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last online Jul 11, 2018 23:15:20 GMT -5
Knight
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Jul 21, 2010 18:04:10 GMT -5
Post by Deceit *Drinker of Jawa-Juice* on Jul 21, 2010 18:04:10 GMT -5
Strae came around the corner, and halted immediately. Tesa Yarum stood just ahead of her in the hall. Strae's eyes narrowed, and she backed up. Ven Alstra caught up a moment later and Strae grabbed her hand, Ven, who had been just about to shoot, stopped.
“Did you think you would get away so easily, Miss Arst? I think you’re sorely mistaken.”
“What are you—“
“Shut up! You see this, Strae? Do you see Mr. Richard?” Tesa put her hands around the attendant's neck in a calm and relaxed manner, but Strae knew what was coming next, “Mr. Richard tried to escape, didn’t he? Yes he did, but he didn’t get far. And I can’t be sure if he’s one of yours.” The loud crack of his neck and the feral snarl hardly phased Strae, she merely glanced at the body, then back at Strae, a slow grin spreading around her face. Ven wasn't as well held together, and her fingers started twiddling the trigger of her blaster pistol, “No one escapes that I want to die." duely noted, Strae thought.
“Tell your bodyguard to keep her weapons in check. Not so much as a twitch or this could get ugly."
Ven glanced at Strae, who shrugged, then looked back at Tesa, slowly lowering her weapon, “You did not follow me. Not really, anyway, so I won’t kill you. Not right now. I figured I’d leave that to Graffion. And I wanted Terra Fandull to die, not Strae Arst, but there’s room yet to reconsider.” Tesa reached down and removed her dress, revealing that she wore a more mobile clothing beneath it. Strae slowly tapped her toes, wondering what exactly this Tesa was going to do. It was clear she was not happy. Then again, she had just tried to get Graffion to assassinate Strae, so she wasn't the only angry one.
“Now… we talk. What the kriff do you want with me? I thought I made it clear through my little messengers to scrat and tell you to get off my back. Instead, you attend the same meeting I do, and then you want to run away? I find that very rude. So, what have you got to say for yourself?”
Strae hid her smile, then said, "It is not my initiative to be polite and complacent for you, it is my initiative, however, to figure out how I can use you. You think you would not attract attention by what you did at Nar Shaddaa? It is very rare for someone to be able to manipulate as you do. It is even more rare for you to catch my spies. Rarer still for you to predict our path and cut us off. Supernatural, even." She said, referencing to her strong suspicions that Tesa could use the force.
"Further, if you did not want for me to die, then why didn't you tell that dog, Graffion, not to shoot me, hm? You don't care whether I live or die, you'd probably prefer that I do die. I won't pretend to like you, but I will make you a deal, I like making deals." She reached into a secret pocket in her dress and revealed a small device, "I press this, and my spies follow the tracking device on me. Trust me, if you kill me, I'll squirm just so that by the time you finish, they will already be here, and then you will die. If you get out of my way, and stay away from Graffion Maruhuey, I don't press this button, and you get to live. You think you have the edge, Tesa Yarum, but I always win." A smug smile made it's way onto Strae's face. She was confident. She was always confident.
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Squee
The Keeper
2,286 posts
95 likes
I am Deception, and I defy your holiest moralities.
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last online Oct 24, 2016 0:33:56 GMT -5
Master
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Jul 21, 2010 19:59:15 GMT -5
Post by Squee on Jul 21, 2010 19:59:15 GMT -5
“I didn’t know who Graffion Maruhuey was when I first met him. I didn’t expect to find a spy network leashed behind him like some kind of small, yippy, annoying DOG,” she hissed in reply. “Your spies are reckless and much too sly, it’s like the mouse smelling the cat coming each time. As for predicting your path…” Tesa paused, narrowing her eyes in contempt, “… Graffion said you were likely to be the first one gone. Took a chance that the alarms meant you went through the emergency door.” Her explanation made it look like Tesa figured that Strae had been trying to stay in character. That or her guards were the ones shoving her out of the door. “These exits only go one way…” Tesa placed a palm on the hallway wall, smoothing it over lovingly, looking at it fondly. “And, unlike Mr. Richard here, I have very good luck.
“And Graffion doesn’t like you,” Tesa said with a smile. “I know that much. If he wanted to kill you, well, that was fine by me.” She folded her dress and rested it over a bent arm. “And I would’ve paid him for it. But it seems he missed.” Tesa took a moment and rubbed her palm over her jaw line, mumbling. “You are a lot shorter than I expected.”
Then she stopped talking long enough to hear Strae’s proposition, if it could be called that. Tesa scratched at her jaw, seeming to contemplate, but her mind worked quickly to put pieces into place. Then, her wicked smile returned, and a low chuckle filled the hall. Tesa’s brow was furrowed angrily, and the air around her grew dark. She knew what she was doing.
“You think I’m afraid of your little spy friends?” Tesa snickered excitedly. “You don’t make deals, Strae, you attempt to impose fear so you get out alive. You think I fear for myself. That I fear for my life. I’ll tell you who’s truly afraid: you. You could probably blow up this Force forsaken building but I would still live. I think you should start being nice to me.”
Tesa locked eyes on the hurt bodyguard beside Strae. “You,” she hissed. “Will keep your weapon down.” She ushered the Force, compelling it to the bodyguard’s mind, especially her trigger hand. You don’t want to do this, Tesa. She had to. “And I…” Tesa was already walking forward, lifting up a hand, beckoning with her first two fingers. The device was ripped out of Strae’s hand and flew into Tesa’s. “Whoopsie daisy.
