Le Lendemain Matin

[Sitara Qin]

The first thing he’d wake up to was a bed with one less person in it. When Sitara rolled out of the cozy king sized mattress that afternoon, the first thing that came to her mind was a pang of sharp pain. She sat up, unclothed and still slightly sleepy. She turned over to find the other person on the bed: the handsome gentleman she had met at the party. She bit her lip, partially surprised that he hadn’t left her alone in the middle of the night. She rolled over, brushing her lips against his cheek. He was sound asleep and didn’t look like he’d be getting up anytime soon.

She suppressed the urge to laugh; it’d be easy to just stab him, steal his credits, and make a run for it. That was what most people expected her to do anyways, and yet, she wasn’t like that. It was a fun night, after all. She blushed just thinking about it. She pulled the cover over him to cover his bare shoulders. Despite already being handsome, he did look much better without clothes on. She kicked the clothes that were on the floor to the side and stared in awe at the mess they made. Her cheeks reddened and she chuckled, quietly so she won’t wake him. She covered her mouth and made her way to the small kitchen in this…she assumed they were in a hotel.

The next thing he’d see upon waking up a cool glass of water on the bedside table next to them. Rather, it was cool a few minutes ago when she poured it for him. She was fairly dehydrated with all the drinks she was imbibing last night. Her head still throbbed and she wanted to lie back down under the covers. However, she was feeling sticky and it was mid-afternoon. As much as she’d love to canoodle the man under the sheets, he was still asleep and she felt obligated to clean up.

The last thing he’d wake up to was the sound of the water running in the bathroom and the scent of strawberry shampoo.

|[member="Marek Starchaser"] |

 

[Corey's OOC]

See? As much as Marek would like to claim it happened a lot, lately it wasn’t happening as much as he’d have liked. And for him to be the one still asleep? That was new for him. A trick he hadn’t really gotten a handle on lately. Blame the dark side here and how it brought it out in him. The lightning that was really his favorite dark side trick. Well, favorite and only. Short of getting impressions off people and then playing up that line of thinking. Though that was not-Force related. Marek could just talk. Sometimes entertaining took it out of him, and even though he wasn’t the host of this shindig, he was Marek Starchaser, and he had been working on securing passage for his cruise lines, between drinks and other assorted mind altering goodies.

Had she tried to attack him, the only thing that could possibly save him would be an enhanced Danger Sense. Unlike some Starchasers, Marek was decent enough at sensing people and their intentions, probably why when all his business counterparts went into defense and creation, he went for the service industry, selling good times and entertainment. Make a buck off the war, in another way, right? Definitely made sense to him. As for his opinion of [member="Sitara Qin"]?

Definitely a fun night. Definitely needed a repeat.

When the sound of the shower started, his eyes opened. And that was when the headache hit. Really, he probably should go find a Hedonistic Force Use Holocron. Detoxify the body, enhance the senses, and maybe find something about the Sith art of Kama Sutra. That had to exist, right? Ouch. Head. Running a hand through his hair, he looked at the clothes strewn about and smiled. Good night. And water! Look at that, this one was a good woman. Right, a shower.

He moved himself to the edge of the bed, feet on the floor and drank the water. Right, he’d get up once the room stopped moving against him.

 

[Sitara Qin]

“Nope, nothing there.” She murmured. Her eyes were glued to the mirror and her neck was extended as much as she could without snapping it. No visible marks on her body. That was good, though she did have to teach Marek a lesson. Maybe later. She sighed and grabbed a neatly folded white towel off of the rack, drying off her smooth skin. She sat on top of the toilet seat with her head down, using the towel to tie her hair into a towel hat. She found a bathrobe on the same shelf and slipped it on.

She exited the bathroom and found an awake [member="Marek Starchaser"] sitting on the edge of the bed. She smiled. His hangover was way worse than hers. On the other hand, she vaguely recollected waking up to puke the other night. Either way, she was feeling a lot better than he was right now. She chuckled.

“Morning, sleeping beauty.” She said, taking a seat next to him, the bathrobe half-open. “Sleep well?” She teased.

