Private Paradise Before War

[Anet Raine]

Acier Moonbound

Her jaw tightened when he purposefully let the glass smash against the floor, but there was something softer in her eyes; his guess as to what that meant. The cleaning droid paused briefly to reassess the scene before carrying on with the task of cleaning their mess. Other acolytes noticed but otherwise paid little mind.

Her eyes drifted to the bartender, who drifted to the opposite end of the bar, then she looked back at Acier.

"It seems we've been cut off," she delivered nonchalantly. "No thanks to you." Yeah, she'd let him take that one.

As if to keep him from getting comfortable at the bar, Anet brushed past him and headed for the stairs.

"Come on. Roofs are always a better view."

She waved him along again. Same as those other times, without ever looking back.

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Pelagon - Pelagar City

Equipment:
Acolyte Robes | Lightsaber | Cybernetic Arm

Ace closed his eyes when she announced they'd been cut off. His head dipped slightly, a small smirk forming despite himself. As much as he'd wanted another Scarif Slush… that might have been worth it.

He felt her brush past him, light but deliberate. Ace opened his eyes when she mentioned the rooftop.

He didn't move right away. Instead, he tilted his head back, blinking up at the cantina ceiling for a moment, jaw shifting as he bit the inside of his cheeks. Part of him wanted to call it there. Leave. Go back to preparation. Focus on what actually mattered.

The other part… was still curious. About Anet, about what he could still learn. Curiosity won. With a faint exhale, Ace pushed off the bar and followed. He caught up quickly, matching her stride on the stairs and falling into step beside her as they reached the rooftop access.

"You trying to see how much of your bantha shit I'm willing to put up with before I snap?" He asked, tone even, almost conversational.

The rooftop opened out into a wide terrace overlooking Pelagon's coastline. Smooth stone flooring curved outward in a gentle arc, bordered by low, elegant railings carved with wave like motifs. Lanterns mounted along the perimeter cast a warm, amber glow that softened the night.

Beyond the railing, the ocean stretched dark and endless, moonlight skimming across its surface in fractured silver lines. A faint breeze rolled across the terrace, cool and clean, carrying salt and distant music from below.

Ace rested his hands lightly on the railing, gaze shifting from the sea to her.

"I'm not about to have a heart to heart with you."

Anet Raine ​

 

[Anet Raine]

Acier Moonbound

"You trying to see how much of your bantha shit I'm willing to put up with before I snap?"

Anet smirked, though didn't turn to show it. "Imagine if I were so bored," she mused.

The stairwell was quiet, save for the handful of handsy patrons well on their way to coupling. She merely walked past them, as if they weren't there at all, stepping through the door and out onto the roof. The sun had set. Only the faint orange-yellow glow of electric lamps and the distant flush of galactic lights illuminated the night.

Of the handful of tables, only a few were occupied. Some patrons found refuge by the ledge, looking down to the city streets, or leaning back as they enjoyed a smoke.

Anet joined Acier on the railing.

"I'm not about to have a heart to heart with you."

"You're so on guard," she remarked with a sideward glance. "I was right, though, wasn't I? It's a better view."

Anet reached into her Sith robes and withdrew a square, silver box. It snapped open to reveal six cigarettes on one side and a lighter on the other. A premium brand from Bonadan - the kind that was given, not bought, by the Authority's executive board to their corporate elite. Difficult to acquire, even as a collector's item on the HoloNet.

"But don't worry - I'm shallow as the shoreline." That was a joke, given the city was on stilts that ran five dozen meters deep.

She lit one. It burned, slow and gentle, with a faint red glow, flashing brightly when she took an easy drag and blew the sweet-smelling haze off towards the sea. It reflected off her like fire against the pale blue sky.

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Pelagon - Pelagar City

Equipment:
Acolyte Robes | Lightsaber | Cybernetic Arm

Ace didn't look at her when she called him guarded.

"Where I grew up, you had to be." He said quietly.

He didn't elaborate, but the faint red glow of her cigarette caught his attention a second later. His gaze shifted. The silver casing. The weight of the filter. The way it burned. Recognition hit immediately. For half a second the rooftop dissolved into memory.

Bonadan. Smoke hanging thick in back rooms. Executive level enforcers leaning against polished durasteel tables. Tessk's voice cutting through laughter. The big league gang runners, the ones who didn't get their hands dirty unless they owned the dirt, passing around that exact brand like it was a badge of rank.

Authority stock, given to corporate sharks and syndicate heads. His eyes flicked back to Anet's face. The way she'd held herself, her posture, the assumption that she belonged anywhere she stood. It all started to align.

"Shoreline shallow, huh?" He said evenly, disbelief laced in its cadence.

Then, after a brief pause.

"Where did you get that?"

His tone wasn't accusatory. It was calculating.

Anet Raine​