The Grass is Greener: Cilpar (Open)

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

Dalethria was leaning back in the pilot's chair of her personal ship, the Koriolos, with her feet on top of the console, watching the stars streak past the viewport. Her mission had been a lonely one for the last few weeks as she sought out suitable planets that her Sisters could call home. She was not alone in this endeavor, however. Others were searching separately too, but it was proving difficult with the allotted time. Their supplies on Ch'hodos were already running low to begin with and it was hard to determine when her resources were going to be exhausted and leave the Sister's completely barren of anything useful. As much as it stung her pride in admitting defeat, Dalethria had to agree with her second, Milivikal k'Vik, and accept that no matter how much money and planning she could do and had done, Ch'hodos wasn't salvageable. At the very least it wasn't her idea to move their in the first place. That was Sorsha's mistake, one in a long list that Dalethria had to clean up and fix and was still doing...

At least on this voyage, she had a traveling companion this time and welcomed the company. Milivikal had found another possibility for a planet and had asked Dalethria to come with her to examine it. The planet itself was called Cilpar and was mainly covered in jungle. As hot and humid as it would obviously be, at least it wasn't barren and had more possibilities for a base unlike Ch'hodos. At that, Dalethria found herself chuckling to herself out loud as she realized the familiar pattern to most of the planets the Sisters had searched thus far. They had an over-abundance of plant life as if compensating for the death that had surrounded them the past year or so.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

The Koriolos was several steps above Milivikal's little courier ship, especially when it came to amenties such as beds.

Mili had napped briefly while they cruised through hyperspace. Refreshed, she was back upon her feet. Barefoot, her footfalls were silent anyway. The cool metal sent a pleasant tingle through her body. Dalethria could not have heard her approach, but with one so familiar, Dalethria knew the Siren was behind her. Her hands carressed Dale's kneck, gently massaging down to the shoulders, where they stayed, working the muscles loose. A hum of just the right frequency, and the tension fled from her Master's shoulders.

"You should not shoulder too much of Sorsha's failings, Dalethria." she hummed pleasantly into Dale's ear. Dalethria sighed as her body continued to relax.

"We shall rectify her unfortunate choices soon, but we must find the right place. And finding that place is our current purpose, no?" The question was rhetorical, of course, and all Milivikal recieved as an answer was another relaxed sigh.

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

Her eyes had closed while her arms fell off the sides of the chair and dangled loosely over the edge. How quickly Milivikal's attentions had caused Dalethria to teeter on the verge of sleep and her mind began to wander again. The Siren was correct. There was no real reason why Dalethria should keep holding herself accountable for Sorsha's actions. They were not her decisions to begin with, yet Dalethria still couldn't help but wonder if she would have been more of a participant in the creation of the Sister's, things never would have gotten out of control.

It took great strength for her to lift her left arm in order cover Milivikal's hand. "Am I that easily read by you?"

She smiled and brought the back of the Siren's hand to her lips in a soft kiss. "I wonder if I should worry about that."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Mili licked her lips in somewhat absentminded thoughts.

'At times. There are times where you are indecipherable." She said. Dalethria's mind had moved on, though. It was a busy place, her Master's head. Very Busy.

She licked her lips again, but her thoughts were not absentminded. The warning buzzer sounded. They would exit hyperspace soon.

The Siren pulled herself away from Dalethria, and slid into the copilot's chair.

"Cilpar has one principal city and spaceport. They trade the contents of the jungle. A small commerce, but steady. Our presence here would not be of footnote, if framed correctly." Milivikal's light grin turned smug at the last statement.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

There had been a rumour of Rivin's presence on Cilpar, and of course Je'gan was here: all five feet, eleven inches and one hundred and seventy-five pounds of him, along with a pair of lightsabers that were currently being used to demonstrate why mugging was not a profitable form of entrepreneurship when a Sith was the target customer.

