Two for Tea on Telos

[Kamon's OOC]

Telos, Ignus Industries Headquarters

While Maelasi was busy with her duties, and he hadn't seen Paa'lee in months, Leos had taken to working in the office. Not something he normally did, as he almost always preferred to work out of the Palace of Shadows on Bastion, simply because he felt a stronger connection to the Force there, and because he had access to his vast collection of books. Alternatively there was the Ignus Black location he sometimes visited, but he hadn't been there since Kith had left him to go off into the galaxy and do whatever it was that she wanted to do with her life. He had given her that option. He couldn't fault her for taking it.

That said, it left him with a LOT of downtime, and his mind had drifted back to the girl, Natalie. She was young, and part of him wondered if he was just taking advantage of that because of the gains. The other part of him saw her as a business rival, but one he should encourage and seek to inspire, not one he should put down. On top of which, he did feel that she had an attraction to him, and he somewhat had one to her, which was why he'd kissed her. Strange as that was. He did barely know her, but he had come to realize over the years that sometimes barely knowing someone was all it took. He could look at Paa'lee as an example of that. Even Maelasi.

That being the case, he placed a holo call to [member="Serenity Loveheart"] and asked her to come to Telos to meet with him. Partly because he wanted the social visit, but also because he saw an opportunity in which he could begin to groom her into being something better than what she was, mostly in the business of business. Essentially, he planned to talk to her about what it meant to run a business so he could make sure she had the knowledge necessary to be truly successful. But it was also a bit of a social call, as he wanted to see how she would act now, several weeks later.

The chime on his desk went off.

"You have a visitor, sir."

"Send her in, and notify Kaela that I will require her presence soon."

"Yes, sir."

He nodded and went back to writing on the datapad in front of him, waiting for Serenity to arrive.

 

[Natalie LaForte]

"Don't do anything stupid." Her sister said, turning the other direction and beginning to exit. Being apart of a ravid communist and borderline female superiority movement made Carina skeptical of any advances men had on her little sister, but if this was how she was going to learn they were scum, then so be it. At least that's what she thought. Serenity had a different mind-set.

"I won't!"

Wearing something she usually didn't and adjusting her dress to make herself look a bit more womanly than she was; there was no lying, she hadn't developed like a normal girl would. She was flat in all aspects, but the dress complemented her red hair nicely. At least that's what the feminist clubhouse she came from said.

Wearing a butterfly broach with no weaponry was something she had grown accustomed to specifically not doing. But, well, as far as she could tell, this man wanted a date. Or, at least wanted to see her looking nice during it.

Flipping her hair back and speaking in a soft voice, not the one she usually spoke in, sounded very girlish and innocent in nature

"You want to see me?" Offering a warm smile to the man.

[member="Ignus"]

 

[Kamon's OOC]

He could only blink at her when he looked up and saw what she was wearing, and heard the way she spoke. Part of him wondered if she was doing this to impress him. The other part wondered if he'd given her the impression that he wanted her to be a girly girl. Did he mind her curves being as they were? No. Why should he? He wasn't so shallow as to want all of his women to be stacked with thick backsides. In reality, their external appearance was secondary. Though he still couldn't deny the fact that she looked really nice, even though it did seem out of place for her to dress in such a manner.

"You look quite nice, Nat."

A hand motioned for her to settle in one of the chairs before him, but his eyes never left her. She did look nice, and he did appreciate the effort she'd gone to. Telos was more of a business world, so he took it as an effort to blend in with the worlds society.

"Thank you for coming, by the way. I wasn't totally sure if you would."

He pushed the datapad away and stood, walking over to the small bar he had situated to one side. No alcohol, however. Not because of her age, but because he did not imbibe in such things. For him, the only drink worth partaking of, aside from the occasional glass of blue milk, was water. He poured them each a glass of the crystal clear liquid, and walked over to set it down before her. He sat on the edge of the desk beside her, regarding her as he was dressed in a suit of his own, befitting his position as CEO of the company at which he was currently working. They would expect no less from him on Telos, and he preferred to make a good impression. On them and on her.

"How was the trip?"

