Till all the Sails were Darken'd in the West

[Ghorua the Shark]

​

Frida's Spaceport Cantina​

Nar Shaddaa​

​

Nar Shaddaa was no place for a vacation.

The whole moon embodied the abstract concept of scum. The streets were scum, the citizenry were scum, the rich were clean scum, and the poor looked like actual scum. Up until recently, Ghorua had considered himself a resident of the planet, and the strange, almost mystical allure to the Smuggler's Moon still held true to him.

It was what led him to the planet six years ago, when he was a shiny-eyed bounty hunter in the guild. It was what kept him throughout his foray into the galaxy, honing his skills against dangerous criminals for years. It was what drew him to Frida's for a deal.

The cantina had become a regular place of business for the Shark, and he was a familiar face. He had once worked as a bartender for Frida, and the kindly Duros woman was more than happy to have an intimidating, law-bringing Herglic around to keep the peace. The establishment was exactly like what one would imagine a Nar Shaddaa cantina to look like. The seats were cheap, and the patrons drinking looked even cheaper. Generally, the air was jolly and carefree, without the stain of criminality, a side-effect of having Ghorua around. He had quite the reputation in the underworld.

The Shark himself sat at a large booth away from the bulk of a crowd, sized for a larger being. He sat at a gaming holotable, his arms folded meekly in front of him. He wore a simple black tank top and grey cargo shorts, forgoing something more fancy or protective for the illusion of a casual meeting.

'Casual' wasn't usually a good descriptor of Ghorua.

This wasn't his first infochant deal, so he didn't feel nervous, exactly. Still, something roiled in his chest.

- [member="Delilah Keyes"] -

 

[Delilah Keyes]

[float right]

[/float]


Delilah couldn't claim she liked Nar Shaddaa. But she appreciated it. It served a purpose, and boy was it good at it.

Blending in was somewhat of a professional past time for the dark haired woman. Today however, she hadn't bothered, mostly because it neither benefitted nor suited her in this particular instance. The job ahead of her didn't require her to hide, to lie low. Just the opposite. For the long game Del was playing, making sure there was a record of her here on Nar Shaddaa today was critical. She was well aware of the risk it posed, both in the moment and in the long run. But nothing worth doing was ever safe.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, after all.

And Delilah wanted it all.

So rather than dress in drab and poor clothing, arriving hours earlier to be at the Cantina, waiting for her point of contact, the young woman went the opposite route. To say the well dressed human stood out at Frida's like a sore thumb would be an understatement. It was clear to anyone with eyes that she would have easily fit in with a more discerning clientele. There was a momentary lull in the conversation when she lightly stepped down into the bar, but if she noticed (and oh did she), she made no response to it.

Dark eyes cast about, and a small smile flickered over her lips when she spotted the only possible person who could be the particular individual she was looking for. She flowed through the crowd, most people making room and not even pretending that they weren't watching her as she passed. It was to be expected, coming into a place like this, dressed as she was. She ignored it, her focus on the hulking form at one of the gaming tables, and didn't *that* just as equally pique interest?

Good. Someone would remember.

She stopped beside his table. She was on the tall side for a human female, but even sitting he still dwarfed her. With the small, slight smile, she murmured softly.

"Fancy a game of Dejarik? Or is chess more your style?"

It had been the line she had sent him when they had arranged to meet. Rather than give him a description, or even a name, that had been the point of contact. What (or who), exactly, he had been expecting, well, Delilah didn't know. But she watched his reaction closely, a certain amusement at the corners of those dark eyes.

| [member="Ghorua the Shark"] |​

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua didn't know what to expect from the other end of this mysterious deal. Usually, when he struck bargains, he made sure to be in the know as much as possible. But given the situation, and the information being passed, perhaps it was best he knew less about the infochant.

So Ghorua waited, nursing a water at his holotable. Until he saw the girl in the dress.

Overdressed was an understatement.

