Private Meeting with the Donna

[Mairéad Solus]

Location: Star Lounge, Denon
Objective: Meet with the Donna
Tags: Ivory Stroud

Spoiler: Equipment:

Velmorite bladed lightsabers
Knife on ankle
Ladies Watch
FDS-4F blaster pistol
Marzanna
Datapad

Mairéad looked at her watch, she was running a little early for her meeting with Ivory Stroud at the The Star Lounge. Earlier than she would have liked, but her meeting with the bank had gone more quickly than planned too. "Driver, please can you stop a block over and I will walk the rest of the way." she said to the driver. "Right you are luv" The taxi driver replied to her and dropped her off outside a small cafe not far from the lounge. She was aware that this place was linked to the Family, "Lets see if I've got this right?" she said to herself as she sat down at one of the outside tables. Mairéad made a basic Kosa Nostra gesture she had learned, indicating a desire for table service. Despite it being a cafe that usually required it's customers to attend the counter to order, a staff member very quickly responded and she was handed a wine and a sweet list. Perfect.

She had just under a half hour to wait, so she availed herself to a small glass of wine and some puffed pasty custard desert. Paying her bill she smiled sweetly at the staff and left for her rapidly approaching meeting.

Mai's face was now known at the lounge, so after the quickest of checks she was ushered in an guided to the staircase that led to the inner sanctum, The Donna's office. Mairéadwas nervous, she had met Ivory just a couple of times, both times she had support, once in the form of Stardust Solus Skirae and the second in the form of Marcella Fiora . She had barely spoken to her and had no idea what Miss Stroud made of her. Mairéad had been reassured that there was nothing to worry about, and that her business proposal was solid. Mairéad herself suspected that the Donna wouldn't have even agreed to this meeting if she hadn't already looked into the full details anyway, the woman was rumoured to be very keen on having her finger on the pulse. And rightly so. She wondered how much the Donna had been told about her in advance, she had spent a lot of time recently with one of her Caporegimes, so that fact at least was bound to have gotten back to her.

It was the first time the young witch had entered this office space, as far as she was aware, concealed carry was allowed so she had attended with her pistol, knife and sabers, but would answer honestly and hand them over if challenged by the security staff at any time. Mairéad felt her heart racing as she approached the door, and a chill went up her spine. Her ability to control her powers was coming along well, but not absolute, so she thanked the force that at least nerves were only a minor trigger to her. How embarrassing would that be?

Finally she approached the door and she buzzed in, almost to the second of her alloted time. Too punctual, not punctual enough, fashionably late, enthusiastically early, all options she had considered for today. She had a small private grin as she thought about that.

Ivory's office was beautiful, decorated very elegantly and with several artifacts on the walls that she admired as she passed, a couple of them had the trappings of a force user, such as the saber hilt, but it could as easily be a trophy from a vanquished foe. Across the room say Ivory Stroud , elegant and beautiful in front of her computer terminal and a window. The view out into the upper atmosphere of Coruscant was a nice touch, it gave the office a feel of a cloud cutter, rather than the underbelly of the ecumanopolis.

"Donna, thank you for seeing me today. I hope you have been doing well since the wedding? Such a beautiful day." that was the last time they saw each other briefly. She had know idea if her Donna required small talk or was straight to business. But it would be terribly rude not to offer it.

 

[Ivory Stroud]

The Donna took a deep breath in, then slowly let it out - leaning back in her chair during a brief pause from her efforts. The information displayed on her holo-screen had taken her attention for over an hour - wordlessly demanding her review. She'd grown tired of the endless intel reports, coded messages, and administrative duties her position demanded she monitor... but, without them, The Family's business endeavors wouldn't run as smoothly as she required.

In the short span of time she took to mentally disengage, a voice crackled over the intercom resting on her desk: "Ma'am, she's on her way." The voice belonged, of course, to Phaelix - The Family's "fixer", hard at work (as always) behind the bar above her in the Lounge.

Ivory reached out and tapped the send button, responding: "Thank you, Phaelix."

Then, she keyed out of the program on her computer, shut off the screen, and glanced at the shiny numbers of the chronograph resting on the wall to one side of the room.

Just in time. Ivory had to appreciate punctuality.

