One Tuesday Evening (Carré)

[Sanis Prent]

I'd planned it out nicely. We were idle cruising and repair work on Layla had been wrapped up. It was a nice and uneventful day. I cleaned top to bottom, and even picked up decent foodstuffs from Valiant's commissary for dinner. A quick sonic shower and a shave, and I was ready for the night.

And I knew just who I wanted to spend it with.

I gave Cirr a credit stipend to blow in the Valiant's mess on drinks and assumed he'd go chase Master Chief Kochanski's skirt again since she was an easy target. I didn't really care, I just wanted him off the ship. With him gone, I was free to spend my evening the way I wanted.

I punched in the comm frequency for Carré, and waited on the bridge, reclined a bit in my captain's chair.

[Carré Inirial]

Hours had been spent organizing everything just right in her new space.

She'd been offered the choice of taking over the bunk Bailey had left behind or making use of the smallest space allotted to the squadron. It had been easy...she picked the tiny space to have to herself, instead of waiting for the squadron to have a full roster again and be forced to share.

The tiny room featured a sleep couch built into the wall opposite the door, with drawers below for storage. There was little space to walk about freely, but enough for a small crate of her art supplies to be tucked in next to her standard-issue footlocker. Balanced precariously atop the crate as she tried to hang one of her large-scale sketches, she finally heard the incessant chiming of her comlink. She patted herself down looking for it and made the mistake of turning around right on the edge. She stumbled and fell to the floor in a graceless heap, finding the comlink sitting innocently on her pale green blanket.

Grabbing it up, she flicked it on and replied, not checking the frequency tag before replying breathlessly, "Inirial..."

[Sanis Prent]

She sounded breathy on the line, like she'd just been hard at work doing something. I let my mind wander as to what that might be.

"Hey there."

My feet propped up on the console. I looked down at them with a look of smug self-confidence.

[Carré Inirial]

Well fuck.

It figured.

She was breathless and it was Sanis on the other end of the comm. Just her luck. Sighing softly as she sat up and leaned against the wall, she took a moment before replying.

"Hey Sanis...to what do I owe the pleasure of your voice?" Carré asked with a smile and a shake of her head.

[Sanis Prent]

"How about dinner at my place?"

My smile crept up again.

[Carré Inirial]

On one hand, Carré was positive this wasn't going to end well.

On the other hand, its not like she had anything else planned...and when he wasn't pissing her off, he wasn't all that bad.

"That sounds great, actually. What time?" she asked, the hint of a smile curling her lips.

[Sanis Prent]

"How's an hour? That enough time to get out of your creamsicles and into civilian wear?

Meet me at the hangar on Valiant. I'll bring the shuttle & pick you up."

Picking her up and everything, like a real, sane date. I had a calculated guess that it had been a very long time since she'd had that sort of thing cross her way. Or anybody in this convoy.

[Carré Inirial]

"Plenty of time. See you in an hour."

Carré flicked the comm off as he set it aside, blowing a loose curl from her cheek as she whacked her head against the wall behind her.

What in the frell was she thinking?

Shaking her head at herself, she rose from the floor to get ready, showering quickly as she kept one eye on the chrono. Within a half hour, she was clean and fussing with her chestnut curls, leaving them to tumble across her shoulders. A delicate gray knit sweater (http://i47.tinypic.com/vgo0u8.jpg), navy blue leather pants and low-heeled boots were pulled on, and a dark blue leather jacket draped across her arm.

By the time the rest of the hour had passed, she'd made her down to the massive hangar and succesfully avoided running into any of her other squadron-mates. Especially Joker and Flipper...or hell, even her wingman. The lot of them would never let her live it down.

[Sanis Prent]

True to form, I eased the Black Cat through the atmospheric barrier in the Valiant's hangar deck. The little two-seater's retro thusters hissed in short bursts as the repulsors engaged, softly sinking the craft onto three landing struts that unfolded below it. The rear hatchback opened, and I stepped out, wearing a no-collar white shirt, grey blazer, and slacks to match. It was about the nicest clean outfit I had in the closet, reserved only for special occasions when I needed to do more than just bum around.

[Carré Inirial]

She strode across the deck as the shuttle landed, an unrehearsed smile curling her glossy lips.

"I'm impressed, Sanis...you look good. Not at all what I was expecting."

Carré tilted her head as she appraised him, the knot of tension in the pit of her stomach lingering stubbornly.

[Sanis Prent]

"Not everything I wear has engine grease on it."