[member="Serenity Loveheart"]

 

[Natalie LaForte]

"Oh it was.. as fine as a trip could be?" Giggling to herself.

Despite this, she felt a tad uncomfortable. For a business meeting, he was seeming very... observant, tracking her movements. It was creepy. Hopefully what propaganda her sister filled her mind with wasn't right.

"So... I believe we're here to discuss something? I didn't quite understand the specifics, although I brought as many graphs as I could get" Sarcastically laughing.

In Serenity's mind though, she knew that he did want something more than a mundane meeting. Although, given the last incident, she couldn't afford to screw it up. There was only so much room in that vault, and only so many bodies could go missing before someone started asking questions. And if that happened? Goodbye to your Alderraan mansion and hello to Stars' end. Again.

"Oh, and I only drink water, sorry. Just a sort of superstition I have."

[member="Ignus"]

 

[Kamon's OOC]

"That's good since that's what this is," he said, indicating the glass. "I prefer it, myself."

He moved away and walked around the desk to sit in his seat once again. Oh, he had lofty intentions for her, though he wouldn't force her into anything. What happened was entirely up to her, not to him. Sipping his drink, he set the glass down and nodded his head once or twice. Yes, charts. He loved charts. He loved to give them to Kaela to deal with so that he didn't have to deal with them. Most of them. Most of them were about the monetary ramifications of various endeavors the company was involved in, which he didn't care to know about or need to know about. That was entirely Kaela's job as COO.

"Chiefly I wanted to talk to you about running a company. Not that you're doing anything wrong. I just want to make sure you're going to last."

Setting his glass down, he let his hands settle on the table in front of him, hands clasping. His orange eyes settled on her pink ones.

"For starters, let me say you've done well so far. Securing a contract with a major galactic power is no small feat. But let me ask, what got you into the corporate world, and what are your goals for your company?"

[member="Serenity Loveheart"]

 

[Natalie LaForte]

"Well.. I don't imagine you would know, but somebody currently wants me, not alive, let's say. She runs Nar Shaddaa. Blonde. Not a pleasant character. She owns some company, but I basically set it up to produce an army to destroy her, I won't go into the nitty gritty, but someone in the Sith is in a relationship with her. I imagine you know that as well."

Gesturing her hand and then standing up, looking the opposite direction.

"My alternative motive? I want to become rich and powerful. Cliche? I know. Regardless, it's difficult to do when you're surrounded with nothing but idiots as advisers. Very. Very. Difficult."

Her communicator link beeped, but she shut it off.

"That fool I had to deal with caused a bit of an insurrection, there's some 50 shareholders and a good 25% of them want to withdraw all of their funds. I will literally go bankrupt if that happens. Not a good situation for me."

[member="Ignus"]

 

[Kamon's OOC]

Leos nodded.

"Abyss is, yes, I know. She and he are expecting. Might be born already. Funny that she wants you dead."


An unforseen circumstance. That woman and Abyss were extremely dangerous. Taking her in as one of his would essentially be signing him on to fight a secret war against those two. He was going to have to beef up security at their facilities after this. A frown creased his features as he sat there watching her stand and turn away from him. Not even her dress could distract him from this reality. A deep breath came in and out, and there was a knock on the door. He unlocked it, silently, and Kaela Paltro stepped in, dressed in her typical flare. She glanced at Natalie and then at him and lofted a brow.

"You wanted to see me."

"I thought it might be nice for you to sit in. Kaela, Natalie. Natalie, Kaela. Kaela is the Chief Operating Officer of Ignus Industries. Natalie here is an up and coming businesswoman."

Kaela nodded her head.

"A pleasure."

She moved to a seat, and Leos continued from where they left off. Kaela was privy to his true self, after all.

"Abyss and Blonde are formidable opponents but I can help you deal with them. As for your funding problem, cut your losses. Get rid of the investors who fluctuate at a moments notice. They're untrustworthy and will let you down when you need them down the road. It'll hurt for a bit, as you'll have to cut production, but you can secure further investors, especially since you've landed a major contract with the Ascendancy. Capitalize on the gains you've made, and get rid of the dead weight."

"I can give you the names of some potential investors, if you'd like," Kaela chimed in as she grabbed her datapad and started tapping away. "They're always looking for new ventures."