" 'Didn't look dangerous,' " he mumbled in vicious mime, disengaging the sky-blue blades and tucking the curved hilts into his belt. "What kind of a neighbourhood is this anyways? If there's one thing I don't like-"

He cut himself off, mainly because, come to think of it, there were a lot of things he didn't like (child abusers, lascivious behaviour, alcohol and overcooked borscht being prominent) - but also because someone was about to shoot at him. Irritated beyond words, he spun to face the newcomer, a thin man with a holdout, standing in the alley's entrance. A moment's appraisal was all the Sith Knight had time for before he had to duck and roll for his life. Blasterfire roared down the alley behind him as he skidded on a mixture of blood and what smelled like motor oil. One shot came entirely too close. Tsking to himself, he flicked out a hand and activated Magor in mid-flight. The pinwheeling lightsaber snapped to life and dispatched his attacker. Standing, Je'gan called it back and replaced it in his belt.

He looked down at his clothing and groaned. Though not one to be overly concerned about his appearance, the sharp tunic and breeches were soaked with blood and what was definitely motor oil. Not being prissy was one thing; remaining so soggy as to be eye-catching was quite another. Je'gan liked being inconspicuous, and it took a slightly lower grade of city to make his current appearance de rigeur. Giving his fallen second attacker - some kind of compatriot or fellow gang member, no doubt - a final kick, Je'gan stalked out of the alley and into the street in search of his hotel.

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

She brought her legs down off the console and leaned forward, flipping a switch to change the transponder over to another frequency. The chances that anyone knew Dalethria out here was slim, but she didn't want to take that chance. Those that did, generally knew that the Koriolos was her ship. Now with the different transponder code, her light freighter was known as the Ellis.

"Hopefully that if is a possibility. It's a good chance since we would have most of the planet to play with." The buzzer sped up and finally turned off as the ship exited hyperspace. She punched in a casual trajectory, waiting for the inevitable response from the Cilpar control tower. It didn't take too long.

Ellis. We have you on our radar as heading towards the planet. Here for the usual?

"Yeah. Me and my co-pilot haven't been around this sector of space much and saw you had a space port. Not sure when we'll see another."

All right. Sending you coordinates now and which landing pad is yours. Tower out.

Dalethria snorted, "That was easy. Probably happy they have visitors for a change."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal rolled her Master's last statement around in her head.

"Mmmm. Perhaps. Likely they are pleased that we are not smugglers." She said in a conteplative tone. Her eyes, however, were affixed to the growing green globe, and the clouds that circulated above the green jungles and the blueish oceans.

"We are explorers, who investigate Cilpar's ancient temples. Any find will be shared with the local goverment." Her accent had taken that of a Chandrillian Academic, stereotypical but fully believable. Not that it would have mattered. Mili's pratical, light clothing was perfect for the humid jungle, and she looked forward to first investigating the city.

"I shall make sure our packs and luggage is in order." She stood and kissed Dalethria on the cheek before darting into the cargo hold.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

The hotel was about a kilometre away as the bird flew, but that required that he find a new route. His path from the hotel to this alley had been long and rather aimless, a factor of not being the greatest sensor alive. He was trying to track down a Sith Knight, and that meant investigating the slightest hint of the Dark Side. Since Je'gan was inefficient at best when it came to mainstream Sense skills, he had been forced to hunt down a great many elusive targets that turned out to be nothing more than someone innocuous having a bad day.

And since he was that bad at it, and focusing on the city, he had completely missed the new Dark Side presence incoming.

The hotel was a middle-grade one, not particularly ostentatious but good enough that his ruined clothing drew more than a few quirked eyebrows from bellhops and customers alike. By that time he had removed the over-tunic and draped over his shoulder; nevertheless, despite the relative cleanliness of the undershirt, it obviously wasn't what the businessmen and company functionaries were used to, and they had no qualms about showing it. That he was leaving footprints of blood and oil only made matters worse.

Je'gan restrained himself from doing something that he might eventually have cause to regret. His lightsaber was hidden in the filthy tunic, and it would remain there until he got to his room. That was something he had to hold himself to: he remembered, and well at that, what had happened when Rivin did something ostentatious. Chandrila's aftermath had been and continued to be a PR nightmare.

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

Dalethria strolled down the ramp of the Ellis to meet up with the local dockworker to discuss payment fees while Milivikal got their things together. She had changed into something that would be more comfortable in this setting, opting for lighter earth tones for clothing and boots made for hiking. The jacket she wore had a hidden pocket inside that held her lightsabre. Dalethria also had her hair pulled back into a braid. A look quite uncharacteristic of her but it would help to keep her cool. Having long thick hair wasn't at all pleasant with such humidity in the air.

