Ask Serenno Dead End

[Darth Malicia]

Ever since that one, torturous text, she hadn't been able to sleep for longer than a handful of hours. She needed to follow up on the lead. The chance of being able to hunt down the last Cadre-Master, the one who'd started it all, was too much to put off or ignore.

She didn't want the others to know. She couldn't give up her chance of being the one who landed the killing blow. It was petty and potentially reckless and she didn't care one bit.

The air around her was chilled, colder than usual. Beneath that cold however was a inferno of fire, screaming and writhing. Though as fiery as she felt, she did not believe she'd be facing the last Cadre-Master tonight. She had to follow up on the lead first, to see if it was even legitimate.

The content of the text pointed to Serenno, and she stepped on the planet in a dress suitable for a noble lady. In the colors of the house that provided her fake identity as a noble here. A black, perhaps closer to dark gray, dress that clung tightly to her figure. At least, what was being held together by the darkness. Within her bun hair she'd tucked a black rose. The small bobble was the first and only gift she'd received. It was the only thing on her, besides her lightsabers, that she'd kill over.

She stepped outside of the spaceport, her cultists moved to her sides. They were posing as regular body guards to help sell the illusion. She waited until her car arrived then, as soon as the door was opened for her, she slipped into the back.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc wasn’t a wealthy man. He bought and experienced the finer things in life from his space station allowance for missions. He was usually economical and efficient enough on the missions to have leftover cash to burn on nice booze and an endless supply of cigarra. He racked up supplemental income from DJing at underground raves in Hutt space, doing spice runs and driving high profile clientele around. The driving gig was peaceful and gave him tons of insight into gossip and information of the wealthy. Some of them even revealed information that led him to find rare artifacts or books.

Tonight he was tasked with driving around a Serenno noble woman to wherever she pleased. He was dressed in an expensive black suit and tie. The nice chrono on his wrist was actually something he owned, along with the designer cologne he wore. His hair was perfectly gelled to make it obvious he only dealt with expensive gigs.

This job also allowed him to drive an endless assortment of luxury speeders, vehicles he knew he could never afford. He had a soft jazz song playing as he rolled up in the elongated speeder, stepping out to escort his client.

It was the first time she would see those piercing silver eyes. Gazes locked for a moment and he politely greeted her. Emryc could sense the icy chill, and he took a moment to study the almost delicate beauty before him. He stole only a flashing glance at the rose in her hair to confirm who this was, having to bite back a grin. So this was what she had been hiding beneath the mask.

Emryc extended a gloved hand to open the door and help her in. He recognized one of the cultists as the ones that he had threatened not long ago under the guise of his mask. The two men shared an exchange with Emryc’s lips curling into the faintest grin.

He walked back to hop into the drivers side. He revved up the engine and glanced up into the rearview mirror, “Where to, my lady?”

@Dread

 

[Darth Malicia]

Her mind was clouded with all her racing thoughts, so she barely acknowledged her drivers beauty before she slipped into her seat. Once she was comfortable, one of her guards sat beside her. The other invited himself into the spot beside Emyrc.

The drivers voice broke through her thoughts when he finally got in. Her eyes to snapped up to him, though they lost some of their harder edges after a moment.

Distracting, she thought.

Before anything else she abruptly leaned forward, enough to reach up and capture her drivers jaw if he didn't escape it. Her fingers would dig into his skin, ensnaring that which belonged to her in the moment. One finger loosened after a second, which trailed down a small edge of his jawline. "Eight," the small Darth said, letting go after and sitting back in her seat as if nothing had happened. He was a nobody, which meant fair game for her.

"The Eldins Estate," she finally answered, making herself comfortable in her seat again. Her guards seemed very uncomfortable, or rather, unhappy as they stared daggers at the driver, as if to warn him not to step out of line.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc didn’t react as she abruptly reached over to grasp his jaw. His icy gaze trained forward, a faint grin gracing his lips.

“Are you sure you don’t want to sit up here instead, my lady?” His voice was velvet, “Then you won’t need to ruffle up your dress to reach me,” Eyes remained forward as he adjusted the gears and began to drive. He could sense the man on the seat next to him shifting uncomfortably.

The estate was a respectable distance away, and he could see the man next to him glance over every few minutes. He had a sour expression on his face, and his eyes went to the rearview every so often to look at Malicia and then to the other man.