Ghorua was sure many of the patrons had never seen such a beautiful woman, and it showed in their salivating faces. The Shark noticed the sudden quiet in the cantina before he noticed the newcomer. Strange, he thought, glancing over, I've only ever heard that when I walk into this place.

It was then Ghorua realized that she was either very vain, or extremely dangerous. Perhaps both.

Despite his inner monologue, he kept his face neutral, with a bit of a smile, as he examined Delilah approaching. She performed the call-sign, and Ghorua's smile only grew. He gestured to the opposite end of the table with a grand wave, speaking the planned reply. "Depends on the day."

Dark eyes studied dark eyes, and Ghorua reached a conclusion very quickly. The woman's expression, with her slight smirk and calculating stare, was a little too much like his own.

The Herglic pressed a few buttons on the table, and the familiar cries of small holographic monsters erupted as the Dejarik game started up. Ghorua's grin, toothy and terrifying, accompanied the motion. "I don't suppose you play."

He was sure she did.

- [member="Delilah Keyes"] -

 

[Delilah Keyes]

Delilah offered him a thank you nod and a slight widening of her smirk as she took the chair across from him. Every movement was smooth and casual- too casual for the setting, too smooth for the number of eyes now on them both, for how wide and toothy the smile on his face was. Either she was oblivious to the attention she'd caused, or it was simply part of the scene being crafted to her. From the smile on his face, and the reflection in his eyes, Delilah knew he would recognize it as the later.

She liked him already.

"Oh, it's been years," she said with a light laugh. It had all the qualities it ought to. The smile even reached her eyes as the chuckle faded and she shook her head. "My father taught me, but I'm probably rusty. You'll have to go easy on me."

Every part of that was a lie. She just wasn't sure yet if it was one she'd continue to play out or would leave there. It would all depend on his response.

"Would you mind going first? It will give me a chance to remember the rules."

As though she had forgotten a single one.

Dark eyes flickered, only for a moment in what could have been a passing glance at his drink before traveling on. Catching the eye of one of the bar staff, she beckoned him over before ordering a water of her own.

| [member="Ghorua the Shark"] |​

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua prided himself on his mind.

Even the idea that a large, strong monster of a man could be smart and calculating was unfathomable to some people. Truthfully, Ghorua had a rather expensive education, and years of experience outsmarting wily criminals for a living. There was a rather astute mind working behind ebony eyes, weighing invisible risks against each other, noticing minute things even the most perceptive eyes might miss.

That being said, even he found getting a read on the mysterious woman difficult.

The Shark nodded, and pressed a few buttons on his side of the table. The lumbering shape of a Kintan Strider moved to the center of the board; a glaring, if not obvious, target. The Shark let a coy smile loose.

"Ghorua the Shark, at your service." Everyone near their booth had been smart enough to scatter, realizing something was to go down. "What may I call you?"

Ghorua had already assumed the stranger knew just about everything about him, including his name, his father's name, and his grandmother's medical records.

Still, that didn't mean he couldn't be formal.

- [member="Delilah Keyes"] -

 

[Delilah Keyes]

As the beast lumbered out across the board, Delilah watched [member="Ghorua the Shark"] with veiled eyes, weighing.

If she hadn't seen the glint in his own eyes, the true humor at the edges of his mouth, it would have been easy to take his choice at face value. Large, lumbering, dangerous to be sure, walking right out into the open.

Her own smile widened ever so slightly.

Despite the earlier comments, her opening move took advantage of an unpopular rule. A pair of Kkorrwrot appeared, separated by several spaces, but hugging her edge of the board- the pair traded for the first turn's movement of a single creature. Played in the popular fashion, Dejarik was surprisingly straight forward. Hit big, hit hard, go home. But there was so much more to the game than that.

And that was her nod to him, if he could catch it- clearly there was more to him, and she didn't insult him by continuing to pretend at demure incompetence.

"Delilah," she supplied with a nod as the water was left at her elbow. Absently, she maneuvered it out of the way.

"So, Mister Shark," she murmured, the corners of her eyes crinkling slightly. "Do you mix business and pleasure? Or shall we discuss the former after our game?"

