What Joza Perl Doesn't Know Won't Hurt Her

[Onley Xiangu]

RECIPIENT: [member="Aria Vale"]
SENDER: Onley X.

It’s been a while but the first and last time I saw you was on Ruusan. I attacked you, and you hit me with your lightsaber. It left a pretty sweet scar. If you want to see it, I’ll be on Coruscant tomorrow night. Level 12, the fountain in the Bar district.

Don’t worry - I’ll find you.

 

[NightSister]

Aria's eyebrows shot up.

Ever the insomniac, the girl had found herself awake and unable to return to her slumber, and so had done what anyone in her predicament would do: she'd picked up her datapad. An icon at one side of the screen signalled a new message - that was odd. Had the Jedi finally noticed her absence? She'd been on Khar Shian for some time now, but perhaps they'd finally run out of better things to do. Looking dubious, she touched the screen once and brought her inbox up.

RECIPIENT: Aria Vale
SENDER: Onley X.

It’s been a while but the first and last time I saw you was on Ruusan. I attacked you, and you hit me with your lightsaber. It left a pretty sweet scar. If you want to see it, I’ll be on Coruscant tomorrow night. Level 12, the fountain in the Bar district.

Don’t worry - I’ll find you.

Ruusan? That had been ages ago. It had been a fun battle, in fact: she had nearly died, but it had been fun. The Acolyte she'd faced off against - Onley, according to her screen - had been good. She liked to think she'd been better, though. And now he had her contact details...somehow. Huh. And wanted to meet up. Right. What?

Aria let out a derisive snort, but she didn't press delete. It sounded iffy, she had to admit; as far as Onley and whatever else remained of the Sith Triumvirate were concerned, Aria was still a Jedi and thus their enemy. On the other hand, she was no great opposition - there had been two or three Masters representing the Silvers on Ruusan, one of whom was actually still with the Jedi, no less. It did look suspicious, in honesty, but out of all the potential enemies a Sith could choose to target, Aria really couldn't see why she'd be anywhere particularly high up on that list.

Fine. Why not?

~

​

Level 12. Level 12. Aria meandered through the bar district, looking around with an appraising eye. She couldn't remember having ever been to Coruscant - it was so busy. With the reassurance that she'd be found still saved on her datapad, her pace was leisurely, but at the same time, her curiosity had been sparked. Besides, even if this was a bored Sith's attempt to act upon a grudge, she hadn't lost her touch; it wasn't as though she couldn't take him.

[member="Onley Xiangu"]​

 

[Onley Xiangu]

[member="Aria Vale"]

He’d chosen Level 12 because it was close enough to the ecumenopolis’ surface to retain some of its glitter and awe, but close enough to where the underbelly seethed to keep the potential for some real fun on their radar. A good mixture of the glitz and the dirt milled about the Bar district flowing in and out of cantinas and clubs, shopping complexes, and the parks full of artificial trees and wildlife somehow kept thriving here where the sun had never shone. Here, the sky was the gray-brown belly of the level above and the thousands of speeders zooming by overhead every second. Onley hadn’t grown up on Coruscant, but he loved it more than most other places he’d spent his time. Always something to see, always something to do.

Like an impromptu ‘date’ for example. He wasn’t really sure he could call it that even though that’s what he was considering it. But to his knowledge - despite asking an infochant friend to find details on the woman he’d clashed with on Ruusan - Aria Vale had been a Jedi then, and probably still was now. The night could just as easily turn in to a battle.

Which might also be fun. She’d been great on Ruusan, and that had been so long ago. Time would only have made her a more challenging opponent.

As if on cue, he saw her making her way through the plaza in which he’d taken to sitting. The architecture of Level 12 was prone to channeling visitors through a general flow of traffic, and someone without aim would most likely end up there in the center of everything eventually. And she was hard to miss. Onley waited until she was closer to shift up from his bench, winding through the crowd towards a shock of shiny, dark hair and an elegant jawline.

One hand was in the front pocket of his pants as he came to intercept her path, just like their first encounter but far less aggressive this time around. Since that time he’d gained quite a few inches in height and shed the last of the youthful softness to his face. Now he was taller than his genetics would have indicated was possible, his face all sharp angles - except for that smile, half-knowing and half-casual. “Nice to see you in a situation where you’re not trying to kill me.” That he would have gladly ripped her in half in reciprocation didn’t need to be said.

