Things In The Night

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"Would you like something else?" Vrak asked, his tone was neutral. "A drink? Perhaps a massage?"

He would not win this new game by giving into his anger, he knew this.

The idea of it was beyond difficult for him, by nature Vrak was inclined to go wherever his rage pointed him, but here...here it wouldn't help. She was taunting him, pressing and prodding him whenever she could and wherever she could. In order to play this game, in order to have a shot at winning it he had to swallow his pride and simply play along. It wasn't easy, but at the very least years of politics back on Athiss allowed him to put on a different face.

"I can arrange that for you." He looked down at her, his eyes following as she moved her leg beneath the blanket.

His gaze quickly found it's way back towards her face however, eyes settling on her lekku for half a moment before returning to her eyes. Yes, he could play this game, all he had to do was remember what this was for, and that he would eventually gain the upper hand again.

He didn't sit as she wanted him to, instead remained standing. "A connection has been found between your victims."

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Her chest rose and fell, the blankets shifting above her giving away her deepened breaths. What she really desired was sleep, though it was difficult given the aching of her body.

Vrak's very sudden behavior was simply too far off. For what reason would he offer her something like a massage? The drink sure, if he was feeling generous, but the comfort of her body otherwise? That was strange and off putting. Her expression gave nothing away though, instead remaining as it had been before. "No. I will survive just fine." Just because he hadn't killed her, and just because she had bruised his ego didn't mean he was going to suddenly become the all-caring embodiment of good vibes and relaxation.

The fact that he had still afforded her the comfort of the bed in general was by itself astonishing. Sera bit her lip, curious to know if she was by some miracle of the Force turning down a legitimate offer. It quickly faded though as she recalled the manner in which he had left the bedroom just hours prior.

"I see. And that connection is?"

Seraphina allowed her legs to fall back to a more relaxed, extended position. If Vrak wasn't going to sit she wasn't about to beg.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"Every single one of the men and women you killed once met with a man from a banking conglomerate on Muunilist." Vrak stated simply.

The connection was thin on some of the figures, but the meetings had all been tied together. Everyone, from the lowest criminal scum to the Senator had met with this man at one point and time. How had they pieced this together? It had been a simple thing really. The most obvious had of course popped up first. The Senators meeting with the man, then the judges, then the others had slowly trickled down into place. All of them had gone to this man at one point, their meetings traced via either appointment ledgers that were sliced or actual public accords of the meetings.

It helped that Vrak had more than a few friends on Muunilist itself.

"Some of the meetings stretch back years." He explained as he peered down at her. "The most recent was with a man that you killed on Rendili. The senator met with the man some three years ago. What these meetings were about I do not know."

It was a lead however, and a good one.

Muunilist was only a day or so away from Coruscant with a good hyperdrive, and this man was now a connection they had between all of Sera's victims. Vrak doubted very much that he was the mastermind of all of this, just another piece of the puzzle, but the more pieces they found the more they could complete the puzzle. "I have scheduled an appointment with him for Beduday."

The implication was clear.

They had two days to make it to Muunilist.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"I hope you appreciate all of the work those servants do for you."

Truthfully she doubted that he did. Sith rarely appreciated much aside from power and more power. But the fact of the matter was that they had accomplished something that she had given up on. Finding some kind of connection. It just wasn't her skillset. She had a number of impressive skills, though slicing, data collecting and charting were not of that list. She pressed her thumb and index finger against the bridge of her nose, shuttering her eyes for a minute to think. Her head still somewhat ached.

"And what, may I ask is your plan for the meeting?"

Was his idea to land on the planet, forcefully interrogate the man and then leave? Even if he were to employ her assistance in the matter, it would be awfully difficult to get away with something like that. She was only one person after all, hardly an army. There would likely be some measure of security at this bank. After all, it was one of the largest banks in existence. They were certain to have guards capable of handling Force wielders, else they would hardly be considered the most secure either.

Before he could divulge the plan she offered her own word of caution.

"If I am to come with you, I will need to rest." If something were to happen, she would need to be at least capable of protecting herself in the midst of a firefight. Right now that wasn't likely to be the case.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"I have business on Muunilist." He stated plainly, completely ignoring her statement about his servants. She would perhaps be surprised to find that most of the people who worked for him did so willingly, at least in a way. Unlike others on Athiss he treated his servants and slaves rather well. None of them were beaten or tortured, not unless they displeased him a great deal anyway, and most of them stayed with him willingly.

He gave each an offer when they began their term of service for him. Five years, after those years were up he would grant freedom and enough credits to go wherever they wanted. Most ended up staying, if only because the treatment he gave them was better than they would find on most worlds. "I am to meet him at his office to discuss matters of my funds."

