A Little PR Goes Far

[Yijun Tung]

[SIZE=10pt]Galactic City, Coruscant
Yijun Capital Corporate Office
10:56a[/SIZE]​

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[SIZE=10pt]Located within the financial core of Galactic City, Yijun Capital’s offices are nestled among branches of some of the Galaxy’s largest and most trusted banking firms. From the outside the relatively small investment bank’s headquarters appears modest, especially considering the objectively vast wealth the business generates. The inside, however, reveals the company’s riches. Most of the walls are a porcelain white, complimented by brushed gunmetal or matte black trimmings and outlining. The front desk and assorted end tables of the lobby are crafted out of an ash grey wood while the furniture itself is solid black, completing the interior’s monochrome aesthetics. Four Watchman Mk. I Security Droids, each with the yellow ‘YC’ logo pained on their chest, stand idly in the foyer ready to engage any threats that may present themselves. The front desk secretary, a young and beautiful Atrisian woman, sits quietly behind her computer listening to the gentle piano music that fills the room from a unseen sound system. A keen eye would notice the tip of the tail from a golden dragon tattoo emerging from her collar.[/SIZE]

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[SIZE=10pt]At the top floor of the small tower the CEO, Yijun Tung, toils away in his office. The room is similarly luxurious to the rest of the complex, but less minimalist in design and possessing significantly more colour. While many of the decorations present are to be expected in a corporate setting; a liquor cabinet, a few potted plants and comfortable lounge for either himself or his guests for example; an ornate Jar'Kai dueling sword stands out, resting on a horizontal wall display above the executive officer's desk.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Many things were in the works in both Tung's legitimate world of business and behind the scenes, and he had found himself happily busy the last few weeks working to ensure these interests were on track for success. Lost in focus, he is caught off guard by the holo-messenger on his desk going off. Reaching over to accept the incoming call, the bust of the woman at the front desk is cast forward in a shrunken blue light projection.

“Mr. Yijun,” her voice is soft but lacks an Atrisian accent, suggesting she may have been born elsewhere “Ms. Stroud, your 11am appointment, has arrived.”

He had almost forgotten about his scheduled meeting with [member="Ivory Stroud"]. He was aware of the woman in the criminal underworld from her position within the Family – a shadow organization that had established friendly relations with the Tsukasa Gokudō. Because of this, he didn’t hesitate to hear her out when she approached his office to discuss some form of donation to a developing non-profit organization. While the cause – an animal sanctuary of some sort, if he recalled correctly – was not something he had particularly strong feelings towards, it was an opportunity to build a valuable connection and the press would surely eat it up.

“Thank you Su-Yun. Please send her up immediately.” Disconnecting from the call, Tung turns back to his terminal and begins to exit the files he had been reviewing for an upcoming business meeting with the CEO of [/SIZE]Locke & Key Mechanics[SIZE=10pt], anticipating her arrival within a few minutes from the elevator that lead directly to his office. He glances away from his screen once more to look across the room at the grey Momong curled up on the couch, roughly as large as a medium-sized dog. [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]"You best behave, Hanu," he jokes with a smile, knowing the animal to be mostly harmless. [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt]The creature's massive ears twitch at it's name being mentioned and it lets out a tired chirp in response.[/SIZE]

 

[Crocell]

"He'll see you now." ​

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The voice drew her back to reality.​

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Turning her head, she sought the woman out; seated as she was in a well-decorated waiting area, she need-only seek out the woman at the desk to meet her gaze. Ivory stood from her chair, giving the woman a curt nod.. Striding from the waiting area. She was dressed classily - were it not for her hair, unusually colored eyes, and jewelry, she might have appeared more to be a business woman. As it was, even with her tight skirt (which accentuated her athletic figure) and heels (colored white & black), she would always earn a second glance wherever she tread. Among the rings on her fingers and a number of piercings, around her neck was draped a rare item... a small stone, softly shimmering with its' own internal glow. A royal color, deep purple, gave the stone a mysterious & arcane air, but it was only a Kyber Crystal.​

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It did not take her long to arrive on the second floor. The lift was quick, spitting her back out into a higher floor in the modest (yet all-the-same impressive) building. It was not difficult to find the XO's Office.​

