Temple of Greed and Gluttony

[Maris Fero]

It had been a little over a week since the Iron Fist consortium had endeavoured to the hostile takeover of the MezNez Casino, though beyond rumours of the hour or so of horrifying violence committed to secure the Casino Hotel there was almost no trace of a recent change of management. Fittings had been restored, even the statues of the grotesque Hutt lord who was supposed to own the palace were back in place, leering at the customers who milled around between the endless lines of gambling opportunities.

No one asked any questions. What did it matter which underlord ruled to the mindless consumers and devotee’s to the Goddesses of Luck and Fortune? All around was excess, the temple to gluttony and greed restored.

Perched on a balcony, looking down toward the mindless drones, sat the slender figure of a raven-haired youth, legs crossed and sipping on a cocktail glass of vivid green liquid. Grey-green eyes scanned the crowd below impassively, though internally the young woman seethed at the sheer shameless vice displayed by the creatures below her.

Over the course of the week, the worst of the youth's wounds had healed, what bruises remained on her legs and arms were easily covered up. Today’s ensemble, stolen from various patrons luggage, of course, included a slim figure hugging pair of tight pants, a short grey halter in a glitzy material and a bolero jacket in matching black. She wore flats with to complete the look, having tried and failed to balance in several pairs of heels she had ‘borrowed’, dressing uptown would take practice.

The Casino floor was a target rich environment, a sea of half-blind, fortune-seeking morons, carrying too much cash and jewellery, For a poor pickpocket this would be good days hunting, for a maestra of the grift, this was the stuff fortunes were made of. And yet, for now, Maris simply watched her distaste for the rich and the foolish cavorting below growing every moment.

[member="Gerard Lussk"]

 

[Darth Athora]

Gambling was always an addiction that Gerard always enjoyed fueling, but it always involved odds that he had control over like dueling and racing back home on Adumar. Casinos was still a new thing to him. He preferred to stay away from them. It was either he'd lose it all and end up broke or he'd win it all ad would get roughed up cause the casino's boss would call him out for cheating and then he'd end up broke. However, tonight was something special. He was in search of something better than riches. He was in search of a pet.

The young heir was in a smooth ensemble of a simple suit with just a flashy watch for jewelry. He didn't want to stand out in the crowd by dressing too little and didn't want to be an obvious target by dressing too much. He walked around the casino floor with a martini glass in hand, taking a sip every so often as he walked about.

Gerard felt like a lion surrounded by cattle. He could feel each and every one of their heartbeats as he walked past them. One particular one, belonging to an overweight old man, probably some billionaire considering he had a young lady on his arm, was beating pretty slowly. He didn't have much time left. That girl was gonna be very rich very soon. Good for her. Perhaps she'd make a good servant. He'd have to find her once the old man was dead. For now, he kept moving.

He was on the hunt.

[member="Maris Fero"]

 

[Maris Fero]

The Shrike had already spent several hours studying the crowds below. There were rhythms and patterns of the movement; The crowd itself had habits and tells that Maris might be able to read if she just watched long enough. The species and the sexes might be vastly different, but the general demeanours and fortunes of the pilgrims were pathetically easy to categorize.

The hunched shoulders and intense concentration of the long-lost addict, face buried in the ‘one-lucky-machine’ they had chosen for the long haul, repeatedly feeding credits into the insatiable maw of the casino, pressing the same control surfaces, again and again, repeating the action until that rush.

She had watched several winners on the slot machines, the surprise every single time; The pause, Then the surge of energy that would flood the hapless soul. They would inevitably look up then, a smile and a glance around to see who had noticed their windfall. Some would even gesticulate, pumping a fist in the air or whooping. The victory lasted only seconds as the triumphant conqueror gathered their spoils and moved to the next ‘lucky-machine’ feeding those same rewards back into the thirsty casino coffers.

Newcomers were quickly overwhelmed, without the ‘staying power’ or ‘discipline’ to lose a fortune gradually in a painfully monotonous venture like the slots, they gravitated toward the louder, and more scintillating betting opportunities; Dice and card games, Holofights, miniaturized droid races and endless flashing booths claiming to be ‘tests of skill’ would draw them in.

