Tango of the Titans (Competition)

[Lady DeVille]

It was a hot and humid day, the kind of day that made one wish for the dry heat of Tatooine. De’Ville had only been on the desert planet a few times, but it was preferable to this weather on her home planet of Coruscant. She did not suppress her sweat glands with the Force; doing so would only make her stand out to the populace, and that was something she did not want to do.

Wiping her hand across her damp forehead, she hailed a cab. The vehicle picked her up, merging into the flow of air traffic as De’Ville told the driver where to take her. The residence she was traveling to was in another section of Coruscant, and although she hated traveling by cab, she really didn’t want to walk. Her driver, a non-descript human male, looked back at her through the rearward mirror.

De’Ville blew cool air on her bare arms, and pulled her white tank away from her collarbones, willing cool air into existence around her. It partially worked, too, the Force slowed down the particles in the back of the repulsorcab, cooling her. A blast of cold air shot out of a vent, pimpling her skin as she glanced up at the driver. He quickly averted his eyes from her glistening body and returned his attention to the airway in front of him. She cursed under her breath, “Bloody males can’t keep it-” De’Ville didn’t finish her sentence. Too much in front of her to do to waste time on this insignificant prick.

She breathed in deeply, pulling in as much of the Force as she could safely channel, and then letting go of it. It was bittersweet, the Dark side. So much power, but so much pain and anguish at the same time. It was like the traps they used to kill snow wolves on Corellia. A hunter would carve out a basin in the ice, embedding a razor sharp blade in the bottom of it. The basin would be filled with the blood of some unfortunate animal, covering the razor from view, so that when the wolf would come to lap up the blood it would not sense the danger within. The tongue of the mammal would be stiff with cold by the time it first licked the blade, not feeling the pain as it began to lap up its own life blood. All the time drawing strength from the blood, but slowly killing itself. De’Ville shuddered, and not from the cold. She knew the Dark side was dangerous, as sweet as honey and just as sticky.

She glanced up, apparently the driver had addressed her. He repeated his query. “Seeing someone special?”

De’Ville glared at him, and he shrugged, swerving the cab into a higher lane. If Alexander could be called “special,” then rotting mynock meat was special. Granite slugs were special. She growled inwardly. He was not expecting her, but he should be. After all, it was his fault that she continued to be caught on her homeworld. She had tried twice to get her freighter out of lockdown, to no avail, and had once booked passage on a shuttle off-planet, only to have a nerve gas canister explode in the refresher right before takeoff. She would have stayed on and piloted the frelling shuttle herself if it wouldn't have alerted NR officials of her presence. De'Ville had no record in their files, and she planned on keeping it that way.

She had done Alexander's dirty work, and now he was going to pay. As only an Imperial could.

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce Tondry calmly relaxed on his sofa. Much had happened in the past few days. He'd been offplanet long enough to do something very important, and now he was back recuperating from it.

His mind was tired, but his body was bursting with energy. It was taking all his mental efforts to keep himself from flying off the handle and going berserk.

The doctor's report had been informative. Every one of his physical senses seemed turbocharged, his physical strength had increased, and his speed and reaction times were up as well. He felt no pain, but his nervous system was apparently better than ever which boosted his healing as well. His cognitive abilities were off the scale, but they were countered by his apparent lack of any emotion whatsoever.

Whatever Saurron and Soth had done to him obviously had side effects that no one really expected, and those changes begged for an explanation he didn't have to give.

In the meantime, there was one overriding task. Pierce desperately had to get a handle on these changes that had taken place. His body was just begging for action of some kind. Any kind.

Any kind at all.

[Lady DeVille]

She didn't tip the driver when she exited the cab, and she could hear him swearing at her as he drove off. Nothing he could do about it. De'Ville didn't have the extra credits to waste on him, due to a paticularly bad run of luck at the sabaac tables. High payoff, equally high losses in that game. And she refused to use the Force to alter her chances in that game. She had some honor left, after all. Or maybe I'm just -

De'Ville didn't finish her thought as she entered the coolness of the building's lobby and poked the 'lift button for the penthouse. Alexander would be surprised to see her. Unpleasantly surprised. The intercom buzzed.

"Hello?" His voice grated through the speaker to her ears.

De'Ville thought fast, having forgotten that she couldn't just take the turbolift to his apartment. "Delivery for the penthouse."

"Leave it in my box." Frell, he sounded pissed already.

She cleared her throat. "No can do boss, its too large. And I need a signature." De'Ville hoped he wouldn't insist on coming down. She didn't want to yell at him on the street.

The 'lift began descending, and the doors pinged as they opened. She stepped in, quashing the stab of nervousness that trickled up her spine.

Once in the turbolift, De'Ville checked her vibroblade. Sufficient enough to slice a throat, she mused inwardly. As soon as he guesses my intent, he'll activate those yslamiri... She frowned. Not being able to use the Force would be unfortunate, but perhaps Alexander wouldn't be too skittish. On the other hand, having an obviously ticked Sith visit your home wasn't the kind of situation that created trust. She sighed, if it came down to it he seriously outweighed her. Which was a little disconcerting. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

She looked at the ceiling, and willed the 'lift to go faster. It didn't.

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce absently got up off his sofa. He never got deliveries here, and the fact that someone would attempt to pass themselves off as a delivery agent meant something was amiss. Whoever was in the turbolift was probably either an assassin, a spy, or a criminal.

Usually, someone checked on the identity of whoever was coming up- if not him, then someone else. Right now, though, Pierce didn't care who it was. If they wanted trouble, he would oblige them.

He wandered over to the bar and poured himself a snifter of Tevechian white wine, leaving the bottle on the table, then turned to face the turbolift. He pulled a blaster from inside his jacket and flipped it to stun. Answers would be required.

The lift doors opened and Pierce's eyes widened in surprise. He kept the blaster trained on the new arrival, but the tension in his brain faded. His body did not cooperate though- it still begged to act. "Lilaena?" he asked. "I thought you left Coruscant. What the hell are you doing here?"

[Lady DeVille]

He seemed geniunely surprised to see her, which took her aback for a second. De'Ville stepped into the room, ignoring the blaster which was now pointing somewhere between her stomach and the floor, and not at her head. She still felt flushed from the heat outside and a little sweaty.

"I'm here because I can't leave! Everytime I try something happens to keep me here." She kept going before he coudl get a word in. He seemed tense, and that suited her fine. "I'm sure you know 'nothing' about it, but as far as I'm concerned you can just go to hell."

Alexander kept his mouth shut. "My freighter is still impounded, I can't afford transport off planet, and no one from TSO can come and get me." Oops, she hadn't meant to confirm she was from TSO, but that didn't really matter anymore. De'Ville decided to hit him with the big guns. "I am De'Ville, Sith knight and council member of the Sith Order, and you will get me off Coruscant."

Her white tank was sticking to her. The cool air in the penthouse felt good, really good. De'Ville stepped up to him, around the blaster, and stood nose to nose with him. "You can do it the easy way or the hard way, but you're going to do it."

[Pierce Tondry]

Without even thinking, Pierce stepped right up into Lilaena's face. Apparently, his instinctive reactions were now getting the best of him. His mind focused on the situation at hand, at absorbing every inch of Lilaena's stance.

And then, what she'd just said sank in.

He glared at her with hard eyes. "Do not ever attempt to order me around," he whispered scathingly. "I am not one of your little Corellian lackeys, Sith Knight De'Ville."

