Ask Invisible

[Ryujin Izanagi]

The rain had just let off, the pavement was still slick with water but at least he could head out without having to get soaked to the bone. Ruyjin stepped out from under the cover of the small convenience store he had used as a hiding space for the flash storm, a can of energy drink in his hand as he paraded down the streets. The streets of Ciutric IV quickly came to life once the rain had passed, like ants from a hill people came from every nock and corner, in a flash the street became a hive of energy and flesh.

The near-human weaved his way through the crowd, in a simple leather jacket open at the front showing the white vest underneath. His hands had an assortment of rings, they were less costly and more stylish fitting the look of the day. A single earing dangled down from his left as he ducked under the wide swing of a Trandosian as he tried to give directions to some passing tourists. With every step Ryujin watched the crowd, it was a habit as much as anything. He was here for a purpose after all, but he had seen fit to give himself tonight off, his report had gone in earlier that day. A military instillations about a half dozen blocks to the East which controlled the surrounding area including the Capitol Building was his target, Ruyjin had spent a day or two investigating the area before providing a report with two low to medium risk plans and one high risk plan to remove it from contention should the Empire chose this as there next location of conquest.

Now it was time to let his hair down, enjoy himself a little before he was sent back to the sands of Korriban or the jungles of Dromund Kaas. Hopefully Ciutric had some good food?

@Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Amongst the bustling crowds and busy streets of Daplona City, Jaikus was merely another face amongst thousands. The Axxilan weaved carefully between citizens and tourists alike of various different species - narrow avoiding bumping into a particularly sticky looking wermal as he trudged along.

Despite the casual way he moved amongst the populace, Jaikus had a clear purpose for being within Daplona City and hadn’t, in fact, come for a vacation. Ciutric IV had always been on the radar for Sith expansion, owing to its close proximity to Imperial borders, shipyards and influence within the Sector. If aligned with the Empire, the planet would likely bring with it the surrounding systems and those planets who had once made up the Hegemony.

It was to further that goal that Jaikus had come to the planet - just as Ryujin had. The Axxilan’s mission, of course, differed in its method. While the Inquisitor gathered intelligence and exposed the military weaknesses of the planet in case of invasion, Jaikus was here to attempt to bring the world under the Imperial banner without it being necessary. The recent death of the Prime Minister of Ciutric IV meant that it was election season on the planet, and there was one candidate in particular that the Axxilan sought to ensure rose into prominence. A candidate who, behind closed doors, had already expressed his sympathetic views towards the Empire and broke with the staunch neutrality of the previous administration.

Given the covert nature of his mission, Jaikus dressed in civilian clothes - meant to blend in with his surroundings and fade entirely into the populace. As a result, he wore a pair of jeans and a tight-fitting white shirt, a black jacket pulled over the top. He accessorized with his standard combo of a chrono and beaded bracelet on his wrist. He kept both the hilt of his lightsaber and a vibroknife tucked into a hidden pocket of his jacket - the scatterweave lining of the garment guarding against any rudimentary weapons scanners he might come across.

While the Axxilan had a clear purpose for being on the planet, that didn’t mean he didn’t have time to snag a bite to eat. Covert election meddling was hunger-inducing work, and Jaikus finally decided to pause what he was doing in order to quell the ache in his stomach.

Luckily for them both, Ciutric IV did, in fact, have some good food.

Jaikus continued to weave through the crowds until he finally reached the open-air market in one particular district of the city. A multicultural planet, the delicious aromas of cuisine from various different species and cultures filled the air - dozens of food stalls, street food vendors and restaurants lining the wide street.The Axxilan walked until he settled upon one stall in particular,

EPICANTHIX RAMEN written across the sign on the front.

Had to be better than M.R.E Gamorrean noodles, right?

@Braden

 

[Ryujin Izanagi]

Perhaps it was fate or some strange coincidence that the two would be out on the same street that night. Although they were both of the same faction, here for the same goals yet with two very different means of getting there. The two had no idea of the other's existence, both on this planet and in person. Ryujin tipped his head back as he finished the last of the Cherry flavoured energy drink, it wasn’t half bad, he would definitely need to pick up a few for the road when he left soon.