“Now, come here!” Tesa stopped halfway down the hallway and tossed the device behind her, making sure it landed on the dead man’s body. She twisted her hand in the air, tugging Strae lightly, not giving the woman the chance to run away. Whether the woman came by choice or Tesa yanked her in, Strae wasn’t getting away. “And we’ll make a deal properly. If we don’t reach one in the next four minutes, you’re coming with me, and you won’t like coming with me,” she growled. Tesa checked her control over the bodyguard. Secure. “You’ve gone and made me mad, and I’m certain Graffion would like a little snack.
“Let’s start with I’m not leaving Graffion Maruhuey. Not alone to you vultures. And I don’t want to hear a PEEP about me. In fact, I may yet kill your guard over there. You say nothing to nobody. In return, I give you your life, and I won’t hunt you down. I’m sure your thug organization depends on you and you alone.”
Tesa’s eyes burned with resentment for this woman. It was disgusting bargaining with her.
“And I keep my word, Strae: if I still catch anyone following me, I will kill them. That is not part of the deal. You want your people, you stay the hell away from me. Now you have it delivered to you in person. I hope that is more than satisfactory. Anything to add?”
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last online Jul 11, 2018 23:15:20 GMT -5
Knight
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Jul 21, 2010 21:33:32 GMT -5
Post by Deceit *Drinker of Jawa-Juice* on Jul 21, 2010 21:33:32 GMT -5
“You think I’m afraid of your little spy friends? You don’t make deals, Strae, you attempt to impose fear so you get out alive. You think I fear for myself. That I fear for my life. I’ll tell you who’s truly afraid: you. You could probably blow up this Force forsaken building but I would still live. I think you should start being nice to me.”
Strae simply smiled that smug smile of her, it grew deeper, and her finger went toward the button. Tesa was going to die, and Strae would see if Tesa really had no fear in her death. Oh how Strae would revel if she drew out Tesa's fear, how she would enjoy pointing it out to her right before she died. And if she had no fear, then Strae would congratulate her before she died.
“You,” Tesa commanded Ven Alstra “Will keep your weapon down.” Ven at first hesitated, then lowered her weapon. Strae's eyes went wide, furious at the betrayal, until she realized what was going on. "And I..." Tesa started walking toward Strae. Strae's fingers tense and she hit the button. She felt her thum touch, felt it compress, but it wasn't enough. The device was gone a moment later and Strae found herself squeezing empty air.
"Whoopsie daisy."
"Sh!t!" Strae turned and started running the opposite direction, though she didn't make it far,
"now come here!" Strae felt herself being tugged backward toward Tesa. Curses streamed in her head. She knew she wasn't equipped to take on a force user. It wasn't fear that Strae felt, but frustration. How could she be so foolish? She should have brought Grizzelda with her, she should have seen it earlier! Nobody was as good as her spies without that damned force! NOBODY!
“You’ve gone and made me mad, and I’m certain Graffion would like a little snack." Strae cursed again at that realization. Graffion would be glad to pay Strae back, even though Tesa could easily kill Strae without him. Strae found herself next to...no, just close to Tesa, dragged all the way by the force. Strae started to turn begrudgingly, her face angry, locked onto Tesa's eyes.
While she had been turning, one hand had brushed against her dress. The movement was perfect, practiced, so precise, an art that Strae had perfected. Force user or no force user, she was sure Tesa would have no clue what she had done. She'd brushed against one of the hidden pockets and pulled a needle, pressing it vertically between two fingers, the skin folding over each side to perfectly hide the needle.
She fully turned to Tesa now, listening to what she said with obvious contempt.
“Let’s start with I’m not leaving Graffion Maruhuey. Not alone to you vultures. And I don’t want to hear a PEEP about me. In fact, I may yet kill your guard over there. You say nothing to nobody. In return, I give you your life, and I won’t hunt you down. I’m sure your thug organization depends on you and you alone.”
Thug organization Now that ground Strae's gears. Her group weren't thugs. Thugs were untrained, thugs were stupid. Her troop was intelligent, fast, skilled, and trained. However, she ignored that for now, though, it wouldn't end well if she brought it up.
“And I keep my word, Strae: if I still catch anyone following me, I will kill them. That is not part of the deal. You want your people, you stay the hell away from me. Now you have it delivered to you in person. I hope that is more than satisfactory. Anything to add?”
Strae calmed down, heaving a quick sigh, "Yes." Strae said, her voice cool as ice, her entire demeanor changing, she was once again a business person making a deal, despite how little control she had of the situation, "For starters, release my guard, Ven, and let her leave. Then we can talk a little more."
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Squee
The Keeper
2,286 posts
95 likes
I am Deception, and I defy your holiest moralities.
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last online Oct 24, 2016 0:33:56 GMT -5
Master
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Jul 26, 2010 4:14:12 GMT -5
Post by Squee on Jul 26, 2010 4:14:12 GMT -5
"For starters, release my guard, Ven, and let her leave. Then we can talk a little more."
Tesa narrowed her eyes briefly at the request. She didn’t want to let the guard go. It was one more person who might come back and bite her in the butt one day if Strae didn’t make good on this deal. She inhaled deeply and exhaled noisily. She would let the guard go, since she had asked Strae if there was something else she wanted. It was one guard against possibly a couple dozen that Tesa might and would kill in the future.
“Very well,” Tesa said stiffly. “But I take her memories first. No one knows about me.” She looked up over Strae’s head to the guard. “Come here.” It took a moment, but the guard’s body reluctantly moved forward toward her. She was trying to fight Tesa’s control. The guard still had the power of free thought, but she couldn’t apply that to her own actions. No motor or function control. If Tesa really wanted to, she could command the woman’s body to urinate, but Tesa wasn’t here to humiliate.
The guard came next to Tesa and she reached out an arm, touching the woman’s head. Her eyelids slid halfway closed as she focused her mind dominance into memory ripping. She sifted through the primary thoughts and sunk deep into disorganized memory files. Wafting through this woman’s fog was infuriating, because she was doing what she could to resist Tesa. Tesa mentally wriggled away and found the more recent memories and flipped over the ones of her.