Throughout the whole moving crowd Maris could pick out the staff with ease; Wide, fixed smiles and too few clothes was a fairly key clue that such individuals were not the average wide-eyed newcomers. The void behind the smile seemed obvious to Maris, even from her elevated position, more obvious still the hidden patterns through which the hosts would guide inexperienced visitors deeper into the grips of the hungering beast that was the MezNez casino floor.

Even as she watched the ensemble Maris played practice, trying on the expressions she saw and filing away the feelings and actions she would try later on. Working with crowds, hunting amongst them, meant understanding the creatures you hunted. Her eyes fell upon a smiling, giggly slender silver-haired young woman, arrayed in a gauzy cocktail dress that matched her hair colour. She was followed around by a pair of hired muscle, one of whom carried a ridiculously small bag that surely cost more than his own subdued wardrobe. Maris affected the girl's coquettish grin and brushed her raven hair back to mimic the silver girl’s longer neckline, her lashes fluttering almost in time with her targets.

What would it be like, she thought, to be one of them, just for a day? - Or even an hour. To be a vain, gluttonous poor innocent roaming the Casino floor in search of excitement and willing to lose ridiculous amounts of credits just to feel the rush.

Even as she pondered the fanciful life of her focus, Maris found her gaze drawn to something else stalking the crowded casino floor. The suited man was not a worshipper seeking enlightenment at the Hutt’s altar, but nor did she recognise his face or his habits as those belonging to a member of the staff. He tried to look at ease and had dressed to suggest that he was the average Vorzyd pilgrim-gambler, but something in his stance and the way he comported himself betrayed him to the most careful of observers.

Though he showed little flash Maris had already concluded that the newcomer had money behind him, and he appeared almost distracted as he examined the milling masses who parted about him as he moved. He wasn’t here to gamble.

Maris cocked her head and followed his progress with more interest, eventually even deciding to investigate the mystery further. She left her spot above on the balcony, noting the direction the newcomer had been travelling and slinked toward the nearby stairs, before descending slowly - one palm playing on the cool smooth marble of the balustrade as she moved.
Her new target was prowling nearby, just as she had suspected he would be, and with a little of the wide-eyed enthusiasm of the silver girl returned to her features Maris gradually closed the distance to pass nearby the newcomer, entering his orbit as naturally as she could.

[member="Gerard Lussk"]

 

[Darth Athora]

A fresh scent lingered into Gerard's nose, one that made him stop in his tracks. It was something...fresh. Young and innocent, but there was something beneath that. Beneath that soft exterior was a hardy core. Someone who's been around the block a few times. She was young and tough. Almost exactly what he was looking for. Her scent betrayed her stealth as he could almost instantly tell she was following him.

He took this moment to weave through the masses, to see if she could track him down. He had to test her before he'd take this any further. Should she turn out to be persistent enough to keep up the chase, he'd give her even more of his attention. He picked up his speed a bit, gliding on until he reached the dining area. Once there, he took a seat at a booth in the far corner. It was dimly lit and far from any of the other patrons of the casino. Somewhere no one would bother him or her, if she came along.

He sat with his back towards where he led her and looked over the menu in front of him to give off an illusion of him readying to order food when instead, his meal was already on the way.

[member="Maris Fero"]

 

[Maris Fero]

The approach had been smooth and calculated to seem natural, her mark was unlikely to even register her presence until she made herself obvious. And yet…

He was moving. The mark had changed course and the easily predictable pattern she had seen before was lost. Maris smiled despite her irritation and continued on, tapping a nearby human on the shoulder and naming the man ‘Ludo’. When the confused stranger turned, Maris feigned surprise and apologised at once, a sheepish grin and even a blush toward the now smiling patron.

She maintained her ‘embarrassing mistake’ act for another moment or two, explaining that she had lost a friend. Maris edged up onto tiptoes a moment as she peered around the crowded hall for any sign of the mark, still maintaining a polite small talk with her new acquaintance as she sought her target.