He was fully aware getting a message from him out of nowhere after years of silence and one violent encounter was at best strange, and at worst alarming. But the fact that she was standing there was proof that it at least hadn’t reached ‘alarming’, and so instead he pursued the whiplash strangeness of appearing back in her life. “You hungry?”

 

[NightSister]

The fountain, Aria had to admit, was actually quite pretty. The whole district, in fact, was a rather nice setting for - whatever exactly they were calling this meeting. Was it a date? Aria was tempted to call it a date, but reconvening with a then-enemy whose hands she'd almost died at seemed just a little too unconventional. Still, she wasn't looking for a fight. Exactly how much Onley had picked up on her in the process of finding her number, Aria was unsure, but whether he knew it or not, Aria was no longer under the obligation to fight on behalf of the Jedi. Her lightsaber would remain at her hip, yes, but she wouldn't attack until he did.

She turned, and her gaze locked onto the broad-shouldered frame in her path. Quickly, she gave him the head-to-toe: he was definitely taller - looked stronger, too, more rugged - but he was easily the same man she'd fought on Ruusan. Her own changes were largely in her presence in the Force, but not hard to pick up on. Or in her eyes, but that took more effort.

Oh, and look at that. The intent wasn't to kill her. How nice.

Although it did make things still more outlandish. It was far more believable that she'd been randomly messaged as a ploy to capture or kill her than for a friendly maybe-date with a Sith. In a way, it was even amusing. Yes, amusing worked best. She'd go with that until there was a gap in the conversation to quickly ask how he'd gotten her number. Confrontation had always been her enemy.

"You did try and kill me first," Aria said, the smallest of grins visible. "Nice to see you too, I guess." Part politeness and part honesty. It was certainly interesting to be meeting him again; provided the lack of attempted murder kept up, Aria could potentially enjoy herself a good deal. She might even enjoy it if there was attempted murder. Danger could be fun.

Hungry? Alright, now she had to grin properly. "Uh - sure, yeah." Well, this would be fun.

[member="Onley Xiangu"]​

 

[Onley Xiangu]

He had his mother’s talent for reading other people but even still he hadn’t pressed to the point that he realized she had crossed over the line of Jedi to something amorphous, something that didn’t quite have a label. Though someone looking in from the outside might have had a hard time believing it Onley had no real qualms with whatever alignment Aria Vale subscribed to. He was Sith because he wasn’t a nice person. Archaic codes and ancient history mattered little to him.

Of course, it might have been more fun if he realized she’d shed something of the Light.
But he at least could feel that her presence, her command of their shared gift, was more prodigious than last they’d met.

He was free with grins and laughter, and he shared one of both as she immediately needled back with the comment about mutual murderous intent on Ruusan. “You’re not wrong,” he admitted, turning to walk beside her as they melded back in to the current of Coruscanti traffic. Admittedly for all his charm he hadn’t given much thought to after their initial meeting. That she would show up at all was a pipe dream - his message could have been a threat any way she split it. He waited until they’d gotten some distance from the main plaza before he peeled off to a cantina that sold itself as more upscale than its brethren, but not pretentious enough to make either of them choke on it. Half inside and half outside, they quickly found themselves at a table overlooking the constant foot-traffic milling by outside the roped fencing.

Food and drink ordered, he took measured sips from the glass of Correllian whiskey in front of him. “So, what made you meet up with me?” he asked, straightforward as ever. He could have asked the little icebreakers - what was her favorite color, where was she from, what kind of music did she listen to - but those things would come with time. He was interested. But why waste their time when he was sure she was just as confused as to why he’d asked as he was as to why she’d shown up at all? He had plans - hopes - for how the night might go. But he dusted around the outside, realizing despite his hopes he really didn't know her at all. Yet.

[member="Aria Vale"]​

 

[NightSister]

She had always been quick to let her guard down. To her mind, if by now he hadn't drawn a weapon on her, then logically, this was actually more likely to be a date than it was an assassination plot. Which she was just fine with, of course. She so rarely got to let her hair down, even away from the Jedi.

So she followed alongside him with only a moment's pause, pace relatively lively as she let him lead through the crowds. It didn't take long for the path that the twists and turns of the busy streets formed to reach a stop at a cantina, sophisticated to a toned-down degree at first glance. Not bad, she thought to herself, taking a seat beside Onley next to their side of the window-glass. Not bad at all.

