Ask Keeping up Appearances

[Celeste Stythani]

"Oh, have you?" she replied with the slightest hint of interested curiosity in her voice. She was still teasing him, but she had to admit to herself that his answer sounded relatively honest and confident, so she would believe him for now. He would soon have to prove himself anyway. "That's good" she thus added, satisfied.

When they rapidly started to descend, Celeste did feel this funny, yet thrilling feeling in her stomach, but since she hadn't felt that sensation for a while, she involuntarily dug her fingernails into the leathered seat for further support. She hadn't actually been in a speeder for ages, so this ride was a pleasant distraction from her usual work and she did enjoy the wilder maneuvers and this feeling of speed and acceleration. However, he suddenly suprised her when he decided to reciprociate the question, so she raised an eyebrow at him. "A fighter?" she repeated amusedly before shrugging. "I guess you could say so. I would say I...also pull a lot of strings in the background" she added rather mysteriously, well aware of the fact that he would probably have lots of questions, but her smirk might have already told him that she was not simply going to reveal everything.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

'Pull a lot of strings in the background?' The thought stuck with Null as he tried to determine what exactly it was that Celeste did, but he had to admit that most senators were usually pretty shady characters who often championed their own agendas and ideals. Hopefully this one had what was best for her planet and people in mind. At least she did admit to being a capable enough fighter. That would hopefully come in handy for their mission.

"So then why come with me?" Null dodged another rocky obstacle while gazing at the blonde. It wouldn't be too much longer until their descent would bring them closer to the bottom of the deep canyon. He wanted to keep a decent rapport with his client for now, so he'd direct the conversation with a slightly friendlier tone once again. "Wanted a front row seat?"


@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Celeste surely realized that Null seemed to be considering her statement for a little while. She let her last answer sound mysteriously on purpose, but she wouldn't want him to think about that too much, so that he might even get distracted from his actual mission and so she had decided she would still watch him carefully.

Her eyes still lingered on the bountyhunter when the man decided to start playing a dangerous game. She didn't like that he was staring to become a little nosy again. That was clearly something she would never allow her subordinates to do and she was still paying this man handsomely, so he had to follow her rules. A yet again dangerous smile grazed her lips when he shifted his tone into a friendlier direction, but even if he was trying to joke around, he had to be careful with his wording, "As I said: I like to pull the strings. I like to be in control. You could decide to betray me after all and this would surely be a huge mistake as you might already know" she replied in a surprisingly sweet and friendly tone, but the level of warning behind that statement was clearly audible.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

"Right..." Null submissively agreed and cleared his throat. He missed his master. She was always so much better at the talking than him. He didn't say much else to Celeste after that, hoping she would understand that he didn't want to prolong the tense conversation. Instead he'd put more of his focus back into piloting the glossy black speeder deeper into the canyon.

The vast distance between the rocky walls on either side of the pair suddenly began to narrow, forming a tight entrance that the bounty hunter's sleek craft would barely fit inside. As the two came closer to the edge of the opening the speeder would gradually decelerate under Null's proficient control to a slow crawl -- for a softer and more subtle approach. It would be a few more minutes before the tight and jagged passageway would flank the pair, nearly covering them from the sun above in its deep cover.


@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

After his sudden boost of confidence, Celeste had expected that he might go on and dare to ask further questions, but apparently, her answer had been too intimidating again. The bountyhunter had fallen back into his shy, submissive, if not even frightful state and while she knew that he would not try anything funny now, she wondered whether she should have shown some mercy and approach him softer. Apparently that was what he would have needed. But after all, he had challenged her to answer confidently, didn't he?

She couldn't take her eyes of him once he had decided to direct his gaze back towards the front. Maybe it was a hint of sadism that made her smirk a little. However, she kept herself from commenting on this further, as he was clearly feeling a little uncomfortable. After a while, she directed her own gaze back to the front. It wasn't fun for the wolf if the prey didn't move any more, so Celeste thought that a change of topic would be appreciated. "Anyway. Once we have reached the safety of the cave, we still have a little walk ahead of us. I hope you don't get tired easily" she warned him while still smirking slightly.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

"No, ma'am. I'll last as long as you need me." Null was pretty sure he was overselling himself, but that kind of thing was often necessary in his line of work, and his ex-master used to do it all the time. He was also pretty sure Celeste meant walking, and nothing else. Though it would be pretty strenuous in his current outfit. What he was wearing now wasn't exactly made for hot and sweaty desert environments...


