Private The Slaver's Last Dance

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Ryloth
Attire: Dress
Equipment: Arwr Da (hidden under the dress.)
Tag: Silas Westgard

Lily was attempting to hunt down some criminals operating on Ryloth, the slavers had been causing issues for the natives and Lily was sure there was likely going to be a bigger conspiracy going on since the slavers had grown in infamy very quickly. Something that felt like it had monetary backing from a bigger organisation. She had decided to take on the mission since it was a chance to build some positive relations between her Order and the native people of Ryloth. It was also a chance for Lily to work on learning some new cultures and how they fought as well as what was important for them. Insight on cultural important traditions was something Lily found herself curious about since she found it bled into learning about how a person fought. Letting her appreciate their fighting styles more compared to before.

To gain more insight, she had to attend a dance, it was social event where the Twi'leks were gathering. It was something that would help her build trust with the people, but also hear rumours and pieces of information of where the slavers were likely to be based. Currently, she couldn't get an exact location since Ryloth was not under High Republic protection, so she needed to be cautious and pursue things with respect to avoid creating issues.

If she could solve the issue without being heavy handed then that could demonstrate her progression as a Jedi. Especially since she was not charging into danger like she had plenty of times in the past. Instead, Lily was trying to use her charms to find another avenue. Breathing in deeply, this was not as enjoyable of a dance as she had before on Rodia. That was more her style of dancing, the heavy club music and letting loose. Being here, this was stiffer, more traditional style of dancing that felt a little reminiscent of home. However, she found the movements not as fluid or as graceful as she would approach the dances. Lily was glad her dress had several layers so her Lightsaber could be hidden, while she did not need it to fight and the dress allowed enough movement to fight. It was never a bad idea to have her main weapon on hand if things went south.

Looking around, Lily's eyes scanned around to see if she could find anyone who seemed to fit the idea of participating in a slaving operation or might know about it.

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Ryloth
Objective: Investigate the slavers
Tag: Lily Decoria
Attire: Black suit

"I'd love to dance with you, but unfortunately, I'll be busy in a few minutes. Thank you for your kind offer Miss."

Silas gave a brief nod to the woman who requested the dance and smiled. Her warm expression didn't falter from the denial; instead, she took it with grace and accepted his wishes "Well, if you change your mind you know where to find me" the Twi'lek whispered in his ear with a grin before twrling her beautiful blue dress and strutting away to her friends on another table. Deep down, Silas was hurting inside. If he weren't undercover, Silas would have taken up her offer in a heartbeat.

Oh, the agony...

Looking to take his mind off the loss, he calmly sipped on a wine that was placed to the left of him on a table. For now, all Silas could do was wait until his target showed their ugly face. The pirate Captain Rolim Kang had been set to make an appearance with a few of his right-hand men. You could spot him a mile away, bald, bloated, and a loud mouthed alcoholic who loved the idea of a party. Unfortuneately, that wasn't the only thing he was here for.

They needed a fresh supply of cargo to get the credits dropping again for their crumbling criminal empire.

Upon scanning the room a second time, he spotted a lady whose face was more than familiar. Lily was a fellow Jedi whom he had sparred and trained numerous times. She'd be a useful ally moving forward, but the reason why she was here remained to be seen. Finishing off the rest of his wine, he checked over his suit and began walking from the right in the hopes of not being seen. Then, once he was only a few steps away, he stopped and let out a polite cough.

"Excuse me miss, care for a dance?"
​

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Ryloth
Attire: Dress
Equipment: Arwr Da (hidden under the dress.)
Tag: Silas Westgard

There had already been several offers to dance, one offer for a courtship and Lily could tell others were building the courage for her attention. It was not uncommon in Lily's experience, there had been plenty of people who approached her vying for her attention at a dance or public event. However, Lily was busy on mission so such distractions were too distracting and she need to ensure that her ears were listening out for different conversations. It was a daunting task since Lily usually avoided letting herself risk such a strong chance of being overwhelmed by the massive amounts of stimuli that was going around. However, she centred herself and breathed calmly listening in.

Her act was searching for a drink, it allowed her to move gracefully and avoid hanging around anywhere too long that someone might approach. She heard moments of conversations, nothing on the issue she was here for but tidbits on other problems that Lily noted for the Order to acknowledge should the Republic turn its attention to supporting Ryloth.

