Private Hidden City

[Ronan Casella]

TAG: Starla Morello
WEARING: X

GANGSTER'S PARADISE​

It was a hazy evening as Ronan stepped off the shuttle.

Lustra hasn't changed much in the years he had spent expanding the Casella empire on Nar Shaddaa. It was still the same, smoggy, jazzy city with a hidden crime world from ten years ago.

It was good to be home.

Lighting up a cigara, he then pulled his hat a little lower over his eyes before walking out of the landing bay and into the great city. He could have easily gotten someone from the Casella staff to pick him up, but where is the fun in that?

No, he wanted to mix with the riff raffs.

So he followed his ears to the hub that had the best music in the vicinity. Sauntering his way into the club, he then made a beeline to the bar.
"What's the best you got?" Ronan asked the Besalisk bartender, leaning against the counter while scanning the dimly lit room filled with cigara smoke.
"We got some excellent Merenzane Gold. Best in the city." came the deep reply.
"Load me up then." the prodigal son said, sliding over some credits.

He turned and rested his elbows on the counter as he looked at the room properly. How he missed the jazz. That was something you heard often on the Hutt planet. He pulled on his cigara before letting out a puff. It was good to be back.

As the bartender slid his drink over to him, he turned back.
"What can you tell me about the families?" Ronan asked.
"Same old same old." came the reply. "Why don't you ask our lovely Viceroy over there?"
Ronan looked over to where the Besalisk was motioning. A new patron had just walked through the door.

A strangely familiar patron.

It has been years. But he could recognise the Fire of Morello anywhere. She was the saving grace of that family. He could not help but smirk.

 

[Starla Morello]

Lady Morello​

TAG: Ronan Casella
Wearing: [xXx]



There wasn't always time to mingle. Being Viceroy was busy enough in and of itself. Political affairs, that sort of thing. Add that to the constant need to run things within her own family, and make sure that Lustria stayed afloat - literally some days? And it was just a busy, busy world to live in. And yet there were some days, like today, where Starla simply cleared her schedule and took a day for herself. A day to get out of her office, off of the Morello grounds, and just pretend to be normal for a day. Or at least as normal as a woman like Starla possibly could be.

She was well known after all, both for her being a Viceroy and her family name. Thus far however, they were not able to connect her to anything illegal that went down anywhere on Xorrn or on the outer ring city. Part of that was because Star personally didn't usually have her hands in the pots. Sometimes sure, she wasn't by any means afraid to get her hands dirty. But for the most part, she had people for any and most jobs, and they were discreet which kept her in the clear.

Tonight however, none of that mattered. She had taken one of those personal days and had been determined to see it through. No business, no trouble, and no personal guards following her around and shadowing her every move. Of course she knew the pair of them were somewhere; Raylen and Maisie never really let Starla get too far out of their sight. But they at least allowed for her to have a sense of independence, and as such she was free to step into one of the local bars to get herself a drink.

A drink, and the latest gossip too. After all, these places were the best places to get information about what was going on in the area. Who was moving what, who was killing who, what products were being looked for the most, and most importantly? Who was looking for work.

However, upon entry, Star had glanced around once to survey the room, and her gaze immediately backtracked to a far too familiar face. In that moment, the Viceroy didn't know whether to smirk and scowl, but either way her feet carried her across the room towards the bar, and ultimately towards him. "Well, well, well...Ronan Casella, as I live and breathe." she set her clutch down on the bar and nodded to the Besalisk bartender, who knew exactly what to get her without needing to be told. Star's attention then shifted back to the (supposed to be) biological enemy. "What brings you back to my city?" she questioned, one hand against the bar, the other against her hip as she loft a brow at him.

 

[Ronan Casella]

TAG: Starla Morello

LOVEFOOL​

A badboy smirk spread on Ronan's lips.

Oh yeah. The Fire of Morello. He exhaled a chuckle through his nose.
"Your city, eh? Over my dead body." he teased, taking a swig of his 'Gold. He really had to get up to speed with the politics in this city.

Yet, were politics that important?

Looking at the girl that stood next to him, he actually had a little doubt to the politics statement. After all, his mother did not have to know what it was he was up to in his spare time.

Turning around, he leaned against the bar. "What brings the upstuck Morello downtown?" he asked teasingly, giving a sideways glance and smirk at his family's arch enemy.

Why in Grimm's name would that face be an arch enemy?

Ok given, she was apparently Viceroy now. But he still remembered that little girl that sneaked off with him to throw eggs at old man Borcello's windows.

Resting his cheek in his hand, he looked at her properly. "So, Miss Morello, how is all the paperwork?" he asked with a coy smirk. If she was anything like he remembered, then that was something that would annoy her to no end.