A lanky looking human dressed in light blue overalls, was looking over the ship with a nose buried into a datapad. Probably taking notes of some kind but somehow missed hearing Dalethria's boots descending down the ramp.

She greeted him in a friendly manner to get his attention. "Hey."

His head shot up in surprise and then his face turned a few shades darker, a bit red in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. Was getting some information on your ship. Didn't see you there." He cleared his throat and moved towards Dalethria. "Are you the owner and/or pilot?"

"Right on both accounts. I'm Lianna Ch'endskel." She pointed out the name on the datapad as it was the name registered to the Ellis. "My partner's inside getting our stuff together. Looks like we'll be here longer then we thought."

"You didn't indicate that with the tower." He replied, bringing up a different screen on the datapad.

"Yeah well, we read up on Cilpar during the flight down to the planet. We got intrigued with the ancient ruins scattered throughout the surface. We wanted to take a look around if it's not too much of a bother."

He tapped in a few notes and nodded, "And what's your partner's name? The Magistrate will need to know about this."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

"Biacca Leh." Mili added halfway through 'Lianna' speaking it. The academic's accent returned, and the Siren's body languaged changed from the deadly woman to the somewhat absentminded field researcher working on a thesis. A few simple pins held her hair up, but some stray bangs were hidden behind her ears. She had recently “convinced” a slicer to help her with a group false identities, perfect for wandering through Coruscant to Cilpar and everything between. False degrees, false credentials, false idenity, all complete.

"You mean you read up, miss Ch'endskel." Her tone was irritated. After all, someone was selling her short. Dalethria snorted but said nothing.

"In the material I read, there was next to no mention of any accodmidations. A hotel. Not too expensive." She added after a blank look. The dock worker rattled off an address, which Milivikal took down into her datapad.

"Thank you. I trust everything else is in order?"

The hotel only turned out to be a few blocks from the spaceport, but upon arrival, she sensed someone, a Dark presence. A brief glance at her Master showed that she felt it too, and it was not just the planet. It was a someone, who had very recently passed through. Still, they would need to book a room regardless of who was there, and they would need to set their clothing aside.

The room they recived, oddly enough, was on the same floor as a trail of lubricants and blood.

"There is another here." Milivikal stated, once inside the room. "I think we should find out whom."

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Je'gan threw the soiled items of clothing into the sink and turned both faucets up full. Tossing Azubah and Magor onto the bed, he sorted through his less-than-pristinely-organized travel bags for a new tunic and pair of breeches, both dark green. Slightly rumpled but clean once more, he stopped the sink and turned off the faucets to let the clothing soak in the tepid water. He called his weapons to his hands and made as if to tuck them into his belt.

And then his face went white. There were Darksiders on the premesis - powerful ones. Stronger than Rivin, to be sure, which eliminated the most agreeable of possibilities. Gritting his teeth, the Sith Knight slid his lightsabers into the sleeves of his tunic, absentmindedly anchoring them there with Shadow. His attention was on trying to feel the newcomers.

The two presences felt familiar - he rather thought he had met them both before, at one point or another. Both reminded him comfortably of Sorsha.

He put on clean shoes and headed out into the hall. An attendant was beginning to clean up the mess left by Je'gan's boots, and had worked his way a few metres away from the elevator that Je'gan had taken to this floor. Slitting his eyes, the Sith Knight delved into the attendant's short-term memory. It was a small hope...but as it turned out, he was in luck. The attendant was male, and human, and had very definitely noticed the two women. Though not his eyes' priority targets, their faces were in there.

Dalethria.

And...who was she, again? The woman who raided the asylum?

Je'gan shrugged; he'd never gotten that woman's name. In any case, he had bigger priorities: he was standing in the middle of a hallway, several metres from a pair of powerful Darksiders, without cover.

Shrugging again, he moved back the way he had come to a water fountain and bent down to take a drink.

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

"Agreed," She took Milivikal's pack from her hand and threw both of their's onto the bed. There was no sense in dallying. Better to find out who was here on Cilpar and why as quickly as possible.

But then Dalethria paused in opening the door, her eyes narrowing in concentration. "And now they know who we are,'" she announced with an irritated growl.

