La Mer Des Possibilités

[Amea Virou]

[member="Arekk"]

They took a seat in the car. Amea leaned back in the seat and turned on the heater to feel it envelop her back and thighs with a warmth that was hard not to appreciate in this weather. One eye popped open to look at Arekk and his offer to pay for the evening. And hey, she wasn’t exactly going to complain about free treatments.

“Xar’Kel it is.” Amea said and shuffled in her seat to get even better acquainted with the warmth coming from her chair. “Some good massages, a hot bath, a bunch of drinks…”

She never finished that.

“It will do us both some good, I think.”

“So, tell me more about this place. What kind of people can I expect to see?”

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Ar'ekk Daesharacor's Apartment, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Amea Virou"] ​

​

Feeling the warmth of the air conditioner hit his face was an absolute joy, making his skin get all fuzzy and a chill going down his spine that felt even better than anything else. The car's interior was retrofitted and designed to be real cozy and comfortable, leather seats allowing you to enjoy a good nap as you traveled through busy lanes and skyscrapers.

"Definitely, it will. Your entire body will be away for vacations, believe me."

Ar'ekk released a small chuckle as he gave Amea a side-glance while she spoke with one eye open, clearly in the most relaxed of moods. Enjoying the simple things of life were great and he finally felt like taking an imaginary heavy weight off his shoulders.

"As most things on this city, the resort's a luxury and with that comes the type of people you usually want to avoid. Pricks who work for the corporations that run the planet, bankers, lawyers, women with high positions in places where they shouldn't, that type of people.

"And then there's the rest, like you n' me. Regular people who just want to relax and have fun."

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[Amea Virou]

[member="Arekk"]

Lithios was full of people with more money than wits then. The eyelid closed and Amea leaned back in her seat, somehow sinking even deeper into it as she began to relax for the coming treatments. It wasn’t that she was anxious about it, the opinions of idiots were rarely a concern for her.

… Sticking out like a sore thumb did.

“So, you’re saying I should look down at people and act with a superiority complex and I’ll fit right in. Gotcha.” She exhaled through her nose with a mocking chuckle. “You know, we have this tendency to go to expensive places, now that I think about it…”

“That nightclub, the resort…” She looked at the man again and perked her brow. “You’re living off of them, in more ways than one. Aren’t you?”

 

[Arekk]

LITHIOS​

Outside the Xar'Kel Resort, Ethos City​

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INTERACTING WITH: [member="Amea Virou"] ​

​

"No, that's not what I meant. Everyone there keeps to themselves, it's a resort. You shouldn't worry at all."

Stick to your business and move along, that could've been Lithios' motto in one way or the other. The rich and eccentric were as harmless as a fly buzzing past your ears, a quick slap would put a swift end to their annoying fly-by just like barking at these type of people would cut their bullcrap down.

"I pretty much live like them but I'm not the way they are. My money comes from certain activities deemed less than legal, some things I did in the past. They're leeches and I use them to my advantage."

In fact, all the money amassed was simply put forward to just enjoy it and not worry about a single thing. Those days of being a crime lord and running a criminal organization were over, all that was left were the funds gathered through time and he made sure to spend them wisely every day.

Peace of mind, peace of heart.

"We are here."

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[Amea Virou]

[member="Arekk"]

It was always easy to say you weren’t like people. Appearance, personality, style, the way you walked and talked, it was all a construct assembled from the parts you rubbed off of others as they passed through your life. Amea had probably picked something up from Arekk and most certainly picked something up from Runi which that was not to mention Amea’s former girlfriend either. Her parents, the extended family, there was a big net that built up the way she was.

And less than legal, huh? Amea perked her brow at the man without uttering a word. She had him pinned for someone who wasn’t on the best of terms with the law at times, but to have Arekk openly admit that… Well, she hadn’t really counted on it.

The car landed and they both stepped out. They were here alright.

