Truth and Fallen Heroes (Koeing)

[Squee]

She found Gyndine cold. Overlapping the front of the jacket, her hands gripped at opposite elbows. Though her breath did not puff out in clouds, there was a sort of chill to the air. With her red curls up in a tasteful ponytail, her neck was exposed. That one piece of skin prickled, making her entire body raise in gooseflesh beneath her clothes.

Damnable weather. Of all places to be sent to. Gyndine had to be one of her least favorite planets. Heavy with industry and shipyards sailing overhead, Tesa almost felt like she was constantly in the way of someone. Though that feeling nagged at her, she walked like people should part before her. And they did, recognizing that a woman of her stature did not move for others; they must move for her.

Flagging down an airspeeder taxi, Tesa gave the driver the address to her penthouse. Despite her hatred for Gyndine, it was a place where two of her businesses conducted their trade. Tesa disliked having to spend nights on a grounded ship. Usually she would just spend the night at a hotel, but she didn’t trust Gyndine’s public places and sometimes she was here for a couple of weeks to manage some business. So she’d purchased a penthouse some months ago. It was home on her visits and a possible safehouse in case her life went sideways in the Sith.

Though she would probably no longer use the penthouse after this assignment. She’d had to bring that Firrerreo man, Koeing Turion, for this dispatch. Now that he knew the location, it was no longer a secret. He could lead others too it. After this assignment, she would give it up. She might even have to give up Gyndine and that would be a shame. Gyndine brought Tesa, and her master before her, a lot of wealth. When it came to wealth and safety, however, Tesa would choose safety first.

Tesa had spoken few words to Koeing. Other than showing him his quarters back on the ship, and then again at the penthouse. As well as explaining that she had set off this morning to meet with a business associate to inquire about the company that decided to backstab the Sith by suddenly cancelling their funding. Though that was what she was told, Tesa was sure there was more to it than that.

She did not want to try the older man’s patience, but she hadn’t trusted him to act accordingly during her meeting. She knew too little about him and his behaviors to take him along. Those people knew her by the name Selioa Tinopheri, Zelosian, and woman who loved her wine and had an obnoxious laugh. Bringing Koeing would have required some background and explanation. It had been so much simpler that she’d gone alone.

The penthouse was quiet, much like the trip to Gyndine had been. Tesa shrugged her coat off her shoulders and left if on the back of a cushioned chair. Her shoes rapped loudly against the tiled floor as she stepped with caution, emerald eyes sweeping the rooms as she passed them for signs of Koeing.

“My friend,” she spoke aloud, “said that our targets from Veiturlo Motor Co. have sort of… dropped off the radar.”

Tesa stopped by the kitchen counter and withdrew a small, dual compartment case from her purse. Opening them carefully revealed a clear-solution. With the ease of practiced habit, Tesa kept her eye open as she removed first one contact and then the other. “She has a friend who works there who mentioned that they have not seen their joint owners for quite some time. No meetings. Not in person anyway. They walked out of the building one early afternoon and failed to reappear.” Tesa blinked her eyes, sandy colored once more now that the colored contacts were off. Reaching up, she pulled the red wig off her head.

“I knew this before we landed on Gyndine yesterday.” She let down her brown hair and shook out the waves. “This morning, I met with my associate and her friend. This friend is Jaque Homonar.” Moving further into the kitchen, Tesa opened the conservator and brought out the container of strawberries she’d brought with her.

“He knows where they are. I’m sure of that.” Tesa had snagged a moment to touch the man, pretending to be overzealously friendly. Though she’d taken him aback, the physical contact had remained enough for her to skim over his brain. He knew. If he didn’t know exactly, he knew someone who did. “Just a matter of getting the man to tell us.”

Plucking up a strawberry with one hand, Tesa took a bite while her other hand wet a washcloth. Taking a moment to chew, she drew the washcloth over her face, erasing the pale make-up.

Now she’d see how this man thought. "Suggestion?"

[Deleted]

He had been sleeping quite peacefully until Tesa entered the penthouse, he was laying on the sofa enjoying the peace of the quiet space, then the loud rapping of Tesa's shoes just had to interupt it. With a low grumble he sat up and adjusted his loose fitting silk shirt then stood and smoothed out his pants of the same make and strode towards the sound of the woman's voice was coming from.

Entering the kitchen just as she finished speaking he clung to her words, one because her voice had an amazing ring to his ears and also in thought on what to do. He stayed silent for several moments while pacing the kitchen, then moved towards Tesa suddenly and snatched a Strawberry.

