A Date with a Dispute (Day 4 EA Three Drinks Closed)

[Zanebry Varliss]

He hadn't expected to see Naveera, at least not so early. When she had come up to him in the streets he could tell she was angry though. It had taken some convincing, but he'd gotten her to agree to come some place private, and between a cheap hotel room and his ship they had picked the latter.

Walking into the common room he turned around. Waiting patiently to see what he had done.

[Nekoinu]

"What possessed you to work for Jo of all people? A damn slaver?!" She stomped around the ship, clearly still furious. "Did you think I wouldn't hear about this?"

[Zanebry Varliss]

Yup this wasn't going to end well, Zane's mind flashed over a thousands excuses, but he decided in the end to just be honest. "I'm sorry Naveera, I wasn't thinking, at least not about how you would feel. I saw the credits, and the fact that I wouldn't have to shoot someone."

"I should of never accepted the job."

[Nekoinu]

"You saw the credits?" She shook her head in disbelief. "Dammit, Zanebry, you could have asked me or something. Take a damn loan and wait for a better job to come up. Something!"

[Zanebry Varliss]

"I know, as I said I wasn't thinking." He took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair. "And you know I couldn't just take money from you, I know you'll say it's okay, but it's not. Well, not to me."

He let out a slow breath, and looked at her. "What can I do to make it up to you?"

[Nekoinu]

"Make it up to me? It isn't about making it up to me. It's about, ugh, you're impossible!"

She turned away and crossed her arms. "It doesn't help that all I ever hear about is your dates with so-and-so."

[Zanebry Varliss]

He slowly moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her and attempting to draw her close. "I'm sorry Naveera, I really am, about both things. You are the one I should be taking out, dinner, dancing, all those things."

"We can do that if you want, tomorrow night. We can go where ever you like, or just stay in if you prefer. I could cook you dinner and we can dance all night to my silly little radio, just me and you."

[Nekoinu]

"I don't know why I thought it'd be any different. Why you'd be any different." At the very least, she did not shake out of his hold. "Asshole."

[Zanebry Varliss]

"I deserve that." He replied softly, holding her gently in his arms. "I haven't been thinking, about you, about us, that is what you want Naveera? Us?" He honestly hadn't even considered it until this moment, and his heart was playing a drum beat in his ear. He wasn't certain he could do us.

[Nekoinu]

"I'm not sure if that's what I want," she said plainly. She shook her head. "Part of me obviously does but is that what's best for us? We have lives which are unkind to anyone dear to us." Naveera let out a soft sigh. "The rest of the SIS probably already knows I've been spending too much time with you to be considered 'normal.'"

[Zanebry Varliss]

He leaned on to kiss her shoulder, careful not to touch her lekku, they weren't something you just casually touched after all. "I don't know, it's been so long since I've been anything but a casual fling, that I don't know if I remember how to be a couple."

"Which I can only imagine will make things even harder for us." He closed his eyes, resisting his own urge to sigh. "I was worried about that." It was the main reason why he hasn't asked her out to dinner. "What do you think we should do on tgat account? I don't want to stop seeing you."

[Nekoinu]

"I've forgotten too." She broke out of the embrace to face him fully, with a hand on his cheek. "That's why I'm not sure if this is a good idea.

"But on the topic of the SIS, I'm not sure. It's not like they'd court martial me like they did with you or Sath Kwa'to." She shook her head. "I still can't figure out where that man went. He was always good at covering his tracks."

She looked back to him and smiled. "I don't want to stop seeing you either. We're spies, dammit. We can figure something out."

[Zanebry Varliss]

"We can always start kind of cssually, test the waters perhaps?" He replied as he reached up to cup her hand in his own. "No reason to dive on head first."

"Aye, but still it's probably best to be careful. It's not like the SIS is something one can take lightly."

He returned the smile. "I'm sure we can. We have access to disguises, fake names, and a whole lot of other things. I'm sure we could find some kind of solution." His smile turned slightly teasing. "Perhaps I could grow a mustache?"