 

[Corey's OOC]

What DID they do? Well, he knew the over under of it, but part of it was a blur. Yeah, well, Mr. Starchaser, that’s what you get for touching those liquors. You don’t remember all the fun times with such clarity. And the main thing he was worried on was just how much of the dark side he knew about, during the evening’s events. He didn’t exactly hide his Force use, but lightning and well placed telekinetic touches were always fun. Even more fun to the partners who didn’t know what he could do. Sometimes it was nice to be someone else.

Marek Starchaser could easily be working for the Herglic Liberation Front, or something. Though he was typically Marek the casino owner and entrepreneur. Not all that hard to make things work, besides, what did he really have to hide? A history of Sith learning and a definite Sith favoritism? This was a woman he picked up at a Primeval event, after all.

Loud.

She was loud. He blinked slowly and a grin crept across his face. “Morning, you. Sleep alright?” Was he asking her? He didn’t even know. What time was it? Hell, what month was it? He grinned as looked her over again. “Yeah, just…” He held up a finger and smirked. The Force was starting to feel like he could touch it again. That would help clear his head soon. He was working on a visualization. Yes, he definitely needed to work on some things to make himself a bit… better at his job and chosen life style. For now he would just pull energy to himself. “How about you?”

[member="Sitara Qin"]

 

[Sitara Qin]

That grin on his face. He was remembering something. She wanted to lightly slap it out of him, then laugh. She knew that that would be mean. You didn’t slap a guy with a hangover to knock them to their senses. It just wasn’t right. Her cheeks reddened, hoping she didn’t do anything embarrassing the other night. It was bad enough she could barely remember anything. Did she say anything she shouldn’t? His question snapped her out of her thoughts before lingering loosely in the air.

Did she sleep alright? She shrugged, then nodded. “Yeah.” She said, biting her lip. Last night’s events came to her in a series of blurry pictures. They weren’t even the moving ones. Simply shots into the past. It was exactly what she drank last night. Although the tingly feeling she remembered that lightly brushed over her skin was definitely not normal. He was force sensitive. She wasn’t sure why it took her that long to notice. Probably cause she was very, very intoxicated; by both him and the alcohol.

“Some night, huh?” Could she make anything more awkward? It was bad enough that they both looked clueless, rather, partially clueless. In a way, she almost wished that one of them had left the other behind. It would’ve made waking up far less weird. She didn’t even know where they were. Did they flee the planet? She doubted that. Although, they were very drunk. She laughed, the tension slightly getting to her. She could probably tackle him and kiss him right there. That’d make things far less weird. “I don’t even know where we are.” She said, lying back down on the soft unmade sheets.

| [member="Marek Starchaser"] |

 

[Corey's OOC]

He wasn’t quite so much remembering something as enjoying the view. One thing about Marek Starchaser was he was a hedonist at heart, and anytime he could seize the day and feel good, one way or another, he would. Had she slapped him, knowing the way he was, he’d probably ask for another in some sort of smart-ass way. Most of the time, people said whatever was in their head during evenings like that, and he was smart enough to not hold it against someone. But if it was military secrets, well, he was fairly certain she belonged to a group that was on friendly terms with his nation. So no harm, no foul. Mostly.

And if there was, he’d just go bother Carach.

He did his best to not drag attention to his Force use, probably why he wasn’t one of the ones who ran to the One Sith. Sure, he’d support them, and if they needed him, he would put on black armor and go do his thing, but his thing was really getting information out of people, working the public eye and learning what he could. Maybe it was some sort of latent Force power? To intoxicate people? He should do some research on that, because how useful of a skill would that be?

“It was. A good night.” He could remember most of the party, but when they started to leave, that was where he was missing a big chunk of the night. He wasn’t ashamed of the night, never was. The proof of it was all around. Looking over at her laying down, he nodded before laying back down, on his side, arm bent and keeping his head up. Looking to the window, it was still… ruddish out.

“I’m pretty sure Bastion. Bright Star doesn’t have a ship coming to the area until… well, tomorrow morning. So I’m pretty sure I’d recognize being on one of my ships.” He was sometimes observant. But right now? His attention was not beyond the room at all.

