Ask The Man in the High Castle

[Max Dram]

GREY CASTLE, MUNTO CODRU
0700 hrs local time​

Max sat by the fireplace, his large frame draped over a old spindly armchair.

The room was one of the few still habitable within the castle. Most of the men Max had brought were barracked in the castle courtyard down below, but a few officers had set up quarters in rooms that still had some of their walls, if not always a ceiling. Max's rank entitled him to the best they found, with an undamaged glass window and working fireplace to boot.

He was here to woo the locals of course, strange wolf-like cretins if the reports were to be believed. But that was for a little later. Right now, all Max wanted was to see Six.

Since they had taken down the Oracle together in a veritable blaze of glory, duty and circumstance had driven them apart. Max had waited long enough for the opportunity to reconnect with her properly and he planned to waste no time on this back alley world.

He had arranged for some of his favourite bits and pieces to come out of storage and join him on this one and he waited eagerly in dark cargo pants and traditional Adumari pauldrons. He knew she went mad for this sort of stuff, and she did not know the half of what he had. He was looking forward to educating her.

@Sreeya

 

[Cipher Six]

She was more than a little surprised at the location choice. She understood it as a mission, and she adopted a cover accordingly. Today she was Sally Kolwin, a paranormal investigator. She couldn’t be giddier about having a place like this for a mission. The Codru Ji could prove to be a powerful asset to the Imperial army should they be convinced to join. The idea of using a castle that they viewed with suspicion and fear was just the ticket, and she thought her cover would assist.

Six was adorned in what came across as civilian clothes, but of course with her ISB issued watch, heels and other trinkets for a dicey situation. Her heels clicked as she made her way to the meeting room, knowing she was going to be working with Max again. Correction - General Dram. Things had changed quite a bit since they first met on Adumar and he held an entirely different position now. Nevertheless, there was always that annoyingly girlish rush to see him that she kept from rising to her countenance.

With a sharp knock, she entered and bore with her a bag full of her equipment. Right away, her eyes widened as she caught sight of him in those Adumari pauldrons. There was no helping the slight tinge of pink to her cheeks, a phenomenon that seldom afflicted her these days.

“Oh..hi,” She blurted before clearing her throat. Surprised at how she was caught off guard, she set her bag down and managed a smile, “Did you arrange for this on purpose?” Six asked, amusement and a hint of excitement bleeding into her tone. There was no denying how good he looked in Adumaran attire, but she also began to wonder if he actually remembered her passion for all things haunted.

@Alhon

 

[Max Dram]

Max smiled, cracking his knuckles in a shameless flex of his biceps. "The castle?" he mused, briefly glancing up at the stone above them. "You think I chose the deployment location for an entire expeditionary unit, arms, armor, men and machine, just because I know you'd like it?". His tone was playful and he deliberately left her question unanswered.

Six was dressed simply enough, another cover no doubt, but one Max now saw through as easily as the rest. He remembered what lay beneath all too well, even after their time apart.

"Have you come to report on strange goings on, perhaps? Come closer, it's safer by the fire". His hazel eyes flickered, inviting her towards him.

@Sreeya

 

[Cipher Six]

She couldn’t help but smirk at his response. The rumors always did suggest that he had his charms and ways of weaving his way into the good graces of most people. How else would he have survived a Sith, getting captured, getting reinstated in the Empire and also getting on the Imperial Council? He knew how to play the game, and it was one of the reasons she found him so appealing.

“Safer?” She asked, unable to suppress the quiet chuckle. He knew what he was doing and the scenery he painted. The orange glow of the fire lit up his features perfectly, and the contrasting shadows accented his muscled frame. He never had to actively try to impress - he had left those days long behind.

Six looked over her shoulder, gently closed the door behind herself and turned to regard him again. She could have made this into a game, she could have coyly danced around things, but it had been a while and she was going to deploy again. There was another war campaign coming, and he would be entrenched in that.

The Cipher closed the distance and easily slid into Max’s lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. One of her hands grazed along his jawline, feeling the stubble there, “I hope your men know not to expect you for a while..”

@Alhon

 

[Max Dram]

"Safer from ghosts at least" Max breathed, burying his face in her neck and kissing her skin gently "but I make no promises about me". She looked just the same as he remembered, a pretty little vixen with an edge in those blue doe eyes. Her scent rolled over him and his heart raced a little faster.

"My men wait as long as required" he answered, coming up for air as his hand crept up the back of her neck "If I say wait, while I...debrief....then they wait". They would of course, but he had told them no such thing. They knew only to continue making the castle useable until he gave the order to move out.

"On Adumar" he said, looping his arms under her back and legs and carrying her across the room "noble men and women make an art of power, of strength, not just in combat but in all things". He nodded down to the metal ring amidst his chest, holding the straps of the pauldrons together. "Adumari men wear the Stallions Shoulders at ritual gatherings on the plains of Cartann. The first woman to grasp the ring claims that man for the night".

He tossed her gently in the air before she could think of doing much, arriving before a broad table where he had laid out many more intriguing pieces of leather and metal. Some were clothing, others tools. All were going to be part of her education.

"Ghosts are one of your hobbies" he whispered in her ear before nodding to the table. "This is one of mine".

@Sreeya