Red Ravens Dominion of Syvris

[Armand Temi]

"Are you the brother of [member="Cryax Bane"]? You look exactly like him," Dak said, stating the obvious. "Cryax is my boss and you can call me Dak." This young man who so closely resembled Bane was also with a human female and a male Zeltron.

"There were some girls I was with who probably know the way. To Mistress Malkite." Dak glanced over her shoulder to find her companions but the ladies she had arrived with were gone. However another human female was headed their way sheathed in a black leather dress. She marched up to them and held out a flyer which was all black. Dak took the flyer and turned it over. The other side had lettering which read: The Pain Parlor.

"I couldn't help but overhear you talking about Mistress Malkite," the woman said without any enthusiasm whatsoever. She appeared rough around the edges and like she needed a good night's sleep, thought Dak. "I can show you the way." The woman's eyes widened as she looked at the package. "I'm sure she will appreciate the gift," she said, looking a little like she was eyeing it up for herself.

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

"Nice to meet you, Dak," He held a deathstick between his teeth and, deftly juggling the packages meant for Mistress Malkite, managed to get it lit. "Yep, that blue bastard is my brother alright," he said, blowing pink smoke out of the side of his mouth. "I like to think I'm the better looking one though. Hope he treats you better than he treats his family. Case in point, he's made me his gopher for today." He gestured with a nod of his head to the gifts in his arms. From his scowl, it was obvious there was no love lost between the brothers. Sage gave Dak a roguish grin and then turned to look at the woman next to her.

Sage noticed the way the woman was eyeballing his gifts. "Ah, I need to take these to the Mistress myself, pateesa," he said with an apologetic smile. "But I'll throw a few credits your way if you take me right to her." He raised his eyebrows questioningly. "What do you say?" She looked like the kind of gal who wouldn't turn down credits no matter how vile the task.

[member="Dakita Calfur"]

 

[Armand Temi]

"Sure thing, sweetheart," the woman in black leather answered. "My name is The Black Rose." She gave him a limp handshake, looked him in the eye briefly and back at the gifts in his hands. "You like spice?" she asked. "We got lots of that at the Pain Parlor. Follow me."

At the mention of Pain Parlor, Dak gave Sage a quick "oh kark" glance. While the Zeltron liked to inflict a little pain now and then, she certainly didn't want to be on the receiving end of it. But to each her own, she guessed. As they followed The Black Rose through the flashing lights and bustling activity of The Pinkport, Dak inspected her boss's brother. Good looks did run in the family, although Dak had enough sense not to try and sleep with her boss. And if she was truthful, the Chiss kind of creeped her out a little bit. But the brother? He seemed a lot more down to earth.

The Black Rose led them down a dark alleyway away from the neon lights of the Pinkport. The street was eerily quiet. For some reason Dak thought The Pain Parlor would resemble something out of a HorrorHolo, all black and foreboding but The Black Rose stopped at a very nondescript building in the middle of the block. There was even a window sill flower pot with blooming flowers, making the Pain Palor look more like someone's upscale townhouse than a dominatrix service. There was no signage whatsoever although the window shades were drawn. The Black Rose went right through the unlocked door, expecting them to follow.

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage shook The Black Rose's hand and then drew it back with a grimace. "Sure, I like spice," he said. He liked hand-santizer, too, and he could sure use it right now. Then he smiled sweetly. "To the Pain Parlor then."

Sage met Dak's wide-eyed gaze with a shrug. It wasn't like he was going to the Pain Parlor as a client. He just needed to drop off the packages, and use his bedroom eyes to sweet talk Mistress Malkite into making some deals with his brother. A cakewalk, right?

The entrance of the Pain Parlor was nondescript. That wasn't unusual for places like this. The last thing a big named celebrity with a certain type of prurient taste needed was for a Holo paparazzo to shoot some embarrassing Holos of their excursions to a place such as The Parlor. He followed the Black Rose into the building a bit apprehensively, hackles raised and Force sense active in case he sensed any signs of foul play. Although it could have been his active imagination talking, one never knew when a place like this was a front for slavers or kidney thieves.

[member="Dakita Calfur"] [member="Mistress Malkite"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Dak was sure glad that Sage went into the door first as this whole Pain Parlor business was starting to make her skin crawl. After walking down a short hallway, The Black Rose took them to a luxurious living room with high-end furnishings that resembled something out of a designer furniture store. One thing was sure: Mistress Malkite had expensive taste which meant that she probably made a good living running The Pain Parlor. I'm in the wrong line of work, thought Dak.

The Black Rose said, "Make yourselves at home. I'll let Mistress Malkite know you're here." Then she walked out of the room.