Emryc focused on the job, the soft music inside the vehicle an entertaining contrast to the uncomfortable atmosphere that existed between the three passengers. His face was as impassive as ever as he took the path towards the estate.

After a while, lines of speeders appeared as they all headed for the same party. Emryc came to a stop behind another speeder, stuck briefly in traffic as each guest was individually greeted and escorted out.

“So are both of these fine gentlemen your dates?” He asked after a moment, amusement dancing in his eyes as he glanced at the mirror again. The fingers of the man next to him curled into fists and the other cracked his neck.

@Dread

 

[Darth Malicia]

Her drivers reaction was peculiar, enough to garner another glance from the small Darth. "I appreciate the offer, but I shouldn't waste time on too many distractions," she answered with a soft trilling laugh, her own amusement dancing in her yellow eyes.

And he was a distraction.

Maybe a good one. No, probably a bad one. She needed to focus and not on strange men, despite how pretty they were. Thinking about pretty, Malicia reached up to her hair. Her slender, pale fingers brushed across the dead flower in her hair, double checking that it was still there and firmly held.

It made her think a moment, had she spent too much time on her hair and the placement of each object and bobble? The memory of her standing in front of a mirror as she allowed herself to focus on the task... it made her feel more human, or rather, more feminine than she was comfortable with admitting so she pushed the memory aside.

The peculiar driver of hers asked another question, and the Darth picked up on the spike of anger in her two guards but didn't react to it because her mind went elsewhere. "Date..." she trailed off. She'd been taught to mimic the rich, to blend in and obey their various rituals but sometimes she forgot about the small things... like bringing a man along with you to a party.

"I'm sure if I showed up with two men on my arms there'd be plenty of amusing gossip, but I didn't ask my body guards to come with me. They tend to follow even when I don't ask them," she answered after the pause, and it was the truth. Even when she didn't order her men to follow, they tended to try to stick to her side like glue. It was... sometimes annoying even though she could simply shoo them away.

"Our lady doesn't need a date," the cultist beside Emyrc said in a clearly irritated voice. It was cold and somewhat quietly said, and way out of his place, but the driver was talking to what he considered his goddess.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc said nothing as she mentioned not needing distractions. He had to bite back a grin. He certainly enjoyed being a distraction. It was interesting to experience this dynamic when she had been entirely different when he had the mask. His fame began to grow within the Sith, his exploits on Malastare, Kessel, Ajan Kloss and also obtaining critical holocrons making waves. And yet here he was as a humble driver.

The speeder moved a few feet ahead as the traffic continued. Silence hung after a while, but the man speaking next to him drew out a faint grin. Emryc ran his fingers through his hair, “Of course she doesn’t need a date,” He glanced over to look at the man that appeared as if he wanted to hit him, “Not when her options are so abysmal,” He said bluntly before turning his attention back on the road.

Eye flicked back to the mirror, “In any case, you look quite beautiful tonight, my lady. I especially like that rose,” He commented quietly as he looked forward again, driving the speeder further along. By now, they had arrived near the mansion and he stopped the speeder so someone could open the door for her and let her in.

Emryc remained in the speeder, giving her a smile before he kept driving the speeder over to park it with the others. His job usually consisted of waiting while his guests did whatever. After he parked the speeder, he got out and pulled out a cigarra, lighting it as he leaned against the vehicle. He could see the other guests going in and out, laughter and chatter clearly audible from here. Smoke plumed from his lips as his silver gaze took it all in.

People watching was one of his favorite activities.

@Dread

 

[Darth Malicia]

The cultist beside Emyrc looked like he was about to pop a vein or two. Malicia, on the other hand, smiled idly at her drivers comments. They were flattering, more believable and entirely less threatening coming from a regular man. She knew regular men could be just as dangerous as Sith, but her level of distrust towards Sith was bottomless.

Of course, she couldn't help but answer back playfully, "You're really gunning for a big tip, aren't you?" She laughed again, feeling the bit of fire inside cooling as she finally relaxed somewhat.

She wasn't going to get to fight the Cadre-Master tonight, right? Perhaps she could let go of a little bit of that anger for the moment. Despite the momentary thought though, some of her anger came back when they arrived at the mansion and she left the car without saying anything more. Not even a 'thank you' but she'd see the driver at the end of the night anyway.

