Shadow of History

[Maiev]

Auction Station V - Orbiting Corellia​

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Braam Velden was a Corellian Noble that had gathered himself a substanial collection over the years. It had started from a small collection his father had inherited from his father and Braam had kept that tradition through his generation. Unfortunately the tradition had come to an end with Braam's untimely demise during the Netherworld Event. With no children left behind, his collection was left to the last living family member.

He had been cautious man, deciding to keep the fortune offworld in various different vaults and in the care of trusted third parties. Some would've probably called it paranoia, but no one could argue that it had ultimately kept the items safe. But it had taken some years to gather the entire collection together, with key pieces of information lost on Corellia.

In his will, Velden had requested the collection be kept within the family if he had no children upon his death. This ended up in the hands of his aunt, who wanted nothing to do with it other than selling it. So she had hired an independent organization that could run an auction. They provided a series of sizable stations for them to take place in, moving them to any location desired. In this instance it was above Corellia.

Everyone was currently gathered in the main hall, where the auction was going down. It was all prim, proper and old fashioned. Something the Velden family preferred; making a big event of something that could be done over the HoloNet. Attendants were moving around, threading between the crowd offering drinks to those that were currently without. All the while, most eyes were affixed on the centre stage.

Maiev had managed to snag an invitation (allotted to only those that could afford to purchase anything) via a favour she was owed from years ago. Gone was her usual dress and unwieldy hair, replaced with something more refined and elegant, with a single emerald crystal hanging from her neck. All to play the part of a noble woman she was pretending to be.

Force, I feel like I should be preening like a Thirriken right now. This hair is outrageous...

<Just breathe Maiev, you're here to purchase the item we're after nothing more, what could possibly go wrong?>

[member="Itash Mecetti"]​

 

[Itash Mecetti]

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​

Lord Itash of House Mecetti was dressed to impress.

It wasn't often that he came around these parts anymore, not with his expansion within the Corporate Sector, schmoozing with the Sith Empire and other ventures anyway, but the Corellian Sector was close to the Tapani regions. In his youth he had found himself often here. For one jaunt or the other, exploring, partying, doing what most nobles did during their wild years. He had returned here right after his exile and explored a different subsection of the sector, before deciding to move on to Nar Shaddaa once the blood started flowing richly.

Tash accepted a glass of bright champagne with an appreciative nod, before bringing it to his lips for a quick taste.
Mm.

Much better than the crap they were paddling over in the CorSec, unless you were paying a fortune for it. "I dare say they pulled out all stops for this one," Tash murmured as he stepped up next to [member="Maiev"] without hesitation.

It wasn't just her looks that attracted him to her side, but also the sense of the Force brewing within.

Luck whispered to him and it hadn't in many months.

There was opportunity here, he simply hadn't found it yet. "Lord Itash of House Mecetti, pleasure." Hand extended with palm upwards for her to place hers on it.

 

[Maiev]

Maiev hid her grimace as she brought her own glass of champagne to her lips. There was just something about the taste of it that didn't sit well with the witch. But it was all part of the image, and Maiev stomached it as she took another sip.

Her attention was forwards, to the centre stage where a number of items had already been auctioned of. They were making a whole pantomime of it, bringing the said item on stage and showing it off. So far there had been some jewelry here, a small book collection there.

None of it interested Maiev, she was waiting for something specific.

<Heads up, coming from-> Kalax's warning wasn't quick enough before [member="Itash Mecetti"] was suddenly at Maiev's side. To her credit, the witch didn't break from character as she raised an eyebrow at glanced over at the man.

"Indeed, they're certainly making a show out of it." She turned to face him a bit more, smile on her face as she placed her hand onto his. "Lady Syanna of House Panteer."

At least that was Maiev's cover for this event, cashing in on a favour owed to her from years ago. A time when the witch had been in the right place at the right time, running into the real Lady Syanna who was in trouble. Maiev looked almost identical to the noble woman, same eyes, similar facial structure and height.

Ultimately the result of that had come to fruition today, with a masquerade and a sizable amount of credits.