It wouldn't be much longer before the speedy speeder sped into a narrow crook in the canyon, quickly coming to a slow at the same time. The designated cave was right before them, covered in a shroud of darkness from the jagged rocky crack they had entered. The bounty hunter kept a cautious pace as he flicked on the Avian's forward lights to light up the darkness of the entrance. As the two would begin to gradually creep into the cave he'd keep his gaze vigilant, scanning for any sign of trouble while they made their final approach. Once his current client was satisfied with how deep they were inside he'd bring the speeder to a halt, and power it down once it was parked.


@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

His remark made her scoffed amusedly, because she couldn't help but to notice the ambiguity inside it. Well, admittedly her statement had been a little ambigious, so maybe she had asked for this cheeky answer. She shifted her gaze back at the bountyhunter, regarding him a little while longer, maybe hoping that he would get a little nervous again. His shy side was still interesting as she couldn't quite understand it yet, but she was aware that she would have enough time to dig deeper. For now, they were already approaching the cave and there were more pressing matters to tend to right now.

Once Null had stopped the speeder, she remained silent for a little while until the engine was stopped, but then she purposely, but softly placed a hand on his thigh. "Thank you for the pleasant drive" she told him in a slightly alluring tone, a sweet smile on her lips. She didn't give this remark to actually praise him. Well maybe a little, because he had done an admittedly good job with his piloting skills, but he was also getting paid anyway. She rather did it to tease him a little before she started to elegantly climb out of the newly opened canopy.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

"Hnn--" Null choked up and hesitated when Celeste touched his thigh, slightly pulling back from her before he managed to keep enough control so as to not embarrass himself as much. "Ahm..." He nervously cleared his throat, his face bright pink under his mask and visor. "Y-yeah. No problem."

The flustered young man gave a sharp nod and averted his gaze while she looked at him. Then she turned away to crawl out of the vehicle. He didn't really mean to turn his head back for another look at her, and inadvertantly timed the innocent glance at the moment she had to bend over to get out of the speeder. Realizing he'd just accidently caught a glimpse of her fine derriere he quickly shot his eyes back away in the opposite direction of her, and nervously went to climb out of his side of the speeder. He nearly fell on his face as he stumbled to his feet, then shyly cleared his throat and tried to stand up straight as though nothing had happened.


@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Surely his reaction hadn't gone unnoticed, but she didn't react with anything more than a smirk. It was still amusing. His hesitant answer, the way his voice immediately went quieter and she was so sure that underneath that visor, he had blushed. Nevertheless, she climbed out, but then she realized that he had actually caught a glimpse of her while she was climbing out in the corner of her eyes. Immediately, she stopped where she was, throwing him a short glance, but he was already looking away and climbing out himself, probably all embarrassed again. She took a notice of his glance, but didn't comment on it, knowing that he was innocent anyway.

She swung the backpack over her shoulder before she went around the speeder, waiting for Null to gather his stuff, before she started to lead him out of the cave. Once outside, she pointed in the direction of the warlord's lair, directing her eyes back at the bountyhunter. "Alright, so we have to walk a few more miles, but I don't expect any trouble. However, we should always keep the eyes on the target and avoid getting carried away" she explained calmly, however, there was a slight hint of waring in her voice.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

Null stopped by the speeder's trunk to acquire a few more pieces of gear before their mission commenced, which he stashed in various concealed compartments and discreet holsters across his outfit. Then he locked the speeder up, and collected himself as best he could, despite how throughly Celeste had subjugated him during their ride. Once he was ready he let out a deep breath before he obediently returned to the dominat woman.

"Ahm..." He tried to avoid eye contact with her as he considered her warning, assuming she must've caught him peeking at her. He'd hoped she wouldn't have noticed, and considered explaining his innocence to her, but in the end it didn't even matter. "Yes, ma'am."


@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

Such a pity...Why was he so shy? She almost felt a little bad for having made him feel that way, but through his little challenging replies in the beginning, he had almost asked for it, hadn't he? Once he raised his quiet voice again, she could see him averting his gaze again, which made her smirk a little, but this was not the time tontease him further. They still had their mission to fulfill.

She wondered whether he still had any questions, but all he did was agreeing again and so she decided to leave him be for no, as he would need his focus back as soon as possible. The duo started moving, Celeste leading the way in a rather fast pace while staying attentive in terms of their surroundings. They obviously had a few more miles to cover and so she wanted to try starting another conversation, hopefully lightening the tense mood."So, Null, how are you going to do it? Which gear did you bring?" she asked him curiously, directing her gaze back at him while they were passing a huge rock formation. They were soon entering a territory that was less covert, so they had to be on their guard, but it still felt she knew nothing about him and this fact was annoying her a little.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

"Depends on the situation once we get to him." Null was hoping he could keep casualties to a minimum, taking out as many people as non-lethal as he possible, but with Celeste around he suspected it would be more difficult. "But probably just my blade or blaster."

