A Rrrock and a Harrrd Place (Taataani)

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Sasseeri smoothed her clothing in the floor length mirror that was leaning artfully against the wall in her penthouse. Not nervously, of course, the Black Sun Vigo was beyond nerves at this point. After being a guest of a crazy hyu-mann, tortured, pampered, and baffled, Sasseeri felt that a day of shopping in the upscale Chiba district was probably just what the doctor would order.

Of course, spending said day of retail therapy in the company of ones half-sister who had spent most of ones childhood making ones life miserable... Sasseeri sighed, pouted at her reflection, and adjusted her top one last time. The deep vee in the white shirt set off her cocoa cleavage perfectly.

With a final glance, the half-breed Cizerack left her sanctuary and went down to meet Taataani Meorrei in the lobby of the Nabooian Queen casino.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"jI'm expected to what?"

Taataani balked, looking at her favorite manservant with a guarded expression as she flicked her stim into an ashtray nearby.

"Gamble, mjisstrresss. jIt jiss a cassjino afterr all."

She looked at the expectant hanger-on, some smartly-dressed Zeltron hovering around them with a tray of rather expensive Chandrilan bubbly.

"Arre the drrjinkss frree?"

"Compliments of the house, Madam Meorrrei."

With a glib smile, she plucked one from the tray.

"Taurrifarr, take one too. We'rre pajyjing forr them whetherr we ljike jit orr not."

The manservant dutifully took a drink for himself, nodding to the Zeltron attendant. Taataani, for her part, tipped back the entire drink in a moment, setting the empty back on the tray. She paused, looked at Taurrifarr, and took his drink, and downed it too.

"Go ahead and take anotherr."

She smiled, pushing her glasses up her nose as she puffed again on her stim.

"Now, what arre the rruless of thjiss game? jI want to wjin."

Tail swishing behind her, she leaned over the gaming table as the game master explained the point of Bothan cubes. Taa smoked as she listened, ears easing forward as she tried to drink up every aspect of the game she was apparently going to put money against.

"Alrrjight, jI underrsstand that. Taurrifarr, a chjit pleasse."

The manservant passed a credit chit to his mistress, who authorized 50,000 credits on the red side of the cube landing up. Other bets were placed, and the cube was suspended in the antigravity column, floating and turning endlessly in the air, until at last the antigrav terminated, and the cube fell to the table, blue side up.

"Sshjit."

Exhaling purple smoke, Taataani extinguished her stim and rolled her eyes as her tail wrapped around her middle.

"Sshe'ss late on purrposse, jyou know. Sshe jusst wantss me to sspend monejy on herr ljittle...gamess."

"Would jyou ljike anotherr drrjink, mjisstrresss?"

Rescued from annoyed dejection, her ears perked up.

"Oh that would be loveljy. Would jyou?"

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

She should have expected Taa to be drinking and gambling, the female was a complete degenerate. She wasn't even that late! Sasseeri hurried down an escalator, her bodyguards lengthening their strides behind her.

"My dearrr sjisterrr, jI was hopjing we could," she intercepted the drink Taa's manservant was about to hand to her, "get somethjing to eat whjile we werrre out. But perrrhaps you've alrrready drrrunk yourrr lunch." To take some of the sting out of her tone the Vigo sniffed the drink and then tipped it back.

Maybe Taa had the right idea after all. Still, there was no reason to drink from the well. Sasseeri resisted making a face at the inexpensive liquor, and passed the empty glass back to Tok. The big white twi'lek male made the receptacle disappear. Tik, his twin brother, scanned the group at the cubes table for any threats. Or something. She left those things to them. They were very particular about her safety.

"Come, come, jI have a speederrr wajitjing." She was anxious to get off the floor, and to somewhere else, where there weren't as many prying eyes.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"Nothjing ljike an aperrtjif, then."

Taa smiled politely enough, gesturing with a nod of her head for Taurrifarr to follow as the entourage left the casino floor and followed Sasseeri to the speeder.

"jI wass begjinnjing to thjink jyou'd forrgotten about ourr ljittle dajy out. Of courrsse, jI sspend about asss much tjime on Corrusscant now asss jI do back home, sso jit doess make an outjing a bjit convenjient, no?"

She gave her half sister a glance, inwardly cursing that she seemed to be in better shape than the elder Cizerack. Losing weight was a game for the young, she thought to console her jealousy. She'd like to see Sasseeri when that little black tail was in her seventies and with over a dozen cubs notched on the nursery walls.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

She would have liked to have ignored Taa's invitation entirely, but at the time she'd been a little desperate for an excuse to get away from former Grand Inquisitor Tear. Of course then she'd been 'released' a few days later, wjithout apology, mjind you, and was sitting on top of an exciting, if volatile, business opportunity.