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

"I don't see why business and pleasure have to be mutually exclusive."

Ghorua's words rolled off the tongue, although something about them were guarded, as if he chose them carefully. Dejarik wasn't the only strategy game he was playing.

Ghorua noted Delilah's play, using a rule generally unused by the public to gain an early advantage. He decided to go the opposite route, bringing the slimy, ever-shifting form of a k'lor'slug against one of the kkorrwrot. Again, it seemed the easy play, impulsive, yet effective. The board whirred as if computed the damage of the attack.

"Obscure," the Shark noted, grinning. "I like it. Still, it never hurts to be direct." The Herglic took a sip of his water, his mirth twisting the corner of his mouth slyly.

The meaning of his words would be obvious.

- [member="Delilah Keyes"] -

 

[Delilah Keyes]

"Hmmm, but sometimes, being direct is dangerous," she murmured. Her face was aimed at the game, but her eyes were on him.

"In a straight encounter, direct will only function well for the larger, the stronger." She gestured to his first chosen piece, still hulking in the center of the board. "It is easy for someone like that to forget how much safer it is for someone smaller to come in from the side."


Tapping the controls, the second kkorrwrot easily flanked the k'lor slug, striking from behind as the first made it's weaker frontal assault. Ambush predators, played the way the weaker pieces could only ever be player, and the computer whirred again between them.

"I find that testing the waters first usually the safest strategy.... for something like the Kkorrwort of course. Never know when something bigger and more frightening is lurking in the shadows, waiting for something to make a mistake."

Her free hand idly traced patterns in the condensation on her glass, a certain glint in her eye.

"Of course, fortune favors the bold I've been told. Yourself, for example. How *is* Aleen this time of year, by the way? I hear it's lovely."

A direct strike, but from the side. Her tone was entirely innocent. But the way she tilted her head, the barest arch of a dark eyebrow, well, she knew at least something about his strike on the secure Alliance Facility.

"I've never been, you understand. And I was hoping to hear perhaps from someone who had. What it was like. This or that. You know. Tourist things."

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

"Touche."

Ghorua studied the game board before the pair before answering, or giving any indication to his emotion. He let Delilah talk, in the same sideways fashion she played, simply studying the board and positioning of the beasts. Finally, a spark of inspiration lit his features.

Instead of launching a counter-offensive against her counter-offensive, he was content with letting the shambling form of a Bull Rancor sidle up next to his Kintan Strider piece, creating a strong presence in the middle of the board, threatening any monsters that would stray too close. His k'lor'slug died a terrible death, flanked by two beasts, but Ghorua payed it little mind. That attack failed, but other opportunities would present themselves.

"Bold, eh?" Ghorua chuckled to himself, taking the compliment with a grain of salt. "Well, if I may be so bold, I understand tour guides get payed."

The Shark absentmindedly drummed a heavy finger on the board, his other hand cupping his head. His lips pursed as he thought, both about the game, and the chess match happening outside of it. He found his mind drifting to his daughter, Minna. They played Dejarik together often, and while the tiny girl wasn't all that savvy at the game yet, she showed an excitement Ghorua hadn't seen in someone since he had been a child himself.

Ghorua banished the slight blissful smile that had begun to corrupt his hard visage, and looked across the board to Delilah, a bit of professionalism leaking through. His voice lowered, as if letting the woman in on a secret. "Blacklist info ain't cheap, after all."

- [member="Delilah Keyes"] -

 

[Delilah Keyes]

"So many facets, unrepresented in Dejarik," she mused aloud. It sounded like absent minded nothings, chit chat that ultimately meant less than the warmth of the air on her lips.

"No feinting. No bite, claw, retreat. No shadows to hide in, no ambushes except those arrayed against a poor opponent."

The twinkle in her eyes said that he was anything but. Had she read the musing, distant gaze correctly, or was it coincidence that as his mind turned to a different venue and iteration of the board, the conversation shifted from business back to something less pressing?

"Dejarik, as it's core, favors those with the boldness to take what they want. To possess, to tear and rend by might alone what is open before them."