Vrak glanced at her.

"He would not find it suspicious if my assistant came with me." The implication he made was not a difficult one. "Once we are in the meeting, I will ask him the questions we need answered."

Another euphemism.

Vrak was confident enough in the bankers greed. He would get his meeting, and once they were there...snatching the man up would be easy enough. There was something to be said about having a lot of money, it tended to make people listen. His gaze fell on her as she mentioned rest, an eyebrow perking for a moment as he motioned to the bed. "If you have not had enough, the trip to Muunilist will take a day. My ship has more than enough accommodation to suit the both of us."

Again, he was oddly kind.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"You've been busy. I am almost embarrassed to have been reading this whole time. Almost." Truthfully she rather enjoyed the reading. It gave her mind something else to think about, other than the small life ending device in her back, and the aches and pains throughout her body. "You look a bit better." There was a smile on her face. He had changed his clothes, cleaned up a bit. Beneath the sheets of the bed her clothing had seen better days. Then again, they'd also seen worse, so comparatively speaking it wasn't all bad.

"Very well." She gave Vrak a nod. As if she assumed all confidence in his plan. Either that, or she had resigned the fact that she was unlikely to ever really discover the truth of things otherwise. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing in and of itself though, it meant they wouldn't actively try to kill her. If whoever was watching her caught wind of whatever this was that she and Vrak were in some way cooperating on, she might be in more danger than she had been before.

Her hand extended outwards, towards Vrak. "Might I have that back?" Her index finger extended, pointing towards the book. "If you don't mind."

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

For a second he considered being petty again, perhaps throwing the book out the window just to spite her.

The idea quickly went away however, deciding once again that if he was going to play this game he would fully commit to it rather than rewinding to more...petty acts. He smiled at her, and then slowly offered her back the book. He kept a finger within the crease of the pages, ensuring that she did not lose her place.

"If you wish it." He told her simply, again in that same neutral, almost kind tone. "I will have new clothes provided for you before we leave."

She would eventually have to change regardless, she couldn't go into a meeting on Muunilist looking like she did now, but that would be addressed later. For now he was simply being kind. It was difficult enough to do, but he knew that eventually he would reap the reward for his actions. "They would be waiting for you once we got to the ship."

The Hssiss-Class Shuttle he had first taken here was kept in a hangar bay nearby.

The Stealth shuttle would allow them to head to Muunilist and arrive without anyone from the port authority asking questions, something that they desperately needed.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Her hand slipped back under the binding, fingers splitting between the left and right sides to balance it. Her eyes scanned the page to see that it had been left in the same spot. A minor inconvenience averted. Sera shifted her green eyes back up to Vrak, having been returned the item she had found interest in. "Alright."

Thoughts wandered briefly to the idea of what the Sith felt would be appropriate attire for her to wear to this meeting.

"When are we leaving?"

He hadn't given her a clear time, just that it took a day to reach Muunilist. That meant they could leave anytime between then and two days from then, depending how early he intended to arrive.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"Immediately." Vrak said as he half turned away from her, glancing out the window.

If he could get away from Coruscant faster then he would take the opportunity. He did not like this world. It was controlled by the one group in the galaxy that would actively throw him into prison for simply existing. Not to mention that the Alliance was still searching for Sera as well. Things would be less complicated if they arrived on Muunilist a day or so early and made themselves comfortable within his apartments there. It would at least allow them some 'rest' and perhaps even opportunity to watch their new target.

"The authorities are still looking for an assassin." He used that as an excuse. "It's best we leave before they find any trail."

For a moment he did nothing.

Then he slowly turned back to her, his gaze falling on her, his hand extending as he offered her help in getting up from the bed.

There was no sign of threat about him, no flex of his muscles, no angry glare. Everything about him remained completely and entirely impassive, as though he really was just there to help. It was unsettling to say the least.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Her fingers pulled together, clamping the book shut, having made a mental note of the page she was on. "Very well." It seemed Vrak was eager to leave. A tiny bit of her wondered if it was because he was still sore that she had ruined this particular room of his. The Twi'lek offered Vrak a small grin. "Perhaps. But I don't leave trails." It was how she never had been caught, never tipped off the Alliance that she was still alive, never found her picture on the HoloNet. Nobody saw the deeds, and nobody who might have ever lived to share the details.

If nothing else it made her effective at the job. Perhaps that was why they kept sending more her way.

