Masquerade

[Gillian Rel]

Alderaan​

If Gil had been busy before, he wasn't sure what to call what he was now that he had been promoted to Vice President. Inexperienced in letting others getting their hands dirty, he tried juggling a myriad of things. It wasn't something he was sure he would be able to keep up with. He wondered if Tasha felt had felt as overwhelmed as he did now. Probably not. She handled nearly everything with perfection, it was kriffing infuriating.

He had been on Ord Cantrell, working on their new starship factory and research lab. It was something that Gil had grown quite passionate about. He had arrived on Alderaan only a couple hours before. They were in desperate need of investors for this new project. One of the Noble Families of Alderaan had shown a good deal of interest and had invited Gil and Tasha to a ball they were holding to discuss it further.

Gil groaned his way through getting ready. He wore a red and black suit that was much more formal than he was comfortable with. Tasha belonged in places like this, Gil did not. He wasn't sure why they had to wear masks. These nobles had too much time on their hands. There wasn't a mask anywhere that could his pretty distinguishable ears.

With his outfit picked out, he made his way to the hotel Tasha was staying at. They had not got a chance to speak in depth about her sudden promotion of him but he hoped tonight they could squeeze that in between business. He would have preferred somewhere more private, but it was so hard to find a minute to sit still much less have a discussion.

He made his way out of the lift and towards Tasha's room. He knocked on the door, holding his stupid mask in his hand. He felt rediculous in this outfit.

 

[Tasha Blackwell]

Tasha felt pretty good. She had announced the new promotions, and everyone was fitting into their roles quite well. She hadn’t had a chance to catch up with Gil since, getting entirely too buried in work. Tasha made a point of personally visiting their investors to ensure she had a strong relationship with them. Coming from the bottom up, she knew the value of never allowing anyone to feel as if they were beneath her.

She knew Gil was coming by her room, and she got ready ahead of time. One of the main things she loved about having a past fling with a Drast were all these parties she could go to. Now she was powerful enough to where she was invited on her own. She no longer needed to be arm candy for a Drast to get access to high society events. Tasha grabbed her half mask, doing up her hair and putting on her long hanging earrings. No one would ever guess she had a background like she did. Tasha looked and felt like royalty.

As she heard the knock, Tasha walked over and opened it, already in her dress that revealed her long slender legs. She wore heels which, as always, made her appear imposing. Her yellow eyes were as bright as ever, and she couldn’t help but smile at the grumpy look on his face. Even then she couldn’t deny he looked sharp in the suit, “You’re actually pulling that off,” Tasha said as she extended her arm for him to take.

“I’m glad for the mask though, as it’ll cover up you looking like Emerald just proposed to you,” Tasha was breezy with her words as always, gazing ahead as she thought about the ball. She absolutely loved anything to do with dancing, and this made her actually giddy.

 

[Gillian Rel]

His grouchy demeanor wavered when she opened the door. She was gorgeous. It made his chest hurt. He had been out in the jungle for too long. He recovered quickly enough "You are..." he said trying to find a quip to shoot back at her. "...wow.." he managed to get out. Ugh.

He let her hook her arm in his and they made their way back downstairs. The mix of seeing her and the familiar casual exchange had disarmed him completely. He felt his frustration fading, no longer seeming as important which was even more frustrating. "I can't stand you sometimes.." he said but his words had no bite to them, in fact, his tone conveyed a good deal of fondness in them.

They arrived downstairs and the speeder was waiting to take them to the families' manor just outside the city proper. He opened the door for Tasha, grinning at the woman. The speeder was so much nicer than he had ever thought he would have ridden in. Once Tasha was inside he moved to the other side and climbed in.

The driver, already knowing their location took off. There was a barrier in between the front and back seat giving them a moment of privacy. "You know, if you wanted to see me, you could have just flown out to Ord Cantrell. Its a lot like Alderaan, except for impossibly humid and bugs the size of your head are always trying to carry you off. Its quite magical.." he said as the flew over the city.

"And don't think just because you put on a dress that shows off your legs..." he said looking down, almost getting distracted before catching himself. "..we aren't going to talk about this whole VP business.."

