Thalassa

*Tyra fidgets a bit for a moment, having slowed in her pace as she approached the entrance to the Slayer's abode. The usual high class wear has been discarded for her usual 'work' get up (her approach to the place having been through less obvious means as well to avoid being spotted and identified,) The mask for the moment is left off, her hair braided up as well. A few more steps, a hesitant knock.
<Merilan> [ There is silence for a moment. There's a… small light that seems to be 'scanning' her, but then a voice announces, "Enter." ]
*Tyra can't help but cock an eyebrow at that, tilting her head. "That, I don't remember seeing before." She does as she's told however.
<Merilan> [ Tyra is foisted into the same empty house. She should be familiar with this from the last time she was here. ]
*Tyra is, going through the process once more to enter proper with a chuckle. "Well, that's still the same."
*Xiri is now known as Thalassa
*Thalassa is in that same sordid apartment, but… something's different. She's not in the Slayer garb at all — in its stead, in the stead of that faceless woman of the dark that hunts criminals — is … Xiri. Except… it's definitely not Xiri. There's none of that warmth, none of that energy pulsating through her. She's seated at her couch, her legs drawn up, dressed in an off-white robe with a simple gray tassle.
*Thalassa does question in the Slayer tone, a small orb having obviously told her who's coming in, "Why are you here?"
*Tyra is put off by this for a heartbeat, though soon her blue eyes have narrowed some. Business face, it looks like. "Well, that does answer one question. To talk, honestly. I know Xiri but I know very little about the Slayer, or the one under the Slayer's hood."
*Thalassa 's eyes are… recessed, slightly; they've bags around them, and her hair is very gently mussed. There's a certain kind of… unhealthiness that just exudes from her very presence, her body language, the way her limbs are somewhat clammy and limp. "'Very little' is how I preferred it, thank you."
*Tyra crosses her arms under her chest, frowning at her general appearance. "I'm a bit nosy. I've even been digging up what I could on the fellow in the picture you gave me." She strides forward, coming to a stop right in front of her and leaning in close, examining her. "You look like you could use a chat or something, too. Maybe a rest."
*Thalassa recesses a bit more into herself, her arms bracing her knees as Tyra draws in closer. "Stop there," she warns.
*Tyra tilts her head a bit. She doesn't get closer, but she also doesn't pull back.
*Thalassa 's eyes snap forward. There's a certain mixture of both fear, and a predatory look, like a wounded animal that's appraising her… "You're looking into Arkhan."
<Tyra> Yes, I am.
*Thalassa peers intently to say… no, to hiss, "Don't you ever dare link yourself back to me, if you get caught."
*Tyra cants her head some, frowning. "Thank you for the vote of confidence in my abilities and sense of what to say and not say. I'm just digging through rumors and researching, no actual wetwork. What I /do/ have is questions and suspicions of what links there are between you and him."
*Thalassa doesn't stop frowning back at her. There's no sense of appreciation here, like what Xiri might have. "Arkhan is MY prey." Her legs slide down slightly as she rises, staring her down and her eyes getting that little glint of fury in them. "I don't know what YOUR business is with him."
<Tyra> You made it my business when you gave me his photo. Did you expect me to not dig into it?
*Tyra surprisingly enough doesn't seem intimidated, a tad different from the last time she was here.
*Thalassa 's eyebrows lower as she mutters, "Then that was my mistake, wasn't it. What do you want to know?" She stalks towards the kitchen, moving past her without a second regard.
<Tyra> Why is he your prey?
*Thalassa is gone, and is moving to her kitchen to get a drink. She gulps it down, straight from… the bottle, it seems. She shuts the fridge door, and then responds, in a seemingly light and mocking tone, her lips in a flat and sardonic scoff, "He's an evil bastard."
*Tyra follows after her, looking a bit surprised at the bottle guzzling. "So were all the other people you offed. What makes this one /special/?"
*Thalassa wipes the back of her mouth as she leans forward and sits on a stool in the kitchen. "You really are nosy, aren't you."
*Tyra leans against the wall, arms crossed again. "You found me nosing about a rival company's CEO office and didn't notice until now? What's today's poison?"
*Thalassa pauses again. She peers upwards, her chin tilted up, towards the ceiling for a moment, hands held down against her stool's side… and then hehs. And then again. And then breaks out into an unsettling little laugh as she says, "Oh, you. You really won't give me my" Total deadpan. "Peace until I tell you, will you…"
*Tyra shrugs. "Proooobably not." She actually smirks for a moment, tilting her head. "If you want I can toss a random theory stewing in my mind first, if that tickles your fancy."