He turned and started to step away, then suddenly looked over his shoulder. "Do you actually think your little revelation surprises me?"

The surprise that rolled off her was tangible. Pierce could smell it mixed in among her sweat- a fact that slightly disturbed him, but he buried that for the moment.

"I mean really," he continued. "Who did you think you were dealing with? Who could have the kind of ability I have? The power and the resources to assault a skyhook owned by Black Sun? The authority to control an entire sector of Coruscant underneath the galactic government's nose? Someone with obvious military training, but the deductive reasoning skills of a master-sleuth and a high amount of mental control?"

Even as he said those words, Pierce regretted them. He could feel his muscles straining to attack- it was all he could do to restrain himself. What timing this blasted Sith had, that she would confront him when he had the least amount of self-control.

"You are speaking to no one less than the Vice-Director of Imperial Intelligence," he said softly. Softly, but dangerously. "My full name is Pierce Alexander Tondry, and my rank is General. And when you are in my house, you will behave or you will suffer the consequences."

[Lady DeVille]

General... Vice-Director of Imperial Intelligence? De'Ville flushed momentarily, her embarassment at being caught unawares fueling her anger. Her instincts had been right, he was Imperial; other than that she had been incredibly mistaken.

Alexand- Tondry?- ordered her to behave, and then he turned away again. She walked up behind him, her boots clicking on the floor, and grabbed his shoulder, turning him to face her again. He was taller than she, and his chin was at eye level for De'Ville. "Do not attempt to think you know everything about me."

She had a good grip on his muscular shoulder as he turned, and something in his eyes startled her more than his revelation. De'Ville had never seen Alex- Tondry, look on the brink of losing control. She snatched the blaster out of his hand with the Force, flinging it across the room where it hit Tondry's personal droid.

The droid fell over, and Tondry grabbed her arm, turning it roughly outward and exposing her tattoo.

[Pierce Tondry]

"I know what I need to know," Pierce hissed. "Lilaena Y'Vide, former stormtrooper for the Empire. Defected and presumed alive with a holo that bears a certain resemblance to you, despite being several years old and not accounting for your good looks."

Pierce could hear the droid working to right itself behind him over the sound of Lilaena's breathing- she was rather loud, although Pierce attributed that to his enhanced senses. "Yes, I pulled your stormtrooper unit's file and put two and two together. I got several good looks at your little tattoo while we were working against Black Sun, although all I ever needed was a quick glimpse."

Pierce paused, fixing Lilaena with a stare that might well have been a blaster bolt going through her forehead. "I may not know what happened to you before then, or what you did after you defected, but I know enough about you to know that you took what the Empire had to offer, and when you had taken everything you could, you left it."

"You're nothing," he growled. He could feel the adrenaline coursing through him, just waiting for something to trigger it. "Nothing more than a wretched, murdering deserter who probably makes a hobby out of seducing and killing her former comrades for sport. If my agents couldn't spring your ship before, I don't see why there's anything I can do now that would get you your ship back. More importantly, I don't see why I should make that attempt for someone who has been less than courteous in our dealings. If you want my help, De'Ville of the Sith Order, you're going to have to explain to me why you deserve anything more than what the Empire has already given you!"

[Lady DeVille]

Hot tears of rage sprang to her eyes, even as the pit of her stomach fell into a bottomless ravine. He knew... Her mind became a blur of thoughts - Stupid! I should have been more careful- Blood and ashes!

De'Ville did not take her eyes off Tondry, but she wrenched her arm away from his grasp. His hand left a red mark on her arm, and she spoke softly, yet amplified her voice through the Force so it reverberated around the room. "The girl Lilaena Y'Vide is dead! Never speak her name!"

The name brought up a repeated nightmare - De'Ville could hear a young girl's screams echoing in the back of her head. She closed her eyes firmly, as if to block out the unheard sound, and twin tears squeezed out from under her eyelids.

Just as quickly she opened her eyes, and slapped Tondry across the face with the back of her hand, rocking his head back from the force of the blow.

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce's head rocked upward at the force of the blow. It slowed, not quite approaching what would have been the apex of a maximum-power hit. His head stopped, then rotated downward to gaze at the tear-stricken face of Lilaena De'Ville.

Pierce's right hand formed a fist, and the fist swung sharply upward.

His punch connected with her gut and she doubled over, surprised and gasping. His left arm latched around her head and his right gripped the waist of her pants. Using the power he knew he had, as well as some he wasn't aware of ( Damn Sith!) he lifted Lilaena into the air until she was nearly vertical. She kicked and waved her arms around frantically, hitting Pierce several times, but he ignored that and threw her face-first to the floor.

She hit the floor with a resounding thump, and Pierce caught sight of a vibroblade in one of her hands covered with blood. He examined the side of his body where she'd hit him and found a long, shallow gash that neatly slit his casual civ shirt up the side.

Lilaena was slowly getting to her feet, and Pierce used the time to take the ruined shirt off. "It's on now, bahashi," he growled. "You want a fight? You got one."

[Lady DeVille]

Blood and ashes, but this was going to be bad. De'Ville smiled as she got to her feet, wiping the blade clean. It wasn't a good hit, but she had managed to score his skin with the vibroblade.

De'Ville easily picked up on the energy and anger rolling off Tondry, and it fed her own emotions. He ripped his shirt off, and stood ready for the attack he knew must come. With a yell she ran at him, leaping and kicking at the side of his head.

He anticipated the move, and grabbed her leg with his hand before her foot could make contact. Tondry threw her down to the floor again in a swift motion, stepping on her ankle. The bones protested under his weight, and she swept his feet out from under him with her other leg.

Tondry fell back and rolled to his feet as De'Ville got to her feet again. She threw her blade at his chest, her reflexes and muscles amplified with the Force so that the knife was just a blur as it flew through the air.

As she threw it, De'Ville grabbed a free standing lamp, tossing off the shade and ripping it apart so that she was armed with a four foot metal rod. The yslamiri trap had not been activated. Perhaps this man was more foolish than she thought.

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce could see the knife blade coming at him. His eyes tracked it, and his tired brain knew the weapon was moving faster than he could react to catch it. His hands must've had a different idea, however, because they reached up and clapped themselves together.

The blade handle was caught neatly between his fingers. Apparently his body had a much better idea what it was doing than he did.

Quietly thanking his luck, Pierce hurled the knife off to the side and it buried itself in the wall up to the hilt. "You're paying for the damages," he spat, and moved to close with De'Ville and her makeshift weapon.

" You will pay for much more than that," De'Ville replied, swinging the ruined lamp at him. He moved to block with his close hand, but De'Ville had only feinted and was now bringing the other end around in a sweeping motion to attack his head.

Pierce ducked instinctively, the rod whistling over his head by centimeters.

The rod's arc continued past and around him. De'Ville was following through with her spin, but this time Pierce was ready. He blocked the approaching end of the rod and caught it with one hand, then caught the other end as De'Ville attempted to reverse the attack. With both hands in a firm grip on the rod, Pierce dropped into a kneeling position and brought the rod down across his knee.

It snapped neatly in half.

Pierce let go and stepped back, but Lilaena was apparently giving him no quarter. Her surprise at the act of physical strength had only been momentary and she was now attacking using the broken halves of the rod like they were kendo sticks, swinging them in quick, sharp blows to attack him. She caught him twice across the chest, once across the back, and once in the stomach. As Pierce was doubled over from the last blow, Lilaena brought her legs into the fight, swinging one of them upward at his midsection in a sharp kick.