The can was part crushed in his hand and placed into a trash compactor covered in multicoloured graffiti on the main street. Now where to eat, what did he want? That was the better question, the little stakeout/scouting mission had been full of junk food and heavy carbs, so he could do with something a little lighter than pizza and burgers. His brown eyes flicked from one stall to the next as he surveyed the small little food market which made up the end of the one way street. Ramen sounded nice, there seemed to be a pair of competitive shops in the market, one seemed a lot busier than the other.

He could do with some sounds and entertainment to pass him by after two days of solitary work, so he headed to the buiser EPICANTHIX RAMEN. There were about a dozen small tables set up outside the little stall, all two or four seaters, most were taken but there was still ample space meaning he wouldn't have to stand and eat. Ryujin got in line just before another dark haired human, who was wearing a similar outfit to the Inquisitor.

“Can I have a large Hakata Tonkotsu ramen with ranagar egg, please.” The dark skinned Nautolan took his payment and told him to grab a seat whilst it was done, giving him a small numbered ticket just in case. Ryujin found one of the last free tables and took a seat, his number was 68.

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Even if the Axxilan’s work on the planet had only just begun, he didn’t neglect to grab a bite to eat in between the information gathering that had dominated the last few days. His goal, after all, was to blend in with the general populace during the course of his work on Ciutric. The Axxilan’s eyes lingered on the neon-lit sign for a few moments before shifting to the man in front of him in line.

“I’ll take what he is having,” Jaikus spoke up towards the dark-skinned Nautolan behind the stall, signaling to double up on the order that Ryu had requested. The noodle-vendor gave a quick nod and gestured for Jaikus to take a ticket as well. 69.

Truth be told, the Axxilan was unfamiliar with the local cuisine and wasn’t entirely sure what to order in the first place. So mimicking someone else’s order was clearly the best route of avoiding something downright awful. Probably.

With his ticket in hand, Jaikus’ attention shifted towards a counter full of chilled beverages - fresh out of the cooler and came complimentary with the order of noodles. The Axxilan’s eyes narrowed significantly when he noticed that, save for a handful of bottles of water, the selection was dominated by multiple flavors of ‘Emryc Energy’ cans. He couldn’t help but notice a new flavor amongst the selection,

‘Tropical President Punch’ positioned right at the front.

There was a prolonged exhale through Jaikus’ nostrils before he finally opted to snag the can of the new flavor, turning on a heel and proceeding towards some of the tables. Unfortunately, the selection of seating was exceptionally limited.

Just as he began to make his way towards one of the chairs, Jaikus was beat to the table by a particularly large Chevin - citrine eyes watching as the man and his ridiculously large head settled into the seat. Sighing, the Axxilan turned his attention to the only table that had space left.

Which, conveniently, was the same place Ryu was sitting.

“Hope you don’t mind,” He said towards Ryu, settling into one of the chairs as he waited for his order. For the moment, the Axxilan was completely unaware that the man sitting across from his was a member of the ISB, let alone another Sith.

@Braden

 

[Ryujin Izanagi]

Ryujin pulled out his holo as he sat back on his chair, one leg sitting on top of the other. He began flicking through the news, it was transfer season in the Hutt Ball league, so most of the posts were around that. Apparently Bom Trady was retiring as well. Most of it was garbage, a few stories on AMS, of course being near Sith Space the Council Purge was always going to be somewhere on the front two pages. Rumours of Darth Raze and the Empress being lovers, of course filled the gossip column.

When Jaikus approached his table Ryujin hardly looked up from the holo. “Yea no worries.” He replied pointing to the seat with his free hand, before going back to his holo stories. As the man sat down opposite he spotted the Emryc Energy can placed on the table. He was surprised the drink got out this far, I mean it had to pass right through Sith Space to get here and considering the current partial blockade, most people had turned to the rival ‘Andruil Xtra’. Though it definitely missed some of the zip you got from Emryc Energy.

“I’m more of a Soaring Starship guy myself.” He said from behind his personal Holo. As if the Galaxy did not want them to chit chat, Ryujin’s order number was called. Sticking his hand up as he plopped down his holo on the table a sweet little Nautolan woman sauntered over with his dish. Placing it down in front of him with a pair of chopsticks and a wink. Leaning forward and taking a sniff of the steam coming up from his bowl the Inquisitor smiled.