 

[Tasha Blackwell]

Tasha gave him a sideways grin at his words, “Only sometimes?” She teased as they walked. It had been some time since she had showed up at his apartment completely soaked from the rain. They had broken down many walls between them, and she had opened herself up to him more than she had with anyone else. However, the reality of work pressure kept her away from him for a while. She was in high demand, and she often had to go out and visit the different facilities they owned.

She looked down at the speeder as they made their way down. It still felt surreal that this was all hers and for them. This was by her own merit - no one handed it to her. Tasha quirked an eyebrow at Gil as he opened the door for her. Before she got in she brought her hand up to brush her index finger gingerly under his chin ever so teasingly, “Being a gentleman suits you,” She said as she eased into the speeder.

Tasha said her greetings to the driver and closed the barrier. As Gil spoke, she recalled the address to the manor and the distance to get there. She checked her chrono as he mentioned the VP business. Tasha grinned to herself, making a quick decision based on the time and privacy. She didn’t answer him. And then she didn’t hesitate before she turned towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder and swinging a leg over to sit on his lap while facing him. Tasha leaned in close as she slid her other hand down to fidget with his pants. Her expression was calm and collected, “I’m all ears, Mr. Rel,” She said casually, “Let’s discuss this VP appointment and all your grievances about it.”

 

[Gillian Rel]

He was ready to hash this out. The twenty-minute speeder ride was likely going to be their best shot at privacy tonight but instead of answering him she continued to look dismissively away. Gil's scowl deepened. She wasn't going to ignore him, was she? That set his blood on fire.

He was about to speak up again when she moved quickly and was on top of him. Any hopes of having a productive conversation about the circumstances involving his sudden promotion died there. He opened his mouth once to protest, but his body revolted against his mind, primal urges overriding whatever he had intended to say. The fires of frustration turned into a completely different fire burning inside of him.

He gave her a look, one that conveyed he knew what she was doing. But it had been such a long time that he there was no chance he attempted to stop her. His body ached for her, especially now with her on top of him. Her scent captured him as he leaned in to kiss her neck, hands pushing up on her dress. With each touch, each kiss, he melted slightly, his complaints fading away into the distance.

They discussed things quite thoroughly for the next 20 minutes until they began to approach the manor. He kissed her deeply one more time before she slid back over and they both straightened themselves. "Don't think that gets off the hook either." he said, but he had lost his edge. Maybe he needed that more than he realized. His anger was deflated and he wasn't sure he could muster up a good argument at this point, and even if he did, he was quite sure the same tactic she had just used would work again if he tried.

"A pain in the ass.." he said half-jokingly as they approached up the driveway.

 

[Tasha Blackwell]

Tasha rolled back over to her side of the speeder, fixing up her dress. She pushed back the loose strands of hair, popping open a mirror to reapply her lipstick. She had an amused look on her face, but carried herself with utmost grace and dignity as if she hadn’t just partaken in anything exactly the opposite moments prior. Tasha had even been polite enough to keep the noise down so the driver only heard the soft downtempo tunes he was playing.

When Gil spoke, she tilted her head to look at him, only giving him a wink in return. She looked back at the chrono, knowing it was almost time for the event. It didn’t take long before they finally pulled up in front of the manor, and she was beyond impressed by the grand structure. It looked daunting, but it almost looked lonely. What was it with rich folks and wanting to invest in buildings that looked so uninviting?

The speeder came to a stop and the driver went around to open her door. Tasha put her mask on to hide the upper hemisphere of her face, waiting for Gil to come out before grasping his arm again. She made her way up a large set of steps that led up to giant double doors. Tasha raised both eyebrows, “I wonder why they didn’t just simply invite us to an office meeting. Think they’re trying to flex how much they can invest?”

As far as she knew, these people were filthy rich but didn’t strike her as the type to be hardcore pro Sith or otherwise. As they walked, Tasha could notice a few disgusted glances her way at picking up the blue, unnatural skin. Gil didn’t get any looks, though the few that saw his ears paused and tried to cover up their blatant xenophobia. Tasha sighed at the display, “Maybe sometime within our lifetime it might go away…” It was a pipe dream.

“What do we know about these people?” She turned to look at Gil. They had entered a giant reception area where people were gathered and mingling. There were fondue fountains, fancy snacks and drinks of all types all around. This was exactly the kind of soiree that would attract Drasts, and potentially even more money.