There wasn't a sense of danger involved with that revelation, but she didn't like knowing that whoever was here on the planet knew their identities. There was a sense of familiarity with the person, but she couldn't quite place the reason. "They are not far though."

She opened the door and casually looked back and forth. There was only the custodian cleaning up the soiled floor further down the hallway. He was the only being within eyesight. Further down and around the corner was the dark side presence and Dalethria began to stalk down the hallway in that direction.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Milivikal's fingers writhed behind her and contemplated her dagger and lightsaber. The presence nor breathing was familiar. Who was this?

"The human is drinking." The Sisters were not animals of the savannah, without respect for watering holes, metaphorical or otherwise. They rounded the corner, and the male spied them from the corner of his eye. Her hand again flexed, eager for it to be filled with cold metal. k'Vik recognized the face in the vaugest sense that she had seen him before.

"Do not move." Command flowed through her voice, but she could sense he had some power. It would still take some of his will.

"He is familiar to me, but more to you. Whom does he serve, and what is he called?" She asked Dalethria, but only so she could hear. He seemed more familiar to her Master.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Just beginning to straighten from the fountain, Je'gan flinched as his mental defences took the brunt of Mili's compulsion. It hurt a bit, but he could resist.

And resist, he quite definitely intended to do.

"That wasn't exactly necessary," he said urbanely, standing before them, both ready for action and knowing that against these two he might as well slit his own throat. He was good, but not that good. Even if he was to use the full scope of his powers in mentalics, it might not be enough. Besides Milivikal's obvious abilities, Yurza had been very good, and Dalethria was his Master as well as Vega's.

And Je'gan knew how well he would fare in a fight against his own Master, let alone the one who taught the Lupine.

"I might as well get this out in the open," he continued. "You both remind me of Sorsha and I don't know why."

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

Why must everything end up being about Sorsha, she thought to herself while staring at Je'gan with a contemplative gaze.

Dalethria was mulling over the best way to answer his question while she replied to Milivikal's. His name is Je'gan Olra'en. He is a pupil of Vega's and a member of the Sith Order. We've met only once before. There shouldn't be a problem but you never can tell.

"Well," she began thoughtfully, "How do you know Sorsha if I may ask for the both of us have a ... colorful past with her."

When Dalethria had met Je'gan before, they had not spoken much if at all, so it was best to keep information to a minimum for now. She silently hoped that this wasn't going to be another one of Sorsha's mistakes she'd just happened to stumble upon ... again.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Had they met before? Milivikal couldn't recall.

"Sorsha Sorsha Sorsha." She mimicked Je'gan's voice perfectly, but spoke the name in a mocking tone with a sneer.

"She has disgraced herself." Her voice became her's again, with crystal-bell tone.

"But Sorsha is past. Why are you here?"

[Je'gan Olra'en]

Despite Mili's mockery, Je'gan relaxed - slightly. He knew there was no logical reason for conflict to erupt, but then again, logic and Darksiders were often not on speaking terms and he had no reason to suppose that this was not the case.

He felt a certain relief, too. Death or retreat - neither was a good option as far as he was concerned.

"Yes," he said, eyes boring into Milivikal's. "Sorsha."

His gaze moved to Dalethria, as the more obviously important of the two. "I haven't seen her in years - since my Apprentice days, in fact. I was brash enough, on one or two occasions, to attack her. I doubt she ever noticed my existence, but though I hated her for a while, I've always held her in the highest respect. I even planned, at one point, to ask her to teach me."

His eyes narrowed, just slightly, but his hands were loose on the sabres hidden in his sleeves.

"Why do I get the feeling that my Master has not been very...forthcoming about certain things?"

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

Praise for Sorsha. It made her stomach turn in knots at the thought. "Seeking her for training... Such a notion should be stricken from your thoughts."

Her lips curled back into a grin, "As the thought of reaching for your weapons. Vega only tells so much of what is going with us. As I'm certain Lady Vader has the same precautions when dealing with him."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Je’gan did not answer her question. Milivikal frowned. Perhaps he had been caught up with his explanation of Sorsha. The Siren wanted to spit, but at least his explanation was honest. Although she was now in a fouler mood at the mention of Sorsha (pah!), being gentle could net them the information they desired.

“So, Olra’en, why have you come to Cilpar?”

