Trouvaille

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Nilia Saavilin"] ​

We are willing to suffer, to die for the things we care about. For love, for the right choices. Because of her, Ar'ekk found meaning to his life again. All of it. Who he was.

"The pleasure's mine, Fortuna."

Interesting nicknames to pick, right? Like you couldn't make up things like these, as if they happened per an act of magic or pure coincidence. Without Nilia's help, he'd be a dead man. Suddenly, for the first time in no idea how long, Ar'ekk realized that he didn't wish to be dead.

A nervous laugh followed suit with that as his eyes lingered on Nilia for a moment, absorbing everything that had transpired to that point. If he could die right now, he'd die a happy man.

Sometimes you get lucky. Sometimes, something good comes out of it. Something you know you wouldn't deserve in a million years. Something that gives you a reason to go on. This was definitely it.

"Always."

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[Nilia Saavilin]

The Outer Rim, Lithios, Landing Pad, Undetermined Time
Interacting with [member="Arekk"] ~ Sweet Disaster
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His eager reply got a sweetened smile from her, one that calmed ragged nerves. Nilia's torso turned slightly, looking off to the docked liner now, "That one's mine. If you'd like to come aboard. Well-- You'd be welcome from anywhere, that is, you're welcome anytime. I'll get my lieutenant to include you on the VIP list." This wasn't the poised Nilia the Senator, or the sharp-tongued Fortuna the Broker, this was an entirely different woman now, one uncertain in her choice of words and actions. Like if she pushed too hard he'd dissolve back into the night and they were back to handler and agent.

Pinch me, I'm dreaming.

"I also have to get this data to my associate. Stars know he's probably rolling in his freshly-dug grave waiting to move that spice." That was true. And this deal collapsing was the absolute last thing she needed to happen, especially now.

Dark eyes returned to his face, and her head tilted a little. Wet curls shifted from the movement, some starting to stick to her skin, "We, um, have a good bar, also. If that helps. Good drinks to talk over." She was also desperately curious. Wanted to know what happened to him. Whether he had been safe or been through Hell. Sure, you could guess which one it was, but the question was painted all over her expression.

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Nilia Saavilin"] ​

Delivering a smile from side to side, Ar'ekk felt comfortable with Nilia's company. He did not care if she was a crook or senator because after all they had gone through, past experiences and the present, life gave them the opportunity to meet again in a way too iconic for them.

Tragicomic, some would say. But after all, it was as if it were pre-destined to happen, as if fate put them on the same path regardless of setbacks.

"It would be my pleasure to join you, of course."

Good stories were told with a glass of good scotch and a cigarette, anyone who denied such offer was nothing but a mere fool. Tugging his neck collar to cover himself from the incessant rain, Ar'ekk bopped his head.

"Sounds like a lovely plan."

The excitedness was shared as he was eager to find out about her whereabouts, what occured with the Sovereignty and much more. Spending more time with her just seemed the perfect idea.

Why?

Because it felt like a dream come true.

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[Nilia Saavilin]

The Outer Rim, Lithios, Landing Pad, Undetermined Time
Interacting with [member="Arekk"] ~ Bottom Of The Deep Blue Sea
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He clearly wasn't a Jedi either, or whatever he'd been before.

That was alright. At least he was alive, with that in mind she could live with anything, "Well, come on, then. I've got a few passengers exploring Lithios and we can't take off without them, so we're stuck here for the time being." Can't sucker credits out of suckers if said suckers weren't aboard your massive casino-yacht. Holding the information he'd given over in both hands, clearly aware of what important it could have to her future operations here and elsewhere.

The trekk across the spaceport wasn't too bad, neither was boarding the large, oddly-shaped but uniquely elegant liner Nilia called home. Some of it's 'elegance' reminded her of the old senate building on Eadu, in the way it curved and flowed. She hadn't even really had a large part in designing it, either, but the coincidence was a happy one. A good reminder of where she'd come from, and where she was destined to go.

"There's going to be quite a few people, quite a few patrons, so, um, don't be surprised."

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Nilia Saavilin"] ​

Different paths, different life, same people.

The puzzle had scrambled long ago and with that came consequences, ones that could've been qualified as both either good and bad. She was alive too and that gave him some peace of mind. It was alright.

"I will be right behind you. Quite the yacht you've got here, I must say. Exotic."

Much better than the usual vessels he was accustomed to meet with his business associates and bosses. The change from a distasteful, grimey and spice-filled pleasure barge to a massive casino-yacht was very welcomed, it was something entirely different. It looked elegant and expensive from the outside.