Dak listened to see if she could hear anything - the sounds of women talking. Screams of pain, perhaps? But the room was still and quiet.

[member="Sage Bane"]
[member="Mistress Malkite"]

 

[Armand Temi]

"You have a client in Room Two," said Mistress Malkite after The Black Rose let her know she had guests. The Black Rose turned the corner and went down to the basement to Room Two. She could see the guests from the hidden cameras she had set up in the front room of The Pain Parlor but it was no one she recognized. Maybe Poppy and The Black Rose had been actually doing their job this afternoon versus slacking off like they normally did. But The Rose had specifically said these two rather scruffy looking kids were not clients but were at The Pain Parlor to drop off some gifts. This intrigued Mistress Malkite.

She clicked down the hallway in black patent leather stilettos. Her after-massage outfit consisted of a black leather jacket and short skirt with strategically placed cutouts running down the arms and also down the hips. The jacket was cut open from the breastbone down to her navel. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun atop her head. She looked a little like this:

Spoiler

She walked into the front room and stood there eyeing Dak and Sage. Unlike The Black Rose, Mistress Malkite didn't even acknowledge the gifts which Sage Bane held. Her gaze was fixed squarely on the Zeltron and half-Chiss. Then she smiled, if moving her facial muscles only so slightly constituted a smile (it did in Mistress Malkite's case).

"Welcome to The Pain Parlor. The Black Rose said you have brought Mistress Malkite gifts. What is the occasion?" she asked.

[member="Sage Bane"]
[member="Dakita Calfur"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage cut his eyes sideways to Dakita as if to say "you can go now, thank you very much." Then he smiled widely at the leather clad dominatrix. Mistress Malkite's Force signature read like a block of ice. She was a cold customer alright. He cleared his throat and stepped forward a bit, giving her a cordial bow.

"The occasion is a greeting from a very important person on Antecedent, who wanted you to have these," he gestured to the packages in his arms. "Maybe you've heard of him? A little old crime lord named Cryax Bane? I'm his brother, Sage, and i've been sent as his emissary to discuss some business with you, uh, Mistress. Can you spare some time for me?"

He thought he could hear sounds of screaming coming from upstairs or downstairs, he couldn't really tell. A hand reached up and absently traced the scars on his neck left by past slave collars he was made to wear. Sometimes whips and chains gave Sage the heebie jeebies. As an ex-slave the sight of them hit a bit too close to home. His eyes flashed red and Chiss like for a moment. The Mistress wouldn't know it, but it was the only physical sign that he might be a bit scared of her. Otherwise his face was all charming smiles.

[member="Mistress Malkite"] [member="Dakita Calfur"]

 

[Keira Priest]

"No fights?" Her tone of voice almost sounded disappointed. If anything, that just showed how much this Zeltron both underestimated and had more than likely judged her by appearance. Unfortunately, or perhaps the opposite, she was anything but how she first appeared to most people. Most saw her as a pretty face that happened to swing around a lightsaber in her spare time, but she was much more than that. Not only was Keira deadly skilled with said weapon, but she also wouldn't hesitate to use it if the need arose. All told, much more of a volatile specimen than she thought this man was expecting. It was always nice to have people second guessing you like this.

A small, teasing smile turned up the corners of her mouth, and she gently traced the top of the Zeltron's hand with her thumb. "And here I thought that I'd get to see you in action." Her hazel green eyes glinted with mischief. All of this was just an act, and a good one at that, but he didn't have to know just yet. "Or maybe I'll still get the chance." Getting him alone meant many things, one of them meaning it would be fractionally easier, at least theoretically, to get him to speak abou topics that he would otherwise be hesitant to bring up in the public eye. Something told her this one had connections in all the wrong places, just like she needed.

"I don't think I ever caught your name, bel." Gently she squeezed his hand. "I'll tell you a secret if you tell me one." Getting him comfortable around her, that was the key. He already seemed to be relaxed and overly confident, two things she could eventually exploit. Those that didn't realize they were in over their head until things had already gone markedly downhill were the kind of people that she could easily work with - her own way. Whether he realized it or not, this Zeltron had picked the wrong woman to pick up.

[member="Red Ravens Storyteller"]

 

[Red Ravens Storyteller]

The Gentlemen's Club

The Korun paled slightly at the 'mini-rancor' comment, though it was hardly noticeably with his dark complexion and he quickly recovered, with his cocky grin returning.

"I came outta the hat baby, 'cause I'm magic."

Did he wink at her? Yes, he definitely did. That just happened.

"The names Aalto Reyal. When I'm not here I moonlight as a personal trainer, either for general fitness or self defence. I have a few other.. specialties, of course, but not just anyone gets to see them. Those are for special, personal sessions if you know what I mean."