 

[Gillian Rel]

She was toying with him. It was irritating in all the right ways. She knew every way to prod at and stoke the fire that burned inside him. He finally let out a sigh, shaking his head as he let out a slight laugh.

As they pulled up the manor, he looked out at the window and whistled. It was an impressive, if not a little heavy handed. It was like they intended clubbing everyone over the head with the fact they were insanely wealthy.

The speeder came to a stop and they waited for the driver to open Tasha's door. Gil climbed out and made his way around the speeder letting Tasha take his arm. He felt invincible with her on his arm as they climbed the stairs. "Who knows what goes through the heads of these noble types. Too much time and money for their own good." He replied before he leaned into her, speak quietly so only she could hear. "To think a few years ago we were going to parties at the Lusty Lekku.." He said as they entered through the doors.

They made their way further inside, Gil was blown away by the sheer display of wealth. He didn't care much for showing off, but he was still fairly impressed.

He didn't notice the looks to begin with. It wasn't something he usually paid much attention to, but here it was pretty obvious. There were more than a few that turned away from the pair, whispering rude remarks. He felt Tasha stuff slightly. While they technically were both non-humans, Gil could usually pass besides his ears. "I'm sorry." he said with a gentle nudge. She knew such things angered her.

He led them away from the larger groups towards a reception area with drinks. He fetched them both drinks, they would likely need it to get through the night. He handed her a drink and she turned to business.

"Well, they are fairly young couple with an insane amount of capital, if that wasn't obvious. There family built a shipping empire but the two we are meeting don't have much to do with the business. They seem to treat investing like a game, a hobby. They would benefit from having easy access to starfighters to serve as escorts, I'm exactly sure they care though.." He said drinking from the champagne glass.

 

[Tasha Blackwell]

As Gil mentioned they had been at Lekku parties only a few years prior, Tasha couldn’t help but smile, “I liked dressing for those occasions,” She said with a laugh, “I’m not the biggest fan of clothing,” Tasha looked over at all the drinks being served. She had danced for many years, and had grown comfortable wearing minimal clothing and costumes. Wearing business suits or elaborate dresses was still strange and almost uncomfortable for her.

When he nudged her about the people making remarks, Tasha shrugged, “Don’t be. Half of those men are going to go home and fantasize about all the different ways they want to have me and how filthy they feel as a result,” She said the words as she blew a kiss towards one of the older men that was giving her judgy looks. Promptly upon her little gesture, his face turned tomato red and he quickly looked away.

Tasha took the drink as he returned, taking a sip as her yellow eyes roamed over the crowds. Up ahead he spotted an elder couple with their adult children that looked beyond bored to be there. They had distinct dark hair and a look that was unmistakable, “Drasts,” Tasha said, nudging her chin their way, “They really do breed like rabbits,” She took sip from her drink.

As Gil explained about their contacts, she wasn’t entirely surprised. Tasha looked over at everyone, “How the hell are we supposed to tell where they are? Didn’t they write she’d be wearing a rabbit mask or something?” This entire concept was bizarre to her, but she would play along.

After a moment, she spotted a couple that fit the profile. Tasha nudged Gil and walked towards them. The woman wore the rabbit mask, and the man wore one that resembled a lion. They looked over at her, the man grasping Tasha’s hand to kiss it.

“You did make it out here! You are so much bluer than I could have ever hoped,” He began to run his other hand up the length of her arm, leaning in to look at her skin. Tasha quickly withdrew her hand, “Uhh yes.”

“And your eyes,” The man looked where she gazed through her mask, “Absolutely breathtaking!”

Tasha looked over at the woman next to him in slight alarm, but she was beaming. This was already off to a very weird start. Tasha cast a glance over at Gil, and he would know that look of ‘what the hell did we get into this time?’ well. Tasha cleared her throat, keeping her arms close to herself.

“Yes, as you...guessed, I’m Tasha Blackwell and this is my Vic-”

“Shhhhh,” The woman put a finger to Tasha's lips, “I’m Bunny and this is Leo for tonight. And you are Kitten and Jester,” She giggled, looking from her to Gil.

Tasha’s jaw dropped.

 

[Gillian Rel]

He smirked at the comment "I also remember being a fan of your style choices at those things." he said, grin on his face as the progressed.

