Lesser Evils [lmr]

[Mara]

(((I hope I left it open-ended enough for Urani to step in… )))


[...from x]

<< Well, that was another frustrating session. More senators voting with the corporations whose pockets they’re occupying than in any real sense of justice or rightness. Sometimes I wonder if they even know what their people want. Or care. >> Senator Irrina Icharus stopped signing for a moment to go back to filling up her briefcase, filling it with datachips and flimsi reports to read over in preparation for the next meeting of the Republic Senate. If she could have, she probably would have sighed heavily to emphasize her frustration, but as it was, she did blow out a big breath the fluttered some of the tendrils of white hair framing her face.

Finished packing, she pushed the hair back behind slightly pointed ears and fell into one of her chairs in her office, inexpensive but comfortable. Some senators outfitted their offices like a second home, filling them with luxurious items from all over the galaxy in order to give the illusion to guests about how powerful they were. But Ina preferred to keep things simple, from the décor down to the way she dressed. Everything in her life looked elegant and well put together, but if one looked closely enough, one would see that nothing was actually expensive or extravagant. She appeared as the senator that she was, but a senator that actually gave a blast about what she was doing and the people she represented. << Every time I feel like I make headway, I’m shoved backwards ten steps. I… why do I even bother? >>

The little birdlike droid she was addressing cocked her head and looked at Ina from her perch on the other chair situated across from Ina’s desk. When she spoke, her voice came out in that strange electronic lilt that occupied most droids and inorganic beings. For the deaf senator, AER-05’s—Ofi’s—words were wirelessly transferred onto her datapad to be read. “Ina, you know perfectly well why you do what you do. And I realize that was rhetorical, but you need reminding anyway,” she added when she saw Ina had lifted up her hands to say something back in interruption. “You’ll just have to keep working hard and trying to get some of those blowhards on your side one of these centuries. If you keep at it, they’ll see your way. I’m sure of it. Otherwise, you could just finally let me pop them all.” The droid’s red optics glowed brighter for a moment, her own version of a laugh, trying to lighten the mood a bit with her last comment.

Ina read Ofi’s words off the datapad and looked back to her friend and smiled. It was sort of a running joke between the two of them. With Ofi having been originally been created as an assassin droid, she liked to mention that she could easily take care of any problem senators for Ina. Killing them would be a lot more effective than trying to beat sense into them during senate sessions. The Offshoot always waved if off, but a part of her wondered how much seriousness was actually behind Ofi’s make-believe fun. She shot up a silent prayer that she would never wake up on any given morning and see on the Holonews that the senators who had blocked her political advances the most were lying dead in their homes, a single blaster bolt in the temple.

Either way, Ofi had cheered her up a bit and got her mind off of what was bothering her for the moment. Ina signed her a quick ‘thank you,’ standing to pick up her briefcase and sling her bag over her shoulder. It was large enough for her friend to ride in if she wanted, though Ofi generally preferred to sit atop one of her shoulders, the better to keep an eye on surroundings for any danger. The senator had been involved in some heated debates as of late, and the droid didn’t want to take any chances. Some politicians were not unheard of to ‘take care of’ any annoying opposition they had, especially those that were not happy about having an Arkanian Offshoot in the senate, and not just the other Arkanian senator. Not to mention there was that business on Rodia a couple months prior, and with all the official traveling Ina did, trouble could be around any corner.

Taking a last-minute stock of her office, Ina decided she was ready to go. She had her things to look over later in her apartment, everything packed in her bag or briefcase, except for her datapad, which she kept in hand. << Well, let’s go. No use sticking around this building any more than we have to, right? >> Ofi took to the air and settled on Ina’s shoulder, and they walked out together, Ina locking her office door behind them. << I can’t wait to get my hands on a paintbrush back home. I’ve got just the inspiration for my next painting. >> She felt a vibration in her abdomen and turned her head to look at Ofi and smiled. The droid could obviously hear Ina’s stomach rumbling, but Ina could only feel it. << But perhaps some dinner first. >>

They headed on down the hallway, discussing which place to stop by on the way home to pick up something to eat, other senators and aides bustling around them, going about the business of keeping the political cogs well-oiled, sometimes with more credits than real lubricant. When Ina had decided on which cuisine she felt like eating, along with Ofi's helpful tips on what she liked or didn't like, she paused and moved off to the side so as not to block traffic. The senator brought up her datapad and switched it to search mode. Neither of them could remember seeing a place in the area serving Chandrilian fare, and so Ina had to look to see if there was something on the way home that wasn't too far out of her way.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Uranibask Bahradr was progressing through one of the numerous office complexes on the bustling city world of Coruscant, in his usual way, namely on his stomach. That would have been extremely ridiculous and counter-intuitive for most species, but he was a Sluissi, a serpentine species with a humanoid upper body, though his arms were considerably smaller and weaker than many other species. It was customary for him to move by 'slithering' as he called it, like a snake flat on the ground with his arms splayed out to the sides, with their retractable flaps of skin extended for balance and assistance overcoming any obstacles if they were to present themselves. With any luck he wouldn't be stepped on, which he had been on one occasion, though the rattle on the end of his tail had automatically sounded a warning.

He was slithering down the corridor on his way to hopefully catch another Senator before she went out for the day. He had to admit that by many standards his intentions were less than pure. He didn't have in mind a social visit, he had in mind business. As the senior Senator for Sluis Van, his business was that of the Republic in general, and politics especially. He had to consider himself a politician, because very simply he was. But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing in his estimation. The political bureaucracy was what made the galaxy function. He was proud to be a part of it, if pride was really the correct concept. Perhaps satisfaction was accurate...

Senator Bahradr directed his thoughts back to the topic he needed to be focused on: his annual efforts to further economic reform. He never lobbied for much, but with just a small change a year, he'd been able to let it stack up and impact the change he wanted. Fewer tax loopholes, a more fair trade policy. Of course with the Republic at war, there were many other pressing topics. But each Senator had their own unique sets of priorities. He was hoping he'd found a likely candidate he could sway to his cause, while granting his own voting power back to her.

Senator Irrina Icharis, an offshoot Arkanian well-known for her opposition to slavery. Uranibask could see himself comfortably voting alongside her in such issues. He disliked the idea of not treating everyone equally. How could you run a society without standard units anyway? Everyone had to be equal, if only because it complicated things so much more than they needed to be otherwise. Of course he was willing to grant it was ethically wrong too. Simply because he was logical and somewhat dispassionate didn't mean he was heartless. His emotions were just more subdued and more subordinate to his mind.