I smiled, checking her up and down too. A lot hotter without the creamsicles, for sure.

"So you do have curves under that jumpsuit then? Very nice."

[Carré Inirial]

Dipping her head a bit, she smiled at the compliment even as her cheeks warmed a bit from it.

"Thanks...didn't think you'd mind if I showed off a little."

Her smiled turned impish as his glance lingered, and her emerald gaze lifted to take in the compact shuttle.

[Sanis Prent]

"Well, how about we make the trip on over?"

I led her to the shuttle's skids, standing aside to let her in first, and to watch her go, so to speak.

[Carré Inirial]

"Thank you..." Carré replied with a smile as he gestured for her to go first.

She cast a quick glance over her shoulder at the hangar door before turning her head back and climbing into the small craft.

Tucking her jacket behind the second seat, she leaned forward to glance across the control panel before taking sitting down. Slender fingers tugged the crash webbing across her lap without fastening it, eyes coursing over the various controls one more time.

[Sanis Prent]

I hopped in, and we quickly pulled up the struts, easing out on a quick run back to Layla.

"So I know aside from this pilot racket, you like to draw too. What else does a girl like you do for fun?"

[Carré Inirial]

Emerald eyes flitted across the viewport before settling on Sanis and the controls he was manipulating. So much so that she almost didn't hear his question.

"Fun? I..." Carré blinked as her voice trailed off for a moment, and her thoughts tried to wind themselves into some semblance of coherency. "...love going to concerts and out to clubs. Drawing and painting are always fun if I have someone to sit for me."

[Sanis Prent]

"Concerts and clubs, huh?"

I made a pained face.

"You picked probably the worst tour in the galaxy for that sort of thing, didn't you?

Casting her an empathetic expression, I banked softly toward final approach to Layla. The yellow running lights at the bay door blinked inward in unison, beckoning us in.

"Shame too. Metalorn is, what, a parsec or two away? Good excuse for a leave furlough if we could get one."

[Carré Inirial]

"I didn't consider the social ramifications of joining the Rebellion...I defected in the middle of an ambush over Telos." She grinned and replied, leaning forward as the Layla's running lights blinked in welcome.

"Wait...really? We're that close? I...oh who am I kidding. A month ago I was a damn Imperial...I'll never get leave." she muttered, staring past the Layla to the open space beyond it.

[Sanis Prent]

I half laughed at that.

"It's almost like we're in a real military, huh?"

I still hadn't quite come to grips with the new life I'd chosen, so a little chafing at the norms it demanded was inevitable.

The Black Cat pulled in slowly, gliding to a halt in the bay as holding claws slid onto the frame itself, extra hold over the craft to prevent jostling in the small freighter. The hatch came down, atmosphere regulated, and the light in the bay flashed green, signalling neutral atmo and pressure.

[Carré Inirial]

Carré couldn't suppress the giggle that emerged even as she bit her lip to contain it. Shaking her head, she watched, fascinated as the Black Cat landed smoothly - as if in slow motion - and was secured. Fingers unfastened her webbing and reached for her jacket as the light finally turned green, signalling safe atmosphere and pressure in the bay.

"Just be glad its not anal-retentive and uber-structured like the Imperial military is. I'd have lost my captaincy for breaking protocol and leaving the ship without permission, nevermind without telling anyone where I was going." she replied as she stood, smiling still. One person did know for certain where she was, but Yoree owed her big-time since she'd covered for him last week.

Not that she assumed they weren't seen...she'd be disappointed if the squadron didn't rib her for it tomorrow.

[Sanis Prent]

"Well, if this was the Empire, I doubt I'd have to worry about sticking around long enough to find out. Not my style."

An easy smile as I hopped out onto the rear skid to ease her out of the shuttlecraft.

"It's crazy enough that I'm even in this outfit to begin with."

[Carré Inirial]

"You should do it more often though...I'd be less inclined to hit you if you went around looking that damn good all the time."

Carré grinned and accepted his assistance to hop out of the shuttle, thankful for it when the low heel of her boot got stuck and nearly sent her toppling over. It elicited a more sheepish expression and an exasperated sigh.

"Ok...tell -anyone- that I'm distinctly not graceful at all times, and I will have to kill you in your sleep."

[Sanis Prent]

Ah, a play on words. She thought I meant the cut of my garb. I smiled, letting her assume I was that modest.

"Heh, it's more or less understood here. Flying Corellian isn't as ergonomic as the luxury liner across the way."