“Got to love some good Outer Rim Ramen. What did you order?”

@Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Jaikus gave Ryu an appreciative smile as he slid into a seat just opposite to the covert Inquisitor - neatly placing his hands down onto the table. There wasn’t much in the way of alternative seating options, and the Axxilan didn’t really feel like standing as he slurped down hot noodles. He only had a few minutes of downtime before he would need to actually get back to the work that brought him to Ciutric.

“Thanks,” He said, before proceeding to pull out a datapad of his own. He briefly opened Switter, scrolling through his feed for a few moments while he waited for his order to arrive. Naturally, there was the usual notification from Ashla from since he last checked the app - having grown rather accustomed to the togruta’s frequent messages and tags.

He eventually came across the same gossip columns as Ryu, staring at the headlines that questioned the relationship between the Empress and Dark Lord - musing as to the potential of them being lovers. He blinked a few times, squinting ever-so-slightly but otherwise keeping a straight face. Jaikus didn’t linger on social media for very long - quickly switching over to the data reports that were stored on his device - once more going over his brief.

The Prime Ministerial election on Ciutric had narrowed down to two candidates - Talik Vhol and Tag Merand. While Vhol had promised to maintain his planet’s long-standing independence, Merand had already expressed a more open mind to aligning Ciutric - with all of its strategic value and influence within the Sector - with one of the rising Galaxy powers, and it was for precisely that reason the Sith Empire had initiated with Merand. A great deal of effort had done into cultivating the relationship with the man, and it was all but assured that he would declare Ciutric for the Empire if he rose to power. He was precisely the kind of useful idiot that the Empire wanted within that position - the kind that would faithfully bring his planet into the fold diplomatically without a single credit being spent, and could be quietly removed from power if he ever stepped out of line.

Thus, it was Jaikus’ job to ensure that the opposing candidate - Talik Vhol - did not come within a stone’s throw of the Prime Minister’s office. Whether it was thorough assassination, blackmail or downright slander - the methodology was left up to the Axxilan’s discretion. Only the results mattered.

Jaikus continued to scroll through his datapad for a few moments more, reaching up to crack open the can of Emryc Energy. He glanced up to Ryu when the man spoke, his blue eyes - the color coming from the contacts that he wore - flicking between the man and the energy drink. “Silver Stare, myself.” He said with a nod. The Axxilan vividly remembered his first ever reaction to seeing the drinks, and the way he had practically eaten the vendor alive for using Emryc’s likeness without consent. It was only once the half-Sephi had come to a settlement with the company that Jaikus actually agreed to drink the things.

“New flavor,” He pointed to the can. “Worth a shot, right?”

Jaikus’ gaze flicked towards the Nautolan when she brought Ryu’s order, watching as she walked off before turning his attention back to the bowl of Ramen and the accompanying question. “Hakata Tonkotsu ramen with tanager egg.” He said with a smirk, revealing he had simply copied the Inquisitors order.

“First time having it,” He shrugged. “So naturally I will be able to blame you if it turns out badly.” As if on cue, the Nautolan woman returned to their shared table with yet another bowl of the exact same order, setting it down in front of Jaikus. The Axxilan gave her a appreciative nod of his head, passing off a few credit chips as a tip.

He picked up a pair of chopsticks, hovering them just above the bowl. “So, what brings you to Ciutric?” Jaikus asked conversationally, pinching a mouthful of noodles with the wooden utensils.

@Braden

 

[Ryujin Izanagi]

Ryujin shrugged his shoulders a little when the man mentioned ‘Silver Stare’ each to their own he thought. Even though he found that particular flavour a little too sour for his liking, being a sweet tooth guy he had fallen for Soaring Starship after the first taste. Almost living on the stuff whilst stationed on the other side of the Imperial FWA border. “Let me know how it tastes. If it's sweet I'm sure I will like it.” He said before snapping his chopsticks ready to dig in.

