Private Mafioso Sonata Op.1 No.1 "Awakening"

[Iliana Röhr]

I L I A N A⠀R Ö H R

'Don't Speak'​

Following the events of Ragos' contract...

"No! No! Absolutely not!" Stephen asserted with a hushed yet stern voice.

"Do you have any idea the kind of man Ragos Terrek is?" the seasoned mafioso began, marking the beginning of his fatherly lecture.

"No? Well I do~ he's not the respectable sort of man you deserve. Ily, a man like that will put you in danger; worse, he isn't the kind who will protect you with his life. Take it from me - I know, at a glance, who's willing to die for someone and who's not. A man like that cares only for how many credits he can make, and the angle he can play to get ahead. He makes his money through violence & fear, and pushing poison that leads the weak-minded into addiction; another form of slavery, but so much worse. It is a slavery of the mind. Is that really the type of person who want to open your heart to?"

She knew she didn't have a response for that~ Stephen's eloquence once again forming an impenetrable wall of common sense which she couldn't argue her way through, she

understood what he was saying yet she refused to accept it, only angering herself further at the fact she couldn't find a reasonable response. "Why! Why must you discredit everything I do, or say, or want? Do I not deserve a life outside of your little bubble? For once can you not just be happy for me? Is that too much to ask?"

Iliana produced a sharp sigh as she rose from her seat within their private booth in The Star Lounge, their silence broken by the quiet chatter of patrons nearby and the distant voice of Neesa Loroka, a close friend of Iliana's, singing in the background. "Just once.." she stormed off, visibly frustrated and perhaps upset, leaving her dinner barely eaten and her father alone to finish his as the pair separated in disagreement.

'Coruscant Ambience'
​

Storming through the underbelly of The Star Lounge, a place known only to a few as The Sanctum, Iliana made her way back to her office carrying nothing but her intense emotions following the aftermath of a rather stressful contract, her date invitation and her clash with her father- she was done with Coruscant for a while and had already made plans to return to Epica, to continue overseeing the reconstruction of their new villa, Castello Matrisca, and more importantly to get both her and Ragos away from her father.

Stressed, tired and entirely flustered, she held herself together as she passed by a number of mobsters within the corridors of The Sanctum, just barely keeping herself from having a breakdown in the middle of the hallway~ that was until two familiar faces were spotted, two of Stephen's work colleagues and close family friends, as well as enforcers to the boss of The Family, Ivory Stroud - unbeknownst to her.

​

As quickly as they appeared, she darted into the closest room, completely unaware of the fact that the door she entered was locked moments earlier; she didn't want to deal with the interrogation she'd receive from the pair over why she seemed so unsettled...

'Familiar'​

Taking a deep breath of relief, Iliana found herself somewhere unusual.. peculiar.. a place of strange familiarity. Upon inspection a single, dim desk lamp lit the room, she was surrounded by trinkets of strange varieties; Jewels, gems, jewellery, trophies & artifacts each lit by their respective display cases, complimenting the darkly stained wood aesthetic of the office, the darkness of Coruscant offering little in the way of light except from passing speeders.

It was quiet~ eerily so, only the sound of the speedway outside could be heard. Each item on display piqued her interest, first a tribal mask mounted on the wall, then a set of crystals within a display case.. and after a few moments of inspecting the trinkets, she noticed a strange looking item contained within a secured glass box.. it looked like a handle of sorts~ silver with a black handle with grooves for the fingers, looking as if it had been worn-out from years of use.

She couldn't fathom what it was, was it a holoprojector of sorts? or an antique key meant to open a mysterious vault? She knew not. While she pondered the peculiar item, her attention soon shifted to a small jewellery box- it appeared to interest her far more than the other trinkets within the office,

as if she was drawn to it by an unnatural force..

Slowly approaching the box, she peered inside only to find a golden signet ring containing a small turquoise crystal~ an item that truly piqued her interest for it seemed so unremarkable yet she was so drawn to it, so much so that she leant in to pick it up...