Boarding the excentric liner was just part of the luxurious, rich and excentric experience one could only get from a vessel like this. It screamed status and money all over, its design being too tasteful for the people on Lithios so much that it could make them puke. A jewel in the bile of the city, sort of speak.

"At least we are not meeting with a Hutt. Trust me, it's not a good sight."

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[Nilia Saavilin]

Pilio, Ethos City, The Docks, The Jate'kara, Undetermined Time
Interacting with [member="Arekk"] ~ Erase Me ~ "Erase me now and give me strength to stay."
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"I definitely prefer dealing with Hutts over holocommunication. I don't handle many meetings in person," The revelation seemed to dull her expression a little, head tipped, "Actually. I think you might be the first scion of mine to be aboard the Jate'kara." This was an evening of firsts, wasn't it?

First reunion. First awkward coincidence.

The turbolift to Nilia's private offices in the top of the impossibly tall liner was short, thanks to the technology at work within. Doors opened to reveal a circular office, a full 360-degree view of Pilio's skyline from the viewports situated around. A stupidly oversized desk sat in the middle of the room, a few doors off to the side clearly indicating other chambers connecting to this one. Nilia swept in like she owned the place-- Well, she did --and spun to face Ar'ekk, grinning, "Welcome to where the magic happens."

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Aboard the Jate'kara, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Nilia Saavilin"] ​

​

"You don't want to deal with a Hutt in person, believe me. They smell awful from up close."

A marvelous vessel designed with the eyes of a visionary and remarkable woman such as Nilia could only succeed, which seemed to be the case here. The wealthy patronage that filled every space available on the Jate'kara spoke a thousand words of who the eccentric preferred when it came to enjoying a luxurious lifestyle.

She had everyone at the palm of her hand.

"Scion we are calling it, huh?" He said with confidence, hands concealed behind his back and with his body tilting slightly forward. A playful smile had gotten in the way too. "Beautiful office, by the way."

Stupidly oversized? Sure. But if one could afford such comfort, then why feel satisfied with the lesser option? It was perfect for Nilia and for her operations, to oversee all the things that were happening under her control, everything just worked the way it should.

"It truly is magical."

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[Nilia Saavilin]

Pilio, Ethos City, The Docks, The Jate'kara, Undetermined Time
Interacting with [member=Arekk] ~ Erase Me ~ "All the time you wasted, you fail again, and over you replay it until it's faint."
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Another chuckle left her, this one much more like a giggle than anything as she shrugged her shoulders. There was something just a little truly, as she said, magical in how fast she had gone from Fortuna the Information Broker to Nilia Saavilin the Girl, "Thank you. It cost me quite a bit, but it's earned it's keep ten times over. This deck is all for my use, so nobody can get up here without my permission." Yes. She certainly did take great pleasure knowing everyone aboard would be forced to wait at her pleasure.

Not him, though. He didn't have anything on the others, and certainly wouldn't be treated like them.

"Of course, I'll make sure staff treat you as they would me." Cart before the nerf. Slow down, Senator.

"That is, if you'd like to stay, or travel for a bit. You'd be welcome anytime. And-- Our business relationship would continue, of course." The slow slide from Nilia Saavilin the Girl to Nilia Saavilin the Uncertain Girl was at hand.

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Aboard the Jate'kara, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Nilia Saavilin"] ​

​

"It's invaluable what you have done with this. Impressive, to say the least."

In his eyes, he could only see Nilia Saavilin the Girl and nobody else. The same person he had met long ago during the initial state of their force bond, Manaan or even their unexpected meeting Eadu. Behind Icebreak and Fortuna remained the very same two individuals regardless of name or status.

"That's not what I meant." He said while beaming another child-like grin, taking a few steps forward and getting closer to Nilia.

Gleamy eyes sought out the girl's, seemingly implying a much different meaning to the words spewed out a minute ago. Ar'ekk wasn't able to see their relationship as mere business or pleasure and that was made clear by him in a very gentle way. His heart was beating so rapidly that it felt like it would come out from his own mouth.

"I never stopped thinking about you, Nilia."

No more uncertainty. It had been too long and he couldn't take it any longer, not saying things was tearing him apart. Everything he felt just came out in an instant without beating around the bush.

Now or never, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

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[Nilia Saavilin]

Pilio, Ethos City, The Docks, The Jate'kara, Undetermined Time
Interacting with [member="Arekk"] ~ Erase Me ~ "Giving in to your mind, but you're losing it, no..."
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This was inevitable.

