Ask Hostile Acquisitions

[Karys]

When Alice asked about his rank within the Sith Order, Mariel’s gaze simply turned towards her. This was the second time she had inquired about his affiliation to the Sith Order. This time it was about his rank within the Order. A rank that had a bounty placed on it by the Imperial Government. His crimson eyes burned into hers as he spoke.

“I am a trained adherent to the Dark Side.” He stated calmly. “If an issue arises, we will deal with it together.” He explained.

Mariel knew he couldn’t continue to evade Alice’s prodding, sooner or later her questions would become sharper and more pointed. He would have to develop a believable story when that inevitable time came. His mind darted through the countless plausible stories he could use on how he was trained. The foremost was culturally trained to serve as his father’s agent…or something like that.

When Alice spoke again, Mariel cocked an eyebrow ridge. There was a momentary look of confusion on his face, then it dawned on him. That icy visage melted for a moment and Mariel chuckled in amusement at himself. It was a strangle human moment that would only last a handful of seconds before Mariel cleared his throat and resumed his imperious and icy persona. After giving Alice a nod of acknowledgement, he’d set off to take position at the rear of the house.

Mariel moved silently through the garden at the rear of the house, his eyes were locked on a pair of guards outside. It seemed like the two of them were on a smoke break of some sort, they had idle chatter to pass the time. In fact, he was too intent on watching them, he failed to notice the water fountain in his path.

CRASH

SPLASH

Mariel found himself soaked and the two guards abruptly stopped speaking and looked in the direction of the clamor. Without truly thinking, Mariel rolled out of the wreckage of the fountain and into a nearby bush. He silently prayed that the two guards didn’t see him.

“Did you see that?” A frightened voice asked.

“Yeah…should we check it out?” The other asked.

“Are you kidding me?” The first voice whispered, their voice cracking in fear.

“It was probably just a kid or something, this isn’t a holo-flick.” The second retorted.

“Kriff that, you check it out then.” The first snapped back.

“Fine.” The second replied before heading towards the broken fountain.

While this exchange happened, Mariel focused on the camera above them. As it panned slowly back towards his position, he used the Force to cause it to power down. There couldn’t be a recording of what was about to happen. When the second guard got to the broken fountain, Mariel could hear him curse under his breath and could smell the burnt tobacco clinging to his clothes. When Mariel glanced up, he found the man looking directly down at him.

“Your legs are hanging out of the bush kid…” The man stated in an amused tone of voice.

He would then turn to talk to his compatriot, an amused smile on his face. He had meant to tease his friend and partner about being afraid of a prankster kid. That was until a small burst of pain erupted from the small of his back and lanced through to his chest. He glanced down to see the tip of a plasma blade gutting from his chest. It disappeared and the guard's legs collapsed from under him.

As his vision faded, he watched a jagged chunk of foundtain debris lifted from the ground on it's own, soared through the air, and buried itself in his partner’s throat. Turned out, he was wrong, this was just like holo-flick and he was victim number one. Too bad they had left their communication beads inside, no one would even know what happened to them.

Once both guards were dead, Mariel used his datapad to message Alice. As he typed, he would pause to idly scratch at facial ridges that had slowly began to itch.

“Had an issue in the rear. Definitely going to need help with clean up. Thnx.” It read and he grinned at the intentional double entendre.

(OOC: Rolled 7 on stealth, 5 on perception, two 1s on 2d4 for number of guards, nat 20 on if Karys would raise an alarm or not.)

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

'I am a trained adherent bla bla', deal with it together- so he was a novice, obviously. He's reply was evasive and Maeve's keen intellect picked that up right away. He was no champion. His reply simply made that clear, but she kept her thoughts to herself, knowing she was self-reliant and proficient enough. "Sure. I'll be ready for whatever, however I do hope we won't need it".

They couldn't afford early casualties. She was hoping they could stick to their plan, hence she kept creating more backup scenarios in her head. They split up for now though and started to work, Maeve remained in her position before she deemed it safe to advance. She hurried forward, finding a different hiding spot that go her even closed and continued, slowly beginning to notice patterns in the guards' paths and learning them asap, so that in the end she knew that getting inside from her was possible.

It was then that her phone buzzed and she received a really peculiar message. "Phrasing... You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?", she quickly typed back, however knowing damn well that her partner had weird social skills and a unique way of communicating that often entailed a weird register. Obviously, either infantile humor or a tendency for obliviousness was part of it.

She did let out a quiet sigh though before she started rushing back into the thicket, once the coast was clear. She was certain his little incident had most certainly been an unnecessary slip up and she wished she'd be working with a professional, but fate was cruel and she was used to fixing other people's mistakes, too, as she sometimes seemed to be of a rare breed of people who actually planned things through.

As she arrived at the back of the house, her clothes were scratched in several places and the skin underneath slightly scarred, her hairs were a little disheveled- all consequences of her walks through the thicket, the dark, hidden paths. Her gaze immediately flicked up to him, a hint of fierce annoyance in it, before she examined the guards while smoothing down her hair.

"So much about subtle. You're lucky they have seemed to swap shifts just a bit earlier - might have been just the right time for them to disappear without their absence getting noticed". He was an idiot still. "How did that happen?", her voice was lowered to a bare minimum, but her tone was somewhat excusing as she began looting the corpses. She found a keycard, which was amazing and obviously stripped them of their armored vests and took their equipment.

