Deals With the Devil

[Koda Berus]

Coruscant

Koda had been traveling recently with her new master. It was fun to say that. She had a master now. Nothing could exactly change that, other than the fact that she had a bounty on her head that she had only partly and indirectly notified her master of. He may not have all of his strength, but she hoped that if she were to be caught that he would attempt to find her and at least bring some help with him. Koda knew he could take care of himself, but she would feel better if he brought backup with him if someone ever did catch her.

Currently she had been walking downtown just enjoying a surprisingly nice day in Coruscant. The planet and her rarely had good days and she knew it was too good to be true, therefor, she kept her sabers and blasters on her. She couldn't take any chances.

Soon, she heard a commotion further down the street and she decided to take a look and see what was going on. Apparently there had been some sort of dance off/sing off. Koda watched for a little while before people then dragged her up on stage and then provoked her to sing for everyone. She hesitated for a second but then walked up to the microphone. Koda didn't sing very often, but she did when she was bored.

https://youtu.be/ZlH78Tm_oUk

~ [member="Vereshin"] ~

 

[Vereshin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzdmJbZQhdg​

​

Smoke lingered over the thick air of the urban cabaret and Vereshin pursued the night with the patrons of Coruscant. Masking his Force signature, he appeared the common civilian as he stalked the wayward Jedi known as Koda Berus. The TIE syndicate cut a deal with the Sith and tasked him with capturing Berus. Rain pounded outside and muted the deafening buzz of music and traffic. Taking in the fresh scent of the downpour, the Sith sorcerer sat on one of the front tables and watched Koda sing with anticipation. He found the music juvenile, painfully optimistic and ignored the song with a glass of vodka and a clove cigarette.

Communicating his presence to the singer, Vereshin maintained the illusion of a welcoming stranger and entranced her trust. He opted for civilian attire and wore a thick, long coat over a plain shirt with loose pants. They ended at the knee and tucked into socks with lace-up shoes. A scarf wrapped around his neck and sat inside the standing collar of his coat. The cigarette rested in his hand as he uttered incantations beneath his breath. He raised a hand to inhale on the white cylinder while he subdued Koda's mind and beckoned her into his control.

The singing contest drew to a close and the participants gathered to sign autographs for waiting patrons. Taking the last sip of vodka, Vereshin rose to his feet and watched the aspiring young star join her fellows. He moved with the crowd and excused himself while he brushed past patrons to arrive at the table where the singers sat. Reaching into his coat, he procured a photograph of the Coruscant skyline and arrived in front of Koda. Placing the picture upside down before her, he gave a smile of his blackening teeth and brushed back his hair.

"Vi is my name, I am a record producer from off world." He instructed her to sign to his name and slid the photograph forward with a nudge of his skeletal fingers. "I would like to speak with backstage, if you don't mind." Watching the young woman sign her autograph to him, he retrieved his card and departed with the other patrons. Smiling again towards Koda, Vereshin waited for the crowd to disperse before following the singers backstage. He hovered by the curtain and exchanged glances with a security guard who received the singer's approval and allowed the Sith to pass through.

The sorcerer followed Koda's blonde hair to her dressing room. As she closed the door behind her, he raised a hand and held it in his telekinetic grasp, preventing it from shutting properly. He gripped the handle and entered to meet the singer face to face.

"Hello my dear, congratulations on your performance." Brushing a hand through his silky black hair, Vereshin fanned himself with the photograph under the heat of the dressing room lights. Masking his Force presence, his Dark Side aura remained untraceable and Koda would see him as a friendly stranger. "I would like very much to record a sample of your talent back in my hotel." Vereshin continued. "If you don't enjoy your daily profession, perhaps I can offer advancement."

[member="Koda Berus"]

 

[Koda Berus]

As Koda had been singing on stage, there was someone there. Someone with a presence of sorts.. It was different, but they were making themselves known to her. Her eyes were drawn towards a man that sat torwards the front of the crowd that had gathered even more since Koda came on stage. He sat at a table and watched her with a cunning smile. He was interesting. It didn't take long for her to notice him either. As she looked up, her eyes met his.

