Volary

It was only habit that drew the lone cop's eyes to the door, normally scanning the entrant for possible weapons hidden or otherwise. However this long cool woman in a black dress was one that he knew, and it wasn't exactly habit that made him raise his eyebrows. Their eyes met a beat after she was inside the door, and her lips curved into a smile all for him. Has she followed him? It was possible, he supposed, as the card in his wallet came to mind. Aside from what she had written on it, the card was blank, but it wouldn't have been that strange for there to have been some sort of tracking spell or otherwise. The officer set aside the brown bottle in his hand as she took a seat next to him, ordering that same drink that she had at the casino. A favorite, he assumed.

"And a pleasure meeting you again. For someone who gets nervous around cops, you seem happy to see me." His voice was smooth and playful, much as it had been when they first met and he had been trying to get information, however, this time the smirk he held reached his eyes, as he took in her figure. If she was there to try and kill him, he might as well enjoy the sight.

"So did you miss me, or are you here on business? I'm afraid I hadn't found the time to give you a call, until now, and here you just fall into my lap. Sadly, not literally."

Like before, he showed literally no fear of her, mildly cocky, though he had no reason to be cold to her at that moment. He leaned against the bar in a casual manner, his wings folded loosely, though Isis would realized that when they last met, the man had been without the silver feathered wings. They were definitely a feature that one wouldn't miss, and every now and then, one would be able to see a stray patron eyeing the unusual appearance.

Glad that they served her favorite drink, Isis took the glass and dumped its contents down her throat. Sighing happily as it cascaded down to her stomach, she nodded towards the ‘keep to keep them coming. Returning her attention towards Xas, she was glad to see that he hadn’t lost his sense of humor, though this time he seemed a bit more relaxed. Maybe it was the casino that had the two of them so tense, though she wasn’t completely sure if that was the case. Either way, he seemed somewhat glad to see her, and she just shrugged at his cop comment. She hadn’t been nervous around him, just not in the mood to deal with the law. This time was different, because she had deliberately searched him out. Though, she wasn’t quite sure why she was so excited to see him. Maybe it was because deep down, she had felt a slight connection with the man.

Drinking a few more of the shot-sized glasses of kamikaze, Isis stuck out her tongue at him, almost poking fun at his comment that she hadn’t literally fallen into his lap. He definitely was the same as she had remembered. Well, save for a slight difference that revolved around silver feathered wings that she was fairly certain hadn’t been there previously. Arching a brow, Isis couldn’t help but reach out a hand and slide her fingers across the feathers gently. She wasn’t one for touching without permission, but in this case, she just couldn’t help herself. Returning her attention towards him, she tried to keep from leaning forward towards him a lot considering how low cut her dress happened to be at the moment.

“A little bit of both, actually. I’ve actually been looking for you since you left the casino as we never finished our conversation. I could have fallen into your lap, literally, but then people would gossip and I just can’t have that. Not unless I’m doing it on purpose, but I don’t want to enthrall you like that… you’re not like the others…” Realizing she was pretty close to giving herself away, she downed another three shot glasses and decided to change the subject.

“So, what’s with the wings?”

Xas took the time to sip his own drink while Isis helped herself to a couple more shots. He didn't mind, since the brew was something local, and had a smooth earthy flavor to it. In fact he had made a mental note to recommend it to the others in his branch, in the case they had to come this way. Maybe not the closest member, though, who had been less than thrilled to hear that Xas had stranded himself. He noted her casual manner in gulping down the shots, guessing that she had a significant fortitude, and possibly an immunity to poison.

When she stuck her tongue out at him, he only smirked in return, wrinkling his brow slightly in what hadn't quite become laughter, but was close. He played with the idea of making a comment that might have been considered a touch lewd, when fingers brushed over the soft down of his wing. A hot lightning seemed to shoot though the man's body, making his chest tight, and reminding him a little too well just how sensitive those wings were. The sensation was accompanied with a sharp intake of air, and a tightening of Xas's jaw, but his only other reaction was to resettle his wings and to sit a little differently, so to hide anything....awkward.

Isis's voice luckily made it a touch easier to focus, though he had almost been too distracted to catch her small slip. She enthralled others? A few possibilities ran though his mind, though he spoke as if he hadn't noticed, instead chuckling softly,"I'd imagine you're not like the others, yourself. After all, all the comic dust in the 'verse came together and formed you." He paused at the question, shifting his wings again, though this time he folded them a little more formally,"Oh these? I kept them put away last you saw me because it seemed to be mostly humans there. Here there are plenty of wings around so I thought I'd stretch them out a little. Where I'm from, I'm just called an Atlantian, though here I guess I'd just be a winged human? Silver,"The thumbed back at a wing,"Is pretty common among cops and doctors. Maybe it means that we're predispositioned to want to help others." He shrugged again,"Why? They bother you?"