He ran the strawberry over his fangs, dragging them along the soft flesh of the fruit causing perfect lines across it's surface while lost in thought. Then with a nod to what seemed no one he turned to face Tesa and stare in to her eyes with finality. His crystalline eyes glimmered with what seemed to be malice as he stepped closer.

His lips parted and he began to speak in his velvet voice. "There are two options, seduce him then drug him and get him to talk, or i can simply make him talk which i am quite good at. However i don't see you being one to just up and seduce someone for a goal so the second of the two options seems the best."

He noticed a few goosebumps across Tesa's flesh which signaled it must have been cold outside which made things even more perfect, with a cruel smile he walked back towards the living room to sit on the sofa.

"You interrupted my peaceful sleep with those forsaken shoes." He grumbled as he stared out the window of the penthouse from the sofa.

[Squee]

She scowled at him disapprovingly when he snatched one of her strawberries. With one more swipe against her forehead, Tesa removed the last bit of pale make-up and dropped the washcloth in the sink. “It’s polite to ask before you just take, especially with grubby hands such as yours. I pay good money for those. Just because I share my penthouse does not mean I share everything in the penthouse. That’s why you’re sleeping on the couch. And why I don’t share my snacks.”

Tesa grabbed her carton of fruity snacks possessively, shielding them with her body slightly. “But I don’t want that one back, now that you’ve slobbered and mutilated it.”

She trusted none of these Sith men she’d been around recently. Some more than others. While Koeing didn’t give her the slimy creeps Jessoin did, she still felt as alert as a watch dog at night. Koeing, so far, didn’t make her eyes roll in that “you’ve got to be kidding me” way, as Jack did. But she did not fear him like she did Master Iniquitous. No, he would learn her boundaries, and quickly.

Like he wasn’t allowed to eat her strawberries without her permission, which she would never yield.

When he stepped close, it was like he was trying to shadow her with his one inch advantage. Men. He would also learn the concept of personal space.

He spoke about seduction in what must have been his best impersonation of a “sexy voice”. Tesa’s eyes rolled. It wasn’t like Tesa was opposed to seduction. She’d been taught techniques and, as a fairly attractive woman, Tesa knew how to turn heads when she wanted. However, Tesa wasn’t going to coax Jaque into a bedroom for a little pillow talk. She’d rather throw herself on her own lightsaber.

Koeing’s statement that he could get others to talk was extremely vague. He couldn’t do it out in the open, where fellow secretary members might see. That would be ridiculous and reckless, especially when the goal here was to lie low. At least, it was Tesa’s goal.

The proper walk in heels can turn mere tapping into a thunderous boom, especially in such a large, relatively empty penthouse. After Koeing complained she had interrupted his nap with her“forsaken shoes”, Tesa clacked particularly loudly to the living room. Invade her personal space? She’d bust his eardrums. “That,” she stated matter-of-factly, “Sounds like a personal problem to me.” With actress’ ease, she smiled before covering it with a strawberry. Half sitting, half falling, she bounced onto her chair and placed those heels on the squat glass table in the center.

“And then first of all, I annoy Jaque. Or, at least, the person I portrayed earlier annoyed Jaque. While I could adopt a whole new persona to lure Mr. Jaque, there is always the slight chance he’d recognize me, especially since I spent so much time two feet away from him. Also, what would I drug him with? “I’ll follow you like a puppy dog” serum? I seem to be fresh out.

“No, no. If you’re good at making people talk, then I’m sure something can be arranged. But you can’t openly interrogate him if your methods are… morally improper.”

Tesa yanked on the zipper on the side of her boot. “Are they?”

[Deleted]

His eyes narrowed at Tesa and he took a deep breath before speaking in a calm tone.

"Grubby hands? A shot at the fact i only have use of one? I thought such childish things would be beneath an intelligent woman such as yourself. You speak of being polite, yet you cannot be polite yourself. If i wanted Tesa i could take your Strawberries and cause them to explode from the inside turning you in to a pink monstrosity, but you don't see me doing so."

He growled out the last of his reply then averted his eyes back to the view outside the window and listened carefully to her words analyzing them as he always seemed to do, going through his list of options and choosing the best solution.

"No need to adopt a new persona, keep the current one. Tell him you have a potential investor curious about the company, get him interested and invite him to lunch. In a public place, once he's there i can take over. I appreciate your dedication to this Tesa."

He stretched and yawned a bit before laying back down on the sofa and staring at the ceiling, he would proceed once he took over to torture the man silently and revel in it showing him the power he commanded and what he could do to the man without anyone noticing.

Once the man understood he'd be more willing to cooperate, at that point Tesa would leave their presence to preserve her alibi whilst Koeing made a display of anger in the middle of the public restaurant before forcing the man to come with him or risk the death of innocents.