She keyed up a Dua-wurm between her first two pieces. Splitting the movement three ways, both kkorrwrot angled out. There was no hiding the flanking maneuver that could not reach his pieces in a single turn, nor the clear tactic of the two headed wurm that moved straight up the middle.

Separate, or protect each other's back? That was the question posed as she arrayed her pieces.

"But I have always found Dejarik to be very limiting in that regard. After all, there are so many ways to reach a goal."

She leaned forward now as play passed to him, her own voice lowered, pitch matched to his last comment. Blacklist info ain't cheap, after all.

"Well then, you're in luck," she whispered with a smirk playing across her lips. "Because neither am I."

She would pay him well for that information, after all.

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua stared down the Dua-worm, then at the woman's other two pieces, the obvious pondering behind his eyes. This particular game had four monsters per player. Delilah still had all four of hers, but the Shark was a man down. To a casual observer, one might think the game was completely one-sided.

Yet, he confidently moved up his last piece, a swift varactyl, directly behind his kintan strider, protected by the two lumbering monsters ahead of it. The Herglic had expertly crafted a nigh-impenetrable defense. The strider and the rancor were large and tanky, and would take the hits and possibly die from the flank attack headed their way. But the varactyl could most likely sweep up whatever was left of an attack on the middle of the board.

It was another test of Ghorua's for the woman. What she did could reflect on who she was, more than even she was possibly aware of.

"I disagree," Ghorua said softly, his bulky muscles at rest. "Dejarik is a battle of wits. So many different avenues of attack and defense. Subtle differences, maybe, but even the smallest shift can change the tide of a game."

"Boldness can only get you so far before you face the repercussions of your actions." Perhaps Ghorua was talking about the game. Perhaps he was giving life advice. Perhaps it was a subtle threat.

Perhaps it was all of the above.

The Herglic reached down into a satchel at his side, and pulled out a large datapad, sized for a massive Herglic. He pushed it over to Delilah, phasing through the monsters in the middle. The device held a highly-encrypted file, containing the coordinates to a certain prison, as well as a map of the entire facility.

Ghorua sent a dark smile Delilah's way, letting her know he had no aversion to giving it up. Not long ago, he had sided with the Galactic Alliance against the First Order. He had believed they were the best thing for the galaxy, that if the GA won, peace would prevail. Ghorua still believed that.

But his profits came first. His daughter came first.

Besides, they left him to die on Bespin. That didn't exactly do anything to help Ghorua's feelings toward them.

"Now, if you're looking for a prime vacation location, may I suggest Site A-13. Plenty of sun, beautiful vistas, a real adventure, to be sure." Ghorua cracked a light-hearted grin, letting his mask fall a little. It felt natural to joke, like second nature to the half-ton Herglic.

"In fact, even Jedi go there to sunbathe. Well, usually one at a time, from the Control Center. The rest of the place has pretty standard defenses. Well, if by 'standard', you mean 'through the roof'."

The Shark offered another smile, and continued his thoughts to the dejarik game, calculating probabilities and causality.

- [member="Delilah Keyes"] -

 

[Delilah Keyes]

"Good move," Del murmured appreciatively.

"Good thing this is just a game for pleasure, yes?" She glanced up from the board, a certain crinkle at the corner of her eyes and a weight in her expression. This was someone she was perfectly content to only oppose for fun. When the stakes were low, and she did not hesitate to admit it, in her own, round about way.

She advanced both of her flankers on the side by side behemouths, despite the risk of swift retribution they guarded. She kept her fourth piece in reserve, though it would have been the more obvious choice to bring it out and attempt to steam roll.

"Of course, bold and straight forward don't always coincide."

The board whirled, and she knew that when he inevitably struck, the already damaged piece would fall without trouble.

The data pad was plus sized and unwieldy, but she should have expected that. Before laying her own hands on it, she drew a thin credit chip from a slim pouch at her hip. Placing it lightly on the opposite side of the table, she slid it across with a single finger. This was an investment for her in a larger plan, and the amount on the chit was generous, but not profligate. Del was not a rich woman, and this represented a larger risk than she usually took.

