Lord Sinistra
Retired High Councilor 
VE Human Capital Management & Talent Acquisition
Posts: 1,474 
Affiliation: The Vegemite Enclave
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Lord Sinistra on Nov 22, 2013 7:37:47 GMT -8
"Bogan's beard, I don't keep track of celebrities. I have enough on my plate leading an empire and staying ahead of those who want my head." She chortled at the thought of trying to keep up with entertainment headlines and the perpetual stream of gossip that flowed like a river of insipid news into the ears and minds of the unambitious and easily amused. "I'm sure it'll stir the idiots who bang away at petty, useless lives into a frenzy but honestly, I would think they would be a little more concerned about a tyrannical, fanatical warrior culture that uses forced conversion to their ideals and traditions. I cannot for the life of me understand why they cannot see the danger this crusade brings. Forgive the analogy, but Force users are gods among men, and if we who are trained in mystical powers and fighting are unable to stop the march of this dictator, what makes them think they have nothing to fear?"
She threw her hands up in defeat, unable to see the logic in the plight of the Republic and those who claimed freedom under it's rule. She never did understand the idiocy in large populations. A person could be smart, but in large numbers, they were dumb, panicky animals whose collective intelligence dropped with every added exponent of size. She was amazed that large groups could feed and dress themselves sometimes. She sighed and turned on the couch, to lie back against the padded armrest, a pillow comforting her back as she stretched her legs out towards Eralam, her boot soles still off the cushions over the floor as not to get his furniture dirty.
"I don't want to talk about the stupid war. I do that all day at work. I'd rather talk about fun things like mutual interests. You know, like how many ways you can cause a sentient being to scream for mercy or what fabric best resists blood stains."
There was a demonic wink at him as she rested the highball glass in one hand on her stomach, the other tucked behind her head.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2013 17:20:44 GMT -8
"Oh for fuck's sake..."
Dresden used the Force to gently pry off Sin's boots. She was short enough that, even sprawled out, her feet fell a few inches sort of his own relaxed slouching spot.
"You're a guest, which means that you get to abuse my furniture however you see fit if it means being comfortable."
Since the Force seemed to be working well for him at the moment, the former Shard summoned the last bottle of this particular vintage from his liquor cabinet and set it on the table. He had more in the cellar, but getting to that would prove to be a challenge. There were, however, many other excellent selections to choose from if needed.
"Personally, I find that nothing I do is ever going to be as bad as what they come up with for themselves. Give a guy a few hints of what might happen and let him sweat it out for a while, and nine times out of ten, he'll break before you ever have to start shoving wires in his dick."
|
|
Lord Sinistra
Retired High Councilor
VE Human Capital Management & Talent Acquisition
Posts: 1,474
Affiliation: The Vegemite Enclave
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Lord Sinistra on Nov 23, 2013 1:36:00 GMT -8
"Yeah but you gotta plant the ideas first. You have to show some initial brutality, give them some reason to fear the things you haven't done yet. They need a base for comparison."
By this point, they were well into 2 bottles of whiskey and a pitcher of water when Sinistra acutely became aware that she had a very full bladder. Excusing herself to the bathroom, she came out feeling better than when she went in, her socks held in one hand. Dropping them into the calf of one of her boots on the floor; she had washed her feet while she was in the bathroom, not wishing to sit on the couch and be sickened by the smell of stinky boot feet.
She slid back into place on the couch, her legs tucked underneath her as she reached for her glass again. "I never really get to have any fun with interrogations anymore. I would love to make someone scream just for laughs."
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2013 10:52:38 GMT -8
Dresden chuckled.
"There are people who would be quite willing to pay for the privilege, I'm sure."
The fallen Whill was also quite sure that doing so would be both a grave error and a fatal one. Sin might seem relatively harmless, sitting barefoot on his couch, but that was mainly because she had no reason not to be, not here. He had heard the stories, read the reports, and knew that she could be quite monstrous when necessary, or even when it wasn't. Not that he really cared.
"You're right, of course, but I prefer to avoid physical torture most of the time. I'll resort to it if necessary, but the occasions when I enjoy it are few and far between. Rapists, slavers, and pedophiles are the exceptions.
"But then again, if I ever really need someone worked over, I can always give you a call. You're a freaking artist from what I've heard."
|
|
Lord Sinistra
Retired High Councilor
VE Human Capital Management & Talent Acquisition
Posts: 1,474
Affiliation: The Vegemite Enclave
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Lord Sinistra on Nov 23, 2013 18:02:16 GMT -8
"I've always heard that when you enjoy your work, it shows."