[member="Sitara Qin"]

 

[Sitara Qin]

The bed sprang as he plopped down next to her. He definitely seemed comfortable. Sitara took a deep breath, wondering why she was so tense. She closed her eyes, allowing her soft lips to curl into a smile. She allowed herself to relax, to take this moment for everything it was. She had no plans and she intended to keep it that way. There was no one reprimanding her tonight, although she hasn’t exactly been notifying her master about her little expeditions. She laughed, wondering how he’d react. Sitara was definitely relieved she didn't bump into him the other night.

She turned over to face his chiseled face. “Mmmm.” She mumbled, moving her hand behind him to play with his dark blonde hair. “Tomorrow morning, huh.” She uttered, stroking the back of his head. She moved a little closer towards him, wondering how they could pass the time. They were both still naked and there didn’t seem like much else to do. Twenty questions sounded like a good idea right now, or maybe they could take it back to juvenile days and play truth or dare. She chuckled at the number of ideas. She kissed his neck, softly. They both wanted information, although they both knew enough about each others’ bodies.

“Gives us plenty of time to play.”

| [member="Marek Starchaser"] |

 

[Corey's OOC]

It was all a matter of how one felt with themselves, as to how they were around others, is Marek’s opinion. He wasn’t ashamed nor embarrassed by anything that he did. No regrets, or just no shame, he wasn’t quick sure which it was. Perhaps a bit of both. He just went out, did what made him feel happy, what made him money and what kept him ahead of the game and that was that. No big deal, because, well, unless you were Jared Ovmar, no one got out of this life alive.

Grinning at her he watched her hand as it moved into his hair, his eyes making contact with hers and he moved himself a bit closer. He could feel her body heat. Did they turn the air on? Or was it just that he was craving it again? There were so many things he could ask her, but so many things that just weren’t on his mind. The Force was stating to awaken and invigorate him again, but it was the kiss on his neck that was distracting. His breath caught and he tried to focus on her next statement.

Time to play.

Somehow, this was going to get him in trouble. But he didn’t care. Moving to kiss her and push her more on her back, he grinned. “And what games do you have in mind?”

[member="Sitara Qin"]

 

[Sitara Qin]

As long as there was a game to be played, there would always come out a winner. She embraced him, welcomed him as he pushed her further into the sheets. She allowed his kisses, returning them with a quiet fury. She sighed happily as she embraced him, wondering if this whole charade was a game of their own. And although he was on top of her right now, she was certain to reverse the roles later on.

“Well, I was thinking of playing strip pazaak.” She joked, moving to loosen her already undone robe. “But, as you can see—“ She said, gazing into his deep blue eyes. “There’s not much to strip off.” She chuckled, running her hands down his back, only to come up and caress his shoulders. He was fun. She definitely wouldn’t mind being stuck with him for a few more hours. In fact, the pleasure was definitely hers, and his to share.

“Okay, Marek.” She grinned. “Truth or dare? I won’t make you do anything stupid.” She giggled, before kissing him again. “I promise.”

| [member="Marek Starchaser"] |

 

[Corey's OOC]

One thing abuot Marek Starchaser was that he loved games. It was how he made his living on the Rim when he left the Zeison Sha. He hustled the games in bars. Hustling, is what it was called. The whole work-hard-play-hard life style. It kept him paid, kept fuel in his ship and sooner or later he had found himself in the Confederacy. Years on, now he was here, at this moment with Tara. What was her last name? It didn’t matter. He grinned as he looked down at her. The trick was, he liked to win games.

And strip pazaak, well, everyone was a winner there. Grinning at her, he nodded. “It’d be a quick game. Maybe worth it?” He smirked and gave her a wink. Besides, he figured that he won that game already. How did last night get moving? Right, why think about the how, and more that it did. And he probably

Oh boy, Truth or Dare. Now that was a game he hadn’t played in a while. He really preferred ‘Never have I Ever,’ there was drinking involved. “Lets give me a truth, then.”

Start off slow.

Sometimes

[member="Sitara Qin"]

 

[Sitara Qin]

If interrogation was a sexy job, this was how you’d do it—or with a huge glass of alcohol and maybe some edible lingerie. Scratch that. That wouldn’t be much of an interrogation after all. She pouted. She was really looking forward to getting him to do something stupid fun. She wrapped her arms around his neck and massaged the back of his head for a while.