*Thalassa tilts her head, the flat expression still on her face.
*Tyra taps a finger on her arm, nothing if not patient.
*Thalassa raises her eyebrows. "… and this theory would be?"
*Tyra sighs. "Fine. Give me a shot of whatever you were drinking, then." She pushes off the wall, taking a seat on a stool as she looks at Thalassa. "Info on Sol is hardly lacking. Typical cutthroat businessman, very likely to be sour enough to be on the chopping block. The /curious/ thing is twofold with some noticable gaps of information."
<Tyra> First, Ishvae /Fae'driel/. Well known, beloved, pioneer in medical techniques and such. Sol had a hand in the production of the things that came from her. Somewhat out of character for him, but maybe so he can put it under tax deductions or something of the sort. I'm not an accountant and the thought of such terrifies me.
*Thalassa leans back towards the fridge and takes it out again. It's an unlabelled glass bottle with… milk in it. She slides it over the counter towards her. On that second comment, though, her eyes sort of flit over, away from Tyra; away from any sort of focus. They're glancing around, and her teeth jitter slightly as she gets up and pads away towards the couch again. "Ishvae…" she says distantly.
*Tyra takes the bottle, examining it for a moment before shrugging and taking a gulp and setting it down. She follows after the other woman though, frowning for a heartbeat. "Second, the other one with far less information. Thalassa Nalvarin. Practically nothing on her, died in a car accident. Other than that, a blank as far as my own digging could go."
*Thalassa is drinking soy milk. How weird. She crawls on her chair again and grabs a blanket from the table, wrapping it around her and pulling it around herself again. "How terrible," she distractedly murmurs.
*Tyra comes to a stop in front of Thalassa, crossing her arms and leaning in again. Somehow, she manages the same exact minor bit of space between them as she did before. "My Elven and my knowledge when it comes to Eladrin isn't as sharp as it could be, but the shared surnames between Ishvae and Xiri is curious. Your reaction hints there's something deeper here."
<Tyra> Somewhere in there is where the link between you and him lies, but it's sufficiently buried that barring an actual smash and grab into /his/ place I can't ferret out much more.
*Thalassa leans her head in, somewhat crookedly. She questions, "And what would knowing this link do for you, hmm?" as she sort of rocks herself back and forth on her couch, then leaning in on the side of a chair to whisper again, "Ishvae…"
<Tyra> Indulge me. Curiosity is a horrible distraction and I don't want to end up having to get /real/ rash and actually break into the guy's office and home to dig it up. I'm not going to stop digging, but I need a foundation to work with.
*Tyra leans in a bit more, face to face, noses almost touching now.
*Thalassa leans further in, now, noses touching as she stares at her, stares -so- hard that she can almost see her eyeballs pop out… and then leans back onto her chair, extending her hand as she lets out an offbeat chuckle. "How do you do. I'm Thalassa Nalvarin."
*Tyra takes that rather in stride, reaching out to take Thalassa's hand and shake it. "A pleasure. Tyraline Paskell. Rumors of your death seem to be rather exaggerated."
*Thalassa 's eyes seem to be wandering off again. "Yes… yes they have, haven't they." She rocks back and forth and says, "A dead woman rising from the grave, adopting a persona to destroy those who swear the same profession as he does." She pulls her legs in tighter against her as she rolls her head towards the other side. "What a crazy bitch."
*Tyra winces for a moment, actually taking a seat next to Thalassa now. "Right. What happened, then?"
*Thalassa looks away again and says, "Someone set up a car to hit me. Then that car put a few bullets in me. Then the car picked me up and dumped me under the Paxian wharfs." She seems positively mental as she giggles a little. It's that sort of dark little giggle, complete with her cupping her hand over her mouth. "How unfortunate."
*Tyra tilts her head. "Forgive the frankness, but how are you walking and talking then?"
*Thalassa shrugs somewhat absentmindedly as she suggests, "I guess that car wasn't as good at killing people as it wanted to be?"
*Tyra gives Thalassa a flat stare. "I'm sure the car is very disappointed. What happened?"
*Thalassa leans towards Tyra to grab her hand forcefully and then press it on her chest, between her breasts, and then part it slowly to reveal the glowing magitech heart underneath, its cyberware infused between her skin. "Ishvae gave me a new lease on life."
*Tyra can't help but stare for a few moments, face going slack. Eventually she actually runs a finger across the visible magitech. "…how…"
*Thalassa pulls the robe shut again as she presses her hand slowly to Tyra's cheek… before sliding away and pulling up, her smile sort of crooking again as she stares off towards the distance, sitting on the coffee table. "Magitech, of course. It's always… magitech."