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She stepped through the door, finding herself in a world of creature comforts. While she'd believed the "man in charge" would be someone like her, she hadnt' counted on the intimate nature of the room... Certainly nothing like the Red Lantern and her meeting with the Oyabun of the Gokudo - there was a place with an eye for minimalism. Simplicity. Organization.​

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This office seemed quite the opposite.​

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First, her gaze caught the man she'd come to see... [member="Yijun Tung"] had been recommended to her as the Oyabun's Saiko-Komon... his Advisor, and second in command. Foregoing the cold demeanor she'd held on her brief trip up, her eyes brightened somewhat and she allowed a smile. The second thing she noticed was the Momong lying nearby... the primates were carnivores and could be troublemakers, but they were relatively harmless. Tung seemed to be a man who appreciated comfort more than appearances. She bowed to the Saiko-Komon... Underboss to Underboss.​

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"It's a pleasure to meet you." She said, in perfect Atrisian. She bowed, choosing the more masculine movement over the feminine one.​

 

[Yijun Tung]

Tung raises from his seat leisurely as the door to his office opens and he offers a simple bow in return. Hearing his native Xiaolang dialect spoken certainly surprised him, especially with it's tonal quirks done properly. He lifts his head to reveal a kind smile "The pleasure is mine. It is not everyday I see someone like yourself speak Xiaolang so fluently," he comments in Basic, his accent nearly hidden from years of practice "I have been told it is a complicated language for foreigners. But then, I have heard complicated things do not dissuade you."

Buttoning his red suit jacket, he steps around his desk and gestures to the couch at his left "Please Ms. Stroud, make yourself comfortable. And do not mind Hanu, he was trained by Blackthorne. Very well behaved, they've assured." He offers another smile and begins to make his way in [member="Ivory Stroud"]'s direction. "May I offer you a drink?" he asks, motioning beyond her to indicate he is heading to the liquor cabinet just next to the entrance of the room "Veronian berry wine? Emerald? Domaine?" he raises a brow as he lists the last, an expensive wine from the vineyards of Naboo. The glow of the kyber crystal ring catches his attention as he passes, but he pays it no immediate attention outside of an intrigued glance. "Something stronger, perhaps?"

 

[Crocell]

Ivory gave him a bright smile, perfect teeth radiant in the soft lighting of the room. At his mention of her particularly tenacious nature, she gave a twinkling laugh. Relaxing, she took a few more steps into the office, looking around the room... not too cluttered, but not overly sterilized. She stepped down the small staircase into the center-most portion of the room, where [member="Yijun Tung"] waited. "Thank you, a glass of Domaine would be lovely." She spoke, eyebrows raised. For the space of a heartbeat, she might have seemed surprised; she had entered this building expecting to be met by a cold facade... not to be greeted in such a warm fashion.

Be that as it may, she recovered quickly. "It would have been, if I'd learned it." As she stepped toward the couch to appropriate a seat, she continued, "I've never actually been... this close... to a Momong before." Violet eyes sparkled with amusement as she sat beside the ape-like creature. She kept her volume low and her movements slow & measured... not out of paranoia, but out of a measure of kindness, not wanting to spook the creature.

After a moment, she turned her gaze to the man nearby. "Can... I pet it?" She asked, curiousity outweighing discretion.

 

[Yijun Tung]

Her response was a curious one that paved the way to more questions than it did answers. Alas, their meeting today was not in regard to the fine lady's linguistic abilities. Questions for another time, perhaps. He casts a glance over his shoulder as he pulls the strange, elongated bottle of Domaine de la Maison sur le Lac off the rack and prepares the glasses, listening to [member="Ivory Stroud"]'s further comments and questions.

Hanu's ears fan out as she nears and he pulls his head from his lap as she takes a seat, opening his solid green eyes to watch her. The creature's narrow nose visible twitches with each sniffs of the air, but it shows no indication of moving. "He is harmless," Tung calls out in assurance as he pours the second glass "but clever. So I can't say he's not dangerous, I suppose" he chuckles to himself, barely audible from the distance "but I'm sure he would love the attention. Void knows he hates watching me sit at my desk all day."

At that he turns around with two glasses in his hands and makes his way back down the set of steps, returning to where Ivory now waited for him. He sets a glass on a coaster at the table and pairs the motion with a simple bow, then walks around to sit in the lone chair that shares the area. "Well, Ms. Stroud, it seems an appropriate segue into our topic of this morning; an animal sanctuary, correct?"