Urgh- strong! Pierce thought as his body heaved upward from the blow. He scrambled to maintain his balance by wrapping his arms around her leg. In a flash of inspiration, Pierce made use of De'Ville's limb as a center of gravity and spun around it to settle himself on the floor.

Pulled along by the force of the twist, Lilaena smashed facedown into the floor again. Pierce quickly settled himself into position over her leg to pin her to the ground, freeing his hands. He then caught hold of Lilaena's foot and twisted it sideways, trapping her in a painful anklelock.

Pierce strained to put force on the hold, "Thought I was going to be easy, did you?" he ground out. "Arrogant Sith bastitches don't take normal humans seriously, do they? Little did you know that I don't even need the rest of my tricks to take you out!"

[Lady DeVille]

There was no way an ordinary human male could have picked that vibroblade out of the air like that. It was not humanly possible. Obviously Vice-Director Tondry had been hiding more than his identity. De'Ville grunted at the strain on her ankle.

Hissing through her clenched teeth, she gathered her strength. "You said I took from the Empire, but you have no idea what they took from me!" With a violent move De'Ville used her free leg to kick Tondry in the neck.

He released his hold on her pinned foot, and grabbed for the offending limb. De'Ville initiated a pressure wave that knocked him back into the furniture, flipping him over the couch to land on the other side. The sofa tipped, and then fell on its back.

De'Ville scrambled to her feet and wished she had her lightsaber. Tondry would sing a different tune when he held his intestines in his own hands. Tondry got to his feet, cracking his neck in two swift jerks of his head. He came around the fallen furniture, murder in his eyes. De'Ville licked her lips and found them sticky with her own blood as it dripped out of her nose.

She flipped forward, standing on her hands as she clamped her legs around his thick neck. De'Ville moved so fast through the Force that Tondry hadn't a chance to counter her move. Using her momentum, she forced her body in the opposite direction, throwing Tondry over her and to the floor.

He hit hard, but was already prying at her ankles as she landed on her back. De'Ville sat up and hooked her finger in his nose as she tightened her grip with her legs. He grabbed her hand away from his face, his nose bleeding as her short nail scratched the sensitive membranes inside.

With a violent heave Tondry flipped over, and De'Ville lost her grip around his neck. She somersaulted backwards, but was not fast enough as he got a firm grip on her hair. With a screech she felt herself being dragged towards him, and the little control she had had snapped. He was about to say something as he stared down at her, pinning her head to the floor with one hand. She reached up with both hands and slammed his head down, causing his brow to split open as their heads collided. He cursed, and his blood spilled on her forehead.

De'Ville flipped her body up, some hair ripping out as she straddled his back, hands reaching for his neck. Tondry threw himself on his side, trying to catch her under his body. Her reflexes were keen, and she leaped clear, raking her nails across the back of his neck.

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce rolled forward and got to one knee, breathing calmly. He put a hand to the back of his neck and brought it to where he could see it. "You like using those nails, don't you?" he hissed.

When De'Ville spoke, her tone was smug but her face was still dangerous. "It pays for a girl to look her best."

"A pretty face won't get you anywhere with me," Pierce snarled, getting to his feet.

Lilaena lifted an hand carelessly, and Pierce was thoroughly unexpecting what happened next.

Lightning leapt through Pierce, and he could feel himself losing control. His muscles spasmed, and he fell to the ground. A second bolt hit him and coursed through his body.

"As I said," Lilaena replied quietly. "You will get me off this planet."

Pierce struggled through a third bolt to his feet and he could smell his own flesh burning. A fourth strike hit him and he shook for a moment, but stayed up. "Is that it?" he asked huskily.

Lilaena frowned angrily and clenched her hands into fists. The next moment, she was charging at him faster than he could see.

Instinct alone was what saved him. Blinded partially by his own tears, Pierce lowered his head and braced himself. The next thing he felt was Lilaena's abdomen colliding with his head.

Pierce's eyes defocused and he could feel his awareness slipping. He looked up into her eyes and he could see surprise and pain reflected in them. His right hand reached up and grasped hold of his opponent's throat. He took a long step towards the nearest wall and slammed Lilaena into it, then pressed up against her to again pin her in place. Her eyes rocked back into her head, then refocused.

"Give me five minutes and that crap you did will have healed," he coughed. "I heal a lot faster since I saw you last."

She lifted a hand to continue to attack him, but Pierce took hold of it with his free hand, then let go of her throat and pinned her other hand to the wall. Her feet dangled about a foot from the ground. Using pinning predicament to his advantage, Pierce shook Lilaena violently, knocking her head against the wall several times before stopping to catch his breath.

"Looks like we're about evenly matched," Pierce breathed heavily. "How much more do you want to take before you give up and leave me alone?"

[Lady DeVille]

The back of her head hurt from being slammed into the wall, and it was difficult to breathe with his body pinning her in place. De'Ville struggled against his hands, but just wasted her energy. Five minutes? Blood and ashes that is fast. Maybe faster than a Jedi can heal. What has happened to him?

She glared at his bloodied face, feeling his breath on her skin as he matched her stare. And then she got scared.

Her feet kicked feebly against the wall, and she renewed her efforts to free herself. Only she still wasn't doing any good, and his grip tightened on her wrists as he recovered. Her hot rage was replaced by a cold feeling of dread that curdled in the pit of her stomach.

De'Ville had felt that uncontrollable fear before, during a paticular time in her life that she tried to forget every night. Tondry's body was pressed tightly against her, holding her captive to the wall. He was Imperial. He was the enemy.

He found her to be trembling in his hands, and he falsely attributed it to anger. De'Ville shut her eyes, trying to block out the screams of a twelve year old girl that had been her. When she closed them she saw the grey Imperial uniform of the man who had assaulted her. Her eyes snapped open again, and her terror slipped away under a tide of rage.

He would pay. The Imperials would pay. And then she knew how.

He shifted his weight, keeping her arms pinned still, but she took the opportunity to lift her legs out from under him and wrapped them around his waist. De'Ville could feel his abdominal muscles tightening against the contact as she hooked her feet together. His sense was confused when she didn't try to attack, and got even more so when she stretched her neck forward and kissed him.

She was angry and unforgiving as their lips met. I will take from the Empire what they took from me! He resisted at first, but she persisted, pressing her face against his.

[Pierce Tondry]

' What the hell-?' Pierce thought. His eyes widened in surprise.

In certain circumstances, people are taken completely unawares by a particular event. The turn the situation takes is so violently opposite to the previous direction that the person most affected by it cannot adequately adapt to the changing circumstance in the amount of time given. Pierce Tondry, Imperial General and Vice-Director of the Intelligence agency, thought he had seen and been through every strange, unusual, random, violent, or bizarre thing life could throw at him.

He now knew he was wrong. In fact, surprise could not be said to adquately describe his attitude towards the situation. He had no choice but to resort to astonishment.

The astonished Imperial made the mistake of relaxing his grip on Lilaena's arms. She wriggled them out of his grasp and latched onto his neck, still locked in that single kiss.

Pierce waved his arms helplessly, then put his hands on his hips. When Lilaena refused to budge or turn from her course of action, Pierce figured he had to physically detach the Sith from himself. Not knowing exactly how to unlatch her, though, was a problem, and all Pierce succeeded in doing was waving his arms around uncertainly some more.

