Cloud City Bespin
High above the gaseous mines of the planet Bespin, floating above white and orange cumulus giants, a city bustled with excitement. A grand tournament was soon to begin, the invited guests all hailing from families of mangnanmus wealth and prosperity. Music echoed across the sky, filling the open air with festive celebration.
The Cloud City Sabbaac Championships begin!!!
The man clad in a navy blue suit exited his suite at the famous Grand Bespin Hotel. His mission was simple; as far as the citizens of Cloud City were concerned, he was a bachelor. Though was not a completely foreign concept to him, it felt odd considering he was very committed to a certain Sephi. But if it everything went according to plan, they would walk out with a few thousand credits.
Avery left the hotel, hailing a transit to the Pair O'Dice casino. The ride made him reflect on the plan and how the night might unfold. He promised if he witnessed anyone get a little too handsy with her, he wouldn’t retaliate. She could handle herself and was a good actress. But even sometimes she could have him fooled. In the same way, he would put on his biggest smile and charm for their audience.
The transport shuttle slowed to a stop in front of the casino, Avery tipping his pilot well enough. He offered a thanks before exiting the vehicle. He looked up at the casino, remembering the table number she wrote down for their reserved game of sabacc.
Good thing he had time to grab a drink. He walked through the crowd of people, offering nods and smiles, getting looks from both men and women alike. Not anything he wasn’t used to.
He ordered his drink at the bar, looking around the spacious casino for the love of his life. It was only a moment before his eyes found her form as she was chatting with a small group. To say she looked amazing was an understatement. And after everything he grieved her with recently, she surely deserved to have some fun. He wasn’t supposed to approach her yet, so he sipped his drink and swiveled his chair back to facing the bar counter. To his right was a silver-haired Mirialan which reminded him of… Matcha. The woman had taken up a little too much real estate in his mind recently especially after her stunt on Nar Shaddaa. Undeniably, she was beautiful but he only had eyes for his Eevie, right?
He pushed the thought aside and sipped his beverage, aiming to loosen up a little, not get hammered, waiting for their time to come.
The sights, the sounds. The ambiance of the Pair O'Dice was a familiar realm to the Sephi. She used to spend days at a time in such locales, gambling, drinking, and dancing her worries away. That all seemed like so long ago, but so easily she slipped back into her old party persona.
Wearing a red dress with one shoulder and arm exposed, and her v line cut on display, Eevie was the picture of attraction. As per normal, her many scars were covered with specially made prostechic skin grafts. She wasn’t embarrassed by her scars or anything, in fact she loved them for they were a sign of her stregnth. She just needed to be in character.
And so here she was, Adaliegh Mar'osse. Daughter of a wealthy businessman who was here to spend her daddy’s money. She walked through the droves of men admiring her…assets. Her cadence was one of singular focus and wisdom-less intellect.
As she joked and talked, she caught his gaze from across the room. The man she desired. The one she loved above all else. Her Avery Watson. They had designed this plan together, and they both had their parts to play. With just a glance unto his eyes, her confidence soared. Regardless of any recent personal follies, he had her back, and she wanted his all.
“Miss Adaliegh, I do hope you’ll join our table for the tournament. How could we resist your company on this night.”
“Oh my, what a nice invitation. I dare say I’ve never gambled much before. Im.not sure I know all the rules to these card games.”
“Oh I ensure you, we’ll teach you everything you need to know. We’ll take good care of you Ms. Mar'osse.”
The high born man paced a hand in the small of her back, guiding the Sephi towards a table being set up. She gave a brief joyful reaction to the situation, giving Avery the slightest of signals. Their mark for the evening was this man, Gareth Batrod, very wealthy son of the Batrod family. He was deeply involved in a slave ring, and he needed his fortune to be…taken advantage of.
Avery’s hazel orbs couldn’t drink in enough of the ruby dress she wore. Her appearance drew the attention of strangers which was to be expected. This was good practice for him. She had painstakingly demonstrated that she was his and no one else’s and she earned his trust.
The man accompanying Eevie was just in line with their plan. Though that was the plan, Avery was not particularly a fan of the way Gareth looked at and touched his Eevie. But the mission was more important than the Human’s juvenile jealousy. It did however give him incentive to make sure they succeeded in their goal and humble this brat.
At her signal, he finished his drink and rose to his feet. The tournament was about to begin. As the suit-clad man started to make his way to their table, a hand clasped his shoulder. If he was startled, there was no visible reaction. Jax was a master teacher and one thing the hybrid man taught him was though a foe may take him by surprise, he should never give them the upper hand by letting them know that.
“Baby brother,” the voice said, arm slipping around Avery’s shoulder. “It’s been quite a while. Father’s been worried about you.”
