Second Chances

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Corellia

"Leave hjim herre and wajit outssjide."

Taataani reclined in her plush chair as Taurrifar, one of her manservants deposited her guest unceremoniously into a seat opposite the Cizerack woman's desk. The "guest", a young human male, didn't look at all pleased to be there, but other than a line of four coin-sized bloodstains on his upper right sleeve where a large clawed hand had held him fast, he was unscathed. That, Taataani decided, was merciful. If this idiot forrda had pulled what he did on Carshoulis, there would barely be a stain on the floor to remember him by. That was never her style, and seeing as she was a long way from home, it suited her to deal with this criminal more cerebrally.

The door closed to the apartment, and the two were alone. At first, she said nothing to her guest. She reached forward to a box at her desk, retrieving a cigar and a match, and lit up, a halo of purple smoke curling up from the end as it caught. Again, she leaned back in her seat, allowing a few smoke trails to meander out of her barely-open mouth. Upon speaking, the remainder of the smoke escaped.

"Kallum."

She smirked as she looked for a response from the human as whatever alias he'd used was torn up in front of him. Upon being cheated, she made sure.

"jI've had an uneventful dajy, how about jyou? jIt gave me enough tjime to fjigurre out exactljy how much monejy jyou swjindled frrom me."

She rose from her chair, walking slowly around to him, and pressed a dataslip into his hands.

It read 185,200 cr.

Blue eyes fixed sharp as daggers on the human as she leaned in, the red hair of her wig hanging down slightly in teased ringlets as her ears switched back. She raised her cigar to her lips, drawing on it again, and turned back to sit on top of the desk itself, her legs crossing as she exhaled, and her tail rising and falling lackadaisically at her side.

"jI don't ssupposse jyou happen to have a notated chjit on jyou to coverr that amount?"

It wasn't a question, and she'd already figured she had about as much chance of recovering the money as she did surviving a space walk in the Maw Cluster.

[Kallum Romanoch]

"Yeh know de score, love," Kallum began, having shrugged off his indignant demeanour to talk business, "No refunds. An' we 'ave a deal, remember?

Although, keep dis up," he nodded at his bloodied shirt, "An' yeh may just 'ave to dig a bi' deeper, nay mean? Abduction. Assault! An' if yeh think I won' sue yer ass fer dis kinda stunt, guess again. Mind you-"

He sat upright and slowly surveyed their luxurious surroundings, and returned Taataani's smirk, "It's no' like yeh'd miss a few more K, eh? Nice place, by de way."

[Taataani Meorrrei]

His cheeky compliment at her renovated decor elicited no response but for the barest of thin-lipped smiles. She'd intimated to him on multiple times her deep personal intifada against Corellian aesthetics.

Instead, she turned to his veiled threat, her voice taking on a saccharine tone that smoothed over the taste of poison beneath it.

"Mjy darrljing Kallum, jit'ss not the monejy, jit'ss the prrjincjiple. jI earrn morre than that jin thjirrtjy mjinutess on jinterresst on mjy asssetss alone. What do jyou thjink jyou can bjilk out of me that jI'll mjisss?"

Her eyes gleamed a bit.

"And what do jyou thjink a Correlljian courrt wjill awarrd a man wjith ssjix outsstandjing warrrantss jin the ssjysstem? Hmmm?"

She exhaled a puff of smoke again, and smiled, this time revealing her sharp-tipped teeth. She had done her homework on her pet con-artist. It was embarassing to be caught unawares once, and she wasn't going to let it happen again.

"Majybe jI sshould make that call afterr all."

Rising from her seat on the desk, she walked around again to her seat, to reach the comm, and took her time about it.

"Let'ss thrrow both of uss on the merrcjy of the courrt, Kallum. jI wonderr whjich one wjill land on thejirr feet."

[Kallum Romanoch]

A hot prickling sensation crawled up his neck while under the piercing gaze of the sultry matriarch and yet his smug grin remained. Now slouched in the chair, Kallum watched her round her table, his chin cradled in a sweaty hand. Thoughts raced and words came irrespective of them.

"So yeh won' miss deh money. Fine. Burr 'av yeh thought abarr de good citizens o' Corellia an' wha' dey might think of yeh after yeh pull outta such a positive scheme. Mmh? De kindly Cizerack philanthropist turns outta be anudder rich bitch! Yeah! 'Cause... cause dat's what'll 'appen!"

He squirmed uncomfortably as she took her seat and reached for the comm switch on her desk. He laughed mirthlessly.

"Oh yeah, I gerrit! You call your people an' I'll call mine - den we'll see 'oo lands on der feet! D'yeh know 'oo I am, love? Six warrants don' mean dren where I'm from! Call de busies an' see what de 'ave teh say. I'm untouchable! I'm like de wind, baby!"

[Taataani Meorrrei]

He had a point at that. She had a reputational investment on Corellia. Not that she intended to simply pull up stakes, but philanthropy here had real corporate payoff in other avenues that she intended to pursue. She'd targeted two pharmaceutical companies on the planet that she figured were competing with her own similar businesses, and she intended to take them both at some point or another. For that, she had to build intangible capital, and philanthropy was a good a way as any beyond entering politics, which she wasn't about to do anywhere. Too much blood in the game, and for a Cizerack, that says a lot.

"jI ssupposse then jyou arre to tell me that jI have jyou all wrrong afterr all, and afterr jyourr amateurrjissh embezzlement jyou've sstjill got deep rrootss jin charrjitjy?"

She ashed her cigar, and her pink tongue pressed momentarily between her lips to wet them. She dissected Kallum with her eyes in a few impassioned seconds. It was a skill she'd nurtured for decades as a very successful businesswoman. You had to identify assets, sort them qualitatively and quantitatively, and know exactly where you stood at any time with anything. The kid's heavy Nar Shadaan accent definitely hinted at a hard knock life, but she knew Nar Shadaans, and while they all had delusions of grandeur, it was rare you found one with two chits to rub together.

As much as Taataani detested criminals, she was crime-smart. Her own family black-tail, Sasseeri, had forced her to learn the dark arts in order to keep her own house solvent. After all, you had to think like a criminal to keep a criminal at bay. It was almost a disturbing thought.

So she sat for a moment and weighed Kallum's potential qualities and faults as she smoked.

"Whjy don't we assk then." she at last said with a laugh, and punched up the CorCom frequency for the district police.

This forrda was bluffing. He wanted to pretend he had weight, and Taataani figured he was light enough to be felled by breeze, or a few words in the right direction, at least.

[Kallum Romanoch]

"No no! Wai-wai-wai-wai-wait!" he blurted in a panic, bolting upright.

Their eyes met and that was it. His mouth dry, his voice quavered with fear, and his eyes were swollen like a child, hand in cookiee jar. And that was the image of himself he'd given to Taataani, no matter how hard he'd try to bury it. Which he would, and he started quickly, by giving a practiced smile and a carefree shrug, which he'd convinced himself was a subtle, and winning, combination.

"Deh we really 'ave teh go through de official channels so soon? Surely, a businessman an' woman like you an' me... me an' you can come teh some sorta arrangement? Ay?"

[Taataani Meorrrei]

With an expression of artificial relief, Taataani slowly moved her hand away from the comm. They both knew exactly what happened. He quickly played it off cool, and she pretended to be aloof about it.

"Sso, jyou'd ljike to do bussjinesss wjith me agajin then, jyess?"

Purple smoke curled over the cleft of her upper lip as she exhaled, and rested her cigar in the crook of the ashtray on her desk. She rose from her seat again and walked around the desk to stand directly in front of her new-found partner. She crossed her arms over her chest as she looked down, and slowly brought her tail around to below the human's jawline, lifting up just so that his eyes raised up to meet hers for a change.

"Forr once, Kallum, jI'm thrrjilled. jI thjink jI can thjink of a worrkable contrract."

[Kallum Romanoch]

When he opened his mouth to speak nothing but a shallow breath passed his lips. The relief was fairly monumental and a surge of adrenaline left him feeling restless in his seat. During his various verbal regurgitations, he'd thought about excuses, escape routes, getaway vehicles, and even potential weaponry at his immediate disposal. All roads lead to hopeless, he'd discovered. It was a ruthless game of cat and mouse, in which the mouse was already cornered, but Kallum knew it better to be in Taataani's mouse trap than behind durasteel bars. And peeling his fingers from the armrests, he leaned back to look upon his new business associate at her victorious best.

"Whatcha 'ave in mind?"

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Taataani's mouth twisted into a smirk as she looked down at Kallum, the tuft of her tail still resting beneath his chin.