<< Everything fades to white as five visions appear in quick succession. >>

1.​

An emerald sea of trees & vines in all directions - rising from a pool of all-consuming darkness into a bright, azure-blue sky. The trees race by - impossibly fast - until an unusual shape begins to rise over the trees. Nestled on a hill is a building; distinctly lacking any sharp edges with every piece seemingly cut from shards of the purest silver metal and arranged so perfectly that the edifice took on a living, almost aquatic feature. A light began to shine... beginning as a tiny pinprick of white light at the very centre of the building, then growing to an impossibly bright, blindingly brilliant flash of light which overwhelms her vision and leaves her in a world entirely devoid of all feature​

2.​

Somewhere in the distance of the infinite white expanse, a single colour slowly coalesces; breaking the stillness with a soft, low, reverberating hum which slowly grows in intensity. As the sound of the hum grows, so does this singular patch of light; a streak of violet purple, which as it grows in size it seems to chase off the infinite white backdrop. Suddenly, this elongated cone of light is so close that it's heat can be felt; striking downward at her neck. There is a woman holding this purple blade... a woman who's eyes are a deep ocean-blue, who's features apart from her eyes are concealed by long blonde hair. As the blade makes contact with her skin, the world is suddenly driven into blackness.​

3.​

There is a pool of water at her feet. A gentle breeze rolls across it, sending tiny waves rippling in all directions. As she looks down, she now wears the blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman's face... but as she watches, her features begin to change. There is a sudden gust of wind, and as the ripples of the water make contact with the image, the face distorts: instead of blonde hair, the face is now wreathed in black which clings to her face like the greasy tendrils of some long-forgotten aquatic horror. The eyes have grown sunken, fading into the skull and replaced by chips of obsidian which sparkle an almost inhuman violet. Instead of a smile, the lips contort into a snarl of rage - exposing jagged teeth tipped in dripping crimson. A single drop of blood falls from her lips into the water... and the red color spreads, turning the pool into the color of coagulating blood.​

4.​

The blood has become a goblet of wine, lifted from a silver platter by a woman who's features are obscured in shadow. The woman takes a sip, and she can see this woman is immensely tall - even seated, she dwarfs those who sit around her at a candle-lit table. There is a feast: the finest foods in the galaxy, prepared & displayed for the faceless people arrayed about the dining room to take. There is something to cater to every taste & desire. The woman drinking from the glass smiles, but her face is concealed by a black hat. She raises a finger, summoning a servant.
​

5.​

The servant steps forward, but the table and the other people are gone. It is only the tall woman wearing the hat, and a familiar face... that of Ivory Stroud, but younger than she is today. The two women are standing on tiles made of stars, and surrounded by a nebula in the depths of space. Around them, a swirling maelstrom - every color of the rainbow - gracefully dances in the darkness. The tall woman, her features still concealed by the hat upon her head, holds up a golden dagger - placing the tip against the flesh of Ivory's palm, and drawing it sharply across her alabaster skin. The tall, faceless woman repeats the process against her own, and the two clasp their hands together. The maelstrom of color turns into a flaming whirlwind, and a single drop of blood from each of them falls into the flames... which are immediately extinguished..​

<< Iliana's vision returns to normal. >>

Returning to reality exactly as she had left it, she soon discovered that the visions had produced a blistering headache, the result only adding to her growing fear & confusion; frozen in place, she quickly began to feel faint only to be distracted by a familiar voice from behind...

(Huge thank you to Ivory Stroud for playing the part of Stephen Röhr, providing key details and curating the visions!)

Ivory Stroud

 

[Ivory Stroud]

"Miss Rohr. What a surprise."

Ivory Stroud, Donna of The Family, had found the door to her office unlocked & open - which was confusing, because she'd left the door secured when she'd departed an hour ago. A quick peek inside revealed a familiar shape in the dim light of the room, and Ivory had entered as silent as a ghost. Now, she stood just inside the room, fingers clasped in-front of her (a common mannerism, meant to feign neutrality & openness). The wide brim of her hat concealed one side of her face, casting much of the crime lord's features in shadow; but the slight upturn at one corner of her lip betrayed the barest glimmer of a smile.

Moving with grace & poise, she crossed the carpet & approached her desk on the side furthest away from Iliana's position - reaching out with a black gloved hand to depress one of the buttons on a small control panel, which closed the door with a hiss - sealing them off from the rest of the Sanctum, and from an easy escape.

Whether this was done to entrap the two, or simply out of habit, was entirely up for debate.

In no hurry whatsoever, Ivory reached up & removed the hat from her head, returning it to the small coat-rack which stood to one side, opposite where Iliana had been positioned. With her back turned, she spoke conversationally:

"I see you've taken an interest in my momentos... Though I am curious how you found yourself in here unaccompanied."