“Eph,” Avery greeted with a lukewarm smile. It was clear he was not thrilled by his brother’s cameo. “And not enough to call. Only if it pertains to his legacy then and only then does he has vested interest. Otherwise I’m a stain on his precious name.”
“I’m surprised that you haven’t learned that almost everything in this galaxy is transactional. Including relationships. Speaking of which, I know which one is yours,” Ephraim said in a melodic voice walked along side his brother, smelling of alcohol and potentially spice. “Riiiight over there.”
He pointed at Eevie with a grin. “You do a terrible job at not gawking. I’m on to your little game. And the Batrod’s are one of father’s favorite investors so be careful. Oh— she’s quite the looker. Well done, Aves. I would most certainly devour her if I could.”
“You won’t,” Avery said, annoyed by his brother’s antics.
“Well you’ve never been much fun have you? Maybe if I let you have my wife for a night, I could have your lady? Seems like a fair trade. Janet has always been fond of you…”
Avery was disgusted. But he maintained his composure and act, his smile growing until it reached his eyes. “You’ll have to kill me first.”
“So intense. Miss Mar’osse is an exemplary woman. I’m proud of you.”
Avery wasn’t sure if he meant it but shrugged off his brother’s arm so it was no longer over his shoulders. They both continued walking until they arrived at the game table, both getting looks. It had been a while since the Watson brothers were seen together publicly. Avery continued to pretend to be a stranger to everyone at the table offering a polite greeting to the eyes of their group. His brother deliberately took a seat next to Eevie and introduced himself.
“Glad you could make it Miss Adaleigh.” He held his hand out for her to take, his eyes briefly drifting to Avery. “You should meet my brother.”
Avery was across the table as was their plan, a little too distracted to bask in the attention of the others around the table. His brother was trying to get under his skin.
Adaleigh had been hanging on the arm of Gareth Batrod when the familiar looking man offered his hand. He looked so similar in many ways to her real lover, that a familial relation was clear. It was this familiarity that helped her maintain composure when he offered up Avery to her on a silver platter. Ephraim’s gaze held a knowing look, and the Sephi inwardly wondered if he planned on disrupting their goals.
“Oh my, the handsome gene must run in y'alls family. Certainly nice to look at, you are. But I must confess, you’ve me at a loss. You know my name, but have yet to give your own.”
Gareth glared at the Watson brothers. He felt they were strong in on his quarry. But this wasn’t the space to cause a ruckus.
“His name is Ephraim, my beautiful starlett. His father is well known for his business mind, and the sons are all too willing, it seems, to hang off of their father’s coattails.” After speaking he leaned over to place a kiss on top of Adaleigh’s head. She gave a brief look to Avery showing displeasure in her eyes of the interaction. He then pulled back and calmed his composure. “My apologies, that was rude of me. I’m sure your family is strong in root and branch. I hope we can all just enjoy a night of gambling fun and frivolity.”
Avery watched the scene unfold, his resolve to keep his composure waning. After hailing one of the many roaming servers for a drink he sipped it. Gareth had quickly become his least favorite person in the galaxy, his brother, a close second. Seeing Batrod touch her and then kiss her was all the confirmation he needed to never agree to something like this again. The grip he had on his glass turned his knuckles white. His emotions were hidden behind his smile and the glance his lover gave him was the reminder he needed that this was all an act. The youngest Watson sibling rose from the chair, keen on interposing himself into the small group that formed.
“I hope so too,” Avery said, his head and chest high, his charming smile bright. “And apology accepted. We can all speak ignorantly and out of turn without realizing at times.”
His gaze shifted to the mysterious Sephi. “I must admit, my brother is far more knowledgeable on names and people at functions such as these. How he didn’t share the name of such an astonishing woman such as yourself, is beyond me. I’m Avery.” The doctor held out his drink-free hand, for Adeleigh to take.
Meanwhile Ephraim chuckled, sipping on a glass of champagne, murmuring into the glass something about coattails. The comment rubbed the eldest brother the wrong way and unfortunately for the group, he wasn’t as methodical as his younger brother. Being under the influence didn’t help the runny mouth the junior possessed. “I shouldn’t be compared to him. He hasn’t exactly been a shining example of what it means to be a Watson. Surely you agree, Gareth. Even if he’s been absolved of all his alleged crimes, appearances are everything. I don’t wish to be compared to a man who strikes women.”
Avery pressed his glass-clad hand into the center of his brother’s chest, as if to tell him not the time or place. The scathing words did strike the younger sibling in his heart but again, he maintained his composure. “As candid as ever, Eph. But I understand. I hope my repentance has been enough for you and father. But that’s not why we’re here. There’s a game to play!”