<Tyra> Right, but. Who. How.
*Tyra for once doesn't pursue, remaining on the couch.
*Thalassa leans down and lies on the table, spreading her arms out. "Ishvae, silly. Ishvae has traded her life for mine. What a fool…"
*Tyra gets to her feet again, stepping over to the table to look down at Thalassa. She actually reaches over to place her hand on the other woman's forehead, keeping the contact minimal but there. "Sol. Ishvae. You. What happened there to cause all this?"
*Thalassa hisses as she grabs Tyra's wrist again and shoves it away, both her legs kipping up. She hisses as she suddenly moodswings again towards a somewhat violent nature, her face distorted as she says, "What happens when anything like this happens in this city? Someone says the wrong thing? Order a hit on them. They have something you want? Have your goons sweep them under the rug."
*Thalassa actually bounces on the balls of her feet several times, bunnyhopping over towards an empty corner of the apartment with her arms extended. "Yes… it's all pretty easy when you're at the top of the chain, aren't you. Just… a telegram, the right mood… 'M' for murder."
*Tyra almost grabs Thalassa's hand back, releasing it before her grip is solid as the woman bunnyhops away. She follows after, looking worried and a tad confused. "How isn't he a cooling corpse already, then?"
*Thalassa stops, and then hurries over towards a little… plastic horn? just sitting very randomly on the side of a table. She blows it, toot toot, as she points at Tyra. "The question of the day, isn't it. Why is Arkhan alive? Why hasn't the Slayer gone and slain him already?" There's a very stressed sort of tone to both the look on her face and her tone of voice now, as if she's gone and talked about all of this for just a wee b
*Tyra frowns, biting her lip for a moment and still daring to step towards Thalassa. "Well, yes."
*Thalassa toot toots again as she takes a step back, physically, bodily behaving like someone who's being beset by an assailant. Her eyes are trembling as she mutters, "He spends all his time away. He spends all his time under protection…" But she's unconvincing as she mutters further, before her eyes snap together as she glares at Tyra. "It isn't his time… yet."
*Tyra takes another step, attempting to look as nonthreatening as possible. She meets the glare without flinching though, credit to her for that. "So… what, just waiting for his guard to be lax? Who decided to bring you back? Was it Ishvae after the hit, or..?"
*Thalassa drops to her knees again at that last mention of Ishvae, clutching the horn really tight as her expression sort of moils down towards a look of petrified terror. "Ishvae. Ishvae Ishvae Ishvae…" she mutters, out of this world again. She takes one gulp of air as she stares, head tilted, staring towards Tyra… eyes unfocused.
*Tyra crouches down in front of Thalassa, reaching out to place her hands on the other woman's shoulders in an attempt to reassure her. She speaks softly, actually switching to Elven. "Easy, Thalassa. Calm down."
*Thalassa 's eyes droop down as her hair hangs down in front of her face, but then she leans forward and hugs her tightly as she mutters, "Ishvae."
*Thalassa 's eyes shut as she hugs her, clings to her tighter and says, "Ishy. I've missed you."
*Tyra winces, expression thankfully hidden from Thalassa's sight. She schools her expression into a reassuring smile quickly enough though, not saying anything as she just wraps her arms around Thalassa as well in an reassuring embrace.
*Thalassa pulls away again, and then stares at Tyra, and says, "How long are you staying this time?"
*Tyra waits another moment, mind whirling through options and possibilites. She's in far deeper than she had expected to go, apparently past the point of no return for the time being. She maintains a good poker face of sorts, simply speaking in Elven with another reassuring smile. "As long as you need."
*Thalassa 's face brightens slightly as she says, "Really? You'll… stay over the summer as well? But how about your work?"
*Tyra stays the course for the moment, though her eyes flicker past Thalassa for a moment, tilting her head ever so slightly. "I can juggle things around, reschedule a few others. I meant what I said, Thalassa." She's even managing to replicate the usual Eladrin accents and mannerisms to a decent degree as well at this point.
*Thalassa 's lips quiver a little in delight as she pulls in and hugs her again, squealing a little to say, "You're the best, Ishy."
*Tyra tightens the embrace again, nodding and closing her eyes against the tears welling up in them. Her voice shakes for a moment as she half buries her face in Thalassa's hair. "No, no, come on. It's the least I could do."