"Whetherr jyou jintended jit orr not, jI'm sstjill ssmjitten by the jidea of turrnjing that frrumpjy old theaterr jinto an orrphanage. jI thjink thjiss tjime jI'll fjind ssomebodjy to rrenovate jit who won't njick everrjy crredjit jI put on the prroject though."

Her tail released, swishing back behind her, but not before giving Kallum a bit of a brushing at his face.

"Sstand up."

Her hands at her hips, she once again began to run audit on the specimen in front of her.

"jI thjink jyou'rre ssomethjing of a people perrsson, no?"

[Kallum Romanoch]

When Taataani confessed her withstanding interest in the false orphanage scheme, Kallum felt a flicker of pride in his chest. He figured these rich old birds had a self-serving soft spot for community service and had pitched the idea so well that even now it lingered in her head. He stood at her command, hooking his thumbs into the waistline of his trousers and puffing out his chest. He shrugged casually.

"Yeh might say da'," he said, and turned on the spot for her, "Yeh gorra admit, I 'ave a way wi' words, like. Neider am I de kinda bloke 'oo runs away from a challenge or shys away from confrontation. I 'ave a winnin' smile!"

He stooped to eye level with the mistress, now thoroughly enjoying this oddball job interview, and gave her a long flash of white teeth. He nodded enthusiastically.

"Remember da'? Yeah, yeh do. An' dere's more where da' came from - jus' point dis face wherever yeh wan' it, an' I'll ge' yeh wharrever yeh need. Sexy old broads wi' loadsa dosh!" he blurted suddenly, poking a finger at her, "I could nab us more o' dem if yeh want, a whole army, an' money wouldn' be a problemo, jus' leave it teh me! Unless..."

His beaming face fell, he frowned in sympathy, "Unless yeh'd like our partnership teh be more... exclusive!"

A quick wink.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Taataani was inwardly tickled at the ludicrous amount of chutzpah and self-confidence he was fronting in her direction. He would, she figured, defenestrate himself and pancake thirty stories below if she hinted at it. She wasn't so cruel. Simply, less cruel.

She reached forward and cradled his face with a hand, thumb down one jawline, two fingers down the other, as if she were inspecting a melon at a market. Claws gently extended, not to break skin but to hint in no uncertain terms that if she wanted for him to tilt a certain way for her to get a look at his award-winning smile he should tilt in that direction.

"Do jyou thjink jI'm a woman wjith a habjit of ssharrjing, Kallum?"

She leaned in a bit, and after a moment, reached up with her other hand and found the object of her concern, an eyebrow hair that seemed to reside a bit too close to the middle divide for her liking. With a thumb and forefinger, she swiftly removed the offending follicle.

She stepped back a bit, blowing the hair off a fingertip with mild disdain.

"Anotherr thjing, don't sslouch darrljing. jIt doessn't ssujit jyou. jI want jyou to look jyourr besst, and frrankljy, jI don't need to sstand above jyou to know wherre jI sstand."

Her eyes looked to his again and she placed her hands at her hips.

"Clearr?"

[Kallum Romanoch]

"Why didn' yeh take de 'ole eyebrow off wirri'?" he muttered with mild offense, gingerly rubbing the assaulted portion of skin. He could feel it glowing. And, now wounded, added, "An' are yeh sayin' I don' look me best? I take a lorra pride in me appearance, love. Deese clodes don' pick demselves!"

And just as quickly, his mood switched again, this time he was frozen in thought - stunned almost, at the possibility of what Taataani's words might imply. He couldn't hide it, his greed was betrayed in his twinkling eyes and in the curve of his lips.

"Den again," he began, slowly, "A woman such as yerself - regal, sexy, powerful - would wanna partner 'oo suited de bill. A man in a suit. A well-tailored, expensive suit. And a pair o' smart shoes, too. Yeah! I can roll wi' da! Any udder body 'air yeh wanna see removed?"

His words quickly became enthusiastic again and he inwardly asked himself why he hadn't thought of doing this sooner in his muck-swabbing life.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Taa pulled at one of her ears as she thought it over, and off-handedly began thumbing a value onto a datachit. Two thousand credits. No, 2500. She held it up to Kallum so he could see the value.

"jI'm forrgjivjing thjiss much off jyourr debt to me asss a kjindnesss. Conssjiderr jit overrhead. jYourr fjirrsst tesst of fjisscal rressponssjibjiljitjy jiss to rreturrn tonjight, fasshjionable to mjy ljike, and..."

She pushed the chit into his hand forcefully and clamped hers over his as a little mirth escaped her expression.

"...jI'd ljike to ssee ssome of that monejy back."

Separating, she smiled with a bit of self satisfaction and canted her head back.

"Take Taurrifar wjith jyou. He drresssess all mjy men, and hass good tasste. Oh and hajirrcut and a facjial - mandatorrjy. No quesstjionss."

She paused, a wrinkle forming on her brow as she crossed her arms.

"And...what otherr hajirr?"

[Kallum Romanoch]

"I'm tellin' yeh, yeh can shave me aarse an' polish it fer dis kinda money!"

After oogling the datachit a few inches from his nose, Kallum slotted it into a pocket on the inside of his jacket and gave it a light tapping. His smile faded when he saw Taataani frowning in contemplation of his last remark and he retreated rapidly towards the door, folding with an ingenuine bow.

"An' I've taken up far too much o' yerr important time already. Next time yeh see me - whoof! - prepare teh be dazzled!"

[Taataani Meorrrei]

She tilted her head downward in a conciliatory nod and stepped forward to catch her new employee by the sleeve of his jacket before he could too quickly excuse himself.

"jI have a djinnerr appojintment tonjight, and jI wjill be jindjisspossed afterr 20.00. Be back no laterr than 19.30, jI want a good look at what jI'm bujyjing."

Satisfied that he'd been properly briefed, Taataani opened the door to the waiting Taurrifar, who for his part seemed curious to see the human wasn't mildly pummeled for his indiscretions.

"Taurrifarr, jit would be loveljy jif jyou werre to help mjy frrjiend Kallum fjind a warrdrrobe and look prressentable."

Taa relinquished her hold on his sleeve, and gave Kallum a slight prod at his chest, easing him toward her manservant.

"jI want hjim to look asss good asss jyou, and he'ss expected to rreturrn wjith ssome of the monejy back."

Taurrifar looked at Kallum, back at Taataani, and opened his mouth as if he had a word of protest about this plan. The very notion of backtalk evaporated into thin air with nothing but a look from his mistress. He straightened a bit, offered a polite smile, and nodded.

"Forr jyou, anjythjing. He'll be anjythjing jyou want."

Taataani, pleased, eased forward, and with an authoritative tug at the collar of his shirt, planted a kiss onto her mate's appreciative lips. She separated, and shrugged with a flippant air.

"jI have no doubtss at all, jyou'rre wonderrful. Go now, jI have too much to do, and jI thjink jyou'll have morre than jyourr fajirr ssharre of tjime taken up wjith bodjy wax."

She looked at Kallum to see if he disagreed.

[Kallum Romanoch]

"If dat's 'ow yeh like yer men," Kallum began, all smiles, he gave Taurrifar an amused sideways glance, "You gorri', love!"

And with a cheeky wink, he departed with a spring in his step and Taurrifar in tow. Outside the building a luxury speeder was waiting; it had a smooth silver sheen and black windows, much like the speeders in popular spy holos, Kallum fancied, and he took a moment to straighten his jacket and adjust his collar before slipping inside. Conversation with Taurrifar was sparse for the duration of the journey, sparse in that Kallum did all of the talking while the hulking manservant simply surveyed him from behind a smart pair of shades.

"An' a pair o' shades, too..." he said, adding to his already extensive wish list. A quick glance through the window as the speeder slowed.

"Dis isn' de place!" he protested as the door opened, "Bromin an' Huxley, de esteemed tailors from... wherever der from! Warris dis?"

"Corrrossstarrr Haven, Executjive Ssspa," answered Taurrifar, prompting him out of the vehicle with a tug, "Bessst jin town forrr hajirrrcutsss and facjial trrreatmentsss."

"'Ang on a mini', 'ow d'yer even know abarr dat?"

There was a note of despair in Kallum's voice as he was lead up the pristine steps to the spa and as a leggy businesswoman appeared from within, they were greeted by a host of flowery fragrances and the hot stench of shampoo. He dragged his feet over the threshold, and as a throng of beauticians started to orbit him, he had a sinking feeling that he was less influencial businessman and more prize poodle in Taataani's vast menagerie. He grumbled.