There was blood on the ground, so given that the bodies wouldn't bleed anymore, she'd start rubbing dirt across the marks before she grabbed the first guard by the legs. "Help me drag them out of here", she said to him, now keeping her gaze down to veil her frustration. This would have almost gotten smoothly and now this..."I'm done at the front and I've found a way in. What about turning in for the night and starting tomorrow?".

@Apollyon

 

[Karys]

Within moments, the datapad Mariel had used to message Alice lightly buzzed from a pocket within his jacket. He didn’t bother to check it though, all he needed to know was that she got his message. In fact, Mariel had busied himself by searching through the body closest to him. He lifted the man’s blaster carbine, a few energy cells, and even a fragmentation grenade.

Karys stopped to examine the bodies of his victims, as he did, he vigorously scratched at his chin which had also began itching. These men weren’t simple security guards, they were trained it seemed. Internally, Mariel was relieved that they hadn’t viewed him as a threat and just opened fire. He knew the scenario likely would have played out differently in that case. It didn’t take long for Alice to emerge from the thicket around the side of the house.

He turned to face her as he began to scratch his face with his other hand. He could tell that she seemed annoyed before she even spoke, he didn’t really care. His mind was solely focused on how his entire face was beginning to itch. When she looked at him, she would see that his face had dark colored splotches that were beginning to appear and spread. It was easy to tell they were rashes.

Mariel’s eyes narrowed into annoyed slits as Alice continued to speak, particularly when she questioned on how it happened. Instead of speaking or pointing with one of his hands, he simply nodded to the broken fountain and ground his teeth. When Alice began to rub dirt on the ground, Mariel too got to work as best he could, he stopped scratching his face with one hand long enough to reach out towards one of the corpses he had made.

He channeled all his frustrations, annoyance, and embarrassment into the task at hand. The corpse would lift from the ground, hoisted by an invisible hand. Mariel would then turn their gaze to lock eyes with Alice, it was time to remind her what the Force was capable of. His hand would swing out behind him. The corpse would be flung through the air, over top of the thickets, and would crash into the ground somewhere in the distance. Without breaking his gaze, Mariel would do the same with the other corpse.

It was likely a waste of power but at this point he didn’t care anymore.

“They aren't simple security guards.” He grunted as he slid the shoulder strap attached to the carbine off and into his free hand. “Here.” He spat coldly as he tossed it to her, along with the energy cells. However, he gently placed the grenade on the ground and rolled it to her. “These men were trained and well-armed.” He explained as his scratching moved down to his neck. “My instincts on what was going might be correct, this isn’t a simple pirating ring.” He continued. “We should be ready for a drawn-out fight if it comes to it.”

When she said that she had found a way in for the following night, Mariel simply nodded. He was slowly beginning to stop itching his face, realizing that it wasn’t helping at all. He would allow her to lead them both from the yard, doing his best to stay out of sight. Mariel was quiet as they cleared the house and while they were on the way back to their lodgings. However, eventually he let his frustration, largely with himself go and spoke finally.

“I’m sorry.” He rumbled. “I messed up back there and I was frustrated with myself.” He grunted, each word was clipped. “You did good work, and you are right…I do need your skill in this.” He begrudingly admitted.

Each word he spoke would feel forced, as if this was the first time, he had uttered an apology. In all reality, it likely was. However, Mariel was able to recognize that clinging onto his pride in this wouldn’t accomplish anything. Instead, he swallowed it, even if it would only be for their time together. In a rare moment of vulnerability, Mariel decided that getting the job done was more important than self-validation.

“Where are we staying tonight?” He asked after a brief silence, his hand reaching up to scratch at his neck.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

She didn't miss how her annoyed reaction affected him. Was she walking on dangerous terrain? Sure. But so it had been all her life, so she wasn't really fazed by Mr. Creepy Eyes Red Ridge Face. In fact, she was pretty sure his sudden use of the Force was a warning and despite knowing he could attempt to snap her neck right away, she wasn't afraid though - it was possible naive, but he needed her and this was her insurance.

He pointed out that they were well-armed and she studied their stuff. "Of course they are. They're protecting someone wealthy. But did you sense anything unusual about them? I'm pretty sure one of my darts can knock them out in a split second". He had managed to deal with them, too, so was there a reason to make a fuss?

Okay, they were trained and seemingly hard-core too, but she wasn't discouraged. "I might have found a way to avoid them. I can't tell exactly what awaits inside, but if we can save our resources a little, we should be fine then". She was confident, and she wanted to deal with this scumlord asap. Tomorrow they'd come prepared and see whether it was as difficult as he thought or just the regular home invasion.

He suddenly apologized and she turned her with a raised brow. His Sith douchebag ass apologizing? Overcoming his pride after having called her a lesser species? A cunning ploy, perhaps. "For having tossed around some scum? You don't have to apologize to me. To their dead bodies maybe", she couldn't help but to tease, however she did elaborate on her reasoning. "I'm used to worse. You're fine", they didn't need hostilities between them, so she gave him a quick smile.

They carried on, avoiding the lights and sticking to nature very much until they could safely access the back-alleys again. She was feeling a little exhausted, the day had been long after all. "I've found a relatively solid, however unassuming hotel not far off", she glanced up, quickky explaining but their hotel wasn't even too bad as she kept leading him towards it.

"It's a got a central position, the room isn't very spacious but modern", she added, meeting his gaze. His posh ass was probably used to more, but it would have to do. It came with a bathroom that offered a wide bathtub and a walk-in shower, so actually Maeve liked that it was somewhat fancy.