She leaned her head on her hand, her eyelids feeling droopy and heavy from the late hour and the alcohol. Thoughts were drifting around in her mind, fleeting wisps of ideas and doubt that made up her consciousness. She lost track of time and her mind, unaware if she was speaking her thoughts outloud. When she figured out that she wasn't talking, she tried to remember what exactly she was talking about but her eyelids slid shut and she began to snore softly, sitting up, curled into a ball on the end on the couch.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2013 22:38:24 GMT -8
It took Dresden a moment to realize Sin was passed out, but the snoring was a pretty big clue. The standard cliché in this situation would be to remark about how peaceful she looked asleep, but that would be a lie. Age had treated the Dark Lord well, but even in her sleep, curled up in why should have been a cute little ball, there was a predatory air about her that only a fool could have ignored. One could not forget that a Sith doesn't live long enough to start collecting silver in their hair without being extraordinarily ruthless and deadly.
Still, Dresden was rather fond of his guest, talent for atrocities included. It would be unbecoming to allow her to freeze. The former Shard staggered across to the linen closet, selected a spare blanket and pillow, and did his best to make sure his guest was warm and cozy. It was quite tricky, given his level of intoxication, but she didn't seem to have woken up, which was a good thing. Once that was all said and done, he curled up in an armchair and joined her in dreamland. For the first time in days, sleep came easily for the fallen Whill. His sleep was deep and dreamless, the sort of utter blackness normally reserved for the dead. Blessed relief.
|
|
Lord Sinistra
Retired High Councilor
VE Human Capital Management & Talent Acquisition
Posts: 1,474
Affiliation: The Vegemite Enclave
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Lord Sinistra on Nov 24, 2013 16:10:36 GMT -8
Sometime in his sleep, the strings that pull and tug the beings of the universe trembled and with a slight pop, Sinistra and her belongings disappeared, relegated back to her usual timeline which found her in the cockpit on her ship through hyperspace. She woke with a start when it deposited her back at the precise moment she had been abducted, so that her timeline looked seamless but she was exhausted, drunk and now puking from the violent thrusting of her physical being from one part of the universe to the other. She needed to get a grip on herself. The ship was headed for Kuat looked like and she delicately avoided the puddle on the floor to find something to clean it up and to treat her extreme intoxication.
A trip to the medical supplies first found her injecting drugs to neutralize the alcohol in her system, then a breathing mask and hazmat gear helped her clean up the cockpit. She grabbed a shower and clean clothes just about the time that the Rancor spit itself out of hyperspace in the Kuat system. According to local time at the Estate, it was mid morning. This was going to be a long day. She cursed Dresden under her breath as the ship came down through the orbit to her lavish home on the lush terrain of Kuat.
|
|
Lord Sinistra
Retired High Councilor
VE Human Capital Management & Talent Acquisition
Posts: 1,474
Affiliation: The Vegemite Enclave
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Lord Sinistra on Feb 19, 2014 12:57:02 GMT -8
The elevator closed behind them, Dresden holding another bottle of the perfect vintage that had made its way up from the depths of the bunker below. Sin’s buzz had her feeling warm all over and a mirthful smile split her face as she laughed at a badly cracked joke about a bucket list containing names of Mandalorians who needed to be exterminated. Were they not intoxicated and needing to unwind in the relatively safe company of each other, the joke would not be nearly as funny, but considering her recent triumph over the tin can clad warriors, she let herself relax.
Her fingers curled around the neck of the bottle, pulling it free from his grip to slake her thirst, giggles still shining in the dark, mahogany orbs. The ride down was silly jokes, and full of her not talking about the battle. She switched off the holoshroud and the alien skin faded away to show her looking ragged. Dried blood was splattered all over her, some hers, some his caked on her skin and clothes; an overly large set of hospital scrubs hung on her frame as the doctor she had impersonated had been taller and chunkier than the petite Sith Lord. Her hair was messy, twisted into an unsuccessful bun, tendrils of dirty curls hanging down in front of her eyes and framing her face.
The bing of the elevator hitting bottom drew her attention and she was the first through the opening doors, looking around for which direction to go. She couldn’t see anyone lurking down here but that didn’t mean his staff wasn’t here someplace. She took another pull off the bottle in a most uncivilized fashion, offering it back to him as she shared her curiosity.