As he surveyed the horizon he tried to ignore the sun that relentlessly beat down on them, quickly heating up his dark outfit. It reminded him of Tatooine, but something else was different about this place. He could almost Sense it. Either way, he was beginning to regret wearing as much as he did, though he would've handled their little interaction much worse if he'd been wearing anything revealing. The last few months with Seela had proven to him that he probably wouldn't be able to handle the mission well either if he'd been scantily clad to resist the heat.


@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

She had expected an answer that was more detailed. After all, he was a hired bountyhunter, so she assumed that he would have a whole arsenal of different weapons, but in the end, he provided her with a plain, obvious answer. She kept herself from rolling her eyes at him, but his answer was clearly not satisfying. Blade and blaster...how uncreative and conventional.

Maybe it was a good thing that she was accompanying him on this mission, because if he would need some sort of reinforcement, he would have backup. She truly hoped that it wouldn't come so far and that he would simply accomplish his mission without any disturbances, but she knew that it was probable that the warlord was guarded by his thugs and she wasn't sure whether this shy employee of hers was worth the payment yet. He still had to prove whether he was capable enough to withstand such an extreme situation...

The sun was unrelentlessly burning down on them. It was a good thing that she was wearing her newly made, rather short leathered dress, but as beautiful as the black fabric was, it was absorbing the heat. She thought about using the Force to relieve her of the heat, but she didn't want him to notice in case he was Force sensitive, as this wouldn't suit her reputation. " Alright. Blade and blaster it is" she concluded, but the dissatisfaction in her voice was clearly audible. She shifted her gaze back to the front, squinting slighlty, to shield her eyes from the mercilessly bright sun.

If her calculations were right, once they were past the rock formation, they were about to enter another canyon which would soon lead to the warlord's lair, that was integrated in a tall mountain range up ahead. However, the closer they got, the hotter it seemed to get and even if the heat was starting to mess with her mind a little, she could sense something in the distance. She wasn't sure whether her mind was playing tricks on her due to the intense heat or whether they were closer than expected, but she felt the sudden urge to draw her lightsaber.

However, she didn't do it, deciding that it was only her imagination and that's why she wanted to briefly take her mind off their perilous walk again. "Okay tell me something else. Do you really think it is a good idea to keep wearing that helmet of yours? You must be burning from the inside. Why don't you take it off?". Even if she was making a suggestion, there was a certain amount of authority in her voice that could be interpreted as a direct order. It was not that she was overly worried about him, but she was convinced that he would be better off without it. Additionally, she was still assuming that the man was hiding something, and maybe it would be better to reveal the truth before their mission would become to heated.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

Revealing his identity was not something Null did lightly. He glanced at the inquisitive woman from the corner of his eye, considering for a moment whether he could trust her. Based on how little he knew her, though he felt he at least knew her a little bit by now, he was still pretty uncomfortable with how shy and submissive she'd already made him become.

"Well..." He let out a somewhat heavy and restrained sigh as he thought about how he could string his words together to please her. She'd already dominated him so much that he felt he didn't have much wiggle room to escape her discreet demands. He definitely didn't want to upset her, nor make her feel like he needed to be punished.

"If we weren't so close to enemy territory then I'd probably take it off..." His tone was soft and light, showing that he wasn't really trying to disobey her, but that he was trying to obey her earlier command to get ready for some potential action at any moment. "But it sounds like we might want to start making a stealthier approach and focus on the mission."


@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

His response was such a weak excuse. She scoffed dangerously. One could hear that she was dissatisfied and if she'd been just a little more impulsive, she would have lost her temper and tore this visor and the mask off herself. But there was at least a slight hint of truth hidden inside his statement. They still had to be on their guard as the enemies were near and if he felt better and safer that way, she would have just let him have this one for now. However, it was still nagging her. After this mission, she wouldn't let him get away so easily. She would find out about his little secrets, one way or another. "When this bastard is dead, you'll either take it off or I will do it myself" she declared softly with a sweet smile, even though she was being completely serious.