They wouldn't walk much longer until they'd reach the foyer, all Maeve had to do was to swipe her keycard and they could immediately approach the elevator that would soon open into a wide corridor that then led to their room. "There we are", she finally said as she found the right number, gesturing for him to enter and have a look before she'd lock the door behind them and plop down on the bed, letting out a deep breath.

@Apollyon

 

[Karys]

Alice accepted his apology, not without a quick ribbing first though. He was quickly realizing that this was just a part of her personality. While it could be frustrating and annoying to Mariel, he had dealt with worse, far worse.

He followed Alice as she led them to their hotel. He listened intently, yet silently to her description of the room. He gave a nod of approval at her selection. “It will suit our needs, I’m sure.” Was all he replied with.

He knew what people expected from him, large and lavish. That was simply untrue, living on Ziost was more spartan than what most expected, even for the nobility. Sure they kept large fires burning in each bedroom, but the Keep his family lived in was ancient. It was made of stone, portions of it lacked power, it was more a status symbol than an actual defensible bastion. This led to Mariel being more that satisfied with almost anything more than what he had been brought up in. It was also why he pursued wealth and power so tirelessly.

It could provide more luxury than he was accustomed to.

As such, when he entered the bedroom, he paused to look around. This room provided more luxury than his bunk at the Umbaran Academy. This was, of course, something Alice had no way of knowing and Mariel did his best to conceal. He preferred to keep his image, even if it was one she resented.

When Alice plopped herself into the room’s bed, Mariel wouldn’t argue with her. While he was prideful and arrogant, he was still raised with certain ideals. Namely that he was to forgo comforts to provide them to a lady that was in his presence. This usually came in the form of allowing his sisters or one of his mothers the closest seats in front of the fire. In this case, it meant giving the bed to Alice, he would simply sleep on the couch.

He would make his way into the restroom and begin running the bath. He would allow the tub to fill halfway, before placing his fingertips in the water and channeling the Force. Slowly, the temperature would increase until there was steam rising from the water. As he did this, he would call out to Alice.

“Those guards back there, something doesn’t add up.” He began. “They are too organized.” He continued. “Pirates are normally more disorderly, using brute force to intimidate or overpower.” He explained. “Those men, while lax were well equipped and they seemed overconfident as well.” He continued. “I think we were right…this isn’t simple piracy.” He concluded.

“I’m just not sure what it actually is.” He thought.

Once the water was brought to a steam, Mariel would walk out from the bathroom. His gaze would fall back to Alice as she laid on the bed.

“I’ve ran a bath for you, if it’s too warm let me know, I can cool it as well.” He stated in a calm voice, as if this was something simply expected of him.

He would then go and lay down on the couch, fully dressed and wait for Alice to finish her bath. All the while, he’d be fighting the urge to scratch every inch of his itching body.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

For a moment, Maeve just stared at the ceiling, taking everything in she had gathered during their observation. She tried to find answers to questions that had arisen, while she heard water flowing. Was he planning on taking a bath? She didn't bother. She'd grab a quick shower and probably turn in for the night soon after.

He suddenly raised his voice and brought up the guards again, which was when she sat back up, slipping out of her boots and storing first parts of her equipment in the lower drawer of the nightstand - a place not that obvious if it came to that. She considered his words before she plopped back down.

"They're mercenaries for sure. Expensive ones then. Perhaps even protecting something more than a scumbag and his profits", she mused, as he didn't let it rest. They'd find out tomorrow. More minutes passed and he suddenly came back out, so that her gaze immediately met his.

"You have done what?", she raised a brow and cocked her head to the side, decently perplex about this sudden development. A trick? His way of saying sorry after his embarrassing display at the villa? Or was he planning to drown her? She was really confused and didn't bother hiding it in her expressions. "Why...would you do that?", startled, she got up to examine what he had done, figuring he had simply turned on the hot water and filled the tub, oblivious to his interference with the Force.

"And cool it, how? I can add cold water to chill it, too", she added, mildly amused as she motioned for him to follow. "Is that a space magic thing?". She knew there were countless powers this mysterious force could lend you, but she had never met someone who was specialized in messing with baths. "Show me", she almost demanded, however genuinely curious.

She'd notice his scratching again and while she waited for him to show her, she tipped a finger in the tub before she opened the inside pockets of her jacked and looked for a particular whitish pulver. "Dip your finger in it and lick it all off. It's antihistamines, here", she tried a little, knowing it wouldn't harm her as it was actually what she claimed it was, "no poison, I swear".

"Where do those...rashes even comes from though? Perhaps you should take the bath, rub of whatever is still on your skin. I'm more of a quick shower type of a girl". It was quicker, it allowed her to remain much more attentive and flexible in case anything happened and she could easily hop of whenever.

"I thank you...for your efforts, but if you didn't not mind, I'd quickly-", she then jutted her chin towards the walk-in shower before she figured doing it right away was actually not a bad idea. She thus immediately started stripping down, not bothering whether he'd keep on playing with the water, stay or leave and hopped in right after. She left the rest of her stuff right in front of the shower, in case of an emergency, obviously, but she also relied on him being somewhat more perceptive than her.

@Apollyon

 

[Karys]

Alice’s response wasn’t what he’d expected. She likely wanted to deal with that issue tomorrow, he couldn’t really blame her though. It was her reaction to him drawing her bath that confused him as much as his actions confused her. As she cocked her head, Mariel mirrored her. His confusion written as plainly as hers, had she expected otherwise?

“I…drew your bath for you?” He repeated, hesitation at her first question catching his deep voice for a moment.