"I 'ave a bad feelin' abarr dis..."

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Hours later


Dozens of errands done, and with enough time to change clothes, Taataani now sat at her desk again, tending to a drink as she hosted company to discuss her plans with Corellia. Attending were about a half dozen board members of her company, having traveled from Carshoulis to attend the meeting. The good news was that two of them were her daughters. Keeping a portion of the business in the family helped to insulate her from any unexpected turns, and that sort of dynastic nepotism was more or less a common Cizerack tendancy.

Also in attendance was Felrek Tennh, the Imperial Economic Adjuctant to the Sector Moff, who was here to ensure that if Taataani intended to make waves on Corellia, she had enough water to spare for him to dip his beak into, so to speak. She played her role with polite aloofness and disarming humor, but inwardly she bristled. It wasn't an uncommon Cizerack sentiment to loathe the presence of Imperial hands that always seemed to be in the cookie jar no matter where you moved it. To top it off, he was as dull and boring as every other Imperial bribe-taker she'd had to deal with. They truly were all dreadful.

Randil Hyess, on the other hand, was charming. The native-born Corellian owner of Hyesscorp, he was the chairman of one of the two companies she intended to dominate in her bid to splash the Corellian market. She knew it, he knew it, and the whole room pretty much knew it. That was what the meeting was about, even though it was never once uttered. They talked about Corellian weather, mutual cooperation through charity, and other chit chat that made for good sound bytes. Hyess was present because he wanted to latch onto Taataani's philanthropic venture, in an attempt to mitigate the reputational offensive she was on. She put up no resistance at all, in part because she was content to leverage the arrangement against Coronetica, the second business under her paws. Hyess was, it seemed, intent on going along with this, Coronetica had a smaller market share and at least initially, he perceived the felinoid as an unknown quantity. It wasn't yet apparent how well she could play the Corellian game.

Taataani sipped her drink, listening to Hyess describe his years of service to the Republic as a chief officer of their combat medical corps during the Clone Wars. He was younger than she was, but not by much, and though his hair had long-since turned silver, he seemed to be a man who kept himself in shape, and while he regaled her with stories, she considered the notion of making him personally a conquest, rather than stopping with his company.

A silent comm alarm buzzed on her wristband, and Taataani gently excused herself from the company of her guests. She had more company. Taurrifar should be bringing young Kallum back from his corporate-sponsored preening. She wanted to make sure she got her money's worth.

[Kallum Romanoch]

The lobby was alive with the quiet bustle of the early evening's comings and goings. The clicking of expensive shoes on polished marble, the light swish of velvet and silk, and the hushed tones of conversation punctuated by trills of silvery laughter; it was the sound of the perfect rich waltzing into the night. And Kallum watched alongside Taurrifar, an icy silence hung between them, while he caught glances from people as they passed. There was not a single look of disdain nor a quickly averted gaze, instead the men nodded in silent greeting and the women wore thin smiles - there was even a young lady, walking arm-in-arm with her father who dared to stare, so he stared, and she gave him a warm white smile, and he, playing it cool, offered a gentlemenly nod as she passed, then yanked the clinging underwear from his arse.

"Where is she?" he muttered irritably.

Breaking formation with Taurrifar, he strolled, no, uncomfortably hobbled the length of the lobby to a tall mirror. He wore a grey suit which fit so well it was almost pleasurable to the skin, almost because the rest of his body tingled and burned from the extensive treatments he'd recieved several hours previous at the spa. There had been broad women with wampa hands, their probing fingers kneaded and rubbed and plucked his flesh with every manner of loathsome cosmetic product, working his body like dough, moulding him in Taurrifar's image. He wondered if his taciturn guide enjoyed the torture he inflicted and cast him a single scathing glance before returning to his reflection. A white shirt and silver tie complemented his suit and he shuffled happily from foot to foot, taking pleasure in the gleam of his immaculate new shoes.

And then a frown, as fingers, his smooth fingers, fumbled gingerly at his newly-cropped hair; it was short with enough length on top to be coaxed to one side with a little soft wax. For the first time in a long time he felt the air brush his ears and neck and it was odd. He was not himself; although he looked good and smelled good, he felt naked and exposed. Was that part of Taataani's plan? He steeled himself with a deep breath and turned at the sound of a large door opening at the end of the hall.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"Well, well, well..."

Taa instantly took in Kallum's considerably more-impressive visage as she left her office. Another manservant closed the door behind her, melting into the background along with Taurrifar. The clack-clack of Madam Meorrrei's shoes was just about the only sound as she approached him. Her ears swiveled forward as she reached to the hem of his jacket, feeling the material. She raised his arms out, watching the cut of the garment move with him, and she walked behind to get a look from the rear. A finger ran from the base of his neck along his now well-defined hairline, along the side, and to the back of his ear, as she even checked behind those to see if he was immaculate. To her pleasure, he was.

"A djiamond jin the rrough, darrljing."

She leaned forward to purr in his ear momentarily before retreating back the way she came so that she was again in front of him. Again, her hand was out at his chin and jawline, tilting his head gently for inspection. The slightly-upturned corners of her mouth signaled her approval of the cosmetic work done under Taurrifar's advice.

"Good enough forr me."

Reaching down, she found Kallum's tie, and used it to gently but insistently pull him closer to her.

"And the monejy back?"

She was certain Taurrifar had ensured the human's fiscal responsibility, but she wanted to hear it from her new project's own mouth.

[Kallum Romanoch]

The seconds dragged like minutes as the mistress inspected him. His jaw clenched at her touch and her words poured over him like sand, soft and suffocating. He had not yet found his voice and allowed her to proceed, admiring the damage her faithful manservant had inflicted upon him. How quick he had been to take her money and at what cost? The cosmetic changes were simply there to disguise the real alterations; the snappy suit and leather shoes weren't symbolic of status, but ownership. Kallum loved money, but in sacrificing a piece of his dignity he'd learnt more than mere fiscal responsibility, he'd discovered he liked himself a bit more. And in taking a piece back, he looked up from her hand and smirked.

"Why, it's arready in yer purse, love!"

And true to his word, tucked away safely in the bottom of her sealed purse was the same datachit with which she'd bought him earlier. He elaborated happily.

"Think of i' as reverse pick-pocketin'. Yeh'll find six hundred credits still on dere," he smiled and slipping his tie from her slackened grasp, rose upright, plunging manicured hands deep into his pockets, "I admi', dere was a parrt a' me da' fancied a pair o' nifty shades like yer man, Taurrifar, over dere bu' wha' can I say? In de end, I felt a bi' cheap!"

[Taataani Meorrrei]

The pretense of her smile evaporated and her nostrils flared imperceptibly at Kallum's nerve. She undid her purse without looking at him, fishing to the bottom to find that he was true to his word. She only broke eye contact to check the value, and slipped the chit back to her purse without another word.

"jI would rratherr prreferr to ssee jyourr loveljy ejyess, and wherre thejy mjight be lookjing."

Allowing herself to disassociate from the moment of heightened irritation Kallum had foisted upon her, the Matriarch's ears eased a bit lower.

"Sso, conssjiderr thjiss one ssmall tassk done, then. Now, jI want jyou to look asss charrmjing asss jyou arre rrjight now sso jI can sshow jyou off to jimporrtant people."

She reached up and pressed a finger against his lips.

"Sseen, but not hearrd. Let me make the fjirrsst jimprresssjionss forr jyou. Sanjaarra forrbjid thejy hearr that accent of jyourrss beforre jI gjive them a narrratjive thejy can beljieve in."

Dropping her hands to her side, she looked away for a moment, her mind already moving towards other things that must be done.

"Afterr that, jI can be rrjid of that jinssufferrable jImperrjial bean counterr and Mrr. Hjyesss, and have a much overrdue djinnerr. The prroblemss wjith Correlljianss arre that thejy all worrk farr too late."

She at last realized Kallum was still around, and gave a polite smile.

"Sstajy forr djinnerr. jI'll want to talk to jyou about what jI expect of jyou."

[Kallum Romanoch]

"So lemme ge' dis straight," Kallum began, his face twisted with exaggerated curiosity, "Yeh wanna take me teh dinner, fill me up wi' some fine scran an' a bi' o' wine, an' in return all yer ask is for me teh keep me mouth shut? No small talk or borin' pleasantries? No tellin' yeh 'ow pretty yeh look or insistin' that I pay for i' all?"