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Maiev"]

Tash was less familiar with the nobility of Alderaan.

They and the Tapanis... well, it wasn't that they didn't mix, but they simply had other priorities as far as Itash was concerned. He brought her hand to his lips regardless, pressing a close kiss on her knuckles, before releasing it once more. The style of the Tapani greeting never went out of vogue. "Truly a pleasure." Tash replied before refocusing his attention to the stage.

"Anything in particular that struck your fancy or are you simply... browsing."

Itash himself already knew what he'd be focused on.

Well, there were a couple of items, but it was the relic that interested him more than anything else. The Tapani doubted they actually realized what they had in their hands or they wouldn't have put it on sale.

But Mecetti knew.

 

[Maiev]

She wasn't overly familiar with the House Mecetti either, but then the same could be said for her knowledge of nobility in general. It started and ended with whatever cropped up on the HoloNet, the more public facing ones.

And it wasn't like Maiev could rely on Kalax's knowledge. She was ancient sure, but by the time of her death the noble houses of that time were non-existent in the current day.

Maiev turned her gaze away from Itash as the auctioneer continued to prattle on. The man was rather bulbous in size, his voice walking the line of being deep yet chortling all at once. It was...annoying, but effective in keeping everyone's focus whenever he spoke at events like these. But Force knows, Maiev couldn't understand how someone could cope with that voice any other time.

A pair of Twi'leks; one female the other male, walked up on stage, holding a sizable portrait between the two of them. They placed it down in perfect view of everyone in attendance, and waiting patiently as the auctioneer rambled on with the details.

Nothing Maiev was interested in, but she did follow where the helpers were coming and going. None of the items were kept on stage afterwards, meaning they were being stored somewhere on the station.

"Oh, something in particular." She glanced over at Itash. "I've recently developed an interest in the more...tribal items, I've found their history to be quite the interesting read."

Well, she wasn't about to give him all the straight answers.

[member="Itash Mecetti"]​

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Maiev"]

"Tribal? Hm." Tash murmured in response as he casually revaluated his first impression of the noble woman.

Hm.

Noble.

That was what she wished to convey with the clothing, the airs, the stance of shoulder and hip, even with the way her nose wrinkled. Oh, it was a good disguise and it would have fooled anyone else. But Itash Mecetti was a noble from birth and had wrapped himself in thicker lies than most would have expected even from him. He could smell a lie from a mile away, give or take.

"What culture interests you, Lady Panteer?" He shifted his attention towards the portrait and then equally began studying where there coming's and going's were. Oh, his days of staging a heist out of boredom was done.

Probably.

Ugh, yes, it would be a horrible idea.

"Ysanna, Kissai, older than that perhaps?" Anyone else might have received heavy scrutiny of their mind, but there was something about her mind that made him very cautious about that approach. It was a fullness, a bounty, Tash knew that if he would manage to get his hooks into her flesh that he would be able to feast for days on what was inside of her head.

Not exactly the kind of realization he often got from probing other people's minds.

 

[Maiev]

"Not quite." Maiev took another sip of her drink, this time managing to stomach the taste as it passed her lips.

Her attention linger around the room, from the stage and towards the guests that were currently in a bidding war for the portrait. Hands raised as the auctioneer hiked the total up each time, glares were thrown across the hall between newly created rivals.

The amusement was clear in Maiev's eyes, despite the fact she'd be in the same position once her item finally arrived on stage.

She turned to look at Itash.

"Dathomirian culture is my current interest, specifically the Witches. I'm quite fascinated with how a Jedi of all people had come to create something like that; something that still exists to this day." Spoken by someone who knew it all too well, lived and breathed Dathomirian culture for years. But her purpose here today was to get her hands on a piece of that history.

The current bidding war, the portrait was sold and carried off stage. Maiev's eyes followed it as it moved through a backdoor, a number of security guards lining the way outside of the main hall. The question of backup crossed Maiev's mind, wondering if she should've brought some along if she couldn't acquire the item through legit means.

Although while the witch was focused on that, the spirit residing within her was watching him.