Making sure she was alright, we continued through the hangar and into the residential deck, heading for the forward ladder well that would carry us to the bridge and the galley. Now inside the main compartment of the ship, the smells from the galley hit us immediately.

"Still, you grow up on the VRT, and it's a castle. I've been to a lot of places, and have the luxury of never really having to leave home."

[Carré Inirial]

"I've always wondered what its like...to not have to answer to anyone on a daily basis and have nearly every single minute of your life mapped out without your own input."

Carré tried not to walk too slowly as she took in the details of the ship as they passed. She'd never seen this particular make of light freighter before, and made a mental note to ask for a tour later if it wasn't offered.

"If you don't mind my asking, Sanis...where are you actually...from...ohh that smells really, really good..."

[Sanis Prent]

"VRT, uh..."

I always just used the slang for the place, so I had to shift gears.

"...Nar Shadaa. Vertical City. It's Hutt Space, not the best place to come up from, but that's my story."

I led her up to the ladder well, stepping to the side to let her up first.

[Carré Inirial]

"Never heard it called that...I'll have to remember it."

Carré nodded and stared up the ladder well for a brief moment, before casting her emerald glance at Sanis. A smile curled her lips as she draped her jacket over her shoulder and began to ascend.

"What was it like?"

[Sanis Prent]

"Not a place you'd want to go. Poor, filthy, crime-infested. The first chance I got, I stole whatever I could to fly me away from there and I left."

I leaned against the ladder well, watching her ascend from behind. Nice.

"I'll say one thing for the place. You learn real quick either how to survive or you don't."

[Carré Inirial]

"I'd say that it was like Carida...but rough as that was, I doubt it even compares to Nar Shadaa."

Carré stepped over the last rung and then leaned over, peering down at Sanis. She draped her hands over the low railing and arched a brow.

"Care to join me, or should I come back down and go up the ladder again so you can get a better look?" she grinned, setting her jacket down to the side.

[Sanis Prent]

"Hey, chivalry has its benefits."

I winked, and climbed on after her.

"Carida was rough, you say? I always had it pegged as one of those trust fund planets."

[Carré Inirial]

Carré winked back, feeling a bit emboldened as she waited for him to ascend. Thinking a moment as he spoke, she paused to gather her thoughts before replying.

"Well, there were definite social strata built in and around the Academy. I mean, I had money, my family had influence and prestige, my father was an Imperial Naval Admiral, and four out of my six brothers had gone through officer training there. I had the bad taste to be a girl, and a better pilot than most of the men and the few women that were there. There were people who didn't take kindly to that, to put it mildly, and others with chips on their shoulders and something to prove."

[Sanis Prent]

"Ah, so you're vested, huh."

I thought about is as I climbed the ladder, finally reaching the top.

"So, from all that to the Rebellion, huh? How'd that switch go?"

[Carré Inirial]

"Well, it was a little rough at first. Never been in stun-cuffs before then...not that I can blame them. I mean, you see a single TIE Interceptor come out of hyperspace in the middle of a Rebel supply convoy, you're going to be suspicious too. They were headed to rendezvous with the fleet and brought me along. I spent...maybe a week in the brig once I got here until they could 'verify' what I'd told them. Was only two days after they let me out until I met you in the mess, and then a day later, Kel...Commander Perris inducted me into the Rogues."

Carré thought a moment then smiled as she shrugged.

"People-wise, its been interesting. Most people are being polite and just keeping a distance, there are a few who are openly hostile, and then there's the Rogues...couldn't ask for a better bunch of people. Except maybe Tera. Her, I could do without. The other big thing? I've never been around so many kinds of sentients before...its all I can do to not stare."

[Sanis Prent]

We reached the galley, and I pushed back a chair for Carré to slip into, as I took the one opposite.

"I can identify not being exactly embraced with open arms here. If that causes people static, it's their problem. They can't be beggars and choosers as far as the good guys go, so if you get beef for that, they're hypocrites in the first place."

I uncorked the Chandrilan wine in the chiller, and poured each of us a glass, as I went ahead with preparing the rest of the meal, doling it out into bowls and plates.

[Carré Inirial]

A murmured thank you passed her lips as he pulled back a chair for her, soft enough to not interrupt his train of thought. He was being, so far, very much a gentleman.

Something that a few days ago, she'd not have thought him capable of.