He spotted the Senator, standing to the side in the corridor with a droid perched on her shoulder. With his precise memory and recognition, he recognized her instantly from seeing her on the displays at the Senate from time to time. And from her picture when he'd spent an hour reviewing her profile to familiarize himself with her details. For example, she was deaf. However, he'd dealt with communications issues before and he would again.

Senator Bahrader slithered up to her, drawing himself up to his not very impressive five foot and six inch height, still three inches shorter than she was. He did still have length on her though, if they were both lying down. He smoothed the light grey tunic he wore, with its yellow standing collar and weaved pattern over his chest, straightening it out until it met the sash around his waist holding the ensemble in place while he propelled himself along the ground. The light fabric was made out of a wrinkle-resistant fabric of course, but the movement would also shake off any loose debris that might have stuck there.

With his green scaled hand, he politely tapped her on the shoulder to gain her attention, and when she'd faced him he spoke, though he knew she couldn't hear. If anything, he was polite. Oftentimes infuriatingly polite.

"Ssssenator Icharus. I am Ssssenator Uranibassk Bahrader of Sssluisss Van. You may not be able to read my lipss, but I trussst you have sssome way of communicating. Your droid perhapsss?"

[Mara]

With her datapad otherwise occupied, Ofi instead just wirelessly jacked into the program Ina was using and highlighted a possible dinner spot. Posting text for her to read would have covered up the list. It wasn’t true Chandrilian, but it was similar and was only a couple blocks and levels out of their way home. Ofi knew that despite the senator’s cravings for a certain type of food, she also wanted to get home as quickly as she could. The less she spent among the other senators the better. Having to wander all over the district to find the food she wanted was less than ideal, even if she did have the protection of her friend and droid.

Ina noticed the highlighted restaurant and thought about it, tapping a pale finger against her lips. She scrolled through and found a menu and compared it to her limited knowledge of the cuisine from Chandrila. It perhaps would not be as authentic, as this particular venue had a lot of different fares from around the galaxy on its menu, but it was close by. And a lot of the items seemed to be prepared by frying, which was always a favorite with the Offshoot senator. Flipping back to the main entry, she went through the other listings to see if anything else appeared able to satisfy her craving. Seeing nothing much, she went back to the restaurant Ofi had pointed out and tapped the screen. She memorized the location before looking up to smile at her friend, letting her know she was ready to head on.

She hadn’t even taken a step, though, when she felt a touch on her shoulder. In fact, she had been in the process of putting away her datapad in preparation for a nice quiet walk to the Chandrilian place. Summoning some patience and willing her stomach to remain quiet a few moments longer, Ina turned to face whoever had decided to interrupt her, keeping her device in hand for the conversation she knew was to come. The face there was unfamiliar, though she recognized the species. Quickly she took in the Sluissi’s attire and guessed that it was the senator from Sluis Van or at least one of the planet’s high-ranking officials. Ina threw up a polite smile, putting away any other thoughts except for the being in front of her.

When she saw the Sluissi begin speaking, she turned her gaze to her datapad, reading off the being’s words as Ofi transmitted them. She had been right; this one was a senator. Now being able to put a name to the face, Ina’s memory looked for any past experiences with Bahradr. She couldn’t really recall anything recent that had brought them into contact before, except for the large Senate sessions where they would have obviously been together, along with thousands of other senators. But obviously he had a reason for coming up to her, and Ina always took time to talk to other senators, even if most of the politicians made her skin crawl. There was always the possibility to gain an ally on her platform topics and issues, though most of the time she ended up engaged in a heated argument.

The senator had been briefly surprised that Bahradr knew that she was deaf, or at least that she could not respond in the typical way. Most of the other senators could care less about her differences and always seemed a bit offended when they had to speak through a droid. Which always seemed odd to Ina, considering that a good deal of senators could not speak Basic and needed their own translation droids, but she just chalked it up to prejudice against her species or to herself personally.

Setting down her briefcase and shoulder bag, Ina tucked her datapad under an arm and began signing, her fingers flexing and moving in front of her. She conveyed the usual pleasantries before explaining how her friend would help her communicate. Ofi would translate her words easily enough, though sometimes the droid would just paraphrase the meaning of Ina’s words instead of word-for-word and use the third person. Sometimes beings were a little unsettled to hear the senator’s words coming directly from the droid’s vocabulator. And sometimes they would ignore Ina altogether and just speak right to Ofi as if Ina was not even there. Finished, the Offshoot brought the datapad back in her hands and waited for her friend to translate for her to the Sluissi.

“The senator wishes you a good afternoon, Senator Bahradr, and thanks you for stopping by.” The voice that came from the droid on Ina’s shoulder was female in origin but still had the sound of a regular droid: dully electronic. “She is perfectly able to communicate with you, sir.” Ofi’s words might have sounded a trifle admonishing if it were not that all her vocalizations seemed that way. It was almost impossible for the droid to be purposely condescending or sarcastic or convey any other emotions through her speech. “Is there something you wished to speak to her about?”

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

"Yesss," Senator Bahradr confirmed, "There isss." With subtle undulations, he moved himself further out from the flow of traffic, keeping his eyes on the woman and not the speaking droid. That was a common sense approach. The droid wasn't the party who mattered, even if it was speaking. It was still the senator he needed to win over.

He didn't anticipate that being particularly hard to be honest. His own requests would be seen as minor, and he made for a sympathetic ear to her own positions. Neither of them really had anything to lose, meaning it was bound to be a simple deal. But there was still proper decorum to go with, and rules of conduct to be followed. This right now was nothing but an initial contact. But first impressions could be everything.

"I'd like to meet with you sssometime and discusss our political beliefsss, I believe we may find a good deal in common, and I'm sssure you can always use another ally."

The Sluissi carefully kept his tone diplomatic, even though it really didn't matter. It was habit. He was used to speaking diplomatically, as it went extremely well with his neutral outlook and bureaucratic nature.

(OOC: Short, I'm sorry. My muse is really low right now, but I couldn't keep you waiting any longer)

[Mara]

(((No worries. Length doesn’t bother me. I should probably try not to get so long-winded myself. ;p)))


Ina nodded and smiled after she read the other senator’s affirmation as to his reason for stopping her. It had been a good bet to lay on that assumption. If another senator stopped the Offshoot in the hallway and didn’t have any political business, he or she generally had more sinister topics in mind. And Ina didn’t really feel anything untoward coming from the Sluissi. Though, she had been mistaken in the past and had since learned to keep her guard up on the inside while remaining polite on the outside. It never hurt to be extra careful, just in case. One could never know how a conversation would turn.

