What's worse the a used speeder salesman?

[Derek Thalys]

"What was worse then a used speeder salesman?"

Derek smirked.

"Not much." He said to himself as he took another sip of the slightly sweet amber liquid in the tumbler that he brought to his lips.

Some people might disagree with him. In fact, some people might see him as one of the few types of people worse then the a speeder salesman, and he'd disagree of course.

No in his opinion, he was just a man trying to get ahead in life. Something that wasn't always made easy, but somehow he always found a way. Some people called his methods sleazy, he called it getting the job done no matter the price. So long as he got what he wanted he was happy, and sometimes it even coincided with the wants of his employers.

It was that lust for position and power that had brought him to Onderon. The Onderon government now held the keys to his ultimate goal, and he had made his way to the planet and it's capital city of Iziz to try and get the keys. Even if that meant stealing them.

So far he hadn't had much luck getting to see anyone who had any sway. But he was patient if nothing else, and that's what had brought him to the upscale bar. Which of course, other then the drink in his hand, had the added advantage of always seeming to contain someone who he could use to get some information that he could use later.

Signalling the bartender for another drink he looked away and began to scan the other patrons for anyone who looked like an easy mark.

[The Vilissar Twins]

It was a positively delightful evening as far as the twins could be concerned. One of those nights where it felt amazing to be young, where every breath seemed to energize and entice. After all, life was good for the two girls. They'd gotten out under the continuous gaze of a great aunt they had no care for, they weren't being sent back to a university somewhere meant to keep them in line, and in essence as long as they acted proper about the Palace, no one questioned them. Any minor indiscretions could be overlooked in the reasoning of them being newer to the life of a courtier. But such a life was far from virtuous in its own right...

So it was without any real notice or controversy that the two girls had taken to exploring the night life that Iziz City had to offer. Naturally they kept themselves to the more respectable locations, it wouldn't be worthy of their new status to be seen in anything less than among the best.

It was with this air of untouchability that the two girls found their way into the very bar that Thalys had found himself a spot in. The manner they entered matched their mood for the evening, soft laughter shared between the two at a unspoken quip regarding one of the other members of the court, dressed in matching outfits consisting of dresses with overcoats in shades of deep cobalt and black. Modest yet fashionable for ones their age.

A spot was taken up at the bar, and while one of the girls caught the attention of the bar tender, the other was glancing about the others there, both obtaining a feel for the setting and its patrons. Drinks were ordered: Green Galaxies. And the tall glasses filled with the emerald drink with the small glowing bits were placed down in front of them. In perfect synchronization hands clasped around the glasses and both girls turned in bar stools to let their bodies face each other and returned to letting eyes wander as they began to speak softly of nonsensical things to pass the time.

[Derek Thalys]

His, and nearly every other set of eyes belonging to an unaccompanied male in the bar were drawn to the entrance as soon as the first of the two girls entered. Derek would have been taken if she had been alone, but the fact that not even a moment later her twin sister walked into the bar identically dressed, well that definitely drew interest.

He watched as they made their way to the bar and ordered some odd drink that seemed to sparkle and glow. Motioning to the bartender after he left the girls he waited until the man was close enough to him.

Ordering another drink he also leaned forward just slightly and quietly asked the bartender who the newcomers were. If there was one thing that he had learned early on in his travels it was that bartenders tended to know everything might want to know. And if they didn't know, they would know who would.

The bartender reached over for the bottle that would fill Derek's glass and whispered something about the newest members of the Queen's Court. A comment that was greeted with a sly smirk crossing Derek's lips, and a 100 credit bill being slid across the bar to the tender along with instructions that their next round was on him.

The bartender nodded, not mentioning that members of the court didn't pay for drinks, but pocketed the money and went back to his duties.

For Derek, what had started as a night to try and formulate a plan had just turned into the plan.

[The Vilissar Twins]

Mindless chatter about inept servants, games that were played earlier in the week, what the others in the court were doing, gossip, simple nothings that slipped from their lips softly in tones that masked the fact the girls were very quickly becoming aware of just about everyone in the bar, what they were doing, what they were trying to do. Thalys' little conversation with the barkeep was far from unnoticed. The opportunity to find out exactly what he had spoken to the man tending to the patrons went unanswered for quite some time as the drinks in hand were sipped on slowly.

They were far from naive, however. While it was true other eyes were upon them, the two girls had made it one of life's lessons to discern quickly the difference between someone who was just looking for the sake of looking and one who was looking for wanting something in return for it. While some of their gender would instantly assume there was only one thing in mind of their bystander, years spent as children of politics had taught the two that often things were not so simple. The trick however, was to not let on such a thing. Best play the part of giggly co-ed a bit longer, it usually got one a bit father than instantly demanding a point to it all.

Besides...they liked that sort of game. As drinks neared their end the two sets of honey colored eyes fell upon Derek. Coquettish smiles formed and then in one quick instant they both dared to see just how far he could be ensnared with such a simple thing. The smile held for an instant before both let a wink pass, then just as quick, turned away from him.

[Derek Thalys]

Something in the back of his mind told him that he was being baited. It was that same little voice that always tended to give him an edge in discussions. Usually he was the one baiting the trap, trying to get someone to give him some nugget of information or another that he could then use to gain favour with someone else and either get what he wanted, or to gain more information to further his endeavors.