Lilaena shifted her position on him slightly, and Pierce suddenly found himself aroused at her touch. She shifted again, and Pierce's hands found their way up her sides. He gently caressed her shoulders, and she responded again, drawing closer to him. Her scent filled his nostrils, setting a warning off in the back of his head.

NO! This is a trick! A trap! She's trying to get you to let down your guard so she can attack you! One fatal blow and BOOM! you go out smiling and not knowing what hit you! Stop it now!

For a moment, Pierce considered that this might actually be the case. In the end, he decided he was too tired to care. ' At least I'll be going out smiling,' he thought amusedly.

And then his hands found the back of Lilaena's head and neck and he started to return her kiss.

[Lady DeVille]

His hands hesitantly found her body as De'Ville wrapped her arms around his neck. She shifted her weight a little, and was not surprised when he began to respond to her advances. Tondry had been surprised at her actions, but her touch was warming him up. Quite warm, in fact.

The fervor with which he returned her embrace made it difficult for her to keep her head. Remember what they did to you- what he did! His strong hands gripped her head and neck, but pain was not his intent this time.

As their kiss continued she began playing her fingers across the hard muscles of his back, and felt her anger slipping away as he caressed her. She briefly pulled away and looked at him: eyes lidded, face bloodied. Tondry pulled her back for another kiss, even more fevered than the first. She straightened her back and clutched at his head, running her fingers through his short hair.

De'Ville was losing her will to hurt him. And it didn't seem to matter.

[Pierce Tondry]

As Pierce continued to caress Lilaena's back, one of his hands hit the wall, bringing him back to the realization that he was still standing in his penthouse's living room. He pulled away from the current kiss long enough to speak between breaths. "Damn this is awkward," he said. "There's an actual bed in the next room. Want to use that?"

"Carry me," Lilaena ordered.

Pierce shrugged and did just that. When he reached the bed, he fell into it backwards so that Lilaena was still on top of him. The two of them resumed their previous activity, but it was as if some the break had established a barrier between them. Pierce could feel the hesitation in Lilaena's most recent kiss, and he knew that something was holding her back.

He pulled away again and caught her eye, then leaned over to her ear. "I was under the impression that if a Sith wanted something, they would take it."

Pierce leaned back around and looked into Lilaena's eyes again. The two of them gazed into each other's eyes, unaware that they were getting closer and closer to each other until their noses touched. They each tilted their head and their lips met in another kiss.

Pierce closed his eyes. He felt surrounded- completely surrounded by the touch of Lilaena's skin, the warmth of her body, the taste of her lips, and most of all, her scent which seemed to be everywhere. He took one last, lingering breath-

And then his control slipped away and he remembered nothing more.

######

The next morning, when Lilaena woke up, she found herself alone in bed. Upon examining her surroundings, she found a hastily scribbled note on a piece of flimsy laying on the nightstand beside a clock which read 0900.

Lily,

Gone to check on the holdup on your ship. Droid'll make you something to eat (he still works) and there's a shower if you want to use it. Be back about noon (1200).

Pierce

[Lady DeVille]

She woke up with her eyes closed, and took a minute to probe her surroundings with the Force. She was alone.

De'Ville opened her eyes and rolled onto her side. Reading Alexander's note she smiled. Checking on my ship? Its about time. She fell back into the bed, the flimsy still in her hand. A flush rose to her alabaster cheeks as she remembered the previous night. When it had come right down to it, her motives had not been about revenge as she had originally purposed.

Not very Sith of me. She turned her head to where he had slept, and traced her hand on the rumpled sheets. The feelings that raced within her heart were confusing. De'Ville crawled out of the bed and pulled the sheet with her. Alone or not, droids gave her the creeps sometimes.

The 'fresher had to be around somewhere... De'Ville had a sudden thought. The last time she had been in Alexan- Pierce's apartment he had had impressive security on his bedroom door. What if she was locked in? Her anger built as she approached the closed door. Frelling Imps, they take all they can get, don't they. I'm going to murder him when I get my hands on hi-

As she reached the door it slid silently open. De'Ville stood still in front of it, stopped in mid thought. Pierce's personal droid peeked around a corner. "Good morning...do you require anything?" Its hesitant tone indicated it would rather not deal with her.

She stepped out of the room. "Just a shower."

"The refresher is adjoined to the master bedroom." The droid pointed behind her. "You just stepped out of i-!"

De'Ville ignored the droid and stalked back into the room. Uppity machine. There were a thousand ways she could reprogram it to be more useful. And that was without getting creative.

Finding the 'fresher, she stood under the warm water, allowing it to run down her face. After her shower De'Ville looked at herself in the mirror. She looked different somehow. More relaxed?

She wiped at the condensation on the glass, and put on Pierce's robe. Her clothes from last night were completely ruined, what from the fight with Tondry, and then from him ripping them off-- She blushed, and headed to the kitchen. She was famished.

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce sat in Intelligence's bar, drinking a Chandrilan Duster. This particular alcoholic drink had always been one that used to knock his socks off, but today it didn't seem to have the extra kick needed to get him drunk.

Since he didn't want to be drunk, that was beneficial. Still, his new physiology apparently required getting used to.

Physically, he was tired, which was a surprise after yesterday's hyperactive tendencies. His night with Lilaena had tired him out. That woman must have enough passion locked up inside her to satisfy a platoon of troops.

A slight grin crossed his face- did that mean that he, Pierce, was worth a platoon of normal soldiers? Be it on the field, or in the sack, he had always been adept with his weapons.

The grin faded, not because Pierce had thought of something unpleasant, but simply because he did not feel mirthful any longer. His emotions seemed to be muting themselves of their own volition.

Another side-effect of that damn ritual of Saurron and Soth's...

"Got something on your situation, boss," Lucious Vadgrin announced from behind the bar. His face lifted upward from the surreptitiously placed message screen and he spread his arms and leaned towards Pierce.

"Let's hear it," Pierce took another swallow of the Duster.

"Seems NarSec is doing an upgrade and overhaul of the computer systems, effective as of last week. We planted all the right messages, and they're still in the system, but they're not going anywhere because the mainframe they're in isn't connected to anything else. Estimated time to reconnection is four days from now."

So it was just a logistical delay. "That's good," Pierce nodded. "Means that Lily's ship will be free in a few days."

Vadgrin nodded and grinned. "She actually persuaded you to help her out after what you know about her TSO connections?"

"She was pretty damn convincing, I'll give her that," Pierce said. He tossed back the rest of the Duster, then set the mug down and tried in vain to recall what had happened last night.

Lucious observed his commander's silence for a moment. "Do you like her, boss?"

Do I like her? Do I like anything...? If I say yes, what does that mean? "I don't know how I feel," Pierce replied. "It's not like I've been feeling a lot lately, but one thing is for sure: when I think about her, I do feel. Don't know whether that's good or bad."

The Vice-Director of Intelligence stood up. "I'm gonna stop by her ship and grab some clothes changes for her, then head back to my place and see if I can't persuade her to be patient and stay here for a few days. Keep me posted, Vadgrin."

"Always, boss," Lucious gave a short hand-wave, and Pierce left the bar.

[Lady DeVille]

De'Ville paced the floor. The droid watched her from a corner, servos purring as it's optical sensors tracked her movements. It was bloody annoying.

