Private Cloak of Deception

[Judah Dashiell]

"Go ahead and sit down, no need to stand and test your limits. We're about to eat anyway."

Judah waited to speak until the sound of plates and utensils being procured had subsided a little. No need to shout when she was right behind him.

"Yes. He's back at it now that graduation from university is complete. I think he's disappointed by the fact but won't voice it."

Food was being brought from the oven and he worked on dividing out portions as he talked.

"Makai makes all the decisions now on where and what type of mines will be built. A lot of pressure to get it right, a mistake would be extremely costly."

In Judahs opinion, he was no where near ready to take over the mining side of the operation from Mr.Zej. Typical impatient youth energy.

"If all goes well I'll let him have full control of the mining side in five to seven years. If he focuses on what's ahead."

 

[Azula Tindara]

Oh parenting stuff, she thought to herself. It was nice to see that he cared about the path Makai followed, but could not help but wonder what it was going to be like working with him.

"I guess he might have just come from university, but he's getting it right so far?" She asked.

The question, delivered as she sat down, had two purposes. She could gauge how competent the young man was and also offered up that he could continue the flow of the conversation.

Azula might not have held an interest in the young man's life, but she was interested in Judah's. This was a part of that.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Food was placed in front of her, along with a fresh top up of wine. Bottle was left as he got himself a glass of still water.

Eyes scanned the area to make sure nothing was left behind, if they needed any condiments or butter. Looking satisfied with the final result, he came to sit beside her.

"About your question...it's complicated."

Fork speared a piece of vegetable gratin as he thought.

"I suppose. A little early to gauge profitability on some calls. I probably won't know for a fiscal year or so if something is working. The mining side is a little more cautious than our salvage side."

"Makai wasn't sure if he wanted university but I sent him anyway. I didn't get that experience and figured he could use four years to get his mind off the business. I think now that he's back he probably wanted to do something else since he's done this before. Only difference now is he has the final say in all decisions."

 

[Azula Tindara]

His gaze sweat the area, hers stayed fixed on the steak before her. She cut a thin slice. Caramelised crust, pink all the way through.

She made a soft sound of longing and forgot to comment on the garnish in his transparent glass.

Azula finished chewing the first piece of steak before her eyes rolled back down and she took a few seconds to actually process what he had said. She covered her mouth as she finished chewing. She looked apologetic for the expression she had pulled.

"I bet four years was a good time to... You know...get to know himself and other people? You trust him with this stuff so he must be doing alright."

The aggressive action of the serrated knife on her plate suggested that a brief: "This is great steak," might be the last words she said for a few minutes.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Judah watched her aggressively cut the piece of meat as if she hadn't eaten in days. Part of him felt as if he needed to give up half his portion at this point.

"I suppose it did. Good to get out and have a different experience. Different perspectives."

Steak was consumed in silence for a few moments, well, besides the eager cutting on Miss Tin'daras part.

"Something to keep in mind while you're out there. I'm considering putting in a regional headquarters for mining and salvage. I'd like your thoughts on the feasibility as well as any pitfalls in terms of organized crime or distance."

 

[Azula Tindara]

Azula nodded along, one hand covering her mouth as she chewed. Eyes showed appreciation for the food even as she listened to him.

She paused her eating, letting her steak knife drape from her fingers in a rather poor display of table etiquette.

"Work out who might hold sway in the area...or would try to if they got wins of your op? That kind of thing?"

Realising she was gesticulating with a steak knife, she placed it carefully back down on her plate.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Judah wasn't concerned with the knife being waved around. Typically it was when it was being tossed at or stabbed in his general direction did he worry.

"Exactly. If someone is there on an outpost, we can either work on with them or perhaps pay to have them relocate. That's only if something is serious and will bring in credits."

"More concerned with someone thinking they can strongarm the corporation into something. Little do they know, it's not going to happen. The more we can avoid the less headaches later."

 

[Azula Tindara]

"Alright," Azula said.

She said the single word with an air of finality. She had told him that she would take him up on this offer. Working through the description of the job had reached a point where she felt comfortable. Something she could do, something that was worth being paid for.

It was important to start things fresh in the right way, on an even footing.

"You really trust people don't you?" she asked.

"I mean, clearly not everyone. You'd be dead but..."

She wanted to say why me but couldn't quite bring herself to.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Judah was busy chewing on his steak when she asked her question and he nearly choked. It was a great question, but not one he was expecting today. Clearly he had been expecting a much more banal question.