With her own choice of drink sitting sparkling and golden in a glass on the table, Aria turned, shoulders back the slightest bit, to fix Onley with a keenly interested look as he posed his question. She supposed it was better than letting the elephant in the room sit there; really, should have been little surprise. Still a little surprising, yes, and of course it was a slightly fiddly question to answer. Not in a bad way, though. In any case, it bested small-talk enough to work in his favour.

"Curious, mostly," she answered without missing a beat. "Not everyday a Sith..." she frowned in concentration, "Knight?" Sure, that seemed right. "...that you tried to kill once texts you out of the blue." Grinning, she took a sip from her whiskey, setting the glass on the table and taking a quick moment to examine her nails.

"You, too," she added, tone light but inquisitive; indirect or not, she wasn't one to pass up an opening. "It's been...how long now? Ages, in any case. What made you message me?"

[member="Onley Xiangu"]​

 

[Onley Xiangu]

The aptitude for mentalism had skipped a generation, but he had retained the habit of making himself appear exactly how he wanted to. He liked to seem very much like the lovable fool of a skirt-chaser with little aim besides pleasure. His Mother had once told him that underestimation had seemed an affront when she was younger but she had learned it was her greatest advantage. That was a lesson he had taken to heart. Unlike Matsu however, he would never be underestimated physically - tall and exceedingly muscular, it was obvious he packed a punch. So he chose to make himself appear less dangerous in other ways. So while he arranged his face to show pleasant amusement at her incredulity, he was invisibly considering everything else.

(Whiskey over wine or something lighter. Shoulders back, direct eye contact. Checks her nails but seems more out of habit than a nervous fidget. Answers the question with no hesitation. Confident. No apprehension. Strange for a Jedi…)

He nodded when she guessed at Knight, though he didn’t interrupt. It was a good answer. Honest.
He returned the grin as it bloomed, eyes on her mouth before ticking back up to her eyes.

“Years,” he admitted in kind, thinking it was funny to really think about it. Maybe it was just a force-user’s life to find time a relative concept, for some things to feel like yesterday and a million years ago all at once. A life packed full. “Well, I distinctly remember on Ruusan when you sliced my chest open. I think it might have been right at that moment I thought to myself ‘I’d really like her info.’” He ran his tongue absently over his front teeth as he laughed, knowing that was the opposite of a normal thought chain - but no one was accusing him of normalcy. “An infochant was looking for something else for me, and I asked for him to look for you while he was at it.”

A Twi’lek waitress stopped by, putting down a plate of bread in was was probably supposed to be a graceful and alluring manner as she looked at Onley but instead it ended up being more of a drop as she looked at him and he smiled politely. She fussed away excitedly, though quickly forgotten.

“Not every Jedi that fights like that. I just couldn’t forget it,” he said honestly, more of his whiskey disappearing. “You must stand out from the rest of them.”

[member="Aria Vale"]​

 

[NightSister]

Years. Goodness. Aria rarely acknowledged how long her Jedi days had spanned - too long, as far as she was concerned, and that was all she needed to know. She followed by the rule of living in the moment, when she could. Difficult, true, especially for someone who spent so much of her time with her head in the clouds, but she'd found it to be quite rewarding.

Perhaps it was the drink, but Aria was finding this increasingly more enjoyable. Nearly all of her best memories of being a Jedi involved her near-death experiences on the field, and Onley himself had been a worthy opponent. With both her Lightsidedness and near-death off the table, the Sith was good company. The number of Sith she'd met who were totally agreeable, if not downright likeable, had always used to confuse her a little - it made more sense now, of course. Even as someone still yet to try to call herself a Darksider, Aria's approach to Sith in general was extremely amicable. Only a matter of time, really.

Aria shared his laugh easily. "Perhaps - perhaps I did, rather." Pause for effect. "Long story short, I got bored. Left about two months ago." Yeah, funny story. A Sith lord electrocuted me, and six months later I went looking for her because my old master quit. Good times. She shrugged, no less cheerful for the admission, and took a bit of bread from the platter. "Had its benefits, but -" she made a face. "Not really for me."

Good thing she was so chipper tonight. Other days, she'd have ranted loud and long about the Jedi and their suppression tactics. In fact, she made a point of sneering at their methods whenever the opportunity arose. She couldn't help that there was just so much to argue against.

"So, that's what's been going on with me, anyway." Still lighthearted, she shifted in her seat, her posture now more closely resembling his. "You been up to much since Ruusan?"

She took a bite from her bread, curious to hear his answer. Anyone who employed infochants was bound to have a few good anecdotes.