She was barely finished talking, when she heard a blaster bolt out of a sudden. Immediately, she spun around, locating the bolt, but the funny thing was that while she dodged the first one with ease, the next ones were already flying in her direction. So it was a trap after all. This couldn't be coincidence. She was realizing that they were being shot at from various directions, so this seemed like a planned ambush. She could feel anger boiling up inside her, because this could only mean that they had a mole inside the Cauldron and this was making her furious. However, she couldn't think about that now, as there were more pressing matters at hand. She evaded the next bolts, shouting a furious "Get out of here, if you can!" to Null, but before the bountyhunter could attempt to flee, she was forced to use the Force anyway.

So much for keeping up her appearance.

While the bolts kept flying at her, she couldn't evade them any longer. With outstretched hands, she stopped them mid-air, shooting them back at their hidden causers and she was almost delighted when she could hear someone scream in pain. So the bountyhunter knew she was able to use the Force, but this was her least concern right now. She considered grabbing her lightsaber, but she was too busy with the blasters that were clearly aimed at them.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

"Yes ma'am-" Null timidly shifted his head back from Celeste as he turned it to face her with the realization that she was much more dominant than his ex-master, but didn't have time to finish before his ethereal Sense picked up a sudden flash of danger. But he'd been too distracted and unfocused in the moment. Thankfully the first blaster bolt wasn't aimed at him, and based on the way it flew passed her leg during her swift evasion he wondered if it had been aimed to cripple rather than kill. But more loud pulses rang out through the craggy canyon before he had a chance to deduce any more information.

"Tch!" Adrenaline pumped hard through the bounty hunter's veins as he quickly assessed the ambush and burst into action. His left shoulder dipped while he pivoted on the heel of the same side, and then twisted the rest of his body through the same direction. A pair of bolts came at him from opposite ways, barely grazing the lightweight armor on his chest and arms as he tucked in tight to increase the speed of his rotation. Without stopping he followed through the motion, ducking down and around as he bent his knees to then spring up in an acrobatic spin parallel to the ground.

Null's lithe frame twisted like a drill in the evasive hop toward the nearest rock formation, dodging most of the shots that came at him from several sides. A few more glancing blows ripped through the shadowsilk around his arms and legs, stinging him as they scorched a few marks into his skin. He grunted through the pain and whipped his sleek blaster pistol through the air in his right hand as he landed near one side of the rocky cluster. Without hesitation he pulled the trigger and sent two azure bolts a couple dozen meters through the air far behind Celeste.

Just as the shots hit their targets and dropped them the young man then used his off-hand to sweep the stun gas grenade off the left side of his belt, armed it, and then pitched it hard and fast at the feet of another group of men that had been closing in from the other side of the rock. As the grenade slammed against the rough ground it burst open and hissed, quickly beginning to fill the air between and around them with a thick gas that would render them inert after just a few moments.

With the obscuring cloud blocking their flank for the moment he returned his attention to Celeste, barely catching her in the act of wielding something he was very familiar with. The Force. This woman wasn't an ordinary senator at all. He swore he could almost feel the anger radiating fom her, no doubt frustrated by the sudden gang of men that had managed to surround them and catch them off guard, until he thought he sensed a hint of delight from one of her victims.

'Great. I doubt she's a Jedi...'


@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

She still couldn't believe that this was actually happening. How could they be ambushed like that? It made her furious, but she couldn't let herself be blinded by her rage because they were still trying to fight back after all. She was about to confront Null with a command on how he should behave, but it seemed like he knew how to handle himself better than expected.

She was truly amazed by the bountyhunter's skill, because before it had seem like he was way to shy to manage any powerful attacks, but it turned out that he was indeed quite skilled. Also, he had some interesting grenades that came in very handy in this exact moment, but she wondered why he hadn't mentioned them before. It made her even more suspicious, but she would come back at him when this was all over. Once he had thrown the grenade, she hurried over to him while evading some more blasts, not only wanting to flank him but also because he had cleared their way in at least one direction.

Now he knew she was wielding the Force, but honestly, she didn't care anymore. This was about survival, not about keeping up appearances anymore, which was also why she didn't care about keeping her dark side concealed. Especially, once she heard one of the Rattataki holler: "You karking idiots! She should be taken alive!", which was followed by a light blue stun bolt. She used Force choke on the exact bulky man to their left because he had just launched this stun blast in their direction and getting hit by one of those would be fatal right now. She was not trying to kill him just now, but she used her grip around his throat to throw him off balance while at the same some preventing him from shooting another blast.

She was completely aware off their environment now, so she knew that there were unfortunately more than a dozen of them. Once this one man had apparently reminded the rest of their mission goal, more stun blasts were firing in their direction and that was a huge problem. She released her grip on the one man and starting dodging once again, while at the same time grabbing her blaster to shoot the thugs. Maybe it could buy them some valuable time, but she wasn't sure whether they should try to take them all out or whether running would be the better idea.