Powers. Eyes. Speeches. Attitude. All the little details that would make Tesa noticeable were yanked out and tossed away like old news, old trash. As soon as she was finished, Tesa turned her chin away from the woman and released her mind. A sweat tickled her brow and she drew in another deep breath, drinking it in like the sweetest water.
“She can go now.”
The guard wouldn’t leave without Strae’s say-so. Tesa no longer had influence over the woman. Amber eyes looked at Strae through the corners, intense and drilling as she waited for the guard to leave.
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last online Jul 11, 2018 23:15:20 GMT -5
Knight
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Jul 26, 2010 18:11:44 GMT -5
Post by Deceit *Drinker of Jawa-Juice* on Jul 26, 2010 18:11:44 GMT -5
Strae looked back and forth between Ven Alstra and Tesa Yarum. Ven was a woman of large intelligence and willpower, yet she was just as easily controlled by Tesa. As Tesa delved into Ven's mind, it clicked what she was dong. She was forcing herself into Ven's 'memory bank' and ripping things out, deleting files as though she was a simple data-pad. Fear rose up in Strae's chest like a sick nausea. Strae did not like the idea of dying, but she could face that if needed.
However, the thought of losing all of her memories, of having so much ripped from her she'd be senile or immature once again, terrified her. It would be like a reset button, and every bit of information Strae had would be lost. Every skill, every innate knowledge she'd been able to learn, everything that made her superior to the common drabble would be gone, and Strae would be just a husk, a shell, a shade of something great that she had once been.
Tesa had finished with Ven, but Strae hadn't even noticed, until Tesa started looking at her again. Strae's eyes flicked into Tesa's, to look at her, and this time her usually intensity was clouded with fear and doubt and dread. The ability to take all of Strae's work away, to turn back the clock, in a way, changed everything for Strae's perceptions of the Force. She'd always known it was nothing to play around with...But this...was terrifying.
And suddenly everything made sense. This was what Tesa did all throughout the galaxy, causing havoc and destruction, and then simply erasing it. Tesa avoided consequences by completely erasing them, whereas Strae avoided consequences by being a shade, by using intimidation, by working. For Tesa, it was almost easy. She'd gone around erasing everything from everything. No wonder there was almost no information on Tesa Yarum. She didn't have a record. She was a ghost in society, and that force power made sure of that. And now only two people knew about her. Strae and Graffion.
A chill shot down Strae's spine. She looked at her guard, considering screaming for her to get Tesa the hell out of here. Ven wouldn't be able to do anything, though. Ven Alstra was helpless, "Get out of here." Strae said, "Meet the other spies outside and tell them NOT to come in here. I have to deal with this myself."
Ven, although not understanding, looked to and fro Tesa and Strae, then with a sigh, she left tossing her gun to Strae, who caught it, but then said, "Wait, take this with you." Ven was perplexed, almost frustrated. Strae never gave up the advantage! Ven couldn't even remember that Tesa was a force user, so she didn't understand. She caught the weapon and begrudgingly left, though.
After Ven was gone, Strae looked over to Tesa. She forced the fear down and replaced it with only the intensity, "Well, Tesa. I'm shocked really. Your a ghost in the system, and now it all makes sense how. The only thing I'm confused about it how you got Graffion Maruhuey to work with you, he hates Force users more than me." And epiphany suddenly struck her, "That is...Unless he doesn't know..."
She let that thought trail off, fighting the slight smirk that started on her lips, "I'll agree to your terms." She replied quickly, almost easily, "But if you try any force mind-tricks on me, you'll find more than a barrier of resistance, but also the loss of this deal. Your a dangerous person, Tesa, and although I don't get where I am without taking risks, this is a risk whose potential reward doesn't outweigh the cost. You probably suspect a deception, but there is no deception here, because I need you for one thing. Just one thing, dear Tesa, and you can be the one that got away."
She didn't give Tesa a chance so say any snippets before she explained her offer, "Your new pet, Graffion, shot my guard, Kesha. You're a force user...You probably have some knowledge of preservation, in some ways. I'm not to guess that you've gotten through life without wounds, so I'll say you might have some sort of healing powers. If you heal my guard, you'll never see me, or sense me following you. Unless of course, my luck is entirely shitty and we happen to cross paths."
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Squee
The Keeper
2,286 posts
95 likes
I am Deception, and I defy your holiest moralities.
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last online Oct 24, 2016 0:33:56 GMT -5
Master
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Jul 31, 2010 2:35:05 GMT -5
Post by Squee on Jul 31, 2010 2:35:05 GMT -5
When the bodyguard, Ven, passed Strae the gun, Tesa drew her power to make her more imposing. Her disapproval was obvious and potent in the air as well as through her unwavering stare. Strae almost immediately returned the weapon and sent the guard on her way. Tesa allowed her aura to calm and her eyebrows relaxed a little, backing off into a more friendly appearance… if it could be called that.
The woman babbled about her epiphanies, including the one about Graffion. Tesa remained expressionless, with the I-already-know-this mentality in mind. None of this surprised her, not even Strae knowing it. If anything, Tesa expected Strae to figure it out because, from the information Graffion had supplied, the way he talked about her, and from her own experiences now, Tesa confirmed Strae wasn’t a dumb person. If she had to kill this woman, Tesa would be sorely disappointed. However, Strae wasn’t the strongest or the smartest one here, even if the woman wanted to believe so.
Strae would need a lesson in Tesa’s deception if she pulled any tricks on this dark sider. And even as Strae boasted Tesa would meet a resistance, a barrier, Tesa grinned evilly. You’d merely be a challenge. I could use more challenges in my life. Your mind is simply filled with obstacles, and there’s ways to get through obstacles. You go around them, you crush them, or you ignore them as you step over such weakness.