“Okay, Mr. Starchaser,” Star chaser. It was funny how things panned out. She wasn’t quite sure if she believed in fate or if everything was just a coincidence. When the chiss the other night, Cryax, introduced to her his last name she was too drunk to even notice. Sitara did not believe in soulmates, nor did she really enjoy the idea of being tied down to one person. However, silly little slips of serendipity were the main reasons why she did everything she wanted to. It all turned out well eventually. Besides, they made a fun a team. She’d love to see more of him in the future if fate allowed. If he only knew that her name literally meant star. “Would you rather dominate?”

The question was one of preference. She only had a rough idea of what happened the night before, and she wanted to genuinely get to know him. She didn’t even know if truth or dare was the kind of game he wanted to play. Besides, they had no alcohol; although, they could always order room service naked. Maybe get the waiter or waitress to join in. It was his call.

“—Or be dominated?”

| [member="Marek Starchaser"] |

 

[Corey's OOC]

Negotiations, now that was something else. Marek should probably get himself tested in the Force, if there were a test, to see what skillset he had. He would answer most questions honestly, because, well it was Marek, and mostly he didn’t have anything to hide. He was a part of the Techno Union, a sympathizer to the flood known as the One Sith, and a man who owned a few dozen cruise liners. The Corellian grinned as she started massaging his neck and the back of his head.

Right, she knew his last name. Did they run into Jared Ovmar last night? Wait, no, it was Cryax Bane. He’d have to toss the hacker a tip or two. Probably a job. As for the crazy talk on soul mates? He knew it never worked. Not for most people in the galaxy, least of all the travelers. Sure, having someone in a different region would be nice, meet up for a dinner, date, a lay, whatever, but… soul mates? It would need to be someone crazy enough to match him, you know, in the galactic playground and the private ones.

As for dominating or be dominated? “All depends.” He grinned. Was it selfish to be a switch? Hell, he’d use the Force on people to elicit reactions, and telekinesis was a decent replacement for bonding straps. Though, there was talk of room service? “Now how about you? Answerin’ that, or picking your own truth or dare?”

[member="Sitara Qin"]

 

[Sitara Qin]

“All depends.” She quoted him, grinning. As revolting as being submissive sounded; the prospect of being under someone far more powerful than you definitely whet her appetite. Sitara considered herself a wild bird, a shooting star; someone who simply liked to be free of all things that tied her down. She wanted to crash all on her own; be it by plummeting on the ground, or just in someone else’s bed.

“Though if I had to choose—“ The idea of overpowering someone, forcing them out of control; to her, that was way sexier than submitting to someone else. “I guess I’d rather dominate.” It wasn’t just in the bedroom either. Sitara got her kicks out of manipulating people and getting what she wanted. It brought her joy when people crumbled beneath her, and perhaps that was why she belonged to the dark side.

“However, I’m not gonna wuss out.” She remarked, her eyes staring into his mischievously. She licked her lips. She was up for a challenge. “Dare me to do something. Anything.”

| [member="Marek Starchaser"] |

 

[Corey's OOC]

Marek shook his head. This girl was going to be the end of him, somehow. A bit too much like him, maybe. Hedonist and without the sort of proper filter, aside from when it was absolutely needed, for survival or profit, really. The one thing that Marek followed from the rest of the main-line Starchasers was the wanderlust. Even though he owned casinos and cruise liners, he still didn't put roots down, hell, his office was always changing. From Roon to Lianna to Hypori to a mobile location. He grinned at her. "See, call it greedy, or selfish, but I think everything depends on the situation."

Who was having fun, where the emotional side, if any, was located. Where everyone's headspace was. It changed by the day, sometimes you were flush and sometimes you were bust. Just the nature of it all, really. "The real trick is topping from the bottom." Sure, he was putting it in horizontal terms, but letting your opponent, be it in a duel, starfight, or business discussion, think they have the upper hand, and then coming down on them. That look of surprise? Thrilling.

Perhaps the best thing.

And when was the last time the writer played Truth or Dare in a pair? Always made more fun at a party, with numerous people around. But Marek himself, he liked to see just what made people tick. There was the thought of room service, wasn't there? "So, to get warmed up, get us room service. Don't pay a cred, and don't use the Force."

