The Path Not Taken

[Arekk]

​

CORELLIA​

Outside Groola's Place, Tyrena ​

---

---

INTERACTING WITH: [member="Xavierah Stargo"] ​

Home of scoundrels.

Ar'ekk could not remember the last time he set foot outside Lithios but definitely felt like it had been a while. Compared to the constant raining over his head, Corellia was a nice change. Its warm weather, at least that evening, was a relief from the freezing cold back home.

His visit was merely personal as he was in search for specific items to add to his loadout, specially weaponry and gadgets unavailable on the black market of Lithios. Having to travel throughout the galaxy aboard the legendary Ebon Hawk was thrilling as ever and certainly losing the capability to maneuever such marvelous ship was not something he took lightly.

After a unfruitful frenetic search for the much needed equipment in Corellia's underground market and vendors with a little less "good" reputation, sort of speak, it was time to ease up with a drink at Goola the Hutt's bar near Tyrena's spaceport. The place was like any other: grimey, dirty and loud.

"A Corellian ale, please." His signature drink of choice, of course. Very fitting considering he was on Corellia.

Taking seat by the counter and engaging the bartender on friendly conversation for a few minutes, A'rekk enjoyed the liquor at a calm pace.

---

---

 

[Avery Rose Garter]

Xavierah didn't drink. Didn't usually frequent public places either, or at least, not any longer than was necessary. This marked an exception to the latter rule, though her purpose here was business for the sake of the Hutt lord she'd made the beginnings of some sort of partnership with. She was here to observe and report back, not that she would be communicating directly with the Hutt. Beneath him in standing though she may have been, she was still a crime lord, and she held herself to a higher standard than most. Call it upbringing or blame it on a fault in personality, but it was how she'd always operated.

With her intent being to go unnoticed she sat alone, her men dispersed throughout the bar rather than manifesting as a concentrated presence. So as not to stand out she ordered a drink, but it sat disregarded where it had been placed on the table. For the most part she kept her head down, taking note of who entered and left and which individuals they interacted with while they were there, glancing to the bartender every so often if he spent too long talking to this or that patron. It was a simple job, and she would have much rather sent another to complete it, but there wasn't anyone she trusted quite that much yet.

At this rate there would be nothing much to tell, but she supposed that was what any crime lord wanted to hear when it came to the business of taking over new territory. It was a standard establishment lacking anything worthy of writing home about, except perhaps one thing. Though perhaps an innocuous detail, the man at the bar appeared to be the same individual that had been present at the pleasure barge, and maybe his intentions were innocent, but it was worthwhile regardless. Shifting in her seat, she decided that maybe it was worthwhile to stick around a bit longer.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

CORELLIA​

Groola's Place, Tyrena ​

---

---

INTERACTING WITH: [member="Xavierah Stargo"] ​

Familiar faces followed him everywhere without exception, from Lithios to Corellia itself. There was no such thing as coincidence, just the illusion of it and he truly believed in that. The girl from Gorda's pleasure barge with the tattoos and lost glance was there at the bar, sorrounded by her goons positioned in key places. Her eyes looked cold, they pierced you with an intensity if you dared to glance straight at them.

The glass of ale was already half empty, so he asked for another round of shots. Getting drunk wasn't his idea but to put something strong into his system was his ultimate preference before going back home to deal with the scum of Ethos City. Junkies, slicers, murderers.

One man can only cope so much. He liked the place because it felt like home and felt like he truly belonged there under the rain and the neon lights.

Looking over his shoulder, Ar'ekk clashed glances with Xavierah briefly as an attempt to gauge her attention without shinning the spotlight on him in the most obvious of ways. That would do for now, maybe sharing a drink or two would brighten up the joint.

---

---

 

[Avery Rose Garter]

There was a lot that could be communicated through a look, and this was no different. Xavierah held steady eye contact for as long as he did the same, inclining her head in a nod. It wasn't a direct invitation to join her per se, but it was an action forward enough so as not to be missed. Rarely did she converse with others outside of what was ultimately necessary, and in a way this wasn't much different. Well, mostly, at least.