[member="Onley Xiangu"]​

 

[Onley Xiangu]

He supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised. Jedi seemed to be dropping like flies these days, seeing the flaws in their order and leaving for greener pastures. They were the smart ones in his opinion. Usually he followed a ‘live and let live’ philosophy but where the Jedi were concerned he felt nothing but contempt. It was all well and good to adopt a lifestyle of monkish piety, but to force it on the galaxy was overstepping to a personal point.

Then again, he was a recidivist in the purest sense.

Maybe it was the reasoning that surprised him. ‘Boredom.’ That was decidedly honest. Where was the tragic story about her Master dying? Where was the story woven to make him feel sympathy for a creature hurt by the galaxy, to make him see her fall as a tragedy and not a triumph? Boredom was an interesting catalyst and one that suggested something far darker than originally expected wavered under her skin. “Most ex-Jedi I’ve talked to seemed like that’s how they wanted to answer, but were too afraid to say it. Thankfully, being anything besides Jedi seems to have more benefits than being one.”

Either way, it wasn’t polite to dig deeper over dinner - at least not when the interaction mattered - so he left it at that despite his interest unless she chose to share more.

Now, how to answer her question. She’d been honest with him as far as he could tell, and she clearly didn’t scare easily. All signs pointed that honesty in return was the best policy. (Leaned to match his posture, drawing attention to her mouth by eating, seems at ease, perhaps even genuinely enjoying herself.) He grabbed some of the bread too, the Hrosma tiger tattooed on the back of his right hand and fingers roiling over the bones there as he ripped the piece apart to make it more manageable. The demon covering the left stared out as if the ink might come to life, its hands curling over Onley’s knuckles as if pulling itself out of the Netherworld.

“I split my time between Coruscant and my home out in the Unknown Regions. I’m building a cartel in the lower levels here. Spice, weapons, black market organ theft. The last one is particularly lucrative and my family is in the business of...procuring organs so the business has grown pretty fast. Eventually I’d like to move to a multi-planet operation,” he explained. “I find the traditional Sith stuff...not stupid, but I’m not interested in their councils and glowering at each other over perceived slights. It’s kind of stuffy. Makes me bored, I guess,” he said in slight mimicry of her, fully settled in now.

Conversation flowed, alcohol lowering in their glasses barely soaked up by bread. The food wasn’t particularly long in coming but he might not even have noticed. Cutting in to a steak nearly raw (perfect), impeccable table manners came to the fore. Sort of strange for a man who’d grown up being thrown in to countless survival situations by a homicidal ‘uncle’.

“So if it was boredom that had you come over to our side, maybe you’d be interested in heading to a lower level later? Seems like the only rational thing to do to celebrate your parting with the Order.”

[member="Aria Vale"]​

 

[NightSister]

Another grin. Boredom - that was all it had been, really. Sure, there were other parts to the story, but if Connor Harrison had been a Jedi all along, if Darth Vitium hadn't seen cause to pay a visit to Balmorra one sunny day, if all the more painful bits hadn't happened she'd have left in the end regardless, because Aria simply had no motivation of her own to stay with the Order. In honesty, she'd chosen her words more out of trying to keep the story acceptably light, of course; nothing like small-talk to shed some perspective.

Ooh, a cartel. Aria wasn't really one for dodgy illegal stuff - regardless of whether it was unethical or some such, jail didn't sound like much fun - but she was perfectly supportive of anyone else wanting to deal in...organs...and whatever else. She'd been notably lacking in the uptightness that was common among Jedi when she still was one, and now as - well, whatever she was, she had no reason whatsoever to have problems with what others did with their lives. That said, her respect for the Jedi was extremely low, but still.

Her eyes flickered momentarily to a set of intricate ink designs that had become more obvious, an appreciative look colouring her features briefly. Then her attention reverted, and she chuckled as he spoke.
"You mean the Sith do that too?"

It was easy, surprisingly so, to let time pass enjoyably, but time passed rather enjoyably indeed. Aria was miles from being adept at conversation, but Onley was an interesting person to talk to. Unsurprising, of course; he was a Sith Knight running a cartel. Aria had a few good stories of her own, too. Time went by quickly, and Aria found that her good mood was still authentic even by the time they'd gotten through their meal.

"Celebrate," she laughed, ducking her head in amusement. "Certainly never got the chance to do that. Sure, why not?"

That certainly seemed to be her policy tonight.

[member="Onley Xiangu"]​