Private Implied intricacies and Subtle Nuance

[Kardek Alpha]

Marcella Fiora / Coruscant / The Amunta Puruvio / Kardek's Appearance
​

When the sum of your parts equals more than their perspective elements, it means that, together, you are better off. But whatever Kardek might attempt during this fine evening, there was one thing that was obvious... He was out of his league. Despite this, he hoped that the setting and elaborate meal might suffice to reveal the true nature of his intentions. What were his intentions? well... to celebrate everything that was Marcella Fiora , and if such celebration was well received, then the possibilities were truly limitless.

Kardek sat rather confidently at the table he had reserved for the two of them, with one of her exquisite cigarras intentionally placed upon his lips, lit and truly enjoyed by the gunslinger. Upon the table was a bottle of the exquisit wine that had just begun production from Fiora's own harvest fields, a true testament to the dedication of the man who had precured such a specimen due to the fact that such bottles were not accessible yet to the attended establishment. No, in fact, Kardek had brought the bottle himself, which had taken some considerable effort on his part to obtain.

The rogue leaned back in his chair, enjoying some preliminary sips of his Fiora wine as he awaited her arrival. It had been too long since the two of them had connected socially, and much had changed... Kardek was now under Stardust, for one. The development of the Hellmakers, for two. But through it all, the subtle interest that Kardek carried for the woman remained, although somewhat dormant. He knew that Mairéad Solus was also pursuing the Capo's interest, and the gunslinger had no indication to determine where he stood in the mix. So he would likely do some prying this fine evening, hoping to draw out Marcella's affections, whether for Mai, himself, or another. At least he would find some closure, and at most? well...

 

[Marcella Fiora]

M A R C E L L A⠀ F I O R A

'Weed Smoker's Dream'​

Hours had passed with speed in intrigue of the evening the pair would spend together~ it had been months since Kardek's return from his confidential mission yet the pair hadn't managed to spend a single moment alone. Kardek had come a long way since the incident at The Star Lounge and much had changed, including his loyalties.

Escorted by a well-dressed member of staff, Marcy' was impressed with the choice of venue~ surprisingly pleasant considering a man of Kardek's calibre made the decision. Weaving through a number of patrons, she appeared by the window-side table; "Ah, Kardek~ a pleasure.."

Kardek Alpha

 

[Kardek Alpha]

Marcella Fiora​

His eyes immediately shifted towards the beautiful figure that approached him, being none other that Marcella Fiora, a smile flashed across his lips as he stood himself politely, bowing his head and offering her a seat across from him,

"Always." He responded warmly. As he sat down, he observed some subtle nuanced micro-expressions that the woman was not entirely pleased with him. He blinked, quickly diverting his gaze as he poured Marcella a glass of her own wine silently. He slid it across the table with a nod, concluding that it might be, at least in part, due to the whirlwind surrounding his departure from her branches.

His eyes met hers, with almost a bit of nervousness present as his finger tapped lightly against the side of his glass.

"Good to see you." He finally offered, diverting his gaze toward the window as he took in another drag, "It's been too long. How are you?" Eyes now back on her, smoke escaping through both nostrils in a downward stream.

 

[Marcella Fiora]

M A R C E L L A⠀ F I O R A

'Weed Smoker's Dream'​

As she sat down, her eyes barely shifted from Kardek's~ the pair had much to discuss that evening, at least much that needed discussing. Finally breaking her intense gaze as he slid a glass of wine over to her, she lifted the glass slightly before she spoke; "Ta."

Taking a sip, an eyebrow raised at the taste~ "not bad.." she peered back at Kardek as she swirled the wine before taking a sniff. "It's been a while indeed, I'm fine thanks- how about yourself?" quizzed Marcy' as she quickly peered out of the window into the depths of Coruscant, albeit a nicer view than most.

She sat with her glass in-hand, again gazing at Kardek with both curiosity and intensity, time had paved the way for many changes~ some for better and some for worse, though at least they'd have the opportunity to make everything clear that evening.