She could already hear Jaeel in the back of her head, cautioning her while at the same time threatening the stranger if he dared step a toe out of line.

Momentarily she glanced around the bar, meeting the eyes of those that accompanied her in some sort of assurance that she was able to handle this one by herself for the time being. After all, they were both working with the same individual, and it wouldn't shine well on either of them if this escalated. Not that she had any intention to hesitate if it did, however. While she was sensible, she wasn't stupid, and she had a capacity for ruthlessness when times called.

Again her attention turned to the man at the bar, though she didn't hazard another direct look, merely keeping him in her peripheral vision. It was up to him how he took her gesture, but she wasn't of a mind to pursue this one.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

CORELLIA​

Groola's Place, Tyrena ​

---

---

INTERACTING WITH: [member="Xavierah Stargo"] ​

She played tough.

He didn't blame her, Brokellia as it was commonly known nowadays was nothing but an outlaw's planet. Danger was around the corner, getting shot was the usual introduction and the booming place Corellia once was had dissipated in one big boom that destroyed everything people knew until they rebuilt from the ashes.

However, nothing would be the same ever again.

Xavierah had a walking carpet for a companion who scowled at him with the usual "I will slaughter you face", he knew that expression very well. It wasn't the first time that happened since he practically spent a decent amount of time running Nar Shaddaa's entertainment business and most of his business partners were cold-blooded killers who'd love to slash your face just for looking at them wrong.

Ar'ekk playfully smiled at Xavierah while raising his glass and necking the drink, secretly inviting her for a drink by using his other hand to pat the empty stool next to him. His eyes were focused on the men strategically scattered throughout the bar, obviously they were with the girl. To try something stupid would only mean trouble and he didn't want any.

Here's hoping she understood.

---

---

 

[Avery Rose Garter]

Her response wasn't immediate, but all good things came with time. With another look to those that amounted to her private security she stood, fingertips trailing on the edge of the table as she made her way around to the bar. Xavierah could feel eyes on her as she crossed the room, but she paid them no mind, seating herself in the proffered stool next to his own. A few of her men had taken a handful of steps forward as she changed position, but she paid them little mind, trusting that they would do their jobs just as she did her own.

The drink she'd ordered for the sake of not standing out remained on the table where she'd been sitting, and she didn't make a motion to call for another. If he wanted a conversation partner she would provide, though she wasn't certain to what end. It didn't hurt to be friendly every once in awhile, and making connections was never truly a bad thing. Besides, he seemed mostly nice enough.

If prior knowledge and observation served her correctly he was one of the hired guns that had accepted Gorda's offer on the pleasure barge, doing whatever work the Hutt required for the no doubt sizable amount of credits offered in return. That made them associates of some kind, she figured; business partner didn't quite fit the tone of either of their operations.

"You didn't strike me as the type to seek out company."

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

CORELLIA​

Groola's Place, Tyrena ​

---

---

INTERACTING WITH: [member="Xavierah Stargo"] ​

"Not really, but it looked like you could use a drink. Make that pretty face of yours smile a bit."

She was already sitting next to him, that was more than great. The important part now was to make sure they engaged in conversation rather than feel obliged to mingle with someone just because, Ar'ekk wasn't that bad of a companion either. He received Xavierah with warm smiles and heartfelt compliments that had no double-meaning or ill intentions hidden beneath, something of a rare oddity nowadays.

A bottle of Corellian ale would make them company for the rest of the evening, at least a strong beverage would let him stand all the wary eyes and dagger gazes stabbing him over and over by the men that worked for the girl. Holding a half empty glass in his gloved palm, Ar'ekk clashed glances with Xavierah for a moment.

"How are you?"

Names were not important yet, that would come eventually once they've built trust between each other. Right now the man was nothing but a hired gun of a slimey slug and she was there on the barge for who knows what.