He watched her, waiting for the catch, and grinned: "Best. Date. Ever! Taataani, yer de kinda girl a lad would take 'ome teh 'is mudder, an' as I don' 'ave one o' dose we can jus' keep things nice an' simple. No strings attached! Jus' don' tell Taurrifar. Shall we?"

The hyperactive motor-mouthing came to a sudden end as Kallum twisted gracefull on his heel to offer her his arm. He beamed. While he knew from some limited experience just how dull and proper executive dinners could be, nothing pleased him more to know that in some way he would have the mistress at his mercy in there. The question was just how far could he push her?

[Taataani Meorrrei]

He continued to run his mouth, and Taataani wondered if he actually could hold his tongue for a few minutes. Nevertheless, she took his earnest cooperation at face value and escorted her guest back to her office.

"Ladjiess, gentlemen, jI want to jintrroduce jyou to the man headjing mjy orrphanage prroject, Mjissterr Val Tatvan."

She purposefully used the same alias Kallum had foisted upon her in the beginning of his scam, easing him forward so that everyone in the room could get a look.

"Val hass a deep commjitment to ssocjial sserrvjice, and can't wajit to become the headmassterr of ourr beloved Correlljian orrphanss. Frrom a jyoung age on Narr Sshadaa, he'ss worrked forr jyouth outrreach prrogrramss and charrjitjiess, and he'ss mjy man forr the job becausse he carress."

Felrek Tennh looked slightly bored, the Cizerack contingent provided quiet interest, but Randil Hyess applauded stoically, rising from his seat to shake Kallum's hand.

"You're doing a good thing, son. A very good thing."

Behind Kallum, Taataani smiled self-confidently, placing a hand at his shoulder.

"jI thjink he'll make all of uss verrjy prroud."

[Kallum Romanoch]

Mister Hyess had a firm grip which shook loose any hint of confusion etched into Kallum's face. Inwardly, he reeled at Taataani's revelation but on the surface, he offered the Corellian a smile which was at once both humble and grateful. If anything, his years as a Black Sun grunt have taught him to know his place, even in pretense. He broke away from Mister Hyess to cast the mistress a corrosive glare, her smile never faltered.

Taataani masterfully steered the conversation as she saw fit, affording Kallum, and herself, the luxury of not having to use his voice. They took their seats and everything was about as stiffly genial as he had expected amongst these corporate bigwigs. All the while however, he watched and listened, carefully weighing his options and waiting for the moment to strike. His smile returned.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

The meeting went on for another half hour, and Taataani listened to Minister Tennh's proposal for austerity payments to be made. To her surprise, she managed to keep her claws sheathed the entire time of the odious speech by the Imperial, even pretending that the notion of them sharing the same air to breathe didn't make her ill. She was almost impressed at her restraint. Fortunately, the nettlesome Imperial closed by giving the government's blessing to her venture. Mr. Hyess thanked the Imperial bureaucrat, which must have been equally difficult to do, as he was essentially giving his consent to let the proverbial nexxu into the tauntaun barn.

With the matter essentially closed (she had both Imperial consent to allow her venture to move forward, as well as the reluctant support of Hyess, the group rose to adjorn the meeting.)

"Won't the two of jyou sstajy forr djinnerr? jI would enjojy the companjy."

Taataani embraced the hands of each of her human guests, applying a courteous kiss at each cheek.

Tennh, blissfully seemed to blanch at the idea.

"Madam Meorrrei, I must respectfully decline. I still have state business to attend to."

The Cizerack matron applied the correct amount of discrete disappointment to her expression.

"That jiss, ahem, a sshame. Mjy frrjiend Val hass manjy jinterresstss jin jImperrjial burreaucrracjy."

She dropped that with a barely-satisfied smirk, enough to keep the young scoundrel on his toes.

"I may have to arrange an appointment with Mr. Tatvan on the conclusion of this good works project. We always have use for those in the business of the common good."

Taataani, for her part, looked to Kallum with a modicum of relief.

"That jiss deljightful, Mjinjissterr. jI wjill enssurre he keepss jin touch. Good evenjing to jyou."

The second shoe dropped, however, when Mr. Hyess also excused himself.

"Madam Meorrrei, few things would please me more, but I have circumstances at home I must attend to. We'll have to arrange for dinner some other time."

Almost imperceptibly, her ears eased back as she canted her head upwards. What a shame.

"We wjill have to, Mrr. Hjyesss. A pleassurre nonethelesss."

The two human men extricated themselves from Taataani's sanctum, saying more brief goodbyes to the rest of the Cizerack retinue. Eventually, Taurrifar escorted the pair out of the main door, and closed it behind him.

With their guests gone, Taataani lost all pretense of her genial expression and finished her drink in a few dismissive gulps.

[Kallum Romanoch]

Slowly, surely, Kallum's attention waned over the course of the meeting. It took a couple of pointed looks from Taataani to stop him folding into his hands on the table in a drowsy heap. It was a real test of endurance and once the esteemed guests had taken their leave, Kallum felt like a dog off its leash. He gave those left in attendance a good look at his sharp new shoes by planting them on the table while he virtually disappeared into his seat with an impossible slouch.

"So," he blurted loudly, a defiant edge to his voice, "Yeh reckon yeh've found yerself a baby-sitter, eh?"

[Taataani Meorrrei]

The other attendees began to murmur in Cizeri at Kallum's nerve, but a wave of Taataani's hand quieted them. The smile back on, she carefully took a seat on the table itself, reaching to each ankle to deposit Kallum's feet back on the ground where they should be.

"jYou ssajid jit jyourrsself, jyou'rre a people perrsson."

Her eyes moved slowly from his to the familiar comm box, as her tail lazily swayed to the side.

"That jiss, sstjill the casse, jyess?"

She waited for a response from Kallum as one of her manservants approached, whispering in Cizeri that dinner arrangements had been set. She dismissed him with a small gesture and returned her attention to Kallum with an expectant look.

[Kallum Romanoch]

There was the briefest moment's hesitation after following her gaze to the comm panel. An empty threat, he thought, at least for now. And steeling himself, he rose out of his seat, dusting off his jacket in a clumsy manner which suggested he'd never before worn a suit. He cleared his throat.

"A people person I am, mam. Now, me methods mightn' be as refined as yours," he said, gesturing to Taataani, and then the two young women flanking her, "Or yours, or yours. Hello! Bu' I'm a man o' de world an' yeh can rest assured I ge' wha' I wan' from people, any people... not kids."

Here, his face contorted with distaste, and he continued:

"Yeh see, me an' sprogs jus' don' gerralong. Dey don' like me. I don' like dem. I'm jus' no' de mudderin' kind, as 'ard as i' might be teh believe, like! Personnel! Administration! Finance! Dat's wha' I'm talkin' about!"

Having circled the room, he helped himself to an unfinished glass of wine and crashed into a seat next to one of the Cizerack females, planting his feet firmly back on the table. The confidence practically bubbled from his ears as he recalled a very similar, and successful, speech made by Corvus before a room of Vigos many years ago. Of course, at the time he'd been requesting hot water for the stim smuggler's safehouse in Mos Eisley but the same principle applied. Kallum took a hearty mouthful of wine then poked a thumb at his neighbour.

"Let's face i', baby-sittin' is a bird's job. I need suttin' I can sink me teeth into, an' speakin' o' which," he glanced at the girl to his left and turned his thumb up in approval, a chesire cat grin: "Nice. Legs."

[Taataani Meorrrei]

It predictably happened fast. Raifaani had Kallum by the throat and pressed to the ground as she straddled over him. Her ears flipped fully back and she growled deep enough to rumble in the human's bones. Through the growling came a torrent of what could only be curses in Cizeri, until...

"Raifaani, na'ie feei!"

Taataani gave her voice a little steel, and her second-youngest daughter gradually ceased her growl, satisfying her ire instead by spitting on his forehead as she stood and gained her composure.

"Apologjiess, motherr. jIt jiss not mjy place."

She nodded and discretely adjusted her hair as she stepped away. The matriarch played it off and casually stooped down to offer Kallum a hand up.

"jYou sstand to make a lot of monejy dojing thjiss, Val. jI expect jyou to fjind a wajy to rrjisse to the challenge."

Helping him up, she saw to it that he was smoothed over and well composed, patting his cheek as she smiled.

"Come, let'ss burrjy ourr bad feeljingss overr djinnerr. What would jyou ljike?"