“Are you home alone tonight or are your staff lurking? No secret meetings of my faction heads down here?”
She grinned devilishly as she recalled sitting in on the meeting between Dresden and the group of anarchists who were supposed to be toppling Adarlon.
“Don’t suppose I could get a shower and some clean clothes? Maybe borrow something from Koko?”
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2014 13:17:40 GMT -8
Dresden grinned sheepishly.
"No secret meetings tonight. Everyone should be on their way by now."
At the mention of a shower, the fallen Whill took a moment to look his friend over and confirmed that yes, she was a mess. Come to think of it, he wasn't much better off. Not as much blood, though his sockless feet were spattered with a fair bit under the scavenged boots, but there was dirt and grime a plenty.
"You can use the shower in my quarters if you want. It'll save the trouble of having anyone in the staff showers recognize you. As for clothes..."
His face scrunched up in drunken concentration.
"I haven't seen Koko since the hospital, and even if I had the pass code to her room, I don't have the one that deactivates the claymores. I can scavenge you some while you clean up, if you'd like."
|
|
Lord Sinistra
Retired High Councilor
VE Human Capital Management & Talent Acquisition
Posts: 1,474
Affiliation: The Vegemite Enclave
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Lord Sinistra on Feb 19, 2014 15:27:22 GMT -8
She turned and entered his room, heading immediately for the refresher, leaving the door slightly ajar so he could drop off some clothes. The water was blissfully hot as she stepped into the shower, the steam clouding the room. She leaned against the cool tile, the water cascading off her skin running a light red fading to pink as the blood ran down the drain. She washed quickly, finally stepping out of the glassed in shower stall looking and feeling more like herself. He managed to find the pile of clothes he had previously gathered for her disguise, leaving them in a pile on the end of the countertop. She picked through them, finding a pair of black leggings and a strange geometric print top in teal and green. It worked with her skin tone and she dried her hair as much as she could before she opened the door, feeling much more at ease.
She plodded out towards the sitting area, grabbing the bottle and pouring herself three fingers of her new favorite whiskey, finally taking a moment to look at the label. Voxyn Distillery's Black Cask. She had never heard of it, but the taste of the exquisitely aged liquor made her consider buying the business. The buzz she had going needed to be nursed and she carried the glass to the entertainment center, hitting the button to turn on the stereo, keeping it low just for background noise. She ambled over to the card table, a tall case behind it laden with games of all kinds. She played with a stack of chips on the table, sipping the whiskey in her hand.
"Poker or blackjack?"
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2014 15:50:41 GMT -8
Dresden, towel and clean clothes in hand, cocked an eyebrow.
"Shower first, then cards. I'm not exactly smelling like a rose."
With that, the former Shard headed to the latrine, stripped down, cranked the water up as hot as he could stand it, and jumped in. The stress of the day seemed to flow down the drain along with a not inconsiderable amount of filth.
|
|
Lord Sinistra
Retired High Councilor
VE Human Capital Management & Talent Acquisition
Posts: 1,474
Affiliation: The Vegemite Enclave
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Lord Sinistra on Feb 19, 2014 16:14:10 GMT -8
Sin slid down into a chair at the table with her glass, one for him, and the bottle. She grabbed a deck of cards that was sitting there, shuffling them absent mindedly as she thought about everything in the last couple of days. Her knee no longer hurt but the scar was there still there when she checked in the shower. She was caught up in reliving the trip to Coruscant when the sound of him coming out of the bath broke her reverie. She stood up and went over to his wet bar, grabbing a couple bags of snack foods to munch on. There was a glass of the Voxyn at the table for him, and she raised hers to him.
"Here's to battles won and one more day with friends." Her glass clinked on his before she slid back down taking a sip of the amber liquor. "Poker or blackjack?"
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2014 16:25:18 GMT -8
"Cheers."
Dresden took a big swig from the glass an contemplated the problem. Power or blackjack. Hmm.
"Blackjack. Too much thinking is not a good thing tonight, methinks."
The former Shard settled down in a chair with a contented sigh. This was the life. Even with everything falling apart around his ears, he could still enjoy a good drink with his best friend at the end of the day. He grinned at Sin mischievously.