Carré sat and leaned back in the chair, finding a comfortable position as she crossed her legs. Fingers trailed along the stem of the wineglass, emerald eyes following Sanis as he rose to finish some few preparations.

"See, I knew if anyone was going to understand, you would. So thank you for that." she grinned, lifting her glass and taking an appreciative sniff as he brought filled dishes to the table. "This looks as good as it smells...where did you learn to cook? I can't even make stimcaf without causing an incident."

[Sanis Prent]

"Nar Shadaa only has like a dozen honest and decent things to eat, and that's one of 'em. Red Sabaa stew. No two recipes are the same but everybody's got one."

I snagged a still-warm loaf of bread from the insta-warmer, tearing it with my hands and passing it on to Carré.

"Not really a cook, just learned a few things because I had to. Never had much money, so if you can find three credits you can turn out food for a week and do okay."

Stew was still hot, so I let it relax while I chatted, sipping at the wine.

"Cirr does most of that, since he's the more domesticated of us. Cizeri isn't really for the faint hearted though."

[Carré Inirial]

Leaning over the dish in front of her, she took an appreciative sniff, her smile seemingly planted over her lips. A faint laugh escaped as she juggled the warm loaf and tore off a piece for herself before dropping it in the waiting basket.

She sat back to allow the stew to cool a bit, a tentative sip of the wine proving that it tasted as good as she'd hoped. Another sip and a happy sigh passed her lips. "I'll admit I grew up a little different than that...ok. Alot different. I'm all kinds of useless in a kitchen. Not only can I not make stimcaf, but boiling water for tea? Don't ask. I wouldn't know where to start...and the one time I tried, there was a slight malfunction because I set it too high. There was a slight eruption of water that went everywhere along with pieces of the glass part of the pot." Carré grinned over the rim of her wineglass.

"I've never seen anyone like Cirr before...where's he from? And why isn't the...cuisine for the faint of heart...do I want to know what's in it?"

[Sanis Prent]

"Oh, well I just don't put my mistakes on display. The downside is that I've only got a few successes to really show."

I smiled as I took a tentative taste of the curried meat and lentil stew. It was about as good as any of the hundred or more times I'd made it.

"That's a story of my life though. I'm not as good as I am because I don't make mistakes. I make plenty. I just usually learn from the ones I run into."

I took another drink and listened to her second question.

"Cirr's a Cizerack, from the Carshoulis Cluster. If you've ever been down the Hydian, it's midway between the Core and the Corporate Sector. I spent about half a year in the Cluster doing odd jobs for his mother. It's how I got this ship, actually.

As for the cuisine, let's just say he was raised on the live stuff."

I kept it at that. No need to get particularly visceral at the table.

"I gotta say, I'm glad you came. I didn't think I made that sort of first impression."

[Carré Inirial]

"Couple of times I was on the Hydian with escort duty it was closer to the Core, so I never got to see the Cluster. But that was before I got into my squadron and was stationed on the Borealis for three years. And she didn't patrol a single sector, she went where she was needed."

Carré replied, setting her wineglass down in favor of picking up her spoon to dip into the stew. It was spicier than anything she'd had recently in the mess hall, but that made her appreciate it all that much more. She savored a second bite before arching a brow and taking another sip of her wine.

"You're a rare breed, Sanis...you can insult as well as you can punch. I'll admit I was intrigued that day I met you in the mess hall..." She let her voice trail off as her conscience argued with her, nibbling on the warm bread between bites of stew.

Forgetting something?

I am -not- telling him that I'm hoping this will tick Kelly off.

Why not? He'd probably be amused.

Oh shut up.

[Sanis Prent]

"I was kind of hoping you were like more than a few rich girls I've met, all of which had authority issues and had way too much fun being bad."

I smiled in the midst of another sip, and tipped my glass down to talk over the rim.

"It's even better now that I know there's more to you than I figured. I still can't figure out how either you or I ended up with the rest of these jokers, though."

[Carré Inirial]

"Sorry, Sanis...my only real 'issue with authority' around these parts is probably finding out I'm not on-board from the squadron gossips right about now." Carré grinned, the expression somewhere between impish and wicked.

A few more bites of stew and bread, and she sipped at her wine, thoughfully for a moment. "If you were me, where would you have gone?"

[Sanis Prent]

"If you can fly as good as you say, there's work to be had."

I shrugged as I took another bite.

"Sometimes it pays well and sometimes it doesn't. Actually, most times it doesn't. But, it pays better than the charity work we're putting in right now."

