Wonderland | The Collective & Friends

[Mariya Fleischer]

"Who are all these people?"

That was a very good question. Mariya knew that [member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"] was going to ask her about the ball and how she get herself involved in all these fancy stuff with nobility and such. That was still a relatively easy question to respond. Asking about the people's origins and backgrounds? Not exacly something the blonde knew much about. She gave her friend a sheepish smile that showed her inability to answer everything.

"I don't... really know most of them very well. Some of them, I know their names... like that armoured lady? [member="Janeth Farr"], Mandalorian. She usually hangs out with the other two who are still at the bar. The brunette is [member="Evoros"]. The other is [member="Mara Kellarov"]. I like to call them the holy trinity, considering how often they are seen together. As for what they work as... we are all mercenaries and contractors hired by an organisation called the Collective."

The blonde paused, distracted by reappearance of [member="Ghorua the Shark"] who had lost his suit and came in with his gloves. The Herglic looked really buffed and was seemingly interested to get into a brawl. Mariya gave him a small wave of acknowledgement as he walked along the edge of the crowd.

"That's Ghorua the Shark. I mean... his nickname. I just call him Jaws, regardless of whether he likes my nickname. He's a Herglic, a pretty rare species. Oh crap..."

She made a face and pulled out a 9 next, giving her a total of 26. Even with her +/- 5 card at the side meant she could only reduce it to 21, thus making her edging towards a loss. The doctor did not ask for a hold and would still need to pick one more card, but mathematically speaking it was harder for a 15 to burst.

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

"Hmm," Aes'ona hummed in interest. "Collective? Can't say I've heard the name before." She paused to take a drink from her wine glass, going at a slower pace than [member="Mariya Fleischer"]. It was good, she had not lied, but she was through-and-through a doctor, and it made her more than a little cautious for the sake of her liver. She had not drunk much before tonight--maybe once or twice over her lengthy college career--but she could not help it.

"Oh," she exclaimed sadly. "Sorry. The first set is always the easiest to go over." It was statistically true, as all four copies of each number would still be in the deck for the taking.

She leaned over to take her turn. She drew an eight. "I make my case, Your Honor," she muttered under her breath, and then raised her voice to announce, "23.

"And,"--she played the -3 card from her hand, setting it atop her drawpile--"20." Automatic stand.

She had noticed her friend wave at this [member="Ghorua the Shark"], and found him cutting through the crowd after she had finished her turn. "Good to know," she mused. "Wait, why am I getting a bad feeling about this?" She had not seen 'Jaws' bring in his shockboxing gloves, but her hair suddenly stood straight up on her arms anyway.

Oh, sometimes it felt like a doctor was always on-call.

It was probably why she never took vacations.

 

[Cassandra Paige]

She wrinkled her nose slightly. If ever there were a case of sour grapes, it was Cass in regards to the Force.

"I'm well aware. Certain members of my family won't let anyone forget it either." She rolled her eyes, thinking specifically of her paternal grandmother- a Jedi, long since retired and half senile to boot, and perfect little Ana. "It's the dogma that gets tiresome. The 'holier-than-tho' some of them get. As though it alone is enough to make them somehow better."

She sniffed.

It was the realest she had been in his presence, and she brought it back sharply, laughing and shaking her head.

"I apologize, listen to me ramble," she said with a self deprecating smile.

Cass tilted her head slightly, gaze sharpening on him as he brought his attention back to her. Laying her hand in his, she inclined her head, offering him a knowing smile.

"Stronger together, yes?" She said by way of agreement. She had planted the idea and the response wasn't a commitment, but a potential. Meeting him ninety percent of the way so he had to come in the last ten.

He helped her out of the limo and they headed up into the ball, her arm hooked through his as they mounted the stairs. She couldn't help but glance around, making note of the.... frankly eclectic rabble already gathered.

"Anyone in particular who requires your meaningless attentive noises before we start to enjoy ourselves?" She leaned in, her voice low and soft with laughter. Conspiratorial.

[member="Itash Mecetti"]

 

[Mariya Fleischer]

"Never heard of the Collective either. Until they recruited me," the mercenary admitted. When the doctor drew her face, she already knew she would probably lose the first match. "Nice! 20 on the dot. Looks like I need to play better."