While he quickly reverted to flirting, he seemed legitimately proud of his job as a personal trainer.

"I even trained the two Zeltrons the Lady has following her around. Not that they really needed it."

He frowned slightly at that.

[member="Deborah Waller"]

 

[Armand Temi]

"Cryax Bane." Mistress Malkite said the name slowly as if it were a fine Jhantorian wine. "Why yes, that name does ring a bell." When she stopped talking a muffled scream could be heard from somewhere in The Pain Parlor. The Mistress didn't acknowledge the scream at all. She drew out her datapad and pulled up a paparazzi picture from HNN and turned around her pad so both Sage and Dak could see. In the photo, Cryax had been snapped angrily yelling at a large mohawked Mandalorian. Sage's brother also had what appeared to be dayglow paint on his cheek. It was not the most flattering shot.

"Your brother is a very powerful figure," said Mistress Malkite. "And I can certainly spend some time with his emissary." She smirked and walked slowly over to the window, distracted for a moment. She looked back at Sage and said, "You look like a smart man so I'm sure you know that my time is valuable. Why does Mr. Bane think I'll so easily give my time to you for free?" Her words were slow, deliberate and dripping with malice.

[member="Sage Bane"]
[member="Dakita Calfur"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Dak slumped down on the leather couch in The Pain Parlor and watched the exchange between Sage Bane and Mistress Malkite as if she were watching a Holoshow. The only thing she could think of was how frelling high the dominatrix's heels were. They actually looked painful to wear. And when the unearthly sounding scream rang out through the building, Dak was frozen momentarily in fear. The Mistress barely moved an inch at the noise. No comment or acknowledgement. No "I'm sorry about the poor banshee wailing in the basement can I get you some tea?"

When The Mistress showed them the paparazzi photo of Cryax Bane, Dak stifled a laugh which wasn't difficult to do given that screaming was pretty much the background noise around here. And then flarg began to get real because Mistress Malkite was asking for payment and why shouldn't she since she was some kind of escort after all? But still, Dak knew that Cryax had not only a stingy streak but that powerful hubris that got him into trouble. She wouldn't be surprised if, aside from the gifts Sage held, her boss would offer nothing else to Mistress Malkite for her time today.

[member="Sage Bane"]
[member="Mistress Malkite"]

 

[Red Ravens Storyteller]

The Rancors Den

Though Alejandro's arm kept [member="Erud'ryz'ladre"] almost crushingly close to him, this was likely for the best considering the way the driver of the 'speeder flew. At least she wasn't likely to go flying out. A few of the others very nearly did, which they seemed to think was the height of hilarity. His attention however, was very clearly [member="Cryax Bane"]. When the Chiss took a hold of the Rancors favourite thing about himself, and he liked a lot of himself very much, the Rancor actually laughed, though he made no move to stop Cryax and all signs pointed to him enjoying it just fine.

"Who you think I be Doll? My place got places we can be alone.. If you don' wanna share this time, you don' gotta share. There's enough of the Rancor to give everyone a solo serving!"

The Rancor grinned as he affectionately nuzzled the Chiss, before gently nipping his neck. The stark contrast between this behaviour and the 'friend' he'd so casually murdered only moments before was sobering.

The Speeder repeated it's earlier antics, skidding into a (three) parking spots before what, based on the hideously neon and slowly bobbing Rancor on the sign, was the true Rancors Den. A beat that could be felt even from outside vibrated the concrete around the building, easily felt through the average shoe or boot. As the Rancors cronies began tumbling out of the speeder and heading for the club like a pack of akk-dogs, Alejandro stood, bringing the Chiss, both of them, with him.

Cryax was lifted up to sit on one bulging shoulder, while Dryzl was casually tossed over the other, her head hanging in an rather undignified manner behind the Rancor and her bottom.. Well.. It was up there, and Alejandro was still holding on to it. She definitely deserved a raise.

 

[Sage Bane]

As Sage's eyes glanced curiously over the Holo that Mistress Malkite presented to him, he rolled his eyes. There was his clown of a brother alright, laying into some clearly Mandalorian fellow who was ten times bigger than he was. Well to be fair, he was probably ten times stupider, too, but brains only got you so far when you had someone's Crushgaunts around your neck. He shook his head and raised a brow. "What can I say? That's him alright. In all his blue glory." He wondered if somewhere the photographers for HNN had a running contest to see who could snap the worst Holos of his brother.

When the Mistress asked about payments for her time, Sage's produced a credit chip that Cryax had given him. Just one more bribe in a long line of bribes the Mistress was about to receive. Cryax did think of everything sometimes. "Here," he said, handing it out to her. "Hopefully that's enough."

