Ask Raxus Setting Suns

[Heather D'Avignon]

Ever since Horuz, things hadn't been the same. Heather literally saw the galaxy different, just like herself and she had gotten a lot more cautious. Her wounds had healed and she had slowly begun to process the terrible events and series of near-death experiences that had served as an eye opener and while Raxus as the Imperial capital was flourishing, her mental health surely wasn't.

Ever since her return, the diplomat had tried to keep herself busy and her mind focused on work, however, she had been sent to Raxus to recover for a few days. She had toyed with the idea of taking a little break on a different system, yet had been way too afraid to leave the safety of the capital as the trauma still ran deep.

She had been trained in basic self-defense, yet on Horuz she had frozen up more often than anything. Why? Oh because she had never been in such a precarious situation before. Still, she felt terrible that she had repeatedly broken down like she had and that without the agent on her side she wouldn't have lived to see another sunset...

Right now, the sun was setting and Heather was on her way back from the store. All she had needed were some groceries, yet even on her way back from the store which led her through some slightly dim lit alleys had made her incredibly nervous. It was as if danger waited behind every corner and she simply couldn't shake this feeling for now, which made her realize that she needed to confront those issues asap.

She hadn't left the house without a blaster, yet the first thing she did was when she entered her apartment again was to lock the door and place it down on the drawer. She then carried her bags towards the counter of the kitchen before she quickly washed her hands in the sink. She had planned to cook tonight, yet needed a little break first and hence decided to take a little breather on the couch, but as she moved into the living room, her heart just jumped.

A shriek escaped her as her blue gaze suddenly fell upon the tall figure sitting on her couch. Her heartbeat immediately began to speed as her stomach seemingly turnt itself upside down as she stared at the intruder in blank horror. Was she hallucinating now as well?! Maybe her distressed mind played a mean trick on her, but before she could turn, a realization hit her. "A-Agent Q'orr?!"

@Pazaakly

 

[Vayden Q'orr]

In the following days since the Horuz incident Q'orr had begun setting into motion the plan he'd originally concocted the morning of their escape at the café. His superiors weren't thrilled with his apparent lack of progress in his original assignment, but they begrudgingly accepted that his new connection by means of the traumatic event with D'Avignon put him in a position to learn more of the family's dealings above board or otherwise.

He was also disappointed but not at all surprised that they barely looked at his final report on the mission. He felt it laid out clearly his admirable service in a critical situation, but they cared not for any of it. All they wanted was dirt on the family. He took the slight in stride as he'd grown accustomed to, only feeling more convinced in his chosen path forward because of it.

So he made his way over to where the young D'Avignon lived, picking up a "gift" along the way. Coming up to the residence he couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. It was far less secure than he would allow if he was in charge, but in this instance it worked to his favor.

With ease he let himself in, taking the time to walk around and examine her abode similar to how he'd done aboard the corvette. Only this time he had the chance to study her permanent living arrangement as opposed to a cabin, which could prove even more telling.

It wasn't as put together as her cabin had been. He was curious as to why and whether or not she had a maid of some sort that simply hadn't come by yet. He studied the layout as always and found some medication, indicating she was still suffering to some degree from the burn of the blaster the day of the escape. Most important was her datapad, revealing conversations between herself and her parents. Once again, no sign of foul play at least on her part. No pattern of paranoia or fear of being found out.

Satisfied with his search, he took a seat and waited for the senator to arrive. He heard her come in and started a mental timer, curious as to how long it would take her to realize she wasn't alone. It ended up being quite a while, though not unexpected given her apparent lack of training in that regard. After she was done yelling he got up calmly and walked over to her.

As he did he said "A couple of suggestions. For one, your home needs a better lock system. Second, you should do a quick sweep of the place anytime you come in before going about your business." Now standing at a casual speaking distance he pointed to the blaster she'd set aside "And most importantly don't discard your weapon before confirming you're alone."

His tone was stern as it always was, glaring at her with unflinching eye contact. But, his plan was predicated on getting closer to her and by extension her family. For that to work he had to show something aside from the pure efficiency standpoint he'd had during his time assigned to her. Now that he had no such formal relation to her, such an interaction could be justified.

Speaking with a cadence that showed it was in jest he said "After all, are you really going to waste all my hard work getting you back here alive?" He still held the gift in his hand, wrapped plainly, visible but not yet acknowledged.

 

[Heather D'Avignon]

Her life had been a mess, however now that she had finally begun to work her way towards order, everything seemed to be turnt upside down again. A whirlwind of emotions seemed to be set free while she tried her best to keep her composure. How had he gotten inside and why was he even here? Weren't they done?

He started to approach her with a whole bunch of accusations he blankly fired at her. The events of Horuz had taken a severe toll on her and while maybe before, she would have stepped back and avert her gaze, her shocked stare soon turnt into an angry glare. Was he really going to play this game again? Perhaps after all the distress, her patience wasn't very high today.

