Black Tie Affair (Rugs, Hax)

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Elsie Therin sat in front of the mirror, putting the finishing touches of her makeup. A bit of mascara to accentuate and define the eyelashes, some lipstick to provide just the right shade of red, and a touch of blush to give color to the cheeks. She began twisting her hair into a long braid, which was then wrapped into a nice, neat bun.

Looking into the mirror, she adjusted the neckline of her green evening dress a bit, slipped a delicate gold bracelet bearing the Delovind family crest. Elsie smiled. Just the right appearance for a young lady from a noble Nubian House, who would be right at home in the world of Naboo high society.

A noble young lady. Not a Jedi.

"So how do I look, Locke?" she asked. "Or should I say, Lord Delovind? Or is it Honey?" She couldn't help but giggle slightly. "I need to get used to saying that tonight."

The words sounded strange coming from her mouth. As a Jedi, words like that represented a life that she had given up for service to the ideals of the Jedi, the Republic, and the greater good of the galaxy. The choice had been made willingly, but sometimes she couldn't help but wonder what sort of things she was missing out on. Well, maybe tonight.

"Before we go, let's go over the backstory again. The Head of House Delovind is your uncle, and we married three months ago. Do you remember where we first met?"

[Rugs]

"Lord Delovind? Has a certain nobleness to it, I suppose. And you look marvelous, of course."

Locke glanced at the mirror again, straightening the tie on his suit. It was a nice thing, if a bit expensive (though he hadn't paid for it, of course), but that was to be expected for tonight's get-up. His pants were black, his shoes--that he'd taken the liberty of stuffing extra padding into; damn things looked nice, but were nearly unholy in their lack of comfort--were polished to the point of shining. He wore a vest over his dress shirt, dark green to go with Elsie's dress, and his jacket was hanging on a peg near the door. His hair was more neat than normal--which is to say he'd actually groomed it, rather than leaving it to its own devices--and his beard was freshly trimmed.

One of their assistants had even gone so far as to suggest shaving the beard off. Locke's incredulous stare had been enough of an answer. Even now, the thought still made him snort. And look like a fifteen year old boy? I don't think so.

"And of course, I remember," he said, turning from the mirror to look at her. "'Twas a few years back, and I was a lonely soul, looking for love, lost with the thought that I'd never be able to find it. But alas! One summer's night, as I was returning to my uncle's manor, I passed by a bridge, and who did I see? None other than you, my fair wife. I will never forget the way the moonlight played on your visage, making you look like an angel, sent from above. I was yours before you even knew me..."

He grinned at her. "Or something like that. I don't think I'll ham it up quite so much, but that's the story, more or less." He paused, scratching at his beard for a moment. "Though I have to say, I'm rather proud of that angel line... Sounds like something from a bad book. Didn't know I had it in me. Now where is that damned ring?"

Locked turned around, looking over the dresser to find what was supposed to be his marriage ring. "I hope I didn't lose it again... Oh, there it is. Fell on the floor." He bent down to scoop it up and slip it onto his finger. When he straightened, he paused, looking down at himself.

"Now Elsie, I want your honest opinion on something." His tone had the utmost seriousness to it. "Don't lie to me, because if you do, it might make me feel bad."

He cleared his throat.

"This vest doesn't make me look fat, does it?"

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"Angel, you say? I think I rather like that the sound of that. You're such a charmer." Elsie unsuccessfully attempted to suppress another giggle as she stepped forward, taking his hand in hers, holding it tightly. "I remember that night well. You were standing by the water, and when the wind blew my hat into the stream you, always the gentleman, got yourself all soaked trying to retrieve it for me! So dashing! Swept me off of my feet."

"But you were always traveling, helping out with the family business and estates, never at home. We can finally settle down now though. Isn't that right?"

She couldn't help but smile as he asked about his vest, a look of complete seriousness on his face. "Of course not," she replied very matter-of-factly while slipping a matching ring onto her finger. "Just suck in your stomach a bit and nobody will even think it."