She didn't have to wait long until suddenly, the buzzer at her office door sounded - indicating a visitor outside. The Donna reached out, tapping a button beneath her desk which would disengage the magnetic lock & allow entry. The door slid open, and Mairéad Solus strode into the room. Ivory was already watching her, silently appraising the lovely young woman. The Solus Witch was dressed smartly in a clean, professional cream-colored dress & matching hat - her outfit earning immediate approval from The Family's Matriarch. Ivory watched as her visitor evaluated the decor of her office for only a heartbeat before speaking:

"Donna, thank you for seeing me today. I hope you have been doing well since the wedding? Such a beautiful day."

Ivory laced her fingers together, palms resting on the desk. "Mairead Solus; looking quite sharp, young lady. I wish more of our associates took as much care for their punctuality and appearance as you." The Donna grinned, flashing perfectly white teeth as she met Mairead's eyes. "A woman's work is never done... as I'm sure you'll agree. Coruscant appears to be treating you quite well. Please, take a seat." She said, then indicated one of the chairs which sat opposite her own on the other side of the desk.

The Donna was already familiar with the young woman's motives for requesting an audience, but she preferred to give her people ample opportunity to express themselves. She was, it seemed, the type to get directly to business.

"What can I do for you?"

 

[Mairéad Solus]

Location: Star Lounge, Denon
Objective: Meet with the Donna
Tags: Ivory Stroud

Spoiler: Equipment:

Velmorite bladed lightsabers
Knife on ankle
Ladies Watch
FDS-4F blaster pistol
Marzanna
Datapad

Mairéad was quite pleased with this warm welcome, and the complement on her appearance was also very appreciated. "Thank you, it was only a couple of years ago I realised just how important that stuff was too me too." forced to dress up for years as a slave she initially shunned any fine wear but found herself inexorably drawn back to it, and now it was part of her.

Mairéad opened her small satchel and pulled out a small dataslate. She smirked to herself as she noticed the little dinks in the case that betrayed the bumpy ride it had had in the last few years. It might be time for an upgrade of that too. She opened the pad and her proposal appeared on the screen. She put it on the table, not for her to read, but just in case Ivory Stroud preferred a digital copy while she spoke.

"So, as you are likely aware, I came from a fairly unpleasant situation. I won't rehash the details, but due to all that I have been sat on a little bit of money." during their evenings, Mairéad had discussed her origins a little with Marcella Fiora , she had omitted the darker aspects, but had admitted that she was previously a slave and was meant to be married off to a Hutt. "Miss Fiora has advised that investing the money in a business would be better than sitting on it. I also like to think that I earn my keep and I pay my way, so having a way of contributing to The Family would also be beneficial." she smiled and took a breather. She wasn't a natural business woman but she was smart and picked things up quickly. She had spent so much of her time growing up around wealthy people she knew how to fake it, but part of her wondered if she was still faking it because this didn't feel unnatural for her.

"I have just come from the bank who have confirmed my liquidity to buy the establishment that Miss Fiora has helped me find, its a specialist bar on Denon. Apparently its fairly undervalued so has good profit potential, and she has agreed to take a minor stake in ownership in exchange for business guidance so I am confident a stable business can come out of this." Now was the time to start asking for things and making proposals, this was the bit she had most nerves about.

"What I wanted to discuss with yourself Donna, is Family affiliation, I believe that the business contacts, staffing potentials and protections provided by the family would be beneficial to my business. In turn, the business would allow me to, kick up? Is that the right term? A, hopefully significant, amount of credits." That was enough of a pitch for the moment, the document on the table had the specifics of the type of bar it was, profit projections, estimates or what sort of business links might be useful and of course, reference to a private meeting room that would be tailored to the Family's personal security needs.

She paused for a moment, her mouth dry and she took a sip from the water that had been offered to her by Ivory's staff.

 

[Ivory Stroud]

The Donna reached out toward a small metallic silver case on her desk as Mairéad Solus began; opening the case & extracting a slim Fiora Ivory cigarra. Holding it between her index and middle finger, she placed it between her lips before picking up a small device - her NADIR P-Series lighter (a constant compansion) - and depressing the switch at the top. A low hiss sparked from the top of the lighter as a bright blue flame sprung to life. Ivory lit her cigarra, then set the lighter back down on the desk.