Something about 'Lord Itash, of House Mecetti' didn't sit well with the ancient spirit. It was nothing more than a hunch; suspicion. Something that went beyond Kalax's general dislike for most people Maiev came across.

Ironic...given the spirit's former plans to manipulate her host.

But Kalax couldn't do much to assess whether she was right to be wary, Maiev had only kept her in the background of her mind. Two minds were better than one, with Kalax being able to keep watch while Maiev's focus was elsewhere. But any more significant movement would no doubt alert a mentalist to something being off, if they were looking for it at least.

It gave Maiev a rather eerie feel to those that looked. As if she had a second pair of eyes in the back of her head, watching.

"What about you, Lord Mecetti?" Her eyes were on his again. "Do you have an interest in history?"

[member="Itash Mecetti"]​

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Maiev"]

"In a way, yes." Tash replied smoothly as he mulled her words.

It was coincidence that he was here for Dathomiri history as well, wasn't it? A part of him suspected, was suspicious, and specifically about what Tash was sensing from her form.

Two... two pair of eyes.

Someone watching him just as she was watching elsewhere.

It wasn't paranoia, no, this was something more powerful than that. "I enjoy collecting ancient curiosa, my banker told me that relics such as that only grow more expensive with age." Tash added with a smile. Oh, all of that was a pile of rubbish. Money wasn't a consideration for him and never had been. But it was good to maintain the persona of money-hungry playboy.

Their assumptions served him well throughout the years.

 

[Maiev]

"Is that so?" She hummed, though there was a measure of disdain levelled towards Itash in response. That was Maiev speaking not 'Syanna Panteer', but it worked all the same even if her disguise had already been seen through.

The witch despised seeing artifacts and relics kept isolated on vault shelves or stuffed in a museum display. Of course she preferred items being kept safe, out of the wrong hands. But it infuriated her when they were collected and sold on for more credits.

A hypocritical thought, given she was here to do that very thing. Albeit she'd see the artifact wasn't just placed back on a shelf to gather dust.

"Personally I like to make use of them. A piece of history yes, but often they can still be of some practical use even to this day. Better than being kept propped up in a museum."

Maiev missed a look sent her way, from a man not too far; enough to casually eavesdrop on the conversation. Male, bald sporting a pair of glasses.

The auctioneer called everyone's attention back to the stage, as a female Twi'lek walked up to the man's side with a sheathed dagger in her gloved hands. Maiev's attention was transfixed, almost like she was being pulled towards the weapon.

"Our next item is one of the more exotic pieces. This dagger is believed to have been used by the First Witches of Dathomir, passed down through generations until it eventually found its way off planet." The Twi'lek assistant unsheathed the weapon, revealing its physical state to those present. It's age was immediately apparent with how damaged the blade was, along with the ragged leather wrapped around bone. Along the length held an almost green shimmer to it. Maiev smiled, it was precisely what she was looking for.

"Who will start the bid for this dagger?"

Maiev opened her mouth to speak, but was beaten to the punch.

"One million credits." It was the bald man from before, sparing a single glance their way.

[member="Itash Mecetti"]​

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Maiev"]

Oh, the disdain wasn't missed, but in truth it only served to amuse Itash more.

This lady had certain expectations and they weren't being met.

"I am sure they do, my Lady, sadly I am but a humble businessman." Anything but, of course, but that wasn't part of the persona he was currently drawing. "I'd sooner... cut myself than do anything useful with any of these wild artifacts." The cutting wasn't too far of the mark. When you had no idea what something did, until you actually tried it out there was a fair amount of mistakes along the way.

His eye was caught by the dagger as well.

Certainly.

It was a beautiful piece and Itash could practically feel the Force radiating from it from here. Quite the worthy addition to his collection. He glanced over towards the bald man who had just placed a bid. The size of it send a shudder through the crowd- not because of its size... but because of its timing. More often than not the bids started at least reasonably small.

Allowing the excitement to extend and grow.

To begin immediately with a bid like that showed your commitment, yes.

But it was also fairly rude.