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Whatever else you can say about Sorsha," Je'gan said cautiously, bringing his empty hands out into the open, "she's certainly a capable sorceress. Besides, she can make matter out of nothing and so can I, and to the best of my knowledge nobody else can. Reason enough for me.

"Oh." It was obvious that he would rather discuss Sorsha than his own business, even if he had been in a mood to discuss his business - which he wasn't. "And I came here because I was hunting someone. If either of you have been keeping tabs on the news, you might have heard of a man named Rivin. Sith Knight. Arrogant imbecile and child abuser. I'm not fond of either."

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

"Yes. The name is familar and I know what he's done. Some from the news, some from your leader." In truth, Rivin wasn't a concern of her's. If the Sith Knight happened along her path, Dalethria would be a most gracious friend and inform Lady Vader of his presence. Would she go out of her way otherwise? No. She had more important matters that needed her focus. The Sisters came first.

On the other hand, it wouldn't hurt to ask since the situation presented itself. "You believe he is here then, yes?"

[Milivikal k'Vik]

It was clear that Je'gan had moral boundries, but some Dark Jedi did. Milivikal had moral preferences. Rivin was the target's name. He caused chaos, but the wrong sort.

Mili remained silent, wondering what Je'gan would say next.

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"I believe he might be here. My source was vague."

This was fast dipping towards banality - not something Je'gan found desirable. He'd almost rather have been fighting for his life against the two Sisters of Chaos than taking part in a conversation that no longer had an immediate imperative. Unlike some others - his Master, notably - he did not possess the gift of gab.

"And you two? Cilpar isn't exactly a bustling metropolis...looking to stay under the radar, are we?"

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

"Oh come now," She gave a small sigh as if her feelings were hurt. "My companion and I aren't allowed to go out and have fun?"

She looked at Milivikal with a pout, "So misunderstood we are."

[Milivikal k'Vik]

Mili wrapped her arms around Dalethria and smiled at Je’gan.

“Terribly so.” She said, running a hand through her Master’s hair.

“Dalethria, we should send the Knight on his way, no?”

[Je'gan Olra'en]

A thin, slightly grim smile appeared on Je'gan's face.

"Last I checked, my authourity did not extend over Cilpar. Whether I wish to allow you or not is beside the point." He cocked his head slightly to one side, and the smile took on a hint of cynical amusement. "I guess I'm going to have to ask twice as well."

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

"You can," her arm slinked around Milivikal's waist, "but you'd get the same answer. I do wish you luck on finding your prey."

She placed a light kiss on her Apprentice's temple, "Let's get outta here."

Dalethria turned the two of them around and headed back towards their room, speaking to Milivikal so only she would hear. He will still be suspicious. We'll have to be mindful of his presence.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

“Let him be. Aside from his curiosity, I do not think him to be a threat right now. Je’gan will not hinder our movements, as he is truthful about his quest.”

Once back in their room, Milivikal made a quick inventory of what was here and what was on the ship. They still needed to see the Magistrate, but it might wait until tomorrow. Learning about the ins&outs of the city was a higher priority, since this is where they would get information from, if they moved to Cilpar.

“Should we have a night on the town, or arrange things with the Magistrate?”

[Je'gan Olra'en]

"Oh yes," Je'gan muttered, lips twisting in wry humor as the women passed from sight. "That's Vega's Master, all right."

Stooping to the side, he took another drink from the fountain. As he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, he took in the hall in a new - and, thanks to his mental shielding, private - way: as a battleground between himself and the two Sisters of Chaos. Such a battle, though, would probably take place on the plane of the mind: Je'gan would require everything he had to take on those two, and that meant combat mentalics. He'd come a long way from crippling Gav Mortis and holding his own against Dust. Could it be enough? Especially since Vega seemed to emphasize the more physical aspects of the use of the Force? It almost seemed that Dalethria would make a better Master for Je'gan than the Lupine, if Yurza's level of mental preparedness was any indication.

Hissing softly to himself, the Sith Knight returned to his own room and began to meditate. He had nothing to add to the conversation going on nearby, nor to contribute to the situation other than his own frustrations and the consequences of them. So, secure behind his customary mental shielding, he waited - for what, he wasn't entirely certain.