She picked up the cards on the table and moved them to a pile, eager for the second match to start. She disliked losing, but it was a friendly match and she treasured the company of [member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"]. more than the competition. If she lost the bet, she was more than willing to do a favour for her friend. She picked up the first card, a small 2 when she noticed Aes'ona looking concerned by the appearance of [member="Ghorua the Shark"].

"Something on your mind? I think Jaws is going to blow some steam in the ring with someone. Could be interesting to watch if you like such sports..."

Mariya had a liking towards sports matches. She occasionally would drop by Lothal to see a game of Grav-ball when time permitted. Boxing was something that she considered as fun, but she had yet to really compete in the ring. Her line of work already was filled with danger, so she would gladly be found at the spectator sidelines instead of getting unnecessary injuries. Admittedly, she found it hard to link the doctor enjoying a boxing match. She seemed more like the sort to take care of the wounds later.

Perhaps that was what Aes'ona had in mind, though there should already be medical help on the standby.

 

[Evoros]

Oh, that was just perfect.

Blink and you'd miss her flat look of isn't-this-great. Her smile barely wavered even if beneath it her mind ran in every direction trying to recalculate.

She could surely amend the situation. She simply couldn't guarantee she wouldn't make it worse. All things considered, it wouldn't hurt her plans to have Mara aware if not of what she was doing, certainly that she was up to something. It might even be helpful. Still nothing to endanger the-

Well, hello.

Perfect.

"Not soon enough," came her greeting. The brunette was smiling and cheerful and every bit unlike someone on the verge of panic. "How've you been? It's good to see you."

Any other occasion, and Evoros would've counted this as a point in her favour. At this ball was exactly where she needed to be seen, after all. But Kaori was observant. Too observant. She'd notice when Evoros disappeared.

A glance was cast in the second agent's direction, the closest thing to thoughtful Evoros cared to display.

Perhaps not.

"Here, sit, we can get you a drink wh- here we are." With satisfaction, she nodded in the direction of the barkeep returning with their drinks. She picked her own up, lifting it in a toast. "Hope you like these, Mara, I hear the refreshments tonight are, and I quote, suspiciously good."

Yes, very subtle, Yvonne, well done. Feel smug later.

[member="Kaori Arai"] | [member="Mara Kellarov"]​

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

The doctor laughed at the idea of her enjoying such violent-sounding games. "Uh, no," she replied, shrugging soon after. "It's like my general stance on drinking, I suppose. I've cleaned up so many of the messes it's left behind." Nothing turned one off to something--anything--more than seeing, not to mention treating, the physical effects of it: for alcoholism or fighting it was corroded liver, cauliflower ear, joint dislocations, shattered bones, just name it. She even had once received a man who had dented his skull in some sort of martial arts competition gone wrong. It was hard to get over the metal images that had seared themselves into her brain, even though she knew full-well that some of the injuries were statistical anomalies compared to others.

Void, she still was not completely over healing the blonde's complex fracture of weeks ago. On Nar Shaddaa, a man had bumped into her, and all of her things scattering did not bother her as much as the fear of breaking her own arm on the concrete sidewalk.

She glanced at [member="Mariya Fleischer"], shooting her an apologetic look. "I can't help being a doctor."

With that, she took her first card for this second set. "Eight," she said before leaning back and taking a short drink.

"What is it you all do, though?" she asked. "You said you're all mercs or contractors, but are you...y'know, working toward a goal? Or it just common comradery?" She could respect both, but she was still curious.

 

[Itash Mecetti]

"As though it alone is enough to make them somehow better."

It was, of course, enough.

But Tash stilled his tongue for this brief moment. Oh, there would be enough time in the future to make his point, but now? No reason to make this pleasant encounter something decidedly unpleasant. Not when they curled each other around their index finger and were slowly moving along towards a conclusion... or perhaps a finale with the possibility of an extension later on. "Oh, no, that is quite alright, miss Paige." Once more he joined her and smiled in easy support. "It reminds me of the superiority complex my brother has always had- not the Force, no." The unspoken question answered immediately. "No, he simply considered himself quite the talent, because his desire was only what was in the books, rather than what was happening outside of them."