The barkeep after growing tired of constantly refilling her shot glasses finally made up a few pitchers and placed them in front of Isis. Nodding her thoughts, she started to sip from the pitcher, but thought that to be un-ladylike, so instead she continually filled up her shot glasses. Normally she didn’t really drink this much, but after losing her home and her human servant, her affliction for booze intensified. Maybe it was Jason that had kept her from indulging so much or perhaps it was the fact that he couldn’t drink as much as her, so she tried to keep from overdoing it while around him. Either way, it didn’t matter because he had been taken from her, so she spent the majority of her time boozing it up. It helped that the alcohol didn’t affect her at all, so she could have as many pitchers as she wanted. As long as she could afford it, of course.

While partaking of the liquid that would normally knock a normal female on their butt, Isis found herself watching Xas. She wasn’t just scrutinizing him with her eyes, but with her special abilities as well. Her overly sensitive nose picked up the different pheromones that his body was producing and she arched a brow. She also noticed the way he tightened his jaw and shifted his position before repositioning his wings. It was very apparent to the Siren that his wings were a direct gateway to his other body parts; specifically one that most women coveted. The enchantress was immediately intrigued, but for the moment, kept her devious thoughts and desires to herself.

Her velvet-soft lips parted as his comment concerning how she was formed, and she couldn’t help but smile softly. That was probably the nicest thing someone had said to her, and though her father certainly felt differently, her mother probably said something like that when she was born. Luckily, before she had a chance to dwell on it any longer than necessary, he had answered her questions about the wings. So, he had them back in the casino? She mused on that while he went on to explain what he was and why they were silver in color. When asked if they bothered her, she shook her head, finishing off the first pitcher with a wink.

“’Course not, Xas. I was just curious since I wasn’t aware you had them before. I find them extremely interesting and I’m glad you feel comfortable enough to be yourself." Unable to behave herself any further, she leaned close to him once again and slid her fingers across the wing closest to her current location.

“Is this bothering you…?” Her voice had dropped down to a whisper, her lips inches from his ear.

Xas gain noted the sheer amount that Isis was drinking, though he wasn't privy to her inner thoughts, and could only guess at why she would imbibe so much. Maybe she liked the drink that much, maybe she just wanted to show off. Maybe she wanted to forget something, and maybe, just maybe, she couldn't. For a moment she looked as if she was about to drink from the actual pitcher, but decided not to, only adding to the mystery. Maybe she needed the stuff to survive? It seemed of little importance for the most part, though the way she was going, she might have been trying to pickle herself.

Xas was pretty sure he had managed not to show any weakness for the moment, and took his time to figure out just why she was there. Honestly it seemed as if she was fully interested in him, which made him question if she had anything to do with his assignment. She commented on the fact she didn't know about his wings before, and he shrugged,"If you saw them all the time they probably wouldn't be so inter-" he choked on his words as she played her fingers though his feathers, sending chills though the sensitive flesh beneath. Normally that sensitivity was used to sense air pressure and low vibrations, but the caress of a mischievous woman was enough to unsettle the lawman's usual stoic disposition.

As Isis leaned in to playfully taunt, Xas lifted a hand to rest on the small of her back, strongly resisting doing anything more than that, as he leaned in, his breath hot on her ear. His voice was a soft growl of restraint though clenched teeth,"Let's just say it bothers me so much that I'd like to do violently romantic things to you, and if you keep it up, I might just show you exactly what I mean. But I am a gentleman, and you are a lady, so I'll ask you kindly to stop until we find somewhere more private."

Even though she wasn’t sure what Xas would do if she continued messing with something that caused such a reaction in his lower region, Isis couldn’t help herself. Part of it was due to curiosity while the other half was due to what she had been turned into. Leaning back, she finished off the last of the pitchers that the barman had sat in front of her and she waved him off before he could bring anything else. She hadn’t really had her fill yet, but it wouldn’t take people long to realize just how much she had been drinking and the last thing she wanted was to be interrogated or whatever. This was especially true since she showed absolutely no signs of being drunk, because frankly, she wasn’t. It was to the point where drinking just wasn’t fun for her anymore. Shaking off the nagging thoughts, Reign returned her attention to him, her fingers still stroking his wing almost absentmindedly. He had started to say something, but choked on his words before getting out the full sentence.

“Mmm… seems like I’ve found the right spot.”

Feeling his hand pressed against the small of her back, she was suddenly very aware of how low the back of her dress went due to the heat of his hand. Arching a brow, she couldn’t help but shiver when he leaned close to her ear and growled softly. Thought, it wasn’t that he was leaning close, but what he whispered in her ear. She wanted to keep messing with his wing, but since he asked kindly and since she didn’t really want to do anything in front of the locals, Isis dropped her hand down, resting it upon his thigh.