Kardek Alpha

 

[Kardek Alpha]

Marcella Fiora

"Good!" He offered quickly, nodding as he brought his own glass up to his lips, his eyes focused on the woman in front of him. He wasn't sure where to begin their conversation. Such anxieties were an unusual plague for gunslinger, often finding himself at home in any social environment, but for some reason, tonight was different.

"The Hellmakers are thriving…" He found himself beginning to speak, just to fill any unwanted empty space, "I think we'll prove to be an invaluable asset to the Family." He took a sip of his wine, then put it down and leaned back a bit into his chair cushion, scratching his chin as he felt an element of tension still lingering between them. For some reason, he felt compelled to explain himself further to the Caporegime, and so after another short pause between them, he began an unprovoked defense of his decisions as of late, in an attempt to address the ethereal tension.

"I think the Hellmakers is a great opportunity for me to step into something that I can really pour myself into, you know?" He shifted his weight uncomfortably, "I really enjoyed being under you, Marcella. I think you're a phenomenal woman, in many ways…" Kardek cleared his throat, finding his comments growing a bit too awkward for his taste as he shifted in a different direction, "But I had to be honest with myself…"

He suddenly shifted in tone as Kardek settled in to the mindset of being fully transparent with Marcella. He now sounded very concise… very aware of himself, "I'm an ambitious man, Marcella. I'm not content to be one of the many. And if I had stayed under you, well… I just didn't see a path forward…"

His brow furrowed slightly, eyes drifting downward a bit as he processed, "Because you have Mairead, don't you." Although he already knew the answer, his eyes came back up to hers, searching for any subtle admittance not only that Mai stood before Kardek regarding business, but regarding pleasure as well. Marcella had appointed Mai as her right hand, and he had seen their closeness during the life day celebration. He already knew.

He took in a drag of his cigarra, his gaze shifting back to the view, "She's a great woman. Smart. Dangerous. Funny. Ambitious as hell. Beautiful…" He turned back to Marcella, a rather detached expression on his face, "I'm happy for you, that you found your right hand. I really am. But I won't allow for myself be held back. I hope you understand."

He was talking about his ambition, yes, but also about his feeling for Marcella…. Or was it… Mai? Both? All he knew is that he felt a pit in the bottom of his stomach at knowing that the two of them were together. And he wouldn't let his feeling hold him back. He didn't even know if any of this would make sense to Marcella, he was literally grasping at straws to attempt to relieve the tension he sensed. Hopefully this would help.

Maybe they needed closure of some kind.

 

[Marcella Fiora]

M A R C E L L A⠀ F I O R A

'Weed Smoker's Dream'​

"My my.. where'd that come from?" she grinned, amused that Kardek had somehow surmised, or presumed, her thoughts, "I'm just pleased you've.. found who you are," Marcy' took a sip of wine- still impressed that he had managed to acquire a bottle so early, "though now you've brought it up~ perhaps it is a good idea to clear things up."

"Hellmakers, they're an undeniable asset and I believe that forming them gives you a great deal of credit," she paused as she took out an Ivory cigarra, sliding the tin over to Kardek as she lit her own, "don't forget that although you're under Star, you still work for me." Marcy' squinted her eyes at him, indicating her role as defacto Underboss of Kosa Nostra as she took a puff of her cigarra.

"And no, I don't 'have' Mai', at least not in the sense you seem to suggest," she grinned to herself at the status of their relationship, "though she has more than earnt her spot as my right-hand, she's invaluable to our Family and, more importantly, me." Subsequently, Marcy' produced a small sigh, "I'd never be the one to hold you back, Kardek," now intensely gazing deeply into Kardek's eyes..

"Remember your place, you seem to have forgotten who you are in this thing of ours~ don't forget who made you, took you in after your little.. incident at the lounge.."

"Now, how do you like your steak?"

Kardek Alpha

 

[Kardek Alpha]

Kardek's brow furrowed, listening as Marcella informed him that he still worked for her. Of coarse, he still served all of the Caporegimes as the Demone Superiore of the Hellmakers, but she seemed to be implying something else. It could only be that the whispers were indeed true, and that Marcella would be the new underboss. He nodded approvingly,

"Well, it appears the rumors are true then." He offered her a smile, "Congratulations."