---

---

 

[Avery Rose Garter]

The compliment wasn't recognized immediately for what it was; or at least, it wasn't taken to heart as it perhaps would have - and should have - been. Still, it did earn a smile from her, though genuine or not it was hard to tell. Xavierah couldn't have given an honest appraisal either, for as long as she could remember she'd been less concerned with feelings and more so with results. One only had to look as far as her childhood and paternal figure to solve that mystery, but few remembered or cared who the long-dead businessman was. Including her.

One shoulder raised in a shrug, and she glanced over at him, meeting his gaze for a second time. "Busy. Rebuilding." A slight pause, when she noted he was probably looking for more sustainable conversation. "Well enough, though. It's nice to have something to focus on. Yourself?" It was the most honest answer she was capable of giving, as she never told the whole truth to almost anyone. The more people it was possible to keep in the dark, the more rewarding and long-standing the outcome would be. Long ago had she learned the value of privacy and the unknown.

This was her first truly social interaction in a long while, and much like those other times she held little certainty with how to approach it. She knew how to talk to people in order to get her way, and that had served her well thus far, and would continue to do so well into the future.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

CORELLIA​

Groola's Place, Tyrena ​

---

---

INTERACTING WITH: [member="Xavierah Stargo"] ​

His eyes beamed like a thousand stars on a cloudless night as they exchanged glances, the strong taste of his drink interfering with his thoughts for a moment but managing to take in everything she was saying. She seemed to react to his compliment in a particular way and he was okay with that. A smile, that's all he looked for.

"Hope that's going well for you."

To open up with a stranger about your personal life was already difficult and Ar'ekk respected that, not wanting to dig further on whatever she was saying. They were nobodies to one another and dwelving on her own affairs would be unpolite from his side, so he kept to more open-ended and friendly questions. His interest peaked when she spoke out once again, asking him about himself. Tough one to answer, definitely.

"I'm living. Corellia's totally different to what I'm used to but I'll live. A good drink and comfortable company will help me through today."

Social interactions weren't his forte, sort of speak, but it was nice to engage someone unknown in conversation. People had a thousand stories to tell and Ar'ekk had all the time of the world to just... listen.

---

---

 

[Avery Rose Garter]

Surprisingly enough he didn't ask after exactly what she was referring to, which meant he knew better, or was one of the few that saw and respected boundaries, something of a rarity in the grounds she frequented. His good wishes were acknowledged and appreciated in their own way, though she didn't comment on them. In truth it was going well enough, though she still had a long way to go before the syndicate was even half of what it had once been. However, this time there would be no splitting between the legitimate and the criminal, and with all of her attention and resources devoted to the underworld aspect, it was already building up quite nicely.

"It isn't too bad, so long as you remain on the right side of things." An entirely empty comment, since Xavierah knew that neither of them had the intention of doing that now or ever. Corellia was well-known for being a safe-haven for all manner of unsavory, lawless types, and its underworld was more lucrative than most if one knew where to look. One could argue there was no such thing as the right side of the law on a planet like this, and they would be mostly correct. There was no law, so long as you knew how to make the law work for you.

Silence encompassed the pair for a few moments as she again took stock of their surroundings, speaking again after that short pause, "What brings you to Corellia?"

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

CORELLIA​

Groola's Place, Tyrena ​

---

---

INTERACTING WITH: [member="Xavierah Stargo"] ​

"A good side on Corellia? Maybe I've touched ground on the wrong planet."

Yeah, this place was pretty much a lawless one. Outlaws, bounty hunters, killers, spice dealers and the rest of the scum you can find elsewhere you'd find them on Corellia by the thousands. Want to get mugged, robbed, scammed, killed, kidnapped or harvested? Try to be the goodie good shoes and act like the White Knight here, that will do you just fine.

"Sadly, I can't say I'm here on leisure time. I'll definitely get back home soon to a shower and some sleep. To answer your question... just business."