But as Strae spoke of the last part of her deal, Tesa’s dark, wide smile faded. She inhaled, lifting her chin and straightening her back. “I am not a healer,” she stated bluntly, deadness to her voice. Once more she darkened her aura, portraying rage and malevolence, only for a couple of moments, to emphasize her point. “So you just wasted breath. It’s better to slather her in kolto and slap a bandage on. Besides, you’re not even sure she’s still alive. I don’t trust you either.
“I’ll let you go. You and Ven make two lives. How hard is it to refrain from dispatching those fools you call spies? Besides… four minutes is up.” Tesa was lying. She knew a thing or two about healing, but Tesa was sure that the Kaleesh would rather have the bandage and medicine over her methods. Tesa knew she didn’t enjoy the kind of healing she was thought, even recalled the times she’d cried to her former master to let her heal naturally. “And I’m sure you’ve got better things to do than chitchat with me, just I have.”
Tesa turned sideways, sweeping a hand out toward the hall behind her, though her eyes still remained on Strae. “I’ll wait right here for a few minutes.”
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last online Jul 11, 2018 23:15:20 GMT -5
Knight
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Aug 1, 2010 20:44:05 GMT -5
Post by Deceit *Drinker of Jawa-Juice* on Aug 1, 2010 20:44:05 GMT -5
Strae listened to Tesa's reply with little intrigue. She spoke the words healer with some venom, and Strae thought for a moment, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. The question of whether she was a healer was obvious; no, but whether or not she had methods with which to heal was still in Strae's mind. Either way, Tesa was adamant about not doing anything to help her downed body-guard. This would require immediate attention, then. She would have to get into contact with her team and see if emergency medical vehicles had yet arrived.
It was a good thing Tesa was keeping this brief, because Strae didn't want to stick around much longer anyway. In a showy manner, Tesa began to turn around, but not fully. She held her hand out, inviting Strae to take first leave. Strae breathed in slowly, trying to keep her composure.
She started to walk passed Tesa, barefoot since she'd kicked off her heels long ago. She snickered as she passed by, but before she got too far passed the outstretched arm she suddenly spun deftly, flicking the needle to face outward in her palm. The movement was fast, too quick for Tesa to properly react, and Strae jammed the needle into Tesa's wrist, in an upward motion so as not to poke from end to end, but along her arm, jabbing not too far deep.
Either way, it was a perfect execution for the poison to take effect. It was only paralysis and mild nasuea, but if Strae was going to leave this meeting miserable, so was Tesa. Strae grinned, turning and back-pedaling quickly, "Yes, you will." She said, refferring to Tesa's comment about staying there for a few minutes, "Tell you're dog that he doesn't have to worry about me anymore...not unless you end up dead, that is."
Strae turned and ran, heading toward the elevator, she turned to the left abrubtly and took a stair instead; she didn't need that force-user to somehow put the elevator into free-fall with her in it.
~*~
Graffion's heart raced at a steady pace as he dropped into the alley just outside of the building. The roof had not been a presentable option, as it happened. There was too many people near the upper levels, and the moment the alarm had gone off, a dropship had landed on the top of the building, carrying armed and armored guards to secure the situation. He'd managed to sneak down and out through the main ventillation, though. Now that he was out, he quickly checked in both directions. Good, no spies.
He reached up to his ear-piece and turned it on so he could hear any incoming calls. He didn't expect Tesa to yet be in a position to discuss things, so he headed North, where there was a loosely protected warehouse that he could hang out at until things cooled down and he could meet with Tesa to get the hell off of this planet. He'd never been this dependent on anybody, but he'd also never been in this bad of a situation. If Tesa wouldn't be able to smuggle him off this planet, he'd be stuck here, and the Police may catch him by the time he could escape.
He wasn't a big fan of having to kill officers, despite how trivial he considered them to be.
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Squee
The Keeper
2,286 posts
95 likes
I am Deception, and I defy your holiest moralities.
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last online Oct 24, 2016 0:33:56 GMT -5
Master
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Aug 8, 2010 16:50:38 GMT -5
Post by Squee on Aug 8, 2010 16:50:38 GMT -5
Tesa’s chin lifted, staring down her nose at the smaller woman as she passed. Good. Her eyes fixated on the top of Strae’s head. Compliance. The edge of her mouth curled and satisfaction tingled within her at the silent agreement they’d reached. At least there was an understanding, and Tesa had accomplished in securing her future. All her secrets would be unrevealed, her methods weren’t under scrutiny, and her travels undocumented. Strae was a complicated, nearly unreadable person, and Tesa hadn’t wanted to invade the woman to keep the shadows in darkness.
While Tesa was now known as a competent force user to this Strae, Tesa hadn’t seen any other option vouching for the outcome she’d wanted. Using the Force had opened up the doors to talking business, perhaps the only thing Strae understood other than organizing her band of leeches. No harm had come the Strae, which also relieved Tesa. Such a smart, confident-to-the-point-of-cocky woman… it would have been a pity to kill her. Besides, Strae could be of use to Tesa one day.
Her arm descended a couple of degrees, tiredness coming to her shoulder and muscle, but she continued to keep it lifted. As Strae nearly passed it, Tesa heard a little snicker. What was so funny? Tesa began to drop her hand when Strae turned about quickly, a blur of fabric and skin what constituted once as the spy master’s arm. The dark user’s brow furrowed as she snatched her arm and hand, out of Strae’s reach, carrying it to hover beside her head.
“Yes, you will.”