"One point one." Tash called out, raising two fingers to indicate the location of interest. His increment was far more reasonable. But for some reason Tash got the feeling this was only the start.

 

[Maiev]

"So you're never curious to find out what they do? To discover what history is soaked into it?" And the power that resides within. "Albeit of course, caution is required with the unknown. But personally? It would be too tempting to just have it placed on a mantle."

Maiev had almost snapped her head in the man's direction, there was measure of anger in her eyes and it was seeping out through the Force. But then something within reached out and pulled it back in.

<Calm yourself Maiev, you need to focus.>

The witch let out an exasperated sigh, turning her attention away from the bald man and to the center stage. She could tell the auctioneer was almost giddy at the prospect of such a large price for the item. The organization was no doubt going to get a substantial commission from running this event, all derived from just how much was sold.

And yet...there was something else.

She hadn't noticed it in the moment, but Kalax had. Within a split second before the auctioneer became giddy with greed, he had shared a look with the bald man. There was something afoot, but the spirit remained quiet for the time being.

Maiev opened her mouth to speak, hand slightly raised to indicate her place - only to pause when Itash suddenly spoke up. She glowered at him. Of course he was here for the same thing as her...She was now stuck between two others that were vying for the dagger.

"One point three." With that she was now also part of the spectacle, ignited by the other man and pressed forwards by Itash. Maiev wrapped the mask of nobility around her again, fixing her expression into one that suited;stoic. Emotions were an easy tell to manipulate.

"One point nine."

[member="Itash Mecetti"]​

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Maiev"]

"Curiosity? Certainly, but luckily I have the self-awareness to know such pursuits are not for me." Lord Mecetti replied with a thin smile lacking any warmth and may even have seemed just a little bit like he was talking down to those that didn't have that self-awareness. The spectacle was almost believable, if you weren't aware of who Lord Itash Mecetti was or what he did for a living.

If you hadn't seen into his room of artifacts.

Or seen just exactly what sort of experiments he ran in his free time. "I prefer to enjoy my life without teeth blackening and falling out or suddenly aging forty years, because of some nasty curse, my Lady." That last bit... was closer to home than Maiev would ever realize, of course.

None of this was true.

Itash had always determined that the risks were outweighed by the sheer joy of discovering new strength and power.

The glance he send Maiev when she put up a bid of her own had at least an element of intrigue, but it was quickly surpassed by a touch of annoyance. Not because the third individual was bidding. No, it was simply because it was rude the way they went around it. Jumping up the price by several magnitudes at once without at least trying to play the game.

He didn't miss the glance between the bald man and the announcer though.

That was filed away for later.

"Two point o."

 

[Maiev]

"Two point three."

No matter what happened today, Maiev had decided she wasn't going to do auctions again. She had barely got into it; albeit the witch was only here for the one item, but the experienced hadn't been fantastic. From how slow and droll the entire spectacle, to the fact she was stuck between two others also going for the same item.

One who was hiking up the bid, and rudely so to boot.

Then the other who was doing it to wind her up. Well that wasn't at all true, but it was still drawing a degree of ire from the witch.

It was all needlessly complicated, compared to Maiev's original intent of just simply stealing it. Having to deal getting around the security would've been better than this. Maybe.

"Four million."

That got a reaction from everyone present. Numerous gasps of surprise, almost like an echo around the room. Maiev's mouth hung open, but no words left her lips. Instead the sound of glass cracking could be heard. Fortunately there was little champagne left in her drink.

"Sold!" Before anyone could even throw in another bid, the auctioneer sealed the deal with a single joyous shout. "Please proceed onwards so we can transfer the payment, and you can collect your newly acquired item at your earliest convenience." The grey in Maiev's eyes shifted to a dark green, the necklace also seemed to flicker, although it was obscured from view.

She looked over at the bald man, who simply stared back with a neutral expression. Not even a victorius smirk, which managed to infuriate her more. He walked away, heading out of the main hall and Maiev wasn't too far behind.

Although right now she wasn't thinking entirely clearly, and not even Kalax's efforts to calm her were working.

[member="Itash Mecetti"]​