Then she heard a voice behind her. One that she did not expect to hear on Ryloth. Lily turned around surprised to see Silas standing before her, wearing a fairly dashing suit. Her eyebrow cocked at him as he offered a dance, she was tempted to say no since she was on duty but there was still part of Lily that was curious. She wondered what had brought him out here.

"Hmmm... I suppose I could entertain your offer for a single dance." Lily teased with a smirk on her lips. "What brings a NJO Jedi all the way out to Ryloth today?" Lily asked, curious to know why he was here and what he might be up to. Especially since it could be something that was linked to her own mission. Something that meant they could end up working together on.

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Ryloth
Objective: Investigate the slavers
Tag: Lily Decoria
Attire: Black suit

"A few individuals in particular have caught my curiosity. But unfortuneately, not for the right reasons."

Silas couldn't help but admire Lily's evening attire. It fit her flawlessly, accentuating a side of her he hadn't quite seen before. He wouldn't be surprised if she'd already turned down a few offers to dance. She never struck him as the type to enjoy this sort of gathering; Lily was more gym rat than socialite. Which only reinforced one thing in his mind: she wasn't here for the fun. She was here on Jedi business.

"I don't suppose you are here for the same thing, are you?" he said with a little smile. "If that is the case, maybe we can share a few things on the dancefloor, hm?" Silas held out a hand to Lily and waited briefly for her to grasp it. At the same time, his light blue eyes stared into hers with a warmth that could melt any girl's heart.

"Please, ladies first."​

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Ryloth
Attire: Dress
Equipment: Arwr Da (hidden under the dress.)
Tag: Silas Westgard

Dancing was the closest Lily saw other cultures came to how she fought. It wasn't a perfect one to one, but there was emotion, raw and passionate in a manner that some people didn't express in fighting. It was also far more elegant and graceful, poetry in motion. People often never realised or falsely assumed that Lily looked down at dancing when it was something she loved, something she had trained in as well as fighting. Lily had taken ballerina dancing in part to help with her fighting forms and fluidity in movement but also it was something she fell in love with.

"Maybe..."Lily gave a teasingly coy reply to the question about the reasoning behind her being here. There was a smirk dancing on her lips as she glanced behind Silas over to where others were dancing already, "oh? Do I get to see if your dancing is better than your fighting?" Lily teased with a giggle escaping her lips.

Her steel gaze locked with Silas's eyes as she gave a shrug, "I suppose we can see how aligned our interests are here." Lily mentioned, curious to see what Silas was doing here since it was pretty out of the way and not a world that held any Alliance interest. So that meant there had to be some personal interest. Which was concerning since he had seemed pretty content with his teaching on New Cov.

Lily moved with such grace that she seemingly glided to the dance, "do you think you handle taking the lead or should I?" Lily teased with another smirk on her lips to Silas.

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Ryloth
Objective: Investigate the slavers
Tag: Lily Decoria
Attire: Black suit

"I'll take the lead. After all, I need to show you a thing or two on how to dance," Silas said with a wink, his hand gently going down to her hip while the other rested on her shoulder. The dance they were doing was traditional, not the casual disco kind of thing you see at the clubs. It wasn't something Silas did regularly, but over the years, he had slowly gotten a grasp of what the more wealthy people of the galaxy moved. All he needed to do was keep his feet moving soundly; everything else was a cakewalk.

Slowly, they'd begin to move, their bodies weaving in between other couples who were locked in on their dance.

"So, do you care to tell me why you're dressed lavishly this evening?" he said with a cheeky smirk. "Are you trying to impress someone?" Silas asked quietly, his light blue eyes still looking into hers with warmth. It was obvious she was here for someone, who in that regard was beyond him.

"Hopefully, it isn't anyone who takes pride wearing an eyepatch or likes throwing people through airlocks for fun. If that's the case, I'd be very concerned with your standards."​

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Ryloth
Attire: Dress
Equipment: Arwr Da (hidden under the dress.)
Tag: Silas Westgard

"Ah yes, because clearly I must never have learnt to dance..." Lily raised an eyebrow as she teased back, moving with the fluid grace of a trained dancer. While the traditions of Ryloth were new to her, Lily had seen several dances and had a good idea on the movements. Whereas in her fighting, her strength, power and agility were on display, when she danced, Lily was fluid, flexible and moved with more grace than a loth-cat. It was her experience with dancing that ensured that she avoided any missteps from Silas and followed the lead he set, perfectly. "Simplistic, but effective moves. Not too dissimilar from your fighting I see."