Yeah, he was one of those.

[member="Sitara Qin"]

 

[Sitara Qin]

Marek had a point, but Sitara had a preference. Although everything was situational, she had far too much pride to give anyone the upper hand— even if it was just in their heads. If every story’s protagonist had a hamartia, then her excessive pride would inevitably lead to her downfall. She just didn’t like giving up, or letting herself down.

So when he told her to call up room service, she chuckled. Was that it? Did he forget that he was rooming with a very naked woman with very persuasive techniques? She sat up, wiggling herself from underneath him to get to the small com link. What was she in the mood for? Maybe a bottle of fine champagne. She licked her lips, maybe some cheese too. She flipped through the menu before grabbing the white comlink on the side table.

“Hello, room service?” She said, crossing her legs. She winked at Marek. “We’d love to order a bottle of your finest champagne, and maybe some gorgonzola on the side?” She fiddled with the chord that connected the comlink to the wall. She nodded as the person as the person on the other end repeated her order. “Mhm. Bring it up please? Thank you.”

“And now we wait.” She smacked her lips and tapped her fingers on the glass. Her gaze stayed locked into Marek’s. A short moment passed when a knock at the door came. She got up, not bothering to slip the robe on. She walked over to the door, resting her arm on the doorframe as she opened it.

“I’ll take that.” She said, as the man who brought it up gaped at her. “Thanks.” She winked. She didn’t need the force to get free things. His lips seemed to shake slightly, as though he wanted to ask her something. She smiled sweetly. “Don’t worry, just add it to my dear companion’s tab.” She winked, as she shut the door with her leg, leaving the dumfounded man on the other side.

“We have alcohol now.” She sang.

| [member="Marek Starchaser"] |

 

[Corey's OOC]

This was definitely one of the women who got a way with the boys and treated them like they didn’t stand a chance. And well, she wouldn’t be wrong about that at all. As much as Marek was now humming a song in his head, no way he’d be humming something catchy out loud, that was how it got stuck and you never got rid of it, but there were a lot of songs that were guilty pleasures for him that he head all the fething time aboard his cruise ships. And lucky for him, most women enjoyed the music and a heavy side of liquor.

The one downside to this whole dare was her moving away from him. Didn’t think that one through now, didja Marek? Watching her fiddle with the comlink though, yeah, [member="Sitara Qin"] was one of his better choices in a while. Have to make sure she shows up more and more. And well, with the Techno Union and the One Sith entering their easy alliance, it seemed like it’d be possible. Now if only the One Sith could power through the galaxy to the other side, things would go smoother.

She had an intensity about her he couldn’t just let go, for one. And that was why the eye contact didn’t scare him off. Marek wasn’t some dog that was easily chased away. Nope. He was who he was because he played the game just right. His eyes followed her form as she walked to the door and he just smirked. See? These were things that Marek enjoyed. Women like this.

Anyone like this, really.

“Oh that was a low blow, charging it instead of just… getting it for free?” He shook his head and rolled his eyes as he took the bottle of champagne and manually opened it, no need for the Force all the time. “But I didn’t specify, you win that round, Tara.”

 

[Sitara Qin]

“What, are you talking about?” She said, wrinkling her nose as she set the cheese down with him, before getting up again. She grabbed two glasses that rested on the shelves as she plopped down across him, rocking the bed slightly. The champagne and cheese were positioned between them. A picnic on the bed, that was always fun. “I did get it for free.” She winked.

“You, on the other hand, well, I guess that’s a few credits out of your bank account.” She stuck her tongue out at him as she poured the light colored drink into each glass. It was so much more sophisticated drinking it in glasses. Still, it was good alcohol and she was in no position to complain. After all, she had food, alcohol, and an incredibly sexy man sitting parallel to her. Nope, no complains here.

She took a small sip of the drink and smiled. “This is really good. Thank you, Marek. You’re such a sweetie.” Might as well tease him about it, after all, it was his idea. She could’ve gotten away with snagging the drink for free. After all, the poor bloke who served it to her was too busy staring to ask her for the money. Yet, she still wanted to beat Marek somehow. Besides, how did they even end up in a hotel in the first place? They probably escaped the party sometime the other night and ended up here.

