Private Quod Meremur, Desevro

[Thessaly Veruna]

The acrid air of this world stung her nostrils again. Thessaly wrinkled her nose and waved a gloved hand before her face. "Wretched filth," she muttered.

Desevro made perfect sense as a place to hide one's deeds. Who would come here to investigate? Certainly not she. Instead, she had sent someone ahead to request an audience. They had returned, changed by the experience, but alive. That alone had been enough to draw her here.

Her high-arched brows lifted as she looked out the narrow viewport of her slow-moving speeder pod. It was barely large enough for one, piloted by a droid brain.

No one else would witness this meeting. Her ship had never even dropped out of hyperspace. Instead, a shuttle had been released mid-jump in a perilous manoeuvre that still left her stomach uneasy. The official records would show her vessel safely berthed in her late husband's private dock above Eliad.

The pod shuddered. Thessaly's hand shot to the handhold, an instinct she immediately scolded herself for. She released it, forcing her fingers to still.

Her chin rose, a small act of rebellion against her own doubt. This was uncharted territory. Lord Damaris of Eliad, her sadly departed husband, had once hosted Sith at his hedonistic estate on that wealth-mad fringe world. She had always kept her distance, to her advantage. Which meant, of course, that her experience with such creatures was negligible, if one wished to be polite.

The pod ascended a long, crumbling staircase. Whatever light had survived in the decaying city below now vanished. Darkness seeped through the cracks of her vessel like smoke. Thessaly steeled herself.

The hatch hissed open. Wrapped in the furs of long-extinct Eliad beasts, she stepped out into the temple of the Sith of Desevro.

She was not alone. One did not need the Force to feel the weight of unseen eyes. Her response was instinctive. She stood taller, chin high, daring the shadows to measure her.

"I am Thessaly Damaris Veruna, eldest of House Veruna, ancient line of Naboo," she declared, "my reasons for standing here today are many, but I believe my offer will interest us both. The Republic's power rises...of that, I care little. What I do care for is that its ascent is being built upon my family's name, and to our detriment."

"To save House Veruna, drastic steps must be taken. So, I come to you with a proposition."

Arris Windrun Darth Anathemous​

 

[Darth Anathemous]

Wearing: Armor + Furs
Tag: Thessaly Veruna Arris Windrun

Kaila Starfall appeared as little more than golden eyes in the temple doorway.

The icy winds of Desevro whipped the blonde's hair, but she never shivered. ​

She was too absorbed fiery meditation to notice, clawed hands cradling a kettle which continued to bubble in her grasp, glowing with heat. When the speeder-pod appeared on the horizon, she did not take her eyes off it again until Thessaly revealed herself.

The declaration made her smile. So bold, so direct, unlike any aristocrat she'd ever known.

Thessaly was answered at first by the sound of unnaturally heavy footsteps, armored boots crushing ice and snow underfoot with languid step. The figure who stepped out of those shadows was tall, quite muscular for a woman, and encased gray-black steel. With every step taken, talismans pauldrons chimed against armor.

This was no mere brute though, despite it all.

She wore the face of a young woman, perhaps too young to be as steeled and rugged this. The wind turned her freckled cheeks rosy, to which she pulled on the Aurodium chain securing her furs for warmth.

"Welcome to Desevro, Lady of House Veruna."

She greeted in slow, appraising cadence.

"I am Anathemous, Lord of Blades. Joining us is Arris Windrun, Dark Horse of Ruusan."

"...and you are bold indeed to request us..."

​

 

[Arris Windrun]

"I am Anathemous, Lord of Blades. Joining us is Arris Windrun, Dark Horse of Ruusan."

"No need to be so formal," said Arris, who stepped out from behind the Sith Lord.

Her appearance betrayed the utter chill of Desevro - nothing but a leather jacket, spacer's digs, and visible cybernetics. Internal regulations from her implants kept the cyber mutant from freezing over or entering a state of shock.

She circled the noblewoman and looked her up and down, the sort of appraising manner a lady like her was no doubt familiar with. The cyborg stood in for Mercy , who would have been here, but had more important things to do than substantiate the fragility of a foreign power through schemes. As such, the Talusian endeavored to act the way she imagined the Champion would.

"Veruna?" The name lingered on her tongue.

Where have I...

Her eyes went a little wide, as if a stimulant had just reached her bloodstream.

Yes, now she remembered. There was a time when Arris wanted to take a shot at the Prince of Parrlay and the substantial bounty on his head. However, the Black Sun attack had sealed all convenient vectors under heavy security and paranoia. Still tempting, though.

She stood behind Thessaly and spoke. "Well... You said you have a proposition, yeah? Tell us what drastic steps you just have to take."

Ever one who preferred points to be made clearly and with conviction.

Thessaly Veruna

 

[Thessaly Veruna]

Despite the chill threading up her spine, Thessaly gave no outward sign of fear. These women could snap her like a bone. She knew it. They knew it. That would do.

She tightened her furs — less from cold than from habit — and held her chin high.

"Bold, perhaps," she allowed, inclining her head once to Anathemous.

When the name Veruna left the cyborg's lips, she permitted herself a slight, measured curl of the brow. The rest was business.

Straight to it. Good.

"My brother is steering House Veruna to ruin. He must be brought to heel," she said, voice calm as ice. Her eyes tracked Arris deliberately. "I can apply boardroom pressure. Money and legal entanglements are already in motion. What I cannot provide is force. I need muscle."

She let that settle, then added the bait with deliberate ease. "You will have first refusal on any spoils. Ships, crew, cargo...whatever is requisitioned from the attacks is yours. Piracy is on the increase. Your cover is already established. You can maintain your secrecy and grow your assets."

Her head turned toward Anathemous. "Aurelian is acting as Chancellor. Divert his attention onto faltering family interests and his ability becomes easier to question. That opens space for those who can act decisively."

Arris Windrun Darth Anathemous
​