As if sitting still all day, nodding along with your tutor and spending hours upon hours of digesting raw bits of information spoke of talent. A monkey could do that, perhaps even a Mirialan, if they'd cease their meaningless drifting and whining for a moment.

Like there weren't other planets that had a genocide or two. You did not see those filthy feline mongrels of Cathar whine about their fate, did you?

Fingers wrapped around her hand and squeezed just a moment, a soft call back towards the Gala they had attended together and the exploration during and after it. Oh, tonight he'd take more, he had decided that the moment he had seen her dress.

"Mm," A soft murmur as Tash tilted his head and let lips brush his ear a fraction. "There are several figures of interest in attendance today... Arkania, Eshan, some others. One of them is a Baron." Not too high on the ranking that their approach would be seen as encroachment or even bad taste, but high enough that there were a lot of opportunities there. "His daughter-" A finger trailed softly across her arm, teasing back and promising further. "-will have her birthday in three weeks... perfect opportunity to introduce him to GenPals, maybe?"

And who else would ensure that the birthday party would be secure and safe than Lord Mecetti. A man of noble upbringing, who knew the importance of standing, with a private army at his back.

[member="Cassandra Paige"]

 

[Mariya Fleischer]

"See, that's always been my plan all along. Make friends with a doctor who can patch me up when I'm injured."

She grinned, drawing her second card the deck. A single 7, combined with her 2 to give her a 9. It appeared she would need to draw more card in this match compared to the first. [member=Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"] appeared to be rather curious about the Collective, with another question popping up. Unfortunately, Mariya had little concrete to offer in terms of a coherent explanation. Some faction's goals were simple. The First Order's goal was to create an empire like galaxy with human focused civilisation. The Commenor Systems Alliance was to protect its own people. The Collective's aim was transcendence. A vague unknown.

"There is some sort of a common goal. Two, in fact. The first one is transcendence among the galaxy using technology to help advancement in society. The second one is that all living creatures are inevitable to be fallible to corruption, lust or greed. So perhaps there is some way to overcome that by allowing everyone to achieve enlightenment. I'm not a spiritual person... the last time I meditated I found myself thinking about how silly it felt to count my breathing."

Mariya pondered for a moment, trying to find a better way to explain her beliefs.

"Heard of cognitive bias? All living creatures are irrational, with skewed perceptions and limited capability to process information. That includes the both of us and all the leaders from the different factions. Perhaps that is why wars are always fought. Because people hold different beliefs and feel that their views are the truth. I have no solution to the transcendence or enlightenment problem and frankly... I doubt the higher ups in the Collective know exactly what they are doing. The Jedi have spent centuries preaching and meditating and still incapable of achieving true enlightenment. Perhaps as a living creature, one can never be truly enlightened."

All the wars that the mercenary had fought had made her pessimistic towards most of the faction leaders, thus shaping her view to a simple message. To live life as she deemed fit.

"Conclusion? Drink wine, enjoy company with loved ones and play cards. Your turn, Aes'ona."

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

Aes'ona was listening, attentive and curious, until [member="Mariya Fleischer"]'s life philosophy, when she laughed and put up her hands in mock surrender. "Sounds good to me. I'll stop asking questions," she promised as she drew a card. A ten. "Eighteen, and nineteen, and stand." She played her +/- 1 card on top of that which she just drew.

 

[Cassandra Paige]

She let him lead, perfectly content on his arm.

For now. In this situation anyway.

"I am familiar with that particular sort of sibling," she said, unable to keep all of the distaste completely from her tone. "Sisters, in my case."

At least she understood the appeal of Natalya, even if she didn't understand the level of devotion she showed to the lie she called her life. She was devoted to Papa and the family business. The model child. It was the continued doting upon Ana that baffled her.

Couldn't the rest of them see how fake she was? No one was that nice.

They swept up the stairs and inside, much to her relief. The goosebumps on her arm as he traced a finger up and her eyes cast over, measuring, was less from the touch and more from Arkania itself. She surrendered her stole and he his overcoat to the closet check, and they made their way within.