I met her eyes and could tell that there was something keeping her here, but stopped short of admitting that I'd seen the same expression in my face in the mirror.

[Carré Inirial]

"You make an excellent point."

Carré said softly, taking a longer sip of wine and savoring it in lieu of trying to form a response. What could she say, in any case? Talk about revenge? Hardly good dinner conversation. But it didn't much matter, as she thought she saw a familiar thread lurking in his gaze. They each had their reasons - that much she was sure of.

"And for the record, of course I fly as good as I say I do. Wouldn't go bragging if I couldn't back it up." she said with a smile after several silent moments, and a good bit more stew.

[Sanis Prent]

"You see, that's a rookie mistake."

I got a twinkle to my eye as I smiled, chowing into a bit more stew as I let her think about it.

"Brag about more than you can do. Say, every three out of five things you brag on, you actually do well. You show out those three times, nobody questions the fourth or fifth that you bluff out on."

More wine, and I winked.

"Except that, of course, everything I say is legit."

[Carré Inirial]

"I shall forever be grateful for the fact that you're here to teach me these things...I don't know how I'd manage otherwise."

Carré smiled in response to his expression, draining the last of her wine before letting the soft laughter emerge. Gently shaking her head, she picked up another piece of bread, and swirled it in the stew.

"Oh of course...I'd never dream of doubting what you say."

The hint of a smile hovering around her lips likely spoiled the innocent, wide-eyed expression she wore as she spoke.

[Sanis Prent]

I smiled knowingly as I refilled both of our glasses.

"And if I told you that I've been to Ryloth, Zeltros, and Carshoulis, and haven't seen a pair of eyes nicer than yours, would I be telling the truth or lying?"

[Carré Inirial]

"I'd say that's wonderfully sweet of you, but you're lying."

Carré smiled broadly before managing to hide the expression as she sipped at her wine, her cheeks turning the slightest bit pink in spite of her words.

[Sanis Prent]

I set the bottle back where it had been.

"I'm lying, you say?"

With a smile, I held my glass aside, leaning forward a little.

"How you figure? Do I have a tell on my face?"

[Carré Inirial]

"You do, actually..."

Leaning forward, Carré sipped at her wine and smiled, reaching over to lightly touch the spot between his brows.

"...right there. Little wrinkle. Totally a tell."

[Sanis Prent]

I reached up to where she pointed, feeling for the wrinkle.

"Oh? That's a tell?"

Another smile as I leaned in a little closer.

"And what if I told you that we can't find a smile as perfect as yours in twelve parsecs?

Where's my tell now?"

[Carré Inirial]

Her cheeks warmed as she took a moment, leaning rather close.

Carré tilted her head as she gazed at him, and trailed a fingertip along the corner of his mouth, smiling.

"Right here...your smile's a little crooked...not sure if its a tell since it suits you so well."

[Sanis Prent]

I shook my head just slightly.

"Well, damn. You've called my bluff. If I'm bluffing. Guess this is where I show, huh?"

I leaned in closer, this time with my head tilting for a kiss.

[Carré Inirial]

"Oh...I guess...that's not a tell..."

Carré half-smiled as she closed the distance between them and kissed him. Fingertips lingered along his jaw as her lips lingered on his before she pulled back, cheeks flushed with a touch more warmth than they had been.

Wine lifted to her lips for another sip as she wondered, albeit distantly, if she should have done that. Unexpectedly delightful as it was.

[Sanis Prent]

Her lips still tasted of residual tartness from the wine, and I smiled as she parted for another sip, then came back for more.

"You might be a good pilot, and a damn hot one, but I wouldn't bring you to a Sabacc table."

I kissed her again.

[Carré Inirial]

She lingered, with the second kiss. Smiling into it as she savored it a bit more than she should have.

Alright. A lot more than she should have.

Pulling back slowly, a laugh escaped her lips as she impishly trailed her fingertips across Sanis' lower lip where some of her shimmering gloss had remained. Carré sat back and sipped at her wine, the smile planted on her lips.

"You would if you knew how much money I tended to lose in the average evening."

[Sanis Prent]

I cocked an eyebrow.

"That almost sounds like an invitation to take advantage of you."

Finishing my wine, I again leaned forward, conspiratorily.

"I want to show you something."

[Carré Inirial]

Letting a small laugh emerge, Carré shook her head and polished off the last of her wine.

"Of my money, yes...but of me? I'd have to say no."