<Thalassa> [ At this point, there's a noise from one of the rooms, and the sound of footsteps. The door opens to reveal an off-white robed woman holding a familiar red and black suit, going, "Sorry about the delay, but the tears we—" A pause. "Oh… am I interrupting something?" ]
*Thalassa does herself freeze in time for a brief split second… before hurrying and racing towards the outfit, grabbing it as she disappears into the adjacent room, locking herself in it and pushing said woman out to stall Tyra with her.
*Tyra doesn't get much time to react in the whirlwind of motion, simply taking a seat on the floor and wrapping her arms about herself. She doesn't acknowledge the woman, the tears actually flowing now as she mutters a series of rich Elven curses under her breath.
<Thalassa> [ "Um… bad time, I'm assuming," the woman suggests, looking just as awkward. There's a flurry of noise from within the room, before… the Slayer comes out, seemingly renewed, her poise just standing upright, and straight. "… my apologies for that scene, Tyraline Paskell." ]
*Tyra actually flinches as her name's said, murmuring something about discretion and lack thereof. A gloved hand comes up to wipe at her face, keeping rather averted from the both of them.
*Thalassa is now known as The_Slayer
*The_Slayer gestures for the woman to leave, and she does so wordlessly. "She is of no consequence; your identity holds no meaning to her. …" She pauses, and … does slowly put a hand out to her shoulder.
*Tyra doesn't flinch away from that at least, taking a few deep breaths as she tries to compose herself. "S-sorry."
*The_Slayer is not fully herself yet, because there is still /some/ emotion in her voice, and she says, "No, it is my fault. I should not have admitted you inside. I thought it was very important…"
*Tyra shakes her head again. "It was, at… at least for me. Too many questions, too many blanks that needed to be filled. What I just did though…" She bows her head some, shivering for a moment and trying to prevent another wellspring of tears.
*The_Slayer falls very silent for a bit, before breaking her own rule for Tyra's sake to say, "Take the back door and wait for Xiri."
*Tyra nods, slowly getting to her feet and doing as told. She's very careful to not look at the Slayer, keeping her arms wrapped around herself.
*The_Slayer is herself looking very dismayed, but she gives Tyra some time to enter by herself towards the back of the Lente. She waits for a moment, two… and then is joined by…
*The_Slayer is now known as Xiri
*Xiri , who is walking up behind her with a sort of expressively mixed look on her face. "Tyri…"
*Tyra seems to have calmed down some, having found another spot to sit. She half turns at Xiri's approach, speaking up in a somewhat weak voice. "S-sorry. I blew it, big time."
*Xiri shakes her head for a moment as she walks over, asserting some confidence in a vain hope that it can be comforting, and hugs her tightly around the shoulders, giving her a tender kiss. "No. No you didn't, Tyri."
*Tyra leans back against Xiri, letting out a shuddering sigh. "I don't know. Damane forgive me."
*Xiri brushes her hand against her back and goes, "Shh," and hugs her tighter.
*Tyra turns around so she's facing Xiri, wrapping her arms around her and burying her face in the other woman's shoulder. She shakes a bit, then starts to settle some.
*Xiri sits down next to her, giving her her warmth and as long as she needs it, her embrace.
*Tyra eventually lifts her head some, speaking softly. "I.. I don't know what to say, Xi."
*Xiri lets out a sigh, before saying, "Some people have some ugly sides that they don't want to show to others. It isn't your fault." She leans in and kisses a tear away.
*Tyra can't help but chuckle for a moment, though it isn't exactly a cheerful one. "Understatement of the century, I suppose." She looks up at Xiri for a moment, then simply leans in to rest her forehead against her's.
*Xiri mms softly as she renews her hug around her, holding her tighter, and saying, "Do you want something… hot cocoa or something? Could get some from the bar."
<Tyra> For once, something not alcoholic would be wonderful.
*Xiri slowly gets up, and then offers her hand. "C'mon…"
*Tyra takes Xiri's hand, easing herself up. "God, I'm a mess. No one else is here, right?"
*Xiri shakes her head. "No, no one should be. It's too early for even J.B. to be here."
*Tyra breathes out a sigh of relief, reaching up to undo the braids to let her hair fall. "Good. Sorry about this, Xi."
*Xiri shakes her head and turns around, putting her finger on her lips. "No. Don't say sorry for something you didn't do…" she's insistent. She pecks her again, before walking over towards the bar to make them some extra-chocolatey hot cocoa.
*Tyra manages a faint smile, looking a little cheered as she takes a seat. "Just for the trouble in general, I meant."
*Xiri puts marshmallows in on top and scalds the milk, before handing a big frothy mug to each of them, with Xiri sitting opposite. "There…"
*Tyra takes the mug, actually giggling again for a moment as she sips from it. "I haven't had cocoa since… gods, I can't remember."