Then realization dawned on him, she hadn’t expected this of him. This was contrary to the image she had developed of him. With that understanding a small, pleasant smile settled on Mariel’s lips.

“It’s an old habit.” He replied off-handedly, amusement at her expectations being subverted was written clearly on his face.

However, when she asked about “space magic”, Mariel was almost floored. Most of his race were intimately connected to the Dark Side and the Force. As such, he often forgot that not everyone’s existence was the same as his. When she made the demand to show her, Mariel’s small smile grew to a more genuine one and he gave a small laugh. There was something bubbling to the surface in him, it was excitement.

He followed Alice to the bathroom but stopped in the doorway. He leaned against the doorway, his arms crossed across his chest. He watched as she dipped her fingers into the tub before returning her gaze to him. She produced a small jar of a white substance, she explained to him what it was and tested it herself to show it was safe. Mariel followed suit before pushing himself from the door frame and coming to crouch by the tub beside her.

He ignored her question about what the rashes were, he was focused on this moment instead. He extended his left hand to her and opened his palm expectantly.

“It’s not space magic,” He began, his voice taking a softer tone for the first time. “It’s the Force.” He continued. “Here, take my hand, I’ll show you it’s power.” He continued, his gazed falling from her eyes and to his awaiting hand.

If she placed her hand in his, she would find his grip light and gentle as he clasped hers. He would dip their hands into the water and drag their finger tips just below the surface of the water. As he did this he would channel the force to begin chilling the water. It would be a sensation she would feel, the water around their hands would begin to dip in temperature. Mariel’s eyes would trace up her arm and back to her eyes slowly, he was drinking this moment in.

He would slowly guide their hands up the surface of the water, the steam fading from the surface of the water in the first pass.

“The Force is connected to all of us and everything.” He began, his voice barely above a whisper. “It grants power over life and death to those that can tap into it.” He continued.

As their hands made their way back from the first pass, a small trail of ice would form at the back of Mariel’s fingers.

“I can feel you through it.” He explained. “I can feel the spider under the lip of the counter at the sink.” He continued. “And the ants that have made their home in the walls.” He explained.

On their way to the second pass, a thin layer of slushy ice was floating in the water. Here, Mariel would release his grip on Alice’s hand. But he would continue to freeze the water until it was the perfect temperature for him. Then he would stand, without breaking eye contact. The slush dripped from his fingers and back into the tub below.

His jacket would slowly fall from his arms and onto the floor behind him. He would begin to unzip his combat armor and let it fall, his gaze never breaking. A process that would continue until he was fully undressed, regardless of if Alice maintained that eye contact or not.

If Alice didn’t take his hand initially, he would give her the same example, with the same explanation, and the same show after as well. If she turned away to shower, Mariel would shameless watch as she undressed and got into her shower.

He would then ease himself into the frigid waters with a sigh of relief.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

She wasn't surprised that he didn't catch her question, after all, he wasn't too good at dealing with social cues. "And old habit? Oh my that sounds spicy. Elaborate", she scoffed before she walked passed him, not in a scornful way, but rather playfulness mixed with genuine curiosity. The more she knew about him, the more predictable he'd get after all.

Once in the bathroom, he'd leave her waiting for a moment before he suddenly squatted down next to her with a face that looked like actual excitement. It creeped her out, if she was being honest, because while he had snickered and even laughed before, his regular expressions were more of a scowl than...that. She regretted her request already, because for now, she was actually a little afraid and well aware of how if she wasn't careful, he'd sense it.

She swallowed and looked at him with a hint of uncertainty as he extended the hand. Reluctantly, she did give in, still somewhat curious, perhaps even thrilled - she liked playing with dangers after all - but to her the Force was something else entirely and so she actively had to remind herself to stick to her usual confidence.

Her gaze skipped from his eyes to his hand as she placed it inside, exhaling slowly. Her heartbeat was involuntarily accelerating as this simply wasn't predictable at all, and as he dipped her hand into the water, a gasp escaped her. She tried her best to keep her composure, but it was getting worse as the temperatures suddenly shifted.

"What...oooh". Despite having seen the Force before, this manipulation was new to her and it slightly make her jump before she managed to ease into it. She steadied her breath and met his gaze, saying "that's...an odd sensation". He let go of her and she rose, clearing her throat. "Okay it's pretty cool, not gonna lie", she had to admit that, forcing herself to a smirk while she still watched him.

"Yeah that's..." that was just a creepy thing to say, again, but as she still, tried to keep it together, she tried to discard the thought. "Wild. But thanks for showing me that trick". She was shivering, the water had gotten much colder, so a warm shower would be just what she needed. They continued their dialogue until she stripped down and intended to grab that shower, as he suddenly started undressing, too.

Again, she cocked her head to the side, simply finding it incredibly hard to figure this mysterious being out. She had to admit he didn't look to bad, was relatively defined and the red skin's exotic touch thrilled her, but as he sunk into the frozen tub, she simply couldn't help but to scoff. "You're...unbelievable", she simply said before she went in, soon turning on the almost boiling hot water that soon reddened her soft skin too, letting the warmth ease her tense muscles a little.

It would be quite a contrast to his ice bath right next to her, but as she was done, she stepped out, grabbed a towel and wrapped herself into it. "Why are you doing that? Is that healthy for your species?", she wanted to know as she squatted down again, tipping one finger under water with the cold leaving her puzzled. She didn't care he was naked and bathing, her curiosity still wasn't satisfied and she find the situation somewhat amusing.