Arching a brow, her smile didn't falter at all as she shifted in her chair and leaned forward. "Show me what?"

[Sanis Prent]

I pulled away from the table, bringing both glasses of wine forward to the cockpit, where I took a seat in the Captain's chair. I nudged the co-pilot's seat so that it pivoted away from Carré, and presented my lap to her as an alternative as I passed her wine glass back.

"Come on, I don't bite."

[Carré Inirial]

Carré arched a delicate brow and quirked a smile, managing to not roll her eyes at his ploy. Though just barely. The wine hadn't hit her quite hard enough to make her think that curling up in his lap was a good idea. Nor, honestly, had she had nearly enough to contemplate it any longer.

Her smile tugged into a smirk as fingers wrapped around the stem of her wine-glass. Shifting a bit, she stepped towards him as if she were going to accept his invitation, remaining silent for another moment. One foot slid back and lifted, swiveling the chair back around.

Settling into it, her smirk became a smile as she sipped her wine. "I do have a line I don't plan on crossing, Sanis, and finding out if you bite or not is a bit too close to it for my comfort."

[Sanis Prent]

What the hell was she on about? I internalized a bit, my expression not reading any of that into it.

I gave a small, incredulous laugh.

"You were curious enough to come to my ship, and I know it's not for the authentic Nar Shadaan cooking."

Leaning forward, I smiled.

"You're curious about something else."

[Carré Inirial]

"You're right."

Carré couldn't help but smile in return, taking a sip of her wine as she crossed her legs and propped an elbow on her knee. Leaning forward slightly, her chin settled in her hand as she contemplated Sanis' features for a moment.

The man really was delectable. Pity he wasn't the one she wanted.

"I'll admit to being...curious. About you. Because I do like you, oddly enough. But..."

She took another sip and a savored it for a moment before finishing her thought.

"...I'll be honest. I'm mostly here because I want to see how far I can push Kelly."

[Sanis Prent]

A smile spread on my face.

"Well I knew that. Just curious how far you wanted to push."

I didn't really care about her beef with the Rogue's XO.

"I got no problem with people being jealous. That's life. Just along to have a little fun."

[Carré Inirial]

She couldn't suppress the wince that marred her features for a brief moment, or the sigh that came before she could take another sip of wine. Tilting her head, she let her expression smooth out before she spoke.

"I'm tired of waiting for Kelly to figure things out on his own after Life Day happened. So he needs a good, solid push. Or maybe a shove. Hell, I'm tempted to hit him just to provoke a reaction that isn't glaring at me or barking orders."

[Sanis Prent]

Blah blah blah blah. She was going on and on about the guy.

I could feign interest though, even though it looked like I wouldn't be getting any action.

I killed my wine as she talked about the guy, leaning back in my seat as I let her feelings about Kelly spill. This was going to be a much harder lay than I thought.

"Don't you think you're making this harder than it has to be? Just tell him how you feel."

[Carré Inirial]

"Ahh...no. Haven't tried that. But he's not exactly speaking to me outside of squadron meetings or sim practices or anything."

She shrugged and sat back, draining the last of her wine and toying with the empty glass.

"But that's neither here nor there. And I'm almost certain you don't want to hear about this." Carré responded, arching a delicate brow as she gazed at Sanis, falling silent for a moment. A grin curled her lips as she finally continued.

"What's really going on inside that head of yours, out of curiosity?"

[Sanis Prent]

I got up to refill my glass, laughing as I did so.

"I'm not really that complicated, Carré. I'm pretty sure you already know."

I filled my glass, and brought the bottle back to the cockpit, tipping the rim of the bottle in her direction, if she needed topping off.

[Carré Inirial]

"Good point."

She grinned and held up her empty glass. A little more wine wouldn't hurt...and it was particularly good. A glance toward the label, and she made a mental note to ask about it at some point.

"You do realize that's not happening, right? At least...not tonight."

[Sanis Prent]

I shrugged.

"I'm patient. If Kelly's my competition, I have a feeling you'll make the right decision sooner or later."

Pouring the wine, I beamed with a look of self-assuredness.

[Carré Inirial]

Carré didn't bother hiding the wicked grin that crossed her features. She took a sip of the wine as she settled back into the copilot's seat once more.

"I do believe I'm going to enjoy this far more than I should...are you a betting man, Sanis?"

[Sanis Prent]

I leaned forward a little at that.

"I'm from Nar Shadaa, of course I am."

What kind of wager was she after?