[member="Serenity Loveheart"]

 

[Natalie LaForte]

"To be technical, the bounty is only on me when I am in Hutt space, although that's a pretty wide area for me to be so cautious in."

Turning back when he said about taking Abyss down.

"Oh you don't know? He's my master. I wouldn't want to go on a witch hunt for him, at least, not yet."

Squinting her eyes to Kaela, "I don't think it matters who they are. What's not to say they'll withdraw and make me go into a fit of anger, again. I wouldn't blame them, seeing colleagues go missing randomly would be a cause for concern. Besides, it would be nearly impossible to cut production anymore, we had to lease 4 of the factories on Mygeeto, literally only two are still running."

"Although I doubt you called me here for just advice." Smiling to him.

[member="Ignus"]

 

[Kamon's OOC]

"There's nothing to say as much, but you know that your other crop will do so," Kaela said, frowning as she looked between Natalie and Leos. "They've already shown their fickleness."

"Natalie, business acumen is something you learn, not something you're born with. I've been running this company for several years with Kaela's help, and have amassed a great deal of both wisdom and money. I dare say it's not because I wasn't willing to take risks and lose a few million here and there."

He beckoned her over to him, and if she came he reached to wrap his arm about her waist and pull her close as he brought up a display to show her the exact value of Ignus Industries, which was quite considerable, and way above that of the average company their size. This was largely due to their willingness to sell to anyone who could pay for their services. Not being picky in who you sold to was an excellent way to make a lot of money. Targeting specific clients, and only those clients, was not only risky, but inherently foolish.

"Cut your losses. I'll fund the slack until you secure more investors. Take Kaela's help. I can assure you that your company will be better for it."

Kaela was looking between the two curiously, but he only lifted his brow at her.

"Yes, well, I've got a decent list for you if you wish it," she said to Natalie. "Shall I send it to you?"

Leos turned his gaze up to the girl, knowing full well that the other business matter should best be saved for when Kaela wasn't around. No need to drag her into it.

[member="Serenity Loveheart"]

 

[Natalie LaForte]

"Uh.. alright.." Though, she was not lost for words for any other reason than the embrace that he had given to her. "That would be... good." An embarrassed red shaded her face, quickly she suppressed it and continued, in truth, she hadn't really looked at the actual figure, paying more attention on his eyes...

Swiftly, she tried to detach herself from him. "I guess I'm overplaying my confidence, and I'll be honest with you, the highest grade I've ever achieved is in female fashion. I don't have a clue about what goes into those factories, and if I must be honest, I don't know what comes out. I figure you would be a good mentor... at least for this task."

Speaking in a whimpy, innocent voice, on purpose. Was she planning on using him? No. But using her gender to get some assistance wasn't something people had done before. Sure, she had love interests, but none were as handsome, or powerful, as this man.

[member="Ignus"]

 

[Kamon's OOC]

He allowed her to move away, if only because she clearly wanted to. There was no desire to hold her against her will, or do anything against her will. After all, if nothing else, she was his guest and he had to afford her a modicum of hospitality and grace. Of course he knew she was plying her girlish wiles, at least a bit, to try and get her way. It wasn't necessary as he'd intended to help her regardless of what it was that she said or did. That was the entire reason for calling her there to see him. Leos was willing to help most up and comers get their business going. Competition was good for business, anyway.

"I never went to school to learn to run a company. I didn't even really know what I was doing when I started Ignus Industries. I just had the desire to do so, and so I sought people to help me, like Kaela here, and then went after investors. What you see around you is the result of that. As a CEO it isn't your duty to be involved in the every day affairs, you don't even have to be involved in every sale, but you should make an effort to know what you're selling to some degree, bullet points if you will, so that you can talk it up with potential investors and buyers."

Orange eyes turned away from her and over to Kaela.

"You can send her the names and then go back to what you were doing, I think we'll be fine."

"Good," she said, tapping a few keys on her datapad before rising. "Don't want to intrude on CEO to CEO business."