It was..... pretty enough, she supposed. Obviously arranged by people who were unfamiliar with wealth and the subtler fashions with which it could be displayed. It perhaps wasn't as gauche as she had half expected from his explanation, but they had a ways to go.

She chuckled, glancing up at him from the side of her gaze from beneath dark lashes.

"Really? Well, I will keep that in mind," she said, but then her voice took on a teasing tone. "But surely tonight is not just about business yes?"

She, in truth, hated the little rats her company pedaled. They had just unveiled the first trio of creatures to the galaxy and the response was almost exactly what she had hoped for. That didn't mean she wanted to spend the evening with him networking for the company. Certainly she would, if he made it clear that was his intent, but it wold secretly annoy her.

No, she was here tonight to hedge bets. Her mother's ultimatum. In case GenPals did not work out as planned, she had no intentions of coming out of this empty handed.

A Mecetti would be a worthwhile consolation prize.

[member="Itash Mecetti"]

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Cassandra Paige"]

Head inclined.

It did not surprise him that they had that in common. In fact, the more he found out, the more they seemed to have similarities- they were the similarities that could be found throughout high society, yes. But it was not high society he was planning to take tonight. "Ah, perhaps we should band our strength together in that situation as well then." A tease? Perhaps, but mm, could this one prove to be useful? If he ever decided to go back to Tapani space? Wrestle control from his brother.

Maybe.

A thought for a different night, perhaps.

The goosebumps made him smirk. There was no doubt about it this was his doing- the weather? Pfah. He shifted from finger tip to line of his nail, both softening the press and slowing it. "No, I think he will suffice for the night."

Some individuals liked to think that networking meant spending the entire night bustling from one face to the other. That... sounded exhausting. Luckily Tash was Mecetti and all that he had to do was share his willingness to do business with one well-connected individual tonight. From there his name would do the rest of the job. It would spread through the entire gala like wildfire with the natural conclusion being at least half a dozen calls to his office by the end of tomorrow morning.

"Drinks first?" A guidance veiled in a question, because Tash was already leading them towards the bar.

Settling in, shoulder touching shoulder, one finger rising to get the attention of the barkeep.

There was a signet ring on his ring-finger, she would notice now. Heavy set, onyx stone with the Mecetti symbol etched in gold into the stone. Not his- it should have gone from his father to his brother, but dad had always liked him so much more. It had been the gift of the ring that had made Tash think... why not more?

 

[Mariya Fleischer]

"19? Hmm... you are making it difficult for me to win," Mariya pulled out her next card and grinned, waving the card at her friend. It was a 10, which made her score tied with Aes'ona.

"Heh, next round then." She collected the cards on display and put them aside as usual, starting the third round with the first draw. Her new card read a 7. "So, have you thought of the favour that you are going to ask me if you win? A big if, of course. I haven't lost yet."

She was halfway through her second glass of wine and waved her hand at another passing waiter, this time grabbing a plate of fancy looking sushi with two pairs of chopsticks. She had no idea if [member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"] was hungry yet or was game enough to eat some of the raw stuff, which made her ending up taking a plate of delicate pastries as well. Since her preference was the sushi, her chopsticks reached for a piece and sent it into her mouth.

"I heard you were trying to form some kind of... medical group or something? How's it going?"

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

Aes'ona randomly took up one of the pastries and took a bite. "Oooh," she groaned. "Did I say two out of three? I meant first to three sets. Though we can do two for sake of time," she offered. As [member="Mariya Fleischer"] was more acquainted with at least some of the people in attendance tonight, Aes'ona assumed that she might want to spend time with others.

Regardless of Mariya's wish, Aes'ona took her turn, turning over a three from the main deck. "Your turn." The doctor leaned back again, and recrossed her legs. "Um, n-no, not yet," she admitted as she finished her wine. "I'm used to playing myself, or with my coworkers to pass the time." Republic Senate rules, it was called, but she often avoided the name because it was not very applicable inside the Order. "I'll think of something. Have you?

"Oh, the new staff members? They're adjusting well. I'm really happy with the people I got," Aes'ona answered, to the question about her work. "I already had the group formed: Alacrity Clinical. We act as the board of SPD, the hospital you stayed at. We felt some new minds were due." She smiled. "It tends to help productivity in the long run."