Without anything to really respond to, she waited for the Sluissi senator to continue and explain himself. First, though, he moved himself farther out of the way of the growing traffic in the hallway and closer to Ina, for better to converse with her, obviously. The one thing that the Arkanian senator did notice about her political compatriot was that he had kept his gaze on her face, not Ofi’s, even from the beginning. And maybe it was just because he had prior knowledge of her deafness and situation, or maybe was just trying to ingratiate himself with Ina. Whatever his motives, however, Ina appreciated it. They were her words, no matter which location they were coming from or in what method they appeared.

His next words appeared onscreen soon after he had joined them off to the side of the hallway. It seemed a bit odd to her that he didn’t wish to speak with her now and was only asking if they could, sometime in the future. Ina thought it was a bit out of the senator’s way to make such a request in person, when it was much easier to just leave a message in her small office. And then they could arrange things from there. She glanced back down the way she had come, wondering if she should move the dialogue into her office to better check her schedule. Instead, her mind came up with another option, perhaps a way to judge how serious the senator was about speaking to her.

Tucking her datapad away again, she began signing for Ofi’s perusal, first instructing her droid to translate exactly and to stop paraphrasing. She thought it would be the least thing for them to do for Baradhr, since he was focusing on his fellow senator and not her droid. Plus, Ina figured it yet another way to see how uncomfortable he might get in the current situation and with her following proposal. If it worked, she could kill two mynocks with one blaster bolt. If not, it would still get done, just much more slowly. Either way, she was curious as to why the Sluissi senator thought they had common goals and how she could help him with his.

Ofi cocked her head a bit as Ina signed and nodded almost imperceptibly that she understood and would acquiesce to Ina’s request. Once the senator was done and had her datapad back in her hands in preparation, Ofi began, this time speaking as Ina and not just her translator. "I was just heading out for a bite to eat after the proceedings today. We could, of course, schedule a meeting for sometime in the next couple of weeks, but if you wish, you could join us and discuss your thoughts at dinner." Curious as to how the other senator would respond, Ofi tilted her head again and focused on the Sluissi, wondering what his agenda was and whether an impromptu meal was part of it.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

"I was just heading out for a bite to eat after the proceedings today. We could, of course, schedule a meeting for sometime in the next couple of weeks, but if you wish, you could join us and discuss your thoughts at dinner."

Senator Bahradr weighed that option in his mind for several long seconds. He certainly hadn't been anticipating anything as forward as an on-the-spot dinner meeting, but he wasn't opposed to it either. He simply had to check to see if he was available. He didn't think his schedule was that full, but he wouldn't be doing his job if he wasn't thorough in checking.

"Excussse me for one moment pleasse," the Sluissi requested as he reached down to the pouch he wore at his waist. In it, he rummaged around for a datapad, ultimately finding it and loading up the screen. On it was his daily schedule and...

Sure enough, he had a three hour window of free time. This meant he could agree to the other Senator's offer and share a meal with her, though he was unsure of just how compatible there taste in meals would be. As a rather serpentine species, he didn't exactly chew his food... Well, this racial difference would just be one more interesting thing to explore.

"Yess Ssenator, I have room in my sschedule for a meal. I trussst you know of a sssuitable place?" He asked diplomatically, though the nuances of his tone were likely lost in the translation. That couldn't be helped really. Of course his own tone was most commonly as flat and emotionless as any droid. In fact, the Senator himself was much less emotional than a human or any near-human. He didn't have strong feelings on... Well, anything really.

Maybe he'd ask about the role of emotions in politics over dinner.

[Mara]

The senator stood quietly as Ofi spoke her words, not bothering to double-check her datapad to make sure the droid was following her instructions. There were very few occasions when Ofi would go against Ina’s wishes, and even then, the droid had the best intentions in mind when she did so. And this current situation hardly called for anything vaguely controversial between the two of them. Plus, Ina thought that Ofi took mild pleasure in seeing other beings squirm when she spoke her words verbatim, the Offshoot’s words coming out in the bird droid’s strange electronic female lilt. Though, the move wasn’t exactly working among current company, and the senator was thankful for that, that the small number of friendly beings towards her in the Senate would perhaps increase by one this evening.

After Ofi was finished, Ina looked down at her datapad, waiting for the other senator’s words, but none came right away. Her brows knitted together briefly, wondering if her tactic to invite Bahradr had served its purpose: to figure out how committed the Sluissi was about wanting to speak with her. A glance up at him told Ina—at least she thought so, unfamiliar she was with his species—that the other had been a bit taken aback by her suggestion. Perhaps all he had wanted was to schedule an appointment with her, something that could have been accomplished by going through her office but the Sluissi had opted to do in person. Though either option wouldn’t entirely bother her, the more she didn’t have to stay in this building, the better. But she would acquiesce to what Bahradr preferred.

A few words finally appeared as he excused himself, and Ina watched as Bahradr dug around in a pouch at what she would consider his waist and pulled out his own datapad. At first she wondered if her impressions had been wrong about the senator, that perhaps he’d just want Ofi to translate her sign language onto his own datapad so he didn’t have to listen to the droid. Ina had had that happen once before with another senator, though generally the group of them tended to just ignore her and speak through Ofi. But the Sluissi was staring at his ‘pad quite a while and hadn’t yet suggested a change in communication. She glanced up at Ofi sitting on her shoulder, the droid shrugging at Ina by lifted her wings up and down, before turning back to the other senator and his move to seemingly ignore her for something on his device.

But the Sluissi responded further then, looking back to her. Reading her own datapad, she looked up at the senator and nodded, smiling, finally understanding the momentarily interruption in their conversation. He hadn’t been looking for an escape from Ofi but merely checking his appointment schedule. Of course, Ina should have realized such; it made much more sense than what had been running through her mind. But in her experience, that was just where her thoughts ended up by default. She was happy to find out that she had been completely wrong. It was still possible that Bahradr was just appeasing her to get on her good side for whatever he wanted to discuss, and Ina would take it at face value, but also wouldn’t let herself feel too negative unless she needed to.