[Kallum Romanoch]

Taataani's hand was smooth against his, her grip strong as she hoisted him to his feet, and he recalled for a second the day they first met and shook hands. How different were things back then, how simple. He grimmaced as she dusted him off, half expecting the matriarch to start licking handkerchiefs, and retreated, hiding fidgeting fingers inside his pockets. Angry flecks of pink blossomed in his face, he cast glances around the room like a wary dog, only half-hearing his master's voice for the pounding in his ears. His jaw clenched and his head twisted to face Taataani.

"Oh, yeh'll find I'm norra fussy man," he managed through a half-smile, but his gaze quickly averted.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"Raifaani, go tell Taurrifar to have ssomethjing Correlljian brrought forr Val, jif jyou don't mjind."

There wasn't any room for discussion in the tone she took with her daughter, and the younger felinoid merely gave a petite nod before collecting herself and leaving.

Her attention returning to Kallum, Taataani smiled knowingly at his words as she did the expected, cleaning the human's forehead with a handkerchief a manservant brought to her waiting hand.

"jI hope that'ss trrue. Lesss fusss would be besst forr jyou. jYou'll fjind that a rrewarrdjing sstate of mjind."

Lacing her tail around Kallum's middle, she led her guests from her office to her apartment's dining area. It comprised of a circular depression in the floor surrounding a ring-shaped dais, on which plush pillows rested. At the walls of the well-furnished room were paintings, pieces of interest and various bric-a-brac, and interestingly clothes hangers. The center of the room was lit by a water-filled chandelier, in which bright-colored tropical fish swam lazily.

The Cizerack women moved to specific areas of the dais, as there was a rhyme and reason for it all. The matron sat at the head, and her favored guest (Kallum) at her right hand. The most important invitees from that point were seated at the subsequent right-most areas, until the circle was completed. As Raifaani was running an errand, the seat to Kallum's right would temporarily be vacated.

Before being seated, the women were helped by Taataani's manservant in carefully shedding their elegant dresses and garments, leaving a nude dining party. The servant at last turned to Kallum, with a polite hand extended to him to offer the same assistance.

[Kallum Romanoch]

"Woah! Woah! Woah! 'Ang on just a mini'! Wharris dis all about?" he cried out, and retreated, almost falling backwards over a pillow, "Oi, Taataani, they're all- Oh, hezmana..."

Promptly, he turned away at the sight of the naked hostess and the rest of her nude friends in a desperate attempt to afford them some dignity. The colour was returning quickly to his face. He cleared his throat and spoke out, finding a corner of the room to fixate upon.

"Erm, so any chance o' explainin' wha' de 'ell's goin' on or are we 'avin some sorta bare-arsed banquet!?"

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"Ja tali neei ai'la norressee na forrda sha'i Arr'fa Tatvan!"

One of Taataani's amused guests commented on the human's distressed unease at the prospect of a Cizerack dinner, which prompted a wave of laughter among the attendants. Even Taataani humored herself. Only the manservant didn't laugh. Instead he paused, a little unsure of what to do. He carefully tries to help Kallum with his clothes again.

"Come now, jI went thrrough all that trrouble to bujy thosse njice clothess forr jyou. The lasst thjing ejitherr of uss want jiss forr them to get sstajined."

Taataani approached the flustered human, who gawked at her privileged patrician figure as her bare feet padded towards him. She gently placed a hand on her manservant's hand, easing him back as she shook his head.

"Myaalo, no need. Mjissterr Tatvan would prreferr to take carre of that hjimsself."

She gestured to the corresponding hangers behind Kallum as she turned, padding towards the middle of the dining room.

[Kallum Romanoch]

"Yeh never 'eard of a napkin?"

Defeated, he skulked towards the rack of hangers, a feeling of plummeting in his stomach. He was skewered by the tinkling laughter of women. It seemed like from the moment he'd marked her a target he'd doomed himself inexorably to walk the long walk to humiliation.

His jacket came off. He wasn't a coward. Then his shoes. He wouldn't be beaten. His shirt was peeled off next. She wouldn't make a fool of him. Mournfully, he rubbed his bare chest. His belt was snapped off next and then, after a breath, his trousers dropped. A flourish of giggles. Perhaps she knew he wouldn't back down. Socks. Perhaps that was her game all along. Thumbs hooked gingerly into the waistband of his underwear, and there was a pause. He smirked. Well played, Taataani. A swift tug and he was as naked as the day he was born. She would see his resolve.

"Right!" he boomed, turning to face his voluptuous harem, "Whasson de menu, den? No white meat I'm afraid, ladies, although der's plenty teh go round!"

His swagger was offset by the chilly floor and became more of a waddle, although quite confidently, he crashed onto a pillow next to Taataani and gave her a wink.

"Y'alright, mam?"

[Taataani Meorrrei]

From her position at the center of the room, she treated herself to a laugh at Kallum's joke.

"Human forr djinnerr would be gauche, jI thjink. jYou'd make a betterr casse forr desserrt."

Leaving him to peel apart that double entendre, she turned her back to him as the main door opened. First, Raifaani entered. Her quick steps denoted her frustration and humiliation at having to babysit her mother's forrda guest as punishment for her hot-headedness. She carried a domed platter and placed it in front of Kallum's setting, pausing only to take in the strangeness of a human male being treated in the same manner as a Cizerack woman of quality. She cast a quick glance at Taataani and moved to her own station to be disrobed by the manservant.

Another manservant entered, leading a small Ithorian bush deer by a tether. The animal was bred domestically for exactly this purpose, but once it took a few steps in the room, it must have caught a scent of the obvious and its better instincts took over. The animal started bleating and bucking at the tether, trying to get away from the certain death it was being led to. The manservant put some back into it, and the deer scrabbled along, pulled towards the center of the room where Taataani waited. The rest of the dinner assembly kneeled on their pillows, waiting with polite aloofness.

Reaching the center of the room, the manservant pulled the deer to him, holding it by the neck until Taataani took her own hold. He retreated, and the deer, thinking it had a better chance of making a break with the smaller woman keeping hold over it, tried to buck. With an assured ease of movement, Taataani moved with the deer's own movement, turning it at the moment it tried to clear ground so that it's shoulder crashed to the ground. Her legs straddled the animal's middle and clawed hands wrenched the head to the side as she leaned forward to bite across the terrified deer's throat. The bleating cut off as if by a switch, which was replaced by occasional gurgling rasps. The deer's legs thrashed less energetically as Taataani carefully denied it both breath and blood to the brain. The eyes slowly lost focus, and it's black tongue lolled out of it's frothing mouth. The Meorrrei matron remained on top for a moment, her crimson-stained mouth remaining fixed to the killing spot as her hands felt for where a tell-tale artery would be. She pressed to feel a pulse...nothing.

Rising to her haunches, she licked the stain from her lips as a manservant slit the same artery she just checked, letting a flow of steaming red pour out and fill a bowl, which he retreated with to a station at the far side of the room to mix into some sort of apertifs.

Sucking crimson from a fingertip, Taataani returned to her spot next to Kallum and eased onto her pillows as two servants went to work with vibroknives at the center of the room, parcelling up the fresh-killed meat for expecting guests.

Remembering, she turned to Kallum and gestured to his own covered platter.

"jI'm afrrajid jI'm terrjible at knowjing what'ss besst forr Correlljian food. jYou'll have to tell me jif jI chosse correctljy forr jyou."

[Kallum Romanoch]

Kallum was not a man of culture. Never had he sat with ambassadors of far-flung worlds or broke bread with the cultural attachés of backwater tribes, keeping careful watch of his manners, obliging tradition. But he was an ex-Black Sun grunt, a proverbial nobody who'd grown up around the kind of scum and villainy who didn't mind their manners, those with vices and addictions forbidden and bizarre, aliens with mind-boggling customs and appendages, and over the course of his young years he'd certainly seen enough to not violently upchuck at the spectacle before him. Just about. He'd expected something odd, just not quite as gory, or raw. He cleared his throat as the manservants went about dissecting dinner.

"Taataani, 'ow fresh o' yeh," he managed, reaching for his dinner, "Der's nottin' abarr teh scurry off me plate like, is der?"

Tentatively, he lifted the silvery dome and was greeted by a rich sweet aroma which, despite the slaughter moments previous, had him wet at the mouth. On the broad platter sat a crowned rack of bageraset marinated in amber ariolla with steamed seasonal vegetables. He cast a gleeful glance across to Taataani and siezed his cutlery.

"Oh, yeh 'it de nail on de 'ead wi' dis one, mam!" he paused prior to eating, and after a quick survey of the room, he stooped and asked:

"Is der some sorta etty-ketty I need teh follow 'ere? Yeh don' say prayers or anythin', right?"