It was an obvious wisecrack, and Leos rolled his eyes as the Mirialan woman vacated the room. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to Natalie. She'd been increasingly insecure about his affections, though he knew that she enjoyed them. It was plentifully obvious in her reactions, but also in the feelings that she gave off. Part of him wondered if it was because of Kaela's presence, but the other part of him guessed it might be a bit of fear. Not fear of him directly, but fear of what his affections might mean for her, and what could come of them. It was understandable, especially from a woman more than ten years younger than him.

"What do you want in life, Natalie? Don't say money and power, as I know that already. We all want that. Go beyond that, though. What does your heart desire for your life in this galaxy?"

[member="Serenity Loveheart"]

 

[Natalie LaForte]

Kark it.

"You."

Leaning in for a kiss and hitting him right on his lips with her own, before disengaging and beginning to speak.

"Does that convince you that I know what I'm doing? I was holding back till your... assistant, left. Now.. about that deal we were planning"

Guess it was the time. Butterflies flew in her stomach as she remembered her sister telling her something about.. eh. If this was going to be her first experience apart from.. the unmentionable, then it should be for the benefit of not only herself. A thought in her head reminded her that this wasn't real love, but a necessary evil, though she kind of doubted it. This was the same feeling that intoxicated her with her first and only love interest, a warm tingling sensation, almost feeling, drunk and/or high off of his scent.

Let's hope it doesn't turn out like the last one, and that one was pretty bad. Something whispered in her ears about this, probably her sister in a desperate attempt to force her to become a minion to whatever cult she was recently subscribed to. As to why she disliked men, who knows.

[member="Ignus"]

 

[Kamon's OOC]

Well, that was forward.

Given he'd been forward before he couldn't really say anything. That being the case, he returned her kiss with fervor, even going so far as to draw her tiny, by comparison to him, form to settle into his lap. But kissing was as far as he went with her. He knew what she wanted. It was easy to see, and he could feel the desire washing off of her and he wasn't even an empath. But knowing what she desired didn't tell him why she desired it, and given the haste at which she'd reached this point, he was more than a little bit worried that the reason behind it was not something long lasting, and would ultimately leave her wounded down the road. For that reason he could not bring himself to take advantage of the offer of her body.

He did wrap his arms around her, though, and look her square in the eye before speaking.

"I know what it is you want, and to be fair I want it too. You are a beautiful, young woman, after all. But I'm not going to give you what you want. Not yet."

The word yet was emphasized because he wanted her to know that it wasn't a flat out denial, and that he wasn't saying there was something wrong with her. He was saying no for good reasons, as she would soon come to understand.

"You are young, Nat. I know that your mind, and your body, want one thing, but I don't know what your heart wants." He tapped lightly against her chest to indicate; and he hit the exact position of her heart, not the center. "There are consequences to the action you want. You could, for example, become pregnant and then have to deal with that. I have rules for when I sleep with someone, I don't just sleep with any girl I meet. They have to love me, and I them, and they have to be privy to information that you aren't privy to yet. My goals for the galaxy. I have a strict policy that if someone I sleep with becomes pregnant, they must go to term and deliver the child. I don't believe in killing the unborn."

He lifted a hand to brush her hair back.

"Have you thought about such things? Do you know WHY you want me?"

[member="Serenity Loveheart"]

 

[Natalie LaForte]

"And you think I would let you impregnate me before you take me out to dinner? I may look like a trophy girl, but I do have some standards believe it or not."

Grabbing one of her ponytails to be now lying on her chest and starting to stroke it with her bare hands.

"As to why I want you? I guess I was responding to your abrupt approach with a more direct one. I don't want to, ahem, do it on the first date, but perhaps we can get to know eachother further and see where we go from there. I want you because I know you'll treat me right, and the fact you don't want me to have an abortion gives you some sort of, empathy, even if you don't believe that you possess it."

"Though, if you don't want to pursue this, then I guess we can talk about number crunching. Again."

[member="Ignus"]

 

[Kamon's OOC]

"Unnecessary. I have no intentions of ever sleeping with you. You're far too young for my tastes. I mean no offense by that, there's nothing wrong with being young, of course, but you're too young for me."