And had to honor her engagement with her older sister.

Half-sjisterrr, she amended in her mind, giving Taataani a cordial smile as they walked out to the valet. "Yes, forrrtujitous even." Saanjarra, morrre Taa on Corrruscant? Does someone hate me? Thjs has been the worrrst few months on rrrecorrrd forrr me, and that's sayjing a lot.

The wind was picking up as speeders pulled into and out of the station, smartly dressed valets hopping as patrons tipped and came and went. A sleek black speeder, stretched to fit about fifteen comfortably inside its plush interior, was waiting. Tok appeared in front of them, how he'd managed to get there first was anyone's guess, and opened the rear door for the three passengers.

Sasseeri waited for her sister and her manservant (how quajint) to slide into the speeder, and then followed, giving the twi'lek warrior's forearm a frrrjiendly squeeze as she passed. Tok's pale lips split slightly, revealing teeth points in what might have been a smile.

The brothers were happy to be together again, that was certain.

Sasseeri sat comfortably on the butter smooth nerfhide seats, her body language and face not revealing how uncomfortable she actually was. You didn't get to be the head of a galaxy spanning criminal organization if you couldn't hide what you really felt from others. "jI was thjinkjing to stop at Chjiba Chanel beforrre we eat. Any objectjions?"

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"Chjiba Chanel, mjy that brrjingss back ssome memorrjiess."

Was the designer back into vogue? Taataani's outward appearance was delighted, but inside she was panicking. Did Sasseeri know something she didn't? She looked her half sister over, deciding that no, her outfit was slightly better looking than the half-breed's. Then again, Coruscant was the trend-setter. Fashions made here ended up throughout the galaxy. She hadn't wore Chiba Chanel in five years, but now she was worried that she was already missing something important. What if her appraisal of Sasseeri's fashion chops itself was outdated. She couldn't be caught dead in public with anything even slightly less perfect.

"That ssoundss ljike a perrfect lead-up to lunch, actualljy."

She resisted the urge to unconsciously reach up and make sure her wig was immaculate. Taurrifarr was put in charge of discretely taking her aside if he noticed any fashion malfunctions. He was an invaluable handler.

"Now, jI rrealljy musst know, and jyou'll forrgjive mjy currjiossjitjy, but mjy, jyou've rrubbed sshoulderrss wjith ssome verrjy jinterresstjing people herre. jI'd love to hearr of jit."

Mainly, she just wanted to have a good idea of Sasseeri's Coruscanti sphere of influence. Knowing those sorts of things was a good insurance policy.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

jI'm surrre you would. Sasseeri resisted hugging herself at the thought of who she'd recently 'rrrubbed shoulderrrs' with. "Oh, one doesn't get jinto the upperrr echelons of Corrruscantji socjiety wjithout learrrnjing a ljittle djiscrrretjion."

She leaned forward a bit though, letting a smile trace her lips as she shared, "But Moff Jewett frrrom the Boeus Sectorrr was rrrecalled to jImperrrjial Centerrr a month ago. He's stjill herrre, drjinkjing hjimself to obljivjion at least once a week jin my VIP rooms. Worrrd jis," she looked around as if an Inquisitor might be hiding inside the limo with them, "he's a Rrrebel sympathjizerrr. jI don't know what the Emprrress has jin mjind forrr hjim, but jits surrre not to be pleasant."

Sasseeri grinned salaciously, almost enjoying feeding her elder sister's gossip habit.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Good gossip hit Taataani's bloodstream in about the same way as drugs might. Her pupils nearly dilated at the rush of intrigue.

"How possjitjiveljy ssorrdjid!"

She leaned forward a bit, elbows on her knees as she partook of the tasty gossip her half sister dished about the powerful movers of the Empire.

"Poljitjical jintrrjigue, and not harrdljy two sstepss underr jyourr nosse. That kjind of knowledge jiss rreal powerr, ljittle ssjissterr."

Taa tried not to sound nauseated at the moniker. She needed to keep Sasseeri close, even if it made her queasy at times.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Sasseeri shrugged, sitting back against the leather seat and reaching over to fish for a bottle of water from the stocked mini bar set into the side of the speeder. "Of courrrse jit jis. But, as jI sajid, jI am known forrr bejing djiscrrete. Otherrrwjise the jinforrrmatjion hyperrrlane would shut down to a trrrjickle."

She offered her sister some water, hoping to dilute the drinks the Cizeri matron had already imbibed, and Taa accepted, though she didn't pop the top. Her half-sister tugged a bit at her hair, and Sass narrowed her eyes. Was that... a wig?