Watching Ina slide her datapad under her arm to free up her hands and start replying to the Sluissi senator, Ofi watched carefully and started ranslating word-for-word in her female droid voice as Ina signed. “Yes, Ofi and I were actually just heading out for a bite or two to eat when you came up to us. A little café a few blocks from here that serves Chandrilan fare, among other cuisines from other cultures as well, had caught my attention. I’ve wanted to try something Chandrilan for a while but hadn’t been able to find anywhere that serves just solely items from Chandrila.” Ofi stopped as Ina paused in her signing, obviously wondering whether to continue or not. But she quickly made up her mind and her fingers restarted their movements. “That is, unless you have another suggestion?”

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

“Yes, Ofi and I were actually just heading out for a bite or two to eat when you came up to us. A little café a few blocks from here that serves Chandrilan fare, among other cuisines from other cultures as well, had caught my attention. I’ve wanted to try something Chandrilan for a while but hadn’t been able to find anywhere that serves just solely items from Chandrila.”

Ofi, he presumed, was the droid speaking for the Senator. He hadn't really been introduced to the mechanical being, which he didn't take positively or negatively. Droids were fascinating yes, but he also realized they weren't really people. As such, they didn't really warrant introductions. But he wouldn't have minded even if it had.

Yes, technology was rather interesting. He'd assembled various kits at home as a child for fun, and had even built some small items such as datapads. In fact, the one he'd just been using was his own construction. A few years old now, maybe he'd have to build a newer design of one...

But that was beside the point. The point was Chandrilan food. To be honest, he didn't have much of an opinion on foods. Food was sustenance, and variations on it didn't particular affect him. His forked tongue tasted the air, so scents provided the flavors he was interested in more than putting the items in his mouth and swallowing them. And that was indeed the way he ate. He had typical snake-like teeth rather than what you'd find on most species, singularly unsuited to chewing. His food went into his mouth and down to his stomach without delay.

“That is, unless you have another suggestion?”

Uranibask shook his head from side to side, signifying he had nothing to suggest, though of course he provided verbal affirmation too. That was only proper.

"I have no opinionsss, I'm sssure my dietary needsss will be met. Again, I thank you for letting me join you. I think our dissscusssion will be... mossst productive. Pleassse, lead on."

The Sluissi prepared to meet the pace his colleague set, either by inching along while upright or by lowering himself to the floor and slithering, which was considerably faster, if somewhat less polite in his opinion.

[Mara]

When she finished signing, Ina retrieved back her datapad to watch for the other senator’s response. She wasn’t sure how eager the Sluissi would be to essentially ‘eat down’ for his meal this evening, not really knowing much about Bahradr in particular. But Ina did have a lot of experience with some of the other senators, beings who generally held standing reservations at some of the most exclusive restaurants in the Senate district. The Arkanian senator herself, though, preferred to stay a bit more low-key, not wanting to flaunt around her so-called power. She was here on Coruscant to represent her people, the Offshoots who needed and the Arkanians who mostly ignored her. Her purpose was not to go around spending credits that belonged to her constituents.

Of course, she reminded herself, the Sluissi could be considering more than just locale and lack of five-star status with her suggestion of the small café. Ina really knew very little about the senator’s species, regrettably. The eating habits of Sluissi were entirely beyond her, and considering Bahradr’s body structure, she wasn’t even sure how he would fare inside the Chandrilian establishment. And then there was the food itself to consider. Ina had to admit she had no idea what beings of his kind would eat or want to eat. If she hadn’t added her question at the end, giving the other senator a chance to suggest another venue, she would have been completely embarrassed at the given moment. As it was, though, she was still chiding herself within, and she made a mental note to be more aware of the needs of different beings. Otherwise, she would be no better than her opponents.

Thankfully, though, Bahradr declined her offer of coming up with another idea. At least, that was what she assumed as the Sluissi shook his head. There had been a species or two she had encountered that didn’t confirm to the general Galactic Basic body signals, and she had had an awkward moment before determining such. But then words appeared across her datapad, confirming what she had thought. The other senator seemed quite content to let Ina lead the way and go with her first suggestion. She paused a moment at his mention of ‘dietary needs,’ wishing again that she had been more thoughtful, but then again, she had given him a chance to pick out a different restaurant. Ina briefly wondered if he was just going along with her because the discussion he wanted to have with her trumped anything like venue or menu. If anything, this meeting was sure to be interesting.

Ina looked up after finishing reading and smiled at the Sluissi, and, using just one hand, she quickly signed something. The reply from Ofi came just as promptly, the droid not at all bothered at the mention of her own name. “It is no trouble. It will be good to have someone else to talk to. I’m looking forward to it. Ofi has the directions, so we’ll just follow her.” The Offshoot smiled again, then bent down to pick up the briefcase and shoulder bag she had set down when she and Ofi had first stopped to figure out meal plans. Her things gathered up, she nodded at the other senator and merged into the flow of traffic in the hallway again, walking slowly enough that the Sluissi could keep up. Though she was taking the lead in this part of their meeting, she wanted to keep equality at the forefront.

She remained quiet as they made their way through the Senate building and out into the Coruscant air. Her hands busy with all her things, Ofi perched on her shoulder, it was nearly impossible for her to speak. It was a situation Ina had gotten used to since almost birth, and it was really rather relaxing to walk in silence, enjoying the scene around her. Even a scene such as the chaos in and around the pedways of the city planet. Ina had one advantage in this: she couldn’t actually hear the noise and disruption around her, and perhaps that was why she found walking peaceful when other beings didn’t. The din of yelling pedestrians and honking airspeeders was blissfully mute.

With Ofi’s feet directing Ina with subtle nudges on her shoulder, left and right, the trio finally made it to the Chandrilian café the Offshoot and droid had picked out earlier. She stopped a moment, using the hand holding her briefcase to indicate the establishment to Bahradr with a smile. Though late in the day, the place was still pretty packed, though mostly with day laborers and harried businessbeings stopping on the way home, not stuck-up senators and politicians. Just the kind of place Ina preferred. Ofi indicated their need for a table for two, and the hostess led them to a table towards the back after a few moments. Ina set down her things under the table and, after a few awkward seconds of wondering what Sluissi would do, decided to just seat herself and picked up the menu to start browsing the fare.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Luckily for Senator Bahradr's light grey tunic, his compatriot was moving along slowly enough that he could remain upright while following her, rather than lowering his torso to the ground and slithering. That meant he wouldn't have holes or grime on the shirt by the end of the experience. The streets of Coruscant were not exactly clean enough to eat off of, no matter where you went.