She had already patched herself up as well as she could with a med pac the droid had provided. Her bruises were already fading, which was good, since she was covered with them. And, the master bedroom was not the room she had thought it was. There was another bedroom which was locked off from the rest of the penthouse. She had considered breaking in, but decided not to. De'Ville slumped onto the sofa and flipped on the holonet.

There was nothing on. Just a soap opera involving two Twi-leks and a Rodian mistress' illegitemate child. She turned it off. It was well known that Rodians and their sucker fingertips were - well, good. At least, that was what she had heard. De'Ville pulled her legs up underneath her on the couch, and the droid walked into another room.

She laid her head on the arm of the sofa. When is he coming back? Bloody ashes but he takes his time at everything. A flush rose in her cheeks again. Yes, yes he does. She closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce stepped off the turbolift, a large suitcase slung over his shoulder. He entered his home and looked around.

Lilaena was curled up and asleep on his couch.

Pierce stood there silently for a few minutes, watching her. Her short hair draped slightly over her head, and she was wearing one of his bathrobes. She was breathing slowly- her shoulders moved up and down in a gentle rhythm.

The turbolift behind him closed, and Pierce returned to his senses. He set the suitcase down by the sofa and tentatively put a hand on Lilaena's shoulder.

The worldview blurred and suddenly, Pierce was on the floor by the sofa, with Lilaena gripping onto his arm. Awfully strong, isn't she? "Oh- it's you," she said.

"Yeah, me," Pierce growled. "Who else could it have been?"

Lilaena let go and wrapped her arms around herself. "It could have been anyone. Breaking in isn't an uncommon thing, you know."

"If you believe people could break into the residence of the Vice-Director of Imperial Intelligence without being noticed, think again." Pierce stood up. "Anyway- I broke into your ship and brought you a suitcase. I- figured you might need some clothes."

Lilaena smiled at the evasive tone in his voice, and her cheeks flushed slightly. "Yes, I do."

"Your ship'll be locked up for another couple of days," Pierce said. "The Republic's upgrading their computer system, and things are on hold."

Lilaena frowned. "If you'd like," Pierce continued cautiously. "You could stay here for a few days as my guest. Just until your ship is free."

"It would be nice to have somewhere to stay," Lilaena's eyes flashed dangerously. She probably consider him at fault for her predicament somehow.

"And maybe we could go out to dinner," Pierce suddenly went on. "I know- a very nice place. Capital district, section 20. I have a standing reservation there. My treat. What do you say?"

[Lady DeVille]

De'Ville nodded slowly, and drew the robe around her as she stood. "Dinner would be nice." To be honest, when she had lived on Coruscant, she had never been anywhere nicer than the average tapcaf.

She stood, holding the robe together with her left hand as she took the suitcase from Pierce. "I hope you managed to bring something decent from the ship." De'Ville popped the case open and nodded slowly, drawing out a long, dark purple satin dress. She had forgotten packing it, but it was hers.

"What time are we to go?" Her stomach growled, and she flushed a little. Her emotions were out of control, and she found it hard to concentrate. He was standing so close -De'Ville calmed her body with a breathing exercize, and tried to keep her hands from shaking. Indeed, she was acting as strange as if she were a mere human. She filled herself with the Force to give her power over herself, and brushed past Tondry to the bedroom.

The door didn't close, but she stripped off the robe anyway, and slipped the clingy dress over her head. Her bare toes peeked out from under the hem which dragged on the floor. She looked back at Tondry, who had been watching her. "Shoes?"

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce pulled a pair of high-heels from the bag and set them on the floor, then stepped back. It was a nice dress. "In about two hours. That's when they open for the afternoon/evening crowd."

Lilaena frowned. "So what am I supposed to do until then?"

Pierce rubbed his chin. There were a great many things he had to do. Departmental restructuring, "hit" orders, specialty team planning-

His work was not going to allow him much pause. And didn't the file on Lilaena say she was importantly placed-?

"Tell you what," Pierce replied, starting to grab a few things together. "I have work I have to get done. You may want to send off a message to Corellia and maybe catch up on some of the things you have to do. Feel free to use the comm- you hear that droid? Lily here can use the comm, free of charge."

"Yes, sir," the droid replied submissively.

"And if you want some fresh air," Pierce continued. "Feel free to wander around the city. No one will try to stop you from leaving the building."

Pierce stood up and stepped into the turbolift. He waved to Lilaena. "Don't have too much fun without me- and try not to break the droid again, please."

[Lady DeVille]

She watched the door as it swished shut behind the General. De'Ville turned her head and pinpointed the droid with her eyes. "Where is the comm?"

It pointed with a reluctant arm gesture, and then tottered into another room. De'Ville walked to the terminal, and keyed into the system. Once there she sent a quick message to TSO, informing her former mistress Live Wire of her predicament, and that the solution was at hand.

Running the short message through a randomized encryption agent held by TSO, she sent the message off. Well, that didn't take much time.

She walked over to the suitcase, and rummaged through it, looking for a wrap or a coat of some sort. The only one was her dark cloak, which would have to do. The purple one she had bought on arrival to Coruscant was in her hotel room a few sections over, and she didn't care that much about what people thought of her.

De'Ville took a few quick moments to pin her short hair up, and then walked towards the exit. Looking back, she addressed the droid. "If Tondry checks in, tell him I'm at the flower shop."

"Very well." It seemed relieved to see her exit the penthouse, and De'Ville had half a mind to go back and tear it to pieces. She decided against it, and let the turbolift take her back down the the entrance to the complex.

Once outside she hailed a cab to take her to the next section.

[Pierce Tondry]

It had taken about an hour and a half for Pierce to wrap things up for the evening. He had pumped a lot of energy into getting things done today, partly because he seemed to have so much of it lately.

He put in a quick call to his apartment, only to receive word that Lily wasn't there.

"At the flower shop?" Pierce asked. There was a note of wonder in his voice that he hadn't heard in a while. "Why would she be there?"

"I was not provided that information, sir," the droid replied. Fortunately for Pierce, there was an alternate personality the droid had that was much more palatable for a military man like himself. "Judging by the context, it seemed to be something you might understand better than I would."

Pierce waved a hand dismissively. "I'll know in a few minutes. I'm taking a speeder out to meet her. We'll be going to dinner, and probably won't be back until late. Maybe."

"Understood, sir," the droid replied.

The commlink cut off. Pierce slowly dropped his hand into his pocket and left the device there, wondering why Lilaena would be visiting the flower shop. ~ What is it about that place that attracts her?~ he mused.

A short while later, Pierce was at the shop's front door. An old Ho'Din ran the place, and he allowed Intelligence to do some discreet business through his building. It was part of a little deal Pierce had worked out with the shop's owner a few days ago.

He stepped into the cool room and spotted Lilaena almost immediately. She was gazing longingly at some plants, and Pierce found himself unwilling to disrupt her.

But they'd miss dinner if he didn't. Pierce watched her for a moment longer, a question forming in his mind. He put the question aside and quietly walked up behind her. "Lily?" he asked seriously. "You ready to leave? Dinner's in thirty."

[Lady DeVille]

Among the plants and flowers of the Ho'Din's shop, De'Ville could almost touch peace. It was strange to her how the flowers could calm her. Needless to say, it didn't last long, and if she was in a rage nothing would stand in her way. But now, today... it was interesting.