Home was everything for Ar'ekk, his own apartment (that was pretty much a really, really expensive penthouse) and within the four walls he was free of preoccupations from the outside world. No work, no killings, no jobs. Just silence and almost always... the rain accompanied by loud thundering.

"And you?"

---

---

 

[Avery Rose Garter]

"I was born and raised here." Her reply was nonchalant, and her words echoed with detachment, as if she had no true connection to the planet or its people. In a way that wasn't entirely untruthful, as her only real link was her father's name and the man that had provided for her, and even he wasn't actually Corellian. Most would have played their cards close to their vest, but her origins weren't too closely guarded of a secret. More to the point, Xavierah didn't care who knew, because she'd never considered herself as belonging on the planet, or much of anywhere.

Home was a strange concept, as it had never applied to anything she'd achieved. It hadn't been the house with absent parents, and though it almost applied to the apartment where a family friend raised her, she'd still felt like an outsider even then. Jaeel genuinely cared, she knew that, but she couldn't help but feel she was intruding. It had never been his responsibility to raise a child, but he'd taken it upon himself, and it was something she knew she'd never be able to pay back in full.

"Here, though?" She indicated the establishment that surrounded them, "Business, as you said. I owe a few people that helped me get a head start in the family business."

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

CORELLIA​

Groola's Place, Tyrena ​

---

---

INTERACTING WITH: [member="Xavierah Stargo"] ​

Ar'ekk simply nodded. He could see through her expressions the dettachment to Corellia just like his own with Coruscant, places where you only grew up in but never really considered home. An orphan like him never had a proper home except once but they weren't his real family, not blood, nothing. But they cared, he was lucky.

"Family business debts are never good. How much are we talking about here?"

He started thinking of bringing out a few credit chips to give Xavierah some money however that'd bring unwanted attention upon himself, money wasn't an issue for him. If she needed help, even from a stranger, he was willing to lend a hand no matter what.

The music in the background started to play loud enough for every patron to stand up and head to some sort of platform floor.

Groola's place was remodelled into a danceclub and karaoke bar.

Who would've thought?

"Do you dance?"

---

---

 

[Avery Rose Garter]

A wave of her hand deflected his concern, something Xavierah wasn't sure how to accept any other way aside from intentional aversion. She had never taken to actual or perceived pity well, and perhaps never would, being fiercely self-sufficient and refusing to live her life any other way. Nothing good ever came from relying on others, she had learned that young and only had it ingrained into her consciousness as she grew older. "Nothing of concern. With the direction things are heading, they won't be a problem for much longer."

Her gaze caught on the other patrons as they began to move, something she disregarded after nothing more than a few moments. His question caught her off guard, and she couldn't help but blink once in surprise. From the beginning he'd never struck her as the overly sociable sort, and so for him to offer to deliberately draw attention to them both was something that caught her off guard.

Another look was spared to the dance floor that was becoming more crowded by the second, and she considered briefly just how much she was willing to put herself into the public eye for the sake of a stranger.

Ice blue eyes looked into his own, and again she shrugged. "Not really."

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

[media]https://youtu.be/GTZXx6bWr1E[/media]​

​

CORELLIA​

Groola's Place, Tyrena ​

---

---

INTERACTING WITH: [member="Xavierah Stargo"] ​

"Well, come on. Let's dance!"

Without skipping a beat, Ar'ekk spinned on his stool and danced his way to the dance floor while keeping Xavierah on his sight. Moving to the rythm of an old school galactic beat and trying to show off some really awful moves that would make the coldest heart fall on the floor laughing, he tried to make the girl come with him.

"What are you waiting for?"

Turns out a few Corellian ales kicking into your system after an hour can really, really make you dance. Sort of. The semi-drunk Ar'ekk could pull of some interesting dance moves when he was on the dancefloor despite not being used to such thing. He was serious most of the time but tonight that changed somehow. It had no explanation.

All he wanted was to dance.

---

---