More Than Bar Buddies

[Delila Castillon]

@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"] - Kaeshana, House of Kerrigan-Alcori

What am I doing here?

Delila kept asking herself that very question time and time again. Yet here she was on Kaeshana. Siobhan may have suggested she visit more often during the Rebel Shopping Spree that had recently taken place. Delila agreed, but didn't realize what a change her favorite woman-shaped battering ram had made. She was used to seeing the former Colonel in dirt covered trenches, or filthy backwater planets. Even the glittering and expensive towers that was the Protectorate headquarters looked like a trash heap compared to the expansive estate.

Meanwhile, she looked like a Tatooine street orphan by mere comparison.

Careful not to tread on the perfectly manicured grass or brush against the elegantly shaped shrubbery, the soldier stood staring at the home. No way was she ringing the bell. Delila was going to high tail it back to whatever backwater hellhole the Rebels were on and tell Siobhan she was sick. Contagious. Patient zero. Turning her back on the expansive home, Delila stealthily made her exit. Or she at least attempted to.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Delila Castillon"]

Unfortunately for poor Delila despite her considerable expertise as a Republic and later Protectorate officer, not to mention her capabilities as a Rebel insurgent, where stealth was an important skill, escape from the estate of Lady Kerrigan was not so easy. Perhaps Siobhan had anticipated that her friend might get cold feet. Or maybe she was just in the garden by chance. Having a friend who could easily sense you with the Force was a bit of a queen sometimes.

Regardless before footsteps on the perfectly manicured grass, which was flanked by rose bushes, announced her coming, a slightly amused but friendly voice broke the silence and got in the way of the Rebel making a stealthy exit. "You're not making a run for it, are you? I swear there aren't any Reavers hungry for your liver in here. Besides, dinner should be ready soon," at that Siobhan stepped into view. The exact opposite of being equipped for dirt covered trenches or Reaver infested caves, she was dressed in an elegant, beautiful red dress that...fit her rather well and was sleeveless, exposing toned but scarred arms. Her feet were tucked into elegant flat shoes because high heels were still a thing of evil to her; her brown doe eyes were smoky with eye shadow.

Long brown hair cascaded down to frame her face and full red lips - presumably an elf servant girl had applied the lipstick because Siobhan's attempts would have probably ended up pretty messy - curved into a genuine smile upon seeing her friend. "It's good to see you, Dells."

 

[Delila Castillon]

@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Dammit All!

Being caught red handed trying to leave the estate, Dells offered up a weak smile. "Uh...No. Never...You...uh...had a yellow blade of grass. Wouldn't want it marring up the ocean of green." An incredibly lame lie, but what was she supposed to say? The truth? Yes, I was leaving your estate in the quickest and most silent matter possible, but you indeed caught me. Shoulders slumped with defeat at her own exit. Probably the former Colonel's bionic hearing, no doubt by now the woman had nearly all of her organic and natural bits changed over to droid components!

Eyes settled on the dress. Well, more specifically a certain area that was well highlighted and put on display. Delila motioned across her own chest, as if to get the point across about Siobhan and her goods on display. Eyebrow quirked in mild amusement at the entire thing.

"Nice dress Colonel. Really..uh...highlights all the important pieces on you."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Delila Castillon"]

In response to the incredibly lame lie Siobhan just chuckled, as if finding it terribly funny and amusing. "Oh, that's kind of you. Maybe I should keep you around!" she quipped. Undeterred and either not noticing or not caring that Delila had been trying to put her stealth training to good use and escape all Metal Gear Solid like - alas there were no cardboard boxes to to hide in - she approached her. The number of droid parts Siobhan had was something that had been much exaggerated in Omega Pyre. For the record, her chest did not have any droid augmentations in it. Contrary to rumours she also did not have a mechanical tongue.

An eyebrow was raised in amusement as she noticed Delila's gaze being drawn towards her goods and the subsequent gesture towards her own chest. Since this was Siobhan, she could hardly be expected to get flustered or embarrassed about it. "Thanks. Catch your eyes, do they?" she asked sarcastically, not waiting for a response as she pulled the redhead into a deep hug. This might have had the effect of her considerable bust being pressed against the redhead, but then they were good friends so it surely was not too inappropriate.

"It was a gift from Queen Silaqui. Honestly, I think she just wants to stare at my rack and get between my legs again. Not that I'm gonna complain about Eldorai royals liking me," she joked, gently but insistently pulling Dells with her before the redhead could try to escape again - or perhaps put her bladedancer training to good use. "Flight was alright? How you been?"

