A Second Opinion

[Hazel Zanteres]

At some point Hazel had just let herself fall under the spell, the swirling mix of music, atmosphere and the presence of her dancing partner.

They moved to the beat, shifting apart and closing in at seemingly random intervals. And no matter what the Hapan did, [member="Carach"] was right there mirroring her.

There was a moment where Hazel thoughts lingered beyond the little bubble that had wrapped itself around them. Wondered if they had attracted an audience, as an odd pair they were to the faintest eye.

She didn't care about them if they were, but she knew there was at least one person watching. And as the duo spun, she glanced over at the bar where [member="Irajah Ven"] was sat, catching the doctor's eye with a smirk before Carach pulled her back into his embrace.

The music had reached its peak, and Hazel found herself staring back at those amber eyes. It became incredibly clear to her how palpable the tension was, a build up of electricity that was threatening to spark at any moment. She let out a shudder as she felt Carach's breath wash over her with his sudden proximity. The heat of his lips a mere whisper away from her own, and she barely had a chance to speak before he had captured them.

Hazel hummed contently, feeling the burning hunger in the kiss, which she returned with equal fervor. She watched as his eyes closed, and her light blue ones fluttered shut seconds after.

 

[Kuzo]

As the two danced, Irajah watched. Sometimes out of the corner of her eye, but as the bartender kept refreshing her drink more and more ostensibly. And that smug grin grew as she relaxed against the bar, stirring the most recent (this one a particularly virulent shade of green) drink.

And when they kissed?

Oh yes, this had been a good deed. The fact that she would be going back to her apartment tonight alone (she didn't really consider Samson *company* in this fashion) was entirely fine with her.

Tilting her head to the bartender, she smiled indulgently at him.

"I'll take the tab," she said with a smirk. "I don't think those two are going to be drinking much more tonight."

Hopefully they would be too busy to be thinking of alcohol.

Time to slip out.

[member="Hazel Zanteres"] [member="Carach"]

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Irajah Ven"] | [member="Hazel Zanteres"]​

​

From there it was a haze of movements, bodies hitched against one another while they swayed against the tune of the moment.

Strange how the Sith Lord went from dancing, to kissing, to suddenly leaning against the bar between Irajah and the exit. Hazel was following him out of the floor and both of them were slightly short of breath. But not enough that Carach couldn't grin, sharp hunting glance in the eye, as he studied Irajah. Sometimes it surprised him how small she really was compared to him.

Sometimes it made things a challenge.

"Oh? I wasn't aware I gave you leave to... leave." The smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and it was clear he was teasing her gently. "Why don't we all go to my place?"

The glance went from Ven to Hazel, gauging her reaction to that suggestion.

He already knew that more likely than not Irajah would be supportive - after all, this wasn't the first time such a suggestion had been made and accepted, before turning into a night of wonder for the two of them.

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

There was not much more Hazel could do but move with the flow, not that she was exactly going to complain about it, especially with what was inevitably to follow from this.

That and the other side to the Hapan was beginning to show itself, in the form of a quick nip against the Sith's lips before they parted ways and moved to intercept Irajah.

Hazel caught Carach's glance and smirked, it was all the answer that was needed.

But she was also one to have her moments, a decision to add a little something more.

As such, she sauntered up to Irajah's side and leaned down to whisper something in the woman's ear.

"After all, I do need to show you how grateful I am." Afterwards she stood up straight, looking at Irajah with a sly grin, almost akin to that of a hungry wolf.

She then looked back over at Carach. "Lead the way."

[member="Irajah Ven"] | [member="Carach"]​

 

[Kuzo]

Irajah was in that place where alcohol made everything easier then it ever actually was. It was a good place, a smooth place, all warmth and rounded edges. So [member="Carach"]'s sudden appearance before her wasn't particularly startling. Oh, he could surprise her, and often did, but she could feel the roil through the air before he appeared and she pulled up short with a small smirk on her face. The sudden reddening of her cheeks however betrayed the effect that had on the petite woman- his presence yes, but also the choice of words.

"You know I love your invitations, but I don't want to horn in on-"

But [member="Hazel Zanteres"]'s breath on her ear stopped that cold. She turned her head ever so slightly, her eyes traveling up and down the length of the taller woman for a heartbeat before lingering on her lips.

"Oh. Oh."

It was not the first time Irajah had been between Carach and a gorgeous woman, on the receiving end of such incredibly delicious looks. Her face heated, and instead of answering further with words, she nodded. It was all she trusted herself to do in that moment.

Arms slid around waists, promises murmured in ears, and the trio left the club for a (temporarily) quieter locale.

 

[Jairus Starvald]

[member="Irajah Ven"] | [member="Hazel Zanteres"]​

​

The doors hissed shut and gone were both of them.

Carach sighed, before shaking his head in amusement while walking through his penthouse suite towards the large viewport dominating one side of the wall. It granted him an expansive view across the landscape of Maena, dark, the urbanization coiling into itself as a snake festering in the desert heat. Coffee was in his hand - offered to them, but they declined... test results? the Sith Lord had not pressed and understood they were in a hurry.

It was a pleasant night though, he mused softly to himself while taking a slip. Surprising in all the right ways and even Carach himself had a few lingering aches from it.

Not something he was used to.

His eyes closed and Carach stretched himself out through the aerial expanse, briefly his mind touched Irajah's again. It wasn't intrusive this time, not like the tugging of memories the last night. An invitation of words exchanged once the permission was granted by the recipient.

"Our mutual friend is almost ready with your new host." The Sith Lord's voice would filter through her mind. "We will free you soon enough, Raj."

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

While the offer of coffee had been inticing after the tiring night, Hazel had to decline it along with Irajah.