"Firstly, thanks for the advice but I'm moving soon anyway. No that this might be new to you" a veiled jab hinting at how she was certain the ISB knew she was moving to Lianna right as she'd take up her duties there. "I literally wasn't expecting an uninvited visitor that late" she continued, head tilted upwards to hold his gaze after he had been done reprimanded her.

A sigh then escaped her while her tense muscles relaxed a little, now that she initial shock was slowly fading though. "And thirdly-" her blue eyes drifted to where she had put her weapon, "You're right about that. I'm still not great at keeping up my guard, but I'll do that once I've moved". She had to admit that this hadn't been excellent..also, depite his harsh tone she had gotten much better at reading him and so she knew he actually meant well.

"So still thanks for the heads-up. I'm slowly learning" her tone shifted into her usual softness and there was genuine gratitude in the way she replied, but obviously this was still not her world. She however couldn't deny that she was surprised about how quickly she mananged to relax now that this strange sense of familiarity in their exchanges settled in.

She noticed there was something in his hand, but she couldn't tell what it was, which was why it bothered her a little. "I'm trying not to slip into such dire situations, but I have a feeling you're wake-up calls will prove themselves effective" a smirk tugged at her lips as she noted that he was, for once, trying to jest and so after she had slowly exhaled she tilted her head to the side and curiously added, "To what do I owe this pleasure? I take it I'm not in immediate danger this time". While she was confused about why he was here, he seemed to want something from her and as direct as he usually was, she didn't expect him to hold back much longer before disclosing the purpose behind his nightly appearance.

@Pazaakly

 

[Vayden Q'orr]

Q'orr was amused if only slightly by her opening attitude. On the one hand it was good to see that she had her wits about her for a change. On the other he'd never be able to take her seriously after seeing how much she crumbled under pressure on Horuz. Like most politicians, all bark no bite.

"Slow learners are also fast casualties." He stated simply. He walked over to where she had put aside her blaster and examined it for a moment. Incredibly basic as he'd expected. Plasma was plasma at the end of the day and it would surely get the job done in a pinch, not that he would communicate that to her. Farm from it.

Dismantling the blaster in only a couple seconds out of years of practice he showed the parts to her as if she'd understand what she was looking at and said "Whatever happened to 'the best money can buy'? This won't do. Most times blasters are used as a deterrent for further conflict because no one likes to be caught in a firefight. This, however, will only paint a target on you for seeming underequipped."

He unceremoniously threw the pieces in the trash and slid the wrapped gift in front of her. "Here." Unwrapping it she'd find what seemed to be a beefier blaster than the one she'd had moments ago yet of a similar weight. It was in fact, purely for show. IT had all the same standard capabilities and was in effect identical to her previous blaster. But it looked aesthetically as if it could pack more of a punch, and most importantly to Q'orr, had a tracker hidden in the grip.

He didn't answer her question yet, instead simply stood there studying her face to evaluate how she reacted to all this. He was testing not only her observation skills but just how much trust she had in him after their shared near-death experience.

@LadyRen

 

[Heather D'Avignon]

He shot something back in no time and she did take it as an insult. She wasn't his responsibility anymore, so she knew she didn't have to take it like this, however she also internally reminded herself of how he was dangerous and unpredictable after all. Maybe it was still better to keep her mouth shut.

She still glared at him with a hint of feistiness in her gaze. Damn, what was he doing here? She hated not knowing why he had chosen to intrude, however still assuming he needed something else from her. Her blue eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she followed him with her gaze as he made his way to her blaster.

"Hey!" she hissed, rushing after him and reaching for his muscular arm, however her blaster was already relatively disassembled as she noticed what he was doing. "Why?!". Obviously, he elaborated right after, knowing damn well that her blaster was a regular blaster like everyone else's.

She slightly shook her head. "It's fine. I mean was", she didn't like any of this...He was as mysterious as ever, however as he handed her a new weapon, she was completely startled. Was he gifting her a new blasted just like that? No...she simply didn't buy it. But he had skillfully dismantled her old one and it was boiling under her surface. What game was he playing now?

Frowning deeply, she reached for the blaster, visibly confused and caught in disbelief as she shifted the weighted the blaster in he'd hand. It felt the same, yet it looked different and it was fairly obvious that her old one was beyond saving.

"Enlighten me, please...I'm tired. My life is still a mess and you sneak into my home to surprise me with a new blaster? You can't tell me you've been ordered to do so...what is the meaning of this?". She went through a whole rollercoaster of emotions. She was confused, suspicious, overwhelmed, frustrated and oddly touched at the same time...but she demanded an answer. Her tone was a little desperate and more pleading, but as she did meet his gaze again she was truly begging for any explanations.

@Pazaakly