Sometimes she forgot the thirty year age difference between the two of them. Now she was weirdly fascinated, and dying to know the state of Taa's scalp. If she'd gone bald it would make her day. No, her week!

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"Of courrsse, jit'ss alwajyss besst to appearr to know farr lesss than jyou do."

That was certainly a philosophy Taataani cherished, and she put it to use every chance she had. She had a feeling that Sasseeri knew plenty about keeping her cards close to her chest, and it was more or less confirmed.

The limo finally pulled up to a main thoroughfare in Chiba district, adjacent to a smartly-designed establishment that occupied six levels in the nearby tower. It was Chiba Chanel, their destination. The vehicle stopped, and the driver promptly debarked to open doors and escort the two ladies and their guests into one of the bastions of galactic high fashion.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Orrr jin yourrr case, prrretend to know farrr morrre than you do. Taataani was unbearably pretentious, as always.

Sasseeri accepted Tok's help out of the limo and gave herself a little shake before hooking her tail over the crook of her elbow and walking towards the entrance of the store. Taa followed soon after with her manservant, Tani-something, and Tik brought up the rear.

The inside of the building was cool and artistically lit, and Sasseeri was warmly greeted by Greta Opsilon, assistant to Mr. Chanel himself. "Ms. Reeouurrra! It has been... too long." The Zeltron gestured with a long white cigarette holder that was currently holding an unlit stim, and shook her long lavender hair out of her eyes as she kissed the air by Sasseeri's cheeks.

"jIndeed, but jI've been away on busjiness." Sasseeri returned the kisses. "jI just love the new summerrr ljine. Could we see some of the drrresses? jI need somethjing casual that jI can drrress up for djinnerrr jif jI need to."

Greta was looking at Taa, and Sasseeri acted like she'd almost forgotten her guest. "Oh, jI apologjize, thjis jis my half-sjisterrr, Ms. Taataani Meorrrei."

The Zeltron extended a fuschia hand towards Taa, "A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Meorrrei. Would you like to see anything in particular?" Without waiting for a reply Greta turned, snapping fingers and calling to an unseen person, "Drinks in lounge two! Two iced blood wines, if I'm not mistaken." She winked at the two Cizerack.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Treatment fit for a Rrou'fai, and far from the Cluster to boot. Taataani's ears pitched upwards in a pleased posture, eyes drinking in the magnificent fashions adorning tastefully-decorated mannequins. Even the store attendants were dressed with all of the pomp and innovation of runway models. The thrilling display was almost intoxicating, if it wasn't for the fact that Sasseeri's presence would keep her somewhat sober to this fashionista's binge.

Caught a bit off-guard at the question of preference from the Zeltron woman, Taataani had little recourse but to agree with Sasseeri that she wanted to dive into their summer selections. It was true because they were all splendid, but it seemed droll to agree in lockstep with that black-tail. Before she had time to berate herself for her lack of foresight, a human male with a shaved head approached with two goblets on a tray, each with a deeply sanguine drink inside and studded with ice cubes throughout.

"jI djidn't know jyou drrank Pai Leeha, Sasseeri."

She gave her drink a discrete sniff, eyes widening almost imperceptibly. By Sanjaara, their bartender had a very gentle hand. The spice was perfectly subtle.

A small army of attendants began to prepare several dozen garments, which was just the vanguard of what the two felinoids had in store for themselves. One minder unfurled a dress that featured a bucolic, airy linen, and Taataani ran her fingers against it with a small smile.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Sasseeri sipped her bloodwine and raised an eyebrow at her sister's surprise. "jI am cerrrtajin therrre jis a grrreat deal about me you neverrr carrred to know."

Now, that was a little too far. She sipped the drink again, ice spheres clinking together in the silence. Greta was conducting the models, something Sasseeri usually enjoyed greatly, but she'd managed to spoil the mood for herself.

Can't a half-brrreed enjoy bloodwjine? No, no, jits totally unexpected. Taataani was still so narrow minded it was a wonder she could operate at all outside of the Cluster.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"Sso crruel..."

Taa's ears lowered a bit in mock hurt, tickled that she'd gotten under Sass's skin with that one. Covering her delight expertly with a well-timed sip, she gestured casually to her goblet.

"...jI carre, we've jusst been sso farr rremoved. That'ss whjy jI'm enjojyjing ourr ljittle outjing sso much. What jI mean jiss that a Pai Leeha, that'ss harrdljy the ssorrt jI everr ssee jyou jyoung oness drrjinkjing."

An expert deflection, if Taataani said so herself. She was distracted from any further barbs by one of the models sporting a shawl made of a material she didn't recognize. She gestured for the model to approach, and she watched the way the fabric gave with her movement. Just the sort of thing to keep the wind off, but still be light and breathable.