Another teasing jab as she moved in the dance with him.

Tilting her head, "can't a lady such as myself not wear a dress? I believe all the dresses I have ever worn have been lavish and breath taking in their beauty." Lily giggled, though there was a pride in how she appeared, even when training and fighting, Lily was determined to look her best. "I could be in rags and many would find me impressive, no?" Lily questioned.

When there was mention of a person with an eyepatch, and throwing people through airlocks, Lily let her gaze flitter around the room, "I cannot be certain since I haven't heard anything. But there are operations meant to be undergoing in the area. Run by someone not native." Lily mentioned in a whisper as they danced, not wishing to be overheard.

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Ryloth
Objective: Investigate the slavers
Tag: Lily Decoria
Attire: Black suit

"You'll never stop talking about our little spar, will you?" Silas chuckled while his feet moved along the floor smoothly. "I'd rather keep my eyes open for some people rather than prove you wrong. It doesn't mean I can do it another time though..." the knight winked before eventually focusing on the mission at hand.

There was no surprise when Lily told him of an operation happening at the event. Rolim Kang and his group of pirate lackeys had been trying to regather strength from Silas's constant disruptions. This constant pain had set them back massively ever since he had sabotaged their station hidden in Galactic Alliance territory, and since then, they had been all over the place. "I sense the 'Non native' could be the person I'm looking for," Silas muttered while briefly looking around him.

"I don't suppose you've heard of the name Rolim Kang of the bloodhand pirates?" He asked at first, his hand giving Lily a brief spin. "He's a larger than life individual who is more greedy than a hungry hut. You'll know when you see him just by his glutinous figure."

"Trust me, if anyone is evil enough to create such an operation, it would be him."​

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Ryloth
Attire: Dress
Equipment: Arwr Da (hidden under the dress.)
Tag: Silas Westgard

She shrugged, "I am Echani through and through, fighting speaks far more volume than an exchange of words." She did not see anything wrong in referencing one of their first meetings. "Incapable of multi-tasking. How stereotypical male of you." Lily smirked widely as she teased Silas once again. Making sure she was keeping him on his toes while they danced. "The people here are not going to be the ones you are seeking. This is a Twi'lek event, most of those here are Twi'leks."

It was going to be rare that outsiders like themselves would be at the dance.

Shaking her head, "I've not gotten names, nothing concrete. But I do know that these criminals are pirates, people who arrived recently." Lily mentioned as she spun elegantly and moved back to Silas in a fluid motion. "Sounds dangerous, but I haven't seen anyone like that and I haven't observed anyone mentioning that name yet." Lily had a list of names that she thought were suspect but she did not recognise the name of the man that Silas was stating.

"What did this person do to grab your attention?" Curious the reasoning that Silas is on this mission.

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Ryloth
Objective: Investigate the slavers
Tag: Lily Decoria
Attire: Black suit

​

"Oh please, don't throw that stereotype at me," Silas teased, a smirk tugging at his lips. "You and I both know I can multitask better than you, easily." His voice held a playful lilt as he sidestepped her jab. When she gestured to the telltale signs around them, he chuckled. "You think I haven't noticed the sea of green figures surrounding us? I'm not colorblind, you know."

Still matching her steps with calm precision, Silas nodded thoughtfully at her confirmation. "So we're after the same targets, then. That'll certainly make things easier," he said with a knowing smile. "From what I've seen, they docked yesterday afternoon. Didn't leave the ship all night, just drank themselves stupid, judging by the ruckus. Music, shouting, singing... the whole works."

As another couple stumbled into their path, Silas deftly spun both himself and Lily aside, keeping the rhythm without missing a beat.

"My guess? They'll be sluggish and hungover. Not that it matters, we could probably take them down stone cold sober," he added, his tone dipping into something darker. "But we need to be careful. They have a habit of taking hostages. Especially the captain. He's a coward."

Slowing his movements to match the beat, Silas leaned in closer, his voice lowering to a near whisper. "You know how he made sure I noticed him? He was part of the crew that killed my parents. Turned my life into a living hell. And not just mine, he's left ruin in his wake, all for the sake of greed."

Silas met her eyes, the smirk gone now. "I'm here for justice, for me, and for everyone else he destroyed."