"Besides, you'll be hard pressed to run the tables on me here. So what are we betting?"
|
|
Lord Sinistra
Retired High Councilor
VE Human Capital Management & Talent Acquisition
Posts: 1,474
Affiliation: The Vegemite Enclave
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Lord Sinistra on Feb 19, 2014 16:58:48 GMT -8
"Well, planets are off the table. I just lost a ton of ships fighting Taung, we're both filthy rich." Mischief curled her lips into a smirk as she shuffled and dealt them a hand of cards. She was showing an 8, he had 7. "We both know the value of information. Loser has to give up a piece of intell to the winner. The larger the pot of chips, the bigger the secret."
She reached for her glass, pulling her left leg up in the chair, hugging it to her chest as she waited for his answer, a grin on her face. Her hair had begun to dry in long, loose curls that shined in the overhead chandelier over the card table. The bright circle of light caught the twinkle of a crystal shard nestled between the deep v of her shirt collar, a faint red and orange glow at the base of her throat.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2014 17:06:59 GMT -8
Dresden nearly choked when he saw the chunk of crystal. It looked very, very familiar. That made her chosen form of wager all the more interesting.
"Okay, I'm down with that, with the caveat that state secrets are off limits."
As he checked his facedown card, Dresden carefully didn't swear. It was an eight.
"Hit me."
Drink in hand, the former Shard managed to somehow pull a pipe, already packed, out of nowhere. In a shameful display of laziness, he lit the pipe with a flame conjured with the Force.
|
|
Lord Sinistra
Retired High Councilor
VE Human Capital Management & Talent Acquisition
Posts: 1,474
Affiliation: The Vegemite Enclave
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Lord Sinistra on Feb 19, 2014 17:27:43 GMT -8
"Deal." She flipped the top card over and slid it over to him. She glimpsed at the facedown card in front of her and tossed a 5 chip on the ante pile. "I'll stay." She was sitting on a king and an 8, but he saw something that make him choke and she didn't catch whether it was his cards or something else.
She picked up the glass and sipped it again, helping to keep her buzz nice and even. Her lips were going numb and she was feeling giggly with the prospect that she could cajole thousands of years of secrets from a fallen god.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2014 17:44:35 GMT -8
The next card was a four. Dresden threw a five into the center to cover the ante.
"I'm good. Turn 'em?"
A 19 wasn't the strongest hand out there, but it wasn't a bust and that's what mattered. Wooh. He smiled lazily at her through the cloud of blue-grey smoke.
"Well this is cozy."
|
|
Lord Sinistra
Retired High Councilor
VE Human Capital Management & Talent Acquisition
Posts: 1,474
Affiliation: The Vegemite Enclave
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Lord Sinistra on Feb 19, 2014 18:04:58 GMT -8
Sin flipped her cards over, an 18. She exhaled a defeated sigh, reaching for the bottle to refill her glass. She looked down and found a pack of black spiced cigarettes and she pulled one out, screwing it between her lips. The click of a lighter, the exhale of a smooth stream of grey smoke across the table, the sweet taste of spices on her lips mixing with the taste of the whiskey in an intoxicating draw. She rolled the black wrappered filter between her fingers, her mind thinking about what secrets she would choose to reveal. Taking another drag of the cigarette, she leveled him with a heavy look and a delicately arched eyebrow.
"The majority of my fortune is actually a bulk alimony payment for my tenure as High Queen of the Iron Fists." She gathered the cards and put them aside, dealing them out another hand. She was curious if he would take that as a secret or if he was wanting something a little more juicy.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2014 18:13:23 GMT -8
Since it was his turn to deal, Dresden gave the deck a good shuffle and dealt. He had a king showing and a three hidden. Sin had a ten showing.
"That is actually quite funny."
Dealing done for the moment, he threw in a five chip for the ante and another just for kicks. He was pleasantly buzzed by this point, between the tobacco and the alcohol, and was actually enjoying himself immensely.
|
|
Lord Sinistra
Retired High Councilor
VE Human Capital Management & Talent Acquisition
Posts: 1,474
Affiliation: The Vegemite Enclave
Traffic Light: Green
|
Post by Lord Sinistra on Feb 19, 2014 18:23:17 GMT -8
She ante'ed up, threw a 5 to call his bet then snuck a peek at the cards in front of her. She tossed a 10 on top of the pile to raise him.
"Yeah, it's hysterical. Nothing is quite as financially freeing as being An Tiarna's ex wife."
|
|