The fact that, in the end, it wouldn't pay off, well, Delilah Keyes didn't know that yet.

"Sounds lovely," she said with a low smile. "Any names, by chance, of less than..... enthusiastic guests? Past or present? I'd love a point of view from someone who was less appreciative of their accommodations, after all. Make sure I have a balanced view."

There was no way of knowing that what she was asking included the name of a woman [member="Ghorua the Shark"] called friend.

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua seemed relatively content with Delilah's response, to both his information and his Dejarik strategy. He chuckled when she commented on his play, trying desperately not too get too relaxed. "Yeah. it's been a while since I've played anyone that actually knew the game."

Ghorua wished their game, this entire encounter, was low-stakes. Ghorua had been on the receiving end of too much stress lately.

As the genetically-modified Herglic listened to the rest of Del's thought, asking for another perspective, realization sparked in his eyes. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't quite keep his discomfort with the question from showing. His muscles were a bit too still, his smile faltering but a second. He studied his opponent's face, searching for meaning behind the words, an angle she was taking to get to him.

His answer was simple, straightforward, and without any coy pleasantries. "None I'd like to share."

Ghorua had always wanted to keep his friends and family as far away from his business ventures as possible. It was relatively easy, considering how small his group of friends and family actually was. He considered Irajah among them, and would rather not see her get tied up in his criminal circles.

Ghorua let the obvious happen on the board, with no move to change it. The board whirred in thought, and Delilah's damaged piece was rended in twain by a snarling Bull Rancor.

The Shark shifted his varactyl a few spaces to the left, hiding it from the remaints of the infochant's forces. He put together a placative smile. "But I could be convinced to pull a few strings, get you an interview with a crime boss or two, if you're interested."

He had just mended his relationship with Ms. Ven, he didn't want to kark it up again.

- [member="Delilah Keyes"] -

 

[Delilah Keyes]

She didn't press, simply giving him a small nod and accepting. Perhaps there was a hint of appreciation there. Even if it didn't get her what she wanted specifically, she respected someone who protected their own.

"I might just take you up on that," she murmured with a smile. "Rain check?"

For now though, she was satisfied. It was a foundation laid on a bigger scheme. One with a very lucrative pay out for her if she could get all of the pieces together in a timely fashion. As far as she was concerned, the business deal ended here.

Of course, she was enjoying their game and had no intentions of abandoning it here. She leaned back in her chair, studying him and the board but actually relaxing into the moment, rather than merely pretending to.

Still keeping her fourth piece in reserve, her dua-wurm came in, each head attacking a behemouth each while the remaining kkorrwrot pressed its attack.

"Thank you, for both the game and the vacation advice," she said with a smile as the board whirred once more.

"I rarely get a chance to play against someone with a more subtle appreciation for the game."

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua had given her the intel she was after. She'd payed him, not a paultry sum. The deal had been made, and both parties were happy.

Yet, she didn't leave, instead content to finish their game.

Unusual, Ghorua thought to himself, smiling.

But not unappreciated.

"Subtle appreciation," Ghorua said, grinning. "That's me."

Despite what little he knew when he had walked into this deal, he had learned quite a lot about the girl sitting across from him. Throughout their duel of the minds, Ghorua had begun to piece things together, seeing connecting threads where none previously existed.

The Herglic relaxed back into his seat, watching as the pieces pressed their attack. The last kkorrwrot was annihilated rather quickly, not much of a contender without it's friend. The two-pronged assault did destroy his rancor, the creature being swallowed by one of the dua-worm's heads. The kintan strider was a hair from death, but still stood strong.

"Mmm..." he hummed, deep in thought. "You intrigue me, Ms. Delilah. I like to pride myself on my information-gathering skills. Yet, you are an... enigma, in a way."