 

[Mariya Fleischer]

"Yup, you said two out of three. Three sets? Game on."

The blonde gladly agreed the extension of the game, which would give her more chance to catch up. Her second card drawn was an 8, giving her a total of 15. With luck, she could draw a big number on her next card and reduce the total score with her side deck.

"Play pazaak with yourself... like a virtual card game? Frankly, I cannot imagine the sight of a whole bunch of doctors sitting in the cafeteria and crouching over a table to play cards," she chuckled at the picture painted in her mind. "No, I haven't thought of the favour yet. Trust me, I will..."

Another piece of sushi for her appetite, followed by a fancy looking chocolate pastry. "Alacrity Clinical huh. Got a nice ring on it. I assume your food is currently sponsored by the First Order, but if you ever need supplies, my company is willing to donate some."

More donations. Mariya had yet to plan on the budget for it, but she figured that her company should be able to fund a small clinic like the [member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"]'s.

 

[Janeth Farr]

Janeth hadn't moved far and in fact she didn't need to.

When Ghorua returned she had been tapping her foot impatiently. "Ready?" She said, rhetorically. Then waved her hand for them to follow. She ventured out of the Gala towards where the airspeeders were parked. Although the air around them was certainly not warm, it wasn't terribly cold either.

Arkanian cities were built inside specialized domes. These domes served as protective shields against attack, but also defended the cities against the harsh elements. However, the Arkanians still liked their cities cool. A modest winter day with no chill. Janeth didn't need to enter the speeder. Where they were going was only a walk away. The small palace where the ball was being held happened to be in a compound of sorts on the outskirt of the city.

From the hilltop they could see all the way down into the city below, watching the speeder traffic like ants from afar. After the walk, they would arrive inside an old building that looked abandoned from the outside. Inside, however, it proved to be quite clean. A training facility. For the guards it would seem, but there was no one else inside. At the center of the room was a sparring floor.

"Home sweet home." Janeth clicked her tongue once in amusement.

[member="Ghorua the Shark"] | [member="Zeke Farthen"]

 

[Mara Kellarov]

Honestly, it should've clicked the moment Evoros had invited her to the ball. Or rather, she imagined inviting her wasn't quite the intended plan at the time. But it wasn't until she took a sip of her drink that it finally dawned on her.

Water.

The pieces connected; Mara realizing Evoros had used the Force to silently manipulate the bartender's actions. Although that begged the question of why?

She knew Evoros didn't exactly shy away from alcohol when she desired it, but in that moment Mara was surprise she had gone to the effort to mask the water beneath the allusion of a martin-

The Board sent her...

Of course they did, who else would they have turned to after she had refused.

"It's not bad." Mara chimed in, taking another sip. "Maybe a bit too light for my taste." There was a passing look, one that said nothing and everything at the same time.

I know.

What Mara was going to do with that information however, she left unanswered. Instead she was momentarily distracted by seeing a familiar face in the crowd, making their way towards the bar. It was [member="Itash Mecetti"] and [member="Cassandra Paige"]. Albeit she had no idea who the latter was, but the former got the typical eye roll from the Agent.

She looked back at Evoros, giving her the slightest nudge of the head as Itash and his lady friend reached the bar.

[member="Evoros"] | [member="Kaori Arai"]​

 

[Cassandra Paige]

"Mmm I suspect that anywhere we pooled our strength we'd be.... formidable," she purred.

That was not subtle. But it flowed into the moment that he'd set up for it, and it was one thing to play hard to get and another thing entirely to let perfectly arrange moments like that one slip by and not add another nail to the coffin.

She let him lead the way to the bar, a natural continuation from their point of origin. They shifted through the crowd there, his hand moving to the small of her back to guide her forward through the smaller space that allowed him to follow in her wake and settle beside her. Her gaze caught the ring- not knowing the actual history of it, the implication was all that mattered here. Reconfirming the potential reward if she could catch his attention for keeps.

Love? What was that, in truth? An excuse. As far as Cass was concerned, having been raised in a family where it was clearly the case, marriage was a contract, no different from any other. He had all of the necessary qualifications.