Then Sage looked around the room and turned back to the Mistress. The packages were getting to be a nuisance and Sage's arms were sore from holding them. "Would you like to talk business first, Mistress Malkite? Or would you like to open my brother's gifts?"

[member="Mistress Malkite"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Mistress Malkite gave a strained smile, the one that appeared to be really hard for her to do. With her long black fingernail she tapped the credit chip as Sage Bane held it out for her. "On the table, Mr. Bane," she said instructing him to put the chip down. "I am also curious to see what your brother thinks I like so yes I would like to open the gifts. Those can go on the table as well."

Mistress Malkite strolled over to Dak, watching Bane from the corner of her eye. As cool as he tried to play it she could tell by his gaze he was admiring her long legs and svelte figure. The Zeltron girl was just a third wheel at this point and looked to have neither a sense of style nor actual credits for The Mistress. "You may go now," she said coldly to Dak. "I'd like to be alone with Mr. Bane."

The Zeltron girl gave her companion an anxious glance but then she shrugged and said, "I'll be outside. If you need me just scream." She snickered at her own comment and left The Pain Parlor presumably to hang around outside.

"Would you like to do the honors?" asked Mistress Malkite gesturing to the pile of gifts.

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage was having second thoughts about wishing that Dakita would leave. It might have been her glacial tone or something he was picking up with his Force powers, but the Mistress gave him a bad feeling, and now that he was alone with her that feeling went from bad to worse. Sure she was beautiful, but there was something predatory about her. He'd recognized a similar demeanor with Hutt slavers. He didn't trust it. But second-guessing himself, he thought that perhaps he was just being paranoid, like his karking brother.

"I would be glad to do the honors, Mistress Malkite," said Sage, keeping his charming poker face plastered on his face. He placed the packages on the table and, feeling a bit like a trained monkey in a spotlight, started to open them. Inside was an assortment of expensive and rare items, like Rimble wine, jewelry, Alparas flowers which bloomed only once a year, fur coats and other assorted clothing, rich synthweathe fabrics from the Bright Jewel System. Lastly there were many jars of spice from the planet Dredd, which was said to be some of the most potent in the galaxy. Sage's hands trembled the moment he saw the Dredd glitterstim, a hardcore jones for the drug taking over his body.

He turned to her, placed his hands behind his back and tilted his head towards the Mistress. "Are these to your liking?" he asked. "We can sample the spice if you'd like." If that wasn't a huge glaring hint, he didn't know what was.

[member="Mistress Malkite"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Mistress Malkite knew the moment he walked in that Sage Bane had the whiff of an addict about him. His heavy lidded eyes and hipster "street urchin" wardrobe gave it away. He also had an interesting scar on his neck but she couldn't be sure of what had caused that. Being a woman quite familiar with scars she had her suspicions. After he unwrapped all of the gifts, she walked over to where he sat and stood over him.

The Mistress undid one of the jars of glitterstim and then held it in front of Bane's nose. "None for Mistress Malkite," she said. "But help yourself." Then she took the jar away and walked over to the far side of the room with it so he couldn't really help himself to it.

She inspected all of the gifts with her highly discerning eye. "Your brother has expensive taste," she said. The Mistress set the jar of glitterstim on an end table and tried on one of the fur coats. She couldn't tell what type of fur it was but it was black, silky and elegant. She looked Sage in the eye and as she peeled off the fur coat and it dropped to the ground, her leather jacket went right along with it. She was wearing a leather push-up bra underneath.

"Whoops," she said in a deadpan voice. "I've lost my jacket."

The Mistress then twisted around to unzip her leather skirt. The zipper made an almost violent noise as she pulled it down. She stepped out of the skirt which left her in leather underwear and black stockings only. Just then another domiatrix came through the front entrance, a Rutian Twi'lek. She moved quietly around Mistress Malkite but eyed the gifts on the table. The Mistress continued the conversation in a business-like tone as if she hadn't just undressed in front of him.

"Mr. Bane, at this time I require you to give any weapons you have on your person to Poppy," the Mistress said. "You do understand that I ask this of you for the sake of my own security and my employees." Poppy approached Sage and held out her hands. The Mistress continued:

"Your brother is a rather generous Chiss. What type of business does he seek with The Mistress?"

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Eyes following the glitterstim like a homing missile, Sage smiled when she said the magic words, "help yourself." He was about to do just that when she carried the jar to the far side of the room. Waiting as she pawed through her gifts, he raised an eyebrow when she dropped her coat. Normally when a woman disrobed, Sage would have a different reaction, but the half-Chiss was thoroughly creeped-out by the Mistress and if it weren't for the glitterstim she had in her mitts, he would have high-tailed it out of there. Pronto.