@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

'So she is a Dark Sider afterall... At least she can handle herself. I'll have to investigate this more... Maybe I'll finally have a chance to save someone from the Dark...' If he'd learned anything about her already it was that he'd have to be careful in his attempt to bring her to the Light -- or at least to bring her to balance. But first, they'd have to deal with the dozen or so men that were now trying to stun and capture them. His ethereal Sense tingled as he tried to ignore the senator's use of the Dark Side for now, so that he could focus and keep her safe.

The young bounty hunter quickly tossed his blaster pistol to his left hand, then raised his aim up the canyon wall, flicked the firing mode from lethal to stun, and fired a bright blue ring toward the man who'd been trying to get a better vantage point on them. Before the man was even hit Null had already lowered his firing arm and reached back with his sword-hand to grasp the protruding handle of his straightedge vibroblade katana.

The black weapon shinged as he drew it from his back, then lit up with a dark blue glow across its well-maintained blade-edge. He swiftly matched the pace of the approaching footsteps from the side of the rock nearest to the canyon wall next to them, where one of the goons from the other side of the formation had run around to try and get the jump on them.

Just as the man turned the corner with his blaster rifle aimed at the pair's direction Null deftly slashed down across the assailant's wrists. His vibroblade sung valiantly through the air before slicing loudly with a saw-like hiss as the blade effortlessly cut through meat and bone, severing both of the man's hands and dropping the rifle. He then quickly followed through and quickly brought the blunt-side of the blade back up across the man's face with enough natural strength to knock the man unconscious with the impact.

It wasn't the kind of thing he enjoyed doing to others, but right now he needed to resort to extreme measures so he could keep up appearances and cover his true persona. If he'd been able to rely on the ethereal essence here then he knew he'd be able to subdue the enemies a little more cleanly, but he felt he couldn't let Celeste know he was also proficient with the Force. Especially now that she'd revealed her alignment.


@LadyRen

 

[Celeste Stythani]

If she hadn't been this angry, she would have probably started to panic right now. They had so many opponents to face and Celeste didn't enjoy being outnumbered. It reminded her of the first fighting pit here on Rattatak though. They had been immensely outnumbered there as well, but they had managed to fight their way out of it anyway. Ironically, she considered this place, known as the Cauldron, her current residence...However, why wouldn't she be able to do it again? She was confident, especially now that Null proven himself useful. Her initial doubts vanished and she felt really glad that he was here with her. They would make it out unharmed. She was certain about it.

Celeste knew that she wasn't bad with blasters at all, but while she could easily eliminate some opponents across from them in a safe distance, they had now directly encountered the first foes in front of them. While the bountyhunter dealt with the first, she was immediately charging towards a second one not far away, who was just about to launch another stunning blast in her direction. "Oh no you won't" she snarled angrily before she was kicking the blaster out of his hand. Melee combat wasn't her strong suit, but the man was clearly surprised enough to not see her attack coming and so the blaster was sent flying. However, she immediately Force pulled it back with her left hand while she shot the Rattataki with her own blaster that still lingered in her right hand.

Equipped with two blasters, one still being in stun mode, she turned around, preparing to shoot the upcoming wave of opponents, but before she got started, she let her backpack slide down her shoulder, as it would be much easier to access her lightsaber that way. She was sure she would need it soon and so she wanted to be as prepared as possible. She shot a quick glance at the bountyhunter, just checking whether he was doing alright, as she was still needing the boy.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

Null swiftly shifted over to Celeste's side like the subservient bodyguard he appeared to be. His elegant vibroblade whisped through the air as he flicked the wrist of his swordhand down and raised his left arm alongside the senator. His focus zeroed in on the cliff edge and the remaining goons there, while he concentrated on the ebb and flow of the Force to guide his aim.

Then, within the blink of an eye he pulled the trigger three times in quick succession, adjusting his aim several inches to the side with each shot to send his blaster's blue stun bolts toward the men there. He held his arm up, keeping his hand and pistol steady while the shots sank into their targets. Null then gradually lowered his arm, and slightly tilted his head to the side to listen. In the heat of the battle he'd barely been able to notice it, but now he was certain, something else was coming their way.

If Celeste could see his face she'd see the sudden wave of concern that had just washed over him. He tried to contain it as best he could, but with her prowess in the Force he wasn't sure he'd be able to hide his trepidation from her. "We should go."

The boy's demeanor was beginning to crumble once more as he suddenly realized the situation they were about to be in. "Now."


@LadyRen