@Apollyon

 

[Karys]

Mariel had a different reaction to Alice’s teasing this time, he chuckled. Instead of giving her an answer on his past he simply shrugged, the wry grin still on his face from the couch.

“I’d bet you’d like to know.” He replied. “But a Pureblood never kisses and tells.” He continued in a faux coy attitude.

Once he had allowed her to feel the effects of the Force, and their short exchange; they both separated to bathe. Alice had turned her shower as hot as she could make it but Mariel sank deeper into his icy bath. He was utterly relaxed, his eyes closed and he was beginning to feel himself drift off. That was when Alice’s shower ended, he could hear her getting out and making her way to his tub.

He wondered if she was leering at him. When he had gotten undressed, she didn’t hide her gaze when it had drifted. All she could clearly see was his head that sat just above water level, and his from his calves down as his legs were resting out of the tub. When Alice spoke to him, Mariel lazily opened one eye and cocked his eyebrow ridge.

“My species?” He replied in faux offense, returning Alice’s earlier ribbings in kind. He shifted his body upwards to better look at her before replying.

“Ice baths are healthy for everyone.” He teased. “But no, it’s not because of my species. My homeworld is Arctic.” He explained. “The weather here is almost unbearable to me and I’ve been in two different layers.” He continued, gesturing lazily to his clothes that were in a heap on the floor. “I just needed to cool down is all.” He finished giving her a shrug.

Then, Mariel would stand up, and call his towel to him with the Force. He would step from the tub and glance towards Alice again. His gaze finally lacked the imperious glare he maintained the entire day. He dried himself off before making his way to the bathroom counter and examining his face in the mirror. Once he was satisfied that the rashes were fading, he’d turn around to face her once again.

“Do you have other questions about my kind for me?” He asked, his eyes unsubtly following the figure of her body.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

With her fingers lazily swirling through the water, she was already getting cold. It wasn't just that she's never interacted with a Pureblood before, but he had so many peculiarities that just kept piquing her curiosity. They were stuck with one another for a while, so she saw no issues in asking direct questions.

"Two layers...as in normal clothes? You're telling me because you've grown up in the cold, you need it still?". Hadn't he claimed he was such a more advanced species, how the kriff did he fail when it came to climate adaption then. She was about to open her mouth and ask something else when he rose into his full height again, right in front of her before he stepped out.

She, too, got back up, leaving the cold water for now in case he'd want to 'cool off' later on, but for now her inquisitive mind had another question present. "I do, actually. Come". She led him back into the bedroom by simply grabbing his hand and dragged him after her.

Once inside, she'd let go of him close the shutters and purposely drop her towel, meeting his gaze in a relatively provocative manner. "I wonder how Purebloods feel" She shamelessly asked, tilting her head to the side. The implications were clear. To her, it was no big deal, but while she was curious on the one hand, she knew it was just another away to entice him and ensure this cooperation worked. "Mind offering some answers?". Her gaze was inviting, suggestive, fairly obvious.

@Apollyon

 

[Karys]

Mariel tilted his head to the side when Alice asked a series of questions. He hadn’t been expecting that, at all. It wasn’t that he needed it, he hadn’t been off of Ziost that long, he simply hadn’t adjusted.

“It’s not that I ne-“ He had been in the midst of answering her question, when the look in Alice’s eyes shifted.

She no longer cared for his climate preference, there was a new hunger in her. Mariel’s crimson eyes locked focused on Alice’s. When she grasped his hand, she wouldn’t have to pull him into the room. He wanted this as well.

When she went for the curtains, Mariel would stop her. He was behind her, pinning her between him and the window. One of his hands would grip her waist, his fingers digging in with primal need. His other hand turned her face towards his to look into her eyes.

“Let them watch, I don’t care.” He growled into her ear.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

Maeve was usually the very direct kind. If she didn't spell it out, the perceptive usually saw it in her eyes way before. She had still learned that not everyone was sensitive to such displays of primal desires, yet somehow the Pureblood had followed here more than obediently. When she reached for the curtains, she was suddenly stopped, a gasp immediately escaping her as he turned her face.

"Now we're talking", she whispered back, a whole mixture of emotions swirling through her. While there was that undeniable desire, the hunger, the curiosity on the one side, there was also a hint of fear. Getting out of this situation if she needed it would be harder, given that his reflexes were much sharper than most, and then he also had space magic on its side...

It enticed her more than it scared her and so she grabbed him by the wrist to wrestle free, making him let go of the towels just to tear it down. She'd try the same with his, swiftly unwrapping the alien, intriguing body before she wanted to pull him close again, her nails slightly digging into his skin as they wandered alongside his neck. "Let's give them a good show". She didn't feel exhausted anymore, her brain wanted something else entirely. His skin felt so cold against hers after the hot shower, but the feeling was somewhat intoxicating.

@Apollyon

 

[Karys]

Mariel felt an intoxicating mixture of emotion mixing together in Alice. When she began to wrestle for freedom and simply to turn around, Mariel had to fight instinct to allow it. However, when the towels were finally tossed to the side, Mariel lost himself to the moment.

Before leaving Ziost for Umbara, no decisions had been his to make. Everything was decided by his father, he had no freedom or agency of his own. He’d been a suitor three separate times for pureblooded women on Ziost, none he cared for beyond physical beauty. But also, none he had chosen to sleep with either.

Tonight was different. Mariel had chosen this. He wanted Alice.

As her warm fingers dug into his flesh, so too would his own clawed fingers press into her waist. His crimson eyes took on a more predatory hunger, he pulled her in closer, hungering for connection.