They made their way through, Tasha noting some of the rich families. If I had a galaxy's worth of credits, I would probably spend all day in bed too..." he said with a shrug. He never paid too much attention to family names or who owned what in the Galaxy. It always changed, and rarely mattered to people like him. Perhaps that was changing. He would just have to add that to his list of complaints. He couldn't stand any of them. None of them knew what it was like to work, to struggle. Everything was just given to them.

Tasha brought up a good question. He wasn't exactly sure how to locate anyone in this sea of masked people. Everyone looked different, but they all kind of blended together in the blob of similarity. Except for Tasha, she stuck out where ever she went and this was only exaggerated by the fact that they might be the only non-humans in the room currently.

They finally did locate people that sort of matched the description they had been given. They approached, the man speaking up before either of them could speak. Gil was mid drink when the man commented on how blue she was. The comment caused Gil to choke on his drink slightly, letting out a quiet cough. Well, he had found some absolute winners as potential backers and now he had a sinking feeling it was only going to get worse.

There was a moment of fairly awkward silence, the other couple not seeming to notice before Tasha spoke up to introduce herself and as he expected it got worse. The woman held a hand to Tasha's lips as she cut her off explaining their names to them.

Gil gave Tasha another look of "We should get the kriff out of here". These people were unhinged, normally that would be perfectly fine with Gil. He was used to working with crazy but these two seemed like they were about to go for the gold medal in crazy.

"Well, Bunny..." he said trying to remember a time he had felt more uncomfortable. "...Leo. he said looking over at the man. "Maybe we could go somewhere and discuss..."

He was cut off by the man clapping his hands excitedly. "And look at his ears! They are so big, have you ever seen anything like them!?" he said looking back to Tasha. "Where did you find him?" he asked Tasha. The other woman had moved beside Gil and ran a finger along the ridge of his ear, pulling it down before it sprung back into place. Ohhhh!" she said clapping her hands together.

They both laughed in what had to of been the most obnoxious way he had ever heard someone laugh.

Gil wanted to die.

 

[Tasha Blackwell]

Tasha had no time for this, and her patience was running thin. As the woman moved closer to Gil and reached a hand out to pet his ear or whatever, Tasha moved lightning quick. Her hand shot up and her fingers curled around the woman’s wrist. Tasha didn’t even look at her, gazing at the man as the woman looked suddenly slightly unnerved.

“Kitten has claws,” Tasha said quietly as she returned the woman’s arm towards herself, far away from Gil. The Pantoran drew her own hand back and looked at the couple. She lowered her voice, “I don’t know what you’re trying to do here, and I decided to play along,” Tasha said slowly, “But I’m here to discuss your investments into Blackwell Independent Technologies,” As she spoke, she looked directly into the man’s eyes. She decided to cheat a little and force her way slightly into his mind.

If Gil were paying attention, he would not only notice the man’s eyes glaze over slightly behind the mask, but also the Drast family suddenly looking over at them curiously. Tasha kept her focus on the man, watching as he nodded and agreed. Bunny opened her mouth to protest, but he placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Yes, of course, come this way. We have an office we can meet in,” The man, still glazed over, turned and began to lead them away. Tasha’s jaw tightened, and it was still clear she was irritated. She completely missed that the couples and ballroom attendees were now beginning to cozy up to one another. There was fondling, kissing and other things that began to suggest this was more than just a place where people gathered to dance...

 

[Gillian Rel]

Gil was used to witnessing the cold anger Tasha radiated when she was done putting up with someone. These two had reached that limit in near record-breaking time. He would have laughed at her comment, it was likely one of the funnier things she had ever said. He tucked it way to bring up later.

The woman they were dealing with looked aghast at Tasha's actions as if she had been slapped across the face. She looked like she was about to have an outburst before her husband stopped her. This meeting was about to be over before it even began.

He bristled slightly as the man relaxed across from him, eyes going somewhat blank. He had a feeling this was Tasha's doing, though he had no idea exactly what she was doing. At the same time, he got the feeling that they were being watched. He looked around, as the lights were dimming slightly, music changing tempo and scanned the mass of people. He spotted a tall, slender man with long black hair looking there direction, eyes peering out from a stark black mask that covered almost all of his face. The unnerving figure sent chills shooting up his spine. As the energy shifted in the room from one that of a dance party to that of an entirely different kind of party. Gil glanced at Tasha but she was far too focused on the couple leading them away.

