Private Untamed

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina settled onto the bench next to him, rifling through the medkit to find the needle and thread a smile on her lips. "Controlling the trade of bacta or kolto to your world would be easy enough in order to maintain that balance."

Her focus settled on the wound in his arm as slid the needle into the edge of his wound and began to sew, gently tugging the wound closed as she worked. "I am normally well informed on the people that pass through my establishments, so when a maldrani sith passes through and the manager can tell me nothing about him, it piques a certain interest."

"What I learned with certainty is that Malthyl had three warlords, that its balance is maintained through conflict of these three factions and yet, one of you just scattered the brain of Kopatha's fighting pit across the sand. You are far from home, seeking a challenge."

Her emerald gaze flicked up to Jhyrack's face, her hands pausing.

"I would assume, that the other warlords are dead, that Malthyl is united under one warlord, and if my assumptions are correct, it's possible then that the lack of war is leaving you and your people restless."

Jhyrack

 

[Jhyrack]

His grin spread slowly, from ear to ear. He hadn't lost any teeth in this fight, but one of his canines had been replaced by a gaudy, copper false tooth. Despite his stature, a smile seemed as comfortable on his face as a look of sheer battle rage.

"Is a good guess. But not quite."

The grin reduced to a thinner smile, one corner of his lips curling up. One thick red eyebrow rose as if he was keeping a secret. He turned away from her piercing gaze and picked up a cloth to dab fresh blood away from the wound.

"Kalassin and Ferras remain alive and well. The balance has lasted a long time. One becomes weak, they are deposed. Two chase war until they are draining their lands, the third will strike them both.

"There is a long held belief that when one warlord unites us all we will spread across the Galaxy and conquer system after system. Find better homes for our people. I tire of the balance. I dare to think I could be that warlord. But I must know what is out here. It will not be one who looks inwards who leads our people on the great conquest."

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina's eyes glittered. It wasn't often she was wrong, but with as little information as she had, it was always going to be a wild stab in the dark, she was close enough. He wanted to lead and that was enough of a thread for her to pull on. She smiled, her gaze dropping back to the needle and thread in her hand as she continued to sew.

"I see." she commented, pondering for a moment before speaking again. "What is it you are hoping to find? If you are looking for war I can point you in the direction of several fronts. If you are looking for planets close to your home world that would offer a challenge as well provide resources of use, I could guide you. Or perhaps you are looking for Malthyl to rejoin with the sith?"

He had said he was looking for challenges, but there wre number of different types of challenge. He came from a planet whose culture was centred on war so it would make sense that he was looking for a physical challenge, yet there was an intelligence there that meant he could be looking for more than just a good fight.

Jhyrack

 

[Jhyrack]

"What do I look for? Guidance, yes," he answered bluntly.

"I have been..."

He paused as the thread was pulled tight. It was so much easier to ignore pain in the heat of battle. Her hands were steady; she would suffer no complaints for helping.

"I have been reading about these people. Your language is hard enough but I try: the Yuu-zahn Vong. They followed the One Sith. A glorious crusade. But where are they now? Living off scraps. Scattered."

"If I am to be their leader then I must understand the Galaxy. Ensure there is a place for us to fulfill those old stories."

He had probably said too much already, but he needed to take measured risks. That was the strength of a leader.

"And you defeated Zaghu yourself?" he asked curiously. There had been much attention on himself. That made sense; he had walked into her domain. But he was interested in where she had come from.

"Your hands are steady."

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina couldn't argue with his deductions. The Vong were scattered, a remnant of what they once were or even could have been, though how much of that was because of the Sith, and how much was of their own making she could not be certain. There was perhaps too great a distance in their cultures for them to be fully absorbed into the Sith Hierarchy, but the people of Malthyl had their roots steeped in Sith lore.

These were things that he would need to understand, things that needed to be discovered for himself, not things he could be told. She could provide him with guidance and opportunities and perhaps in return make use of his skill in battle.

A smile curled her lips at the mention of Zaghu, her gaze lifting to his briefly before returning to the stitches. "He was a regular customer to many of my establishments, but he began to rack up a debt he couldn't pay. I don't normally intervene in the day to day running but when the doors were closed to him until he could pay, he went on a rampage. Killed several of my working girls."

A darkness passed over her, emerald eyes pooling briefly with obsidian ichor at the memory. A blink and it was gone. "I brought him down, not quite as efficiently as yourself, but then I was taking pleasure in carving pieces off of him. He was given a choice, fight in the pits till his debts were paid, or die. getting him to fight of late was costing more time and energy than it was worth."

Lina tied off the final stitch, picking up a cloth to wipe away the blood and admired her handy work. "I've stitched more than enough of my own wounds."

Jhyrack

 

[Jhyrack]

There was a curiosity in his gaze as she recounted her tale. Particularly when she had to blink away the darkness.

"I did think that I had chosen the wrong weapon," he admitted.

Fire was important in his culture. That predated the arrival of the sith and the changed they had brought. In the dark mountains filled with the worst kinds of predators, fire was vital their existence. It was why he had been considered blessed at birth with his flame red hair. It was perhaps part of his very being and why he was the kind who could not help but want to put his hand into the deadliest flame.