*Xiri nods a few times and says, "I always get some hot cocoa when I want to go 'oh, I haven't had this since…' and want to snug up and get cozy." She sips and giggles, herself.
*Tyra nods, taking another sip and making a point to claim a few marshmallows as well. "Snuggling up and getting cozy sounds wonderful." She glances down, actually blushing for a few seconds. "Not that this is quite all that good for that."
<Tyra> « down at her outfit*»
*Xiri blushes a little as she says, "Well, at least it'll be very snug…"
*Tyra raises an eyebrow for a moment, her voice taking on a mix of teasing and sultry tones. "You noticed, mm?"
*Xiri tilts her head as she says, "It's very hard not to."
*Tyra slumps a bit, taking a sip of her cocoa. "Mmf. That fell flat."
*Xiri raises her eyebrows as she says, "Oh?"
*Tyra shakes her head, waving a hand. "Nothing, nothing. Just being silly."
*Xiri pouts a little bit, as she says, "I knew it was something vaguely flirty… come on. What was it?"
*Tyra coughs. "Embarassed about the outfit a little."
*Xiri giggles slowly as she says, "Don't worry, Tyri. You don't get away with wearing tight leather without having the figure in the first place, so feel some pride."
<Tyra> Mmm. Pride, huh?
*Tyra takes another sip of her cocoa, looking contemplative.
*Xiri smiles and quirks her brow. "Yeah."
<Tyra> Hmmmm. Tricky when I wear it for the working nights.
*Xiri awws slowly. "Maybe a special occasion or two, then…?"
*Tyra tilts her head, giving Xiri an amused look. "A special occasion, you say?"
*Xiri pauses, and then giggles and says, "Well… you can imagine from there on out."
*Tyra leans forward a bit, actually grinning. "Mm, perhaps. I think I'll have to find us an occasion as soon as I can."
*Xiri mmms softly and says, "I'll look forward to it, Tyri."
*Tyra closes her eyes, swirling her cup around some before taking another sip. "Pity I can't come up with anything that works for today." She giggles for a moment, shaking her head.
*Xiri gestures as well to say, "No, that's okay… take your time." She reaches over and pats her again. "We could… move to the couches at the backstage if you're more comfortable there."
*Tyra smiles faintly, opening her eyes. "That'd be good, if you don't mind." She stands up, taking the mug with her for another sip of the cocoa.
*Xiri gets up and slides over the counter, moving to the biggest, comfiest couch with the most pillows on it, sitting down with her. "Where do you think we should go for our next date?"
*Tyra doesn't wait another moment, settling in and leaning against Xiri with a contented sigh. "Mmm… good question. Is there anything in particular that you'd like? I have an idea or two, but…"
*Xiri blushes slowly as she says, cozying up to her, "An idea or two, hmm…?"
<Tyra> There is the trip out into the bay on a boat I mentioned before, after all. *She sets aside the mug, sliding her arms around Xiri in a loose hug.*You liked the sound of that, if I remember right.
*Xiri giggles and says, "A boat… yes, let's do that."
*Tyra nods, giggling for a moment as well as she kisses Xiri's cheek and tightens the embrace some. "Day or night, Xi?"
*Xiri tilts her head and says, "Day, I think. Night out on the sea sounds scary."
*Tyra snickers. "Moonlight cruise doesn't appeal, mm?" She settles in even more, pressed against Xiri now with her head resting on the other woman's shoulder. "I'll make the arrangements as soon as I can, then."
*Xiri basically melts against her as she lets out a satisfied sigh, saying, "Oh, you're the best, Tyri…"
*Tyra frowns for a heartbeat, mind flashing back to Thalassa's words earlier. She murmurs something indistinct, burying her head into Xiri more.
*Xiri would normally question what's wrong, but… this is a time in which many things are wrong. So she just cuddles with her until she's fully satisfied.
*Tyra takes a bit, though eventually she shifts a bit with a chuckle. "If I stay much longer I might end up using you as a pillow and then you'll be stuck."
<Tyra> « takes a while, even. Late night redundancy go »
*Xiri says, "That wouldn't be such a bad thing, believe me…"
*Tyra giggles. "Can I, then?"
*Xiri thinks for a moment, and then says, "Yeah… yeah. Why not…"
*Tyra nods, shifting to make herself more comfortable and closing her eyes again. "Just for a bit…"
*Xiri does herself shift her eyes down and mmm. She's weary from that ordeal.
*Tyra is soon out like a light. On the bright side, she doesn't snore.