“A show they’ll never forget.” He replied to her.

While that night would be an unforgettable experience for Mariel, Alice would likely find the same. When his mind was clear enough from passion and pleasure, he’d utilize the Force in more experimental ways. Alice would find, at times, it would feel like she had a second lover during their coupling.

Mariel would push to explore every inch of Alice, if she’d allow him. Paying attention to what she seemed to enjoy. However, after the third round, Mariel would find himself exhausted on their shared bed. Laying above the covers, on his chest next to Alice, he’d drape an arm over her waist before sleep claimed him.

Mariel would awaken to an odd sensation ringing in the back of his mind. He would glance over at Alice before noticing the hairs on his arms standing on end. There was distant shouting from somewhere down the hall, Mariel almost paid it no heed. He wanted to wake Alice for another round, despite how sore his body was from the previous night. In fact, he had leaned over to kiss her shoulder and pull her in when a more foreboding sound echoed from the hallway.

The sounds of blasters being fired.

“Shit.” Mariel hissed.

He’d instinctively roll away from Alice, extend his hand and call his lightsaber to his open palm. The blade wouldn’t ignite yet, and he’d roll from his position in the bed to his feet. Something told him they’d have but a few moments before all hell broke loose.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

His hunger complied with her and as his ice cold fingers grasped her, jolts of electricity were sent through her. It just raised her levels of exhilaration and they soon began sticking to their word, using the room completely, barely leaving a corner untouched while the two didn't just explore each other.

She had to admit that the experience was surely unique and that she savored every second of it. She was a skilled lover and he, too, knew exactly what he did with his body and even beyond with the Force, so that once exhaustion washed over her, they had used their shared time in three full rounds, each and every one even a hint better than the last as they got to know each other better. She hadn't bothered holding herself back or staying quiet and thus at some point an angry knock against the wall had served as a quick distraction, but neither of them had cared to do their neighbors a favor here.

She was soon left panting and felt as though she could grab a this time luke warm shower right away, but instead she decided to let it wait until the morning and give in to the much needed rest instead. She fell asleep in his naked embrace, his skin still somewhat colder than hers, but a satisfied smile on her lips as she drifted off. Perhaps he viewed still viewed human as a lesser species, but she was fairly certain that he had also learned that Maeve knew her stuff well...

-

Maeve usually slept rather lightly, her brain always somewhat attentive, but this night (or rather what had been left of it after their elongated intimate encounter) had been different as she had relied on his ethereal senses on this. Though as she woke but a certain commotion and him stirring, she sat right up, her brain alarm and eyes widened before she hectically jumped into her clothes and gathered her equipment. What a rude way to be woken, but something was severely off and she didn't need the Force to tell her.

She was barely dressed (all she managed to put on were her undies, bra and a top and blaster bolts echoed through the hallway. Her blaster was the first weapon in her hand as she slightly moved behind him, eyes widened and her hairs still slightly disheveled. "What the fuck is happening", she muttered, the panic quickly forcing her brain to focus despite the tiredness and his blood-orange blade being yet another wake up call.

She held her breath, listening before the noises would continue to grow as suddenly, their door was being forcefully opened. It was fairly obvious than instead of two readied fighters, the scumbags awaiting them had hoped for some oblivious hotel guests, but the moment of perplexity was all they needed. Mariel would get the chance to take on the first two while Maeve purpose aimed at the third before she was forced to jump into cover. From their outfits, she couldn't exactly tell who they were, but she was afraid it was related to their objective.

@Apollyon

 

[Karys]

Alice was up and half dressed before Mariel had even called his blade to his hand. Her blaster was trained on the door as his lightsaber’s blade sprang to life with a dull, menacing thrum. She had asked him what was going on.

“Someone just died, I felt it.” He replied, his baritone voice became icy again. “They’re coming, be ready.” He told Alice before taking a steadying breath. He felt Alice take a position behind him.

The door would be kicked open by a trio of blaster toting killers. There would be a brief moment where the two parties gawked at one another. The killers because there was a naked red skinned demon wielding a lightsaber and a gorgeous, half naked woman standing behind it. For Mariel, it was the scene behind the trio that caught him off guard.

Several other guest patrons have been shot, stripped, and unceremoniously tossed into small piles near along the hallway. His gaze flicked back to the killers before him and it hardened. His lightsaber left his hand in a whirling dervish, catching that first man before he had the chance to react. It cut through him horizontally, he screamed as his two sections slid apart, a molten line marking where the split had occurred.

Alice fired from around Mariel’s flank, catching the rear-most guard as he recovered. His body went still as flash-cooked brain splattered the hallway floor. The final killer raised his blaster to open fire but Mariel thrust his hands upward.

The man screamed in terror as he was flung up to the ceiling and the orange blade that had killed his comrade flew up, buried itself in his chest, and put an end to his miserable existence. Mariel’s head jerked towards Alice.

“The carbine and the grenades. Get them.” It came out almost as an order, he knew it would likely annoy her but right now they didn’t have time for

“What the fuck was that?” Someone shouted from down the hall.

“Something just got Kilean and his group!” Another voice called.

Mariel counted five more distinct voices that quickly chimed in. He opened his palm and his lightsaber flew into his grasp. He knew this wasn’t going to be an easy day.

“Fuck.” Was the only thing that came out of his mouth as he heard the heavy foot falls of boots making their way towards the room.