Iliana Röhr

 

[Iliana Röhr]

I L I A N A⠀R Ö H R

'Ambience'​

Frozen & silent yet alarmingly loud, Ily's head swam with emotions as confusion battled with comprehension, she could barely make out what she saw, though not why she saw it- and more importantly, why she was in the bosses' office, a detail she had long forgotten about. Stood facing the wall, emotionless, her thoughts were put on hold as a voice appeared from the doorway behind her.

"Miss Rohr. What a surprise."

She snapped her head around in shock, shocked about being found out in Ivory's office- shocked that she couldn't explain herself. She simply watched as the illusive mob boss meandered across the room, getting her affairs in order; Though to Ily', she wasn't a 'mob boss,' she was simply a close family friend, the one everyone seemed to answer to.

"I see you've taken an interest in my momentos... Though I am curious how you found yourself in here unaccompanied."

"I.. Don't.. I.." she stuttered, just staring for a moment before just speaking her mind, "that was you..?! The- the- vision?" her eyes shifted to the coat rack, noticing her black hat, "that used to belong to someone else." Slowly, pieces of the visions began to form together, she couldn't quite recollect every detail yet there were certain parts that stood out to her.

Her hand quickly moved to coddle her head, now throbbing with pain after the visions as she began to feel faint. "Ives.."

"What is happening?"​

Ivory Stroud

 

[Ivory Stroud]

Ivory turned, registering the confused expression & hesitant tone the young woman was using with confusion of her own. Her black eye-brows furrowed slightly as she peered at Iliana carefully. The young woman indicated the hat Ivory had just removed from her head - correctly deducing, somehow, that the hat Ivory wore which symbolized her position of power in her Organization once belonged to someone else. That fact was unknown to all but a small handful of people. Iliana had never been privy to Ivory's position, or (as far as Ivory knew) the whole truth about what the group did. It was, therefore, quite unexpected.

Suspicion gave way to an almost-motherly concern as Iliana brought her hands to her head, and muttered a plaintive question. Ivory was able to immediately intuit that Ily was in pain, and so the taller, raven-haired Mafiosa came from around the desk and approached. Ivory clucked her tongue and sighed, before doing the oddest thing; wrapping her arms gently around Iliana's shoulders and drawing the young woman into a comforting embrace. Gently, Ivory rested the palm of her hand on the back of Iliana's neck...

...and closed her eyes, using her powerful senses to peer inward, recognizing the physical discomfort brought on by a throbbing headache. Ivory focused, using some of her natural reserves to call upon The Force, imparting warmth through her fingertips and the palm of her hand, and directing a gentle pulse of healing light through the skin-on-skin contact, in an effort to lessen the headache.

In a soothing tone of voice, Ivory gently asked: "What do you mean, a vision? What did you see?"

In the sudden spiritual connection, Ivory immediately & directly understood. There was a shimmer in the air around Iliana's outline; something not quite perceivable by the naked eye... but to someone trained to recognize it, it was as glaringly obvious as a cloud in a clear blue sky. Ivory hid the realization well, but it sent a shiver down her spine.

The Force hung around Iliana's body like a blanket - radiating out from her in all directions. It was small, which explained why she'd missed it at first... but it was there.

Iliana Röhr​

 

[Iliana Röhr]

I L I A N A⠀R Ö H R

'November'​

Ily' watched as the woman she had known most of her life circled her desk and approached her, nerves began to build as she wasn't sure where this was going~ was she going to get the dressing down of a lifetime or just curious questions.. Throughout her life, Ivory had been Ily's unofficial 'aunt,' as a close family friend of Stephen's, yet until recently she had also become her bosses boss, giving Ivory an aura of authority.

What happened next took her by surprise, the tall, black-haired woman placed her hands on Ily's shoulders then proceeded to embrace her in an attempt to comfort her, which in her current emotional state helped a great deal. Gradually, a small tingling sensation manifested at the back of her neck- where Ivory had placed her hand..

A sensation that resulted in the eventual dissipation of her intense headache, an occurrence that took her by surprise and perhaps confused her a little more- although she could think more clearly now. With her senses returning, something had changed within the room, it felt.. different, as if she felt drawn to specific items around the room- just as she did with the ring.

"It's still.. hazy.." she began, still wrapped in Ivory's warm embrace, "a building on a hill.. there was a forest? then it faded away.. a uh- woman appeared, blonde, with a purple.. sword?" Ily' then went silent as she recalled the next vision, all she could remember was the fear and perhaps darkness of the vision- a vision that she elected not to bring up as she struggled to comprehend it.