Ghorua launched his counter-attack against the dua-worm with his kintan strider, hoping for the best. "To be candid, I hired a slicer to pin you down when you first contacted me. Scope out the scene." The Shark smiled apologetically. "He got nothing. Either there's nothing to be found, or you're very good at hiding it."

"Your loud entrance suggests you want to gather attention, to gain a rep, or to incriminate me in whatever you're going to do with this info." A sip of his water accompanied his observations. "And I'd like to think I've got my ear to the ground. Never heard the name Delilah before. Again, either very good at keeping quiet, or new to the scene."

"So, which are you?" Ghorua's tone was calm, moderate, as if he were asking a prying question to a friend.

"New, or good?"

- [member="Delilah Keyes"] -

 

[Delilah Keyes]

The slight stillness when he spoke of the slicer was the only sign that she was not entirely certain what he was going to say- that she didn't know just what he might have found. She tilted her head deliberately a heart beat after she realized she'd done it, studying the board.

"Maybe it's both," she said with a teasing smile, that particular smirk that she wielded as both weapon and armor.

Two pieces left on the board. His Strider sliced the Dua-worm down the middle in a particularly gruesome display even for a Nar Shaddaa board. The Strider was the last creature standing.

Except that she still had her forth piece.

Now, a Rancor of her own appeared, lumbering across the board toward the damaged Strider.

Delilah always held something back.

Always.

"Or maybe I'm just a figment of your imagination," she murmured, dark eyes casting up at him.

The truth? She had only started going by the name Delilah Keyes in the last few weeks. When she had decided to try her hand at something different from thievery. Sure, stealing was lucrative, but it was also more dangerous. She'd made her contacts in the underworld under a different name entirely, only keeping one or two in the loop when she changed into a more respectable slice of business. There would be no records for his slicer to have found connecting the last alias with this one.

And certainly none that connected this name to her real one. Six months ago, after what happened on Mandalore, she'd left that behind for good.

"I will tell you however," she said, tone slightly serious now. "That the reason I came in as I did, rather than in a.... shall we say lower key.... is because this," she patted the data pad lightly, "Is part of a pair. If my buyers decide to verify that I met with someone when I said I did, I wanted to be remembered. As insurance to them that I am telling the truth. After all, you said it yourself, there are no records of a Delilah in this line of work."

She saw a certain gleam in his eye, but continued.

"And I agreed to meet you in a place you trusted, that was on your home turf, because I am hoping the people here would have selective memory when it came to just who I was meeting. I have no intention of giving over my source. So I am hoping your friends will likewise grow forgetful when asked just who the dark haired lady came to see that night."

It explained why, despite the risk to her coming somewhere she did not have contacts or power, she had so readily agreed to his choice of rendezvous.

Her gaze was even, all trace of that casual flirt gone for a moment.

"If I am mistaken about your contacts here, now is the time to tell me, and I will not use this meeting for any potential trust leverage with my future buyers. I can find other ways to gain that. But putting a source at risk? That I can't undo."

She was entirely sincere.

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

There was more to the woman before him than met the eye, that much had been obvious to the start. As he'd gotten a feel for her personality, her coy professionalism, he couldn't help but see the similarities in his own behavior. The smile, one might call it shark-like, acting as both sword and shield. The playful banter, a way of dodging and prodding the other's defenses. The cracks in her own defenses were particularly interesting, not because of what they were, but what caused them.

Ghorua could relate all too well.

Delilah's rancor rampaged forward, towards Ghorua's own damaged kintan strider. The two beasts faced off in their holographic arena as the board whirred. Ghorua tried to keep a straight face, realizing his board state, and working his hardest not to smile.

"You're a smart one, Ms. Delilah, I'll grant you that." Ghorua admired her thought-process, pondering slightly at the information she gave him. A hint of a larger plot, one he would most likely never see to fruition. "And I wouldn't trust any of these thugs to babysit my kid, but they aren't snitches." Ghorua figured it was only fair to reveal something about himself to the infochant, as she had been so free with information only moments before. Even if she almost certainly knew already.

