Private The Silver Tower

[Inanna Harth]

She sensed that he would ask for more. It did not surprise her. She had met too many men like him—exploiters, predators, cheats. She had come to him knowing that he couldn't resist taking advantage, and yet she would let him do it for the sake of getting what she wanted. She could live with the consequences where others would tear themselves apart with guilt and shame. She'd been doing it for decades already.

Inanna brought herself up to his level, palms traveling over the slope of his chest until her arms encircled his neck. She was by now off the floor and sitting in his lap, the thin weblike filaments of her “clothing” trickling over his frame as her body draped over his. Even with her arms around his neck, he could still feel her touch lingering at his waist—a second pair of slender limbs, identical to the ones presently clinging to his shoulders, remained wrapped around his middle. If he were less observant, he wouldn’t have noticed her quietly sprouting them. Sometimes she couldn’t help showing off.

“I’ll go to Lao-mon at once,” she said. “And whatever else you wish in exchange for the footage, I'll do. But first, you must let me see it.”

Her determination to not leave the meeting without having seen it had not wavered; once she saw the footage, she could at least commit the Lord of Doubt’s face to memory even if everything else went wrong after this.

“I won’t ask you to send me a copy until my task is done,” she continued. Her accent had completely left her speech as she regained control, and she was lacing every word with silk and honey, her fingers idly stroking the nape of his neck. “But I need to know for certain that you have what I need. I know the exact date and time of day it occurred… it will only take a few minutes.”

AMCO

 

[AMCO]

The average man would likely be somewhat unnerved by the woman in their lap growing an additional set of arms... but Adrian was anything but normal and Inanna was, despite what she might think not his first shapeshifter. Not even his fifth shapeshifter, some of his parties were wild.

Reaching out to stroke the skin of one of her newly-grown arms lightly as she continued to speak - goodness, she was obsessed with that footage, this had to be the first time he had ever seen someone offer anything to a Sith Lord of all things; a special kind of madness, that.

"You simply must see it, hmm? Seems only fair... and I'm sure we can figure something out."

Hands grasping her waist, his muscles seemed to shift somewhat as he spun her upon his lap until she was facing the centre of the room with strength that belied his lean build... strength which was, if he was being honest, solely the product of the various alchemical enhancements.

Being in constant communion with his associate in the basement, Adrian already knew what the soundless holovid they were about to see contained, or rather how little of the Lord of Doubt was visible - once she had described what she sought, it had been a simple matter for the being to thrawl through the Tower's extensive archives and a simpler matter still for it to relay its findings to its lord and master.

He had also heard the contents, of course, but he could hardly give everything away before her wrongs were righted.

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Vandiir was difficult to read. Even when he touched her, she couldn’t tell if he did it out of interest or deliberate misdirection. He wasn’t rough with her, but he wasn’t taking much initiative either. Which could mean that he was indifferent to her advances… and that was worse than him recoiling in disgust or violently seizing her. It would mean her seduction act had been utterly useless from the start, and she had placed herself in this humiliating position for nothing.

All the same, she didn’t give it up yet. When he spun her around, she held all four of her arms against her chest and moved her legs accordingly rather than permitting him to twist her flesh unnaturally. He might as well have picked up and moved a china doll, she was so prim and proper about it. But once he had set her down again, she leaned back into him, four hands taking up various positions either against his thighs or resting on his arms, which she held to her in a lover’s embrace. Her touch was almost too gentle now—she regretted her brief loss of control in squeezing his wrists earlier. The dark fabric of his sleeves was luxuriously soft, but the backs of his unworked hands were softer.

As the security holovid was projected at the center of the room, she forgot about him save for the occasional sensation of his breath against her neck. There it was, the Red Room. The image was clearer and sharper than what she had glimpsed secondhand in Willow & Ivy ‘s vision, but she recognized it all the same. The eye of the camera honed in on a blonde woman entering the chamber, following her as she moved toward the center. Thetis Suzerain, clad in a long black dress. Every step she took was slow and hesitant, dread visible in her tight-lipped, hollow-eyed expression.

As Thetis approached the chair and her lips began to move, Inanna stiffened. The audio had been muted. “You tease,” she growled. Her heart began to beat faster as she continued to watch the footage. Thetis was kneeling low before a richly upholstered chair. Even in the silence, Inanna could remember enough of her speech to provide some of the audio—and she did her best to read her lips so as to fill in the gaps.

“I beg forgiveness. I have failed you. I was mistaken in my efforts to lure the girl’s father out of hiding. I didn’t realize the significance of the opportunity placed before me, and by then it was too late.”

Inanna frowned. The Lord of Doubt had been faceless in the twins’ vision as well, but then he had been deliberately blocking their sight. Here Inanna was barred from seeing him by the angle of the camera lens, which was facing Thetis. She couldn’t read his lips, but she remembered exactly what his reply had been. How could she forget? He’d sounded half-mad.