"With your uncle's current illness, it's up to us to represent the family tonight. Let's not keep our host waiting too long." She walked towards the door, stopping in front of the shoe rack. "Now, if only I could decide which pair of heels is the least uncomfortable..."

[Rugs]

Locke glanced down at his waist. He knew he wasn't fat of course, but at Elsie's jabbing, he couldn't help it. "I'll try," he said, looking back up to her with a silly grin. "And if someone says something, why, I'll just have to punch them in the face for being rude."

He walked over to grab his coat from its peg on the wall as she continued to talk. "Aye, it's a real shame about Uncle Gareth. Haven't seen him this ill in years." Locke sighed, making sure to convey a proper sense of melancholy; no doubt he'd need to at some point during the event. "The doctors say that he'll pull through though, so we'll continue to hope

"Can't say I know much about the shoes, though." As he threw the coat around his shoulders, he moved over to stand near her, looking over the assortment of heels. "I don't wear heels, you see. But, if I had to choose, I'd say... uh..." He pointed to a pair. "Those."

He stopped in front of the mirror once again to make a final inspection of his person. Hair was still neat, or neat enough. Vest looked good, the tie underneath it was straight, as was his coat. Pants and shoes looked just spiffy. He glanced down at the chrono on his wrist just as he heard the sound of a speeder pulling in front of the building.

"Ah, right on time. You ready Elsie dear?" He couldn't stop the small grin that played at the edge of his lips. It was corny, yes, but sometimes it was fun to indulge a bit. "Our chariot awaits."

[Deleted]

Celios Shady looked into the mirror one last time before heading for the door. He liked to describe himself as sharp and most people would agree. He was a tall man and every angle of his body was indeed sharp and flat. His eyebrows thin, his goatee ended in a point. light glistened off the oily black strands of hair perhaps giving it more of an edge then it would have otherwise had. Dark blue eyes whispered of the mental quickness hidden behind them and a set of perfectly even and white teeth could cast a smile that even a Zeltron would envy.

Even as he entered a room full of the most wealthy and well dressed people on Naboo and various other worlds. he cut a striking figure. His black suit sat perfectly on his lightly muscled frame. Never had anyone been born with more luck then Celios and yet, the smile that Zeltrons could envy left decent folk feeling as if they needed a bath. Those eyes that spoke of brilliance to some said "shifty" to others, and all of it for good reason. For all of the blessing life had bestowed on Celios he had still managed to be unsatisfied. On the surface a perfectly respectable gentleman but underneath you would find a man able to make even the most vile crime lords squirm in their seats.

Celios stared down at his guests from a balcony overlooking a great hall. watched as they mingled and chatted with one another. the surface was calm and bubbly. Men and women exchanging polite small talk, but Celios could feel what was underneath that. a subtle tension as they all waited for their host to reveal what it was that had them all here. An inkling of the night business was dawning on some as they noticed men and women from those less then legitimate circles in which they all moved.

Celios mouth curved into a small grin and he said low enough for only his own ears "The truth shall eclipse even the wildest rumors" A smug smile in place at the thought of the night to come Celios signaled a servant to announce him and with all the grace of a large cat Celios descended the stairs and moved forward to greet his guests.

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"Invitations please?"

Elsie reached into the neckline of her dress, pulling out a delicately folded piece of paper, which she handed to the doorman with a wink. "Well, papers looks correct," the doorman muttered, looking at the now unfolded invitation. "We just need to do a quick scan and weapons check. Just standard procedure."

They had no weapons with them, save for a small light blaster carried by Locke, which they handed over. It was given a cursory inspection before being returned to them. The doorman bowed and pressed a button opening the front doors. "Welcome to the party."

They walked in, with Elsie tightly holding onto Locke's arm. The whole place was truly quite impressive. The manor was simply spectacular, from grand staircase with the red velvet carpet flanked by marble handrails, to the many painting, statues and other artworks placed in tasteful locations throughout the estate. And people, dressed to the nines in silk and lace, some of Naboo's finest. It was like someone lifted a page from a fairy tale and made it real.