The gesture of kindness was still suspicious. Why he was suddenly shifting in his behavior was curious. For a second she simply studied him, searching for an answer buried beneath the surface. He would see the suspicion in her eyes as her eyes wandered from his hand to his amber irises, then back and forth again. She sighed, placing her hand in his to slowly pull herself from beneath the warmth of the bedding, clothes still looking like a tattered mess.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

As she slipped from the bed Vrak did nothing, simply wrapping his fingers around her own so she did not fall back into the bed itself.

The Pureblood remained expressionless, his face impassive, his body language neutral. He was playing a game. It reminded him of when he had first entered the Council chambers back on Athiss, when he had been a youth with no power at all. He had still felt the same as he did now about the Council then, but he'd not had the strength or influence to express his opinions. He had spent hours, perhaps even years simply tip toeing around everyone.

He had been a suck up for all intense and purposes, a snake. Whispering to everyone and telling them what they wanted to hear. It had hurt his pride then, and it did so to do it now, but he knew that in the end this tactic would pay off far more than any other. Confronting her again would simply lead to another fight which would lead to the loss of more leverage.

This was the wiser choice. "The speeder is waiting downstairs."

Vrak told her quietly, glancing down at her tattered clothes, spotting slight hints of pink poking through tears and rips.

"There is a coat over there." He gestured towards the closet door, which during the fight had become slightly bent and warped.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

"Okay."

The fact that the simple gesture came free of strings, or otherwise abuse was almost more suspicious than if he had just hit her again, as continued payment for her earlier aggression. Her feet touched down on the floor as he helped her up. It was clear that she was still feeling the strain of their struggle earlier. Her body swayed ever so slightly. The time off her feet and the lack of adrenaline to fuel herself made the simpler acts more difficult now. Still she wanted to pick up her weapons that were still sitting idly on the floor.

Kneeling slowly with one hand touching down to brace herself she scooped up the two blades from their spot, latching them to her waist before using the table which somehow managed to be spared the brunt of their brawl to brace and pick herself back up from the floor. Nearly all of the muscles in her body were tense and tight from the abuse she had caused herself with that little stunt, compounded with everything else.

"Not necessary." She headed towards the door, "I'll be fine until we get to your ship."

The whole modesty thing wasn't really there. Besides, she could still be considered decent. It just looked like she'd seen a warzone.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Vrak didn't argue.

Instead he followed after her, before she headed down the stairs however he pointed her in the other direction. "This way."

The warehouse that they had been staying in was part of a network of buildings here within the slums. The roof was connected to the next building over, and that one to the building next to it. The system went on for several of the warehouses in this area, a large majority either owned by Vrak or one of the criminal syndicates that operated out of this sector. He motioned for Seraphina to follow, heading up the stairs and into the cool air of Coruscant.

A few moments later they were walking along the rooftops, reaching another doorway in just a few moments.

If she listened carefully enough she would be able to hear commotion as they descended another set of stairs, the sound of half a dozen or so Servants readying the shuttle for their trip. Within a few moments the Hississ-Class shuttle came into view, tucked away in the warehouse to hide it's rather unique profile.

Three servants were prepping the ship for flight, ensuring there was enough fuel aboard to make it to Muunilist. The other three were inside, preparing for the journey.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Stopping in her stride she spun on the ball of her foot and headed back in the direction Vrak was moving, up and onto the rooftops above the building towards wherever it was he had stashed away his ship from the port authority. Likely because it was either unauthorized, stolen, or because they would ask questions he couldn't, or would prefer not to answer. That was, after all, why she had docked her own ship in the seedier area of Coruscant, rather than the standard starport.

Her eyes took in the shuttle as they descended the staircase and entered the makeshift hangar. "It's ugly." She commented, though not quite insulting it, more so merely reflecting on its' plain looks. "Should have taken mine." Hers was quite literally a luxury yacht, complete with the reflective finish that most Nubian ships offered, with plenty of space and a wealth of amenities, though she supposed the fact that it had no armaments of any kind made it a bit of a target. "It would give off the impression of wealth far more, in either case."

The shiny hull was what really did it.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"I don't need to give any impression." Vrak stated flatly as he began to guide Seraphina through the makeshift hangar bay. Taking her ship, under any circumstances was of course entirely off-limits. Not only would she have the home court advantage, he would also be trapped.

Vrak was not keen on such a thing.

"I told you." He said as he waved to one of the servants. The man immediately jumped from where he was and pressed a small switch on the outside of the vessel, a whir erupting from the ship as the ramp began to lower towards the ground. "I have business on Muunilist."

Many there already knew him.

His reputation, and the funds he brought would proceed him.