​

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Ryloth
Attire: Dress
Equipment: Arwr Da (hidden under the dress.)
Tag: Silas Westgard

Lily raised an eyebrow, "we do now? Because I am pretty sure I can dance, assess those around me and strategize an order of attack all efficiently and effectively." Lily stated in a firm, confident tone that gave no room for debate. "You are the one who said you needed to focus entirely on dancing to match my skills, but I suppose you like to make assumptions. Even though they make an ass out of you and mptions." Lily smirked as she gave a silly joke at the end as she elegantly danced around.

Spinning, Lily's dress twirled around with her, rising and floating in the air as she spun before she moved back into the arms of Silas. "Sounds about right for a group of pirates. I am surprised you didn't attempt to handle them last night then. Drunkards and fools tend to be easy targets to handle, even with brute force."

Moving in time with the beat, Lily pressed herself close to Silas, "as long as none of them are Zeltron or Falleen. Got to be careful of people who use the pheromones and underhanded tactics to gain an advantage." There wasn't much one could do with that unless they were Force trained or wearing breathing masks to filter it out.

Concern flickered in Lily's eyes as Silas leaned in and whispered, "I am not here to help your desires for revenge Silas. Take that in mind, he does need to be stopped and the people here deserve peace but don't slip into the revenge fantasies." She wasn't going to stop the mission but it did mean that Lily was going to keep a closer eye on Silas moving forward since she was afraid that his views on justice with this mission could be skewed. She didn't want her friend to slip away from the Jedi path.

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Ryloth
Objective: Investigate the slavers
Tag: Lily Decoria
Attire: Black suit

​

Silas chuckled low in his throat, the sound vibrating between them as he guided Lily through another step. "Remind me never to underestimate you again," he murmured, lips quirking at her joke. "And for the record, I'd hardly call myself an ass for making those assumptions."

His gaze lingered on hers a moment longer than necessary before sliding past her shoulder, sharpness replacing amusement as a group of men slipped through the entrance. "You're right about the drunkards," he admitted, jaw tightening. "It would've been easy enough to deal with them on the ship. But…" He let the word hang, a shadow crossing his features. "Easy doesn't end problems. Sometimes you let fools believe they're untouchable, wait until they show their hand. Then you cut them off at the wrist."

He spun her outward and drew her back in, the movement smooth enough to mask the edge in his tone. At the mention of Zeltrons and Falleen, a crooked smirk tugged at his mouth. "Underhanded tactics are their specialty. Luckily, I've spent years wading through scum who never fight fair." He punctuated it with a playful wink, though the hardness in his eyes softened as he looked at her again.

"Trust me, Lily," he said quietly, voice lowering as though the words were meant only for her. "Revenge stopped driving me a long time ago. Now? It's the people I care about who matter."

But his focus shifted once more as he glanced over her shoulder. A familiar, bloated figure had entered with five ragged crewmates still reeling from the excesses of the previous night. The captain. Silas's smile thinned.

"Looks like our wait is over," he murmured, straightening. "And our next stop is the bar." His eyes flicked back to hers, the briefest spark of mischief in their depths as he offered a faint smile.

"Care to join me for a drink?"

​

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Ryloth
Attire: Dress
Equipment: Arwr Da (hidden under the dress.)
Tag: Silas Westgard

"Well the saying states overwise so I can't help you there," Lily countered, not taking the blame for the fact that Silas was an ass. Even in jest. She held the gaze that Silas gave her, keeping a firm look of concern for her friend. "Are you sure that's the saying? I heard it differently... Less aggressive about the hand cutting." Lily stated, keeping the moment light, while they were dealing with tough odds and a rough situation, Lily wasn't going to feel down about it at all.

Shaking her head, "just make sure they don't stain your soul as you wade through. It can be easy to lose the good in yourself when you are constantly dealing with people like this." There was a similar issue for Lily, she had felt that parts of herself were lost at times when she was constantly feeling less and less herself. Surrounded by darkness. Lily struggled for a long time in finding herself once again so she knew better than most how easy it could get to losing yourself to the darkness that you ended up surrounded by.

When a look of recognition glinted in Silas's eyes, Lily knew that the pirates had entered the dance. It was surprising to see that they were bold enough to interrupt such an important tradition to the innocent people of Ryloth but Lily did not question it too much. These were drunkards and criminals, respect was unlikely to be high on their list. Lily looked over to Silas, "not going to be a drink though. And neither of us can afford to be getting drunk for whatever comes next. But I will follow your lead on this."

Lily knew that Silas was too dedicated on this path for her to be able to sway him away from it.