“For now, I shall behave myself, but know that it’s going against my very nature and therefore might do weird things to my personality. I would explain more, but there are far too many ears… too many people that would do terrible things to me if they knew exactly what I was… people like you, perhaps… I don’t know. I would hope you would accept my true nature, but most don’t.”

As Miles Hagan had delivered the initial communication that he was the one who happened to own Shanthi, and having learned that the Galaxy Police had been snooping around in the Aschen Slave registry. He figured it was high time he figured out how to return Shanthi, and thus profit from the whole exchange.

It was at the Volarian Spaceport that Tech Con had decided to rear it's ugly head.

Though a spaceport like the one in Volary was likely much better suited for Taiyou ships, the Aschen vessel found no difficulty landing on one of the spaceport's designated landing pads.

As it settled in, the rather ornate Tech Con private transport opened up with an audible hiss, two well dressed Tech Con bodyguards following suit, and then Hagan himself slowly emerged from the transport.

Avantia swept through the city with two dozen of her royal guard and a translator in tow. Her brow was furrowed and her steps just shy of hurried. She was far too dignified to let any urgency into her steps as they neared the space port. The city was in a bit of a stir with the arrival of the Aschen vessel, and its very much armed tech con mercenaries. It had only been by her direct orders that the vessel had been permitted to land.

Perhaps it was a lapse in judgement as Kamil has warned her, but she wasn't going to stand on a matter of legalities if this man was indeed in possession of Shanthi as he had claimed when he had first contacted her.

As they approached the landing pad where Miles Hagan was being escorted, Avantia moved forward from her own guards, flanked by only two as the rest held back. Their weapons were out, but lowered, and they were clearly uneasy at the Aschen weapons on scene.

"Mr. Hagan," Avantia greeted as she and her own guards reached the landing pad.

Her eyes glanced to the transport, and she briefly wondered if Shanthi herself was aboard it. She could have the ship seized, but if she were mistaken and the girl was still on Langara, it could well cost her any chance of recovering her.

"It is not often that we receive visitors from the Aschen Empire," she told him as the translator at her side repeated her words in the common Terran tongue - a language she hoped Miles was familiar with. She had been informed that most Aschen spoke it. "I understand you have come to discuss a matter of mutual interest? That of Shanthi Hakkar."

As Hagan approached and listened to Avantia, he nodded slightly as she, or rather her translator mentioned an issue of mutual interest.

"It so happens that I have Shanthi Hakkar in my possession, as you probably know, indentured service is legal in the Aschen Empire, and though the means to acquire her here may have been illegal, my means of purchasing her were; absolving me from any culpability in the matter." He said, leaning against his jeweled cane.

"So, we have a little bit of an economical dilemma, you see; I purchased Shanthi fair and square, and for a premium I might add." Hagan said, shifting his stance.

"Therefore, there's no incentive for me to return her back to you, since I would be at a financial loss, as well as a loss for any tangible goods or services she provides." The Tech con CEO Explained.

"A sum of twenty million Aschen cubits, followed by exclusive economic permission to expand Tech Con group to this region are my only, very amicable terms."

Anger edged into Avantia's eyes at Miles Hagan's demands, and there was a twinge of the muscles along the edges of her jaw before she simply turned and swept away much to the surprise of those accompanying her. Her guards dutifully moved to follow her but her translator was left looking somewhat flustered.

"Ah... she'll have your answer for you in the morning," he explained to Miles Hagan before he moved to hurry after the Matriarch who was already clear of the ramp leading up to the landing pad.

The Aschen Businessman huffed slightly.

"If you refuse my offer, you'll never see her again!" He shouted, hoping to turn the slave into a way to make a profit.

"Maybe I'll sell her to the Aschen Government! They're always looking for new labrats!" He shouted, and flustered, the man whipped back around and began his way back to the transport.

"She doesn't know a good deal that's staring her in the face." He muttered.

Miles' answer came the following morning as promised, though it was not Avantia herself who delivered it. An emissary had been sent in her stead to meet with the Aschen businessman on the matter of Shanthi. The tensions of the day prior were not present this morning, and the emissary was meeting with Miles Hagan aboard his transport.

"Mr. Hagan," the young avorian woman greeted. "The Matriarch regrets to inform you that your request for Tech Con expansion is simply not doable at this time, but she graciously hopes that you will accept her counter offer of fifty million Aschen cubits. It is a very generous sum that should more than compensate for any losses you might have otherwise accrued."

The offer was two and a half times the twenty million he had initially demanded, and well over triple the fifteen million he had purchased Shanthi at.

The Tech Con executive frowned as he listened to the news being brought back to him. "Fifty million, so she wants to pick and choose what part of the deal she can get." He scowled. Fifty million could pay for an investment elsewhere. "Fine." he scoffed, and then closed the transport door in the Avorian woman's face.

Two Tech Con mercenaries scowled at her, as the transport's engines began to fire up.

Hagan turned to the pilot, and leaned back in his plush chair.

"Take me back to Langara." He demanded.