Brown eyes that were warm but worried met Ar'ekk's, vulnerabilities out on the table. Their bond might have been long gone but the real bond had never left, had it?

"Oh." It was all she could muster in the moment, gaze drifting off to the side then as if looking away would help settle her nerves. So those eyes focused on Ethos' skyline, expression unreadable, "I... I know the feeling."

There were only so many ways you could say something, but Nilia was certainly giving a thesaurus a run for it's money. Admitting was hard, dancing around was easy. Few things truly scared her now, but she definitely felt a familiar chill of it in the pit of her stomach now. She pulled her black furs closer around her shoulders and turned to her desk, facing away from him to mostly hide how absolutely red she was starting to feel herself become, "Would you like to take a seat?"

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Aboard the Jate'kara, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Nilia Saavilin"] ​

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"Sure, after you."

A thousand pounds weight had magically disappeared from the man's shoulders as he "spilled his guts" to Nilia after all this time. Between the time lost and the one were they tried to recover it seemed like the perfect opportunity and Ar'ekk took it, not wanting to wait any other minute before it was too late. Who knew what could happen between missions and being unable to say the things you always felt strongly about?

Their real bond had never faded absolutely because it was ingrained to their hearts and soul and as long as both lived, they'd keep that alive forever.

Ar'ekk spoke no more until she decided to, giving Nilia a couple of minutes to think and collect herself. He stood with a relieved grin on his face, feeling like he was in cloud nine or a place greater than could ever think of. The feelings were mutual, or at least that's what he understood, and that warmed his heart.

Life is worth living again.

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[Nilia Saavilin]

Lithios, Ethos City, The Docks, The Jate'kara, Undetermined Time
Interacting with [member=Arekk] ~ Erase Me ~ "Getting drunk on the night, but it's wearing thin."
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Instead of taking her proper place-- In the oversized chair behind that oversized desk --Nilia opted to sit in one of the two chairs positioned on the other side of it. Of course, that meant they could be side-by-side instead of across a table from each other. A small gesture, but one of clear intention and obscure meaning.

"I know we didn't really get a proper chance to discuss it at the docks, but..." Finally, she let herself look up at him again, faint smile on her face, "Have you been well? Have you been on Lithios for long? You're not all alone here, are you?" Limiting herself to three questions seemed like a good start. Truthfully, she had so many more, but she didn't want to overwhelm him or anything. With an affectionate smirk on her face now, she just uttered a quiet, "Sorry, I'm enthusiastic." Before looking to her heeled feet with an expression that seemed a little bleaker. It was plain as day that she was still just slightly jumpy concerning overreacting.
It was cute, in a 'I'm-trying-to-be-sensitive-but-I-haven't-been-for-a-while' way.

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Aboard the Jate'kara, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Nilia Saavilin"] ​

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"As good as one can be. I've been here for over a year or so, give or take. I'm all by myself."

Easy questions, fast answers. There was no need to rush things, so Ar'ekk took his time with Nilia by letting her absorb all the information as it came specially when it was related to one's emotions. It had been a while since they last met yet everything felt like it never changed, at least in his eyes. Either way, he took things slow so she could feel comfortable as their conversation flowed but couldn't deny it was kind of cute to see her like that.

"I like it that way."

He plopped down on the chair next to Nillia, body facing her sideways while his right first rested against his side cheekbone. An affectionate twinkle formed in his face as Ar'ekk seemed apparently lost on the girl's eyes. Something about her worrysome, you-make-me-feel-shy kind of glimmer on her was simply captivating.

"How about you?"

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[Nilia Saavilin]

Lithios, Ethos City, The Docks, The Jate'kara, Undetermined Time
Interacting with [member=Arekk] ~ Erase Me ~ "And you're trying to hide, but you're suffering."
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"Me, well..." A nervous laugh left Nilia's chest and she shrugged, letting her fingers twist together on her lap.

Finally, a sigh, a heave of her shoulders. The weight of the world balanced on them, "I've been better," She admitted then, biting the inside of her cheek for a moment, "When the Sovereignty fell apart, Eadu wasn't safe, so I had to leave. Some people came with me, and we decided to make our own living out here. Protect our own, right?" Talking about the Sovereignty seemed to make her voice soft and sad, like an old friend gone into the night -- Which it was, in a way.

Ice had frozen them all.

"But I've made it this far, which has to mean something. Being a criminal is scarily similar to being a politician, so it's not that big of a jump." Her own joke made her laugh a little, albeit halfheartedly.