Through street by street they followed the birdlike droid in silence. Senator Bahradr didn't precisely object to it, but it wasn't exactly his comfort zone either. He wasn't used to dealing with a deaf person like Ina, particularly not in an age and from a world where such disabilities were promptly corrected. Abnormalities such as this were not embraced by Sluissi per se, but neither were they shunned. They were simply not orderly, and as such not the preference among such an orderly and bureaucratic species.

Uranibask himself was no exception to the rule, but serving in the Senate had taught him that not every species could be like the Sluissi, nor should they be. Someone had to set goals, someone had to carry them out. That took all kinds of sentients to do. All kinds.

So in a respect for differences he looked at the architecture of the buildings as he moved along. Functional, with a stylish flare that people expected of the galaxy's great capital. Architecture, of course, was not his field of expertise, but he understood the technical aspects more than most. Periodically in his office he brought in engine parts and hardware to disassemble and reassemble as recreation, because he enjoyed the technical just that much.

The walk ended at the eating establishment precisely as expected, and they entered it. It wasn't large, but neither was it precisely small. However, it was packed, and he considered them lucky to have a table. Perhaps Ina and her droid had called ahead to make reservations?

As she sat down, he eyed the chair in his place. That would have to go. So he picked it up and placed it against the wall before moving his way back and curling up his serpentine lower body into a compact coil. Only then did he start to examine the menu.

Chandrilan food was a new experience for him, but he'd found for his purposes most food was adequate. If he had to describe the menu in a few words, they would be simple, clean, and natural. It wasn't precisely high end food, but it seemed to revolve around the purity of the ingredients, which he had no objections to. His dietary requirements would be fully met. Already he'd made his decision on a roasted bird.

He set the menu down and looked across at Ina, waiting on her to make her selection before he spoke to her through the droid.

[Mara]

As she looked through the menu, Ina tried to ignore the awkwardness of her fellow senator having to move the chair on his side of the table out of the way. She could have waited for him before seating herself, but she also hadn’t wanted to make too much of a scene. Even though this wasn’t really a hot spot for the movers and shakers of the Senate district, they were here for a serious discussion, and it wouldn’t be preferable to draw unwanted attention. Plus, she also felt that Senator Bahradr would have been the type to let her, as a female, seat herself first anyway. So she just focused on the choices at hand and waited for her companion to get himself settled.

Ina was amazed at the variety at hand. Of course, she had looked through the menu options earlier on her datapad, but now that she had it more directly, it was almost overwhelming. It was less of a Chandrilan restaurant, more of a combination of cultures that featured foods from Chandrila as one of the choices. Even still, she felt she should go with something authentically Chandrilan, as that was the original reason she and Ofi had chosen this establishment. Though that narrowed the choices quite a bit, there were still quite a few meals left for her to pick from.

The Offshoot was having a bit of a hard time deciding, and Ofi had to send off their Rodian server after she set down their glasses of water. The droid could tell when her friend was being indecisive and took control of the situation briefly, allowing Ina to continue weighing options. She had left Ina’s shoulder and perched on the edge of the table after both senators had seated themselves, in their individual ways. Ofi had watched interestedly as the Sluissi used its own body as a chair of sorts. Though she had vast databanks of thousands of species, it was a different thing altogether to watch one live.

Finally, Ina had made her choice. So focused on her menu, she hadn’t realized that Ofi had asked their server for more time, surprised to see drinks already on the table. Grateful, she sent a smile her friend’s way, wordlessly letting Ofi know she was now ready. She was going to go with a pasta dish that was starred on the menu as one of the house specialties. Assumably that meant that that particular meal would be above average. Happy with her selection, she set down the menu and waited for the server to come back in response to Ofi’s signal.

After the Rodian had left with their orders, Ina turned her focus back to her companion, her composure having returned. They were seated across from each other; it didn’t matter how such had happened. She lifted her hands, deciding on whether to go with a little small talk or just get right into the matter he wished to discuss with her. Thinking that they had had enough chitchat back at the Senate building, she just launched in without preamble, hoping Bahradr wouldn’t be disturbed by her bluntness. Her fingers flew, Ofi’s voice translating. “I thank you again for joining me here, Senator. Now what is it that you wished to speak to me about that couldn’t wait?”

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

"Technically," Uranibask began as he waited for the arrival of the roast bird he'd ordered, "It can wait."

He had to admit from the feeling in his digestive system it would be a good time for his daily meal. It wasn't that he was in dire need of food, but he could stand to eat. His own dietary needs were modest, and like many serpentine species he didn't need to eat around the day. However for practicality and coexistence, he generally ate in two meals of smaller size, with liquids scattered throughout the day. It was a rather mundane dietary life for him, but he had to admit as he tasted the air of the cafe with his forked tongue, there were some interesting flavors to be found.

He sipped the water before him politely before placing it down again and getting onto the order of business he hadn't been forced to wait on.

"However thanksss to your generoussss offer, I can dissscusss the isssue of voting with you. It comessss to my attention that you and I hold ssssimilar beliefsss on many thingsss. Ssslavery for one. I find the practice deplorable, and let usss not forget it isss outlawed by the Rightssss of Sssentience. Perhapssss if I assssisssted you in thissss area you could return the favor by helping me inssstitute economic reformssss, particularly the tax code. Eliminating loopholesss, ensssuring all ssssyssstemsss pay proper tariffs and taxes without exception. Generally clearing the bureaucracy of contradictionsss and problemsss."

The Sluissi senator paused, his tongue tasting the air again as he scrutinized Ina's face to see her reaction to his proposal. He really didn't know enough about her to gauge the way she felt about such issues, and he did realize the perception for some, particular the latest batch of idealistic junior senators who didn't understand the way things were done. They looked on such wheeling and dealing as political bribery rather than an essential practice of government.

In time they'd learn there was such a thing as lesser evils.

He was under the impression the Arkanian offshoot across from him knew this, but he really couldn't be sure. Sometimes people surprised you, and he was ready for anything to play out on her face.

[Mara]

Having to first dig out her datapad from her bag at her feet, it took a few extra moments for Ina to know what Bahradr had said. Even though she had gone for it right after she finished signing, the Sluissi senator had replied back rather quickly and shortly as well, though she couldn’t be absolutely sure about the length. Reading lips wasn’t quite as easy with non-humanoid species for her. Looking down at the short reply—she had at least been right about that—from the other senator on her datapad, a small bit of surprise raised her brow. Earlier there had seemed to be a small degree of urgency to their deciding on a dinner meeting instead of scheduling something more formal in her office at the Senate building. But now Bahradr was no longer in a hurry? Ina had to admit she was feeling confused.

