Raezyr stepped out of the refresher. His black hair was still damp and water ran down his chest in rivulets and soaked into the towel wrapped around his waist. He could have used the sanisteam, and it would have been quicker, but he enjoyed the feeling of the warm water running over his skin. He crossed his arms and leaned against the door jamb connecting Dianna Kingsdoom's personal quarters to her refresher and watched her dress. Her hair was still damp as well, liked the way it clung to her fair skin in thick strands. "I never got the chance to ask you how things are for you here, although I meant to."
Dianna sat down facing away from Raezyr on the edge of the bed and sighed. She pulled a red and black shirt on over her head, and flipped her red hair outside of the collar. "I'm not going to lie. Things are tough, Raez." She twisted around and looked at her lover. "Ever since we broke out of the brig on that Republic capital ship, they've been all over my operations. They've been coming down on old business partners and contacts as well. If I weren't so well liked by them, someone would have ratted me out by now, and I suspect a few of them have anyway, although very few actually know where the King's Lair is."
Raezyr walked over and after tossing his towel aside, he shrugged on his breeches and trousers. "I didn't realize things were getting that bad."
"I used to have contacts all over the Galaxy," Dianna continued, tugging on one of her boots. "I inherited a lot of them from my father, but I made plenty more of my own legitimate contacts over the last few years. Now, no one will come near me, but the low-lives that no one else will deal with, and that kind of scum doesn't pay much.
"I've got salaries to pay, ships to fuel and repair, plus the supplies to purchase, and that's just the beginning. For brief moments, I wish we'd never have escaped from that Hammerhead." Dianna sat quietly for a moment, staring at herself in the mirror across the room.
Raezyr wondered what exactly she was thinking. With Trychon, he could usually get a pretty good sense of what might be rattling around in his head, but he attributed that mostly to their connection through the Force. But with Diana, it was a mystery, and it was almost a challenge, while at the same time comforting somehow. "I feel bad that Trych and I got you into this mess."
She spun around and looked at Raezyr questioningly. "Into? You and your brother got me out of that mess. It was Fillis Riv-ars who got me into this mess.
"Speaking of that dirty mynock," she said, getting up and walking over to Raezyr who had just finished dressing. She slid her hands up his chest and interlaced her fingers behind his neck, looking into his eyes. "You'll never know how much I owe you for crushing him and his crew, you and your brother both."
Raezyr slid his muscled arms around her narrow waist and pulled her body close to him. "It was nothing, really. I mean, Trych and I owed him one anyway, we were just returning the favor."
"You still didn't have to do what you did, and for that, I owe you more than you'll ever know." She leaned up and kissed him deeply. After a long moment, they separated.
Dianna touched her tongue to her lips as if still tasting the kiss. "Now that I've officially welcomed you home, I've got to get back to my duties," she said with grin as she turned and headed for the door.
"I know, I do too," Raezyr added, following right behind her.
"What duties do you have?"
"Training," he said flatly.
"I should have known," Dianna said, rolling her eyes a bit.
"A Sith's work is never done," Raezyr said in mock exasperation.
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