​

 

[Starla Morello]

Lady Morello​

TAG: Ronan Casella



The drink Starla hadn't even needed to really ask for was set down in front of her, and she not only thanked the bartender for it, but easily pressed a credit chip down onto the bar with a smile and a wink before she took up the glass. Something clearly made here in Lustria, dark in color and smelled like it would burn on the way down - and it did. Though for the moment all Star got out of it was a sip before Ronan had spoke up beside her.

The Viceroy made a soft noise in her throat as she separated from the rim of her glass, her gaze automatically shifting to the man beside her once more due to his cockiness about her city. "Oh, that can absolutely be arranged." and while it was of course true, for both of them really, it had never been the case for either of the heirs to the Lustria families. In fact, they had been friends in their youth, secretly causing more trouble than either should have ever gotten away with. So no, Starla could never put Ronan down for good...tease him about it, but never actually do it.

Once she had spoken, her drink was brought back to her mouth so that she could have a good and proper drink of it. The first drink caused Star to make an unpleasant face - it always did - but she took a second one, exhaled a little sharply, and then allowed for herself to participate in conversation again. "Well, between Viceroy duties, and running my family there's always a lot going on. This thing here, or that thing there. Once in a while, its nice to sneak away and just...be."

That in and of itself spoke volumes in response to his following, taunting question about paperwork. Still, Star groaned in reaction, rolled her eyes, and took a larger drink from her glass before answering yet again. "Suffocating," she answered him with a shake of the head. "My dad was much better at handling the business aspect of the family than I will ever be." Which was not at all true. Starla had a mind for the biz for sure, it just didn't feel that way to her most days. "Though you know I've been quite accommodating, and yet you still haven't answered my question."

Her slight frame shifted so that she was facing him fully, one arm folded against her chest, the other bent at the elbow against it with her glass in that hand while she looked at him square on now. "What are you doing back in Lustria?"

 

[Ronan Casella]

TAG: Starla Morello

CREEP​

Ronan chuckled heartily.

He took a flat, golden container from his pocket and removed a cigara from it. He lit his before offering the open cigara holder to Starla with raised eyebrows.

Blowing a cloud of smoke high up in the air, he then looked back at the girl he was supposed to be feuding with.
"Come now. Someone of your influence can easily make that paperwork...disappear." he said, motioning ominously with the hand holding the cigara.

A coy smirk spread on his lips at her question of his apparition.

He took another drag of his cigara and took his time exhaling the smoke. He then looked back at Starla.
"I missed your starry face." he finally answered, a teasing lilt in his voice. He then cleared his throat. "Someone needs to come run things now that you are walking the straight and narrow. Can't let the Morellos have all the fun, now." he added, a tad more seriously.

Tapping a foot on the beat of the latest song, he took a sip of his 'Gold. He then set down the drink and killed his cigara in the ashtray. Glancing at Starla coyly, he held out his hand.
"Care to dance, Lady Morello?" he asked, his blue eyes sparkling with playful glint.

 

[Starla Morello]

Lady Morello​

TAG: Ronan Casella

---

There was a roll of the eyes so hard from Starla that she was afraid it might make some sort of sound. She had raised the hand that had been against her body to wave it and politely decline the offer of the cigara, and then she took another smaller sip from her glass before separating from it once again. "I most certainly can make plenty of things disappear." she agreed, and naturally wasn't just speaking about the annoying paperwork. She had nearly sighed at him and his always dancing around the questions she asked, but he had finally given her an answer.

A ridiculous answer - at first - but an answer regardless. "I'm sure there were plenty of faces to hold your attention while you were away." she fired back, the expression on her face somewhere between amused and unimpressed, which was quite the common expression when she was dealing with the Casella heir. His comment about her walking the straight and narrow however, made her smirk against the rim of her glass as she brought it back against her lips for another drink.

Oh if only he knew...The position as Viceroy opened so many doors that had at one time been so difficult for her father to pry open. Information about things, trade routes, resources, so many things that would always be right at the tip end of her fingers if the need ever arose. For now, yes she played the good girl in the face of the public. She had not made a negative move, and thus far hadn't needed to. But the ability was there at the drop of a hat.

However when he spoke his following question, Star's brows lofted and she lowered her drink. "A dance?" she repeat, and then amusement won over her expression as she set her glass on the bar. "And miss the opportunity to see you make a fool of yourself?" she reached out and took his hand without the hesitation blood rivals should have. She was also aware that the likelihood of either of them making fools of themselves during a dance were minimal, but would she ever pass up the chance to tease him? Never.