Wiping the surprise and confusion from her face and regaining a neutral composure, she looked back up at her senatorial companion, not wanting to be rude by staring at her datapad while she waited for him to continue. Though deaf, Ina had had enough experience conversing with others to be able to tell when they were not finished speaking. Most thought it a disadvantage for her, any speech inflections lost in her datapad transmissions from Ofi. But the Offshoot could read body language and gather information with her other senses that had been heightened to compensate for hearing loss. It was almost as if she could see a floating ‘but’ in the air in front of the Slussi.

She was not disappointed as the senator from Sluis Van began speaking again, this time in greater lengths. Politely, Ina watched his face for a few moments as he spoke before turning her attention back to her datapad. Keeping up the appearances of a normal conversation was something she had gotten used to years and years ago. Plus, it allowed her the chance to gain a better understanding, face-to-face, as to the possible meaning behind another being’s words. Of course, the experience of interacting with the Sluissi was not exactly helpful to her in this capacity, but Ina was trying to do her best to read the senator’s intentions and movements. However, she also did not like to delay things too long, so she usually did not wait for the other to finish before looking down at her datapad.

This time Ina was not at all taken aback by Bahradr’s words. She had expected something in this general vein when the senator had first approached her back at the Rotunda. Senators tended to avoid her at all costs unless they thought there was a chance of coercing her into something, thinking to trick the ‘stupid Offshoot from Arkania.’ The Sluissi’s methods were a bit different, though. She was not used to another politician offering something in return if she did the other a favor. All her previous discussions had involved other senators trying to win her over to their side, using all the arguments they had at disposal. But the Sluissi was instead putting forth a bit of a ‘I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine.’

Pausing, she read over his words again. It was an interesting proposal, to be sure, but Ina also wasn’t in the business of voting for favors. Yes, the issues of slavery and equality for all beings were very important to her, but she also wanted to aid their causes in the right way. She didn’t like the implications of having to owe another senator for a vote later down the line. And this didn’t even take into account her own feelings on the economy and taxes. Admittedly, they were very little. Her own experience with monetary issues was her position on a committee related to the budget, and even there, the other senators barely listened to her. Reforming the tax was not her strong suit, nor her interest.

But she didn’t want to completely alienate the other senator so early in their discussion, opting to go with a bit of a neutral response. There would be time later for her to make a concrete decision. Though she was almost completely sure she had already made it, it wouldn’t hurt to hear the Sluissi out. Especially if his opinions of slavery were actually true and not a trumped-up story to get her to feel sympathetic and weak, going after his tax ideas like bait on a hook. It could prove to be an interesting conversation, and even if she didn’t acquiesce to his offer, Bahradr could turn into an ally in the Senate. Finding senators that would care enough to openly disapprove of slavery were few and far between.

As Ina lifted her hands and began signing, Ofi turned her head to watch and began speaking, again translating exactly in her electronic female monotone. “I’m happy to find another in the senate who also finds it saddening that the practice of slavery continues. Most of the other senators I’ve come across feel it’s beneath them to care about anything so petty. They’re so absorbed in their power and wealth, only voting in ways they think will get them reelected.” The birdlike droid stopped briefly, as Ina paused in her signing, shaking her head in exasperation, but then continued when the Offshoot picked up again, smiling. “But corrupt senators can wait for another day. We are obviously here about another matter entirely. “ Ina’s face grew neutral once more. “I have to admit your proposal is intriguing. However, I would like to know more about these reforms you want to put in place before I decide anything. To be honest, the issue taxation is not one of my own strong suits, and I know little about it.”

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Senator Bahradr wasn't particularly surprised at Ina's reaction. Surprisingly few members of the Galactic Senate were well-versed in the tax code and the economic bureaucracy. By its very nature the system was complicated, and most people tended to shun something that was hard to understand rather than taking the time to learn its intricacies. That was the nature of many sentients.

The Sluissi was not among them.

Uranibask had always been fascinated by rules and regulations, in the way things worked. Politics was like a machine, but one vastly more complicated and composed of unpredictable elements, elements that were harder to control and channel. That was what made it all so interesting, even if it was bothersome.

He was a firm believer in order, in efficiency and the rules, and he was diligently working in a system where people sought shortcuts, ways around the rules. It happened in his particular field too, far too often in fact. That was what he campaigned against subtly, one step at a time.

His forked tongue shot out and tasted the air again as he collected his thoughts, preparing his big informative talk and a summary of his cause. After a second he began.

"Asss you know, the Republic needsss tax revenue to ssurvive, particularly when funding thisss war. Our tax code and tariffsss are what keep usss in thisss war. Well, ssssome wealthy interessstsss find loopholesss and waysss to avoid paying their fair sssshare, they exploit flawsss in the bureaucracy. Money that could go to fund meassuresss providing better infrassstructure or health sssyssstemsss, or even anti-ssslavery campaigns inssstead liness the pocketss of wealthy corporationsss and perssonss. I am sssure you find thiss asss distasteful asss I do.

What I do with my political capital is sssimple. I find one of thesse loopholess at a time, and I ssseal it through new legissslation or through re-approval of the current legissslation. For sssomeone familiar with the bureaucracy, sssubtle changesss can be made without attracting much notice from the interessstsss I opposse. I think you would sssee thiss in ssimilar termsss, and that you will work with me to ensssure a more fair approach to the topicsss of tariffss and taxess. Particular in return for sssupport with meassures againssst sslavery, not that i am trying to bribe you in any way. Merely proposssing an alliance of sssortsss."

[Mara]

(((Sorry for the delay…))

When she was done speaking, Ina watched the other senator’s face for a moment, trying to see if she could decipher his mind. What he might be thinking in regards to her indirect answer to his proposal. But the Sluissi remained passive, the same as he had been when he had first come up to her in the Senate building, and it was a mystery to her whether he might be feeling disappointment or not. Ina was unsure if this was just a species trait, that perhaps there was another way the serpentine beings showed their emotions that she hadn’t noticed, or if Bahradr was just extremely well-experienced in the art of not revealing too much until exactly the right moment.

Well, Ina knew she could play that game also, though perhaps not quite as well, not having had as much time to practice such things. She could generally keep herself composed, but there were times that her emotions did get the best of her, especially in relation to her key causes and issues. Being deaf was never a hindrance to her ability to speak her mind, defending the defenseless and pushing for equality for all beings and an official ending to slavery. Like many beings, her irritation and anger always showed on her face whenever she could not keep her feelings inside any longer.