He was nowhere to be seen, but the moment she had taken to regroup had built a new picture of the space in her mind's eye. From above the pattern was clear and obvious, but nuance was easily missed. The main floor was loud and busy; A hunter, such as her mark, could make use of chaos, but a clean strike required calm, and a place to set an ambush.

The main floor was at its busiest now, in an evening session, but the restaurant area had hosted the busiest periods of its day already and was quieter now. With that in mind, she made her excuses and slinked off into the crowds once more. Arriving at the front of the restaurant, Maris paused, seeming to pay attention to the menu scrollers advertising the vast array of delicacies on sale within. In fact, she had sought any signs of her mark.

As luck would have it, she recognised the stylish cut of a suited arm as it was illuminated by a strobing light from a vast holographic dancer projected above in the high vaulted ceiling of the space. He was seated in a booth waiting, and seemingly alone. Maris' eyes narrowed a moment, looking about for his prey; Thinking that perhaps they had excused themselves for a moment, she chose to hang back and wait.

Minutes passed and no one had joined the solitary figure, and Maris had begun to question the very premise of her theory. The hunter had stalked the casino, sought a quiet spot to take his shot and yet there was no prey to be seen.

Except for her.

The thought gave Maris pause, she blinked and reassessed, eyes hardening as she came to a troubling conclusion. She was wrong, or she was the target.

There was time to stop and think, time to reset; There was time to abandon this diversion altogether. Instead, Maris rolled her shoulders and smiled to herself, thinking back to the face of Herk Mallit and feeling the warmth of her righteous rage stir at the memory of him and her own power. This place was her’s, at least for tonight.

Let the game begin.

----

Across from the stranger, a young woman slid into the opposite side of the booth, moving with purpose and crossing her legs as she reached for the menu. She didn’t look up at the older occupant of her booth yet, instead, she flicked the menu screen to another page and asked a question as if entering a prior conversation.

“Seen anything you like?”

[member="Gerard Lussk"]

 

[Darth Athora]

Gerard listed his gaze from the menu slightly as he was joined by the girl he had sensed before. As soon as she took her seat, he could almost taste her essence as she was closer than before. It was sweet with a bit of spice to it. He felt as though he could read her like a book, but he knew better than to judge a book by it's cover.

"A few things, yes. But nothing has really..aroused my tastes." he said with a quick smirk before returning his gaze to his menu. He couldn't help but try to decipher who this girl was or why she followed him. Could she be an assassin working for her family's enemies? Or perhaps she was another groupie who knew of his family's apparently not so well kept secret? Whatever the case may be, Gerard did not let his guard down. He shifted himself a bit, allowing himself easy access to the blade tucked beneath his jacket. Though, he felt like it wouldn't be necessary. She was small and seemed a bit frail. He did not underestimate her, though. He did not practice martial arts for years all for nothing.

"You?"

[member="Maris Fero"]

 

[Maris Fero]

The Shrike was unarmed, primarily because it was casino policy that no one carries weapons within the Casino beyond the limited teams assigned to maintain the round-the-clock security of the building. But even if Enyo had allowed the youth to carry weapons here, Maris was fascinated exploring and playing with the new world she had entered, and for the moment she was satisfied with the exercise and violent outlet she achieved training for [member="Enyo Typhos"].

Grey-green eyes flicked up from her menu with a brief smile at Gerard’s words whilst the youth shrugged off her stolen bolero, revealing pale slender shoulders, and laid the garment neatly on the seat by her side. Maris studied the gent’s pretty features intently, reading his interest and offering the coy blush she had observed in countless pretty young things already that day.

By Maris estimate, the man was perhaps a foot taller than she was though possessed of the same slender build as the ganger. He looked nearly as young as she was, but something in the youth's emerald-eyed gaze gave Maris pause for thought.

“Oh yes.” she acknowledged his question with a grin, though offering no explanation of what had peaked her interest. “You’re hungry though, right? Otherwise, why did we come all the way to this restaurant?” she added, setting the menu aside and leaning back in her seat.

