Business Unusual

[Zenva Vrotoa]

The Crimson Lady, an Enforcer of The Black Tie Syndicate, was all business tonight. Dressed in a black three piece suit, black heels that were just high enough to have most men eager to watch her walk away, and black leather gloves covering her crimson skinned hands; Zenva looked and felt like a professional "troubleshooter" again for the first time in years. She stood in a pool of light in the center of an otherwise dark warehouse on a mud ball of a planet known as Balosar. At her feet rested a half dozen or so men that had been guarding the place, each bound and unconscious. The warehouse, a cashe for a small narcotics ring, had just been taken over. Exactly how hostile of a take over wouldn't be clear until the former owner of the storage building arrived.

This was the worst part, the waiting. Yellow-red orbs flicked to the upper corner of the HUD built into her Amber Shadez. One and one half dull minutes had passed since she had last checked the time. The Zabrak sighed and switched the vision filters of her Shadez to thermal. Slowly she scanned the warehouse around her, picking out soldiers now and then. With another sigh she turned off her thermal filter and keyed her encrypted comm, "Charlie One and Three, exposed." She whispered. She named a few more designations, Delta Four, Echo Two and Seven. Still she smiled to herself, there were more than forty men hidden throughout the warehouse and she could only pinpoint those few. Without her thermal filter, the average naked eye would likely never have spotted even one of her Elites once they had crept into the deep shadows.

Zenva pulled a cigarette tin from the pocket of her coat, tucked one between her coal painted lips and pulled her lighter... lighter? A few moments of patting down pockets turned up nothing. "Gorram it!" She cursed audibly, taking the cigarette from her lips. "Every fething time I changed jackets I lose that gorram lighter." She flipped her comm off once more, knowing she had left a few of her men smiling.

With not else to do but wait for the leading lady of the local drug ring to arrive to check on the newest shipment, Zenva folded her arms across her moderate bust and continued to wait. Her toe started to tap a moment later.

[member="Saoirse Reyes"]

 

[Miya Ashera]

Business was not exactly thriving these days. She was still making a profit, but it was slimmer than it had been in the previous month. Aggression and tensions had been rising in the streets, and with it more acts of desperation. Her people were not paid to be heroes, and every now and then her modest business took a hit. She didn't have any other legs to stand on than this. If Tranquillity did poorly, Saoirse did poorly. The spice trade was risky, but up to this point the profits had outweighed those risks. It wasn't unheard of for Saoirse to enjoy a bit of the surplus either. After all, one had to properly quality check ones own product.

It was precisely this, checking in on the latest shipment, that brought Saoirse into the warehouse. She was not prepared for what she came to see. Saoirse came straight from working the bar. They'd stay open for much longer, but she was done bartending for the evening. Compared to Zenva, Saoirse was more lightly dressed, but still in her opinion with some level of class and style. Black was a common theme in her wardrobe, and this was no different. The outfit consisted of a black, tight skirt that reached halfway down her thighs, and a crop top proudly exposing her neck-tattoo. She'd thrown on a leather jacket with wide lapels on top.

The blonde firrerreo was completely oblivious to the small army waiting for her inside. They had done a good job, as Saoirse spotted no one. It soon became obvious that something was amiss. She saw the Zabrak and her employees all knocked out and tied up. Were they dead? Some of them clearly weren't, but she couldn't be sure about the others. "What's going on?" she called out as soon as she spotted her, her voice letting through an ounce more panic than she was comfortable revealing.

Her hand reached behind her back for a blaster, only to discover it was not there. Kark. She had gotten so accustomed to relying on others for muscle, and real firepower was rarely required. Tonight none of that did her any good. Kark. But even so, maybe she could take her? The red woman looked fit, and the fact that Saoirse was in a skirt would hold her back... But she wasn't the type to roll over. Was the other woman armed? One would think she had something, considering all of the beaten up buff guys at her feet.

"You got about ten seconds to explain yourself before I unleash hell" she threatened. When you don't have a good hand, bluff.