And right now, she was slightly annoyed at the Sluissi’s discourse on taxation that she had begun reading on her datapad. She had thought his pause was to collect his thoughts on her response, not to deliver her a lecture. Ina had only wanted a short, concise answer from the senator explaining his ideas of the reforms themselves. Instead, she felt Bahradr was just sort of skimming over generalities of the system itself. Just because taxation was not something that was high on her list of issues she cared about did not mean she was completely ignorant. But she kept her face neutral, something that was aided by her posture of looking down at her datapad as she read.

After she had read the first part of the senator’s brief speech, Ina had looked back over at her companion and nodded to show that she agreed before she had lifted her hands to sign a quick ‘yes’ in addition to the body movement. Then she placed her hands in her lap, pausing to collect her thoughts on the more important but tedious matter at hand. While his methods appeared to accomplish the right purpose, she felt them also a bit cowardly. The Offshoot knew she had to find a way to speak her thoughts without insulting the other senator.

Ofi began translating as Ina began signing again, first going back to the senator’s first point before getting to the heart of her opinion. “I do agree that something needs to be done about this corruption. However, I think merely going around and closing off these so-called loopholes through legislation is a waste of time. Can not these individuals just find new ways to exploit their own interests? I don’t believe they would be stopped so easily. Would it not be more productive to find evidence of these misdeeds and prosecute them? Stop the cycle instead of delaying it.” Ina shifted forward in her seat, leaning her folded hands on the table, and raised her eyebrows, emphasizing that she was just stating her idea of the matter and bringing up a point, not completely disregarding what the senator was doing.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Senator Bahradr's eyelids lowered and raised again, blinking as he listened to what Ina said. If he'd been a human there might have been a real chance her disregard for protocol and apparent contempt for his approach would cause anger. As it was, he was a Sluissi, and that emotion was completely foreign to him.

He merely found her approach to be overly direct and rather disorderly from the standpoint of procedure, which was essentially the farthest his displeasure stretched.

He very politely waited for her to finish before he spoke up again.

"The nature of loopholes issss that they are perfectly legal. Exploiting them issss not ssssomething we can ssstop without eliminating the loophole itssself. Their corruption isss not sssomething we can sssimply prove and be done with. Punissshing thesse interessstsss is easssier sssaid than done. Inssstead of fruitlesssly trying to directly control them, I find it wissser to ssstop their avenuesss of advancement by eliminating the possssibilitiesss to exploit one at a time, ssso asss to avoid notice. Many humanssss and near-humansss find thisss approach to be too sssslow for their tassstesss."

The Sluissi Senator let that sink in slightly, making it clear that he guessed her problem with his approach. It was logical given what she'd said after all.

"My point ssstill ssstandss, I would very much like your assssissssitance to clossse thessse loopholesss to prevent exploitation, and I am quite prepared to provide you with ssssupport when you need it. I hope you will take me up on this offer Ssssenator."

[Mara]

(((Sorry for the wait…)))


Just by watching the other senator’s reaction to her own opinions of the matter, Ina really couldn’t tell what the Sluissi was thinking. There was almost no response in his facial features, and she was finding this a little disconcerting. Of course, she did deal fairly often with species that had no close lineage with humans—whom being quite similar to that of Arkanians she found easy to read—and was able to guesstimate the meanings of body language after a time, but this one was entirely blank to her. She wasn’t sure if this was just a personality quirk, a tactic brought in by the game of politics, or perhaps something inherent to the species. Ina made a mental note to do a bit more research on the Sluissi when she next had the chance. In case she ever had opportunity to meet with Bahradr again, she wanted to be more prepared.

Despite this, though, she was not completely surprised by the Sluissi’s response, apparently thinking her idea of fixing the problem and corruption outright, instead of skirting around it, a crazy one. There was just something deep within her that had decided where the senator’s alliances and interests lay. Some kind of intuition about him that she didn’t need to hear in his inflections or see in his body language to understand. A being content to wait in the background, passively inciting change, not one willing to actively force change at the heart of the matter.

As she read, she did have to agree with some of what Bahradr said. Even if she wasn’t a fan of the methods, she could understand why he was doing it. Ina did realize that such action as she was suggesting would not be easy, perhaps nigh impossible, to enact. But just because proof would be hard to gather and the process of prosecuting the offenders would take a lot of finessing and time did not mean it was not important or necessary to do. Nothing that was worth doing was ever easy. Her life was filled with examples to that effect. And like the Offshoot had said a few moments before, the cycle would just keep continuing on and on without stopping unless something was done about it. She just couldn’t see why the Sluissi didn’t realize it. Perhaps he was just content in his role of stopping up the loopholes, endlessly.

She would have answered something to this effect as well, but the senator continued on, disregarding her opinion on the matter and returning to his standing offer. To keep herself from speaking rashly, she pursed her lips and held her hands more tightly together. Though she really wanted to discuss the issue further of what was the better method of stopping this corruption, she was not quite naïve enough to think that such a conversation would get anywhere. Ina could see that she and the other senator would just end up talking in circles—him trying to convince her that legislation was the best course of action, her trying to convince him that they needed to do something that would actually make a difference. And when she got right down to it, none of that would really truly matter unless she actually accepted his offer, and that was something she was far from ready to do.

Ina nodded once after she had finished reading the last of Bahradr’s response and took a moment to compose her thoughts and toss away any arguments about the earlier issue for another time. Right now she wanted to feel the Sluissi out on what was actually more important to her. She was obviously not a fan of corruption, and though the need for reform was great, there were even bigger issues that rested on her heart. Her wish was to find out how far the senator was willing to go to support her, how strong his true feelings were against slavery and for equality.

Lifting her hands from the table, she began signing, the translation of her fingers coming out with Ofi’s fairly monotone female droid vocabulator. “I can see we would get nowhere, speaking about the various ways to defeat this corruption, so I will move on to the meat of this issue for the time being.” Ina smiled briefly at this, and her hands paused a moment as she went back to her mind and did some final touchups to her words, wanting to get her point across but also not wanting to alienate the senator and his offer. There was a fine line here on whether she would gain a supporter or not.

“Even so, as I said, I find your offer intriguing, and it is something I would be willing to consider, hopefully after some more discussion here. However, for the moment I’d like to focus on your suggestion itself. I am wondering what kind of support you are willing to provide in my small struggle to eliminate slavery and garner equality for all beings. And how much of it would be due to an actual desire to help these beings gain their freedom from oppression, or if it would just be a temporary alignment, a means to an end.”