Malicia was introduced as she entered the party. A "Lady Lilian" in a male voice caught her attention shortly after, bringing her gaze to a man who began to approach her. She looked at him for a moment then kept walking, leaving him behind her. The man frowned though cleared his throat and grabbed a drink, trying to pretend like it didn't happen. The pair had a history, and the nobleman was fairly determined to fix it. He had wanted a marriage but for some reason the lady refused and her 'father' even allowed it, despite it being obviously beneficial to both their families. It didn't make any sense to him.

She finally found her way to a different nobleman after asking around, who was standing outside on the lower deck. A stairwell down to the gardens, closer to the parking lot, cut through the middle of it. "Lord Eldin," she greeted, curtsying. She hated curtsying. "Lady Cylin," he answered, placing his hand on his chest and giving a small bow.

It was probably proper to ask less directly, but she wasn't the patient type, "I wanted to compliment your recent venture. How excitedly successful. Oh, but I also overheard chatter about another, older one that interested me. The uhm..." she paused, placing a finger on her lip to try to sell a look. "Cadre Project."

"Th-the what?" he answered as his heart quickened.

Malicia hadn't noticed but one of her cultists had left her side and went to the parking lot, since it was nearby. The one who had sat beside Emyrc. The one who was still irritated. The one who'd orgionally held the gun at the man, though he didn't know that. "Lady Cylin wants a different driver. You can leave," he said through gritted teeth, clearly lying. He didn't care if the driver knew, his fists were balled and he was staring very determinedly.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc was still watching the crowd, taking note of the different speeders and clothing of various people. He quietly smoked from where he stood, exhaling a cloud while he took it all in. He was a patient man, and he was perfectly fine with waiting here for hours. His eyes caught sight of a familiar face menacingly making its way over. Emryc’s expression didn’t change as the cultist stomped over.

The man told him to leave and Emryc simply stared at him, inhaling and blowing a cloud of smoke into his face. The cultist would be foolish to start an altercation here in plain sight, and he knew his mistress would lose it if he did something obvious. Emryc considered the words for a moment before he dropped the cigarra and stamped it out. He took out a small comb from his pocket, running it through his hair till it was perfectly back in place. He took his gloves off and opened the speeder door to toss them in.

Emryc slowly turned to look at the cultist, “Done. Consider me off the clock,” He said flatly as he locked the speeder doors and casually strode past the cultist. If he wasn’t the driver, he decided he would be a guest. With that, he fell into step with a few other guests and entered the party. He left the cultist standing there by himself.

Emryc fit in easily enough and he walked over to grab himself a drink from a passing tray.

@Dread

 

[Darth Malicia]

After the cultist coughed away the smoke, his eyes returned to the driver who seemed to be leaving. He smirked proudly, puffing out his chest. He'd protected his goddess from a rogue scoundrel.

But his joy didn't last. The driver strutted past him towards the mansion and the cultist nearly dropped his mouth to the ground. "Stay away from mother or you'll regret it!" the cultist growled, following the driver for a few steps to make sure he heard it. He hadn't even realized he'd broken his cover in his anger. He wanted so badly to reach out and strangle the man but knew better.... it had to be somewhere no one could see.

Malicia felt her own heart begin to race as adrenaline hit her system like a truck. She had to pay attention to her breathing and steady herself, otherwise, like her cultist, she might reach out and strangle a man. Except she wanted to strangle the host of the party and it could very easily end badly. Perhaps she could kill them all, but the cover would be useless after. After all the effort of taking over the identity of the Cylin's sickly daughter who passed in secret.

The Darth realized her hand was shaking, nearly breaking her glass and relented. Her facade had damn near broken when her expression switched from curious to something between shock and pure unadulterated hatred because she'd sensed his fear.

He knew about the project.

He. Knew.

What had he done? Had he helped? Had he invested? Malicia was in such a state that the Lord coughed and backed away after getting over his own initial shock. "Well, I'm unsure who might've said that but I have never heard of the Cadre Project. Now, if you'll excuse me," he said, turning and walking away with a quickened pace.

The other lord, who Malicia had snubbed, downed his first drink and grabbed another. He saw Emyrc enter and didn't recognize him, which made him the perfect victim to unload on. "What do you do when a woman ignores your marriage purposeful and her father allows it?" he said almost drunkenly, taking a sip of his own drink. He looked over to Malicia. There was no love or lust in his eyes, only anger at her blocking his way to seizing more power. "Force her hand," he said to himself, answering his own question, though now he needed to figure out how.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc was eyeing a woman with some very nice boobs when a drunk noble abruptly popped into his line of sight. The half Sephi quietly sipped from his drink as the man whined to him about rejection. He followed the man’s sight over to Malicia in the distance who looked like she wanted to drown a few puppies. Oh yeah, who wouldn’t want to get down on one knee right there. Emryc’s gaze slowly returned to the pathetic man in front of him as he took another sip.