[Nekoinu]

"Right. We'll take it slow and figure it out. But most importantly, keep it under the wraps somehow." Naveera traced her finger over Zanebry's upper lip. "No mustache, by the way," she said with a smile.

Her expression then turned a bit more serious. "Zanebry, I should tell you: Matthias wants to take a guy out. I'll be in the middle of it, running distraction work. It should go smoothly but... well, just thought you should know."

[Zanebry Varliss]

"No mustache." He replied as he let his hands drift to her hips and start to pull her close. "Also I'm sure we will manage something, just remember sometimes you might have to slap some sense into me."

His playfulness halted as she made her next revelation though. "Do you want me to be their? Or at least nearby?" His eyes showed a hint of concern. "I know you said you should be safe, but I know how these things can go."

[Nekoinu]

"Oh I'm sure I'll have to slap some sense into you very often," she teased before planting a kiss on his lips.

On the other matter, she lowered her eyes. "I'm not sure. SIS might get suspicious but it might help to have someone else nearby. I'm supposed to lure the target into an open spot. I doubt his bodyguards will be too careful but I'm not the one taking him out. It'll be another agent eliminating him with a sniper rifle.'

[Zanebry Varliss]

He returned the kiss letting it linger for a moment before they parted.

"Well if you want me to be close I will be, I only need the time and location... Anything else can be left out. I'll go in disguise too, and only come out if you need me." He frowned slightly as she mentioned sniper. "Is the sniper anyone I would know? Are they good?"

[Nekoinu]

"I'm not sure if you know her. Might be best to not leak everything to you." Naveera gave him another peck. "It'll happen in several hours. I aim to take the target over to one of the motels. Hopefully our sniper friend takes him out early."

She smiled weakly. "Sorry."

[Zanebry Varliss]

He looked her in the eyes. "There is nothing for you to apologize for Naveera. I know what your work entails, I'm not going to get upset for you doing your job." There was a short pause. " Perhaps a little jealous. but not upset."

He leaned in for a lingering kiss, his hands drifting from her hips to her butt as he pulled her closer. "After all I have you here with me, and that's all that really matters."

[Nekoinu]

She let out a chuckle. "Yeah, I suppose that's what our work will entail. A bit of jealousy." The twi'lek shrugged. "Or maybe a lot."

Naveera pulled away after a few moments, a thought coming to her. "It doesn't make sense though, Z. It's like he wants to make a spectacle of it. I could easily slip something into his drink or something."

[Zanebry Varliss]

"I'm thinking a lot, but I'm sure their are ways we can get past it." It might take a bit of work on both their parts though.

He couldn't help but sigh softly as she pulled away, still he listened. "That does sound rather unlike him. He prefers to keep things on the down low. I suppose that makes it even more imperative I find out what Evangeline is up to though."

"Do you his actions might have something to do with the peace talks?"

[Nekoinu]

"It'll be lots of work, Z. But we've endured worse, haven't we?"

Naveera grasped his hands as she deliberated more on the matter. "They have to be. Or maybe it's just coincidental. I'm not sure. The target is a slicer with ties to that man, Aris N'ventas."

She then peered at him. "Why do you think Evangeline is involved in this?"

[Zanebry Varliss]

"That we have." A lot worse if he really wanted to be honest about it.

"Sounds like there is more going on then just a simple hit then. Maybe it's connected to whatever Aris wanted to steal?"

"As for Evangeline, I can't say she is involved directly, though my gut says she might be. These peace talks, deaths in the streets, and her avoiding her guards. It simply stinks of a connection..." He frowned softly. "But no, that's not what I was referring to when I brought her up. It's my payment from Jal. Information."

[Ashla Vyliis]

Zane receives an encrypted message:

Hutts trying to put muscle on the Valkyries to lose the next match. Not sure what the Valkyries will decide. Be careful how you bet.

A.V.

Encrypting message: 3eA+1eP+2eD 3 successes, 2 advantage

[Nekoinu]

The active SIS agent nodded. "It must be. Heck, Matthias is keeping it so under the ropes that he won't tell me why we're taking him out." She sighed. "We have to rely on a damn information broker to tell us what's going on."