The door would slam shut as Mariel kicked it. They’d have a few seconds before the fighting would begin. Mariel called his blaster pistol to his free hand, moved to the bathroom for a better ambush position. He then would glance over at Alice and a smirk would appear on his face.

“You look even better in morning, wish we had the time for one more round.” He teased in a hushed tone.

(3/8 hotel killers down)
@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

It all happened so quickly, that when the door opened, for a moment there were just incredulous glances exchanged out both sides. Their team took the initiative quicker though and thus efficiently dealt with the unknown assailants before either side could explain the scenery. Their side didn't need much explaining anyway as what Maeve spotted behind in the corridor absolutely wasn't good.

She was impressed by Mariel's deadly handiwork. She hot the other one in the meantime while he dealt with the two others in an impressive, yet violent display of the Force. For a moment she stared at his work in awe, however snapping back into reality quickly. Yes, he was obviously dangerous, but she once again was more than happy with their little...arrangement that had just deepened within the night.

Mariel kicked the door shut after having instructed her to gather the explosives, and even if she usually wasn't one to respond to order, here she obeyed without discussion. Firstly, he was right, secondly, they were a team. She wasn't used to such intimate teamwork, but she was someone who quickly adapted, so she gathered the stuff and hopped into her jacket that was filled with her darts, her powders, pills and extracts - whatever was going on here, she was confident it would come in handy.

Next, she grabbed her pants and the rest of her stuff and hurled it into the bathroom before she quickly smoothed her hair down and flicked the tie on her wrist over it so secure it in a quick bun that would keep her hair out of her face after all. She hurried into the adjacent room after him, focusing her mind and adjusting her gear before she briefly met his gaze.

Voices could already be heard outside, and they'd only have a small window to act. They seemed rather ready, yet she couldn't help but notice he still wasn't dressed, but then again he had the Force while she was forced to rely on her stuff..."Same...we'll have time later though", she cheekily replied with a smirk before their room door was violently kicked open again.

Her head snapped into the direction of the attackers, eyes narrowed and with deadly precision, she hurled the first dart at the clueless, incoming attackers whose eyes weren't even on them yet. She vanished behind the door frame as quickly as she had first appeared and just a split second later she'd hear the body colliding with the ground. One more down.

It appeared that three more stormed in, but as she aimed for the next one, a shot was the immediate response and it grazed her arm, which was why a pained hiss escaped her. Oh, she had received a few bolts throughout her life, and while this one just barely grazed her, the sizzling flesh was still painful. She had ointments on her that would offer relief, but there wasn't the time to apply them. She was rather furious than anyway, and immediately switched back to her blaster while she was pressed against the inside bathroom wall, hoping the naked Pureblood would be able to clear the room before reinforcements would arrive.

@Apollyon

 

[Karys]

A satisfied smirk appeared on Mariel's lips at Alice's reply moments before the door burst open and she swung around. Mere moments later, Mariel heard the heavy thud of a body as it collided against the wall before it thudded to the floor. She tucked back behind the frame before the being's compatriots even had the opportunity to return fire. However, between the volleys, Alice leaned out to give her own reply of blaster fire.

Mariel felt her pain before she even stumbled back through the door. His eyes narrowed as she took cover. He needed her alive, he wanted her alive. And so, Mariel took what he thought was his opening to ambush the oncoming rag tag killers. He thought they'd never see his attack coming. He could already picture his blade carving through them all like a vibroknife through warm bread.

He thought wrong.

Mariel had forgotten one important factor about lightsabers, the light they gave off. The orange glow his blade gave off had already given away his position. So, when he rounded the corner to strike, his blade would never fall. Instead, he would turn into the butt of a blaster rifle that had been thrown out by an Orcolan in rags. Between the force of the blow coming from such a powerful creature and Mariel's momentum acting as a force multiplier, he never stood a chance. Mariel felt his nose crunch against his face, he loosely remembered his fall backward, but everything went black when his head bounced off of the tile floor.

Mariel would wake some time later. He could feel the drying blood that soaked his face and some clothes that had hastily been put on him. He was dazed, his face felt numb from the pain of his shattered nose, the back of his head throbbed where it had hit the bathroom floor. He felt his hands bound behind his back by iron cuffs that had metal chains running between them. The room was pitch black but he could hear a distant conversation. When Mariel tried to speak, he instead coughed up a mass of coagulated blood that had stuck to the back of his throat, he spat it onto the cool duracrete.

"Alice?" He whispered hoarsely. "What in the hells happened?" He asked the darkness that surrounded him.

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

Maeve's gaze went out and towards the mirror that hung over the little cabinet in the bedroom. Three attackers, she once saw again, but as she met the gaze of one who had just discovered the mirror as well, she instantly fired a blaster bolt in it to crack the glass and thus obscure the view.

Three attackers. They could surely take them. All Mariel had to do was to separate the first from the seco-. Thud. Crack. His face collided with the butt of a blasted and before Maeve couldn't even backup into the shower or whatever and she immediately found two Blasters leveled at her head. Fuck. That was really bad.

She immediately dropped her blaster and raised her hands, obviously signaling she'd yield, but before she could even open her mouth she'd found herself shot - not with a lethal, red blaster bolt, but a blueish stun. She dropped down right away, oblivious to where those thugs were taking them, but bruised and cuffed when she woke up.

She felt dazed, lethargic and found all movement of herself slow. The blurry vision only faded in after further moments of sheer uncertainty, right when a familiar, yet raspy voice relatively near to her made her flinch. Alice? Who the fuck was Alice? Even if she felt as though her eyes were starting to recover, she soon learned it was relatively dark.

