Luminosity

[Relina Zhan]

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

Relina leaned on the edge of the deck and sighed. "Well, she is probably afraid right now. However, I don't know how easily she can be persuaded to co-operate." she said, voicing her doubts. "I figure that whomever bribed her to do this is a rival of my House, which means this won't stop until our enemy is revealed and a proper example is made of them. Hapan Security can only do so much in these cases. I don't want to admit it, but military action is an option, particularly if the threat hails from offworld." she added.

She pushed herself off of the edge of the deck and into slightly deeper water, keeping herself afloat by making walking motions with her legs and gentle, wing-flapping motions with her arms.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The Jedi would lean on the edge of the deck, right beside her. He was pretty sure the last time he'd been this close to a scantily clad woman, he'd been dragged into an instance of mud wrestling by a fellow Council Member. And this was shortly after the whole Jedi Council Hot Tub Grandbooty Incident. Normally, he'd probably be thrilled by the sentiment of a woman's bare rear end right in his face, hint hint, but Selena Halcyon? Even he'd have to pass. The thought sent shivers down his spine, and he visibly shuddered for a very brief moment at just the mere thought of it. Most of the female council members being in a hot tub, dressed like they were skinny dipping, with the only young man there being himself was a situation that most people could only dream of. Somehow, for him, the situation had become the stuff of nightmares by the time it was all said and done.

He thought for a brief moment about what Relina had said. "I'm sure she will be scared. And guilty, I'm sure. Perhaps I can use that to my advantage" Joshua would mule over aloud, his eyes gazing down at the water as he remained deep in thought. "But however we do it, we need to find out quickly before it spreads that whoever sent he after you has failed in the first attempt. You need to get the information quickly, and strike just as quickly before they can launch another attack"

He watched her move off the edge of the deck and smirked faintly, his demeanor changing to be a little more lighthearted for the moment.

"By the looks of you, I'm guessing swimming's a regular hobby?" He would tease with a playful smile. Was he calling her attractive? Seemed so.

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

Relina nodded to [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] as he spoke. "I agree... so far, the media hasn't been advised that I am aware of, considering the security risks. But.... I will trust you to handle it." she said, although she felt worried about the identity of her enemy. What it if wasn't someone from her own world? Could she declare an armed vendetta on another sovereign world of the Consortium?

She was shaken from her reverie when Josh commented on her body. She looked herself over, although most of her form was distorted by the refraction of water. Then again, it wasn't like she didn't see herself every day. "Well, swimming and jogging, largely. This figure doesn't happen by itself, you know." she said, giving Josh a once-over as well, this time a bit more intently.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"As much media indifference as possible is the best" The Jedi Master would advise. "The less they know about this, the more time you have before your enemies know that they have failed in their assassination attempt, and the more time you have to gain information and devise a counterattack. The less the enemy knows... The better. That's military 101, as much as I hate knowing that" He would add, chuckling a bit. He hated knowing he'd been involved in war and knew all the tactics that a leader of a squad should... But that was the breaks.

The blonde smirked when she brought up the response to his crack about her body. "I can see that" He would tease. "You're going to make a man quite lucky one day" He joked, the cheekiest of grins crossing his face. He'd noted her looking him over, but he had assumed it was just a teasing retaliation.

Unfortunately, his faith in his luck with women had dispersed over the years since Sao had died. He was going to need an obvious sign most likely. Or a literal sign, in his case.

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

Relina chuckled at [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]'s comment. "Yes, perhaps." she said. She knew she was pretty, especially in the eyes of a non-Hapan male. Her kind were considered generally more attractive than other Human breeds. Nearly five millennia of selective breeding with a limited gene pool and an ancestral stock of generally attractive matriarchs tends to yield this result.

She'd dive under briefly and surfaced nearer to Josh, flicking her hair back all dramatically. She'd then grab onto the edge of the deck and would simply kick gently, purposely moving in such a way that she felt all of the water's resistance. The open back of her swimsuit would leave her military tattoo on her upper back visible plain as day, a blue Halo with seven stylised angel wings arranged in a triangular formation, the top apex of which had three such wings while the lower two had two each. Inside the halo's circumference was a set of numbers and a word on stylised banners, '7th, 77th Angel'.

"I... don't think you have ever flown with me before, have you?' she asked.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Of course if she'd gone and bragged about that select breeding being the reason, it'd only support his idea that most nobles were snobby blowhards who considered themselves better then everyone else in every way. He would have also started making incest jokes. Probably best not to bring it up. It would only sour his opinion on her. He didn't care about breeding reasons, he called it as he saw fit - she was beautiful - simple as that.