"You should let me challenge you one day," he said. "So I can come to know you back. Or maybe it is better for you when people do not know how dangerous you are until it is too late. I look like scary..."

He flashed his fangs and rolled his shoulders. The stitching, he noted, was neat and did not overly tug at the skin.

"...but am a fool who knows little and thinks of old tales and glory too much. Whilst you speak so smoothly, but I imagine your power is sharp as a blade."

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina chuckled, packing the med kit away and rising to return it to the shelf it belonged on. "I don't generally make a habit of challenging those I do not consider an enemy, but maybe I could make an exception, if testing yourself is truly what you want to do."

She turned, regarding him for a moment, eyes shamelessly tracing the scars that littered his form. "You are right though, I rely heavily on being underestimated, passing unnoticed behind enemy lines. I do not always fight honourably." her gaze finally came to rest on his face.

"I've spent a long time in the shadows and circumstances beyond my control have forced me into the open, so what I have relied on before, is not something I can necessarily rely on anymore."

She smiled. "Come, Rokesh has set up one of the private rooms for us upstairs, I have a proposal for you." She moved to the door "You can put your shirt back on…or leave it off. I don't mind." she cast a smirk at him over her shoulder.

Jhyrack

 

[Jhyrack]

There were slowly getting the measure of one another. Little pieces of puzzles, shown a few at a time.

He let out a low sigh as he stood. A sound rumbling up from the back of his throat. The next breath in was deeper, expanding the brawn of his chest. Jhyrack was not a sculpted from svelte lines of muscle.

He was as broad across the shoulders as he was tall and could never be mistaken for a human. He was coarse hair, horns and fangs, scars and rounded bulk. Those scars ran all the way down to his hips. Some were little more than knotted strata of muscle and memory, faded pink, whereas others were still as fresh as the battle he had just entertained.

Behind him, his tail gave a very sharp flick.

Breath still moved hard in his chest, especially with the way she looked at him with that smirk. Predatory. Just as much as when he had seen that flicker of shadow. There was fire here. That look sent a certain curling heat through his core and lower still.

He took two long strides, covering most of the room. There was more than one way to get the measure of someone.

"I can fight with subtlety when I need to," he said, though he couldn't bring himself to say dishonourably in echoing her words. "But you should know, I am never gentle."

 

[Lina Ovmar]

If the low growl that emanated from him was not enough, the speed at which he crossed the room sent a thrill of excitement up her spine. Men, no matter the species, were simple creatures; the prospect of a woman after a fight was not one they could resist. It was also, she had found, when they were at their best.

"A good job that I am not fragile then." she replied tugging the door open, her smirk a little wider.

She led them back up through the pits where another fight had already begun, the crowd focused once more upon their need for blood. The casino floor was equally as loud but the energy here was different though, lacking the predatory hum and somewhat more…euphoric. The upper floor was almost silent, the sounds of the pit and the casino vanishing the moment the sound proofed doors closed behind. A soft tune played from speakers as she led him down the corridor to one of the larger rooms.

The room itself spoke of wealth and luxury, a thick carpet silenced their steps the walls lined with paper of a deep red and gold, a large couch with deep velvet cushions took up the centre of the room, the table before it bore a large trug with two bottles settled deep within the ice they held. A cabinet streched along the left wall, hosting a further selection of drinks to choose from. An archway on the back wall led to a room whose dim lights danced on the ceiling, the soft sound of bubbling water emanating within. Another door on the right was closed, but Lina knew the large bedroom all to well. This was her own private suite, they would not be disturbed unles she invited disturbance.

"Would you like a drink?" She asked, giving him a moment to take in his surroundings.

Jhyrack

 

[Jhyrack]

His blood was up from the fight. It wasn't going to spill over in a burst of rage, but that heat simmered away. Jhyrack hadn't needed to mask his feelings for a long time. He was honest and direct with his impulses.

Jhyrack had walked around the floors to get a sense of the place before approaching Lina. This was part of her empire. There might not have been much more to learn from the same surroundings, but he noted the tendancy of the crowd to shift out of her way, not his. It was a subtle thing, but her presence cut ahead of them like a blade, rather than the weight of his shadow.

The sound was hushed in the private suite. The thick carpet and papered walls soaking up the sounds, whilst distance and several layers of doors and walls came between them and the hubbub of the casino floor.

"Would you like a drink?"

He tilted his horned head and glanced across the array of bottles on the wall.

"Please," he said. His enormous hand ghosted across her shoulder as he stepped up to pluck one of the two bottles from a bucket of ice. Jhyrack shrugged.

"What would you suggest?" he asked.

"I am a simple traveler," he offered with a grin. "This is a nice retreat from the chaos."

He was the lord of an entire continent. She had carved out her own base of power. Despite what they had reached, it was not the case that they wanted for nothing. Whether that was fulfilling an old prophecy or a more immediate impulse.

"You had a proposal?" he mused, though there wasn't anything insistent in his tone. "Or is there just more you want to find out about me?"