“Well now,” She looked at the gates to the resort. “They spared no expense on the signage at least.”

A big tacky sign beamed as bright as a sun at them with a shine that almost warmed as much as the real thing. Perhaps it was part of the experience? Amea could only hope so. She lead Arekk towards the entrance and turned around to give him another glance as they stepped inside.

Suits.

All around them were suits.

“You totally lied to me.” She perked her brow, again. “I can smell the money and superiority complex all the way over here.”

 

[Arekk]

_______________________________________________________________________​

LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

XAR'KEL RESORT​

_______________________________________________________________________​

"I bet there's rich folks eatin'
In a fancy dining car
They're probably drinkin' coffee
And smokin' big cigars. ♫"​

w. [member="Amea Virou"]​

"What did you expect? Only rich people come here though don't let the suits deceive you, never judge a book by its cover."

He learned that the hard way during one of his drunken nights at one of many Lithios' makeshift bars, picking fights with the biggest and fattest guy chilling by himself on a table.

"Sure, he's fat. What's he gonna do, eat me?"

Getting punched in the face was a very unpleasant experience and Ar'ekk knew instantly that pissing off a person because of how he looked or dressed, specially when you're drunk and have no idea of what you are doing, was the worse choice you could ever make.

"They won't say anything to us. We're here to relax, remember? So are they."

Hah. Perhaps the luxurious life that the man enjoyed seemed to be a little too overwhelming for Amea but he didn't blame her, it took time to get used to the stares and hushed what-is-this-hobo-doing-here opinions of the high-toned people that came to places like this one, most of them young individuals leeching off their parents credits.

"Alright. How about we find the lockers and meet by the hot tubs in five? We'll come up with a plan by then."

 

[Amea Virou]

[member="Arekk"]

The cover of a book was usually a good way to determine who someone was. The big man in the suit over by the reception who flicked through a magazine was maybe dressed in a bathrobe now, but the scar that was just barely hid across his chest under the white fuzzy fabrics were signs of someone who didn’t operate under the law. The woman next to him had scars that showed signs of incisions to ‘enhance’ her appearance while her demeanor would suggest she was merely leeching off of his wealth. Spend enough time observing and then punching someone, or something, and you had a tendency to pick up a vague idea of what to look for.

In this case, he flagged her as a handsomely rewarded muscle. Probably local mob member who held direct ties to a leader himself. Potentially a lieutenant? Regardless of what it was, he was well-paid and that was enough to calm Amea down. Not because she was afraid, but because she knew he was not interested in petty bloodshed. Another thing that simply glancing around her and the environment could have told her as it was.

Amea gave Arekk a casual two-finger salute and turned on her heel to head towards the lockers. The doors opened for her and she got herself acquainted with the locker that had been designated for her. Amea let her badge flash against the digital lock before she began to take her jacket off and hang it on a hook within. The rest of her clothes followed suit, and before long she was changed into swimwear that she covered up with the additional bathrobe folded up in her provided locker.

Bare feet patted against the tiled floors as she made for the main part of the facility. Eyes wandered to meet the glances of the other women around. It was hard for them to tell her apart from themselves, but she knew who they were. Not in person, but by appearance. As much as Arekk’s words of wisdom rung true to some extent there was still that one rule that nobody sane would ever forget.

Never trust anyone.

She walked up to the spot they had agreed to meet by and threw a few quick glances across the facility.

Well, it certainly still reeked of money and inferiority complexes. As well as salt water and bath bombs. Who woulda thought?

 

[Arekk]

_______________________________________________________________________​

LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

XAR'KEL RESORT​

_______________________________________________________________________​

"I bet there's rich folks eatin'
In a fancy dining car
They're probably drinkin' coffee
And smokin' big cigars."​

♫ // w. [member="Amea Virou"]​

​

Ar'ekk found his way to the lockers where he would change into a swimsuit that was comfortable enough, no need for a bathrobe since he considered them annoying to hold onto most of the time. His torso was undiscovered and gave way for people to look at this scars scattered all over, skin glistening under the dim lights that provided a relaxed mood for those who wished to either get a massage or enjoy the hot tubs.