"Uhm.." she moved on swiftly, "then the lady who wore your hat appeared, she was quite tall.. followed by.. you? a younger you? All I remember is some kind of.. nebula.." She pulled away from the woman, looking up at her with a concerned expression poised to ask another question having not received an answer for her previous question.

"Why is this happening?"​

Ivory Stroud

 

[Ivory Stroud]

Ivory listened as the young woman hesitantly began to explain what she'd seen. Though Iliana likely missed it, as she mentioned the 'purple sword' Ivory glanced toward one of the glass cases and the curved hilt of a lightsaber within it. The artifact was one of the more prominently displayed pieces in the well-traveled Mafiosa's 'collection', but it held a great many secrets Ivory had never shared with anyone. In fact, she could count on one hand all the people in the galaxy who might recognize it... and none of them were welcome in her office, or anywhere around her Family for that matter. For Iliana to mention it, as well as the appearance of a blonde woman, was no coincidence at all.

Ivory felt a strange sensation crawl over Iliana's mind; a thick, dark blanket which immediately shrouded her innermost thoughts, but she knew immediately that Ily wasn't attempting to hide anything from her. Iliana was trying to hide something from herself.

When the young woman mentioned a taller woman wearing the same hat Ivory wore, that brought a smile to Ivory's lips. What Iliana had seen, Ivory suspected, was Ivory's own induction into the highest echelons of 'The Family' by her predecessor, the original 'Donna'; a woman named Ahtemis.

"Why is this happening?"

Ivory took a deep breath, filling her lungs before exhaling in a sigh of resignation. She made eye-contact with the young woman, considering her response well. She reached out, gently taking Iliana's hand and guiding her to sit in one of the chairs in-front of Ivory's desk. "Perhaps you'd better sit down." She said, then she took the other seat beside. Ivory looked down at her hands for a moment, inspecting her palms... and then, she began to answer:

"It seems, dear, that you may have something of a gift." Ivory leaned back, affixing her gaze on her companion as-if to gauge her reaction.

"You've worked with us, pretty closely, for a while now. No doubt you've met a few of our employees - individuals who claimed to possess certain... abilities. Skills that allowed them to do things other people couldn't? Are you at all familiar with The Force?"

Iliana Röhr​

 

[Iliana Röhr]

I L I A N A⠀R Ö H R

'November'​

Ily' recoiled as Ivory recommended she sat down, her confusion began to grow as she took a seat by Ivory's desk, curious as to what's about to come. Eyes fixated on the mob boss, she listened all the attention she could muster, lingering onto every word as she pieced each of them together.

"It seems, dear, that you may have something of a gift."

Her head tilted in confusion and a frown appeared on her face, unsure of what she was about to hear; She continued to listen carefully.

"You've worked with us, pretty closely, for a while now. No doubt you've met a few of our employees - individuals who claimed to possess certain... abilities. Skills that allowed them to do things other people couldn't? Are you at all familiar with The Force?"

A few moments of silence passed as she formulated a response in her head, only to produce a stutter: "I- I.." Ily sighed as if to slow down and to choose her next words carefully, "I've.. researched certain people- groups, even, who claim to be able to do.. magic?" she spoke quietly.

"Certain people I've barely met, like Star or Mairéad.. or groups such as the New Jedi Order who claim to be able to do such things.. but I've never seen it done," she paused, as if to consider the reality of what Ives' was proposing, "It never seemed real- I hadn't even considered to look into it before.."

"Are you telling me.. that the rumours- and stories are true?" had the young woman been so entrenched in developing her business acumen and contract handling abilities that she had seemingly managed to ignore an entire population of magic-wielding individuals?

"And.. do you mean to tell me that.." Ily' winced, "I have this 'gift?'"

"What does this mean?"​

Ivory Stroud

 

[Ivory Stroud]

Iliana was taken aback... and rightfully so, Ivory reasoned. She had to remind herself that, for the majority of the Galaxy, The Force was still seen as something more akin to a hokey religion. For billions of sentient beings who cared more about surviving, feeding their families, and making their own way, such concepts as what was taught to young padawans taken in by the Jedi Order were entirely foreign... and often, not just foreign, but sometimes even seen as a sign of mental illness.

At that moment, Ivory realized the gravity of what she was suggesting.

She watched the young woman seated beside her struggle to comprehend, and further recognized how much of a shock it would be to find out that, for your entire life, you'd thought of yourself as one thing, only to find out you were something... foreign. A Rarity. An anomaly. Ivory had lived her entire life with an understanding of these subjects, but Iliana - even with all her training & business acumen - was entirely out of her depth.