“You have done as I hoped you would. So I am pleased. But you failed to follow my orders. For that, I am displeased.”

Sparks flew, striking Thetis where she lay. Her mouth opened in a cry of soundless pain as Force lightning burned her flesh. While she was still lying limp, twitching in agony, the Lord of Doubt snapped his still-smoking fingers. At his summons, an attractive man and a woman appeared, approaching Thetis from either side. Inanna knew now what they were—Passion’s cafarels, Adrian’s own employees. The pair helped Thetis to her feet and carried her away, out of view of the camera.

In the seconds that followed, the Lord of Doubt’s posture shifted almost imperceptibly. Inanna knew why. Ivy, the bolder of the twins, had sent him a telepathic inquiry.

~Who are you? Why so shy?~

“You already know who I am,” he had replied. “Just as I know who you are. But it does not matter. You are insignificant. A pair of pawns in a Hutt’s game.” Then he had stretched forward, grasping the thread connecting them in the Force. “Who sent you to find me? Was it Arimanes? Is he there…?”

Physical strain became evident as the Sith began pressuring the twins. Inanna nearly turned away, remembering the panic and terror the two girls had experienced at his hands. He had gone after Ivy first, burrowing into her mind, seizing control of her while her sister tried to fight him off. Then he had found the knot which tied the twins together, and aimed an attack at them both—

“Arimanes, can you hear me? How do you like my gift? A bit unscientific, I know, but you ought to understand by now how things are. I keep hearing these rumors about you, that you’re really taken with the girl… Did I play a part in bringing you two together? Heh, isn’t that sweet. But you won’t be able to control her for long. Why don’t you come down and see me? I’ll hook you up so that you can have that power, too. Be her master as well as her father.”

Inanna had no choice. She couldn’t stand by and let them be hurt. So she had reached out through the Force, taking hold of the thread, letting the blow meant for them strike her instead. Pain and paralysis had followed, but far worse was the knowledge that she had been exposed, helpless and laid bare before this lunatic.

“Who are you?” he had demanded. “You're not what I expected..."

Obviously all this drama was not visible in the footage on its own, where the Lord of Doubt could be seen gesturing vaguely in the presence of bewildered servers, prostitutes, and fellow patrons. But Inanna’s heart pounded and her breathing quickened watching it all the same. Her terror was of the mind, providing a fevered context to the otherwise banal scene.

The Lord of Doubt suddenly threw an empty glass in anger. It struck the wall and shattered. With the impact, Inanna finally calmed down. This must have been the moment the twins had rescued her, pulling her with them back to reality before she could be made to answer the Sith’s question.

At some point during this flashback, Inanna had pushed herself further into Adrian’s arms, clinging to him not like an amorous seductress, but the way a frightened child does to a parent. Embarrassment and annoyance filled her. How pathetic she must have looked. But she could use that to her advantage, no? Humans tended to conflate fear with attraction. Both left them breathless and vulnerable.

“You definitely have what I’m looking for,” she said, still slightly out of breath. Resting her head on his shoulder, she turned toward him. Their faces were nearly touching. “What do you want in exchange for the rest of it?”

AMCO

 

[AMCO]

Though he frowned slightly at the sight of the Lord of Doubt torturing someone in his club (not that he was not already familiar with the incident), Adrian remained silent for the duration of the recording, for the bulk of his attention was focused on the woman in his lap...

... or rather, on her thoughts; jumbled as ever they might be, but he was getting better at gleaning the truth from them.

A pair of women spying on the Half-Bothan... no, that's not right, two women in one? An entirely reasonable punitive reaction, followed by Inanna taking the blow meant for the seer(s), followed by the two-women-in-one pulling her away before she could be overwhelmed.

Pieces of the puzzle, all of it - if this was the best evidence she had, no wonder she was desperate.

Smiling wickedly at her answer, their faces close enough that he could feel her breath touching skin, his response was entirely too typical of how the Sith Lord usually operated. "Why concern ourselves with the details - you will be in my debt, a debt I will see repaid in a manner of my choosing."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Vague debts owed to a powerful Sith. Just what she needed. Fine, she could play his game. She was not clever, but she had little left to lose.

“In a manner of your choosing,” she echoed his words, cupping his face in her hands. She could smell the faint lingering scent of whatever soap or deodorant he used. Soap and water were luxuries in a galaxy full of sonic showers, and it was exactly the sort of expense she would expect from someone like him. “I suppose it must be something so horrible you think it will scare me away.”

The fingers of her other pair of hands were busy tracing around the waistband of his pants, meeting at the front and unfastening the clasp. One hand slid inside, just enough to make his breath hitch at her touch.