Josh himself had no select breeding for his looks. He was born with what he was out of chance, and whether he looked good or not all depended on the opinions and tastes of others.

Joshua would watch as she would dive, getting a good look at her rear for just a moment at the tail end of her dive, his eyes focusing on it for the split second he had. Of course, he didn't make this fact known to her, or risk trouble in his eyes. He noted the tattoo on her back. He used to have several tattoos himself, but they were from time spent in an imperial prison, and they had since been removed.

To her question, he shook his head. "No, I don't believe so"

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

"This shouldn't be a difficult flight. I promise, I'm a good pilot." Relina said with a wink. Incidentally, the Hapan gene pool wasn't so limited that breeding with close relatives was a common, let alone socially acceptable convention. When xenobiologists refer to a limited gene pool, they typically mean limited variation between individual genetic blends. Comparative lack of new genes introduced by non-Hapan Humans or near-Humans resulted in a generally homogeneous breed of Humanity that is set apart from the other breeds due to said homogeneity. When the original progenitor stock carried genes that expressed features that the average Human considered attractive procreated, those genes passed on through their progeny and continued through to the modern day with only minor changes, largely in the form of adaptation to the environment. Most everyone knew Hapans couldn't see in the dark very well because the thick veil of the Transitory Mists made true night on any world within its envelope impossible. The ability to see in the dark was the least necessary trait for survival and reproduction and thus atrophied over the millennia. The modern Hapan was virtually nightblind as a result. If Josh were to raid the library or have a run through the Holonet, he'd discover this in detail in short order without a doubt.

She would then climb out of the pool, fetching one of the fresh towels to wrap around herself. Then, she reached for another to wrap her wet hair in. "I'm getting hungry. How about you?" she asked. "Breakfast should be prepared soon." True enough, Relina's stomach made a gentle gurgling sound, to which her only visible reaction was pursing her lips with a 'oops' look on her face.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Well, he certainly wouldn't be taking her with him on any missions that involved the dark. She'd never survive if he did. He was fully aware of the Hapans... Problem with the dark, of course, or he would have offered quite some time ago. While she would have been great to have along, and he had half a mind to ask her to come along next time he went on a run to take down slavers, he wouldn't if he knew he'd be there for several days or even all day, like he was for the last one. If nightfall hit and Relina couldn't see, and wasn't skilled in the force enough to overcome it and still be able to sense her enemies, he was simply putting her in danger. Being a Ducha, he couldn't just risk her blindly like that.

"You know, I think the last time I was in any body of water that wasn't the ocean, it was when I was in some hot spring with the Jedi Council. I'm not joking. It's a funny story" He cracked as he watched her get out of the water. He'd reminisced himself with this story earlier, though hadn't said anything. He'd climb out with her afterword and wrap a towel around himself. He hadn't really gotten his hair wet, not enough time in the pool to have been able to do that. Another time, perhaps.

The Jedi let out a heartily laugh at the gurgling sound that came from Relina. "Yeah. Was on my way to go see if anything had been laid out early before I poked in here. I suppose a beautiful woman stops even the senses of the stomach" He cracked, smirking over at her. "Just need to change and we can go"

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

Relina blushed at being called beautiful... again... "You are a sweet man, Joshua. Don't ever let that wane." she said evenly. She'd stand in the sunlight filtering down through the enclosure to help dry what little was exposed to it. She looked Josh over some more, knowing largely by conjecture and knowing how the average male was, that he had likely been doing the same thing. Thing is, she wasn't doing it behind his back and in her mind, didn't have to. just how much did he work out? His physique looked like that of many Hapan men; Muscular, toned, and built for women's eye candy. Truely, Relina would be insane not to claim him and once and for all get those gym-rats and noblemen who were likely after elevated social status and her money off her bottom... and she was the monogamous type. But, what could convince a Jedi Master to settle down on a secluded planet with the equivalent of a duchess?