Strae was grinning as she sped backward. Tesa’s eyes swung from the short woman to her arm, noticing a pinch and something of any intrusion in her wrist. An object didn’t belong. Amber eyes opened fully, a sudden panic in them, and her fingers swiftly, deftly yanked the needle out. The wench! A thin trail of blood slid out with the needle. In the vein! A sneer contorted Tesa’s face.
"Tell you're dog that he doesn't have to worry about me anymore...not unless you end up dead, that is."
A angered snarl issued forth, “You little, disgusting termite! I should squish you where you crawl.” But I made a promise. “SCRAM!” Tesa threw the needle after Strae, her rage apparent in flaming eyes and vicious voice. The hallway had darkened, and Tesa was seeing red in her eyes, every ounce of instinct willing and finally begging her to release passionate rage. To crack the woman’s skull like a melon against the wall. To make her trip and break bones. Dislocate her shoulders and leave her to hang by her wrists. “And the Force be with you should I ever see your vermin face again!” That last was said just as Strae flung herself down the stairs. Cowardly woman!
Tesa started in the opposite, beginning to feel the poisons effects already. She hooked the infected hand in her belt and began to run. Out of here. Away from the body… No time to put the dress on. Damn! If she could make it to a proper floor, someone would see her. And while she hated to admit the need, she needed help to, though she dreaded to think, get to the hospital. As far as Tesa knew, Strae was cracking a joke there at the end. And he’s not a dog. He’s a kitty. In the next minutes, she could be dead, revenge for disregarding the kaleesh.
But Tesa felt she had been fair!
“Blasted, kriffing, stuck up business ladies. All the same.” She managed to bound up a flight of stairs when the feeling began to fade in her left thigh. Kriff! Her arm was already useless. She was fighting the feeling in her neck. Rather, the lack of feeling. Halfway down the hall, Tesa felt ill, but assumed it was over her fretting on her current condition. Wasn’t supposed to be this way!
She took a left and her leg gave, collapsing beneath her weight and hit the first steps. Likewise, her body pursued the fall and the entirety of her left side crunched onto the steps. She lost control of her neck and hit the side of her head. With a low groan, Tesa sat there as stars clouded her vision. Planting her right foot, she swung her body forward, taking all her weight in her right leg, and stumbled across the hall into the wall. Her left leg was now unusable. Tesa slapped her right hand on the wall, losing control of her right side assuredly as the numbness spread. Carefully she folded her right leg, adjusting herself to sit on the ground. “Damn.”
Her working hand fumbled quickly around the purse she’d brought with her, and she pulled out the comlink and activated it. “Graffion, your spy friend is a rightful schutta. She stuck me with something and I kind of almost can’t move. Might be a while.” She keyed off and sighed. Then keyed it again, “Or never.” Off again. Tesa leaned her head against the wall, either waiting on Graffion’s response or an enveloping death.
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last online Jul 11, 2018 23:15:20 GMT -5
Knight
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Aug 13, 2010 19:39:41 GMT -5
Post by Deceit *Drinker of Jawa-Juice* on Aug 13, 2010 19:39:41 GMT -5
Graffion slowed to a stop, “Graffion, your spy friend is a rightful schutta. She stuck me with something and I kind of almost can’t move. Might be a while.”
He cursed inwardly to himself. Fine, if he had to wait a while, then he'd wait a while. He proceeded to the warehouse meet point that he'd told her about. However, every step further from Tesa he took, there was a sensation in his chest, a slight pang, a slight whir in his belly. He ignored these feeling with a great scowl sculpted across his face. He was getting too attatched. No more Tesa. He was gone after this, otherwise he may be in over his head.
His biggest concern should be Strae and her gaggle of spies. It was a motley crew, but a deadly one. Strae was unpredictable. What had she done to Tesa? 'Stuck me with something'? It sounded far too like one of Strae's exotic poisons. If Strae had stuck Tesa with a mortal poison, then Tesa wouldn't have even had long enough to speak. However, Strae was enigmatic, she may have used a gentle paralysis and a slow death. If Tesa died...
A white flash of rage came into Graffion's thoughts, his scowl turning deeper at the thought. If Tesa died, then Graffiion would hunt that woman down and painfully destroy her, starting with her spies, the only thing in this world that Strae 'loved', and even that in a twisted sort of way.
'Why?' a voice asked him.
'Because...' he was forced to stop and think about that, 'because Tesa is my only way off of this forsaken rock. Because she's my employer, and you should be loyal to employers once you've taken the job. Because...' he rationalized it in a very proffesional manner, a thousand times over. A thousand reasons that fit nicely into his cold hearted persona, that stayed in character, that kept up his proffesionalism.
'But that's not why...' an inkling voice nagged.
"SHUT-UP!" he growled, his face paling as he realized he was yelling at himself. Something was wrong, something was wrong with him. Why was he acting like this? Why was making a decision so damned difficult? Thing's use to be easy, fast, instant even. He could make up his mind, whether to save a life or not to save a life, before the question was even truly posed. Now things were complicated. Now there was a net over every problem. It was that woman.
He'd not spent over two full days with her and yet the thought of that blasted woman affected each and every thought...dear god, she had -influence- over him!
Graffion suddenly spun to his left, his fist colliding sharply with a concrete wall, "No!" he whispered to himself, punching again, and another time, the feeling of his fist crashing into the wall bringing him back to his senses, "She'll be fine. She'll drop me off at a planet, and I'll never see the wretch again. I'll never see that wretch again!" his fist continued to collide with the wall, a spatter of blood against it.
The pain that coursed through his bones and skin pulsed through him, allowed him to focus on something more tangible, something in front of him. It was the catalyst of life; pain was perhaps one of the most beautiful features that the human body could create. It was an illusion, sensory -perception- running from the nerves signalling the brain. Pain kept the mind and body in one state, pain meant a deterioration of the body or state of living, and it kept the brain actively in life with the most important priorities. It was a way of screaming out what was real and what was important. Without the nerve clusters in every pore of the body, one might be able to walk clear across a bed of hot coals and never notice it, except by the callouses in their feet that they couldn't -feel- at all. Without that sense of pain, their feet would burn off, they'd walk on bone, and they would soon never be able to use that foot.