The events of the past several hours had certainly done its job in taking the Hapan's mind of current events, to such a degree that she had to be reminded by the shorter woman that the test results were likely done.

It had admittedly put a bit of a damper on the morning mood, at least initially anyway. Though nothing could be helped about it, that steady build-up of anxiety from when she first arrived on Maena was inevitable in the Hapan. But she tried to push it aside, turn her thoughts to the the night that had just passed.

The night had certainly been particularly revealing, both Irajah and Carach got to see the numerous scars that littered her body. Her brief moment of lowering her healing before had ensured they were permanently there, impossible to hide underneath the healing now. Though thankfully they hadn't just immediately returned to their normal state. Instead, all of them were merely looked like discoloured lines tattooing her skin. Especially the more deeper and intense ones. Although the markings and scars around her neck were quite clear, and it probably wouldn't have taken the other two long to clue in on what likely caused it.

Other than that, she also got a good look Carach's scars and the tattoo that covered his entire back. Even Irajah had own bruises and scars across various points of her body. The latter of which Hazel was the most curious about, because even she could tell that her scars were not just caused at random, but were instead intentional cuts. However, Hazel didn't inquire about them, despite how much she admittedly wanted to.

Now though, the two doctor's were making there way from the Sith Lord's suite and back towards Irajah's lab in the facility. Hazel had her night of fantasy and pleasure, now it was time to face reality again.

[member="Irajah Ven"] | [member="Carach"]​

 

[Kuzo]

Always the happy little hedonist, Raj had enjoyed the previous evening. Diverting, to be sure, though she'd curled up and fallen asleep before the other two by no small margin. She tired so easily these days, nothing like when she had first met Carach. And she knew the difference in those times, between then and now, had not been lost on her friend. As if on cue, his words came knocking. While he hadn't commented at the time beyond the slightest arch of an eyebrow, his awareness of just how far her body was failing her was clear. Concern? In his way. There were very few expectations between them, after all. Affection, to be sure, but it did not go beyond that for either of them. She acknowledged with a mental equivalent of nod and a brief touch before letting the connection go again.

Well, as far as putting it down was truly possible anymore. She smirked to herself a little bit.

She was perfectly relaxed this morning. There was discomfort or awkwardness as the two women traveled from night time interactions and back into the lab. Irajah transitioned between the two without a hitch once they reached her primary lab.

The test results had been ready around dawn, but she hadn't rushed them out of there, not immediately. After all, what would an extra hour or two have brought.

As her eyes scanned the screen, the set of her lips drew grim. It was what she had expected, in truth. And it explained why the previous tests had turned up so very little.

Normally, she would have explained the results, simplifying it as needed for the patient. This patient, however, didn't need that. With a meaningful look, Irajah stepped away from the console, letting [member="Hazel Zanteres"] take a seat.

Sitting, after all, would be best.

 

[Hazel Zanteres]

Hazel was tense, it was impossible not to see it. Though it wasn't as bad as it had been when she first arrived on Maena, but nor was it the more enjoyable type that had ramped up the night before.

She had been on the other side of this plenty of times, seeing the look in the eyes and the shake in the body of a patient awaiting results. And on the rare occasion she had been on that side too. The last had been after being recused from the Hutt, followed by the recurring tests of the years. Though it became less impactful over the years, until now anyway. Ultimately though, it meant she knew the look [member="Irajah Ven"] had given her. That sparing moment as the shorter woman moved from the seat, and the two locked eyes.

The Hapan gave her a thankful nod, before sitting down at the console.

For a moment she didn't dare look at the screen, instead took a deep breath, her back becoming rigid as she finally lifted her gaze to the screen.

Almost immediately you could see the shift in Hazel's skin, becoming steadily pale as her eyes flickered left and right, absorbing everything she could.

"W-what...no-" She was at a loss of words as the revelation finally hit her.

The results were not what she was expecting, though part of wasn't sure what she had thought would be there. It painted a clear picture to her, of a disease that had mutated a lot earlier than she previously thought. It hadn't changed on Hoylin, and whatever had happened there now was a mystery to Hazel. Instead what she originally thought was completely wrong, and the disease had in fact effected her on a genetic level, starting back years ago.

"How..." The single word came out as a both a hiss, but also a whimper. And it was a good thing she had been sitting, because Hazel had promptly slumped down and back into the seat. She closed her eyes as she felt them sting with tears and brought her hand up, pinching the bridge of her nose to stem the tide. "A retrovirus...how the karking hell did that go unaware for so long."

 

[Kuzo]

"It would have been easy to over look," Irajah said quietly, gently as she laid a hand on Hazel's shoulder. "The virus itself is long gone. But what it left behind wasn't triggered until recently. And by that time, well."

She didn't say 'it was too late.' But it hung in the air. If the changes to her DNA had been detected earlier, could more have been done? Possibly. There was no use in belaboring that now, however. What was done was done.

"You had no reason to check for a genetic anomaly," she assured [member="Hazel Zanteres"]. Confirmation bias was such a wretch. The woman had known keenly that all of the trouble had started when she had been injected by that poison. Why then, look at her own body as the culprit after that? No reason whatsoever. If the situations had been reversed, Irajah would never have considered it herself. It was only a fresh pair of eyes, without the weight of that particular illness that had allowed her to see it.

It was why she had invited others into her research. The fact that they had found nothing further.....

Irajah shook her head, setting it aside for the moment. It was good that Hazel had come now. Because soon, she would be shutting down her labs here. In a couple weeks, she wouldn't have had the resources to find these answers. Will of the Force? She had no idea.

Pulling up a stool, she settled down beside the other woman. She knew what it meant to receive bad news. To have something that wanted to destroy you staring up at you from the screen.

At the least, Raj didn't have to let her sit with it alone.