 

[Delila Castillon]

@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

"Keep me around? I don't think I could keep up with your demands."

Giving her former commander a tight hug back, Delila found herself being dragged along against her will. Siobhan had a literal death grip on her arm. No one escaped the clutches of the half-woman, half-machine that was Siobhan Kerrigan! Not even herself. So here she was, begin drug against her will across a large estate. No doubt the servants would turn a blind eye. They were probably used to seeing redheaded women being dragged to the bedroom, kicking and screaming.

"Flight was fine. Everything is fine. Same as the last time we met and went shopping." Doing her best to look at Siobhans face this time, Delila turned to her friend. "Whats new with you? Besides getting laid by loyalty?"

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Delila Castillon"]

"You did very well keeping up with them in the old days! Besides, who's to say I'd always be the one demanding? You're a redhead after all." Having married one Siobhan knew very well how...commanding they could be. Either that or she was just being a troll as usual. She might have decided to dress the part of oversexed, slightly dolled up aristocratic lady, but it seemed some things never changed!

Siobhan looked at Delila curiously as she told her how everything was 'fine'. There was a flicker of something on Siobhan's face; it seemed she was weighing the truth of that word, but then let it slide. "That's good. Going to put all those shiny toys to good use soon? You need a fresh bolter?" at that she gently led Delila into the large villa, the interior of which could be described as tastefully opulent. From the balcony one had a good view of the distant capital of Santaissa. For a change the infamous Kaeshanan weather had not struck and so there were no storms raging. Kicking her flat shoes off over the fine carpet she gestured Delila over to a comfortable looking couch.

"You want something to drink? I'm good. Firemane should be expanding soon. Got a hell of a lot of creds out of a gems deal. Tegs' is real happy about it. We've been our planning our anniversary. Might go to Dahomey - first planet we conquered, way back." Back when Omega Pyre had just been a small mercenary corporation, in fact right after Siobhan had joined. Tegaea had been newly installed as CEO after merging her Dark Stars merc band, Cira had only been the name of a distant leader to Siobhan. Rumours abounded about Amazons living on Dahomey, these had not been verified so far.

 

[Delila Castillon]

@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Delila chuckled at the idea of using her new toys. The sexed up Colonel was busy speaking, so she wasn't dare interrupting. Besides, she was currently being drug through a villa out onto a balcony. At the very least, Dells would be able to chuck herself off and down onto the hard surfaces below if things got too terrible. It was hardly the company. The redhead would follow her former to hell and back if there was a hunch of a good Reaver battle! The setting...wasn't Delila. Perhaps at one time, when she had been with the Protectorate it wouldn't have bothered her as much.

"I have water on this side of things, so I'm good."

Shaking her head at the anniversary mention, Dells couldn't help notice the location. Only Siobhan and Tegaea would go on such a journey. Most people holed up in a fancy hotel somewhere and didn't get dressed for a week. If she was married, that would be her plan anyways.

"Sounds like it could get explosive. Better pack extra ammo just in case. Natives might get restless and then what?" Pausing, Delila gracefully changed the subject."Congratulations to Firemane. Its nice to see you settling into the life of a businesswoman."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Delila Castillon"]

Siobhan gave her a look but then nodded. "Ok. But you are having dinner," she insisted in the no-nonsense, brokering no contradiction tone Delila would recognise from the time when she had been the Colonel. "Maybe. Hah. If need be I'll battering ram our way through, but the place is pretty calm. People running it are still old guard - one of the places where the 'new administration' hasn't mucked around yet," she spoke. No, her opinion about the people running the Protectorate and the Pyre was scathing at the best of times. She expected them to get strangled like the litter of blind kittens, but she just could not seem to care. "Maybe I'll finally meet Amazons," she joked.

She settled down and took a seat, leaning back against a cushion and crossing her legs. "Thanks. It's mainly Tegs doing all the big deals...I just 'acquire' things, show the Angelii what real war is and sweet-talk Eldorai royals into liking us so that we can mine all their minerals," she joked. Alright it was a bit more than that, but unlike last time she did not sound dissatisfied with her station. Still trying to find her way surely, but she did not want to waste opportunities again like she believed she had done in the Protectorate.


"Is, uh, something wrong, Dells?" she asked a bit awkwardly. Siobhan was an inherently self-centred woman - otherwise she might have noticed sooner that Anemone had wanted more than just to play 'doctor and patient games', but even she was not that oblivious to see that the redhead was rather off-kilter.