“I know what you can do, buddy,” He said as he threw an arm around the man and turned them both around. Emryc looked ahead to spot the cultist from outside that walked in and was still fuming, looking around like he wanted to deck someone in the face. Emryc pointed to the man, “That fine gentleman over there is a close friend of hers and is quite nice. Don’t worry, his face is only like that because of an upset stomach. If you go over there and tell him all the ways you want to force her hand, he’ll be more than sympathetic and give you some pointers.”

The noble looked at him with wide eyes and Emryc clinked his glass against his, patting him on the back as the noble eagerly walked over to the cultist. Emryc watched for a moment before spinning on his heel again, walking towards Malicia as he grabbed another drink off a tray.

“Having fun?” He asked as he offered her the new drink, “Your man fired me, so I thought I’d enjoy myself,” He said with a grin as he looked around at the other guests.

@Dread

 

[Darth Malicia]

Her whole world was spinning, her anger nearly out of her control. It dangerously tipped on the edge of her sanity and it only got worse when the nobleman left. A few words from Emryc broke through to her, though her reaction was instant and venomous. "Do I LOOK like I'm having fun?!" Malicia snapped, moving to slap the offered drink out of the drivers hand. She barely even noted it was the driver in the moment.

There was so much anger that it even drowned out her hunger and she was forced to reel it all back in. It made her sick. Physically ill. Her whole world was spinning because she could not simply lash out and indulge herself.

It twisted in her stomach and Malicia suddenly jerked on her heel, walking to the edge of the deck because she could not stop what was about to happen next. She leaned over the ledge and puked, shaking and digging her nails into the railing.

The lone cultist walked forward and stood between Malicia and Emryc, not wanting the man to approach her. He didn't seem so much worried about his mistresses bad mood, more about keeping everyone away from her.

She breathed after it was all out. A steady rise and lowering of her chest. An uncomfortable focus on her breathing. Her thoughts were a mess but then she looked back, having finally reeled herself in partially. That's when she finally, truly, realized her driver was here. "What do you mean my man fired you?" she asked, recalling the moments lost in her anger.

She looked around and only saw one of her cultists. That was probably because the second one had lured a nobleman into the parking lot and was silently straggling him. Malicia turned around and stood up straight, trying to put herself somewhat back together."You're a peculiar man," she said, her focus narrowing on him for the moment. "Whats your name?"

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc could see the slap to the drink coming, and the glass moved down as her hand flew through air. He didn’t let a drop slip, having zero intentions of letting some fine champagne go to waste. As she turned away, he remained standing where he was, now drinking from the glass he brought over for her. The entire scene was fascinating to him and it was a movie that covered several genres. He watched her lean over the railing and hurl, his expression never changing. So she was one of the crazy types. Those were always the most fun.

He remained where he was, eyeing the other crowds and pretending there wasn’t a Sith Lord puking her guts out about five feet away. He ignored the cultist, but opted instead to casually hand him the glass he had emptied. The man looked like he needed a job.

Emryc was about to walk away and ask someone to dance when Malicia walked towards him and spoke. He looked at the cultist by her, “Thing Two fired me,” He said simply, drinking from the glass she attempted to slap out of his hand. His gaze shifted back to hers as she mentioned that he was peculiar. At that, his eyes moved to just past her, over the railing where she had puked, and then back to her. Right, he was peculiar all right.

“Rick,” He said simply. He looked around before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small packet. It was some refined spice and he offered it to her, “Something to take the edge off, eh?” He grinned, looking over at the cultist, “Can let Thing One try it first to see if he dies.”

@Dread

 

[Darth Malicia]

She didn't bother to look around for her guard again, though the idea of her drivers firing annoyed her. "You're unfired," she said plainly. "I'll add the inconvenience onto your tip." It'd be easier if she had a driver on standby, depending on what would happen next.