As the young woman seated across from her produced the data-slab and placed it on her desk, Ivory would reach out & pick it up - bringing it closer as Mai began to explain. As she did, Ivory looked over the data displayed therein, skimming the pertinent details...

A Recall Bar. Memories On Demand.

Intriguing.

"I see." Ivory said during her visitor's pause, glancing up to catch her eye. The Donna's expression was unreadable as she allowed Mairead to continue.

"I have just come from the bank who have confirmed my liquidity to buy the establishment that Miss Fiora has helped me find, its a specialist bar on Denon. Apparently its fairly undervalued so has good profit potential, and she has agreed to take a minor stake in ownership in exchange for business guidance so I am confident a stable business can come out of this." Now was the time to start asking for things and making proposals, this was the bit she had most nerves about.

Ivory tapped the screen, bringing up details of the location Mairead spoke of. Her eyebrows arched curiously, approving of the decision... With Marcella in the driver's seat, she felt reassured. She could tell, immediately, that the young woman seated across from her was nervous... As Mai continued, Ivory would set the datapad down, take a pull from her cigarra, and listen:

"What I wanted to discuss with yourself Donna, is Family affiliation, I believe that the business contacts, staffing potentials and protections provided by the family would be beneficial to my business. In turn, the business would allow me to, kick up? Is that the right term? A, hopefully significant, amount of credits."

Wreathed by a cloud of sweet-smelling tabaac smoke, The Donna was silent for a moment. "I'm impressed, young lady. You seem to have done most of the legwork already." She paused, then stubbed out her cigarra in an ashtray. She steeped her fingers and leaned back, lounging in her chair; deep in thought.

"Staff and security would have to be vetted, if you don't rely strictly on our own soldiers. In fact, if you want any form of legitimate enterprise, I'd advise that you rely on private employment for the front-of-house... Much like we do with The Lounge. Licensing & administrative fees can be rather costly; CAD requires a significant up-front cost to do business & obtain the necessary permits - but provided the fees are paid on-time and regularly, we would be afforded quite the wide berth in-terms of operational freedom."

She paused, chewing on her lip for a moment in thought... then continued: "This sounds like quite the investment... both in terms of size & potential for return. It certainly sounds like something the common Denonite would be interested in patronizing. How, exactly, would you go about obtaining the product? The cost of a memory is a... subjective thing." She opened her hands, palms up & open as-if to say "You catch my meaning?"

"What I mean is, provided you have a means of extracting said memories without hurting or killing your subjects, I would assume the provider sets the initial cost. How do you evaluate what a memory is worth? And then, how do you determine the cost for experiencing said memory?"

 

[Mairéad Solus]

Location: Star Lounge, Denon
Objective: Meet with the Donna
Tags: Ivory Stroud

Spoiler: Equipment:

Velmorite bladed lightsabers
Knife on ankle
Ladies Watch
FDS-4F blaster pistol
Marzanna
Datapad

Listening to Ivory Stroud speak and return positive responses she felt at ease and quietly confident in how things were going. She thought for a moment about the hiring of staff. "Sorry, i'm unclear exactly what you mean by private staff? You mean as opposed to some 'rent-a-thug'?" She had encountered many of those in her past, the sort who would beat a a slave just because they could, no, she wouldnt be using those. "Marcella has suggested using Family staff for the more secure parts of the business, but I am quite keen on some carefully vetted local hires too." she smiled and listened some more.

Mairéad was purchasing an already functioning and reasonably profitable business, so luckily for her, several of the things Ivory was bringing up were already in place, not perfect, and not hers yet, but it gave her somewhere to start and a precedent to set things. She could see exactly which memories had sold best over the last few years and which had sat unread.

"Reveries was placed on the market because its owners wider portfolio was failing and this was one of their only profitable assets, which is sad for them but lucky for us." There was a mild inflection in the 'us' indicating a subtle probe toward Ivory's interest. "They have full records of what is profitable and price structures in place, they need to be worked on, as one of Marcella's accountants thinks they were paying too much tax, but they make an informative starting point" The value of anything like this was entirely subjective, it was almost like artwork, one person may love it and another may hate it, and each purchase was a risk, the trick was making sure that risk was well balanced.