"Oh jI do adorre a good sshawl, but jI don't know. jI don't ljike the drresss wjith that."

Like the workings of a clock, the models repositioned themselves to offer her another option. She looked to Sasseeri, wondering what she'd think.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

"Yes, jI suppose you'rrre rrrjight, Taa. A shawl jis just the thjing to djisgujise a multjitude of sjins, as they say, and that drrress doesn't make jit look too matrrronly." Sasseeri pointed to a strapless sundress, bright blue and with a flirty skirt that fluttered just so. "Thjis jis morrre what a young one ljike jI would wearrr.

"jIn fact..." she looked over at Greta, "jI thjink jI should trrry that one on, when we'rrre done brrrowsjing. jIts beautjiful."

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"Ahh, Sasseeri, good tasste asss alwajyss. Majybe jyou'rre rrjight."

Taa stood silent for a second or two, lips in a twisted pucker as she thought over Sasseeri's little skewering comment. She was insinuating that she was a frump? Well, there was no having any of that!

Taa met eye contact with Greta, and nodded her agreement. Arrangements were made for the outfit in her size, too.

"Now, comforrtable sshoess to match?"

The bane of Madame Meorrrei's wardrobe situation, she was known to empty entire shoe stores of unmolested boxes to find shoes that were both adorable and (more importantly) comfortable. Too often, she eschewed shoes whenever she was in a place convenient enough to kick them off. She was unwilling to admit that at her age, sometimes feet just hurt for the hell of it.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

She nearly laughed as Taataani requested comforrrtable shoes. "jI don't thjink they have anythjing wjith less than a sjix centjimeterrr heel."

The Zeltron was looking slightly distressed as the tension between the sisters grew, and she waved away the models after making a few decisions on more outfits for her two guests to try on. "Shoes we have, heels, and gladiator sandals." She drew a shape in the air with her cigarette holder. "They are... very popular this season. And... very flat." She smiled, hoping to have made the elder Cizerack happy, but nearly wilted under the force of Sasseeri's fierce displeasure.

Sass did, of course, keep a happy face on. "Oh, splendjid!"

Tik helped her to her feet as Taa's manservant did the same for Taataani. Greta showed them to the changing areas, cloth pavillions opposite each other with a grand three-sided mirror between. They hadn't needed to tell the Zeltron assistant their sizes, of course, she had sized them up the minute they'd walked in. And she had helped Sasseeri many times before, and knew her shape intimately.

"The footwear... they will be in shortly. Do not worry... I know just the ones for the outfits we have picked!" Greta slinked away, snapping her fingers loudly and calling for sandals.

Sasseeri looked over at Taa, and said, "jI'll show you mjine jif you show me yourrrs." She winked, and disappeared into her changing tent. Tok came inside with her, Tik waited outside, in case of a sudden Rebel invasion no doubt.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Taataani watched Sasseeri step into her changing station, letting her genial expression darken a bit when she was out of sight. Taurrifarr, credit to his upbringing as always, read his mistress's body language effortlessly and parted the tent to let her enter, knowing that it wasn't good for his health to say anything, unless he really wanted her pent up Sasseeri rage uncorked in his direction. Still, he got singed by some collateral damage, as Taataani cast a petulant, venom-filled expression that landed in his general vicinity as she yanked the curtain closed.

As she worked off her garments, and worked into the suggested outfit, Taurrifarr had a few minutes of silence, standing alongside the Twi'lek, Tik, who also seemed to be enjoying the change in his own way. The big felinoid, for lack of anything to tend to or tidy, adjusted his tie and tried to look aloof.

[Sasseeri Reeouurra]

Once ensconced inside the changing room, Sasseeri hurriedly shimmied out of her clothes and pulled on the blue strapless sundress. Ach, and the gladiator sandals, they were to djie forrr, as Greta had promised.

Tok wasn't exactly looking at her, but he wasn't really not looking. Sasseeri turned about experimentally and tugged at the bust of the dress. The Twi'lek twins were harder to get a rise out of than... well any other male in the universe. They were very very good bodyguards though.

Her commlink rang.

[Kal Olorin]

I twirled a stylus between my fingers, and dropped it noisily as Sassy picked up.

"What jis jit?!" She sounded like she was trying to be quiet.

"Uh, you told me to call you in thirty minutes so -" I tried to pick up the stylus again and it rolled off my desk and pinged into the garbage can.

"Well, call me agajin jin fjive." And then she hung up, after interrupting me.

I sighed, leaned over too far trying to fish my writing implement out of the can, and my rolley chair slipped out from underneath me.

Desk jobs were for the birds. I couldn't wait to get back to Cloud City.