For thousands of years Muunilist had served as the capital of all banking for the galaxy. There were thousands, if not millions of organizations on that planet and all of them were almost entirely devoted to the laundering of illegal funds. Vrak had long since been utilizing the planet as a method moving credits into the galaxy. Though he mostly focused his attentions on Athiss, he did have considerable holdings throughout, mostly to ensure that his plans back home worked without issue.

It helped that his family had massive amount of wealth through ill-gotten means. "Sometimes, silence speaks more than ostentation."

His gaze flicked to her for just half a second as he stepped aboard his ship.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera shrugged, standing idly as the servant lowered the ramp to the ugly shuttle. It mattered incredibly little to her either way. If his plan failed she would wind up back in the same position she had been before, meaning she had lost more or less nothing but the aggravation of traveling unnecessarily. The only reason she was tagging along in this little excursion was that device in her back. There were a dozen places she would rather be than traveling to a place like Muunilist. Though to be fair, there were worse places too. Places of unprecedented depression like Panatha.

Pacing up the metal walkway Sera stepped into the ship, her eyes searching around the immediate area she was presented with.

"You piloting this or one of the others?"

She was curious to know where to find him over the course of her stay. If he would be huddled away in his quarters or on the bridge.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

"Eric will pilot the ship." The man was already sitting in the pilots seat, likely just waiting for Vrak and Seraphina to get aboard.

The Pureblood lead the way towards the bridge, stepping in behind the Pilots seat to find that the Chiss had indeed already found his way there. The alien glanced back towards his two passengers, bowing his head towards Vrak in a sign of respect.

The Sith smiled ever so slightly. "We are ready to depart."

There was no need for them to stay any longer. They had the information they needed and everything else could be addressed either during the flight or when they were back on Muunilist. Eric nodded, quickly switching the engines to the ship online. There was a slight rumble, the servants that had been refueling the vessels quickly backing away. The roof to the warehouse retracted, pulling back to allow the ship to quickly push itself up and out of the building.

Vrak grabbed onto the seat in front of him, steadying himself while the ships repulsor's pushed them into the atmosphere.

As he held himself in place he reached out a hand to Seraphina, allowing her, if she wanted to, to hang onto something else to steady herself. Another small display of kindness.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

If not everything hurt, she would have declined the gesture outright. She was a gymnast of sorts, perfectly at home on her feet in just about any condition. Though when those muscles that were relied so heavily on in the lower body were strained, tensed, and injured, it made the simple task of balancing ones self during take off that much more difficult.

With a groan she held onto Vrak like a toddler clinging to its' mother, her other hand on the hull just beside her.

"See that we don't crash, Eric." The woman said.

"I don't want to have to dig him out of the rubble out of fear his fingers might press that device from the weight of a bulkhead on top of him."

Seraphina offered the Sith a coy smile just as the ship elevated itself, lifting from the ground and through the retracted roof before lurching forwards toward the atmosphere above Coruscant.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]

 

[Vrak Nashar]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

Vrak didn't respond to her jab. It was part of the game. The more of a rise she got out of him, the more ground she gained. He had to remain calm, focused. The rage that he felt could be balled up and tossed away up the hill. Eventually it would all come rolling back down, but at the end of this he could simply kill her and that moment would be oh so sweet.

The Coruscant Skyline passed into view in front of them. Dozens of towers and skyscrapers pulling through the skies even as the ships flew higher and higher. They passed through the thin veil of clouds in half a heartbeat, Vrak feeling Seraphina's fingers tightening for just a moment as the ship shook, and then slightly bounced. They passed through the atmosphere with one more shake, and then lazily drifted off into the darkness of space. Within half a heartbeat the Hssiss Disappeared into the black, removing itself from all sensors and scanners.

After a moment Vrak turned to Seraphina. "Would you like to go to your room?"

He asked simply.

Again it was with that neutral tone. He was keeping himself in check, drawing a line in the sand and refusing to cross it. Vrak knew that the moment he did she would seize upon it, taking a leaping step forward to try and grab as much power from him as she could.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

She watched as the familiar view of space came the moment they broke through the upper atmosphere of Coruscant. Even now she still found a measure of joy in seeing the void of space. As a small child she dreamed of going into space, and ever since she had gotten that first taste of it, had been fascinated with it. There was no fear in space travel, no hesitance. It was as normal to her as breathing.

With the ship settled and on course her hands fell away from the hull and Vrak, finding it easier to remain balanced once the vibrating and shifting from the friction in the air was no longer an issue. The Twi'lek stretched her arms, lifting her body up on the tips of her toes with a wide yawn. "Yes." She finally replied. "Show me?"

Sera turned away from Eric, allowing him to work and strolled towards the exit. Hopefully her clothes would be waiting in the room for her.

[member="Vrak Nashar"]