Looking up at the man as he told him about his order, Ryujin squinted his eyes and pointed the chopsticks at him in a childishly menacing manner. “You better not have been given the bigger Tanager Egg.” They were beautifully smooth eggs with a delicate Umani flavour running through both the yoke and white. He was salivating even at the thought of stuffing that perfectly cooked morsel into his mouth. “But don’t you worry you will not regret this.”

The sultry Nautolan women popped Jaikus’ bowl down on the table and within a moment Ryujin knew something was off. Years of training with the Inquisitorius had trained his senses to perfection, he could hear the sound of a twig snapping in the jungle, smell the scent of a perfumed target from a hundred metres away and spot when one Tanager Egg was bigger than the other.

Looking up at the man he stared into his eyes noticing the slightest glare in his blue eyes. But that did not matter, for he had bigger things on his mind. “Swap eggs with me.” He asked.

@Altaris

 

[Jaikus Thorne]

Jaikus gave Ryujin a small nod of his head, flashing the man a sideways smirk. Truth be told, the Axxilan always had a preference for the more sour, citrus-y flavors and that meant he naturally gravitated towards the lip-puckering, intense flavors like Silver Stare if and when he opted for the energy drinks to begin with. He had high hopes that this newest variety would be just as pleasant.

The Axxilan arched a brow curiously when Ryujin childishly pointed his chopsticks - remarking about Jaikus being given the bigger Tanager egg. He gave a casual shrug, “Nothing to be ashamed of, having the smaller egg.” His lips tugged a bit wider for a brief moment. With that, Jaikus finally reached for the can of Emryc Energy - taking a small sip from the aluminum can.

He blinked a few times, looking down at the can for a moment before flicking his blue eyes back over to Ryujin. “Well,” He started. “You’re in luck. It’s exceptionally sweet - so I’m sure you’ll be a fan.” The Axxilan set the can back down on the table after that - his eyes instead turning to the Nautolan brought his order.

Taking a moment to sniff the aroma rising up from his bowl, the Axxilan clicked his chopsticks together and was prepared to dive in when Ryujin spoke, demanding that they swap eggs. Jaikus quickly glanced between the two bowls, saw the size difference, and couldn’t help exhale a laugh through his nostrils. He proceeded to pick the egg up out of the bowl with his chopsticks, eyeing it closely.

After a moment of looking as if he was going to pop the thing in his mouth right then and there, the Axxilan placed it back down in the bowl and proceeded to slide it across the table towards Ryujin to swap.

“Your welcome,” He quipped once the bowl slid back in his direction, citrine eyes looking up at the man before flicking back down to his meal. The Axxilan picked up his chopsticks and proceeded to lift a few of the noodles into his mouth.

“You never did answer my question,” The Axxilan remarked after chewing, glancing up at Ryujin with a grin. He didn’t miss the fact that the man blatantly avoided the question, though Jaikus’ tone didn’t appear anything but playful on the surface. He gave a small shrug of his shoulders. “Election work, myself.”

Which wasn’t really a lie, to his credit.

@Braden

 

[Ryujin Izanagi]

Ryujin returned the smirk when Jaikus spoke about having a smaller egg. He liked the guy and he had a good sense of humour, which was always a winner for the Inquisitor. Holding his hand up as the waitress walked by, “Can you grab me one of those President Punches please.” He said pointing to the can in front of Jaikus, he handed her a few credits and turned back to his bowl.

His eyes narrowed as Jaikus threatened to eat the extra large egg, a fake sense of malice drifting over his face, easily given away by the smirk twitching at the edge of his lips. “Why thank you good sir.” He said with exaggerated happiness as he grabbed both eggs with his chopsticks and swapped them from one bowl to another.

Once he had the larger egg Ryujin proceeded to dive into his bowl, there was no time to waste, cold Ramen was horrible it had to be nice and hot to get the most out of the flavour profile of the dish.

He was slurping up a rather large set of noodles when Jaikus brought up that he had avoided his earlier question. Either the man had a sharp mind or didn’t know how to let things drop. “Corporate evaluation.” He replied between mouthfuls, he too was not telling a true lie. “Which side you working for?” Ryujin asked, he had no true interest but it would be interesting to see where this man's loyalties lay. He would hate to see Jaikus die because he sided with the wrong man.

@Altaris