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina drew in a sharp breath as moved close, the heat from his hand as it passed her shoulder not quite touching her sent a tingling sensation down her spine. She let out a low humm, a smile playing on her lips, watching him out of the corner of her eye, he smelled of blood and sweat, fresh from the fight.

She forced her attention back to the array of drinks. "After a fight, I like something that burns on the way down. A heat to take the edge off." She trailed her nails along the bottles till she found the one she wanted. Corellian Fire Whiskey, the wax seal still intact. She poured them each a generous serving over a large ice cube before turning to offer him one, leaning on the cabinet as she did, the predatory look still glittering in her gaze.

"When I want to forget the complexities of the SIth Order, I come here. Relish in the simplicity of things. The exhilaration of a fight, the delight in games or sometimes just quiet comforts."

She swirled the amber liquid in her glass taking a small sip as she pondered her next words carefully. She relished the heat on her tongue before letting the burn continue down her throat and chest, only adding to the heat already resting in her core.

"The field I fight on has changed. Those who serve me are spies and informants suited to the subterfuge and intelligence gathering I normally deal in. Useful and effective in the right setting, but it will only take me so far within the Order. I find myself in need of a fighting force. I have access to mercenaries and pirates but they are fickle at best and certainly not disciplined enough for my needs. I lack the expertise required to build one of my own at the speed I need it."

She paused, her emerald gaze watching him. "The proposal is simple, you help me build one and lead it for a time until you need to return home, and I will make sure you have every opportunity to see what this galaxy has to offer."

Jhyrack

 

[Jhyrack]

Jhyrack took the glass delicately between finger and thumb. He mirrored the way she treated the drink, giving it a swirl. The liquid clung to the edge of the glass, falling like slow fingers of amber dragged down the outside.

"I like this proposal."

His people made a contest of every engagement, but they were also direct with their words.

"You might need to build one, but I have one ready. The core of one anyway. I send too much of my strength off world and I will be ousted."

What he hoped is that he would gain experience and strength and influence. Enough to conquer Maldrani and unleash his people like a wave across the stars. He grinned. His smile as predatory as her look. He enjoyed the way she watched him with those stunningly green eyes. In turn, his gaze traced every contour before him as he raised his glass towards his lips.

"We should..."

With colour on his cheeks he coughed suddenly, turning his head away. His bright red eyebrows arched upwards and he lifted the glass to his eyes.

"We do not... Brew anything this strong," he apologised. Jhyrack took a deep breath.

"It is like fire all the way to my belly."

He took another sip, determined to make up for his embarrassing reaction. These small people apparently had a remarkable tolerance for alcohol strong enough to strip paint.

"I like it!" he declared. Despite the heat there was a smokey balance of cherry flavours on his tongue.

Jhyrack slowly lowered himself onto the couch. Even seated he was almost at her eye level. Keeping the glass in his left hand, he reached for her with his right. Fingers slowly took an iron grip on the front of his tunic. The warlord was far too accustomed to getting what he wanted. To take what he needed.

A tug drew her towards him.

"I am still alive, we make this bargain." Eyes glanced down slowly and back up with more haste to meet her gaze. "We should celebrate that."

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina found her eyebrows arching in surprise. She had expected some negotiation, perhaps some request for clarity, but Jhyrack seemed content enough, eager even, to take up what was offered at face value. It was remarkably refreshing.

"I wouldn't want you to take any strength from your home you could not afford, a core is start enough, we can build on that." His smile set her skin tingling as his eyes roamed. She took another sip as he did, watching for his reaction and was not disappointed.

She chuckled. "I did warn it burned on the way down."

Lina allowed him to pull her towards him, his eyes drinking her in again, a hunger beginning to rise in them. As direct with his actions as he was with his words. For a moment she contemplated fighting it, being deliberately difficult, but the heat in her belly overcame the momentary need to maintain control for now.

She slid over his lap, knees coming to rest either side of him, her free hand bracing herself against the hard lines of his chest.

"A celebration certainly seems in order." She purred.

Jhyrack

 

[Jhyrack]

Jhyrack lifted his chin. The corded muscles of his neck stood out. He bared his fangs to the air. There was a playful confidence in the corners of his smile. He had desperately wanted to challenge her. That little glance and moment where she considered resisting told him that there negotiations were far from over. The power struggle would continue. He didn't want her to melt into his touch and surrender. Not yet.

It was far from silent, a symphony of breath, his racing pulse and bubbling water. The growl that she would feel reverberating through her chest more than she would hear still drowned everything else out.

He set his glass aside. Jhyrack wrapped his right arm around her waist. His palm pressed to the curve of her back. She was small against him and felt even smaller beneath his hand. His touch trailer lower around her curves and a sudden tug pulled her flush against him.

His free hand sailed high, gently caressing her cheek. The touch was almost gentle. A seductive trail of one finger over soft skin.

Jhyrack would always be more comfortable with action than with words. He threaded his fingers into her jet black hair. His grip tightened, his body arched. He tilted her head back as he drew in one last heated breath before drawing her lips to his own.