When another dominatrix entered the room, Sage's eyes flashed red for a moment. He didn't like this. Not one bit. The whole scene reminded him way too much of Nal Hutta. Oh why did he let his karking brother talk him into this? "I understand, Mistress." he said as she explained that he would be disarmed. With a reluctant smirk, he lifted back the lapels on his jacket and removed the blaster from its holster, handing it to the Twi'lek. Then he reached down to the vibroknife strapped to his thigh and handed it over.

Turning back to the blonde dominatrix, Sage cleared his throat before he responded, "Cryax Bane would like to talk to you about a partnership with the Pinkport and the Pain Parlour. He wants to invest in your businesses in a way that could be mutually beneficial for the both of you. Of course, you'll work out the details with the Chiss and his lawyers when the time comes. I'm merely here to set the wheels in motion." What Sage didn't tell the Mistress was the fact that his brother's idea of partnership was taking a cut of the profits by hook or by crook. She was on a "need-to-know" basis when it came to that little detail.

Sage then forced his face into a fake smile and approached the Mistress, his eyes flicking to the Dredd glitterstim.

"May I?" he said, gesturing to the delicious crystal rocks.

[member="Mistress Malkite"]

 

[Armand Temi]

Poppy took the weapons from Sage and went into the back of The Pain Parlor with them.

"Of course," said Mistress Malkite. She handed the jar of glitterstim to the half-Chiss. And even though Bane was trying really hard to maintain his cool, she could read the fear from his body language. She expected him to take the jar and bolt out the door, leaving his weapons behind him. Hopefully the Zeltron was no longer outside, Mistress Malkite thought and she peeked out of the window. The pink-skinned female was still in front but across the street and flirting with a group of men.

She motioned to the black leather couch. "Let's sit down, shall we? A much easier place to talk business, don't you think?" The Mistress tried her best to give him a reassuring smile but the corners of her mouth barely moved.

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Cryax Bane]

For better or worse, Cryax had Alejandro's attention now. He was grinning like a maniac, and making no move to remove his hand. When the Rancor started covering Cryax's neck in wet hickeys, it was both sexy and disgusting at the same time, which was a strange sensation for the Chiss. "A solo-serving of the Rancor, eh? Well supersize mine, honey!" he said, with a fake laugh. Inwardly he cringed hard. The crime boss cast another glance to Dryzl to make sure that she hadn't shot herself in the head, and then he lurched forward as they made an abrupt stop.

Amid the hoots and hollers of the Rancor's posse of ruffians, the Rancor then hoisted up both Chiss in the air, like trophies and carried them into the club. Cryax was now sitting on Alejandro's shoulder like a Kowakian monkey lizard and Dryzl was hanging upside down, her long black hair swinging like a curtain around her face. "Ch'ah cart cseo ch'ithe'umi'aco." he muttered to his bodyguard in Cheuhn, his alien vocal chords clicking out the Csillan tongue. As they entered the Rancor's Den, Cryax sadly suspected that bodyguard number 56 would soon need to be replaced.

[member="Red Ravens Storyteller"] [member="Erud'ryz'ladre"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage's eyes sadly followed his weapons as they left with the Mistress's underling, but then Malkite offered him some of the Dredd glitterstim and all was forgiven. Maybe the Mistress wasn't half bad after all. He snatched the jar from her and took a seat on the black leather couch he was bid. Out of his pocket he produced a small vial and a lighter. Dumping out some of the crystalline rocks into the vial, he placed his lighter underneath the vial and let the flame activate the drug. The tiny rocks began to glow and pulsate, flickering on and off like lightning bugs trapped in a jar. Once they were fully brightened, he tossed a few of the rocks into his mouth, careful not to take too much. Even though Sage had the drug tolerance of a baby Wampa, overdosing on the stuff was ridiculously easy.

In a moment, Sage sank into the couch, his brown eyes rolling back in his head, eyelids fluttering. All of Sage's fears floated away as he felt the drug soak into his bloodstream. He let his head loll slowly towards the Mistress. She was such a nice lady, with the softest looking blonde hair, like a halo around her head. Almost like an angel. He smiled widely, his eyes almost slits.

"My brother also has a special arrangement he wants to discuss with you, kotkhen." he said, slipping in and out of slug tongue. What the kark was he talking about again? He suddenly found words very hard to say. Oh yes, the arrangement. "He can supply you with special clients. High profile ones that he would like to put in compromising positions. Bkoha biw?"

[member="Mistress Malkite"]