[member="Zenva Vrotoa"]

 

[Zenva Vrotoa]

Time passed at a dreadfully slow pace. Eventually toe tapping gave way to pacing, which in turn gave way to circling the unconscious men that lay in the lone pool of light about the Zabrak. Irritation came next. What the feth was taking this woman so long? Soon Zenva found herself squatted down beside one of the healthier looking guards, simply looking him over as she passed the time. Her stomach rumbled as she examined the man.

Before the Crimson Lady could further contemplate whether or not to eat the man before her, a voice called out through the warehouse. Yellow-red orbs flicked up to gaze at the woman walking toward her. A smile split her plump lips, serrated shark like teeth gleaming brilliant white in the dim light. "Status." She whispered into her comm. The reply came in less than a breath. "Single target. Exit secure."

Zenva stood, her arms to her sides in an almost welcoming gesture. Her voice carried across the warehouse, sweet and musical. "Miss Reyes, I'm so glad you are here. I was beginning to grow bored. As I only have about three seconds left to explain, I'll cut to the unleashing hell bit." The Zabrak's hands dipped into her coat and came back out with a pistol in each. In the space of three seconds she put a fifty caliber, armor piercing slug into each man's head. Her guns barely barked as the built-in sound suppression systems dulled the gunshots to something more like a loud cough rather than the thunderous report expected of a gun that large.

She turned her smile back to the fierce blonde, "Now are you sure we should continue to indulge your desire for violence or would you rather I keep talking? I'm partial to bloodshed personally but that would make coming here in person a waste of my time." She leveled one of her monstrous pistols at the Firrerreo's head. Even now she wore a sweet smile on her black lips.

[member="Saoirse Reyes"]

 

[Miya Ashera]

[member="Zenva Vrotoa"]

Miss Reyes. So she knew her name. And as if that wasn't enough, she just called her bluff... Kark. There was no hell to be unleashed. Whatever hell she possessed, the red woman had neatly gotten tied up and knocked down on the floor, scattered around her. When the bluff was called all pretence would be lost, and the weakness of her position become apparent.

Unlike Saoirse, this one was armed and now had her weapons drawn. Before a moment passed, she executed two men. Saoirse didn't remember their names, but she knew they worked for her. This lady was serious. She'd take lives just to make a point. What did she want with her? This was not a good situation to be in. Though Saoirse's expression tried to give nothing away, it was hard to mask the way her once tan skin changed into a silver-ish colour.

The gun that had taken a life mere moments before was now pointed at her own head. "Keep talking" Saoirse tried to sound unimpressed and unafraid but accomplished neither. At least she wasn't dead yet... That was good, right? Or maybe this one simply liked to draw these things out. Who had sent her? Who had Saoirse pissed off this time? The list was too long for her to try to figure out now.

"Why did you come here in person? Do I owe you money, or something?" she asked, attempting to understand the red woman's motivation, while figuring out how her own life expectancy was doing.

 

[Zenva Vrotoa]

The Crimson Lady laughed, a rich and musical sound that echoed through the seemingly empty warehouse. With a shrug of her shoulder, Zenva returned her pistols to their holsters beneath her coat. "That's a wise decision Miss Reyes" The name rolled from the Zabrak's lips with a purr. Her boredom had quickly became enjoyment and that new found pleasure left a sweet smile on Zenva's coal painted lips.

The Zabrak began to cross the room, her heels clicking an ominous tempo as she closed on the blonde near-human. Her head craned to one side slightly as she looked the woman over again, a curiosity crossing her expression. "You don't owe me money Miss Reyes" Again the name rolled off the Zabrak's tongue with a throaty purr. "If you had I would have sent you a notice of an overdue debt. Failure to pay me afterward would result in a more extreme course of action than I have demonstrated here tonight. A bombing perhaps or a series of fires, depending on the amount you owed me."

The Zabrak began to circle Saoirse, well out of easy reach. Her gaze trailing up and down the woman slowly. "Is that a blush Miss Reyes? I never can tell with Firrerreo."