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Taataani paused before taking the first pickings from a platter one of the manservants was bringing about. She looked about to her colleagues, a slight expression of bewilderment on her face.

"Doess anjyone carre to assk Sanjaara to blesss the meal?"

It was a rather archaic sort of thing. She'd expect the custom from one of the cluster colonies, but her colleagues were all fairly worldy women. One did stand rather apologetically, and walk toward the manservant, laying hands on the arrayed bits of offal, and began a scripted prayer in Cizeri that the rest of the procession more or less had hard-coded into their memories. They all closed their eyes for a good ten seconds worth of traditional reverence, before the prayer was ended.

The woman separated her hands from the innards, which were then passed about. Again, it was brought to Taataani for the first pick.

"jI neverr fjigurred jyou forr a rreljigjiouss man, Val. Orr arre jyou ssjimpljy bejing poljite?"

A familiar prize caught Taataani's eye, and she reached to seize the deer's heart, taking a full bite from the organ as a ribbon of blood ran down her chin. The manservant, understanding how discretion would work with this guest, moved past Kallum onto Raifaani, who took from the sweetbreads and two fleshy ovals which needed no introduction. Glowering ahead at the human, she popped one into her mouth as the rest of the meal was passed along in kind.

"Don't worrrjy," the matron spoke as soon as she dispatched her mouthful, gesticulating casually with the heart in her hand, "jI've been to a grreat manjy Corrusscantji djinnerr eventss. jYou have nothjing of that ssorrt to frret about."

As if to illustrate her points on the libertine nature of Cizerack dinner events, she gave an audible belch.

"Now, jI thjink jyourr uneasse at the job perrhapss comess frrom a lack of experrjience. Let me asssurre jyou, afterr chjildbjirrth, the tassk of rrajissjing cubss jiss an eassjy one."

A few of the dining matrons with motherhood experience also nodded to Taataani's words to Kallum.

[Kallum Romanoch]

The current course of conversation forced a miserable groan from Kallum, and he slumped deeper into his cushions to get closer to his succulent ribs and further from the oncoming wave of maternal mush. He could practically taste the estrogen in the air as the topic of childbirth came up and vowed to have absolutely no part in this Mother's Meeting. To add to his misery it seemed Taataani had not given up on her crazy plan to turn him into a child-minder. Time for a stealthy change of topic.

"D'yeh 'ave a large family, Taataani? I don' reckon I can picture yeh wi' a legion o' cubs, no' wi' yer success an' frankly, yer figure, too."

Instinctively, he cast a wary glance in Raifaani's direction. Again, her eyes bore holes into him as she finished the second of her Ithorian deer oysters. He cleared his throat and moved on, legs crossed, casually drinking in every shapely detail congregated around him. The scenario was entirely decadent and far outside anything he'd ever experienced, it was in equal parts stimulating and intimidating. Thus was the nature of Cizerack women.

"An' yeh all 'ave more dan one fella each?"

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"jI have fjifteen cubss, all told."

Prying another bite of the deer's sanguine heart, she paused to swallow as a trickle of blood ran down her propped-up forearm.

"jYou've alrreadjy met Raifaani. Sshe'ss mjy ssecond jyoungesst."

She gestured to the position down from Raifaani, to a lithe woman in an auburn bob picking at what was probably a kidney.

"Taliaala, one of mjy mjiddle daughterrss, and to herr rrjight, Aleeha, one jyearr rremoved."

Aleeha sipped from a glass of the blood appertif that had recently been doled out, offering Kallum a cryptic smile as she set her drink down.

"Do jyou fjind that unussual?"

Aleeha asked of Kallum's query about the gregarious nature of Cizeri relations as her tail flipped lazily over her bare rump.

Another member of the dinner entourage, a woman nearer Taataani's years named Cheiyathrii paused from her own meal, wiping blood from her mouth with the back of her hand, and spoke up to help the younger Meorrrei's education.

"Aleeha-rrou, humanss tend to keep onljy one mate at a tjime frrom what jI've sseen."

Aleeha, for her part, wore her intrigue on her face. She addressed Kallum directly.

"And when jyourr mjisstrresss tjirress of jyourr companjy, sshe sstjill sstajyss? The bjickerrjing musst be terrrjible."

[Kallum Romanoch]

"Tires o' me company!?" Kallum scoffed with heavy disbelief, his voice leaping an octave, "Can yeh believe wha' yer 'earin', mam?"

His eyebrow practically leapt from his face when he turned to Taataani, and he shook his head, betrayed by a knowing grin. He snatched a small steaming potato from his plate and held it aloft between thumb and forefinger.

"See da'?" he asked to the room at large, before snatching a second and third potato, then he started juggling.

"Yeh know, ladies, there aren' many men in de galaxy brave enough teh si' in de nack before a host o' blood-speckled felinoids an' juggle potatas, lemme tell yeh!"

After a moment, he tossed one high and caught it in his mouth upon its descent, then returned the others to his plate. His attention fell upon the inquisitive Aleeha once again.

"Wharram tryin' teh say, Aleeha" he managed thickly through a mouthful, "Is... frankly, I'm a catch! No woman wourrever need anudder man once she'd 'ad a bite o' yours truly. Well, except de last one bu' she just kept tryin' teh get me killed."

He tore off a bageraset rib and gnawed it half to the bone, then he continued, waving the rib idly as he spoke:

"Jokin' aside though - oh, an' da doesn' include da crazy servant girl by de way, she really did try teh do me in; Nexu in de baths n' every'in' - bu' teh conclude yer education in 'uman relationships, Aleeha, its important teh know der's no gender considered superior amongst us. Equal rights or suttin'. Officially, at least. But unofficially, well, obviously..."

Here, he openly gestured to himself, inviting all in attendance to observe the excellent masculine specimen on display.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Taataani kept silent, inwardly tickled by Kallum's bravado toward his daughter.

"And jyourr two taless of ssurrvjival arre sstunnjing tesstamentss to monogamjy."

The servants again brought more freshly-portioned selections around the assemblage, and Aleeha picked from a few offerings for herself as she continued to speak to the human.

"And equal, jyou ssajy? Both opjinjionss carrrjyjing the ssame wejight? How sscandalouss. No wonderr sso much fjightjing."

Aleeha kept an intrigued smile on her face as she ate, thinking furtive thoughts as she listened to him speak. Taataani, finishing with the heart, took her own drink and looked down her side towards her human employee.

"Ourr rroless asss women, arre to be rressponssjible prrovjiderrss forr ourr famjiljy. We worrk harrd and learrn fasst to do well forr ourr matess and cubss. We gjive them ljivess of easse and prrjivjilege. Men, frrom mjy experrjience, arre lesss happjy and lesss at easse wjith that ssame burrden. Men who arre happjy, jin turrn, arre men who sseek to pleasse thejirr mjisstrresss and deferr to herr authorrjitjy."

[Kallum Romanoch]

"'Cause dee know no different, I reckon," Kallum contributed, sagely, "If a Cizerack male was given de same freedom as you lo', d'yeh really believe 'e'd wanna go back teh bein' a subservient second-class citizen? O' course no'!"

There was a part of Kallum which burned with contempt at the thought of the Cizerack's sexist culture, a miniscule part at that, too small to surface and spoil his mood. He grinned, toying with his food.

"Don' gemme wrong, dough, I'd enjoy bein' spoilt rotten wirra life o' privilege an' ease, meself. 'oo wouldn't? Bu', a' de end o' de day, I wanna ge' me two creds in when i' comes teh important matters like money an' 'ousin' an' kids."

An amusing thought occured to him and he looked up from his plate after snatching another rib, and asked:

"'Ave any o' yehs ever taken a non-Cizerack mate?"

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"That," the Meorrrei matron concluded, "would depend on who jyou assk. Therre'ss morre to takjing a mate than conssumatjing the rrelatjionsshjip and contrrol. jI thjink we all know too manjy women who take matess and don't ljive up to thejirr rressponssjibjiljitjiess."

Taataani sipped her drink, pausing to take an offering from one of her own manservants. She looked up to him, smiled sweetly, and gestured for him to kneel down to her level, where she then kissed him appreciatively on his forehead. With that, he rose and returned to his work.

"Werre jI everr jin ssome possjitjion to ssajy who could and who couldn't take matess, the ljisst would, sshall we ssajy, be prruned down."

She diverted her attention to her food, eviscerating a piece of deep red flesh with an eager bite.