"Are you sure I'm trusting or is it just a carefully constructed illusion I've created? Smoke and mirrors type of thing."



Eyebrows raised in a questioning gesture as he chewed another piece of meat.



"However, regardless of trusting or not, consistency is the key to trust. Your story has, from what I can tell, not veered too far in one direction or the other. Mostly true, I can assume, although every person stretches their reality there and there."



"So I would say by being consistent I can gauge that, for the most part, your experiences are real and your word is mostly truth."



"Anything you do around the company has built in guardrails, so I'm not very concerned on that front. Personal side of things, we will see if I make it through the next week without being maimed."

 

[Azula Tindara]

"Ah so the salvage business is actually a front for your sprawling criminal empire. You fed the information to my peers to ensure they'd chase me away and into your clutches," Azula said.

"Oh what a fool I have been," she laughed.

"The trick to lying is to be as close to something true, that could be made true, or has been true before so you can back it up. Lying has been like...breathing."

Azula let a scenario play out. One in which the gangs tracked her own. Would see turn her back on Judah and trust her own skills to slip away or would she turn to him for help?

She did not know.

"Maiming in a week? Seems unlikely. I always have a safe word. Sorry, that sounded funnier in my head."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Ah so the salvage business is actually a front for your sprawling criminal empire. You fed the information to my peers to ensure they'd chase me away and into your clutches," Azula said.

"You've figured it out, and in record time. You do know now this means I'll have to kill you. Well, not me, someone will dispatch you shortly. Can't have the secret out."

Judah was confident a salvage operation would be a great front for criminal enterprise, but mainly for stolen goods. Who was going to pick through piles of twisted wreckage? Maybe in the core worlds but out here folks were on their own.

"A safe word? It's good to know you let your victims live that long afterward. Here I pegged you as the black widow type."

 

[Azula Tindara]

"You've figured it out, and in record time. You do know now this means I'll have to kill you. Well, not me, someone will dispatch you shortly. Can't have the secret out."

"At least I got a good last meal first," Azula replied in jest, but she had clearly enjoyed it.

If her appetite was returning, she hoped that her healing was moving along. Soon she would feel well enough to draw upon the Force itself to help speed the process.

"A safe word? It's good to know you let your victims live that long afterward. Here I pegged you as the black widow type."

There was a little surprise on her face that she had gone there. She silently blamed the wine.

"Now why would I murder someone I was enjoying?" she laughed.

A lot of people had died by her hands, but she was no assassin. Her upbringing had been violent and her work dangerous.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"Now why would I murder someone I was enjoying?" she laughed.

"Hey, maybe it wasn't enjoyable. That can be frustrating."

He offered a weak shrug in response. Before he could get any further though, his comm began to buzz in his pocket. Carefully digging it out, Judah glanced at the contact information before looking back to his dinner companion.

"Excuse me one moment Miss Tin'dara."

Brow furrowed as he answered the call.

Mister Dashiell, sorry to bother you but I have some semi-urgent news. We've gotten leaked word that Firemane is imploding. Now Salacia has used them in the past but our analysts expect great turmoil in the company and on their planet. Word has it Elpsis Kerrigan has gone all but psychotic.

Judah got off the bar stool and moved behind the counter as he listened,working on putting a pot of caf on to perk.

Let's keep an eye on the situation. In the morning prepare the recruiters to offer their workers job offers for our Pancath Sector expansion. Sign on bonuses - do me a favor and try to poach the higher ups who may be on the fence.

If they want to come we're ready. I'll draw up a contract to ensure they will be in our services for at least two years. Don't need Firemane righting the ship and we get screwed over.

We'll discuss it more tomorrow. Set a meeting up for after lunch. We need to strike before Noah Corek or any other PMC gets word.

Understood, see you tomorrow Sir.

Judah slid the comm back and offered an apologetic smile to the Togruta.

"Sorry about that. Can't say work is ever done, besides this sounds like an opportunity to strike while the iron is hot. If we can get some of these soldiers..."

He trailed off, realizing there was rambling involved.

"Stay for caf? I don't really have any dessert, didn't plan that far ahead."

 

[Azula Tindara]

Azula was afforded a few minutes to sit on her own as Judah took an important call. The paranoid voice asked if she was being tested. A few sensitive details to see if she leaked them.

Azula put that aside. She'd always picked up a good read of people. For all their jokes, she was starting to think that they were making a start on honest, stable ground.