 

[Delila Castillon]

@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

"Mining minerals huh? I imagine royalty gets a nice cut of the profits in exchange."

Delila was drawing on her experience from other planets. Kaeshana could be different but what planet let resources go for free? Especially in the Protectorate. The territory wasn't as rich and prosperous as it once was, but with many wars waging there was no doubt funds were needed to keep the war machine on track. Although it could be described as being terribly on track, credits were no doubt still needed. After all, the illustrious leader of the Protectorate needed to be kept in the finest of floppy hats.

Taking her seat opposite of Siobhan, Dells stared out at the expansive landscape before them. A city could be seen in the far distance, looking modern yet organic in nature. Very intriguing.

"I'm fine. Nothing you should be concerned about."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Delila Castillon"]

Siobhan nodded. "Pretty much. Everyone wants a piece of the cake. There's a reason they're happy to have Princess Anya liaise with us. Elves are proud and can't stand foreigners at the best of the times. We're the only ones they actually trust, especially with a 'maleling monkeigh' ruling he Protectorate." Of course, Anya was far more well travelled than most Eldorai and very liberal, but the fact that Siobhan 'knew' Silaqui very well and had secured the succession by chopping her cousin's head off probably helped.

The Protectorate was not much of a protector these days, their foolhardy attack on Fringe - also known as the Sith Empire that was not made of cardboard - had failed, something the Eldorai royals had duly noted. The Atrisians, however, were apparently interested in business. But then she had been totally heroic and helped save their planet not so long ago.

She frowned a bit as Delila continued speaking. Evidently the redhead dismissing claims was not going to fly with her so easily. When Siobhan wanted something she was like a kath hound on a trail. "You know that never works, Dells. I'm your friend...hell, you're my best friend. So, come on, what is it?" she asked, leaning forward towards her.

 

[Delila Castillon]

@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

"I've suddenly become scared of breasts, so don't lean forward. One cough and it might get a bit drafty."

Leave it to Dells to deflect the situation. Herself and Siobhan might have been close, but it didn't mean she was comfortable sharing everything with the brunette. It may not kick the kath hound off its trail but perhaps provide enough to keep the issue at bay. Why wasn't Siobhan this perceptive when she was busy examining Nivalis? Insights definitely could have been used then.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Delila Castillon"]

Siobhan gave her an odd look. They weren't that big. After all, even with the Force fighting with balloons on your chest would be a bit awkward. "For someone 'scared' of them, you sure pay a lot of attention to them. Not that I'm complaining about the appreciation!" she could not resist the urge to snark. She noted that for some reason Delila was deflecting. One might consider Siobhan's sudden kath hound nosiness a bit hypocritical considering that she herself was not exactly the sort of person who was inclined to heart to hearts.

An Eldorai servant girl stepped in and offered drinks, wine, water, juices. Siobhan took a glass of wine and sipped it while she looked at Delila, pondering. "Not that I want to get in the way of the fighting the evils of the Galaxy thing, but you could always come over and work for Firemane. It would be great having you around here," she abruptly changed the topic, perhaps to gauge her reaction.

 

[Delila Castillon]

@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Oh, now you don't want the attention.

Snarky thoughts ran through her head. All of them amazing zingers of course! Delila went big or went home, truly. Although if a sarcasm/snark war went on between Siobhan and Delila, Kaeshana would implode. Not due to their words. Due to the fact both would find explosives to hurl at one another, perhaps even write then insults on then hurl. The other woman was like a redhead in such a regard. Fiery, short tempered and willing to cause explosions at any second.

Taking some type of exotic juice from the servant, Delila shook her head.

"No thanks. I am not fond of space elves.I'd end up destroying the planet."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Delila Castillon"]

"Not all of them are witches. Eldorai males love being bossed around. Perfect for a redhead," Siobhan responded. Apparently she had not yet given up her efforts to try and help Delila get laid more. Nonetheless despite the snarky tone she used, there was a flicker on her face and for a moment she looked almost...disappointed? Perhaps. Certainly not happy with Delila's choice.

Then she shrugged. "We are gonna expand beyond Kaeshsna so it won't be just elves, but your choice. Just know the door's open if you want a change of scenery. We worked well together back at the Pyre."

 

[Delila Castillon]

@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Delila took the disappointed look for something else entirely, that Siobhan was disappointed she couldn't land more men on her own. It wasn't as easy as her former Colonel thought! Men were completely put off by the idea of a woman that could kill them with bare hands, if needed. Taking a sip of the exotic fruit juice, it tasted...off...to her. Maybe it was the fact she wasn't used to having something so freshly squeezed. Perhaps her tastebuds couldn't recognize the real flavor instead of the normal, flat tinny taste.

