argos would have to say about her. “Oh, this chatterbox? Please, I can hardly get him to keep quiet.”

Argos may as well have been a duracrete statue beside her. If their comments affected him in the slightest, he didn’t show it. Maybe he couldn’t hear?

Jul was a talker. Not that it was a bad thing. Better than those boring guys who thought that stoic silence made them manlier. Sometimes they found it hard to remain manly around a woman of her stature, but Imani didn’t seem to be bothered by things like that. “We’re from Manas. In the Outer Rim, southeast of here.”

She placed her elbows on the table, leaning closer as her voice lowered—not to a whisper, but softer and less obtrusive than normal speaking volume. “And if I’m being completely honest, I’m rather short compared to most women there.” Her tone held a note of good nature as she leaned back and laughed, idly swirling the mug in her hands. The amber liquid sloshed gently against the sides as she continued, voice pitching to a regular volume. “You’ve got an interesting accent yourself, Jul. If you tell me where you got it from, I can help you track down your missing cargo.”

She knew where it was, he knew that she knew where it was but he was more congenial than her usual contacts about this sort of thing. She saw no reason why this couldn't be pleasant.

[member="Julian Imani"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Zeynab Kazat"]

"Dat be matter of perspective, yes?"

For some Zeynab might have been disgusting. Unacceptable. Some sort of abomination. But in all honesty Julian seemed completely at ease with her, relaxed even. The keyword here was seemed. Those eyes were far too sharp, seeing everything and letting nothing escape. When she leaned in? It was almost as if something tugged at Julian to replicate the gesture. Elbows on the rim, leaning in a bit as his own voice grew hushed. Like they were sharing a secret.

Sharing an understanding.

"Short.... naw, cyattie, I wouldn't say da. A hill I'd climb, ya? Some mountains be worth da time to explore." White teeth flashed in a smile. The sheer bluntness might have caught some off-guard. But that was Julian Imani for you.

He played games, yes.

But not about this. Never about this. When she pulled back again Julian stayed in that closer proximity. More comfortable there within the personal space. It made some people uncomfortable. How physical Jul was, always talking, always moving, bouncing from topic to topic. Never looking back. "Mmmm, dis sound like a good bargain." The lines of his face shifted and turned a bit more serious there. "I be taking bargains serious, yes? Bargain made... bargain done."

His hand extended, reaching out with palm upwards.

For her to place her hand in, if she wanted.

"What does cyattie want else, eh? Every be wan' sumthing an' ya hunger be pretty."

 

[Kotos]

Whoever said all criminals were dumb didn’t know a damn thing about criminals.

Criminals had fortunes. Criminals had fleets and armies. They had million credit homes on every other luxury planet. They ruled worlds and sat in high government positions. Not each and every criminal of course—not even most. It was the same with every profession though; the ambitious, ruthless few who made their own opportunities and were perhaps blessed with a bit of luck made it to the top, while expendable peons worked beneath them.

Zey was no crime lord. She was shifty but careful enough to know where she stepped. Imani wasn’t a dumb thug. Someone that careful with his carefree words was smart. His eyes were sharpened with a clever sort of look.

She laughed abruptly, taken aback in a pleasant sort of way. “You flatter me, Jul.” She took another sip of her drink, finding a genuine enjoyment in its poor quality. Reminded her of home. “You should pay a visit to Manas. Plenty of mountains there that rise even higher.”

What did she want?

“I’m a simple woman.” She held her hand out, not to him, but to Argos. “Easy to please.” The mountain of a man produced a datapad, small and palm-sized. Technology like this was new to Manas, newer compared to the rest of the developed galaxy. The Nasvalo had eaten it up though, purchasing from off world retailers and cheap knock-offs alike. A decade ago no one would believe you if you’d described a datapad to them. Sel was modernizing at a truly breakneck pace.

Unlocking the device, she tapped at the screen for a few moments before placing it into Jul’s outstretched hand. An amount of credits would be displayed, the price for her help.

[member="Julian Imani"]

 

[Hira Mitsae]

[member="Zeynab Kazat"]

The laugh caused him to grin more.

It was always a tricky thing.

The back and forth between those vying for compatibility and chemistry. Which parts were real? Which were politeness or even a mask shown to the outside world? Hints were there, but which one of those were real, eh? That was what Julian enjoyed most about the conversation and interaction. People were different. Strange... often. Never a dull moment with them, yes? "Mmm, mebbe will at da, yah? Mebbe... you show me some day."

Simple...

Something told him there was nothing simple about the fire behind her eyes. "Dem's be nuthin' simple about ya, cyattie, an' I be liking it." He shifted, accepting the datapad and focusing his attention on it for a moment.

If he was surprised by the number he didn't show it.

A soft hum.

Then his thumb flicked, shifting the price a bit. By the time Julian was done the price was noticeably lower. The terms of haggling was clear. Bargain made... bargain done. Nobody expected to accept the very first offer. Or the second one. Or the third one. There was a mix of give an' take there. As for as Julian was concerned that was the fun part of it all. The datapad was given right back, their hands brushing during the exchange.

The grin turned into smirk.