But with that sense of pain, they knew what to stay away from. Graffion's sense of clarity, too, came with his pain. As his fist hit the wall a tenth time, he felt his entire arm jar and the pain exploding up and down. His fist was covered in blood, he may have even fractured a knuckle or two; but it would heal later. The most important part of this excercise in pain was truth, a truth which he had sought five minutes ago, and because of this pain, he could now acknowledge this truth instead of burying it under rationality.
He liked Tesa. He enjoyed her presence, he enjoyed her style, and he enjoyed her mystery. The most important thing he knew about her, perhaps, was that he didn't know anything about her. He didn't know what type of person she was, nor did he understand her motives and goals. Tesa was a different kind of woman.
And that is why he'd never see her again. He couldn't see her again, not even to get a ride of this planet. He wouldn't meet her. He'd find a different way. There was always a different way. Stowing away on a ship, or buying passage on a freighter, for example, were two prime ways. ( Ways he'd used in the past. )
Graffion came to an intersection in the alleys he was crossing. In front of him, there was the meeting point, the warehouse. To the left, much farther down the street, lay the eventual shipping yards. If he hurried, he could arrive in a few hours and find a nice, unguarded ship; or a merchant to pay off.
He started heading left, but hesitated, his cloak flowing in front of him as he stopped suddenly. He looked to the right, toward the warehouse. He closed his eye for a second, took a deep breath. His good eye opened, and he looked up, shaking his head. He threw his hood up and pulled it deep over his head, hunching a bit and tightening his cloak, as though in shame, as he started off again, making his final choice...
He was heading left.
~*~
Beneath Tesa, in the stair-case, the door opens up. Wind passes through and is forced to the side as a figure steps through, clad tight in a dark cloak. The figure stands motionlessly outside the door as it clasps to a close, a bloody sword in their grasp. The figure slowly turns, looking about the flights of stairs, it looks both up and down. A few seconds pass, and the figure turns, taking slow steps and ascending the flight of stairs, still a whole level beneath Tesa.
The sound of the figures boots clacking hard against the stairs is evident, and the figure reaches the next landing, and is only a few steps down from Tesa. The figure turns and walks towards her. It slowly lifts its blade, then sheaths it, reaching up to its face and throwing down it hood.
Graffion smiles down on Tesa, "You do not seem in proper straits." he says, as he bends down. His hands grasp around her legs and her back, and he picks her up, "We need to get you out of here and determine if that poison is lethal." His voice is definite, and filled with authority, he is not so much proposing a situation as he is demanding one.
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Squee
The Keeper
2,286 posts
95 likes
I am Deception, and I defy your holiest moralities.
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last online Oct 24, 2016 0:33:56 GMT -5
Master
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Aug 16, 2010 0:19:02 GMT -5
Post by Squee on Aug 16, 2010 0:19:02 GMT -5
The inability to move was frightening. It was like being stuck in her dream all over again: her limbs cemented, the confusion of surface and her body (was there a floor or was there not), and the empty void that was her body. Stuck. A slumped sculpture of flesh that no one knew existed, except maybe Death himself. Tesa’s nostrils flared several times as she wrestled to control her panic. Control… control… her emotions were the only thing she control over now. Her body hardly responded no matter how she willed or how hard she did command them to move. At least twitch. Let her mind be at rest that she had some fragment of control left of herself!
Easy, Tesa… easy, easy… Every time she had a burst of panic, her stomach twisted into a tighter knot. Damned poison had some kind of nauseating chemical. Tesa felt a little green, but it was easily dismissible if she kept her fear tapered down. Control, Tesa, control. Find it and cling for your life! No! Control!
She wanted to cry. It was utterly horrifying to be stuck at the bottom of some stairs, in a spookily blue-green lit hallway, where she hadn’t been found. There was the electrical buzz of the lights on the ceiling and the occasional echo of a strange noise. Her dream had come to her living life. She was suspended somewhere in the fabric of reality, unknowingness and numbness pressing upon her like a black veil, she was fearful, and there was revulsion in the midst of her stomach. Tesa wanted to wake up. Wake up and discover she could move. Scramble from her resting place. But there was no Insanus to disturb this slumber. She was trapped until she awoke on her own or someone came to arouse her.
A couple of instances, Tesa considered shouting out, but her pride overcame the better part of her.I can get out by myself, she thought with eyes glaring at her knee. Also, how would she explain what occurred? If anything, she’d be put into custody for further investigation and interrogation, even though Gluum’s speeder and should be present. Any true self-loving businesswoman would be long gone by now, recording her declarations how she’s never returning to Empress Teta or else, for emphasis and commercial effect, forfeit her life. No. Better to lie here until she could command her body.
Tesa exhaled for the first time in a long while, concentrating on keeping her mind active so she did not dwell on the weightiness of her body. She closed her eyes and imagined other things. She even tried to convince herself that this was simply another dream. There was nothing to fear, because dreams couldn’t harm her. It was a pointless exercise. Several other paths of thought and quotations of history brought her right around to her torment. In the end, she resorted to sitting and simply focusing on breathing, and sometimes finding a way around her paralysis to reposition her head. Finally shifting, pathetically using so much effort (which greatly annoyed her), she managed to lay on the ground.
It was the thumping that forced her eyes open. The soft pound of feet that strode confidently along the hall. Judging by direction, Tesa believed the noise was coming from the hall below her. A flow of relief, and yet worry, flooded through her, allowing her to jumpstart her body long enough to tilt her chin up, gazing along the ground. Who was this? Whoever it was, it was coming up the stairs. She held her breath seeing the boots and quivered inwardly when she noticed the bloody sword.