"Unless, of course, you're meeting someone else? I assume this is my seat."

[member="Gerard Lussk"]

 

[Darth Athora]

Gerard could not resist but hungrily gazing at the young girl's flesh as she revealed herself beneath her bolero. He held back his urges, however. For now. "Yes, hungry." he replied. He closed his menu back up and laid it on the table. He was leaning forward a bit, elbows on the table and chin resting on his hand as he looked at her. "And no, that seat was free and then you showed up."

He exhaled sharply as he tried to get a read on her. "Do I know you?" he asked. "Do you know me?" He leaned back in his chair, getting a more comfortable position. "What's someone like you doing in this place? Doesn't really seem like your ... scene. You're either someone important's kid or you have some good connections of some other sort."

[member="Maris Fero"]

 

[Maris Fero]

Maris ignored the hungry gaze, she’d seen it before and it had often come as an advantage to have a target distracted thinking too much about the pleasures of the flesh and not enough about the missing watch or pocketbook.

She sat back instead, mirroring the man's movements and smiling cheerfully as she listened to his theories on her identity, nothing really came close to any truth she accepted.

“That - or I’m a Slicer with more money than sense, who’s older than she looks and enjoys following interesting characters who feel like their fitting in oh so well.” she offered with a wink, drumming her nails on the tabletop and signalling for a droid waiter to approach.

[member="Gerard Lussk"]

 

[Darth Athora]

A grin followed by a brief chuckle was made by the young bachelor. "Interesting characters?" He leaned in for a whisper. "So you think a little flattery is going to get you off the hook?" He pulled back as the waiter came to the table.

"May I start the lovely couple off with drinks?" the waiter asked, his robotic voice ringing in Gerard's ear.

"I'll have the Fambaa delight with a glass of water. And you..darling?" Gerard feigned a smile, not wanting to cause a scene in the middle of the casino. If he did, his odds were not in his favor. Perhaps he'd be able to settle this in a more secluded area. He felt that she was just sizing him up for something. The idea of her being an assassin grew stronger and stronger, but then the idea of her just being a petty thief also came to mind. He had a bit of jewelry on him at the time and his wallet was pretty hefty. However, if he could keep his eyes on her, she wouldn't be able to make any moves.

[member="Maris Fero"]

 

[Maris Fero]

Who has who on the hook anyway?

The thought itself was enough to make her smile, a situation like this was fluid and fraught with possibilities; Until someone caved and told the truth then absolutely anything had potential to be true. The trick, Maris had surmised, was to dismiss doubt.

“I don’t have any need for flattery here, do I? Really?” she asked with the confidence of a rhetorical argument, and a knowing nod based on nothing but a narrative the youth built around them. “An Important man such as yourself, with a name,”

Of course, she had no idea what name that might be, but she wasn’t about to admit anything of the sort yet, she turned a dazzling smile on the droid waiter, affecting the pose of a charmed young partner of a wealthy powerful man, as she glanced back to Gerard with a soft smile.

“Oh just a water for me, Darling, I shouldn’t drink, should I? In my condition.” she dropped a hand to rest gently on her midriff for a moment and waited for the waiter to depart, looking back to her dining partner.

When they were left alone again she let the hand return to the table and winked to Gerard. “You still seem so tense, why is that?”

[member="Gerard Lussk"]

 

[Darth Athora]

Gerard smirked as she laid her hand on her stomach, feigning some sort of pregnancy to put on a show for the waiter. His amusement with the girl was clouding over his other emotions, but, steel, he would not let his guard down. He could tell she was attempting to lure him into a false sense of security. Perhaps he would fake it, just to see her real intentions.

"Yes, just a water. Excellent idea, my dear." Gerard mused. He watched as the robot sped away with their order. "No food, huh? Interesting. Not hungry?" he commented, smirking at her wink. "I think it's time for proper introductions, don't you? You already know who I am, or so you say, so tell me who you are. Y'know, to keep the ruse going. Going with pet names all night is not so believable, don't you think?"

[member="Maris Fero"]​