"I trust you'll tell me that story, no?" she asked, attempting to get her mind off of a master plan to seduce him. Really, she doubted it would take much to get him interested, but it was the dynamics of his profession that worried her.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Of course, while he flirted jokingly, him trusting enough to settle into an actual relationship was a different matter entirely. When you're backstabbed as much as he's been, trusting someone as a friend is hard enough. A relationship - or even marriage? While marriage was a dream of his, he wasn't as quick to settle as he used to be. Just like that, one wrong decision could destroy everything. Of course, it wasn't like she wasn't qualified. But he was definitely a lot more cautious in that department then he once was. The days of flirting one day, being thrown into a relationship the next - no matter who they were, were behind him. Every move was made with a cautiousness that came from a man who'd lost everything because he put his faith, his trust, loyalty, and everything else, in people he shouldn't have.

The Jedi smiled at her words. "I'll try. No promises" He would tease, sticking his tongue out at her playfully and dried himself off. Once he did, he couldn't help but check her out juuust a little. Though stopped the moment he saw her look at him, not knowing what she had done in return. Once he had left, changed, and returned, he would answer her question.

"Of course. Perhaps during breakfast? It's a little... Perverted though, fair warning"

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

Relina would nod as she passed, as she , too, was in need of a shower and a proper set of clothes. "Then.... perhaps I shall hear it in private later. Pervse stories are best left there." she said. "I will meet you in the dining room." she added and was off.

She returned to her quarters to change out of her swimsuit, clean the chlorine and saline water out of her hair and off of her skin, and get into a suitable outfit. She had used the nice soap that smelled like and was made by the same designer as her favourite perfume. Incidentally, the stuff was called 'Angel'. Getting out of the bathroom, she wrapped her hair up in a towel once again before putting on a wrap-around, sleevless tunic in cold purple. Over that, another wrap-around, this one more dress-like in a slightly brighter purple with cyan trim. She buttoned it in place and put a blue sash around her waist, matching the translucent-blue winglets over her bare shoulders. The cold-shoulder sleeves terminated in fitted points looped over her middle fingers. She then took a minute or so to select a suitable pair of shoes to go with it, a pair of light blue sandals of the relatively simplistic toe-loop, upper strap, and slingback style on a low heel. She'd finish with sparse use of make-up, eyeliner and negligible blush specifically and a spritz of the aforementioned favourite perfume.

Relina then went down to meet Josh and Aless for breakfast, leaving the towel on her head pending having a certain servant of hers', a professional stylist she kept on retainer, properly dressing it. "Sallan." she greeted everyone as she entered the dining room.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The Jedi would laugh a bit. "If you wish, we can have food delivered somewhere private and we can talk there. You noble types generally take room service on a daily basis, no?" He would tease cheekily. And with that, they were off.

He'd returned to his quarters, showered, dressed, and all of that fun stuff. He wasn't used to big Hapan palace bathrooms still. The shower could have probably housed two people. Which would be nice if he ever for some reason felt inclined to inquire to Relina as to if she would ever want to join him in the shower for some oddball, whacked out reason. Or perhaps she'd be the one to ask? He couldn't be the only one with crazy sexual fantasies, no? All joking aside, he would return to the dining room, dressed up, and because he'd picked shampoo at random, his hair smelled uncannily like the scent of.... Strawberries? He really hoped that Relina liked the smell of strawberries. He could still smell it in his hair, no matter how much he washed it.

He'd beaten her to the dining room, and waved casually when she would pop in. "Uh... Sallan" He responded, trying to at least make some attempt to know the language. Did that mean hello? Or greetings? He assumed so. Although she could have said "Take me" too, and that would have just been awkward from his response.

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

Relina grinned at his response. "Your accent could use some work, Joshua. Our vowels are pronounced in an... I suppose 'elongated' is the word in Basic... Yes, elongated way." she advised as she took a seat right next to him. it took her a moment to try and find the right word in basic. "However, the vowel "I" is short." she added, before pronoucing the greeting a bit slower. "Sah-lahn...."

"It means, 'hello' in your language... More literally, 'good-day'" Came a voice like Relina's, her accent just as thick. It was Alessandra. She was dressed similarly, but in the opposite colours, cyan with purple trim, with a similar style outfit. She opted for slip-one flats in purple, however. Relina seemed to prefer sandals more, apparently. "And how is the mighty hero this fine morning?" She asked, for once her tone lacking sarcasm. Perhaps the twin was warming up to the Jedi.

Relina smiled slightly, glancing at Josh.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"I'll get it eventually. I need to work on my accent, I know. And my words. Maybe I'll be like those rich people and buy a language tape... Oh wait, I'm not one" He joked, laughing a bit. "Elongated.... Riiiight... I'm going to elegonatingly sit down and speak Basic for now because this sounds harder then I thought it would be" He joked heartily, grinning a tad as would watch her come sit next to him.