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

She was leaning against the window sill, weighing either option. On one hand you had fun and work, the other was just work, though it would be nice to get the meeting with the Magistrate done and over with.

Glancing over at the chronometer on the nightstand, it was moving towards late afternoon. Their meeting would probably last a good portion of the night and an opportunity would be missed to see what Cilpar had to offer. Besides, she had a feeling Milivikal wanted to go out.

"Night on the town," she finally replied and walked to the comm system. "I'll put a call into the Magistrate's office and arrange for a meeting tomorrow morning."

As Je'gan had pointed out, Cilpar wasn't a bustling planet and getting an appointment first thing in the morning would not be difficult.

[Milivikal k'Vik]

"I shall change, then." Milivikal said, and stripped off her clothing. Dalethria and Milivikal were familiar with each other, and they had things to do. She changed while Dalethria sorted everything on the comm.

She wore a long maroon skirt and a white blouse with her black jacket over it. Pratical, but not showy. Mili kept the boots, just because. She sat on the edge of the bed, browsing the directory. Cilpar was a backwater with just over ten million registered beings. The principal city only had a population of four million. Smaller settlements were scattered through the world.

They headed out, window shopping through the tiny fashion district about a kilometer from the port, and, after asking a few cashiers, made a list of night spots to try.

Underneath a humid sunset, they slipped into a dark-fizz club. It was a moody, atmospheric style of music that lended itself to quiet table conversation well.

"I think we should find a few nice people, have a few drinks, and then maybe invite them out for a meal?" She said to Dalethria, maintaing her accademic facade.

"I just want to get a feel for the place before we work tommorow."

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

Dalethria just washed up before heading out, opting for the same clothing to make things easier. Setting up the meeting took longer then expected but it was simple to get an early appointment as expected. Since it was a bit cooler in the evening, she let her hair down instead of a severe look with it being pulled tightly back in the braid.

She looked indifferent to what 'Biacca' said but silently agreed. The locals would give them all sorts of information depending on how the conversation was directed.

"If you want." Her eyes surveyed the club. There were a few flying solo tonight, mostly there were couples enjoying each other's company. Not what they were looking for. Then a bubbly laugh broke the atmospheric mood followed by a sharp shush. The source of the disturbance was a group of men and women, business folk by the look of their dress. They were four in all and one of them was doubled over still in mirth, trying to contain his laughter.

"Well," Dalethria looked at Milivikal as a waiter was heading towards their table. "Will that do?"

[Milivikal k'Vik]

"Nicely."

Milivikal somehow merged right into their group, trading words easily. Dalethria continued to be somewhat stoic, but making an occasional witty comment. The ice broke nicely.

The Siren slowly coaxed information out of the four locals. It was slowly becoming clear that they were a nosy, rumormongering lot, which would not do, unless the ruins were nearly perfect.

[Dalethria Mal Pannis]

They were getting no where with these people and she sensed Milivikal's disappointment. A feeling that Dalethria shared. She was certain that this would have been an ideal group.

When an opportune time presented itself, 'Lianna' interjected herself into the conversation and placed a hand upon her partner's shoulder, getting her attention. "Biacca? We need to get going. Early work in the morning."

Moans of disappointment came from the group but both women ignored their protests, Milivikal being more polite in their departure. Dalethria just wanted to be rid of them.

They were heading back downstairs when Dalethria finally made a comment, "Gods, I think they gave me a headache with all of their nonsense."

She rubbed at her temple for emphasis, "Perhaps we should try anot-..."

Dalethria was suddenly cut off as she made the turn off the staircase. Someone bumped into her and spilled their drink all over the shirt she was wearing. She looked down at her chest with an unhappy look and slowly her eyes moved upwards to glare at the man that had just ran into her. He looked to be in his mid to late twenties, with sandy blonde hair cut short on top and shaved along the sides. What little light that was in the room hit his chest just right that Dalethria noticed the medal and flags pinned there.

Initially, he was stunned into silence and it took too long for his feeble brain to register that the glass in his hand was empty, save for a few ice cubes. "I'm so, so terribly sorry! I swear I didn't see you there! Here..." He pulled out the handkerchief from his suit pocket and went to help clean off the mess he made, not really thinking at where his hand was going.

She snatched the cloth out of his hand, nostrils flaring, and went to clean up the mess herself.