The man followed them as the four made their way to a side hallway and into an office. As the man turned on the light two figures on top of one another on the desk jumped. Both man and woman were practically undressed and froze, uncertain of what to do. "You sure know how to throw a party that gets everyone in the mood..." Gil commented as he took a sip from his glass.

"Get out." the man said evenly, in a monotoned voice. The two scrambled out of the room, heads down. Gil stepped to the side to let them past. The man sat behind the desk, his wife standing beside him, look of near rage still on her face as she stared daggers into the Tasha from being pulled away from their party.

The man's eyes normalized slightly, eyes refocusing. Gil glanced at Tasha again. "What proposal did you have in mind, Ms. Blackwell?" he asked after a short pause as if he struggled to remember exactly how he had ended up here.

 

[Tasha Blackwell]

Tasha remained unfazed as they walked in on the couple on the desk. In fact, she actually couldn’t help but grin, lightly nudging Gil on the side, “Remind you of anyone?” Referring back to their drugged up moment on Cait’s desk that was seemingly forever ago. Tasha pointedly ignored Bunny’s pissy expression, her focus on the husband that now took a seat behind the desk. The Pantoran was a little nervous about getting anywhere near the desk. Who knew what the couple had…left behind.

“Last we discussed, you had wanted fighters to escort freighters,” Tasha began tersely, staring into the man’s eyes. She once again pulled lightly from the Force, tugging just so faintly to not make it obvious. He wasn’t getting glazed over, but he would certainly be more agreeable. She may not have been with the Empire anymore, but she was still a very skilled Force user. Tasha kept her poker face on, “And we would like your investment for our Starfighter factory. We believe this can be a very mutually beneficial agreement. This would be a year long contract with option years beyond that. If you are not pleased with our service within the first year, you may walk away,” Blackwell was unique in avoiding locking their customers in. It was part of why they attracted so many more customers, “Furthermore, with a larger investment, you would have access to our shares.”

She had his attention, but Bunny kept clearing her throat and crossing her arms and huffing. She was trying very hard to draw attention to herself, and it was very clear she wasn’t interested in any of this ‘business talk’. She focused her gaze on Gil, blatantly staring at him. It was obvious she had taken a liking to him and thought she would be able to have her way, but the damn blue woman was spoiling everything.

“Why don’t I get us some more drinks?” The woman giggled superficially before rising to her feet and disappearing for a moment. Tasha stared after her, suspicion clear in her gaze, before she turned back to look at the man.

@Raydo

 

[Gillian Rel]

He let out a quiet chuckle at Tasha's comment. That first night seemed so long ago, the actual events blurred forever by the haze of spice but Gil remembered the feelings, the sensations pretty vividly.

Gil caught the masked woman's gaze from across the desk as Tasha began to lay out their plan. If anything, Gil could run a bit of interference and keep her from interrupting. He winked at the woman, smiling at her as she let out a giggle. The woman was clearly just after attention and that was something Gil could easily provide.

The plan had already been submitted to the man earlier, but he had insisted they attend the "ball" to finalize the agreement. "Yes..Yes." the man said as he waved a hand, still annoyed he had been brought away from his party. "I looked over the numbers and you can have your credits." he said dismissively. The investment was no small amount, but judging by the size of the home they lived in and the party he was throwing, credits meant little to the man. The woman stood to get drinks and Gil watched her leave, making eye contact with her as she turned around one last time before finally disappearing into the next room. "Truth be told, the only reason you were invited was a little competition some of us occasionally have to see who could find the most exotic looking guest." he said his eyes looking Tasha up and down.

It irked Gil to see them treated in such a way, especially Tasha but if it got them their funding it would be well worth it. Bunny re-appeared a moment later with a tray of drinks. He took one from the woman before she passed one to her husband and then reluctantly handed one to Tasha, that same look of jealousy in her eyes. "To the deal then!" he said raising his glass.

A bit of their pride had been the only cost for their investment, a price well worth paying that stood to make them a lot of money. Whatever the rest of the light brought would be icing on the cake, it was rare such meeting ever went so smoothly but Gil wasn't above taking an easy win every now and then.