It gave her a clear moment to think about what she had been through and to think about what she wanted.

"Wish I could help," Azula said. "I could craft a manipulative holomail or two but I suspect a company this big has an entire division of headhunters. And besides, I don't even know what the employee benefits are."

"And as for caf, do you have any tea? But yes. It's yes, even if you don't have any tea," Azula replied. She looked up at Judah, briefly studying those lines across his brow and gave a slow nod.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"And as for caf, do you have any tea? But yes. It's yes, even if you don't have any tea," Azula replied. She looked up at Judah, briefly studying those lines across his brow and gave a slow nod.

Judah froze for a moment. He wasn't sure if he had heard correctly or was looking far too into the situation. Apparently Azula was enjoying his company but was it for conversation or something else? There had been an initial attraction but a lot of other had gotten in the way.

Or maybe he was reading far too much into it. From what he could tell, he was a bit older than Miss Tin'dara. Maybe she pitied him as some lonely, eccentric old man. In many ways, perhaps he was.

"Of course, can't attest to quality but I have some."

He rummaged around for a kettle for the stove, getting it situated before turning back to her.

"Back to the call... I doubt a hololetter is needed. I'd wager things will implode naturally. Let the in fighting take over. Not to sound cruel but the cream will rise to the top."

 

[Azula Tindara]

She found it quite endearing how much he froze at her turn of phrase. She curbed her natural inclination to tease him on the matter and simply let him busy himself finding a kettle.

Azula had made up her mind. She could let him ruminate on the way she had worded her reply and make up his own for a few minutes.

"Pretty big name. Firemane. What sectors of the business are you going to move on? Your BlasTechs of the Galaxy will come in with the big credits as soon as someone on their side gets wind and reaches out about a job."

 

[Judah Dashiell]

"You don't think Salacia has enough credits to woo any Firemane employees to our side? Granted, there's not as much as a Blastech or SoroSubb but still substantial."

Digging around in a cabinet, he procured the tea, and as he mentioned it was a bit of a variety in a small box.

"I just want their security employees. The Pancath Sector, if it pans out the way I think it will, is going to be the new mining headquarters. I'll need security to keep it safe enough, it's a fairly remote area. Can't persuade people to move their family there if there's cartel activity afoot."

Judah turned to prepare his caf and pour the hot water into a mug.

"Maybe there will also be a fire sale on their goods and I can luck out in other ways. It's all in the early stages so there's time."

Hot water was placed in front of her, along with sugar and milk.

"Anything else?"

 

[Azula Tindara]

She listen to his explanation. The words only sunk in so far. Azula knew that it wasn't just money, but careful maneuvering. Subcompanies and contracts and all kinds of boring things that she had never involved herself with.

She had become an expert in almost nothing. But she was an expert in learning quickly enough to present a passable knowledge in almost anything.

Anything else

Azula looked down the the mug. She chewed on one corner of her lip. A soft sigh felt much long that the scant second it occupied. A last step of a journey.

"Fuck it."

She stood tall, closed the distance between them. Slowly and deliberately, Azula took a gentle fistful of his tunic and drew him towards her.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

Fuck what?....oh....me.

Judah had been caught off guard, having raised a mug of caf to his lips just before Azula had pulled him in. He was able to just set it down before being completely drawn in.


He was oscillating between confusion and disbelief at this point. If someone had told him this was going to happen a sparse few weeks ago he would have laughed.


Last somewhat charged moment they had was at the Gala when Judah could have sworn she was going to kiss him. Instead he had been slightly chastised for drooling over her decolletage - which to be fair was true.


This time seemed different. More hints she had been trying to take interest in him rather than as a distraction.


Lips met hers in a kiss. Worst case scenario would be a slap across the face if he was reading the situation wrong.

 

[Azula Tindara]

He hadn't.

Azula wasn't passive, she returned the kiss with feverish intent. A soft sound - balanced half way between content satisfaction and anticipation for how this situation could unravel - bubbled up from the back of her throat.

The hand at his chest flattened, then pressed up and over his shoulder, drawing him closer. His body against hers was an enveloping embrace-- warm and comforting. She slowly relaxed to it.

Azula tilted her head, montrals pressing against him and deepened the kiss.

As she finally broke the kiss, she leaned back. Her hand roamed back up to the top of his shoulder. She looked up at him, breathing quickly, waiting for some words to form through the warm fog of her thoughts.

"Surely you're not surprised?" She asked breathlessly.