[member="Saoirse Reyes"]

 

[Miya Ashera]

[member="Zenva Vrotoa"]

The Crimson Lady's laugh didn't do much for improving Saoirse's mood. She was losing face, power and control, all at once. Not a fan. Her pride made it hard for her to mask her emotional state in her facial expression. She felt like she was giving too much away, letting the other woman know that she had her precisely where she wanted. But when it all came down to it, didn't she already know that? All she managed was a dry smile in reply to the other's 'wise decision' comment, a smile that appeared sarcastic at best.

This operation had been excellently planned and executed. How this woman had taken out all her guards alone was the next question that came pressing to her mind. She had just ruthlessly executed two guys, but they had been defenceless. When they first encountered her they would not have been, however. Oh kark, she wasn't one of those crazy Jedi, was she? She didn't know if this was the kind of thing Jedi did for fun, but in honesty, if Saoirse had had Jedi powers she probably would have been doing the same thing as the woman standing across from her now. But best not jump to conclusions yet... She really had no idea who she was or what she was capable of.

Saoirse tensed up as the Zabrak started to pace around. There was just something about the way she said her last name that sent a light chill down her spine. It made her feel like a prey caught in a hunter's trap. Sadly, it was a very accurate description. "Then what?" she couldn't help but ask the question. What was this all about? She was being toyed with, that was for sure. "And how did you take out my people? I'd think that'd be tricky in those heels" Saoirse was really curious about this one. The heel comment was mostly about trying to seem like she wasn't worried, that she could keep the conversation going in a slightly testing tone.

Saoirse didn't move as the red woman circled her. Only her eyes followed her, her head turning to watch her every step. The exception was when she moved behind her, when Saoirse's head would turn to the opposite side awaiting to see her come up there. Again, it was about exuding confidence. Saoirse was a confident woman, but this situation was really testing her limits. Saoirse could feel her eyes all over her, examining her, evaluating her. The firrerreo comment set her off even further, and the silver tone of her skin deepened. "How do you know all these things about me? Who are you?" she demanded, although she was far from being in a position to be able to demand anything.

 

[Zenva Vrotoa]

The Crimson Lady circled Saoirse slowly, heels clicking a steady tattoo as she walked. There was no mistaking the predatory nature of the Zabrak, written plan as day to those who knew how to read a person. Yellow-red eyes flickered across the Firrerreo constantly, studying every inch of the woman. Assessing. Calculating. Every muscle in The Blood Matron's body was coiled, braced for a violent confrontation. It was only a question of when, not if, that confrontation would begin. In Zenva's mind, at least.

She listened without comment as the Firrerreo spoke, savoring the undertone of tension that filled the woman's voice. As she passed behind Saoirse there was a fleeting moment when the Firrerreo had to turn to track her. In that brief instant she stepped out of her shoes, seemingly without breaking stride. One moment she was circling, the next she was behind the Firrerreo speaking in Saoirse's ear, "Honesty," There and gone again. The Zabrak slipped away on silent feet, spinning out of easy reach in case the Firrerreo turned on her.

Zenva continued walking her circuit with deadly silent steps, unphased by her own bold behavior. "Does my choice in footwear matter in the slightest, Miss Reyes? I think you are trying to draw attention away from that charming silver blush of yours." Her coal black lips spread in a wicked smile as she passed in front of the Firrerreo drug dealer once more. Zenva continued to prowl around the woman, overly pleased with herself for how the evening was playing out.

"There's merit in your other questions so I'll endeavor to answer those properly." She paused in her stalking standing off to the Firrerreo's right side, though slightly in front of her. "I know many things about many people, Miss Reyes. I have connections throughout the galaxy's underworld, from shot callers in The Hutt Cartel, to the leadership of The Black Tie Syndicate, and dozens more besides. There are few people who operate in the shadows that I cannot learn something about." Her yellow-red gaze stayed fixed on Saoirse's while she let the woman process that information. Slowly she began to circle once more.

"The Black Tie Syndicate calls me "Crimson Lady." I find it somewhat humorous, don't you? Others know me by my title, "The Blood Matron." A title I have earned well, if I do say so myself." The Zabrak paused behind Saoirse, stepping into her heels before continuing to walk. "My name is Zenva Vrotoa, Matriarch of my Clan. I wonder, have you heard any of my names before, Miss Reyes?"

[member="Saoirse Reyes"]