The Stargazer lilies had been her mother's favorite. Imported from Ithor, they were not cheap, but they were beautiful.

Tondry was there, behind her. He asked about dinner, and she turned to face him, pulling her cloak in tightly about her body. Her eyes were moist, but there was nothing she could do about that now. "Dinner? Sounds good." Her voice was a little husky, and she walked out of the shop to compose herself. Sometimes she just missed her mother.

Pierce followed her out. "Are you okay?" He sounded a little concerned, and she nodded, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I'm fine. Where is this resturaunt?" Tondry raised an eyebrow, but motioned her into a waiting vehicle. Once she was seated comfortably, he climbed into the driver's seat, and pulled into the busy airways of Coruscant.

[Pierce Tondry]

"Capital district, section 20," Pierce repeated. "Near the Old Republic History museum, which is currently closed for remodeling by the current government."

"Hm." De'Ville did not sound interested.

"There's some drinks in the cooler, if you'd like them."

"Not now, thank you."

Pierce fell silent. The speeder cruised over buildings and city streets as he headed towards the brilliantly lit capital of Coruscant. "Nice lights," he remarked.

"I suppose."

That made three rebuffs at conversation. Pierce's lip twitched in resignation. Would it really have been so hard for her to say something worth a response?

"That's our place right over there," Pierce pointed. His speeder dipped and began losing altitude as it headed for the parking deck.

He stopped, and two valets opened the doors to his speeder. "Ah, Mr. Tondry sir," one of them greeted him warmly. "How are you today?"

"Doing well, Gesgar," Pierce acknowledge him with a nod and a handshake. "Yourself?"

"Good enough, thank you," the valet accepted the keys. "I'll take good care of her."

"You'd better, or I'll get you fired," Pierce said with mild amusement. He waved at the other man as the car drove off.

Suddenly, Lilaena brushed past him, heading for the front door. Pierce took two quick steps to catch up. "Wait up," he said. "Let's enjoy the evening, all right?"

[Lady DeVille]

De'Ville brushed past Tondry and walked through the doors. Pierce took a few hurried steps and caught up to her, reaching for her arm. "Lets enjoy the evening, all right?"

She jerked her arm away out of instinct, but caught her tongue before shouting at him. He seemed confused and a little annoyed at her. She shook her head slightly, and gave him a small smile. "Do we have a table?"

As he nodded the maitre de walked up to show them to their table. It was not in the middle of the dining room, but close enough to make De'Ville uncomfortable. She never liked feeling exposed in the center of a room. The waiter pulled out her chair for her, and she sat down awkwardly, not used to having help sitting. When the young man tried to lay her napkin on her lap, De'Ville grabbed his wrist to stop him.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, and then she released his arm and he scurried away. She looked over at Pierce, who seemed slightly amused. Before she could say anything, however, drinks were being served.

De'Ville stared at Pierce. "You ordered for me?"

He raised an eyebrow, "Only the finest Sullustian wine. If you would like something else I can -"

"Wine from Sullust is fine." She turned to the waiter. "What year is this?"

The man bent to speak to her, "It is three years old, madam, a fine vintage."

She nodded crisply, and raised her glass to her lips. It was good, although she preferred the Sullustian beer they served at nearly every bar. She had practically grown up on the drink.

Pierce cleared his throat. "Have you had a look at the menu?"

She set her wine down and cooly opened her menu. "I hope you're not going to order my food for me as well."

[Pierce Tondry]

"I hadn't planned on it," Pierce replied. So far, things were definitely not going well.

He took a slight breath and continued. "I was just trying to get the evening started with the drinks. Far be it from me to infringe upon your preferences," he added. His lip curled and he couldn't help but add ' the preferences of a Sith' in his mind.

Lilaena's eyes flashed dangerously over the top of her menu and she hid her face with it. Probably reading his emotions or some such. 'Frag it. Who cares? She can read my thoughts if she wants and it won't change a thing.[/i]'

"Good evening sir and madam," the waiter asked as he appeared. "I trust everything is satisfactory?"

Pierce looked at Lilaena, who was still busy behind her menu. "Quite," he answered.

The waiter nodded. "And what would you care for this evening, sir?"

"I'll have the Calamarian shellfish," he said, folding his menu and handing it to the man. "Steamed, with the ithu'esh cream sauce, grated Filvian cheese, house salad, and an order of the Soup of the Day. What about you, Lilaena?"

"Are you going to take my order?"

The waiter had the good sense not to comment; instead, he just turned to her. "And what would the lady care for?"

Pierce fumed inside. All he was trying to do was be pleasant and accommodating. Why did she have to be so damned Sith all the time?

[Lady DeVille]

Looking at the waiter, she allowed her eyes to flash dangerously, and enjoyed the momentary thrill of fear the young man felt. She closed her menu carefully. "I'd like the small rack of bantha ribs, no sauce, a side of shrimp with white sauce, and a dinner salad with the house dressing."

The waiter nodded, and started to turn away, but she stopped him. "I'd like a glass of water, as well." The young man took their menus and hurried away, and De'Ville turned towards Pierce, who was getting angry. She liked that.

Smiling at him, she ran her finger over the top of her wine glass. "Do you come here often? You'd think the service would be better." Her words were meant to bait him, to see what sort of reaction she could get from him. Pierce stared at her for a moment before speaking.

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce's eyes narrowed. He'd been baited enough by people at the business end of his rifle to know an attempt when he saw it. But he would not let himself slip.

"As it happens, this is where I wine and dine potentially helpful and wealthy clients, patrons, or associates," he said calmly, folding his hands and setting them atop the table. "And they're always extremely accomodating for me. GMA weekly gave this a Five-Star rating."

Pierce lifted his wine glass to his lips and took a drink before continuing in a somewhat more caustic tone. "But I suppose a Sith would be used to simply magicking their own food out of thin air- something mere mortals can't quite manage."

Normally, Pierce could play just as well as anyone could, but he was not in the mood. Was it really so hard for her to just relax and have a good time?

And did he really like Lilaena enough to care?

[Lady DeVille]

Magicked out of the air? He was getting irritated, and now she was as well. Something inside of her started to panic...

De'Ville blinked as the server came with the food. It smelled delicious, and she hadn't had such a good meal in several weeks. At least, not one so expensive. She lifted her fork, and carefully portioned off a bit to try, bringing it to her lips and pulling the morsel off the fork. It was good, not that she had been expecting anything less than perfection. Five stars? That was better than the food at TSO. A whole lot better.

Pierce shot her a look, and her sour mood returned, along with her panic. She was very close to ruining something that felt like it could be the most important thing in her life. Old walls and barriers were hard to destroy, but she had to try. But then, did she like Tondry enough to bother?

She lifted her eyes from her plate to his, allowing him a naked glance into the fear hidden in her heart. Would he hurt her? Could she trust him? After all, how far can one really trust another being?

Lilaena reached under the table for his hand.

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce's eyes flickered up and caught Lilaena's once, and he could see something there that he hadn't seen before. His brow furrowed as he tried to puzzle this out.

Gods, women were complicated.

Pierce began busily eating his shellfish, occasionally adding a bite of fish to a spoonful of soup. Didn't she realize how out of his way Pierce had gone just to make this meal possible? The cost in credits alone was high, not to mention an evening of forced formality that Pierce disliked, even if he had no trouble coping with it.