"We worked together extremely well. I value our time together. The situation is complicated."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Delila Castillon"]

Siobhan did...mean well. She did care, but she was brash and since she considered Dells working for her again a good idea she probably did not fully take her thoughts into account! After all, they had worked very well together and it seemed like a good opportunity. Considering her own reaction to similar situations vis-a-vis Tegs the irony of the situation seemed to escape her.

Both she and Delila were stubborn and prideful, and Siobhan might have begun to lose touch a bit. After all, there was a time when Siobhan would have probably been all for joining a group of partisans fighting the evils in the Galaxy. She still enjoyed a good fight...but at the same time she was tired and liked the life on top now. On a certain level she did feel responsible for her old comrades from the Pyre, those she liked at any rate.

"So do I. We did great work together and I think you'd do great at Firemane. Don't get me wrong, I love a good explosions and thrashing Sithies and Feds, but I think you'd be great here. But...take what take your time," she said with a smile as she sipped her wine glass, naturally it was the best money could buy on Kaeshana.

Time indeed.

 

[Delila Castillon]

@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Head pounding, Delila realized she was laying on something extremely soft. Fluffy pillows surrounded her head. Natural light streamed in through the curtains, with distant songs of birds echoing throughout the quiet space. Groaning, she pushed herself up against the headboard, taking in the room. It was in shades of white, with minor touches of a blue-green. Bench was perched on the end of the bed, which was unusually fluffy and high off the ground. The bed itself seemed to be in an alcove, with small shelves lining the inside, complete with books and nicknacks.

Even more curiously, Delila was dressed in silk pajamas. They were of the long sleeved/long pant design, buttons down the front. Even more curiously, they were the same color gray as her pajamas frequently worn during her time with the Protectorate. Feeling a little indecent in a strangers bedroom with so much cleavage poking through the pajamas, Dells buttoned up the next hole, just in case.

"Holy kriff. I've been date raped by my lesbian Commander."

Delila scoffed. The woman could have had the decency to stay until morning. Or at least bring her breakfast.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Delila Castillon"]

Delila did not remain alone in the guest room for long as soon the door opened and a figure stepped in. Instead of an oversexed former Colonel with a love for redheads it was a blue Twi'lek servant girl, who looked tremendously chipper and gave the Rebel a happy smile.

"Good morning, Mistress Castillon. I hope you are well rested. Did you sleep well? Breakfast just for you," she beamed. "Lady Kerrigan was very insistent that any of your needs be catered to. If there's anything else you need, just ask," Yes, apparently even the servant girls liked to troll, but theny were best when they were misbehaving. True to form the Twi'lek was carrying a tray filled with various plates containing food, along with various flavours of coffee since as fun as Delila getting exactly the coffee she liked and only that, it would be just a bit creepy.

 

[Delila Castillon]

@[member="Siobhan Kerrigan"]

Oh. There's breakfast.

Delila looked at the offerings. Enough to feed a small army. It looked delicious, maybe she should have some....no....wait. Poisoned by juice beforehand, she shouldn't be accepting any food or drink from the Estate of Lady Drug-em-All. Looking a the blue Twi'lek girl, the redhead nearly rolled her eyes at the words and getup the servant had on. She was going to be impolite very soon, no need to berate the poor girls job.

"Look here Blue Girl. I don't want any breakfast. I want you to get 'Lady Kerrigan' and bring her here so I can kick her ass. I assume this room is locked for my 'own protection' so I'll be here waiting while you get on that."

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

@[member="Delila Castillon"]

Despite Delila's words the servant girl continued to look chipper and amused. She randomly picked a tomato and a small sausage from the large tablet and swallowed them, without drifting into unconsciousness. Of course, theoretically she could have known the exact ones that weren't drugged!

"I think she'd like it a bit too much if you 'kicked her arse', Mistress. There's a betting pool," she snarked. "Door's open, but the breakfast is really delicious. You should have some," she turned to the open door and sauntered out with a delicate sway of her hips before briefly turning. "Lady Kerrigan is showering. The shower is quite big," she said with a beatific expression of pure innocence because every good servant girl was a troll. Or perhaps she subscribed to certain 'fan fiction' that could be found on the holonet. We shall not elaborate further because kiddies might be reading this and we must protect their innocent minds.