"Not an ansswerr that would ssatjissfjy jyou, but be that asss jit majy, ourr famjiljiess sstajy togetherr. jI've sseen how jit'ss done forr manjy forrda, and jI would put the happjinesss of mjy famjiljy agajinsst anjyone elsse'ss.

But, to ansswerr jyourr ssecond quesstjion," Taa's eyes glinted mischeviously as the tuft of her tail teased at the top of Kallum's head, "that would depend on jyourr defjinjitjion of a mate. jI've found forrda to be fjickle on that. Mate, asss jin, brrjing jinto jyourr famjiljy?"

Taa's eyes panned the room, and she could see some slight unease in her colleagues expressions. Her daughters paid the question no mind.

"jIt'ss becomjing morre common, but sstjill an oddjitjy. jI fjind no trrouble jin jit. Let'ss usse jyourrsself asss an example. jYou'rre ssentjient, and therre'ss cerrtajinljy ssexual compatabjiljitjy between sspecjiess. jI would thjink long and harrd about havjing mjixed sspecjiess cubss, but jI thjink that would prrobabljy be the onljy rreal jimpedjiment."

[Kallum Romanoch]

"So, de dees, erm, cross-cultural couples 'ave a more contempory arrangement or would, say, a 'uman man keep wi' tradition an' join deh ranks of yer udder manservants?" he asked the room at large, before indulging himself in a long gulp of wine. He had first ensured it was wine. His face twisted comically and he shook his head, answering his own question.

"I carrn' see i' workin' out, meself. I mean wha' self-respectin' man could possibly grant 'is missus power over deh 'olo remote? Ha! Sorry Raifaani, it's 'opeless, we'd be doomed from deh start!"

To the younger Meorrrei, he raised his glass with a broad grin, and gave her a wink. He glanced at Taataani, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

"Me mam always said I'd break 'earts!"

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"jYou sshould assk motherr, sshe collectss them asss ssome ssorrt of hobbjy."

The petulant young Meorrrei, for emphasis, snapped a bone in half to punctuate her sentence, and sucked the marrow from one end as Taataani rebuked her mildly with a Cizeri curse.

"Fourr arre harrdljy a collectjion."

The matron replied flippantly, licking an accumulation of blood from her fingers.

"Don't let Raifaani's moodjy djisspossjitjion deterr jyou, Val. Sshe hass a tasste forr vulgarr Narr Sshaddaan humanss."

[Kallum Romanoch]

Kallum watched the exchange curiously, wearing a look of amusement as mother and daughter took underhanded swipes at each other around the dinner table. They spoke like siblings, so... catty. And his eyes widened at Taataani's last remark, he turned on Raifaani, relishing the expression on her face.

"So deh truth comes out a' last! An' wha' excellent taste yeh 'ave, Raifaani, I never doubted i' fer a second. Bu' don' be shy, reveal all abarr yer sordid exploits wi' dis fine gentleman from me 'ome town."

He turned to Taataani, and added quite conversationally: "Yeh'll find we are gentlemen, us Sons o' deh Vertical City, when i' comes teh women a' least, believe me. Dose tales o' swindlin' braggarts an' greasy manwhores are gross exaggerations an', teh tell yeh deh truth, we suffer 'cause of i'. Victims o' prejudice an' unfair stereotypin', yeh know. Deh life of a fella like yours truly is frought wi' social injustice, bu' thanks t'yeh kind 'eart, mam, I've been given a second chance. So..."

He rapped the edge of his fork gently against his glass, and in the following silence, he raised it in a kindly gesture to the matriarch and said:

"'ere's teh you, Madame Meorrrei, saviour o' deh scallywags, mudder teh deh mudderless, a purveyor o' plenty. May yer 'ouse be blessed an' yer endevours fruitful!"

A satisfied nod and he downed his wine, licked his lips, and inspecting the bottom of his glass, added:

"So... Raifaani, tell us, 'ave yeh seen many a smuggler's moon?"

[Taataani Meorrrei]

At Kallum's proclamation of a toast, the entire dinner party raised their glasses, and gave an utterance of "Ai'shaafai!" in general unison before taking a drink.

"Oh Val, jif onljy jyou knew the trruth of that."

She smiled as she looked into the rim of her glass, easing it down to look at him. Raifaani, finished with one bit of bone, set it aside for the other as she continued her exemplary toleration of the forrda's antics.

"He wass mjy fjirrsst. jI wass jyoung and jit wass tjime forr me to take a man, sso motherr arranged forr ssome of the hjirred help to let me have mjy wajy."

She shrugged as she sucked out a little marrow, a slightly smug expression on her face.

"Not to djissappojint, but he wass cerrtajinljy a Narr Sshaddaan ssterreotjype. Not that jit wass a bad thjing, jI wassn't jinterressted jin hjim forr hjiss converrssatjion."

Through her smirk, she narrowed her eyes a bit and curled her lower lip under an exposed fang.

"Narr Sshaddaanss have nothjing to losse. Therre'ss a chance thejy'll be fjickle at the drrop of a hat, but...therre'ss equal chance that no matterr how deprraved the ssuggesstjion, thejy'll do everrjythjing jyou want."

She shifted on her side to face him fully, propping her head up with a hand as she stretched both legs out, giving the human a lot to think about.

"Now, would jyou conssjiderr that to be an unfounded ssterreotjype?"

[Kallum Romanoch]

"De say stereotypes exist fer a reason so der mus' be some truth teh i'," Kallum shrugged, non-committal.

Inwardly, he fought the urge to look, ignoring the sudden fire in his belly which surged upwards resulting in a hot prickly heat on his neck. Raifaani would not have the satisfaction, and while in thought he kept his eyes locked with hers, and at last he said:

"Upon first glance, yeh can be fergiven fer thinkin' us a simple breed, but yeh'd be mistaken. It's true, der's no-one I know back 'ome 'oo 'as any'n' teh lose. If yeh 'ave money den yer either runnin' a mob or yer on deh firs' shuttle out. Livin' rough, yeh learn teh think o' deh rich as... opportunities; resources teh be exploited fer deh benefi' o' yer own pocke', like. Wedder der on deh right o' wrong side o' deh law makes no odds. Deh real trick, 'owever, deh real trick... is gettin' deh rich teh work fer you."

"Student?" asked Kallum, with a knowing smile.

"Second day. Is it obvious?" the girl behind the wash basin replied as she massaged his foaming scalp.

"Take i' as a compliment. Students pu' some love inta der work. Shame deh pay doesn' reflec' da. Dose wi' deh job slack off an' ge' deh pay an' deh praise!"

"You got that right," she sighed, leaning in close enough for him to catch the scent of coconut oil, "I'm on half the pay, work twice as long, and thrice as hard!"

"Thrice!?" Kallum repeated, agast. "Den we're gonna 'ave teh remedy dat, aren' we..."

"Ayumi."

"Ayumi," he smiled, then shuddered at the cool water suddenly running through his hair, he felt Ayumi giggle, "Yeh coulda warned me."

"I could've."

The mint treatment had been made from one of the rarest herbs on Naboo but Kallum fancied it had been made from the snows of Hoth, his head tingled that much. Once his hair was dry, Kallum peaked out from under his towel, and sought Ayumi's reflection in the mirrored-wall opposite.

"In me pocke' der's a datachit. Could yeh gerri' fer us?"

"Don't you have hands?"

"I do bu' der ever so pwetty!" he said, wiggling his freshly-manicured fingers, then glancing directly up, gave her a rogueish grin, "De yeh mind?"

Mischief tainted her youthful face, and she leaned over him, slipping a hand deep into his trouser pocket, and rummaged around. Across the room Taurrifar watched, and Kallum offered him a great exaggerated wink, prompting him to turn away from his boorish antics.

"Der's a letter in der," he confessed suddenly, and the rustling of paper confirmed it, "I need teh ask a favour."

Slowly, Ayumi retrieved the datachit and a crumpled envelope from his pocket and eyed him suspiciously, "Oh?"

"It's embarassin' teh be honest bu' it's me mudder's birthday tomorra, I forgo' teh pos' dis an I'm gonna be outta town fer de rest o' deh day. Would yeh mind mailin' i' fer me when yeh finish yer shift?"

"Why didn't you just Holo-"

"I prefer de personal touch."

"Mummy's boy. Gotcha!" she sang, rapping the envelope against her hand before pocketing it, then she lifted the datachit and smiled sweetly, "So..."

"Let's see. Yeh earn 'alf as much as de others so double yer tip, double i' again fer all dose extra shifts we talked abarr, an' let's no' forge' yeh work thrice as 'ard so take wha' yeh go' an' triple it."

