Private Red lit meeting

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Nar Shaddaa, Red Light Sector
Wearing: Outfit + Gloves
Tag: Vestra Tane

Heels clicked and music blared.

Darth Anathemous surveyed the red light sector club with golden eyes that shone even through the haze of neon for which this place was named. Nar Shaddaa had changed since her last visit, so much more lively under Black Sun rule. In the past she might have cursed the Haxion Brood's competitors, looked upon this world with jealous zeal, but of course the Brood was gone and the Sith Brotherhood who controlled them scattered.

Now she saw it for what it was; opportunity.

She'd come here to meet with a stranger who was both customer and client, as was often the case in underworld dealings.

What this atypical however, was that they had approached her.

This fascinated her.

And so her inhuman gaze softened when at last she spotted booth #43, their proposed meeting place. It was a good spot, nestled into a far corner that was a littler dimmer and a little quieter than the others, composed of an oval table and cushioned seating that wrapped around one side.

The coat hanging from her broad shoulders swayed as she came to a stop.

"Do they serve corellian twist?" she narrowed her eyes on the person before her.

It wasn't a real drink, just a passphrase to confirm her identity and that of the contact.

Kaila had taken all manner of risks to satisfy personal curiosities.

Identity theft was not one them.

​

 

[Vestra Tane]

LOCATION: NAR SHADDAA, RED LIGHT SECTOR
TAGS: Kaila Irons

Arrogance. Raw, stupid arrogance. That's all this was; some dumbass junkie's plan to dig herself into an early grave.

So why was said junkie so giddy? It wasn't the spice - she'd been off the stuff for a few days a this point. The shakes had even started to go away. Maybe the old witch stuck in that Holocron had finally started to rub off on her.

"Nah. They don't even have any good squigwine here." The criminal jerked her head, gesturing to the seat across from her. If she was scared, she was doing a good job at hiding it. Her smile was friendly, her posture relaxed...she'd even set out drinks. Cheap as chit drinks, sure, but still.

It was all an act, of course. A very valiant act, admittedly, but an act all the same. Beneath the veneer of professionalism, beneath the genuine but shallow glee, there was bone-deep terror. She was, she knew, swimming with something way, way worse than any shark.

It was why she was off the spice, to keep her head clear. It was why she'd chosen a window seat, and it was why, every few seconds, she flexed her right hand and listened to the soft, mechanic whirr of a trihexalon cartridge being primed. Just in case. Just in case.

Vestra raised her glass, left handed, and raised her gaze, too, to get a good look into the Sith's eyes -

And the act slipped, for just a split second. For that fraction of a fraction of time, the criminal's dread was naked, raw, plain on her face...

"Never done business with a Darth before." And just as quick, everything was back to normal. Same sleazy glint in her eye. Same used speeder salesman charm.

"But I think I can be a very valuable asset, if you'll hear me out."

There. A little bit of humility. It didn't come naturally to her, but it couldn't hurt.

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Nar Shaddaa, Red Light Sector
Wearing: Outfit + Gloves
Tag: Vestra Tane

Her freckled features softened some.

She sat across from her, just out of reach. Enough to give space.

Still she searched the scoundrel's expression and body language as she was trained to, now more habit than anything. She was good, Kaila had to admit, but the way her hand repetitively flexed, that briefest glimpse behind the mask, Kaila had made a career out of noticing these things.

It looked like fear. Tasted like it too.

"Never done business with a Darth before." And just as quick, everything was back to normal. Same sleazy glint in her eye. Same used speeder salesman charm.

"But I think I can be a very valuable asset, if you'll hear me out."

The young Darth allowed a faint curl to form on her lips, removing her coat, reclining with her arms sprawled out. Away from potential weapons of course, not that she needed one. Instead she was trying to send a subtle message as to her intent.

"You're a bold one to do so, though I like a certain amount of bold."

Her voice was softer now, but accented in a way typical for most Sith of her station.