But there had been many things Pierce had skipped or only briefly put effort into today in order to clear them from his schedule so he could have this evening off to spend with Lily. Today, he'd lost time that he could never have back.

And he was planning to escort her back to her ship after dinner where she'd find the flowers he'd surreptitiously ordered earlier that day.

He accidentally stabbed a bite harder than he'd meant to and grimaced as the fork hit his plate with a clink. "Sorry," he said, looking at Lily, and noted that one of her hands was underneath the table, as if searching for something. "Did you lose your napkin or something?" he asked. "I can get it for you- if you wouldn't rather pick it up yourself, that is."

[Lady DeVille]

She flushed before she could stop herself. "Uh, my...napkin.." De'Ville cursed herself for blushing, and yanked her hand back into her own lap. Thats what she got for trying to be -well, what was she trying to be?

That was the question. Tondry was unexpected, unplanned, and yet seemed very right. The past night had been amazing, but she still didn't quite understand it. Lilaena picked at her food, and then looked up at Pierce. He was staring at her, evidently having seen her blush.

She swallowed. This is hard... "Alex- I mean, Pierce. I feel that -"

"The food isn't good enough for you?" Tondry put his fork down quietly, but with force. He was not pleased. And she liked that, enjoyed the vibes coming off of him. But no, that was not what was needed now.

"No." She looked straight into his eyes, and then down at her plate in an uncharacteristic show of shyness. "I'm afraid."

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce shut his eyes. A welter of confused emotions ran through him.

Afraid? What in the galaxy could a Sith be afraid of? What on earth was Lily implying? Afraid? That was ludicrous. A Sith, afraid.

So ludicrous it could only be a joke.

Pierce started to chuckle. "Nice one," he shut his eyes and shook his head. For some reason, looking at Lilaena was a bit painful. "You really had me going there. I almost believed there was something a Sith could fear. Listen, Lily, if you wanted to spend the evening alone all you had to do was say so. There's other things I can do that won't get in your way."

With a slight sigh, Pierce stared at his plate. For some reason, he was no longer hungry. He stood slowly and bowed to Lilaena, all the while being careful not to actually look at her. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss De'Ville," he said smoothly. "Allow me to go pay and leave so that you can enjoy the rest of your night."

[Lady DeVille]

He was standing, getting up to leave without causing a scene..about to leave her! De'Ville rose to her feet as well. "I am no longer hungry. And I would like to talk to you in private. Perhaps on the way h-"

"To your ship?" He interrupted her, and she hesitated.

"Yes, to my ship. Take me there." It was hard not to sound demanding, De'Ville was so used to having everything she said obeyed. Well, nearly everything.

He settled the bill with a credit chit that would have made a Hutt look twice, and walked out of the resturaunt. Lilaena walked after him, catching his arm as they stood outside in the cool Coruscant night. The valet went to get the vehicle, and Pierce allowed her to touch his arm. Then he moved away, just a slight step.

Lilaena stepped up next to him. "I am afraid. I was not joking with you. Can a Sith not feel fear? To quote the enemy, 'Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate...hate leads to suffering.'" She stared at his shoulder. "My childhood was not enjoyable. My experiences with men were especially cruel. And now I have stumbled upon you, a man who has an intriging darkness within himself, but who is not Sith... ...I am afraid to lose you, I suppose, before I even have you."

The vehicle arrived, and the valet hopped out, handing Pierce the keys. A cold breeze pimpled Lilaena's skin, with just her thin dress protecting her body from the elements.

[Pierce Tondry]

It took a moment for Pierce to digest the info. It took another five minutes for him to work through it and everything associated with it in his mind, and then speak again. In the meantime, he had not moved from the windswept parking platform. "So you're saying you don't really know what to do."

She nodded once, her hair dangling briefly in front of her face. Pierce hoped she was being truthful, hoped that for once this was not a Sith mindwarp trick.

His eyes went distant. He knew how he felt. Had known since Lilaena and he had fought off those three squads of guards during their raid on Black Sun's Coruscant skyhook. The way they had fought then- it was like beneath whatever dislikes or preconceived notions they had about each other, both of them knew they could depend on each other for exactly what was needed in terms of support when the final bet was cashed in.

He stared off into the night sky without really seeing. "Lily," he said quietly. "I've been told that I'm the kind of guy you either hate to love, or love to hate. Comes from being a man of combat, I guess."

"I don't know how I feel about you, exactly," he said, turning to face her. "But I think we'd better give each other a bit of time and space tonight to think this thing through. Tactically, it's a wise idea."

Pierce put a finger to her lips to stifle what she was about to say. "Things might seem different tomorrow morning," he said. "Wait till after the glow and polish is off, then call me."

[Lady DeVille]

De'Ville nodded, slowly. Tactically it did make sense to back off, at least for now. They were too close to make a solid judgement call right now. "I can go to my hotel..." Damn. She'd only paid up until last night, and she hadn't even used the room.

He noticed her hesitation, and shook his head. " Madeline, your freighter, is out of impound. Stay there tonight, no one will bother you."

"All right." She hugged her arms to her body against the slight chill, and waited as he asked the valet to call a cab for her. They waited in comfortable silence for it to arrive. De'Ville kept warm thinking about the day in the skyhook. Blood and ashes, but Tondry could right. She hadn't seen any man handle a rifle the way he had. She felt the cold slipping away and heat creeping up her neck. That wasn't all he handled well. Unconsciously she stepped away from him. It wouldn't help anything to keep thinking along those lines. Well, it would help something...

The cab arrived, and Pierce walked her to it, helping her in. "Call me."

She nodded, "I will." And then with a slight squeeze on her bare upper arm he shut the door and the cab lifted up, and away from him. Only after the cab began to slow for the descent to the storage bay where the Madeline was kept did Lilaena remember that she had left her cloak in the resturaunt.

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce watched the cab drive out of sight in silence. He wondered if Lily knew he'd been watching her go. He wondered if she'd been telling the truth that last time.

"Sir?"

It was the waiter. "I believe your lady friend left this, sir," the waiter extended a cloak, which Pierce recognized as Lily's. How the heck had his photographic memory missed that?

Chuckling at his own distraction, Pierce accepted the cloak. It felt very, very soft to his rough hand. "Thank you," he told the waiter. "I appreciate this."

"Of course, sir," the waiter nodded, turned, and left.

Mulled thoughts of gratitude and compliment occupied Pierce's head. That man was a competent agent.

Pierce got into his airspeeder, which had just pulled up. As he drove back to his penthouse, he mulled the evening over. So many different angles of her personality Lily had presented, and they all seemed to suggest she was some mix of actual human and cold Sith. Could she actually be just a woman somewhere underneath it all?

He'd get the cloak to Lily tomorrow, of course. Maybe find out the answer to that question as well.

Suddenly, he slapped a hand to his forehead. He'd forgotten the flower delivery!

So much for leaving off until tomorrow. Pierce shrugged. Ah well.

[Lady DeVille]

She remembered the commands that opened Madeline, and, once inside, locking the bustling world out was easy enough. Coruscant never slept, but the quiet inside the hanger tempted De'Ville to find a bunk.

So much to think about. Pierce was an unusual man, capable of catching her attention as he had. Would he be able to keep her attention? She wandered into the main cabin and sat beside a holochess table.