No, no, no! Wake up, wake up, wake up! Tesa closed her eyes tightly, instinctively reaching out to the Force, and knew she could not gesture to puppeteer it. Not the Force! No control! Ah! None!
"You do not seem in proper straits."
Like a gasp, the Force left her peacefully, and Tesa’s eyes opened slowly. An uneasy smile creased her mouth and a faint blush of embarrassment appeared on her cheeks as Graffion picked her up. “Yeah, yeah,” she replied, “Just don’t forget my stuff. Kind of like it.”
Why? the question suddenly struck her. It didn’t make much sense for Graffion to return and fetch her. Other than he didn’t get paid. He definitely didn’t get paid if she died. He wouldn’t be getting off planet easily. Not that they were leaving immediately anyway, since Tesa couldn’t pilot the ship. He would need all the complex codes.
“You’re a stupid man.” She told him flatly, but with a smirk on her face. “I assume you killed most of everyone that would have seen my face. So much for lying our way out.”
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last online Jul 11, 2018 23:15:20 GMT -5
Knight
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Aug 19, 2010 22:31:59 GMT -5
Post by Deceit *Drinker of Jawa-Juice* on Aug 19, 2010 22:31:59 GMT -5
"Stop pretending to be displeased and say thank you." Graffion says with a joking sneer as he moves his body around. He takes careful steps down the flight of stairs with Tesa's incapacitated form tightly in his grasp, "But no, I killed only a single person on my way up, and that was to acquire this disguise." Even as he holds her, Graffion shrugs his shoulders and his cloak falls gently off as a sheet would fall in the wind, and it drapes itself across the floor, revealing that Graffion was wearing the standard outfit of one of the emergency security buffs of the facility, flash-light and all.
As he approaches the door, he turns so that his back end collides gently into the button that controls the opening mechanism. With a low hum and a swoosh, the door opens. Graffion leans down and sets Tesa aside on the ground for a moment, and reaches down behind the doorway. When his hand pulls back, it is tightling grasping a full head coverage helmet.
In a swift motion he yanks a sleeve backward to reveal a hair-band along one of his wrists. He quickly pulls both hands back behind his head, gathering all of his hair into a single ponytail and lays it flat against his his head. Slowly, he reaches down for the helmet and secures it around his face, tightening it, "Okay, then, we're ready to move." He says, though his voice muffles through the helmet.
He picks her up once more, his muscles hardly bothered by her weight, and moves through the doorway. As he proceeds through the building, not a single personel, combat or non-combatant, looks twice at the security force member removing the VIP from the premesis.
~*~
Graffion had ditched the disguise as soon as he'd escaped through the police perimeter and gotten safely away from the area of chaos. From there, he found an alley with which to lay Tesa down in. Of course, he'd picked the most comfortable place possible. The alley lead to a medical practicioners office. Graffion left Tesa there for only a few moments, moving into the building. He returned a few moments later and picked Tesa up, bringing her into the building as well.
"Last time I was on a job here, I was wounded. Purely because of a mechanical mis-calculation, I assure you, but still wounded. Ajarr Kathanth assisted me. He's agreed to run a scan on the poison to make sure that nothing is lethal, with the assurity that if he tells anybody about this, he'll not die a very boring death."
Five minutes later, Tesa found her self in a private doctor's office, being scanned on some strange machine, the doctor, a Selkath, approached, "The poison locks up neural receivers, blocking the dendrites from communicating Acetylcholine throughout the body, immobilizing the user. Sometimes resulting in temporary memory loss, but rarely."
Graffion stared at him impatiently for a moment, then the Selkath continued to babble on about the effects,
"Ajarr!" Graffion suddenly snapped.
The Selkath flinched at Graffion's rage, "It is a light paralysis. Nothing lethal." Ajarr Kathanth was normally unperturbed by any patient, but Graffion Maruhuey obviously discomfoted him; that, and he'd never seen Graffion lose his cool, despite being irritated in the past. It threw Ajarr for a loop, proving to him that something was making Graffion more iritable than normal; perhaps even nervous?
"What can be done?" Graffion asked.
"The paralysis will wear off in time." The Selkath stated.
"How long?"
"Two weeks, tops."
At this statement Graffion stopped talking, obviously concentrating very hard on a "What the hell do I do now?" plan.
"Of course, I can always inject her Seratonin and Endorphins, which will open up her Neural pathways and cure the problem in a matter of minutes."
Obvious relief washed over Graffion, "Do it; quickly." He stated.
The doctor turned around, reaching for a needle that he'd had prepared. He walked toward Tesa, who was lying down on a table next to one of his machines, and said, "Now, this will sting for a bit, but in five minutes you'll be able to move again!"
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Squee
The Keeper
2,286 posts
95 likes
I am Deception, and I defy your holiest moralities.
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last online Oct 24, 2016 0:33:56 GMT -5
Master
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Aug 25, 2010 2:29:04 GMT -5
Post by Squee on Aug 25, 2010 2:29:04 GMT -5
He’d gotten her out of the building, but Tesa got him through the barrier. A quick tongue and fake credentials assured that. Graffion hadn’t had to speak at all, which was for the better. Someone could have recognized that Graffion’s voice was Bob’s voice, or whoever’s voice that was technically supposed to be in the suit. Security didn’t know she’d been paralyzed, though. Tesa’s excuse was she’d fallen down some stairs and bumped her head and that she believed her leg to be fractured. Though there was the offering to check her, she quickly denied the medical service and stated she had a personal doctor awaiting her arrival five minutes away.