“I’m not afraid of you, Adrian Vandiir. So there’s no need to be coy with me.” Her voice dropped into a low purr. “But if that’s what you're into, I can always compromise…”

She started to lean forward as if she was going to kiss him, but she held back, their lips excruciatingly close. "I can make myself look so beautiful to you that every woman in the galaxy will pale beside my memory, or I can be so hideous and appalling that you won’t be able to stand the sight of me. Or, I can take the shape of the one who got away—every man has one. Or someone almost within reach, but not quite yet. There is nothing I cannot be for you. You need only look into my eyes and think of what you want, what you need..."

AMCO

 

[AMCO]

Smiling softly, the Sith Lord tilted his head somewhat, raising an eyebrow at her remark. "Nothing so nefarious, I simply find outstanding favours to be so very, very useful." Lips quirking upwards into a smirk, his eyes drilled into hers, as if to pierce her very soul. "You would honour your word, no?"

She better, he had little to no patience for oathbreakers.

Eyebrow rising once more as she continued her explorations into his pants, he let her say her fill, let her do her best, then grasped her hand, leaned forward until his lips all but touched her ear, and made his stance quite clear. He was hardly opposed to fun, but his interests came first.

"Very good, Ms. Hoole. Useful, certainly, but you're hardly my first shapeshifter... and as much as I enjoy a good bit of fun, we both know there are more important matters to attend to. Returning what was stolen from me chief amongst them."

Inanna Harth​

 

[Inanna Harth]

Inanna froze at his chilling touch. She felt his fingers, cold on her shoulder where he had clasped her to him, holding her in place while he spoke in her ear. His other hand had grabbed her wrist, stopping her from taking things any further.

She suddenly felt as if she were outside herself, looking down on the two figures sitting in Vandiir’s office. This dizzying out-of-body experience always happened when she made a truly terrible social blunder, brought on by feelings of mortification and regret. But unlike other times, this was entirely her fault.

What did she think was going to happen if she continued to paw and grope at him despite his lack of interest? Why had she held out for so long, hoping the seduction act would work?

Not long after he finished speaking, the answer abruptly became clear. At some point it had ceased to be about getting the job done, and instead became a matter of pride. It was about proving that she could have Adrian Vandiir (the Adrian Vandiir, galactic man-slut extraordinaire) wrapped around her finger by the end of their very first meeting.

Inanna heaved a sigh of disappointment. Not because he had rejected her, but because she had failed to recognize this foolishness for what it was prior to shoving her hand down his pants.

Her extra set of arms retracted. She slid out of his lap and stood in front of him in silence for a few moments, not really sure what to do in the awkwardness that followed. His pants were still undone, but he could fix that himself.

“Ah, well,” she said at last, a nervous smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “That’s a relief, I suppose. Wouldn’t want to wind up as another… another skeleton in your closet, or whatever.”

She almost felt compelled to apologize for her behavior, but she had a feeling he would only show indifference. No, she definitely didn't want him indifferent to her. Ideally, she wanted him ready and willing to do much more for her than just hand over some security footage. Sleeping with him clearly wasn't going to be enough to get him to that point, her forty years of experience in fooling around be damned. It seemed the only way to rein in a wild hedonist would be to withhold pleasure from him, to make him wonder why he was being denied despite every sign showing that he was wanted. Even then, unless he was completely deprived, she didn’t think he’d miss one woman from his revolving door harem. Certainly not to the point of being willing to do anything for her.

As she looked at him, she was revisited by a familiar melancholy. The last person to turn her down was Nimdok, though the circumstances had been considerably different. He’d been kinder about it than Vandiir, yet it had hurt more. She could get through this much easier, provided he let her go without further incident.

“I will honor my word, you’ll see.” Inching her way around his desk, she stepped carefully in order to avoid crashing into anything or falling off the raised platform. “Hopefully very soon. I’ll even bring whatever is left of the data to you as proof of its destruction…”

It seemed that the more she babbled, the sharper his gaze became. He refused to take his eyes off her, and so she couldn’t take hers off him. They were staring at each other from halfway across the room, as if it were some kind of contest to see who would break eye contact first.

She continued to back away, but it wasn’t long before she reached her breaking point. Her pale face flushed a dark grayish color, black blood rushing to her cheeks, before her gaze finally faltered and she turned around and ran out the door.

AMCO​

 

[AMCO]

Smiling coldly, the Sith Lord simply watched as she inched away from him, making no move to fasten his pants nor to break eye contact. Even where most unaltered humans would have been forced to blink, he simply watched with indifference until she fled from his presence.

It would have been somewhat amusing to leave the door closed in her path, but he had better things to do.

"We'll see."

Chances were she would not hear the quiet remark, uttered as the door closed behind her. Taking a moment to consider the implications of the meeting, he rose from his seat and fastened his bespoke trousers all in one move. Moving to the grand window at the rear of the office, he gazed out at the raging - always raging - storm outside, eventually speaking out loud to the empty room.

"Have Faya brought to me, would you Xesh? Oh, and prepare the summoning chamber - I have need of a demon."

Inanna Harth​