She was about to politely object to his generosity but he cut her off, adding: "An' if deh big fella gives yeh any trouble jus' tell 'im I 'ave a soft spo' fer talented pretty girls."

And with a roll of the eyes she turned away, beaming as she left him. His smile was inward.


"Der are few things quite as dangerous as a Nar Shaddaan wi' money, 'cause unlike most men we learn teh play no' only teh our strengths, bu' our weaknesses, too. An' wha' we don't 'ave... becomes ours!"


Emphasising his point, he stole another rib and tore the meat from it with his teeth. He gave a soft moan of approval and dabbed sauce from his mouth.

"Yer right, Raifaani," he concluded, now enjoying the sight of her naked body, "Der are few things we won' do, an' we are a bi' depraved. Bu' look on de bright side, a' least we make interestin' company!"
Somewhere on the outskirts of Coronet, an envelope arrived at a cantina called Pueblo's Parsec, it found its way into a small gloomy cellar and fell into hands with gold-dusted fingers. It read:


Happy Birthday Mam!


Sorry I haven't written sooner. You'll be pleased to hear I've got a place of my own now. Business is picking up and you're welcome to visit. Maybe this time you can stay. Told you I'd take care of you.






Your Boy.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

The conversation waxed and waned as the dinner party moved toward conclusion. The diners moved to a pair of sonic shower privies on opposite sides of the wall to efficiently clean the mess. A few short seconds each, and the dinner party was once again spotless. As the conversations worked their way to the end and protracted goodbyes were being uttered, the manservants again dressed the women smartly. Taurrifar approached Kallum with an expectant look, but a shake of Taataani's head sent him back to assist elsewhere.

Aleeha and Raifaani whispered among themselves as they finished their drinks, watching the human take care of his own clothes by himself. Off to herself, Taataani was attended by a retinue, shrouding her ample figure with her elaborate garments. There were blissfully not an excessive number of clasps, zippers, or such, but it required a good amount of know-how to get "just right". After this was done, a servant with a plate of carefully-wrapped mints dispensed them to all parties, as the last of the deer was then left for the males. Their dinner arrangements done, the group returned to Taataani's office, where half of the retinue said their goodbyes with pecks to the cheek, and retired for the night, no doubt intending to return to Carshoulis the same evening. Leaving too were Talialla and Aleeha, the latter pausing to address Kallum.

"Sha'nee la jiha, Val Tatvan."

She gave the human the customary double-peck send-off, causing her older sister behind to raise an eyebrow.

"jI thjink jyou wjill do well herre. Don't djissappojint motherr."

[Kallum Romanoch]

"Cheers," he uttered in surprise, "I think so, too."

He watched them leave, a broad contented smile stretched across his face, and then he saw the others off with the kind of warmth one enjoys after a good meal. The atmosphere in Taataani's office was placid, the mistress herself became the object of Kallum's attention, and with a glance over his shoulder he straightened himself up and said:

"Seems yer no' de kinda woman I should be disappoint'n'. Am I tickin' all de right boxes?"

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Raifaani kissed her mother goodbye, whispering a few things before parting. She turned to leave, giving Kallum a cryptic smirk, and brushed by him to exit. As she passed, her tail struck him on his derrier with enough force to question whether it was an accident.

With Raifaani gone, Taataani reached down to her waist to un-cinch a cloth belt keeping the outer mantle of her dress on, while her other hand worked at a brooch. With a few expert motions, she dislodged her outer garment, shimmying it off her hips and shoulders as her tail flipped the clothes off to the side, leaving her with a more casual and minimalist under-dress. A manservant was quick to collect the clothes from the floor as she flopped down into her plush leather seat, taking delight in kicking her shoes off carelessly. These bounced a few times on the carpet, and were in turn collected as the Meorrrei matron lit a cigar.

"Conssjiderr jit a sself evaluatjion, Kallum. Assk jyourrsself the quesstjion. How do jyou thjink jyou arre dojing?"

She reclined slightly, easing her feet up to her desk to expose her bare toes at the human.

[Kallum Romanoch]

"Normally," he began, and stripped out of his jacket, draping it over the back of an empty chair, "I'd be de first teh congratulate meself on anudder job well done an' 'ave a long string o' hyperbole ready teh feed de old ego. Bu' let's pretend teh be serious fer a second."

He slumped into the seat, sliding into a heavy slouch, his tie came loose and he picked apart the first couple of buttons on his shirt. An index finger raised.

"First o' all, yeh got me way outta me element an' yeh know i'. Dis, all o' dis, is yer domain an' I'm abarr as comfortable in dis boredroom, aptly named as i' is, as I am in a rancor's den. Let's no' kid ourselves, dis is no prince an' de pauper personality makeover. I know me place a' a swanky dinner like da'. An' while I don' fit in, I can weather i' teh ge' wha' I want.

So, do I fit in wi' a room full o' pompous rich bigwigs? No. Am I gonna start winnin' yeh any impressive corporate takeovers? No. Am I foolin' anyone a' all? 'Course no'. I 'ate kids an 'ave absolutely no interest in charitable causes outside me own, bu' can I take i'?" he paused, then gave a disinterested shrug, "Yeh bet yer ass."

[Taataani Meorrrei]

She beamed at the sound of real honesty in her ears, even if that meant that he considered her and her kin to be pompous.

"Kallum, that'ss exactljy what jI expect. Do that, and jI thjink jyou'll fjind jyourr wajy out of ourr jinjitjial mjissunderrsstandjing sstandjing on jyourr own two feet."

Puffing on her cigar, she stretched a bit in her seat, obviously enjoying being able to relax beyond polite company.

"Forr whateverr jyourr faultss arre, jI have no doubt jyou know how to worrk harrd. jI'll help jyou wjith the detajilss asss long asss jyou keep that parrt of jit up."

With a knowing smile, she arched an eyebrow.

"Who knowss, majybe jyou'll ljike the tasste of ssuccesss and jI'll even make an honesst man out of jyou. Now, do me a favorr..."

She gestured to the corner of the room where two plush slippers sat.

"Brrjing me mjy ssljipperrss would jyou? Mjy feet arre cold."

For emphasis, she wiggled her toes a bit.

[Kallum Romanoch]

Kallum smirked and silently rose out of his chair. There was to be no refusing the matron. He collected the slippers and returned, his presence barely noticed by Taataani as she lounged blowing curls of smoke into the air, and gently cupping her soft ankle, he fitted the first of the slippers. Never before had he encountered a woman with such dominance over her environment, and in his time he had rubbed shoulders with killers and crime lords, the thought amused him but he hid it well. He couldn't deny the old bird's charm.

"If I were an 'onest man," he said, working on the second slipper, "I wouldn' be 'ere in deh firs' place. Makes yeh wonder, doesn' i', if all da' 'onesty is worth i'?"

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Kallum worked from a knee, easing her comfortable slippers on, and she smiled as each one found purchase against her heel. Toes wiggled in a thick downy embrace. There were few better things than comforts like this. If she could conduct all of her business in slippers, it would be done.

"jIf jyou werre an honesst man, Kallum, jI would have alrreadjy made ssurre jyou werre pajid well forr jit. Conssjiderr jyourr temporrarrjy djisshonesstjy...delajyjing the jinevjitable. jI know jyou'll do what'ss rrjight thjiss tjime."

There didn't need to be an or else added to it. Velvet gloves, after all.

His task at hand finished, Taa lifted both slippered feet up slightly, resting each on Kallum's shoulders so the toes rested beside his ears.

"Whjile jyou'rre down therre, Mjissterr Rromanoch, therre'ss ssomethjing elsse that needss attendjing. Would jyou be a dearr?"

Reclining in her seat a bit, the matron gave a cheeky smile as she exhaled purple smoke.

After all, Taurrifar had done a rather good job with him.

[Kallum Romanoch]

Eyes popping like champagne corks, Kallum's gaze darted to the corner of the room to find where once was stood one of Taataani's hulking husbands there was nothing more than a conspicuously empty space, and the door was now shut. Slowly, he returned his attention to the sultry matriarch, and reading the look on her face, he shrugged.

"Deh lady wants slippers," he said, then with a devilished grin prized the hem of her under-dress in his fingers. A moment's pause.

"Oh. 'ow... al fresco of yeh, mam."

And he disappeared.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

She hadn't misspoke when she'd told Kallum that Humans were more of a dessert occasion. With an unseen self-satisfied smile, she eased a bit lower in her seat, continuing with her cigar, and thumbed through a datapad full of news as she was given her nightcap.