That said, why he'd kissed her? Well, all of it had really been a test to see about her heart. She was flighty. Whether she believed it or not, her heart would jump around here or there, taking in whomever happened to show her even the simplest form of affection. So why had he done that to her? Because he could, in part. Because it got the Ascendancy a favorable deal which she couldn't back out of, in part. But also to teach her a valuable lesson that business deals needed to come from the brain, not the heart. Business was about making money, not about winning friends. Certainly they could still be friends and entertain a business relationship, but that was all there was to.

He lifted her up and set her alight on her own two feet. No, she would get nothing from him in the manner of a relationship, even if she tried hard to get it. Instead, she had a business interest.

"I'll order us some food to eat while we talk. It's safer than visiting any of the restaurants around here."

Mostly because there was a bounty on his head and Maelasi was unavailable. The Guard could handle it, but the woman had given him strict instruction not to venture out beyond that of necessity, and he wasn't going to go to the point of upsetting a woman he did, in fact, love. One who loved him enough to sacrifice her life for him, though he hoped she would never do so.

"I want you to understand that I've played you in this particular situation. From the very moment we met I preyed on your sensibilities in order to get a favorable deal for the Ascendancy. Call it a lesson in business management, but everyone you do business with will try something to get a better deal. You have to be alert for that."

[member="Serenity Loveheart"]

 

[Natalie LaForte]

"If you did play me, then good game. Otherwise, it worked out in my favor in the end. Removing that idiot just got rid of the rest of the cells that dare to defy my. Being with such a smart business man, well, I would like to know more about how you expanded your company to the magnitude that it reaches today."

Looking down to her nails and then at her wrist which had a small scar from an encounter with an insect. It reminded her of the past, not just from the incident, but in general. It reminded her that she also wasn't in the position to be pretending like she knows it all, not now at least.

Regardless, her sister was going to be very angry. Not only at Serenity, but the man who she was currently sitting with that had flat out rejected her. In a way, the disappointment brought her mood down, but it was one less responsibility and avenue that she didn't need to explore and manage at a later date. Getting the concept of romance out of the duo's head would serve for a better.. friendship.

"Also, do you serve vegetarian food? I'm not a massive meat eater." Smiling and then leaning closer to the man while still in her seat.

[member="Ignus"]

 

[Kamon's OOC]

"Lots of hard work."

He tapped away some commands on his datapad and sent off an order for food, taking into account that she preferred to eat vegetarian. Some species couldn't eat meat, in his experience, and sometimes people just chose not to. It was their prerogative, as far as he was concerned, but he'd still never understood it. If they possessed canine teeth it was obviously because they were meant to use them. But that was a matter of little importance and so he rarely gave it more than a cursory thought.

"Building a business is about making contacts just as much as it is about hiring the right people. You have to very thoroughly vet the people that you hire. Down to the finest detail. It's extremely important that you spend the time doing so. Same goes for those whom you let invest in your company. You've already let some rodents slip in and learned that lesson the hard way. Expansion is really about those two things, and broadening the market you sell to. The more focused your buying base is, the less likely it is that you'll grow because there isn't enough capital coming from any one group. You need to keep a broad horizon on sellers in order to encourage expansion.

"For my company, we sell to anyone willing to pay the credits. Alliance, Jedi, First Order, or anyone else. I don't care who they are. In the end the credits are what matters for my personal endeavors. All these organizations finance what I do, and selling to everyone gives me a LOT of money to use for expansion and other things."

[member="Serenity Loveheart"]

 

[Natalie LaForte]

"And if I'm not mistaken... you are in support of the Ascendancy? Why would you sell to those who are potentially going to be enemies? From what you're telling me, you're running a pretty legitimate business, yet still making a profit. The way you're wording everything seems to make credits appear out of thin air, things aren't that easy for me. I need to deliver to my shareholders, kidnapping them isn't the best idea, neither is freezing them in a vault for a millennia until I see use for them again."

Her communicator beeped again and she already knew who it was. Sister. It really wouldn't be anybody else at this point. There was only one person in the galaxxy who knew how to get on her nerves this bad, with incessant calls that seemed to never end. She sighed after hearing this then looked up to speak again.

"I apologize. My sister is.. being rather annoying right now."

[member="Ignus"]