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May 21st, 2019, 11:10:25 PM
#41
What was she up to?
Schreiger's dark, thin-lipped expression was fleeting.
"I will inform my valet that you'll be staying for dinner - and the night."
He wrung his hands briefly.
"If you have Coruscanti tastes, you may be disappointed in the selection of dinner, Director. I have specific dietary instructions."
It was as much truth as it was an attempt to dissuade her from this farce. Schreiger detested conventional interactions.
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Jun 8th, 2019, 12:20:02 PM
#42
The cloud that so very briefly descended over his features was noticed, but she said nothing. Not now, at any rate.
"I'm not bound by taste so much as you may think, Director. I will eat whatever your cooks prepare, so long as it is local."
He was uncomfortable with this, and she twisted the knife just a small bit more.
"Perhaps you know of a suitable sort of entertainment that we can partake in, on this delightfully out-of-the-way planet upon which you seem to enjoy staying?"
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Jun 8th, 2019, 06:01:54 PM
#43
"As I said before, this is a working retreat."
Schreiger's annoyance stuck to his face, pressing his lips into a thin line.
"My entertainment, as it were, is limited to my art and listening to orchestral pieces during my...analyses."
The ISB Director clenched a black glove fist close to his chin then fidgeted his fingers as he looked away, considering something that remained unsaid. A moment later, he looked back to Esalis.
"I do have something of a side project, however."
His eyes turned to the ceiling.
"Computer, display Project Dawn."
All around them, holographic screens flickered to life, showing dozens of humans - presumably from the village Esalis passed - busy with their day-to-day lives. It was 360 degrees of pure voyeurism on full display. Schreiger said nothing, ignoring Esalis for a moment as he glanced from video to video. His expression turned to one of self-satisfaction.
"Emperor Palpatine held as a foundation of the New Order the primacy of the human race. Their history of adaptation and proliferation against every possible threat in the galaxy meant something more than just happenstance. The human race has shown - time and again - to be the standard of proficiency amongst all sentient life.
I'm interested in that treatise, Director. I want to distill it into its most fundamental essence."
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Jun 8th, 2019, 06:26:59 PM
#44
She gave only a passing glance to the display that showered around them.
"Is that so."
She was well versed enough in what the Emperor had wanted, and was equally knowledgeable in what their Empress wished. Even so, old habit and inclination pressed to the forefront, and R. S. Esalis was happy to oblige those - especially when they aligned with her own wants. Not necessarily what she needed, no. She tended to those well enough. It was not often that she indulged in her wants. Those came secondary.
But, what Schreiger spoke of now, it was something that she was willing to indulge.
A hand lifted to wave dismissively at the projection, even as she let the other reach to him.
"Then let us move on, yes?"
There was a strange curiosity that fueled her actions. And yet, it was also a drive to know more. This strange creature that was so fastidious, so intent to remain pure. She needed to know what drove him, and what fueled his own needs.
"We will discover this treatise. You wish to distill it; let us... explore that."
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Jun 8th, 2019, 07:41:33 PM
#45
Schreiger took a half step back, eyes narrowing slightly.
"What are you doing?"
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Jun 8th, 2019, 07:54:58 PM
#46
Even if he had intended for their observations to be something different, Esalis was unwilling to back away. His half-step back was futile, as she held him close. She pressed into him further, even as her hand gripped the neckline of his uniform. The stiff, starched collar bent to her will, and she used it as thing to bring him ever closer.
"Indulge me, Director," her words were huffed out in a husky purr.
Crisp, cool eyes went from his midsection up to his eyes, "Show me the standard of proficiency that the Emperor held above all else."
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Jun 9th, 2019, 01:59:39 PM
#47
Indignantly, Schreiger pushed away Esalis's hand with his own black-gloved one.
"You are mocking me, Director. I do not appreciate it."
She had barely given his work consideration, and instead was either turning it into a caricature, or worse, she was actually intent on turning this invitation on it's head.
"Eugenics is hardly a laughing matter, nor is it a pretense into, into..."
His words failed him, and Schreiger simply frowned at his gloved fingers as he inspected them.
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Jun 9th, 2019, 04:00:38 PM
#48
"... into your weakness," she finished coolly.
Her grip relented, and she let him gain the space between them that he so craved.
She herself stepped back, tired of the exchange. The reaction she had been witness to was enough, and she filed it away to muse upon at a later time. Half-turning, both of her hands returned to wind together at the small of her back.
"Have one of your underlings see me to my room, Director. I will take my dinner there, and tomorrow I will happily depart your presence."
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Jun 9th, 2019, 04:53:52 PM
#49
Hot and then immediately cold again. What was Esalis's game here? He was annoyed, deeply annoyed that he'd brought her into his confidence in order to be rebuked in this way.
Schreiger re-adjusted his collar to return it to order.
"My valet will see to your needs. Good evening."
His attention again returned to the ceiling.
"Computer, close projection."
The holograms disappeared, and Schreiger strode out of the living room onto a balcony, giving him much needed space from his guest.
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Jun 9th, 2019, 05:02:12 PM
#50
It was a strange thing to see, his flustered nature at being derailed in such a fashion. But it was necessary, and it was a thing that she could learn from. He seemed distracted, unhappy with how she had moved close, then allowed him the space that he so indignantly demanded. It was a thing to ponder over, there was no doubt of that.
The valet was swift, ushering her away to a room that was as simple as it was clean and elegant all the same. Nothing out of place, everything as it was supposed to be.
There was a bed, lavish and made with sheets of the highest threadcount, no doubt. A desk of polished teekwood. A lush sofa that had been imported, she guessed. A low caf table of the same teekwood, a small rounded table with two chairs. It was all spartan, yet luxurious in the same breath.
The valet turned to leave, but she turned to him.
"My pilot has my sundries. Make sure that they are delivered with speed."
"Yes Ma'am, I will."
"Good."
An unspoken dismissal, and she was alone once more.
Moving to the foot of the bed, Esalis slowly lowered herself to sit, one leg crossing over the other as she let her thoughts return to the behavior that she had been witness to not long before.
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