"And now I'm a forefront information broker running jobs for sleazeballs all over the quadrant. That's been my year, really."

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Aboard the Jate'kara, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Nilia Saavilin"] ​

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"When everything you ever knew and protected with your heart tears apart in little pieces, you're left with only a small amount of options."

He understood the decisions that Nilia had to take for her own sake and her people's, a sacrifice to keep them alive and well that spoke greatly of her as a person. Thought they had only met briefly in flesh and bone, Ar'ekk knew that she was destined for something greater than the life of an ordinary information broker or someone with a lot of power in their hands.

"I wouldn't go as far as calling us criminals, maybe we are at some extent but who we truly are remain inside us. The old Nilia and Ar'ekk. Here."

Prodding his own chest and the gesturing towards hers, he tried to put a much more clear and concise end to the point that was conveyed. It had been a truly crazy year for both, his own being as mental as Nilia's. A trip out of Nar Shaddaa that at the end would bring him back under the claws of the Bareesh Kajidic, then serving under the orders of another Hutt to finally end up on Lithios.

"Some things can't and will never change."

Like their bond.

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[Nilia Saavilin]

Lithios, Ethos City, The Docks, The Jate'kara, Undetermined Time
Interacting with [member=Arekk] ~ My Type ~ "You-you-you're just my type, oh, you got a pulse and you are breathing."
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And little did they know how crazy it was really going to get.

"You're not wrong," The woman smirked, nodding her head idly, "Not wrong at all."

There were other things to be said that burned in Nilia's chest. Like where do we go from here, what's there to do about the remnants of our bond? Those two briefly rumbled around her mind as her soft gaze studied Ar'ekk, no longer the gaze of an appraising broker but a soft, caring girl.

"Do you have many affairs on Lithios? I could give you a good rate for a room on the Jate'kara. That is, to say, free." Perhaps an offer could begin that dialogue. It wasn't exactly a secret in how she spoke and acted that she didn't want him out of her sight any time soon.

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Aboard the Jate'kara, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Nilia Saavilin"] ​

​

"If that means spending more time with you?" He flinged back almost immediately, bobbing his head, "Then I have all the time of the world."

The need of beating around the bush had dissipated by the time they reunited once again. Just thinking of not being around each other ached his chest and when her offer came up he did not hesitate to accept it. Mutual emotions reciprocated with a simple exchange of glances and shy smirks.

A simple offer, that's all they needed.

Their personal choices would take them somewhere greater if that's what they yearned, not fate or coincidence. Their cards were laid out on the table already, no longer concealing true intentions behind an imaginary facade. And that? It was complete bliss.

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[Nilia Saavilin]

Lithios, Ethos City, The Docks, The Jate'kara, Undetermined Time
Interacting with [member="Arekk"] ~ My Type ~ "When there's loving in the air, don't fight it, just keep breathing; I can't help myself but stare."
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Honestly, part of herself had expected a let-down, to hear he was occupied, busy, what-have-you.

To hear he was willing to remain made something inside her sing.

"That's good," Nilia mused quietly, a grin spreading across her features, "I, um-- It'd be great to have you here, for a while. Could give you a grand tour. You'd like the systems onboard, seeing as you're a bit of a slicer now." She wasn't going to question how that particular career change had happened, but asking was sure to lead down dark paths.

She looked out the viewport, then, to watch the skyline of Lithios once more. A year ago she'd have only dreamed of visiting worlds like this, planets consumed by cities, societies dominating nature. Beautiful, in its own way, but it made her miss Eadu's mountain ranges.

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Aboard the Jate'kara, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Nilia Saavilin"] ​

​

"A grand tour sounds like a great idea. I'm sure there's lots of stories to tell."

Ar'ekk was on board with pretty much anything that Nilia threw his way, a strong desire to know more about her life as Fortuna and the situations that led her up to this point. The feeling was mutual about that, their stories took them to all too familiar paths if not identical.

His gaze dragged towards the viewport, watching the skyline that Lithios could only offer. Neon lights covered the horizon, billboards the size of skyscrapers and flying vehicles clogged their view. To some, this was the perfect place to live in and for others it could be living hell.

As a Coruscant born, assumedly, Ar'ekk always found himself at home in bustling cities such as Lithios or Nar Shaddaa. The truth about his origins remained unknown after all these years yet the attunement he had about breathing ecumenopolises could be a major clue about figuring that out. That wasn't important now, though.

"You okay?"

He inquired with a quizzical look, kind of unravelling her cloudy thoughts. A feature remnant of their bond, perhaps?

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