"And.. do you mean to tell me that.." Ily' winced, "I have this 'gift?'"

"What does this mean?"

Ivory took a deep breath, and looked down at her hands for a moment... then sighed. When her gaze returned, she responded:

"Well, first of all..." She paused for a moment, then shifted in her seat. Strangely, she found herself almost... at ease... as she began to explain:

"The Force isn't... magic." As she talked, she began to gesture with her hands. "Think of it like, radiation. As I'm sure you're aware, even in the furthest depths of space, there's always a certain level of background radiation present - a field of energy we, as humans, cannot sense, or feel. We know it exists because scientists have captured it, harnessed it; used it for weapons, or to power our ships. But, many thousands of years ago, even though this radioactive energy still existed, when people died from it, our ancient ancestors might have seen it as a curse. Something evil, mysterious, and dangerous."

"Rightfully so, in some cases. But it's also something that, with proper training & practice, one can harness."

"There are..." She hesitated, brow furrowed as she considered what she would say next. "...Certain people, in this Galaxy - one out of every hundred thousand - who, for some reason, are innately able to sense, and manipulate this unseen Force. It's a... living thing..." She said, though such a statement seemed like it needed clarification. "What I mean is, it's present everywhere, but it's especially strong where Life is strong."

She smiled slightly, then indicated toward the window behind her desk with a gesture of her head. "Coruscant is, of course, one such place."

At that, she leaned back in her chair, and folded her hands in her lap as she looked at Iliana.

"What this means is, you appear to be that one in every hundred-thousand. What you saw was a vision of the past... My past... though why, I do not know."

 

[Iliana Röhr]

I L I A N A⠀R Ö H R

'Help Me Faith'​

Ily' was nothing more than confused, and her facial expressions showed it. Everything Ives' said simply didn't make sense to her, although she did try and piece bits together. She sat in the chair as she listening, only shuffling every now and again as her eyes fixated on the mob boss.

"What this means is, you appear to be that one in every hundred-thousand. What you saw was a vision of the past... My past... though why, I do not know."

Taking a moment to really consider her words, she finally spoke: "So.. what you're telling me.. is that I'm 'one in every hundred-thousand' people who have this.. power?" Ivory could see the cogs turning in her head as she considered what this meant for her.

"What you're saying is that.. I have radioactive powers?!"
​

She laughed it off in disbelief, the likelihood that that was true seemed minimal to her; "How do you know about all of this? How are you sure I even have this- this.. thing?"

Ivory Stroud

 

[Ivory Stroud]

"What you're saying is that.. I have radioactive powers?!"

The question was entirely unexpected, and the mix of excitement, confusion & surprise behind it made Ivory laugh. The sound was musical, bright, and beautiful - bringing a dose of levity to the moment, and hopefully shaking off the dark cloud that hung over Iliana's head. Ivory smiled at the young woman beside her, her violet eyes shimmering in the soft light of the room. Iliana laughed too, but for a different reason. Ivory reached out and placed a hand on one of Iliana's, giving it a squeeze.

"I...guess you could say that, in a way, you do."

The follow-up question from the young woman again shifted Ivory's demeanor, and the face of the Mafiosa went quiet & still for a moment. Turning her head and glancing behind her, she seemed to be checking that the door into the hallway was - indeed - still closed, then she turned back to regard her companion with a level stare.

Without another word, Ivory took her right hand off of Iliana's and raised her arm up; holding her fingers out in-front of her and pointing toward her desk. There, in one corner of the large workspace, was an empty crystal glass - one of a half-dozen she kept in a small cupboard alongside a bottle of Fiora Mogano Bourbon. Ivory took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

At first, nothing seemed to happen...

And then, the glass shifted slightly - and slowly began to rise into the air, born aloft by an invisible hand. Lazily, it began to drift toward her outstretched fingers - reaching her open hand after a few seconds as Ivory reached out, closing her fingers around the lip of the glass and plucking it delicately from the air.

Then, she offered the empty glass to Iliana with a serious look.

"Because I can do it too."

Iliana Röhr​

 

[Iliana Röhr]

I L I A N A⠀R Ö H R​

"Okay..."

"Okay..."

Ily' picked up the glass from thin air, "so.. you have these radioactive powers too?" She wasn't too sure how to respond after seeing that, leaving her more stunned than anything, "what did we do to get this then..? Spend too long next to radioactive material? Hyperdrive engines? Is Coruscant secretly a radioactive wasteland underneath the city sprawl?"