It then seemed that Marcella was attempting to defend Mairéad Solus , something that was a bit odd as Kardek had not suggested she wasn't worthy to be her right hand. If such a stance of defense was being made, then it appeared that the two's bond was much stronger than what Kardek had determined. Eyebrow furrowed again as his head tilted slightly to the side, eyes fixed on Marcella.

"I was never implying she wasn't worthy, Marcella." Kardek wondered why she seemed to be taking his words in such a negative light.

But then, Marcella chose to go further, suggesting that Kardek needed to be put in his place and reminded of his station. Immediately the man's countenance darkened considerably, a rather defined frown placed upon his lips as he listened quietly. All of his defensive walls shot up and his emotions shut down as his brooding anger grew stronger. And as she finally suggested that she was the one who had made Kardek, he leaned up straighter, balling his hands into fists to attempt to mitigate the strong negative emotions he was experiencing.

Kardek was many things, some of them considered positive and some negative. But one thing he did not respond well to was when someone tried to put their boot against his neck, whether they were in a position to do that or not. It naturally caused for the man to want to burn down any bridge and to rebel against it with everything he had.

The man's fiery, piercing gaze was focused on the woman across from him, his great displeasure evident. "Don't… forget… who made you…" He repeated her own words slowly with a low and compressed tone, nodding slowly as he processed the phrase one more time, which only caused his internal rebellion to grow. He brought a finger up and placed it against Marcella's offered cigarra tin, slowly sliding it back across the table as he rejected her offer, but more so, rejected her words. Instead, he removed his own tin and silently lit one of his own, diverting his gaze now to look out the window for a moment, doing his best to filter whatever would come out if his mouth next.

"I know exactly where my place is." His gaze still diverted out the window, refusing to make eye contact with the woman. "And please, do not flatter yourself in believing you had anything to do with making me who I am." His eyes drifted back, locking onto Marcella's with burning fire in them, "But yes… thank you, Marcella… for opening the door."

With that he turned to a passing waiter, raising a hand, "Excuse me. Whiskey. On the rocks. Top shelf." As the man nodded and walked away, Kardek turned back to Marcella, tapping the bottom of his wine glass subtly…

"A bit too sour for my taste." He was obviously pissed off, and was responding by pushing everything that represented Marcella away from him as a defensive mechanism. If every bridge burned down in this moment, then at least his pride would somehow still be in tact.

Marcella Fiora

 

[Marcella Fiora]

M A R C E L L A⠀ F I O R A

'Weed Smoker's Dream'​

A sly grin formed on Marcy's face, eyes now blankly staring into Kardek's, "Mm.." she took a puff of her cigarra, now clearly showing a hint of annoyance, "perhaps I didn't 'make' you, however, I can just as easily unmake you," she waved away a passing waiter in the process as she highlighted Kardek's place in Kosa Nostra, "your little project doesn't grant you immunity, you remain at our table because you're family," a sigh of disappointment enimated from Marcy'.

"You're not invincible, Kardek," she stood up from her seat, returning her cigarra tin into her coat pocket, "you clearly don't know your place in this thing of ours~ seeing as you'd so willingly sour our relationship for the sake of pride." As Marcy' stood up, a number of well-dressed, black-suited individuals stood up in unison around the restaurant, "look after yourself, Kardek," she concluded, turning away from the table, leaving Kardek to enjoy his solitary meal as Marcy' and her entourage began converging towards the exit.

Kardek Alpha

 

[Kardek Alpha]

As Marcella continued to double down, belittling the Hellmakers and all that he had been developing, and even levying a death threat against the Demone Superiore regarding the "unmaking' she referenced, Kardek found himself absolutely uninterested in attempting to mend any possible damage that might have transpired due to this conversation. The walls were raised, and he was hurt and lashing out in anger. He pulled a drag from his cigarra as she stood up with her escorts, forcing himself to nod respectfully at her leaving remarks.

"It seems you don't know me very well at all, Marcella, even after all this time." He said, his eyes glancing up at her, his tone almost a bit sad. "But if you do send someone to kill me, have it be Samuel Exel . I'd want it to be at the hand of someone who carries at least the smallest ounce of respect for me." Implying that it was apparent to Kardek that, Marcella, did not.