 

[Crocell]

Ivory's hand stretched out, once she was seated, tentatively stretching her fingers to pet the Momoa across the top of his head. It's large, beautiful eyes flicked open quicker than a blaster shot, focused intently on her face.. and she met it's gaze with the smallest smile on her lips. The creature gave a soft twitter of approval as she gently scratched between it's ears, and after a moment, Hanu's eyes closed once again, contentedly purring.

With a smile, she turned to watch [member="Yijun Tung"] approach with two glasses of wine and join her in the small sitting area. She took the preoffered glass from the man, swirling it before bringing it to her nose. She sniffed, and her palate flared.

"That's correct..." She responded, lifting her eyes from the glass to watch her host.

"An animal shelter, as well as a Zoo, of sorts - primarily housing animals we've either rescued or have been brought to us for safe-keeping. The idea is, that we provide them a safe & secure living environment as similar to their own natural habitats as possible... for eventual return into the wild, should that be feasible. Other creatures, perhaps the more predatory types, would be allowed to roam within specially designed pens. The complex would be... larger than others you might have seen. We're planning ahead."

She gave the man a clever smirk, then brought her glass to her lips, taking a sip of the expensive & delicious wine. It was superb.

"During my first... introduction... to the Family, we were actually forced to deal with a Rancor as part of our initiation. The beast was... confined... but had gotten loose in a fashion, and would have been quite dangerous to us were it not for the assistance of a Dathomirian Witch with experience handling the beasts. At the time, we believed it would be unwise to cause harm to it... and it turned out we were correct. The Donna has a very strict policy against harming animals for reasons other than absolute necessity."

 

[Yijun Tung]

The idea was interesting. Not something he'd think to do himself or otherwise give any attention to. Innocent. He nods along as he mulls the concept being explained, using the time to also take a sip from his glass. Normally he'd save this particular wine for special occasions, but he wouldn't be the one to deny the woman her choice. In truth, the unexpected opportunity to enjoy such a delicacy had him thrilled.

When [member="Ivory Stroud"] brings up the subject of the Family so openly and casually, a corner of Tung's mouth curls to a smirk. He had anticipated such things to be danced around despite their mutual understanding; the realisation that energy would not have to be spent in an unnecessary game of clever wordplay was appreciated.

"Well, it's certainly a unique endeavour," he begins in response "a respectable cause for anyone to undertake. If you don't mind my asking," he swirls the glass in his hands "is there a reason you intend the facility to the larger?" He was curious about the whole thing. At a surface level it sounded like a strange cause for the Family to tackle. But, sometimes activism for a cause could be as surface level as it sounded.

 

[Crocell]

Ivory's fingers curled up and over the top of the Momoa's ear, toying with it.. and the creature gave a sigh before suddenly shifting it's body closer to the beautiful woman.

She watched Hanu for a few moments before responding, shifting her eyes toward [member="Yijun Tung"]. "To be honest... we are merely planning ahead." She took a breath, letting it out slowly before bringing her glass once more to her lips. The smooth body of the expensive wine made her nose tingle, and warmed her body from within.. "There is actually no other reason, except that we expect to be bringing in a number of creatures the Galaxy would otherwise deem... irrecoverable. You see," Ivory explained, gesturing with her free hand, "While it might be hard to believe, The Family has no ulterior motive for such a creation... It is born purely from a desire to see the Galaxy's oft-misunderstood & forgotten victims kept safe. Some, such as Rancors, or Vornskyr, would be terminated on account of their behavior... when, by no fault of their own, they are simply creatures of instinct. Rather than that, this sanctuary would provide a place for them... and many others besides. They would be fed, sheltered, protected... and Dohmus Prime would thus be protected from them."

She gave Tung a smile, returning to gently scratching the Momoa's head.

"The intriguing part is, that Dohmus Prime is only inhabited by a small number of civilized cities & outlying areas... Much of the planet is entirely undeveloped, natural. And ours to use as we see fit."

 

[Yijun Tung]

In truth, Tung was surprised that the entire thing was exactly as it appeared. It was odd to him, but then again he had never been much of an activist for anything in his life. Growing up in the Narrows there wasn't much time to think about anything other than his own survival and in his current position, well, his mind was occupied trying to ensure continued successes for himself and those who helped him put survival at the back of his mind.