Smiling back, he took a moment to formulate a quick plan before taking a sip of his drink and sliding off the bar stool and slowly making his way over to them giving them his most charming smile.

"Good evening ladies."

[The Vilissar Twins]

It was nice to see someone so willing to play along so quickly. Men were easy to handle like that. A wink here, a bat of an eye there, one of those rather unsavory looks to finish it off and most were essentially nothing more than clay to be molded however you wished at that point. Most seemed to be the cardinal part of that little equation and was something the two girls were quickly forced to remind themselves. Just as they were playing him now the rolls could quickly be reversed if he had the mind to do so, and truly they knew such others existed, so girlish innocence towards the situation and his intentions while possible to portray, was nonexistent in their minds. Though the charming smile he displayed did win some points with the two girls on some level, even if for the moment he still was nothing more than a passing interest, just another form of entertainment that would do for the moment.

"Evening..." The word came from both accompanied with smiles that were both flirtatious and rather greeting in and of themselves. They considered saying more, asking right off what it was he had spoken to the bartender, but rather they went the other route...putting the situation in his hands to see how he would handle it.

[Derek Thalys]

Some odd part of his brain wondered if he was seeing double. He had figured that they were twins, but the way that they spoke at the same time, their mannerisms, it was almost like there was only one of them with a mirror creating the second.

His eyes bounced back and forth between them trying to figure out exactly what he had gotten himself into. There was something else about them that was tugging at the back of his mind, something which he had never felt before, but nothing that he could put his finger on specifically. There was just something different about them.

"I'm new on Onderon, and am looking for an individual or two who might be able to help answer some questions and such."

He paused for a moment.

"Might I be able to take a few moments of your time?"

[The Vilissar Twins]

Oh, to play mean or nice..it was a gentle tug-of-war in their minds and most likely either way would work to their ends. An exhasperated sigh along with an "if you must" or "we guess so." would suit them most days, but tonight hadn't been about sporting their status in court as a badge of honor over the average citizen.

"Well that depends..."
"on what the questions are."

Both held the playful smiles for a few moments before both finished the contents in the glasses they held and placed the empty containers on the bar top. One of them set about flagging down the barkeep while the other turned back to the man who had joined them.

"But first maybe you will..."
The other turned to face him as well. "part with your name?"
"Seems only right."

[Derek Thalys]

He was slightly taken aback by their odd style. He doubted that he was the only one either. Their odd way of finishing each other sentences without missing a beat was facinating as much as it was disorientating for a moment.

"Name... of course. Derek. Derek Thalys."

He smiled his most charming smile.

"And might I inquire to who's company I have been graced by?"

[The Vilissar Twins]

"Anya"
"Anadi"

The way they answered made it almost impossible to tell if they were introducing themselves or each other, no hands gestures to signify which was which, but with the way they almost acted as one, did it truly matter? Childish games... Much in the same way they left their last name out of the equation. Not that it meant anything once one was off of Ralltiir, but this man was a bit of mystery in himself and when one went about asking questions they often had a wealth of information stored up already. Best to play it safe.

"So Mister Thalys..."
"what are these questions"
"you have for us?"

[Derek Thalys]

A slight chill ran up his spine. It was more then a little strange the way that the twins not only finished, but continued each others sentences. Almost like he was talking to one mind with two bodies.

"Well, the fine barkeep indicated that you two had recently joined the royal court."

He paused looking for any reaction from them.

"I was hoping you could tell me a bit more about the court, and the ruling family?"

He took a long slow sip from his glass. Usually he could read people like a cheap novel, but these two were eluding him. He just couldn't get a read on them, and it annoyed him to a degree. Though it was offset by the interest in finding out why he couldn't read them. Something told him that it was more then just the odd way they spoke.

[The Vilissar Twins]

The girls kept their eyes on Derek, their gaze soft in nature and perfectly hiding the moderately predatory urge they both felt to simply toy with him. If he was truly as clueless as he seemed, they could quite simply elevate themselves to a nature of power in his eyes. Though the same small nagging sensation that there was more to him than just a simple minded tourist persisted. It wouldn't do to play into a hand he might have been setting them up for.

"Hmm... such a simple question." "Could have gotten that from just about anyone." "But if you must know..." "Firstly there is her Royal Highness, our Queen:" "Adraudia Basille. Secondly in importance..."
They both paused and looked at each other, laughing slightly before speaking in unison. "We suppose."
"Would be Salem Ave, the Prime Minister of Iziz City itself." One of the girls continued.

Both paused once more, mirroring one another as hands were brought up just slightly, the right of one, the left of the other, both closing their hands loosely and letting their index fingers come to rest just underneath their bottom lip as they let their eyes wander from Derek in a look of contemplation.

"To be honest we mostly have run" "into those of no real significance."

Another glance was shared between the two before their eyes widened in a small look of realization.

"Ah yes, there is one other..." "But we haven't really gotten the chance to speak with her either." "Princess Razielle Alastor" "formerly Shadana of the planet Davora." "Until she married the Hapan prince Tristan," "of course."

They knew of others, naturally, if from reputation and rumors if nothing else. What information they gave no doubt would have been easy to find out from just about anyone if Derek had not obtained it already.

"And then, not to be forgotten..." "Is ourselves, naturally."
Both girls smirked and offered another sly wink to the man.
"But we hardly count" "for anyone" "of any importance."

The last bit was practically dripping in sarcasm, just enough to bait, even if there was some semblance of truth in it.