"I suppose it would be like investing in an art gallery, you could buy one piece for thousands of credits and nobody even notice it, then a relative unknown hands you a cheap work that has them queueing up round the block." she politely shrugged with a grin, not to say she didn't have an answer, but that the only answer was the fun of the gamble. "One scheme I have seen in place which had excellent returns on its cost is the owners would pay for an experience, such as a skydive for a local teen in exchange for returning with the memories, it will be reviewed with everything else, but it seems like a good option."

She paused again, hoping she had answered Ivory's questions appropriately, she had a nagging feeling she was missing something but that would most likely be her nerves playing tricks on her.

 

[Ivory Stroud]

The Donna's fingers drummed a steady pattern on her desk, considering what her guest was explaining. She waited, patiently, for Mairead to finish - eyes cast downward, deep in thought. When the young woman mentioned the purchasing of trips in exchange for the memories, that caused her eyebrows to rise; curiosity plainly written on her face.

"What about bleed-through? Is there a chance of the user experiencing thoughts, feelings, emotions, or prior memories originating from the original experience?"

Ivory, to her own credit, had a wealth of experiences to barter... Hell, she wouldn't even ask for credits if it meant her own secrets (or The Family's, for that matter) remained safe.

Mairéad Solus

 

[Mairéad Solus]

Location: Star Lounge, Denon
Objective: Meet with the Donna
Tags: Ivory Stroud

Spoiler: Equipment:

Velmorite bladed lightsabers
Knife on ankle
Ladies Watch
FDS-4F blaster pistol
Marzanna
Datapad

Bleed through? That was a very interesting question, she supposed it would be a concern of anyone that was hooked up to it, but she had taken care to make sure it all seemed safe. "So my understanding of the technology used to collect the memories is that they are compartmentalised. They are harvested from the sensory parts of the brain only, so you experience the inputs the source would have received, sights, sounds, smells, that kind of thing. It doesn't include any of the users reactions, so their thoughts and emotions.

The technology is new to me but i am fairly confident in my understanding, I will forward you all technical documentation." she reached over and with a few presses, there was a swish noise and Ivory received a notification of incoming document files.

"Regards other memories, that is the kicker, the resultant file is clean and single time frame.... however, the technician would need to cut it, so say you had committed some crime in the few minutes before the target memory, then the technician will likely see that and have to edit it out during production. Technically speaking, the technician removing the memory would be able to look at memories of a different time period, but it would be a massive breach of trust so, yeah, they'd do it once." she smirked lightly, suspecting Ivory knew exactly what she meant regards the prospects for someone who betrayed the an organisation like Family in that manner.

The technical documentation was quite a large document, too much for a quick skim, but would hold any answers Ivory might have about how it all worked. The memories could even be harvested whilst the subject was awake, so a suspicious or less trusting subject could watch exactly which memories were being taken and act accordingly of their trust was broken.

Mairéad was feeling more and more confident, Ivory had the air of terrir in her reputation, but came across as a very smart and reasonable business woman, much like Marcella. She wouldn't count her chickens just yet but things at least felt positive.

 

[Ivory Stroud]

Satisfied, The Donna accepted the document transfer - but would review it later. The young woman seated across from her was confident, and that made her confident. Putting on a show, The Donna's demeanor didn't change; she picked up the datapad once more and casually reviewed the documentation Mairéad Solus had already provided... Her brow furrowed, as-if she were deep in thought.

But she'd already made her decision.

"Well," she began, glancing up over the edge of the datapad, "so long as the technicians we employ are trustworthy, I'd say that would be our biggest liability. Thankfully, I do have connections on Denon - if required, I can potentially put out feelers for individuals with the necessary skill set - that is, unless you already have a team in mind."

A pleasant smile blossomed over her ruby lips as The Donna set the datapad back down. She interlaced her fingers, resting her hands on the desk and staring for a few long moments at her guest... Then, extended an open hand.

"Very well, young lady. You'll have what you require. I'd like to visit within the next two weeks - for a tour, of course. I have business on Denon, anyway."