He takes another sip of the wine and lets it linger in his mouth before swallowing, exercising patience to prolong his enjoyment of the fine beverage. "I think it's fair to say that I'm for the protection of wildlife as much as the next guy," he replies once he's sure [member="Ivory Stroud"] was done speaking. His eyes glance to the woman's hand scratching at his pet's ear, bringing a soft smile to his face in his pause "unnecessary cruelty is, well," he exhales a snicker, holding his hands out loosely while shaking his head "it's exactly that; unnecessary."

"It's a good cause," he nods, his eyes breaking away to aimlessly look about the room "Simple. And I admire the sentiment of it. From my position I'd have no risk; with a donation I can not only aid my allies in a noble cause, but gain some positive publicity for the firm in the process. I think it's no surprise that this is not usually the case when I allocate resources toward helping friends" his eyes return to Ivory with devilish grin and he raises his glass "I would call that a textbook win-win situation, Ms. Stroud." He takes another drink as if to celebrate their distant cheers of glasses "Whenever you have the numbers you'll need let my office know. I will do my best to see the amount arrive in the sanctuary's account."

With a gentle swirl of what remains of his drink he leans forward to set the near empty glass down on a coaster. Tung stays hunched forward, his hands clasped together and elbows resting on his knees, drumming his thumbs together while very obviously toiling over further thoughts. "But perhaps," he breaks his silence, his gaze shooting back to meet Ivory's with a more focused demeanor it had lacked before "we could discuss this Dohmus Prime some more?"

 

[Crocell]

Ivory agreed with her companion's assessment; "No Risk, All Reward." was how she might have explained it. She continued to scratch at the Momoa's ear, enjoying the content purring of the simian creature, steadily watching [member="Yijun Tung"] as he reasoned out his position. She offered him a grin, raising her glass and drinking, finishing off her serving of the exquisite & luxurious vino. "I am very glad to hear it... and I know The Family will, as well."

Her eyebrows raised as the Atrisian mentioned the Family's home planet. Some things, she might say... but others, she might not.

"What would you like to know?" She asked, veiling a flutter of concern behind a conversational tone.

 

[Yijun Tung]

It was rare that Hanu received so much attention from Tung's guests. Most were either too nervous to put themselves near an exotic creature, or too occupied by the criminal businessman's presence to pay the momong attention. It was certainly evident to the Atrisian that his pet had taken a liking to the Underboss.

"Nothing too personal," he affirms, familiar enough with the etiquette of their businesses to know not everything could be shared. Even considering their alliance. "But, some of my sources have mentioned the planet is quite difficult to reach."

Realizing that his initial change of tone may have been alarming to the woman he pauses his train of thought. Standing up, he interrupts the point he had been getting to with an unrelated question

"Another drink, Ivory? May I call you that?"

[member="Ivory Stroud"]​

 

[Crocell]

Deciding, in a heartbeat, that trust was earned... and to get it, she had to show it, Ivory offered her glass to her friend, [member="Yijun Tung"]. Their alliance aside, she found herself liking the Atrisian.. she'd been thrown, at first, expecting a cold & impenetrable man of guile, but she'd found him to be immediately disarming... Kind, even.

Similar to herself, she reasoned, and though it made her wary, she also respected it. The man knew how to play these games.

"Please, I'd love another."

As he moved to refresh their drinks, Ivory began speaking. "Yes, actually... Dohmus is quite difficult to reach, under most circumstances. I have heard it said that, to find a place that is lost, one must, themselves, be lost. It's a beautiful system, of course.. Smaller than others, concealed from scanners and self-sufficient... mostly."

Long, delicate fingers tipped with nails painted crimson toyed with the beautiful glowing stone which hung near her throat. She shifted in her seat, becoming more comfortable, and glancing slowly about the room - taking more time to analyze, evaluate, and hopefully understand something about the man she'd come to visit. "It's been under our control for some time.. though control might not be the best word. Stewardship, I suppose, would be better. It's a beautiful planet.. with it's own sun, it's own water and trees, sprawling land which is barely touched... with some, unexplored even by those we employ. It's... quite the place. Creatures you've never seen before, Tung." With a glint of humor in her eye, she looked at the Atrisian, her tone confident. The things she'd seen had surprised even her.