"I don't need to know what you're doing with this info. Don't want to get in over my head more than I already have." Ghorua thought back to the prison, and what a woman such as the one before him could do with info on it. "Just make sure to keep your eyes open, yeah?"

Even if he had just met her, Ghorua could tell Delilah was something special. He'd rather not lose this new contact just yet.

Unsurprisingly, the kintan strider went down, a small scuffle damaging both of the pieces before Ghorua's monster died a horrific death. Ghorua smiled knowingly, leaning back. "So many possible schemes and avenues of attack in Dejarik. One can get so caught up in their own tricks..." Ghorua gestured forward with one gargantuan hand, at his last piece, the uninjured varactyl hidden behind the remains of his larger piece.

He had lured Delilah into the kintan strider death gambit.

"... They miss the obvious." Ghorua pressed a single button casually, urging the fast counterattack. The board calculated damage, but Ghorua didn't need to look.

He knew the outcome already.

- [member="Delilah Keyes"] -

 

[Delilah Keyes]

Delilah blinked.

And then threw her head back and laughed. It was an easy sound, in part self deprecating because she'd been so sure she had the game, and in part truly appreciative of the move itself. She'd noticed the set up, yes, but had lost the thread in the more obvious threats. The rancor went down, leaving his piece the last on the board. The board flashed red on her side, green on his, and with a hum powered down.

"Well played," she said sincerely, "Haven't enjoyed a good game of Dejarik in awhile and that, Mister Shark, was a very good game indeed."

Del didn't like to lose. But when she did? She did so gracefully. At least in situations like this.

When there was nothing, truly, at stake.

Now she finally stood, pushing the chair back with the same movement. Even then, she was only really just eye to eye with him.

"You understand, I'll need a rematch of course," she said with a smirk.

In this moment, the future looked bright. She had one half of what she needed to make a deal that would set her up very comfortably for a long time. The fact that none of it would work the way she planned? Well, that wasn't quite on the horizon yet. For now she was perfectly content that everything would work out the way she wanted it to.

She paused, cocking her head at him for a moment. In truth, Del hadn't dug as deep as she could have. Oh, she knew about his daughter, but as soon as she'd found that much she had stopped. Not that she would say that, or why, but there were lines, as far as she was concerned, even if she never admitted them to anyone else.

"How old's your kid?"

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua grinned as the game finished, studying Delilah with a curious eye. She seemed to take the loss well, and her words did nothing but bolster him.

He was really beginning to like this new contact.

"Agreed. This was... more fun than I expected." Ghorua let a concussive hauum escape his blowhole, and smiled. "You are far more interesting than most of the bozos that come looking for me."

The Herglic leaned back, sipping his water as Del stood. He had expected a tense information-swap, maybe some threatening, maybe some fighting on the side. He hadn't expected to enjoy himself. "A rematch, hmm? I don't know, I might just want to rest on my laurels." A sharp glint in his eye gave away his joking attitude.

Ghorua set his water down as she asked about his daughter. He felt a sudden burst of contentment as he realized the implications. The fact that she didn't know spoke volumes for her character. He waited a beat before responding.

"Five and a half. A real sweetheart, too."

- [member="Delilah Keyes"] -

 

[Delilah Keyes]

"Careful with that big guy, you'll shake the whole building down," she commented of his harum, but she was smiling.

This interaction she'd carry with her moving forward. The kind of moment that this job could be, without ego getting in the way. Without threats traded because someone thought that was the way it must be done. It would be the last time in a long time that something went *right*, but she'd keep it for the rarity it was.

"I bet she is, with a poppa like you," she smirked slightly.

Sure it was a line, but she meant it.

She turned to go, fairly pleased to leave it there.

And then she paused.

Withdrawing a small flimsy chit as if by legerdemain from thin air, she leaned over to slide it across the table at him.

"If you come across any tidbits, or need an extra ear to the ground," she said. "Call me, Mister Shark."

Then she did turn, and only threw over her shoulder as she sauntered away, "Or if you ever feel like exercising those laurels instead of resting on them."

[member="Ghorua the Shark"]