It somewhat surprised her when he pulled out some spice. She didn't entertain the idea of rejecting it for even a second, grabbing a slip of the spice and allowing it to melt in her mouth. She doubted whatever was in it could kill her. Maybe, but knowing a high was going to come made her breath out and try to relax some. She knew she wouldn't be able to remain steady for long, though she'd take the moment.

"Rick," she started, catching Lord Eldin in her view. "Do you do any other jobs besides driving and party crashing?" she asked, adding, "Such as luring a Lord outside for me to chat with." Now, maybe he'd be able to see what she actually wanted. He didn't know what she was though, so she assumed it was much more likely that he'd think she just wanted a chat.

Right when she finished talking, her second body guard came back in and started to walk towards her. She gave him an unhappy look that seemed to go unnoticed. Her cultists eyes were filled with burning anger and they were pointed directly at Rick. It prompted her to raise an eyebrow. "Tell me, why does my body guard hate you?" she asked curiously. She didn't care what her body guards thought, though it was certainly strange.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc blinked curiously as he was subsequently unfired. Did that mean he had to go back to the speeder? He was spared that line of thinking when she asked about how to lure a lord away outside. Emryc followed her line of sight to the host and then over to the railing over which she puked, “Outside? No. But he will soon discover chunks of your dinner on his 20,000 credit statue downstairs and spend a fair bit of time mewling over it. Everyone else will remain on this level and get drunk,” He shrugged, “Perhaps a driver you know can chat up anyone that may be curious enough to follow.”

He threw back his drink as Thing Two returned to join them. It was timely as Emryc promptly handed over the recently emptied glass to the man. He heard Malicia’s question and blankly looked over at the two burly men, “Children are known to be apprehensive when there’s a potential step-daddy in the picture,” Gaze flicked over to Malicia for a moment as he winked before spinning on his heel.

Emryc walked over to the host of the party and leaned in to mutter something in his ear. Eldin looked as if he had a heart attack and promptly rushed down the stairs to where the vomit had landed, away from everyone else at the party. This would give Malicia the opportunity to follow and yank him into a nearby room secluded away from everyone. She only had a small window to act.

Emryc casually grabbed another drink, this time a whiskey as he watched the events play out. He raised it in cheers towards Malicia to let her do her thing.

@Dread

 

[Darth Malicia]

A smile grew on her cheeks at his reply. His plan seemed simple enough, and if she left before the Lord did it would look a lot less suspicious. Besides, as far as most here were concerned, Lady Clyin was frail and helpless. What could she do to a lord?

When Rick finished laying out his plan, she watched him hand his drink to her cultist. Her cultist still didn't bother looking at her, his angry gaze was all but transfixed on her driver as he accepted the empty glass. Her own gaze met Rick's after and she blinked a few times at his comment, both because she didn't expect it and her reaction. She could feel warmth in her cheeks which she tried to reason on his beauty instead of vulnerability on her part. He was certainly a distraction. One that had managed to calm her down somewhat twice.

He turned quickly after and walked away. She pushed aside the thoughts and turned herself, walking outside before the Lord himself made it. And as soon as he arrived, his body was slammed against the statue. Unable to wait any longer she reached into his mind, ripping into it with an unnatural hunger.

But he... he really didn't know.

He knew that the project was full of risky people, and decided not to help set it up. It explained his fear when she brought it up, even though he truly didn't know. A huge wave of disappointment crashed over her. Another rapid mood change, though it quickly turned to a numbed, cold anger. Before the man could even begin to understand what had happened to him, she wrapped the Force around his neck and squeezed the last bit of life out of his pathetic, useless writhing body. Deep down she knew she was trying to redirect her anger for the Cadre-Master at him, but it felt empty.

The small Darth returned to the party feeling numb. Maybe part of the numbness was the high kicking in, though she suspected it was largely due to her disappointment. She found Rick doing whatever he did, and decided to try to reach into his pocket without even asking him, to find the spice and pop another slip into her mouth to double the effect. "I'm ready to leave," she said plainly, avoiding looking at him directly. She wanted to be disappointed and angry, not calmed down.

Then there was a high pitched, horrified scream that caught all the party goers attention. One of the guests found a dead body, and there was still one more to find.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc was facing the other direction and drinking from his whiskey when Malicia walked up. He heard the purposeful steps, turning in time as she reached for his pocket abruptly. His hand moved in a flash, fingers suddenly gripping her wrist mid motion. It was unclear whether it was his half Sephi strength or something else, but the grip was firm enough to leave red marks along her pale flesh. Emryc’s gaze met hers, his silver eyes frosty and cold.