Affording this type of luxury from time to time and giving yourself some breathing space was worth it, only the Force knew they both needed it.

As he was already waiting for Amea to return, the man's eyes laid on the girl's bare feet and moved in an upwards motion as a grin developed on his face. She looked good and ready to relax her tension built up for years, very much like him, and the attire she picked for today would be more than enough to pull that off.

Scratching his chin and taking a good look around, most of the patrons had already departed and found their way into the depths of the resort.

"You look good. Now, should we get a massage or go to the hot tubs first?" He asked first, motivated by Amea's decisions. "Your pick."

 

[Amea Virou]

[member="Arekk"]

The music in these places was always the same downtempo music with undertones of high-pitched instrumentals that sunk and rose in volume like if it was a boat riding the waves in perfectly symmetrical half-circles. It even out at the bottom and went back up, and even at the top to go back to the bottom. The dragged out pad synths danced around the corners of your ear, and if you closed your eyes and truly listened you could always feel the way it almost tickled at your eardrum. There was no drums or percussion, just harmony with undertones of a melody that went unannounced throughout the entire song. If one could truly call this a song at all.

Without uttering a word Amea would remove her robes to expose olive skin and the provided white swimwear. The hot tub was closer and far more interesting in this moment. It was a place to get lost in thought and let streams of water pound mercilessly against the tension beneath your skin before allowing a man or woman of your choice the chance to finish what the submerged machine had already started.

Well-toned muscles tensed up in anticipation as she lowered her foot towards the surface of the hot water. Her calf pulled back and up her leg before it sunk back down again, her upper arm freezing her in place as the water came in contact with toes that pulled back out of habit. An errant chuckle burst through her nose before Amea let herself step down into the pool of water. The surface of the water tickled against her knee, and with a graceful kneel she placed herself against one of the chairs molded into the side of the hot tub to maximize her comfort.

Her back found the stream of water that she had sought after. One final exhale burst on through her nose as she took her seat and leaned back against the headrest placed by the staff at the very edge of the pool in her little corner of tranquility.

She wanted to speak but no words would really take shape. Slow breaths came and went much like the time did before finally, with as little effort as she could, Amea parted her lips in another attempt to speak.

“Yes.” It was all that she could muster. “This is good.”

 

[Arekk]

_______________________________________________________________________​

LITHIOS, ETHOS CITY, THE MEISSA SYSTEM​

XAR'KEL RESORT​

_______________________________________________________________________​

"I bet there's rich folks eatin'
In a fancy dining car
They're probably drinkin' coffee
And smokin' big cigars."​

♫ // w. [member="Amea Virou"]​

​

"The best of all worlds in one place." Was all that he could come up with. "Worth every minute."

His actions were a carbon copy of Amea's, toes dipping first to get a feeling of the water before fully comitting his entire body to enter the hot tub. The tickling of the water on his knees and the water filling up inside his shorts made him burst in laughter although briefly, spreading both arms over the edge of the tub and leaning his head backwards to rest against a towel purposely placed there for his comfort.

Harmonious music played in the background with the undertones of multiple cultures and planets, Aldeeranian instruments mixed with others a lot less unknown yet musically talented and enjoyable for the common ear.

Tilting his head sideways to look at Amea, Ar'ekk couldn't help but broaden a toothy grin as she became much more relaxed five minutes after their arrival. Xar'Kel's resort was the top visiting location for the Lithiori elite, only those with certain status could even be allowed inside. Many of the people that visited the resort, usually corporate business men than criminals, just wanted to relax and stay away from the daily grind of life.

His right foot found its way into the surface, letting the water drip between his toes. This had been the best choice they've made so far.

"Serene."