In a way, she felt she could trust him.. Why? She trusted nobody and she had no idea who the heck this person was. As the song came to end, Koda thanked the people for watching her sing and as she went to make her way off stage to go back to her usual life, another preformer insisted she stay to give autographs and meet some people. She agreed for now and decided to come up with a fake name for now in case there were people looking for her in this crowd.

The other preformer pulled up a chair for Koda and then the two sat down. People started coming from everywhere out of the crowd to see who this girl was. Soon a certain hand pushed a picture of Coruscant's skyline and she looked up to see the same man that had been watching her before. He had black teeth to match his black hair and it made an impression on her a bit, but she didn't show as such. Time to see how well her acting skills were.

"Oh that's amazing! I don't mind talking backstage. Just wait right over there and I'll signal you when we're finished here."

She responded as she signed the card:

'To Vi... Taylore Hart'

After that she handed the card back to him with a small smile and pointed over to a small table near the curtain. Another ten to twenty minutes went by until the crowd was completely finished and then Koda stood up and looked towards him and then lead him backstage to the general dressing room. She looked in and it was empty for now. The door was fairly heavy and she figured it would be a few minutes or so until he came in, but he was right behind her and when she didn't hear the door shut, she turned and looked to see him standing there holding the door open with a smile on his face. There was something about that smile.

"Thank you."

She said in response. Hearing that he wanted to hear a sample of her stuff on his ship, she figured maybe he was actually serious about this. What could it hurt? Her master probably wouldn't like her do this without consulting him first, but she would have to see what was going on first. She crossed her arms and now fully faced him.

"I'm assuming you have the right equipment on board then? I guess it wouldn't hurt for a little bit of an example."

Koda responded. She was still slightly unsure, as something was telling her not to trust him, but for some reason, every bit of her was trusting him. What she didn't know is she was under a spell and would be sacrificing her freedom..

~[member="Vereshin"] ~

 

[Vereshin]

Gazing down upon the autograph of Taylore Hart, Vereshin raised a hand to brush back his hair and played the coy patron. Dimples etched into his cheeks as Koda crossed her arms in defiance. She seemed experienced for her age and his tricks barely took hold of her. Heightening his concentration, Vereshin masked his hand gesture by sliding the photograph into his pocket.

"Certainly, and a studio for you to use at your leisure." Raising his tone, Vereshin felt the uppity girl stare him down. His spell barely took hold, yet she remained desperate to leave her daily life behind for a chance to pursue her arts. "Take whatever you need." While Koda packed her things, Vereshin held back the door. He allowed the young woman to pass by and they exited out of the backstage door.

Rain dampened the streets of Coruscant and Vereshin lead Koda down the crowded walkway. Sliding a hand behind her back, he offered a gesture of protection as refute eyed her down. They arrived at a waiting speeder taxi and Vereshin opened the door to let her in. He entered the opposite side and slid a cigarette between his lips while waiting for the taxi to arrive at the hotel. Using a lighter, he refrained from displaying his magic in effort to keep Berus convinced. Activating the button to lower the window, Vereshin blew smoke into the downpour outside while the speeder reached the destination. They drove beside the waiting entrance of a small hotel and Vereshin exited to open Koda's door.

"After you, my dear." Holding the door open, he waited for Koda to enter the building and behind her. The feint lingering of jazz music greeted them inside and they entered a grim and dimly lit reception office. A member of staff gave Vereshin his key and walked ahead toward the stairs and waited for Koda to follow. The hotel was visibly cheap and the only one he could afford with spacious rooms to fulfill his assignment.

Vereshin lead Koda to his room and unlocked the door. Paper peeled off the walls and a gas fire burned in the wall. Speakers and microphones were set up next to recording devices and a piano. A staff member shortly arrived at the door and waited to receive instructions. Outstretching his palms, he welcomed her to his abode and spoke with a friendly lift in his tone.

"Your room is to the left, you may order anything you would like to eat." He left Koda with the servant before turning his head back around. "Just tea please." With a smile, he walked away and retreated to the bedroom adjoining to the right of the living room. Whistling a tune, he moved into the bathroom and used the refresher before removing his contact lenses and finding his glasses.

[member="Koda Berus"]