Besides, she’d said, there were other people that were actually bleeding and an assassin to catch. A practiced, pleasant smile sealed that deal, and the person in charge told Graffion to escort (Ha! The word should have been ‘carry’) the “businesswoman” to her speeder and then to return. As if on instinct, Tesa began to bubble pleas to keep him until she could either return to her ship or her bodyguards could come to her. After a couple of exchanges, Graffion was assigned to Tesa until the former or latter occurred.
Once to the speeder, Tesa allowed Graffion to lead, who seemed intent on going to a certain place. At least, it’s what she gathered from sensing his emotions and attitude. The driver had seemed positively horrified that she was being carried, but Tesa smoothed all feathers once more and told the driver to follow Graffion’s directions.
Her position then changed from the speeder to the alleyway. Yes. The alleyway. He set her down in the alley. He couldn’t just take her into the practitioner’s office; he had to set her down on the nasty, disgusting, filthy ground that some garbage or hobo once rested upon. Gross. She’d given an exasperated sigh. At least he’s trying, she’d thought. She hadn’t had to wait long, because Graffion came and rescued her from the germ infested ground.
It bothered her, really, that she had to be picked up and carried places like some oversized baby. Every so often, Tesa could manage a twitch or a small shift… but not like twitches were the travel choice of the galaxy. Over and over, the images of what she could have done to Strae played in her head. It grinded at Tesa that some lowlife, little woman who thought she was the princess of bad had nicked her with a blasted needle. A woman who was terrified of the Force! Tesa wished for the fiftieth time that she’d grabbed Strae and beaten her near death before her paralysis.
Such thoughts entertained her as the practitioner looked her over. If she wasn’t going to be thrilled by a doctor, she might as well amuse herself. Once or twice, Tesa considered shifting her fingers subtly (if she could manage it) and make some objects in the room fall. Break. She needed an outlet for her frustration, and the presence of so many valuable, expensive devices and vials made the temptation almost unbearable. Tesa settled for a strange smile and glaring at the practitioner, who seemed somewhat perturbed. Then her mind drifted away to how bizarre it was that she’d gone from more frightened than irritated at her situation, to more annoyed and angry since she’d howled after Strae.
The practitioner finally stepped away, moving to speak with Graffion. The odd smile dropped from Tesa’s face as she listened in on the diagnosis. The fish-person’s voice was like nails across duracrete and it made her skin crawl, but she understood her condition between his ramblings. Graffion’s sudden bark in the middle startled Tesa as well as it did the practitioner, reacting by blinking hard once. Yet, she remained silent and listening as her eyes rolled up at the ceiling, glaring at the light until spots clouded her vision, meddlesome thoughts of exploding the bulb lingering in her mind.
The fishman was returning to her side, and in his hand was a syringe. Darling. As Fishman inserted the needle, Tesa said, “Whatever happened to the patient gets to make the decisions around here? Third parties excluded even if said patient is unconscious.” Tesa’s eyes shifted pointedly to Graffion, but the curl of her lips deceived the lawful offense of her voice. “I think I’m still conscious.”
Medical Fishman was correct: the contents of the syringe did sting quite a bit. Tesa even grimaced, but other than that gave no outward signs of pain. She closed her eyes, trying not to count the seconds passed so she can attempt to move. That heavy weightiness of her body started to dissolve and Tesa was beginning to feel her nerves connect with its surroundings again. A hard breath compressed her chest, released quickly in her growing excitement. She was awakening again!
Her hand flattened slowly against the table by its mistress’s command. As the drugs worked, Tesa started to slide her hands against the table, a triumphant gleam in her eyes, and Tesa nurtured the feeling of relief and happiness. Her fingers slowly curled into a loose fist, and then it flattened out faster than before. All her frustration could be released right now. Or she could wait and put a nice dent in the wall. Except, neither could she do in Graffion’s presence. Silly Kitty. You’re ruining every amusing thought I’ve entertained since you picked me up. Her mobile skills only increased, until she was bending her arms while laying down. The sting didn’t matter any longer. She could move! By now, that relief was displayed on her face.
Several minutes passed and Tesa managed to prop herself on her elbows and carefully flex each leg. A smile once more cursed her face, but Tesa couldn’t help it. It felt so nice to be able to move, even if she’d only been stagnant for maybe an hour. Most of the control had been restored to her power, and simply knowing she held power in the palms of her hands again brought so much peace to her mind. Goodbye nightmare!
Tesa took her time before swinging her legs over the side of the table. “So much better. Graffion…” she glanced up to meet the assassin’s gaze. She hesitated a moment, and then completed her thought, “Thank you.” That deed was complete. Next, she tested the strength of her arms, lifting her weight a couple of inches above the tabletop, before lowering back down, ready to test her legs. It was high time she got Graffion out of here.
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“Insanus!”
The shout was followed by a metallic clang just down the hall. Tesa frowned and gestured Graffion further into the ship before she depressed the button to raise the ramp. With haste, Tesa turned and strode down the hall, calling out: “Insanus, did you spray?” “Indeed, Mistress!” the avian droid suddenly came whirling down the hall, though he pulled up short of Tesa’s head. “And there are a few gizka’s about.”
“What was with the clang?”
“Momentary corruption of sensory perception: I ran into the door frame.”
Tesa sighed as she entered the cockpit. She leaned around the pilot’s chair, her fingers moving across the computer swiftly. “We need a new outfit?”
“It appears so, Mistress Tesa. I’m sorry to say this one appears to be a little flawed.”
“All righty then. Graffion, there’s going to be a bit of a delay.” Tesa eyes roamed across her computer data as she ran a swift systems check on the ship. She sat down. “Seems I must take a trip somewhere else before I can drop you off anywhere.” One finger rubbed her chin momentarily, as if in thought with her computer. Her attention suddenly shifted as she started the ship’s engine and cleared their take off. “But it’s a necessity. Have a few pests to take care of. I'll say more later.”
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