Activating it, she let the holopieces appear before she turned off the power, winking the creatures out of existence. She could feel fear, that she knew. Could she be capable of -

No, she would not voice it. That word had no business in her mind. But...De'Ville sat still in the semi-darkness of the cabin. Could she learn to care about another being? For so long in her life it had been simply herself that she had to worry about. Was it even possible for her to enjoy a man's company any more?

Indeed, she had enjoyed it the night before. She had initiated the act with a hateful motive, but all had been swept away in a tide of...

...what had it been?

De'Ville stood, and walked down a short passageway into the 'fresher. Standing before the mirror she stripped off the dress, kicked off the shoes, and stood there, examining herself. The orphanage...

Unconsciously she shivered. After the death of her parents, Lilaena had become a ward of the Empire, shuffled away into one of the many orphan refuges on Coruscant. She had only been six or seven years old at the time. By the time she reached twelve she was barely a budded flower, ripe with the hints of womanhood, yet the process of becoming had yet to occur.

The man, he had changed everything.

One of the male "caretakers" of the children had come to her bed that year, on a hot and humid night. She had been terrified, confused...and in pain after he had finished with her. If only that had been the end of it.

The abuse had continued, weekly, until she had finally escaped the refuge at the age of fourteen. He had threatened her into silence, and Lilaena had no one to turn to for help. But she had found a way out through the rat infested sewage pipes, and musty ventilation shafts...and had finally tasted freedom.

She had been free at that moment- free to go and do as she pleased, and no man would ever tell her what to do again.

As a grown woman, now approaching twenty-five years of age, Lilaena had had a few experiences with relationships, all before she had come to the Sith Order. All had ended in disaster, probably her fault. It was more than simply hard for her to trust a man...it was impossible!

And yet...

The man, Pierce Tondry, was trustworthy. She had seen it in his eyes when he had spoken with the eldery Ho'Din at the flowershop. When the raid on the sky hook had commenced, they had watched each other's backs without a second thought... They worked so well together.

This was an alliance she knew would occur. Perhaps the Force itself had ordained it. What it would mean for her, and the rest of her life, remained to be seen.

Lilaena walked to her bunk, and lay down, pulling a light blanket over her body.

[Pierce Tondry]

Pierce sat bolt upright in bed. Outside his window, the sun was just beginning to rise.

Pierce took a long, indrawn breath and scrubbed the sleep from his eyes with his palms. His gaze searched around the room and he caught sight of Lily's cloak hanging off the back of one of his chairs.

The piece of fabric held his eyes for a full two minutes before he finally got out of bed and headed to the shower. It wasn't long before Pierce was clean, toweled off, and back in his room getting dressed. He opted for full military-style fatigues today. If Lilaena was going to accept him, she would have to accept him for what he was- a man of combat.

Which was an utterly ridiculous idea on the face of it. Sith never accepted anything they didn't like- they just changed things how they wanted them.

Pierce stopped and lay his hand on the cloak regarding it silently. Then he picked it up and was out the door.

######

The walk had been a quiet one. One much longer than necessary. Pierce told himself that he was just giving Lilaena time to wake up, but the thoughts moiling through his head had made him apprehensive.

He wasn't sure why. The thought that a Sith could truly care about a human- it was totally ridiculous.

Madeline's hangar was just a few feet away. The realization made Pierce pause and regard the door as though it were some obstacle whose difficulty was unknown, and which Pierce wasn't sure he could get past.

Beside the door, in a small alcove, was the pot of Ithorian Stargazers he'd sent. Pierce was standing next to the door before he realized it, holding them in his hand. The delivery agent had obviously not gotten to Lily before she'd fallen asleep.

Pierce picked up the flowers and keyed for the entry to the hangar bay, shifting the cloak over his shoulder. The code he'd inserted was one that he'd used previously to get inside and get Lilaena's suitcase, and it opened the door without any trouble. Suddenly, those private worries about not being able to get past the door seemed totally ridiculous.

Pierce stopped before entering the bay. It would only be polite to let Lilaena know he was here.

He aimed a finger at the intercomm button, but missed. Pierce shook his head and took a deep breath, then tried again.

"H-hello?" Lilaena's voice was hesitant.

"Lily," Pierce said. "It's me. You left something at the restaurant last night. I thought I'd bring it to you." He'd deliberately held off from mentioning the flowers in the hopes of getting a reaction when she saw them.

"Of course. Thank you. Please come in." She sounded more in control now. More confident. Stronger. More...

More Sith, maybe.

No. No, everything he'd seen from other Sith made Pierce think that he was right in believing that Lilaena De'Ville- a Sith Knight- would not care about a mere mortal. That she could not be just a woman. That she couldn't be Lily, she had to be De'Ville.

But Pierce knew, and he knew that he knew, that he was hoping he was wrong.

[Lady DeVille]

She had been lying in bed when the intercom buzzed, and now De'Ville was fumbling around for some clothes - any clothes! - before he arrived. She caught a glance at her face in the mirror as she paused in front of the 'fresher. I look like I just woke up! She had not slept well, tormented by the nightmares which visited her nearly every night.

Her robe was hanging just inside the door, and she grabbed it in haste as she sensed Tondry just beyond the freighter's bulkheads. She tied the sash around her waist and the red silk of the robe tickled her feet as she walked to the back of the Madeline.

Lilaena took a deep breath and punched the button for the ramp, walking slowly down its length after it settled. And then he was in front of her, standing at the bottom of the ramp.

Tondry wore a military type uniform, non-descript fatigues that bore no markings of any army. In his arm was a pot of Ithorian stargazer lilies.

The woman stopped before she walked off the edge of the ramp, bare toes curling over the edge. Lilaena had rehearsed in her mind what she was going to say, but the words escaped her now that she actually needed them. Pierce opened his mouth, closed it again, and awkwardly held out his arm, her cloak held securely in his hand.

"Oh..." Bloody ashes, what is wrong with me!? "My cloak, I left it..." She took it from him, and draped it over her own arm, hugging it to her body.

"These are for-"

"I want to-"

They both stopped, and grinned sheepishly at each other. Tondry shrugged, "Ladies first."

Lilaena shook her head, heart incased in lead. At least, that was what it felt like, so heavy in her chest she thought it might drop into her toes. "I can't."

He frowned at that, and then held out the potted lilies. "These are for you."

She took them from him, bent toward the blooms, and inhaled their aroma. When she looked up, she smiled. Pierce saw her face, and it seemed different. There were circles under her eyes from lack of sleep, and in a spot on the back of her head her hair was battling gravity ...yet the humanity of her smile captivated him.

He did not move closer, and still seemed wary of her. Lilaena's smile faltered, and she looked down at the flowers again, then back to his eyes. "Thank you, they're lovely."

"They reminded me of you." He smiled at her, yet still did not move closer. "You were going to say something earlier?"

Yes I was going to... Lilaena paused, nodding slowly. She did not let her eyes leave his, and weighed him in her mind. She had to let him know. Her past shaped her present, but she did not want it to control her future. Perhaps it would explain enough about Lilaena that Pierce would stop regarding her as simply a Sith. Only one way to find out.

Shifting the lilies to the arm which held her cloak, Lilaena reached across to Tondry. He lifted his hand to take hers, and their fingers intertwined. "Why don't you come inside..." She gently pulled on his hand, "I have something I need to tell you."

Pierce Tondry, a man of authority and combat, followed Lilaena De'Ville, a woman of power and strength, into the freighter.

Yet, when it came down to it, they were simply a man... and a woman.