She still struggled to wrap her head around the whole situation, "is this.. dangerous? Do we need to go see a medical professional?"

"How.. What do we do now?"

Ivory Stroud

 

[Ivory Stroud]

For the second time in the past few minutes, Ivory again laughed. She'd thought, in the moment, that her convenient use of the metaphor of radioactivity had been a good one. At least the young woman seemed to be taking it well, if a bit confused. Ivory reasoned that she deserved to be confused. The Donna was basically telling the young woman she had super-powers.

Inwardly, Ivory also recognized that was, perhaps, one good reason the Jedi Order of old took children at a young age, rather then accepting adults into training. This was going to be difficult, indeed.

"what did we do to get this then..? Spend too long next to radioactive material? Hyperdrive engines? Is Coruscant secretly a radioactive wasteland underneath the city sprawl?"

"Well..." Ivory began, adjusting in her chair. "You're born with it. Sometimes, but not always, it's hereditary; passed down from one or both parents. Sometimes, it just happens. You might call it fate, or destiny, if you believe in such a thing." She spread her arms in a half-shrug, and continued:

"Individuals like Stardust, or Mairead, have particular gifts - special abilities, such as the ability to manipulate the elements. Others, such as the Jedi, undergo life-long training to harness their powers. There are a great many other people in this Galaxy who possess potential, but simply are never given the opportunity or the knowledge to understand their capabilities."

She took a deep breath and considered how best to clarify.

"The Force is... Well, it binds the Universe together. Like Gravity, or the blood pulsing through your veins, it's part of every single thing in this Universe. When you have a sudden flash of inspiration, or a 'bad feeling' about something, that could simply be The Force speaking to you. Everyone has some capacity to hear it, but very few ever listen closely enough."

"How.. What do we do now?"

She considered that.

After a moment, she came up with an answer.

"I'd like to have you meet with another member of our Organization. He's an old... friend of mine. A Doctor named Corran Conner . He's trustworthy, highly intelligent, and a genius physician - if a bit eccentric." Ivory considered how best to pitch the next step. "I'd like to have you take a blood test." She said, then quickly followed up, "There is a way to verify what I'm telling you, using a standard blood test. It'll be quick, private, & painless. After that, I'll be able to answer your questions better."

She looked at the woman carefully, seeking out some truth to where Iliana stood on the matter.

"I would ask, though, that you keep this strictly private; namely, that I showed you I possess these abilities as well. Individuals with these capabilities can sometimes be seen as... unpredictable, or untrustworthy, and one can never be too careful. Especially in our line of work." She smiled, hoping silently that the young woman picked up the sub-text of what Ivory was asking.

Discretion.

 

[Iliana Röhr]

I L I A N A⠀R Ö H R​

"Right.. I see," Ily' didn't quite see, but she was starting to piece together what was being said- albeit slowly. Part of her felt as if this was some elaborate joke, while the other half felt quite strongly in trusting Ives' and what she had to say. She'd figured that it wasn't radioactive powers after Ivory's but something more obscure, and she'd clearly need it explaining in further detail in the future.

"Dr. Conner, huh?" her head tilted slightly, "what's a blood test got to do with any of this?" she took a moment to consider her 'offer' to meet the doctor. "Sure.." she responded with a hint of uncertainty while she pondered about Ivory's request for discretion; "That's not particularly reassuring.. In that case, I'll be sure to keep this between us.." Ily' frowned.

She stood up from her seat, recollecting herself and straightening her outfit in the process. "Well, uh.." she wasn't sure what to say, "I'll.. see you soon?" Ily' backed away towards the door, eventually reaching it and attempting to open it; "How do I get out?"

Ivory Stroud

 

[Ivory Stroud]

Ivory nodded, pleased to hear the young woman would take her request for discretion seriously. As for the question of a blood test... "I'll explain everything to you tomorrow." She replied. The Donna chuckled as Iliana backed up toward the door, displaying an anxious desire to vacate the room as quickly as possible.

All in all, Ivory found it humorous, and would laugh about it once she was alone.

Ivory, too, stood and stepped toward her desk - depressing the same button she'd used before to close the door. With a soft click, the exit swung open, allowing the young woman to leave.

"Tomorrow morning, Miss Rohr. After breakfast, meet me in the lounge. I'll have a car waiting."

Those would be her final words as Iliana left her office.

END​