Putting some friendliness on her face, switching her expression a few degrees up from neutral, Ina continued on. “Please understand, I don’t mean to offend, not in the least. I merely am curious and want to better understand any other motives you have here. I’m not in the habit of taking favors just to advance my own agenda. Any progress I made on the issue at hand would just seem ill-gotten, to me. I would much rather that it did so on its own merits, because the Senate truly wanted to see it happen and not because they would be expecting something in return.” She shrugged and smiled wryly. “I realize this probably places me in a very small minority, but it is how I feel.”

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Senator Bahradr listened to his fellow Senator speak in attentive silence, registering absolutely no emotion as she spoke, seeking to test him. For others that might have prompted annoyance, but Uranibask was a Sluissi of unlimited patience, and he bided his time, waiting to respond.

What she was asking was really rather simple, feeling him out for precisely what he'd examined her for, interesting in political beliefs. She wanted some kind of guarantee he was on her side, no doubt, and the Sluissi was rather confident he could provide an adequate one.

When she stopped, he began.

"You want to hear proof that I ssssupport your sssstancessss. Thisss isss undersssstandable. Let me assssure you, I take the Consssstitution of thisss Republic very ssseriously. The Rightsss of Ssssentience are a vital part of our government, and they outlaw the practice of ssslavery and guarantee the equality of all citizensss. Assss a non-human, I take it ssseriousssly. Asss a member of the Ssssenate, I ssseek to enforce the lawsss, with no exceptionsss. Even during a war, we mussst ssstill be vigilant to fight violationsss in our sssysstems, even in the Outer Rim. I trusssst thisss isss what you wissshed to hear?"

The Sluissi Senator interlaced his fingers and rested his scaled, green hands onto the edge of the table. He looked thoughtful as he directed his gaze directly into the Arkanian Offshoot's eyes. He didn't blink.

[Mara]

Ina read over the senator’s response that appeared in text on her datapad in front of her. She hadn’t been sure how he would react to her statement of how she operated or to the stalemate they had reached on tax reform. That no matter what was at stake, she would not take favors or ‘play the political game,’ as it were. The Sluissi seemed to have no problem with such tactics, but the Offshoot didn’t want to go about matters in that way. She had her principles, and she would not bend nor break them, for any reason. But thankfully, for the moment, he didn’t seem concerned with focusing on her political methods, concentrating on her main question instead, and Ina was glad for that.

However, his answer didn’t quite satisfy her. Yes, what he had said sounded good. She herself felt the same way, of course—laws and regulations were important to her—but her feelings went much farther. Her desire for equality for all beings was not merely a matter of right or wrong, legal or illegal. It was a deeply rooted morality inside of her soul aided by her upbringing on Arkania as a ‘lesser being.’ Something that she would still feel even without the title of senator. Still, Bahradr’s little speech fell flat to her, a carefully constructed politically correct statement with no emotion behind it. Not to mention that she felt it odd that he seemed willing to go far to enforce equality and slavery practices but yet was content to fix other issues with just legislation, not wanting to get involved in more visible means. Ina was beginning to wonder whether this meeting would accomplish anything at all.

She remained silent a moment, still looking down, as if to reread his words. In actuality, though, her mind was turning, looking for a way to help the other senator understand without offending him. Ina knew she was walking a fine line, but she also couldn’t let Bahradr get the wrong idea about her and her ideals. The Sluissi appeared to be a decent, though perhaps uptight, being on the outside, and before she even considered allying herself with him, possibly compromising her values, Ina wanted to know whether he was the same within. In her short career, she had come across many a senator who merely wore a mask to pretend they cared about the issues of the Republic and their people when in fact they were more concerned about their own reputation and reelection.

The arrival of their food just then gave her a few more moments to finesse her thoughts together for a response. Their Rodian server placed their dishes before them: salad for Ina, roast bird for Bahradr. Both of the meals smelled delicious to the Offshoot and looked just as pleasing. She smiled and nodded at the Rodian before the blue-skinned being left. Ina wanted very much to pick up her fork and get started, but she also felt it would be rude to leave her companion hanging on without a response. Her food and impatient stomach could wait just a bit longer.

So tossing her ideas out of her mind, Ina opted to go for something short and to the point instead, thinking that Bahradr must be as famished as she. “While I do appreciate your loyalty to the cause, I still wonder what your motivations are. Don’t get me wrong; I support the Constitution of the Republic wholeheartedly. But for me, it's much more than just a forgotten law that’s been allowed to slip through the cracks of the Outer Rim and even much closer to the Core than many realize. If I was not a politician, with all its benefits and access to the laws it encompasses, I would still be doing my best to help as much as I could to fix this.

I suppose what I was asking earlier is this: is your view of the knowledge that slavery is still practiced in areas around the galaxy merely an insult to the Republic laws, or because you also feel in your heart and soul that it is wrong?” She realized she had said more than she wanted to, but she wouldn’t apologize for it. Her fingers had just been taken over by her own heart and soul. This was an issue that she had been immersed deeply in during her entire life, and she would do what it took to fix it, no matter her social position or occupation. As Ofi finished translating, Ina allowed herself to fork a bit of salad into her mouth, her eyes closing in momentary pleasure at the taste. But then she kept a partial gaze on the other senator and her datapad, as well as her food, in anticipation of his response.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

As Ina spoke through her droid, Uranibask listened and eyed his food. His own sense of taste was conferred through the air, and his forked tongue shot out to take in the flavor of his roast bird. Perfectly calmly he severed one wing with a knife and swallowed it whole, bones and all. Incidentally, by the he was finished with that task, the Arkanian Offshoot Senator was finished with her... point.

For the Sluissi Senator, passion was something always rather surprising. It was foreign for someone to be truly and deeply into something, and her fervor was, in his mind, rather odd. That was common for so many species though, and it always led to wars and conflicts. The Sluissi in contrast were orderly and peaceful.

"Sssenator, it isss not my place to judge what isss right and what isss wrong. I am a ssservant of the lawsss, and bound to uphold them. I underssstand you are an emotional sspeciess, and that may taint thingsss for you. You mussst have faith in the rule of law, and let that sssuffice for you. The lawsss of the Republic forbid ssslavery, and for that reassson I can work to actively oppossse it. That can make usss alliesss if you wish. Quesssstioning motivationsss will not aid your caussse nearly asss much asss accepting help when it appearssss."

The Sluissi started to cut again with his knife securing another piece of poultry to fit inside his mouth for consumption.