"It's got me... curious, which tends to be profitable for most,"

"If-" she raised a gloved finger "You play your cards right."

​

 

[Vestra Tane]

LOCATION: NAR SHADDAA, RED LIGHT SECTOR

TAGS: Kaila Irons

"So. Darth Anathemous. Governor of Echnos." There was a short but tense silence between each snippet of speech, as if Vestra was waiting for a telekinetic backhand, or for her windpipe to suddenly collapse. "Nothing on your side of the Wall is easy to find, but I did my research."

Then there was another pause. This time, it was to calculate. What kind of person, exactly, was Darth Anathemous? Self-serving, obviously. More than anything, that was what it meant to be Sith. Driven, if she was a Lord. And what angle worked best? The Sith had already said she liked boldness, to a degree...

"On paper, I'm an antiquities dealer, but what I do is I find what people want - or what people don't want me to find - and I get it. Weapons, ships, secrets, people - and I'm good at it. I've boosted treasure from Sith vaults and gotten away with it, and I've scraped code certs from Imperial bureaucrats without them ever finding out."

Now the fear was gone - maybe not from her heart, but at least from her demeanor. Even the little hints, the breaks in the facade, had disappeared. She wasn't slinking into her seat, or entertaining the faux relaxation she had been earlier. No, she was animated, talking rapidly, gesturing with her hands - this was sales, and pitching a sale was second nature to Vestra at this point. It was all her sense of self-preservation could do to keep her from standing up and - very foolishly - attempting to tower over the Sith Lord. Thankfully, self-preservation won out over showmanship.

"I can do that for you, Lord Anathemous, and I can do it discreetly...and I think my asking price is entirely reasonable."

Finally, she seemed to have calmed down a little, and swiped her glass close to herself. Notably, she had yet to say what her asking price was.

 

[Kaila Irons]

Location: Nar Shaddaa, Red Light Sector
Wearing: Outfit + Gloves
Tag: Vestra Tane

The shift was as peculiar as it was delectable.

Kaila leaned forward, elbow to the table and chin resting upon her wrist. Vestra had the young Darth's undivided attention, listening carefully to her every word. She sounded experience, but the Sith wondered if she was hearing passion between the lines, or just a practiced speech born of necessity.

Her lips pursed and thoughts swirled behind those eyes, but she never took them off her.

"It's an impressive résumé," she admitted.

"Though I wonder how at risk my own vaults would be, having you around."

Kaila gave her a knowing smirk, reclining some to sip her own drink.

"Either you sought me out in particular because I am your only hole in the wall, or you've heard that I too am a collector of 'antiquities', in which case this is a set up to get inside my walls."

"A great asset, or a great risk."

Another sip, another moment taken to consider.

She hid her reaction but there was the barest twitch in her lip as the flavor touched her tongue.

"So..." her tongue clicked.

"What exactly do you hope to gain?"

​

 

[Vestra Tane]

LOCATION: NAR SHADDAA, RED LIGHT SECTOR

TAGS: Kaila Irons

"If I wanted to rob you, then it'd be pretty fucking stupid of me to walk up and tell you how good I am at it. Besides, I don't want to rob you." Vestra shrugged, then. If it stung her pride to be mistrusted, it didn't show - backstabbing was part of the business, after all.

"What I want," Vestra looked the Sith in the eye, nerves steeled, and raised a finger. "First of all, is power. The Syndicate's looking to do business in Sith Space," she paused, for half a breath, to knock back the rest of her drink and then recline in her half of the booth. "And it'd be a lot easier for us to do that if we had a friendly port of entry. Second..." Vestra's voice trailed for a second, and then...something changed.

A spike of tension, hanging in the air. A flux in the Force. Three booths away, some poor bastard's handle of revnog exploded in his face. And all the while, Vestra sat, outwardly calm, while the barest hint of sulfur-yellow crept into her eyes.

"I want Power. The kind that really matters."