"I knew that" He responded when she said that he was right - or at least hoping he was right - about Sallan, so... That was a start? He guessed? Maybe? Or just a really lucky guess. "Beautiful dress, Aless. If you weren't wearing it, I'd hardly be able to tell you apart. Well, besides that Relina has these cute little lips" He joked, chuckling a tad.

"Hero?" He remarked in response to asking how he was. "I wouldn't say that, but I'm well, thank you. How are you two, after the shock of the night?" He would inquire.

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

Both women laughed. Aless nodded her thanks at the complement and sat across from Relina.

"Anyone who would take a risk to save another is, by common definition, a hero. You are so to me because you put yourself on the line to save my sister from an assassin's gun.... speaking of which, what is the deal with that?" She asked both of them.

Relina pursed her lips at the comment about them and would have interjected, but Aless spoke first. She'd glance at [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] expectantly. "I hope the media hasn't been informed. We aren't hosting a kegger for all of Dimitor." she said as flatly as her accent would allow.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He still continued to be full of compliments and cheeky little flirts. Would he ever change? Probably not.

He would shrug to Aless' comment, and nodded a bit. "I suppose so" He said. "For me, it's just always been part of the territory. The term Hero doesn't really come around a whole lot, but I'll take it" He remarked, laughing a bit.

He shook his head at the next bit. "No. They haven't. I already suggested to make sure last night that it didn't. They can find out AFTER they've been taken down" He would add. "I'll be partaking in interrogations whenever Relina is ready for me to. Perhaps afterword, we can celebrate the hopeful success with a few drinks, if you guys are up for it" He would suggest. Just a causal suggestion, of course.

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

Breakfast was soon served mid-conversation. Lots of meats and eggs, fresh fruit, breads, and a choice of caff or fruit juice. Relina and her sister both went for the caff, taking it in a similar way.

Alessandra nodded. "...very well. If Relina trusts you, then I will.... Although this is not to say I'd be inherently opposed to it on principal. It is, I hear, impossible to lie to a Jedi. Your services may prove advantageous." She said before beginning to eat.

Relina would nod. "... as for drinking, perhaps later tonight if possible." she said, hoping this would be over sooner than later. She'd also start eating.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Well, looks like they would be eating here after all. That was fine, of course. He could tell her the story over drinks later perhaps. Perverted stories were always funner to tell after a few glasses of alcohol anyway. Or adult beverages, whatever you wanted to call them. But mmmm, mmm, mmm, meats. He loved eating those. Steaks, chicken, pork, you name it. He'd never tried deer though. Didn't plan to.

He nodded as the others began eating. "It's hard to. So I doubt she'll be able to lie" He remarked. "And I have a few tricks up my sleeve if she does" He would add. He just hoped they'd work. He had all sorts of methods for getting her to talk, from gentle ones, to diplomatic ones, to harsher ones. He really hoped he wouldn't need to use the harsher ones.

"I'll bet I can drink you both under the table" He would tease before he began eating.

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

Relina chuckled. "We shall see, Joshua. I will warn you. I am a sailor." she said with her head held high for a moment. Truly, Relina had a bit of a tolerance, despite what comparatively little it took the night before to impair her judgement. It was, however, past midnight at the time and alcohol tends to effect Humans more profoundly with less food digesting to impede its progression through the body's metabolic process. However, Relina was a female and a somewhat dainty one. Men usually had the edge when it came to who can hold their alcohol longer.

She continued to eat. "At any rate,we will leave as soon as my hair is done. It shouldn't take terribly long. I'm not doing anything fancy with it today." she said with a giggle. Aless seemed to approve of Josh's reassurance.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"And I'm a bargoer. You don't know what alcohol tolerance is, sweetheart, until you try to drink with the common folk" The Jedi would tease with a challenging smile. He was daring her. He wanted to see her try and outdrink him. He'd had drinking contests with races where their normal, weak drink was the equivalent to vodka. He didn't always WIN in that case, but a tolerance was something he'd built up quite well. He was sure, real sure, that he could outdrink Relina any day of the week if he tried. But he looked forward to the challenge, of course.

He chuckled when she'd remark about her hair. "Leave for what exactly? You've brought up a few things that we could do today. Ship, drinking, interrogation, and a couple other things, but I don't think we really established a proper order" The Jedi would remark between swallows of his food.

[member="Relina Zhan"]