“Let’s do something else now, I’m done with truth or dare.” She expressed. She never did like doing the same thing over and over. It was time for a change of pace, and this time, she’d give him the freedom to choose.

| [member="Marek Starchaser"] |

 

[Corey's OOC]

Shaking his head, he laughed. She knew what he was on about. Sending the charges to his account. “Yeah, a few.” He looked at the label on the bottle and shook his head. Sure, he’d be ordering this by the bottle in a club, or celebration setting, but he was Marek, that was how he did it. Watching her head for glasses, he took a few swigs from the bottle, because, well, when you were having this much fun?

“Well, I really don’t like to skimp. I mean, you should see my apartment.” Or apartments. Or starships. Or live-in penthouse on a casino liner or three. Marek did a lot of traveling from place to place. Probably why if he went around with a woman long enough, he was at their place, not his. Plus he had a bed with a lot of space but like… one pillow. Not the best entertainer in his own bed. But then again, he did own cruise ships.

“Something else?” He stretched, falling on his back as he looked up at her, reaching out with the Force for his datapad. That wasn’t where it should be. He knew he didn’t lose it, someone would’ve mentioned it, or well… Maybe not. Did SpyNet come out to babysit him? Probably, they had eyes everywhere. He sat up a bit slowly, head spinning and grabbed the bottle for another drink. “You use my datapad?” Because that was odd, for one, but for two, maybe she knew where it was. How long had then been in the room for, anyhow? He should probably check on the outside world. But without his datapad, he knew nothing of what was going on.

Its not like they were at a day-spa for a week... Well, depending on how many messages he had, they might've.

[member="Sitara Qin"]

 

[Sitara Qin]

She smiled smugly before taking a bite of cheese. Yuck. Was blue cheese always this salty? It smelled pretty weird too. Definitely not something she’d want on her breath before a make out session. She drowned it out with the fine wine, hoping it would help get rid of the weird smell. “Sure, let’s have another sleepover.” She joked.

He fell on his back and he seemed to be looking for something. Sitara went on idly with her drink, wondering what he was trying to grab. He sat up and grabbed the bottle, taking a swig directly from it. “Gross.” She teased, though she wasn’t particularly bothered by his behavior. She was far more disgusted by the cheese she ordered. He then mentioned his data pad. “No?” She shrugged. “Did you bring a data pad?” She certainly didn’t remember that piece of technology on him last night.

Perhaps it was somewhere buried beneath their clothing, though when she kicked the pile to the side, there was nothing there.

“Maybe you left it in the ballroom.”

| [member="Marek Starchaser"] |

 

[Corey's OOC]

Yeah, Coren wasn’t one for cheeses. Unless they were warmed over bread. Real people food. Or drunk-people food, take your pick on how you want to approach that situation. When she mentioned another sleep over, he tipped his head to the side and shrugged, giving her a slow and long look. “Like you’d mind that.” He grinned. Yeah, he’d have to give her a pass to Bright Star lines, just to see if she’d show up, and see how long it’d take her to find his suite.

He looked up at her from laying on his back, one thing Marek Starchaser wasn’t was modest. Watching her take a drink, and wondering just what was gross, he reached out with the Force, more for the room, and to see if anything else felt amiss. Danger sense and all that. Did he bring it? He always did. Especially since his assistant was now working for Santhe Corp, or whatever. “Yeah, gotta keep an eye out on my investments when I’m away.” Leave the shop talk for parties WITH clothes, Marek.

“Maybe I did... Not sure though.” Not much was on it, he purposely made it so he had to contact his COO to get anything done, a safety precaution. His connection to the outside world, really. What he had wanted to do was find some tourist trip before his cruise arrived. Because horizontal activity in a vertical setting in a public venue was always fun. And now he was just confused. “So, I guess that means plan B. I really hate to suggest this, but clothes, trying to find the datapad and breakfast?”

Who knew, maybe there was a lot to overthrow the Empire or just rob him blind. Now that would be fun, aside from maybe a little lightning used on [member="Sitara Qin"] and her body last night, he hadn’t had a chance to fully stretch his Force abilities in a… week or so? Maybe he was becoming an addict.