And there was no way any of her sisters could compare. It would be a triumph in a game they had played since they were old enough to walk, even if they all pretended it wasn't.

They ordered their drinks, staying there against the bar for a moment as they waited.

She tilted her head to look up at him, offering a long line of neck that was of course not truly an invitation beyond one to appreciate.

"I have gotten little snippets," she said with a laugh, grey eyes watching him. Her hand came out, resting on his for a moment. "But I still don't know much about the real Lord Itash Mecetti. Tell me more, about home? I feel as though it would be most illuminating."

[member="Itash Mecetti"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua saluted up at [member="Mariya Fleischer"] as she acknowledged him, giving her a winning smile. Perhaps the only one here he recognized, aside from the little girl at his side. He gave [member="Dr. Aes'ona Terrani"] beside her a grin as well, before having his attention drawn away by who he was looking for.

The Shark bowed grandiosely as he saw [member="Janeth Farr"]. "Yes, let's," he responded, grasping Minna's hand when she offered it. Without protest, they followed the woman outside, walking briefly to an warehouse. Ghorua grew suspicious for but a second, wondering whether he'd been lured away from the party to be jumped on. When he saw the racks and racks of training equipment inside, he relaxed. He even grew a bit excited when he noticed the empty space in the center.

"Alright, Minna, stay back. I don't want you getting hurt." The Shark's tone was caring, fatherly, unfit for his terrifying figure. Minna only laughed, waving a hand as if to say 'get on with it'.

"So, Esli," Ghorua started, stepping into the center of the room, slipping his gloves on, and setting them to their lowest setting. Perhaps later, they would ramp it up. "I can only assume you didn't go to that party to congregate with the noblemen." He rolled his shoulders, swinging his arms to straighten out the kinks.

"It must have taken the collective effort of many people to make it happen, don't you think?"

Perhaps not the most subtle. After all, Ghorua had a well-known love for theatrics.

 

[Itash Mecetti]

[member="Cassandra Paige"]

"The real Lord Mecetti," Tash mused, but he did not move his hand away from hers and instead let it sit there pleasantly and warm. "Reality is boring so often, don't you think?" The tease came easy and smoothly in the wake of her request.

Would he tell her truths?

In truth Itash didn't know yet.

But he'd find out soon enough. Their drinks arrived and it caused him to pull his hand back, instead letting his fingers curl around the thin rim and take a sip from the martini. They had been drinking on each occasion that they had met. That was not a bad thing as far as Itash was concerned. This was social drinking, one glass here, one glass there, to blunt the edges and make things just a touch more... easy. That was why they were serving them after all.

"Mm, say what you will about their taste-" A quick glance towards the gaudy nouveau riche atmosphere, before his free hand brushed her knee (the firmness spoke of a lack of mistake), before they found her hand one more time. This time his covered hers. "But their martinis as quite passable. How is yours, miss Paige?"

 

[Prennis Keeoli]

"Three plus four makes seven," the doctor added aloud. She sat back once more, signaling the end of her turn. She took up her unfinished water.

"...Hey, what's so funny about that?" she asked, face mock-serious until a smile and a good-natured laugh broke her demeanor. When she had collected herself, she sipped on her drink. "I know it seems like we're all work, and I am, but we still are human." Rather, Human or Near-Human in the case of her staff, but hopefully [member="Mariya Fleischer"] knew what was meant by the phrase.

Then Aes'ona smiled proudly. "Thank you. I quite like the name, myself," she agreed. "If I ever get a medical frigate, I'd call it the FIV--First Imperial Vessel--Repose. Repose, Alacrity, Sanctity..." Suddenly, a shutter. "I'm not keen on some of the names of our battleships; I prefer a sense of healing myself, but I'm biased. That's why I'll refuse a black officer's uniform until the day I lose my licence." Aes'ona shook her head; this had been a bit of a rambling. "Anyway, I'll keep that in mind, thank you." Though she hoped that nothing would go that sideways, as to cut Alacrity off from the First Order's support. But maybe Mariya just referred to those sporadic periods of food rationing, like the time she had happened upon the station and had been assigned to her hospital.