She found herself seated against a cold wall, her wrists tied at her back, but as she tried to get her legs underneath her to rise into a kneeling position, she slumped down right away, her face approaching the ground fast, but she found herself landing headfirst in a lap, fabric instead of hard duracreet cushioning her fall. "Mariel...", the memories quickly returned and she was relieved she wasn't all alone in here.

She wriggled around so that her face was soon looking up at him - she couldn't see more than silhouettes, but she could finally breathe again. "I-...they overwhelmed us. Who were they?". She doubted he had a clue, but she voiced her confusion anyway. Her voice was barely more than a whisper as they didn't know where they were being held, but as she pushed herself back to a seated position, she did at least have one idea. "Can you burst those chains?". The cuffs were reinforced, she was certain of it, but those chains felt like a weak link- at least against her fingers as she brushed across them.

@Apollyon

 

[Karys]

Mariel felt a wave of relief wash over him when he heard Alice’s whisper. His gaze fell down to his lap, where her voice had come from. He knew she could see his crimson eyes as they burned in the dark. They had lost their icy touch entirely now, instead of hardened and judging, they had softened significantly. Inwardly, Mariel was thankful that she couldn’t see the smile that found itself on his lips as well.

“I-I’m not sure.” Mariel replied. “They didn’t seem professional. They were in rags for the most part.” He whispered. “But I’m glad your alive.”

At Alice’s suggestion, Mariel tested the chains that linked him behind his back. He tugged against them and found her appraisal to be accurate. The metal was old, rusted, and worn with age. He knew with some aid from the Force, he could break them.

Mariel closed his eyes and forced his swimming mind to focus. It took a moment but eventually he was able to feel the Force pulsing to his call. Mariel drew the pain of his broken nose to strengthen that connection. He called upon that power to enhance his physical strength and he pulled his arms apart.

POP

One of the links of the chain that bound his arms together broke apart instantly. He immediately helped Alice sit up from his lap. His now freed hands gripped the chain binding her shackles as well.

“How’s your wound?” He asked her as he repeated the process of snapping her chain as well.

With both now freed, Mariel would stand to his feet and offer a hand to Alice. His eyes glanced around their cell, looking for the door. He tested several of the bars and found these were not as weak as their shackles.

“Can you pick the lock to the door?” He asked her as he continued testing each bar.

“And my name isn’t Mariel, I lied when we met.” He explained, deciding to trust his companion rather than keep up his ruse. “I’m Karys of House Sadow.” He continued, his gaze turning to her. “Sorry for the deception, I didn’t think I could trust you…and now I don’t think we have many other choices.”

It would only be then with a clear mind that Karys sensed the stink of fear and death that radiated from this place. It was overwhelmingly powerful, intoxicating, and foreboding. Something had happened here and he knew one thing for sure, he didn’t want to find out what that was.

“Something else is going on.” He told his partner. “Something bad.” He continued “We need to get out and evaluate the situation and fast.”

@LadyRen

 

[Maeve]

As he adressed her, there was a new kind of gentleness in his voice she hadn't heard before. Now, that was interesting and something she neither expected nor was used to. She was still dazed herself, but she perceived a nuance that slightly made her tilt her head. Oh. Right. He had been headbutted with the blaster, perhaps that was it.

Her swimming thoughts circled around his reply, finding herself agreeing with him. "Probably...yet they seemed keen on...killing and causing a huge mayhem", she replied quietly, shifting slightly and finding several spots in pain. She held her breath as he tested the chains, internally praying he could break them, and as she suddenly heard the metal break, relief washed over her. The chains were step one. The cuffs weren't a huge issue, but having the hands freed would aid them a lot.

He helped her up and started attending to her chain as he mentioned her wound. Wound? "Which one- ooh. Right", she had been shot. Funnily enough though, her aching body partly overshadowed the sizzled, scarred flesh. "It's bearable". She could hardly tell what hurted the most, but it seemed like the stunbolt's aftereffects still helped.

He quickly moved to her chain and broke it, so that Maeve could finally move her arms again. "Thank you", she wasn't sure whether it had been sheer strength or the Force, but she was thankful for his help. She also grateful took his hand as he offered, however once she stood she realized that standing was even more painful. It mattered little though, as they both knew time was running against them.

"Where the hell are we?", she posed a rhetorical question, obviously he didn't know either, but it smelt somewhat moldy and moist down here. "I can try", she soon realized her jacket was - surprisingly enough - completely unlooted, which did make her wonder whether their captors had been in a rush as well..."They are no professionals at all", she confirmed, an exhausted smirk tugging at her lips as she fumbled for a little lock pick and started working.

She focused on the lock while Mariel suddenly adressed her again, somehow revealing a different name. For a second she stopped and glanced back at him, "Karys then...nice to meet you", she somehow had a feeling he was being honest this time, yet for 'Alice' giving up her real name wasn't on the table yet. No one still alive knew it. No one alive could be fully trusted. The internally deeply scarred woman had overcome many traumas, hiding behind different names gave her some level of safety and control...

"Got it", the lock sprung open and she slowly opened the cell door, however it made her realize that the corridor was empty. Where ever they were, it was a pretty run down place and security standards weren't that high, but she doubted the coast stayed clear long. She stopped outside though, wondering what he sensed and thus voiced her concern. "What...do you mean? Can you feel anything? We need the rest of our stuff, then we should get the kriff away", a slight hint of dread already washed over her, but she knew she had to keep it together.

@Apollyon