“You wouldn’t want anyone touching you without your consent, would you, my lady?” He said with a grin that slowly played on his lips. He didn’t release her just yet, but silent words were exchanged, a clear warning that he wasn’t one of her playthings like the two oafs that tagged along or anyone else she thought she could lord over. The way his eyes pierced into hers was ice, frosted daggers shot through her to graze down the length of her spine. He took his time until he finally released her before reaching into the same pocket to let her have the small packet of spice.

Emryc didn’t say another word before he made his way towards the speeder. He was back to being the polite driver, putting on the gloves and opening the door for her and her goons. He popped into his seat, glancing ahead.

“Any requests?”

@Dread

 

[Darth Malicia]

Pain suddenly pierced her wrist, a surprise grab that caught her off guard. She looked into his gaze, an icy cold warning directed right at her. The heavy footsteps of her guards drew closer, though Malicia held up her free hand to let them know to hold off.

She took in his warning, understanding something was there to be feared. The icy spears crawled through her skin but she also looked back into him. He was not a regular man, that much she was certain of now, even before he released her wrist. Malicia followed behind quietly for a time, but before he could open the door for her she stepped in front of him to cut him off.

"There is something about you," said said with curiosity lacing her words, her eyes staring into his own again. If he looked closely into hers, he might find was thinking on something. Considering their last interaction, the idea of piercing his mind and satisfying her curiosity wasn't far away. "Something off that I can't quite put my finger on," she added, expecting the man to walk away or try to ignore her yet she left it in the air.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

Emryc moved to open the door, but Malicia abruptly jumped in the way. As a result, he quietly pulled back, turning to face her. She stood against the speeder with him facing her. He eyed her for a moment while she spoke, clearly curious about him. Emryc’s expression didn’t change, though amusement danced in the silver gaze.

“There are a lot of things about me, my lady,” He said smoothly, tilting his head slightly, “Which one is your favorite?” He asked simply, flipping the dialogue onto its head. He wouldn’t entertain that angry part of her. She had other layers to her that she constantly battled to keep suppressed.

Emryc pressed a button on the speeder keys so the windows began to tint behind her. The process happened to slowly block out the angry faces staring at him. He was in no mood for it.

@Dread

 

[Darth Malicia]

His reaction surprised her, though perhaps it shouldn't have. Still, she looked at him for a few more quiet moments in thought of his question. What parts did she like? Her eyes traced his features before looking away. She felt her cheeks warm again, warm and vulnerable and weak.

Fear of it coiled in her. "Not this," she mumbled to herself, scarcely above a whisper. Her gaze returned to him after the few moments, slightly more resolute.

"You're trying to throw me off," she said plainly. She placed a hand behind her on the speeder to help push her forward a bit, as she'd managed to lean when she pressed her back against it. She stood straight in front of him. "And playing with me." Her eyes glimmered with even more curiosity. "You know, I'm not a plaything either, Rick."

She decided something then. "I don't want to go back home yet. Bring me somewhere you think is fun," she added, still in the tone of a noble to a driver though she had a feeling she didn't have control.

@Sreeya

 

[Emryc Thorne]

She was disarmed, and he could see it. She had come at him with blades whirling, and he tossed them right out of her hands. He watched the way she tensed, adjusting against the speeder. Her demeanor was very different than what he remembered with the Cadre armor, but then so was his. Vulnerability was betrayed in her words and the way she spoke.

Emryc’s expression remained unchanged, the steely resolve always in his demeanor along with the unwavering gaze. He took a few steps back, “Perhaps this is the only time you’re not playing, my lady,” He said as he walked towards a parked speeder bike. He favored those over long and bulky speeders anyway. The party guests were entirely too occupied from drinking and dead bodies to pay heed to what was going on outside.

He opened up a panel of the bike, having done this several times before from his days as a teen. Within moments the engine roared to life. Emryc loosened up the tie and unbuttoned the suit jacket before sitting on the bike, curling his fingers over the handles. He glanced over at Malicia but didn’t say a word, simply giving a jut of his chin to tell her to hop on behind him.

If she did, no words left him as he kicked off and zoomed right past the speeder with her ogres still in them. The path curved into a long and winding highway, the wind brushing against their skin as a full moon and wispy clouds hung above. He had some vague ideas of where to go, and they involved being far from a crime scene.

@Dread