"We have a few hours until the art auction," she whispered. Of course, they both new the auction was just a cover for the sale of the real prize. "It would be best if we can reach the objective before that happens. What do you suggest we do first?"

She turned towards the staircase, noticed a man moving towards them. Even with all the sharp-dressed individuals in the room, this man seemed to be a level above the rest. One did not have to know his name to guess who he was.

"There comes our host, honey. Look sharp!"

[Rugs]

The manor was nearly glowing with all of its fine furniture and paintings and other bits and bobs that lined the hallways. Locke's brows lifted and a sense of wonder ran through him at first sight of the grandeur of it all. He whistled lowly as he walked in, Elsie holding onto his arm, and resisted the urge to gawk like a child on a school field trip. "Seems our man knows how to make an impression," he muttered, half to himself, half to Elsie.

Other guests--men and women that were also noble or in some other way wealthy--milled about the main hall. Conversations low buzz hung over the scene, and they drifted about like bees in a hive, exchanging pleasantries with each other. For the briefest moment, Locke thought he heard the soft sigh of some stringed instrument drifting up from one of the back rooms, but it was gone as soon as he heard it.

"Beautiful place." He dropped his voice just a tad. "Even if everyone is overdressed." It was an interesting change of pace for the normally-scruffy Knight.

He titled his head ever-so-slightly to the side as Elsie spoke. They had some time. And while Locke was as set on getting the objective as Elsie, he wanted to get a feel for the place and the people. "Settle in," he answered just as softly. "Get a feel for some of the other guests, learn the layout. Scout the security. Discreetly." He cleared his throat. "Find the champagne."

Locke chuckled softly at the last, though he wasn't kidding. He wasn't going to get drunk of course, but if there were drinks to be had...

"There comes our host, honey. Look sharp!"

"Hm?" Locke snapped out of his mulling and looked up. "Oh, I see him." He straightened up slightly, tucking a hand into his pocket and waiting expectantly for their host to speak.

[Deleted]

Celios entered what he liked to think of as "the fray". In truth it was simply mingling with people of note. He moved from one person to the next exchanging greetings and subtly diverting questions as to why they were all here. Celios loved to play games. It was a wonderful thing having the secret everyone was dying to know.

He found endless amusement in toying with the nobility, who had nothing better to do but gossip their lives away. It wasn't only for his own amusement that he was so tight lipped though. He had every intention of squeezing these people for every penny. He had stirred their curiosity. Blatantly denying them answers would fan the flames.

Of course this would be among his illicit dealings. Those were always the most profitable, but it was another reason to be wary of how much he said. It would be easy for some form of law enforcement to lose themselves among his guests. He flicked the thought aside, there was important business to attend to.

He continued his careful manipulation. Moving from one noble to another and greeting them as a host. Picking out the ones with the greatest curiosities and tantalizing them. With an easy grace he turned towards the nearest people and for a brief moment his brain stalled as it tried to recognize the faces before him and failed.

His eyes flicked between them and detected nothing amiss. Still, they were an unknown and things he didn't know unsettled him. Putting on a smile and speaking in his most cordial tones he said. "Welcome to my home, You're enjoying yourselves I hope." Celios looked over the pair of them in a casual manner. They were well dressed although the mans clothes seemed to fit rather tight around the middle.

Celios kept the thought to himself and instead smiled politely at his guests. Waiting for them to address his inquiry. His suspicion was already easing. A pair of big man covered in scars would have been out of place. These two seemed as if they were just newer nobility. That would be why he hadn't met them before.

[sparrow]

Elsie let go of Locke's hand momentarily in order greet their host with a deep curtsy. "It is such an honor to meet you, my Lord. Lord Delovind sends his regards and regrets that he could not be here this evening." She took Locke's hand in her own once more. "But we're enjoying ourselves very much. Your home is absolutely beautiful! I love how it has the traditional Nubian look with just enough contemporary touches to give it its own character." She smiled brightly.